¨C Byron ¨C
"Didn''t you guys tell me that the log pose was the only reliable way to navigate this part of the Blue Sea?" Shura asked, scratching his head in confusion as he stared down at the object in his palm.
"That is usually the case, yes." Byron confirmed. What else was he supposed to say?
"Then what is this?" his first mate asked him, holding up the object in question.
"I believe Disco called it a turtle pose."
After the Honey Queen had come aboard as an unpaying passenger, Byron had wasted no time in trying to make progress on this quest he''d been saddled with. The first step of which was to gather information as to the Bear King''s current whereabouts. Thankfully, while he had no way of sniffing out where the man may have gone, Byron was the only and hence the most important of Bellamy''s affiliate captains. This also meant that Byron was entitled to enjoy certain privileges, one of which was the usage of Disco''s intelligence network.
To say that Byron held a grudge against the man would be a gross understatement, but he was pragmatic enough to make use of the options he had available to him instead of trying to go into this blind. For his part, Disco was a consummate professional who didn''t blink an eye when his former merchandise came marching up to his front door and demanded information on the current location of the bear king. Thus, instead of causing a fuss, he chose to hand over the requested files without saying a word. Why the man had a dossier on a barely known pirate from East Blue lying around in his office was a mystery to Byron, but he wasn''t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Though he did have to admit that he was suitably impressed at the extent of Disco''s network and the sheer quantity of information gathered by it on a daily basis. In fact, the man''s organisation not only gathered but also categorised and summarised the mountain of snippets into handily accessible folders for easy perusal. To be honest, the fact that Doflamingo had discarded this man as if he were a moldy old sandwich still boggled Byron''s mind. This was made even more bewildering, when one remembers that Disco''s current capabilities were nothing but a pale shadow of what they had once been during his peak, much of it having been lost in the chaotic aftermath of Straw Hat''s rampage through Disco''s human auction house.
Regardless, Disco had come through, the man''s many, many eyes letting him, and by extension Byron, know that the last reported sighting of the Bear King had put him on a heading for Mecha Island, an island only notable for being impossible to locate via the traditional log pose and requiring other more specialised means of navigation. Getting his hands upon the sole method of finding said island had been similarly simple as the island was, to quote Disco, not quite as secret as the residents liked to think.
Having thus prepared everything they needed, the Harmony Pirates raised their anchor and set sail for Mecha Island.
They arrived to find a city up in arms.
Even from a distance, it was clear as day that the town had been put through the ringer. Several buildings still bore the marks of a recent fire and that others were collapsed into ruins as if an explosion had ripped the supporting pillars apart. Combined with how the townsfolk had assembled on the beaches armed with pitchforks to group up behind a line of mechanical archers, it wasn''t a difficult conclusion to draw. The town had been attacked and recently at that.
Three guesses as to who might possibly have been responsible and the first two didn''t count.
When Byron gave Helena a blank look, the Honey Queen dejectedly hung her head, looking as if she wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
The question now was, how did Byron want to do this?
"Do we fight, captain?" Shura asked, stepping up to the ship''s prow beside him. A moment later, the archers on the shore let loose their first volley. "Hmmm, seems like they aren''t going to give us a choice."
"There''s always a choice, Shura. One just has to grasp it." Byron corrected his first mate, ignoring Helena''s screams and grabbing her by the scruff before she could dive for cover and forcing the self-styled queen to stand between himself and his first mate. Oddly enough, when faced with something which posed absolutely no threat to her wellbeing, the girl panicked.
"Kyaaah! Oh gods, they''re attacking us! Do something! I''m too beautiful to die!"
"And how do you propose to do that?" Ignoring her screams, Shura calmly unwrapped his wires and whipped his arms forward. Moments later, the sun briefly glinted off a dense net in the sky, before the air was filled by the shredded remains of a thousand arrows. Another wave of Shura''s arms and all the splinters were casually swept to the sides and into the sea.
"Simple. First, I''m going to calm our excitable hosts down. I can convince them of our good intentions afterwards." Byron replied. It was a simple plan but plans were meant to be simple things, lest they be foiled by the tiniest little variable behaving differently than envisioned.
"Should we set up the speakers, captain?" Shura offered but Byron shook his head to decline.
"That won''t be necessary, Shura. Not for something as simple as this." After all, setting everything up would probably take longer than the performance itself. "This won''t even take a minute."
Though in the end, Byron had to admit that he may have underestimated the locals a little.
It took two.
Once Byron''s impromptu concert had taken away their initial belligerence, the locals reverted to the peaceful, happy townsfolk they had originally been. It had helped that Byron had ordered his crew not to raise their jolly Roger. Which he had only done because one, he didn''t want to advertise that they were pirates to the civilian populace when he wanted to grill them for information and two, his old one simply had too many bad memories attached to it for Byron to be comfortable flying it from his mast. Sadly, their attempts thus far to design a new flag had been met with abysmal results.
Still, whether by design or by accident, Byron had been able to convince the locals that the Harmony Pirates were in fact not pirates, but a team of roaming bounty hunters scouring the six seas in search of Helena''s long lost brother, whom they believed to be in the unwilling company of the treacherous Trump Pirates. Yes, the very pirates who had unsuccessfully attempted to conquer the island not three weeks ago, and barely been driven off at great cost. This had the unintended consequence of garnering the Honey Queen many a look of sympathy, much to her chagrin and causing the girl to spend a lot of time uncomfortably staring down at her shoes. Of course, her discomfort just made everything worse, with the motherly queen dowager clamoring to feed sweet treats to the cute young lady in order to help take her mind off her brother''s likely dire predicament.
However, work waited for no man and the local populace soon dispersed to go about their daily tasks, breaking into song as they toiled away.
Swaying, sway, sway, sway, swaying
The King of the Sea, the Golden Crown
The white snake''s eyes, two moons
The sound of the black wind, feeling lighter
Time to drink up the blue water jug,
The lightning that falls on the green forest
Swaying, sway, sway, sway, swaying
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The King of the Sea, the Golden Crown
Being the pirate that she was, Helena of course focused on the part about a golden crown and sought to investigate further. Faced with the full charm the blonde beauty could muster, the young ruler of the island, otherwise known as Dr. Ratchet, started babbling like a brook.
Turned out that the golden crown had existed only in legend for the last several centuries, with every attempt to locate the item having come to nought. However, Dr. Rachet was determined to be different and claimed to have dedicated his life to solving the riddle. A riddle which had been passed down through the generations in the form of a folk song.
So far, they had managed to identify the rocky outcropping on the island the White Snake referred to, but had gotten stuck on the two moons bit. Though, he quickly followed up on that admission by promising that it was only a matter of time. Though not before proudly displaying the intricate mechanical model he had constructed to simulate the moon''s progress.
The next thing Byron knew, Ratchet had offered to give Helena (and grudgingly her servants) a tour of the location in question. Which was how Byron had found himself traipsing about the cliff tops with his entire crew in tow.
"There''s nothing here." Judy concluded after taking a good look about the place.
"Yes, that is the problem." Ratchet agreed, "However, being the genius that I am, I have deduced that a hidden gate will open when the moon and its reflection align in some special manner. Hence, it is just a matter of finding when that moment will be."
The young man seemed confident, but to Byron that theory sounded pretty farfetched. Then again, he may be a captain, and a navigator by necessity, but he what he wasn''t was an astrologer. Nor did he have the mechanical expertise required to judge the viability of such a gate mechanism. Instead, his specialty lay in music, which included a whole cadre of associated skills, such as the ability to clearly differentiate between the minutiae of sound.
"Shura?"
"Yes, captain?"
"Slice the Snake''s head open."
"Aye, captain."
"Wait a moment! What do you mean by, slice the snake''s head open? That''s solid rock¡?!?!"
Hence, finding a large cave beneath his feet was no trouble at all, Byron merely having to listen for the change in pitch in his footsteps as he walked about the place. Of course, finding the cave, wherever it may lead, was only the first step in this little side quest for the golden crown. Not only did they have to sail off a giant subterranean waterfall, which they only survived thanks to Shura''s strings, but then they had to try and decode what was probably an ancient riddle after reaching an underground lake. Needless to say that, as they couldn''t read the damn thing due it being written in some ancient script, they failed to make heads or tails of the engraved text. And if that weren''t enough¡
"Uhm, captain? There''s something odd about this island. It almost feels alive."
"Alive? What do you mean, Marie?"
"I can sense the way this island breathes, captain. It slumbers yet, but it breathes."
¡his medical officer had to start talking in riddles too. Byron bloody hated riddles.
They probably spent hours in that cave, searching every nook and cranny they could access for another clue. The big breakthrough arrived after they accidentally managed to drain the lake by punching a rather large hole into the floor. With no other avenue of investigation remaining, Marie had the bright idea to have Helena investigate where the water had gone. The blonde initially refused but folded soon enough after Shura dragged a puppy-eyed Judy in front of her. Byron gently humming courage and initiative into her probably hadn''t hurt either.
And lo and behold, not long after the liquefied girl had departed she returned triumphant, having discovered an oddity hidden behind a wall. A wall Shura quickly reduced to rubble to reveal a rusty harpoon stuck into the ground.
"What do we do now?" Ratchet asked, prompting Byron to give the lad a small shrug.
"I don''t know. Weren''t you supposed to be the big genius?"
"Ahahaha, of course I am! Obviously we have to¡"
Of course, nothing the pompous idiot suggested did a damn thing. It wasn''t until Byron played a fast-paced and lively shanty at Marie''s behest that something changed. With Marie''s shout of "It''s alive!", the island awoke, shaking and rumbling down to its very core. Unsurprisingly, the slowly forming cracks in the ceiling provided sufficient motivation for everyone to evacuate out of the caves as fast as they physically could.
But the sight which greeted them struck even. veteran like Byron speechless, for staring at him in curiosity was a huge, yellow eye set into a leathery face many times larger than his ship.
"My word¡"
"Bloody hells!"
"That''s one big turtle."
Like Judy just said, that was one big turtle.
And they were on it''s shell.
The Worst Generation?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
The Summit War took on a surprising twist, when twelve rookie pirates all worth over 100 million belli, decided to join the fighting on Whitebeard''s side. These were in order of their bounties from highest to lowest:
Eustass "Captain" Kidd worth 400 million belli
"Straw Hat" Luffy worth 400 million belli
"The Magician" Basil Hawkins worth 311 million belli
"Red Flag" X-Drake, worth 306 million belli
"Springtrap" Bellamy, worth 303 million belli
"The Surgeon of Death" Trafalgar Law, worth 302 million belli
"Roar of the Sea" Scratchman Apoo, worth 267 million belli
"The Mad Monk" Urouge, worth 216 million belli
"Big Eater" Jewelry Bonney, worth 210 million belli
Capone "Gang" Bege, worth 199 million belli
"Massacre Soldier" Killer, worth 180 million belli
"Thunder Child" Aisa, worth 150 million belli (only alive)
For their crimes and for their audacity to directly act in defiance of both the Marine Corps and the World Government, these pirates are being labeled as the "Worst Generation" to arise since the death of the cursed Pirate King, Gold Roger.
Also included in this group is "the Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro, worth 120 million belli, who was strangely absent from the battle. Experts say that this may indicate a break from within the ranks of the Straw Hat pirates cause by a conflict between their captain and his first mate. We can only hope that this is true and leads to the final dissolution of the Straw Hat pirates, who had gained notoriety by launching an unsuccessful attack on Enies Lobby.
According to eyewitness accounts, these rookie pirates failed to have any meaningful impact on the battle, in many cases being beaten back despite working together to fight our own in a clear act of cowardice. Examples include the utter, crushing defeat dealt to captains Bellamy and Trafalgar Water Law by the Royal Warlord Doflamingo and the routing of a team composed of Jewelry Bonney, Eustass Kidd and Urouge by the "Tyrant" Kuma.
Their current locations are unknown after they fled from Marineford in the company of Whitebeard''s remnants, with the marines vowing to bring them to justice.
We, from the editorial team of Marineford Daily News, wish our proud boys in white and blue the best of luck in this endeavor.
On another note: While their interference had only a minimal effect on the balance of the battle, their involvement was significant in demonstrating how rampant crime is becoming in the world and the necessity of harsher policies to combat it. Thousands across the world are flocking to the Marine recruitment centres to join the ranks of this glorious institution and fight back against the current chaos. The World Government has put out a call requesting the common populace do their work diligently and to contribute to society as a whole, so as to act as a stable foundation against the rising darkness.
The world needs you.
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This was Marineford Daily reporting.
Interlude: Liquid Courage?
¨C Byron ¨C
As far as diabolical plans for world domination went, this one was just plain pathetic. What had Ratchet been thinking?
That the world was simply going to roll over and give up, just because he had gained some tenuous control over a giant moving turtle? Admittedly it was a very large turtle with a city on its back and a lot more room for canon emplacements. If he were given enough time, he could even man those emplacements with his mechanical toys to turn Mecha Island into a heavily armed and mobile fortress.
But that was all it was¡a single floating fortress. Any competent marine vessel would be able to outmaneuver Ratchet and his two officers and force a landing, never mind what a squadron of marine warships could do.
No, this plan was doomed from the very beginning and Byron had the distinctive pleasure of being in a prime position to break the news to this arrogant manchild. Then again, why do it himself when he had two rookies who could do it in his stead?
Actually¡
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Helena flinched, before wrapping her arms around herself in a protective gesture. A futile one. "I don''t like it. I don''t like it at all."
¡make that three.
Judy''s opponent turned out to be General Maji, the officer in charge of the island''s entire military. Or at least he would have been if the island had a military worth mentioning in the first place. As it didn''t, the man came marching out the castle with a troop of toy soldiers at his back.
"Do I really have to fight? I''m just a bartender."
"You are my bartender which makes you a pirate sailing on my ship." Byron growled at the lad, giving him no room to argue and firmly pushing him forward. "Fight."
Still, the boy hesitated, glancing back and forth between Byron''s finger and the approaching general several times, before slowly trudging towards his target. He did noticeably speed up though when Marie cheered him on.
"I believe in you Judy!"
Judy did make one last attempt at diplomacy, trying to convince General Maji to surrender before anyone got hurt. But unfortunately for the officer, like his master, General Maji did not have the ability to recognise that the odds were stacked against him.
The fight began with the crackling of rifle fire, the mechanical line infantry doing their best to riddle Judy with bullet holes. Unfortunately for them, for all their sophistication and wonderfully detailed uniforms, their movements were limited and their intentions clearly telegraphed. Judy simply had to do what Judy did best, which was to run away faster than the soldiers could re-adjust their aim. And that was what he did.
Oddly enough, that was also the only thing he did.
"Shura?"
"Yes, captain?"
"You did teach him how to throw a punch, right?" Byron asked his first mate while glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. Shura returned the look, through with a slightly confused tilt of the head.
"No captain, I thought you were going to."
Right, he had said that hadn''t he? This was somewhat awkward, especially with Marie giving her captain a disbelieving look.
"...I knew I missed something." Byron muttered, intentionally ignoring his medical officer''s gaze, which was increasingly resembling that of a dead fish.
"Do...do we interfere?" Shura stammered out, clearly caught off guard, but Byron shook his head. What was done was done. There was no use in crying over split milk and Judy wasn''t in any real danger yet.
"Not yet, let''s give the lad the chance to figure things out first. Who knows? He may even surprise us."
As it happened, Judy did manage to surprise Byron. Once he had clonked onto the fact that he wouldn''t be winning a fight if he didn''t do something other than run circles around his opponents, Judy had elected to run even more circles. But not before linking one of the toy soldiers and his own belt via a steel wire he''d borrowed from Shura. The result was the entire toy squadron being bound together like a bouquet with General Maji stuck in the middle.
"That''s a pretty good idea actually. Pity he isn''t physically strong enough to pull it off properly." Shura mused, more to himself than to Byron. Byron however didn''t reply to that, as he was distracted by something else he was just noticing.
"Is he¡is he getting himself drunk?" Byron asked incredulously, causing Shura to do a spit take.
To give Judy the due credit he deserved, he wasn''t getting drunk as that would require him to ingest more alcohol than his body could reasonably break down in a timely manner. What he was doing though, was chugging the contents of half a dozen vials, which Byron knew to contain the lad''s experimental cocktails. The next thing Byron knew, Judy suddenly found some hidden reserves of strength with which he heaved on the wire, quickly tightening the loose bonds he had prepared previously and crushing General Maji with the weight of his own troops.
Later, when Byron grilled the lad on what substance he''d imbibed that had given him that boost in strength, the bartender turned pirate only had one thing to say.
"Uhm¡liquid courage?"
Whereas General Maji had relied primarily on the strength of his toy soldiers, Colonel Honki had opted to go the exact opposite route. By which Byron meant that the colonel had attempted to augment his personal power with some sort of mechanical battle armor. In all honesty, it reminded Byron more of a lumbering gorilla than anything else and it was probably about as dangerous. While its raw strength may have been respectable by the standards of the four Blues, Byron had witnessed the might of the Grand Line at Marineford. Especially when compared to Vegapunk''s creations, Honki''s battle suit was nothing more than a shabby toy.
Which was why Byron had felt absolutely no remorse whatsoever when he shoved Helena forwards to earn her own keep. Helena may have been an East Blue pirate but she had survived long enough on the Grand Line that this shouldn''t have posed a serious threat to her wellbeing.
The fight, if you could call it that, was incredibly one-sided. No sooner had Honki fired his shoulder cannons, did Helena liquify and proceed to engulf the man in a giant ball of her pink fluid. This in turn forced the colonel to make a choice. He could either wear the mask and suffer the enormous heat his suit generated or he could forgo the mask and risk drowning. Or¡as it turned out, he could choose to do nothing and get hurt when Helena''s liquid used the opening afforded by his inaction to infiltrate his suit and mess with some critical component. This in turn caused the whole contraption to destabilize and explode, ending the fight before it could really begin.
Byron did have to put Helena back in her place, when buoyed by her victory, she turned her gaze onto the Harmony pirates in a less than innocent manner. It didn''t take minder reader to know that she was trying to judge whether or not she could forcibly subjugate Byron''s crew into doing her bidding. After all, she was a logia and hence invulnerable. That was, unless she did something silly, like allowing herself to be trapped in a bottle. But no-one would be quite that silly, right? Byron quickly disabused her of the notion by humming a lullaby and magnifying the girl''s drowsiness enough to instantly put her to sleep. When Helena woke up again, he dangled a pair of seastone handcuffs in front of her face, which together with his humming, did a lot to convince the girl to behave from then on.
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Now, with both officers taken down and out for the count, that left only the honorable Doctor Ratchet for Marie to take care of.
Ratchet was an intelligent young man. While Byron had already noted that his creations paled in comparison to Vegapunk''s masterworks, the mere fact that he''d managed as much as he''d had with self-study and limited resources, deserved a certain amount of respect. Additionally, due to the invasion of Mecha Island by the Trump Pirates, the young lord had been able to gather plentiful data regarding the combat worthiness of his mechs. Or lack of combat worthiness, when one considered that the Trump Pirates had successfully ransacked the castle and made off with whatever valuables they could get their grubby hands on. Hence, it should not have come as a surprise to anyone that a motivated and talented tinker like Dr. Ratchet would take those lessons to heart when he went back to the drawing board.
The result was the Iron Man #33, a mech which had its functionality streamlined until it was utterly unsuited for anything other than combat. It was his greatest creation to date, incorporating the secrets of the King Cannon Mark 2 into its design, the remnants of which the Bear King had been forced to leave behind, and being armed with several gatling guns. Or so Ratchet claimed, when the lad had boastfully introduced his creation to Marie.
Marie remained thoroughly unimpressed, merely snapping her fingers and activating her devil fruit ability...the Neko Neko no Mi: Model Nekomata.
Marie''s fruit was an interesting one, in Byron''s opinion. While he was aware that devil fruits, especially zoan fruits, tended to influence their user until their character was more aligned with the ability itself, Byron had never witnessed a case where this effect had been as drastic as with Marie. On most days, the girl was as sweet as they came, polite and demure to a fault, but whenever she entered a combat situation and especially if she used her devil fruit, it was as if she''d flipped a switch somewhere. In other words, the girl became a whole different person.
vs
Vulgar where she''d once been polite, playful and mischievous where she''d been serious¡and where she''d once been demure and reserved¡well. Let us say that Judy''s self-control was greatly challenged every time he saw his fiancee transform into her hybrid form.
Dr. Ratchet himself froze for a good thirty seconds as he took in the sight of Marie in her new outfit. And while Byron pondered the mystery of why her clothing changed with her, Marie wasted no time in pouncing upon her opponent. That the mech had its guns trained on her seemed to bother the girl not a whit, as Ratchet would have to identify the real Marie first. One Marie became two, then five, then ten, throwing her opponent into a wild panic as he was suddenly confronted by a small horde of grinning, yowling catgirls charging at him from all directions. Byron didn''t blame the boy for failing to respond in an adequate manner, as he knew first hand how disorientating Marie''s illusionary clones could be. And that was despite his ability to pick up the slight auditory inconsistencies between the illusions and the main body. But even those seemed to be lessening every day.
Belatedly, Ratchet tried to ward his opponent off, his battle suit''s arms flailing wildly about itself and emptying its magazines. But his panicked defense availed him not as Marie sinuously danced her way through the incoming hail of bullets as if she were taking a stroll through the park. Another snap of her fingers and the ground beneath the Iron Man #33 turned into a swamp, the mud unable to support the ton-heavy weight and the mechanical suit sinking into the ground up to its chest as a result. And with that, the fight was essentially over, Marie only needing to deliver the finishing blow to an immobilized opponent. Which she did with gusto.
The last thing Ratchet saw, before his facial structures were rearranged, would have probably have been Marie''s heel coming down in an axe-kick to smash through his mech''s metal helmet.
The Price of Sugar?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
It is a well documented fact that the world has seen a slight increase in crime rates across the globe after the recent commotion at Marineford. This has mostly been kept under control thanks to the tireless efforts of our marines, but unfortunately they are too few in number to be everywhere at once. While this is something that is being rectified at this very moment, new recruits entering the corps in droves, for now the occasional petty crime does take place.
As one resident of the island of Jam told us: "They stole half the strawberries! And the other half was voluntarily tributed to the fucking most gracious, most generous, divine World Nobles, in an act of bloody cruelty great benevolence." The residents request that he be allowed to remain anonymous has been filed with the appropriate authorities.
As Jam and her sister islands of Confiture and Marmalade were responsible for 52.8% of the world''s sweet strawberry preserve, this audacious fruit robbery is expected to have dire consequences for the global supply chains.
Already the price of jams, confitures and marmalades has risen by a whopping 34.1% within the last three weeks and is not expected to slow down any time soon as the scramble for the limited stockpile has begun.
Thankfully the divine land of Mariejois is above such petty concerns and is as stable and peaceful as ever, but rumblings of concern have been detected within the New World.
Even before the shortages began, the shipping routes had been hazardous, the convoys having to navigate pirate infested waters, protected only by the flag of one of the four emperors. Now, not even that seems to be enough.
As the famed jam is a staple of every breakfast table of note, it is hardly surprising that some overly eager subordinates sought to curry favor with their tyrannical captains, leading to raids and counter raids on the supply convoys headed to Whole Cake Island and Wano.
Rumor has it that an entire shipment was hijacked, leading to severely heightened tensions between the Big Mom Pirates, who rightly feared for their lives should Big Mom not get her daily dose of breakfast confiture, and the Beast Pirates, who sought to defend their overlord''s right to a peanut butter and jam sandwich, in a confrontation already being called the Second Jam Crisis. (The first had been caused by Gold Roger stealing the heavenly tribute twenty five years prior).
On a completely unrelated note, the sole Emperor uninvolved in the Jam Crisis was witnessed spreading generous helpings of limited order strawberry delight marmalade on his scones during afternoon tea.
Whether this standoff will lead to outright war between the two superpowers of the New World remains to be seen but for now the build up of forces continues as the world waits with bated breath.
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This was Marineford Daily reporting.
Chapter 62: Reflections
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
If there was one thing the uninitiated failed to grasp completely, it was just how different the world was when observed through, or better yet, in conjunction with observation haki. It was not something merely as simple as an extended range of vision or even a superhuman amount of detail being picked up by your five senses. Rather, the world was simply¡more. A limited but similar analogy could be a dog, which didn''t have the ability to see some parts of our color spectrum, miraculously unlocking access to the full set of shades and frequencies. Now, imagine this, but also for every sensory ability you had in addition to some previously unknown sixth sense. To me, it almost felt as if the world was whispering in my ear. It was garbled, it was fuzzy and it was nearly impossible to understand right now, but I could sense the world''s heartbeat, hear her humming and feel the lightest of nudges on my skin.
To be honest, I wasn''t sure if what I was experiencing was normal. For one, Izou''s own experiences were quite different from my own. However, he did mention that no two people were exactly alike and while their applications of how they used their haki tended to be similar, the sensory feedback need not necessarily be. Then again, I didn''t think it really mattered.
What mattered was that after a very, very long time I finally had haki.
Also arguably, I had unlocked the most useful form of haki or at least the one I had the most use for at the moment. Nobody was going to deny that having armament would be a huge boost to how much damage I could dish out, especially against a logia user. That being said, I was currently sailing around in Paradise where few if any devil fruit users were equipped to deal with seastone. Samples of which I''d been surreptitiously gathering over the span of my entire existence on this world, until I now had a rather decent collection of knickknacks. As for sheer destructive power, I could grow that via other means. Such as a greater mastery over my devil fruit for example. And this was where observation haki came in very useful.
If observation haki afforded me a much greater awareness of the world around me, what would happen if I turned that focus inwards?
Well, the answer was a lot of things, but suffice to say that my control over my springs had skyrocketed as a result. If before, I had been relying on my subconscious, automated neural functions to help me move many of the smaller springs which constituted my Coil Chassis, I could now consciously manipulate all of them at will. Turned out, it was a lot easier to control something if you were aware of where it was, what it was doing, and in which manner it was doing it. The difference in efficiency was like night and day to say the least.
Furthermore, that improved control enabled me to try out some rather interesting applications. I''d already mastered the art of transforming one big spring into two smaller springs, linked together in a series. So, here''s the thought.
Who said that two springs linked together, needed to remain linked together?
I could transform a strand of hair into two linked springs, unlink one, extend the other before turning that one into two linked springs again. Voila, the result was one spring separated from my main body but one that was technically still a part of me. And that without any visible changes to my transformed body. I wasn''t sure if this had been the case for the original Bellamy, but for me, my springs didn''t necessarily have to correspond one-to-one to a part of my body. Otherwise, I probably wouldn''t have had any hair left after all my experiments. Whenever I undid my transformation (partial or otherwise), my hair remained exactly the same as it had been before.
Or maybe it did need to and I was essentially just turning a keratin molecule into a spring before increasing its size.
I didn''t know how my fruit did things and I probably never really would. Unfortunately, matter to matter transmutation had not been part of the college curriculum. It just worked and I wasn''t going to question it. Either way, it didn''t change the fact that I could mass produce springs now.
Sadly, I hadn''t figured out a way to use this in combat just yet. All I had managed so far, was to have these springs hop around for a bit before the headache forced me to dismiss them from existence. But progress was progress and I wasn''t going to complain. It wasn''t a poor man''s logia, nothing like that, but there was potential there. It only needed a lot more work to become useful.
At least I had made enough progress on my spring gatling gun, so that I had at least one new move I could add to my arsenal. It was an idea I had first experimented with on St. Poplar, when I was having my fist make rapid piston movements between my stationary forearm and the drugged Rear Admiral''s face. The issue back then had been that it had been too slow. I had only managed around ten punches per second, which in turn had forced me to shorten the range a lot to minimize the time interval between individual blows.
Thankfully, I had gotten a lot better at using my fruit since then. I was faster, I was stronger and I could seamlessly switch between extension and compression faster than I could blink. Hence, I now had a gatling gun worth the name, launching my fists at a whopping one hundred punches per second, similar to the firing rate of the historical gatling gun. While unlike Luffy''s gomu gomu no gatling, my Spring Gatling Gun lacked the ability to hem my opponent in by covering a wider area with my fists, but I would wager anything that mine was faster and had much more stopping power, as all the damage was concentrated much more heavily in a smaller area.
It was one of the perks of not having to draw my entire arm back to throw a second punch.
In summary, things were going great on my front.
Now, if only I could say the same for the rest of my crew¡
¨C Hewitt ¨C?
The journey to Baltigo had been remarkably unremarkable, though perhaps that was just how it was meant to be. Hewitt wasn''t sure what he had been expecting, but it had been nothing like a story quest. Not least because the trip had been completely void of any traps or challenges one had to pass in order to obtain clues about the whereabouts of the most secret base in the world. Instead, it had been smooth sailing with the guidance of an eternal pose and for some reason, the Grand Line had decided to play nice and not throw its usual atmospheric tantrums their way. This also meant that the crew had plenty of time to pursue other matters, which most of them had used to get in some extra training much to Izou''s delight.
Lily in particular had decided that she needed to master armament haki as fast as humanly possible and was sparring non-stop with anybody she could get her hands on. According to Izou, she''d been making amazing progress too. Coincidentally, Nero''s mastery of tekkai had greatly improved in the last few days as well. Everybody else had been putting in a lot of work, honing their respective specialties or in Ross'' case, somehow managing to work on everything at once.
Everybody except Hewitt. Unfortunately for him, he hadn''t recovered yet from the wounds inflicted upon him by Kalifa and thus, he had been confined by Muret to an infirmary bed under Funkfreed''s watchful watch. As everybody knew, there wasn''t much to do when one was lying in bed all day. Well, except be bored and stew in one''s own thoughts.
And with the way the holes in his chest painfully flared up every time he moved, was it any wonder that his thoughts wandered back to his loss against the government agent?
Hewitt had reviewed the fight frame by frame in his head, several times in fact, trying to find anything he could have, should have done differently. Maybe a stab here, a feint there, perhaps a slightly differently angled parry¡what if he''d moved a split second faster or delayed his timing by a smidgeon?
In the end, he''d come out empty handed.
With the knowledge he''d had at the time in the situation he''d been in, there had been nothing he would have done differently even if he could have. To put it another way, Hewitt had put on the best performance he had been capable of back then¡and it simply hadn''t been good enough. And that realization burned.
In hindsight, he should have noticed, subconsciously at least, that the others had been slowly pulling ahead of him, even if he''d tried his hardest to ignore it. Bellamy & Lily had been stronger than him from the beginning, so Hewitt had thought nothing of it when they trounced him in a spar. Same with Sarquiss, though they didn''t train together that often, with the first mate more focused on gaining greater control over his devil fruit. So far, Sarquiss had managed to figure out how to retract his insectoid abdomen, though his eyes and wings had as of yet remained unchangeable.
Laki and Nero hadn''t been around for nearly as long but in both cases, they''d quickly established themselves as instructors of their relative disciplines. Even for Hewitt it had been quite easy to accept that they were better than him (at least in those aspects), because if they weren''t they wouldn''t have been able to teach him.
Aisa was Aisa, ''nuff said.
But then Hewitt had started losing more and more spars to Ross recently (he''d told himself that he was only somewhat under the weather) and it had taken longer and longer to beat Rivers, even when the sniper wasn''t double-teaming him with Fuza. Even Mani had been turning increasingly tenacious ever since she''d unlocked her haki at Marineford. The only one who Hewitt didn''t have trouble defeating had been Muret, but even she had made great strides in medicine and toxicology, the most dangerous of which she refused to use against the Crew. When one considered the fact that Muret had been doing her damned best to ensure everyone had at least some immunity to her concoctions, Muret was effectively fighting him with one arm tied behind her back.
Now, he''d been pushed to a point where he couldn''t ignore it any longer. While he may still be stronger than a third of the crew, at this rate how much longer would this be the case? And even if things didn''t change from how they were now, was that in any shape or form acceptable? He''d been the number four on his crew (no matter what Ross or Eddy had claimed), but now he was a distant eighth.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Seriously, why had Ross gotten haki and not him? He''d trained as much as Ross had, he''d wanted it as much if nor more¡not to brag, but Hewitt was certain he deserved it more. After all, had Hewitt not chosen to not take that devil fruit, so that they could keep their little competition fair? Didn''t such generosity deserve a reward?
And speaking of devil fruits, Marie''s fruit could have been his! Counting Aisa, this was the second time a powerful fruit had slipped through his fingers (by his own inaction but that was beside the point). In Aisa''s case, at least she''d been a child and she''d been really useful after joining the crew, so far saving the lives of both Sarquiss and Hewitt. Plus, even Hewitt couldn''t deny that the kid had some great synergy with the goro goro no mi. But Marie was just a random girl Laki had taken pity on and decided to bring along. Seriously, what had the captain been thinking? Even if nobody on the crew had wanted it then, there hadn''t been any need to give it away. They could have kept it in the hold until a need arose¡
sigh~
Hewitt wasn''t blind enough to not realize that his mind was spewing out irrational crap. Nobody had stopped him from taking the fruit. In fact, the captain had nearly begged for someone on the crew to eat it. Hewitt had simply chosen not to for what turned out to be an asinine reason in hindsight. Thus, the captain deciding to invest in their affiliate crew was an understandable and even smart decision.
That he hadn''t unlocked haki yet didn''t mean he wasn''t going to and it was only a small pothole that a bit of extra training wouldn''t fix. In fact, when compared to just about every other pirate, Hewitt was supremely fortunate to have someone of Izou''s caliber giving him semi-personal training. He wasn''t sure whether or not even the Whitebeard Pirates in the crossdresser''s division had enjoyed the same privilege.
When one tacked on the lessons he''d gotten from Sanji, the ludicrous amount of gold still sitting at the bottom of his chest and all the other little benefits he''d gained which his childhood self hadn''t even been able to dream about, Hewitt knew perfectly well that he didn''t have a rational reason to be envious of anyone. People should be envious of him.
Pity that envy was rarely rational.
But apart from desperately pasting a smile on his face and clamping down on the emotions angrily bubbling inside of him, Hewitt didn''t know what to do.
He really didn''t know what to do.
¨C Nero ¨C?
The night breeze was wonderfully cool, carrying the smell of the sea across the moonlit waves. The deck was empty, the crew having mostly gone to sleep with the notable exception of Mani, who was on duty at the helm. And of course, Nero himself sitting in the crow''s nest. It was quiet up here, perfect for someone who wanted to become lost in his own thoughts.
To be honest, things didn''t feel quite real to Nero right now. They hadn''t since he''d been victorious against Jabra. That was not to say that the world seemed different or that he was having an out of body experience. The bruises he''d gotten from his spars with Lily could attest that he hadn''t left reality behind, but despite that, Nero was having a bit of trouble believing that he''d actually won.
Jabra had been this insurmountable barrier not even a year ago and he''d gotten so much stronger since then. When they had fought on Tequila Wolf, Jabra''s doriki would still have been far greater than Nero''s own. By all rights, he should have torn Nero to shreds and yet¡and yet, Nero could still feel Jabra''s larynx grasped in his hand, still see the wolf-man''s terror shining in his wide open eyes as Nero¡well, as Nero paid him back for all the humiliation and suffering he had endured at Jabra''s hands.
Nero had won.
Others would have been floating on cloud nine afterwards, but all Nero could think of, as he looked down at his former tormentor''s cooling corpse, had been the question of why. Why had he won?
Yes, he''d exploited Jabra''s enhanced senses and yes, Nero had gotten stronger. However, it hadn''t been as if Nero hadn''t run himself ragged before Lucci stabbed him in the back. If anything, Nero had been forced to train harder back then. But after years of such inhumane training, all Nero had to show for himself had been a paltry doriki of one hundred and twenty, which while superhuman, had been laughably low when compared to Jabra''s own.
When one assumed that Jabra''s claim of having matched Lucci''s strength were true, that would mean that Nero had increased his own doriki at least into the low three thousands to have stood any chance against Jabra''s four thousand. And this simply didn''t make any sense.
It had taken Nero over a decade to reach the level he''d been at prior to his termination. How did one get a near twenty times increase in strength within the span of only a few months? How?
Again, he hadn''t trained harder than he''d done back then. He hadn''t been as desperate as he''d been back then. In fact, he''d had less time for himself when one considered that he needed to spend a lot of his own time teaching his crew everything he knew. He''d certainly enjoyed doing it and the sense of purpose and accomplishment he''d gotten from seeing his pupils'' progress had been wonderful. But it had certainly eaten away at his own training efficiency. Or it should have. His old self would have lambasted his current self for playing around and pursuing an impossible dream instead of¡
¡dreams?
When was the last time Nero had been able to afford a dream, at least one other than survival, prior to joining the Bellamy Pirates? Most definitely not during his preliminary training. Graduation? His brief stint at cipher pol? The cave where he''d met his first friend? The answer was never. It had always been about survival and clawing his way to the top. While it hadn''t been as if he''d never had any happy times in those days, he''d also never been as satisfied and relaxed as he was now.
Was that why? Was the key to strength to be happy in life and pursue a dream?
Surely, it wasn''t that simple. That was too ridiculous to be true. Then again, this was the Grand Line. Logic tended to not work around here, so by being too ridiculous to be true, it increased the chances that it actually was.
Nero shook his head to clear it, sweeping the notion briefly aside. However, the idea was tenacious, rearing its head again and again over the course of the night as Nero deliberated on this new potential insight. In the end, he didn''t find a definitive answer until the sun peeked over the horizon, though he did have a conclusion he could draw. The answer probably wasn''t as simple as purely having a dream to chase after, of that Nero was certain. However, in pursuing a new lifestyle, he''d been doing something right and for now, that was enough for him.
Satisfied, Nero changed shifts with Rivers before heading off to his room for a nap, snuggling into his warm blankets. And as his body prepared for slumber, his mind wandered off again, going on a journey through all his happy memories, starting from the most recent until it reached the point in time when he''d made his first friend. It was his happiest memory to date. Would he ever get to see his friend again? Nero didn''t know, but he would dearly like to.
Would his friend greet him with the same smile? What would Nero say?
What would she say?
"You look like you''ve seen a ghost."
To be honest, Nero couldn''t be certain that he wasn''t seeing one right now. As such, there was nothing he could do to stop his jaw from dropping to the ground like an anvil.
CLONK
"You also should pick your jaw up from the ground, it really isn''t that clean. Anyway, it''s so nice seeing you again, it''s been what¡twelve years?" The vision before him asked in a jovial tone Nero remembered all too well, whereas his own brain short circuited, trying to bring forth a garbled mess.
"How¡wha¡uuuh? What? What?"
"Nero, aren''t you going to say hello to your Big Sis?" His vision demanded in that all too familiar manner, to which Nero only had one possible response.
"KOALA?!?!?"
Sengoku Retires!?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.?
The Marine HQ has recently announced that Fleet Admiral Sengoku will be stepping down after a long and illustrious career. His tenure included what was perhaps the most tumultuous era since the Void Century, including the rise and fall of notorious criminals such as Gold Roger or Shiki the Golden Lion. Now, after safeguarding the world for nigh three decades, his retirement leaves the marines with very big shoes to fill.
In response, the search for his successor has been going on quietly behind the scenes, as multiple candidates were recommended and screened for the post. Names, which have been circulating include Sengoku''s old friend and comrade, the living legend Garp the Fist. He is a man who needs no introduction and would have been a potential appointment wh would have brought decades of experience and unrivalled strength, yet humble as ever, the Hero of the Marines has declined the post, choosing instead to be on the frontlines of the war against the ever-present forces of chaos.
But apart from the legendary Vice Admiral, those touted to be the closest to the position of Fleet Admiral are the members of the admiralty themselves, amongst which Admirals Akainu and Aokiji have officially thrown their hats into the ring.
If one considers that this appointment will decide the marine policy for the next decades, it is not a decision that can be made lightly. While the process itself is veiled in secrecy, the position requires the appointee to bring all marines together into one unifying force. Hence, one can imagine that it''s a very democratic process including many debates and negotiations to pick the most charismatic and diplomatic candidate available.
Credence is given to this theory as neither of the Admirals Akainu and Aokiji haven''t been sighted for the last week after the marine speaker has revealed that they were very close to reaching a conclusion. It seems that both candidates have decided to amicably hash out the final details in a private discussion on a quiet retreat, like the good friends and comrades they are.
We look forward to the result.
Now on to the weather report.
All is well and fair on the Grand Line with the usual unpredictable storms and weather phenomena. However, observers have noted that the Island of Punk Hazard seems to be experiencing some weather anomalies beyond the usual, a storm of ice and lava tragically reducing the former lush island into a wasteland. No doubt, pirates are responsible somehow.
Please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
Chapter 63: Neros Dream
¨C Laki ¨C?
For being the most hunted base on the planet, Baltigo was a hub of activity, the kind of which one would expect to find in a sprawling metropolis like Sabaody rather than a military camp. While yes, there was no shortage of military facilities and armed soldiers visible everywhere, featured prominently along the main road was a bustling market filled with merchants plying their wares to their potential customers. Off duty soldiers seeking out a good time at the local bar, the elderly browsing through a selection of coffee brands, mothers looking for a bargain for tonight''s dinner while simultaneously trying to keep their children form ramhousing all over the place¡ Baltigo was full of life, almost as if trying to prove that it was more than what its secretive reputation would lead you to believe. Something their guide was eager to point out.
"Many of our recruits are really surprised when they first lay their eyes upon Baltigo Base." Koala said, striding confidently down the central boulevard, her fingers interlaced behind her head. "Most believe that Baltigo is just one giant military complex buried underground in the middle of a desert. Obviously, that''s not quite the case."
"Obviously." Mani snarked, though Laki could tell that the girl was as surprised as most of her friends were. She wasn''t quite sure why this warranted a mention though. In her experience, having non-combatants intermixed with the warriors into a single cohesive camp was normal and even desirable. Who was going to protect the civilians otherwise and who was going to support the war effort? "Aren''t you worried about secrecy though?"
"Not particularly, no. Everybody here is carefully vetted before being allowed to stay on the island and the only ships that can come here are those who have the eternal pose. Plus, it isn''t like we leave the important stuff out in the open. We even have a few decoys around like that super top secret intelligence department HQ over yonder." Koala replied, twirling around to face them. Laki noted that the girl didn''t miss a beat, walking confidently backwards through the throng of people, almost as if she had eyes in the back of her head.
"That''s actually pretty clever. I do have to say though¡does it have to be that conspicuous?" Rivers commented, squinting at the drab and camouflaged building, sitting in the middle of several whitewashed residential apartments. "It''s almost as if you want it to be found."
"It was our Chief of Staff''s idea, but most of the reasoning went over my head¡ something about moths to the flame or so. We haven''t caught any spies yet, but it is pretty funny watching the newbies'' eyes pop out whenever a child gets too close to military secrets." their guide giggled. "It gets them every time."
"So, where is the real thing then?" Mani flung one arm over Koala''s shoulder and asked in a conspiratorial stage whisper, to which Koala responded in exactly the same way.
"You want to know?" she asked, getting a nod and eager eyes. "Well, I could tell you¡"
"I''m sensing a but coming¡" Rivers muttered from the side, but despite his apprehension, he couldn''t help but lean in closer as well.
"...but you''d have to join up first." Koala chirped with a wink, pulling away to face the whole group again. "People of your caliber are always welcome and if what I''ve heard about Tequila Wolf is any indication, we do work well together."
"I think I value my freedom too much to enlist." Bellamy commented dryly, prompting assenting grunts and causing Koala to pout playfully.
"Oh, poo. And here I was hoping to spend more time with Nero-chan."
At that, Laki''s eyes flickered over to their resident rokushiki expert who, ever since meeting their guide, had been suspiciously quiet throughout the whole tour. In fact, he''d chosen to plod along in silence with his own gaze locked unerringly on Koala. Normally, Laki would have teased him for being lovestruck if it weren''t for the blank look on his face, one completely devoid of any emotions. Honestly, she didn''t know which was worse: this or the clear discomfort he''d been displaying previously, which had steadily grown the longer the tour had gone on.
"I did mean to ask, how do you two know each other anyway? I mean he was a secret government agent and you are¡well, you know, a revolutionary?" Rivers asked, throwing Koala a confused look.
"Nero-chan and I go waaaaay back! One could even say that we are childhood friends!" Koala beamed, hands on her hips. "He would have been hopeless without me!"
"No way!" Mani gasped out excitedly. "But he''s so reliable now!"
"Yes, way! You wouldn''t think it by looking at him, but when we were kids he used to follow me around like a lost puppy. I even fed him!"
"Wait a minute, Koala! I don''t think¡" Nero''s panicked protest was cut short when Mani pressed a finger against his lips.
"Shush you! This is important for blackm¡bonding. Yes, this is vital to strengthening the bonds between crew mates." Mani argued before grabbing Koala''s hands and dragging her close with an eager smile. "Koala, surely you must have so much juicy gossip, right?"
"The juiciest! Why, there was that one time¡mmph?"
"Hey Nero! We were talking!" Mani called out to Nero, who was speeding away with his friend slung over his shoulder. Koala notably not resisting this abduction attempt all too much.
"Oh no. Nero-chan is¡giggle¡kidnapping me! Help!" Koala''s giggling calls for aid were ignored, the Crew only vocally jeering or perhaps cheering their crew mate on.
Strangely, the scene reminded Laki very much of similar games she used to play with her friends back home. Even Wyper had joined in occasionally to rescue Kamakiri from her evil clutches¡ she missed those lovable buffoons. Her Crew had become good friends of hers, there was no denying that. She cared deeply for them and was willing to fight and bleed for them, but Kamakiri and Wyper had been family. And Laki had disappeared on them without even managing to say goodbye.
Hopefully Kamakiri didn''t blame himself too much¡ he had a tendency to do that a lot.
Would she see them again?
She missed them.
¨C Nero ¨C?
Nero didn''t really have a plan when he pulled Koala away from his crew and into a quiet alley several blocks away. He''d not had an idea on how to give voice to the feelings running rampant inside his chest nor what to say for that matter, the chaos within him not lending itself easily to words. All he''d known was that something needed to be said but with a thousand thoughts screaming their way into his brain, Nero had followed his instincts and fled the scene, only remembering to grab the root of his issues along the way.
Koala hadn''t stopped giggling since, calling out for help in as insincere a manner one could ever imagine. As such, even the revolutionaries who spotted their superior being carried away like a sack of potatoes, just shrugged and went about their business without a second glance. One of them even gave Nero a thumbs up, though Nero didn''t have the mental reserves left to give a shit.
Which was how he''d found himself leaning over his childhood friend, his hands slamming into the wall on either side of her and trapping her body between his and the ungiving brick wall. A small part of his brain noted that he was panting like he''d just completed one of Izou''s obstacles courses, his chest heaving with exertion as his eyes were met by Koala''s mischievous own.
"Ooh, you''ve grown so bold, Nero-chan! And oh no, you''ve caught me. Whatever shall I do, I wonder?" Koala teased, looking about as scared of him as a tiger was of a mouse. "I can scream, you know?"
"Stop it, Koala!" Nero demanded, his voice more serious than it had ever been in recent memory. And once he''d gotten over the lump in his throat, the words started tumbling out. "What happened to you? What happened, that the bright girl I once knew is now walking around with a fake smile plastered across her face and giggling all the time?"
"I have no idea what you''re talking about." Koala denied still grinning, though her pupils began shaking ever so slightly. "My smile isn''t fake. It''s as genuine as ever. You know Nero-chan, if you can''t tell the difference, maybe you should smile more. It''s good for your soul¡"
"Like hell it isn''t fake. You think I don''t recognize a fake smile when I see one? Especially if it''s on your face? It may have been over ten years already, but I''m not so old as to not remember how you used to smile." Nero argued, grasping the girl by her shoulders. "Koala, I''m not blind!"
Having said his piece Nero clamped his mouth shut, silently pressuring his friend to say something. Anything. In turn, Koala''s smile turned brittle before vanishing entirely, even as she tilted her head forward for her orange locks to cast a shadow over her face. That was how they stayed a while, neither saying a word in a silent standoff, until the first inklings of doubt started entering Nero''s mind on whether or not he''d made a poor decision in calling Koala out. He almost opened his mouth to apologize but then his friend broke the silence first...
"...they broke me." she whispered, before balling her fists and looking up into his eyes to give him a tearful glare. "You asked what happened to me? They broke me! That''s what happened!"
"Koala¡"
"No, I listened to you. Now you listen to me! Whatever we experienced in that cave? That was nothing in comparison to what they did to me and I was one of the luckier ones! After all, I got away after only a few years in hell, because Fisher Tiger raided Mariejois and set me free! Even then, by the time he got that accursed collar off my neck, I had already been reduced into being little more than a drone which could only clean and smile! Do you have any idea what it''s like to lose the ability to cry?"
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"No, no I don''t¡." Nero admitted, letting go of her shoulders which just freed her up to start raining hammer blows down on his chest.
"Well, I do! It took the man who set my body free, dying because of ME in front of MY very eyes to break the hold they had on my mind! I was a wreck for months afterwards and that was a massive improvement!" Koala screamed into his face. "I needed years to piece myself back together until I was a semi-functional human being again! In fact, I''m still piecing myself together! What you so callously dismissed as being a fake, is the result of nearly a decade of dedicated effort to try and regather the broken shards of who I once was! Maybe it''s not perfect and maybe it''s not as real as you remember, but it''s not something as simple as being fake!"
"¡I''m sorry." What else could he say? Somewhat spent, Koala leaned her head against his chest, grasping his shirt for additional support.
"Ever since my subordinates reported that you guys were accompanying them here, I was really looking forward to seeing you again, you know? I wanted our reunion to be a happy memory." she murmured into his shirt. "We don''t have nearly enough of those."
"I''m sorry." Nero repeated, awkwardly wrapping his arms around his childhood friend. "I didn''t know. I''m so sorry."
"I''m sorry too." she sniffled, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I''m not usually like this."
"I understand."
"Just to let you know, I wasn''t crying. It''s the stupid rain." she insisted.
"Of course. It''s all the rain''s fault." Nero agreed, dutifully ignoring the brightly shining sun and the cloudless sky.
"Smartass. What happened to the cute little brother I used to have?"
"I was and still am older than you. Plus I''m bigger now."
"Don''t sweat the small stuff." Koala said, playfully slapping his arm once and grinning again. Unlike before, Nero no longer had that feeling of wrongness when looking at it, instead getting a sense of familiarity once again. "Want to start over?"
"Sure, I''d like that." A chance to not put the shoe in his mouth? Yes, please.
"What have you been up to all these years?"
"Girl, you have no idea."
Nero wasn''t sure how long they stood in that alley, swapping stories and catching up on each other''s lives. It wasn''t all happy tales mind you, but a happy ending could make up for a lot of tragedy. He didn''t go into that much detail about his time as a government agent and Koala didn''t pry despite the obvious potential for useful intelligence. In turn, Nero abstained from questioning her about her revolutionary activities, both of them sticking to safer and more humorous topics. There were exceptions of course, such as Nero recounting his time at the Tower of Justice and his relationship with Jabra.
Koala''s stories were more mundane, focusing much more on the people she met and the everyday activities they did together. Oddly enough, a lot of her stories tended to involve a certain Sabo character, which sent all of Nero''s stunted brotherly instincts into a frenzy and gave him the urge to threaten this "Sabo" with a rusty shovel.
"Are you sure I can''t convince you to join the Revolutionary Army? I could vouch for you." Koala offered once he had finished telling her of the events at Tequila Wolf. Maybe if he had gotten the offer four months ago, he might have taken her up on it, but now he had a lot of reasons not to.
"Again, thanks but no thanks. I''ve got something else I want to accomplish with the crew, which I cannot do if I join you guys." he answered much to Koala''s great and exaggerated disappointment. Though he could tell that his refusal had been more or less expected. However, that didn''t stop a curious look from appearing on her face.
"What is it? What could your goal possibly be that we can''t help you but the Bellamy pirates can? Not to brag but objectively we have a lot more resources to play with."
"You are bragging." he pointed out, though Koala only stuck her tongue out at him. "It''s been something I have been thinking about for a while. You know how we''ve had horrible childhoods?"
"Yeah¡" Koala nodded, gesturing for him to get on with it.
"I want to create a world where children no longer have to go through what we did." he stated. "Meeting you again just gave me a kick up my backside to get moving a bit faster."
"That''s what we are trying to do!"
"Not in the New World. Despite your HQ being here, you guys are barely active here or if you are, the CP9 didn''t know about it."
"We''re expanding our operations but it''s been slow going. As you no doubt know, the Yonko have a firm grip on the New World or at least they did before the Summit War. Things are a little more uncertain at the moment, which is the only reason we''ve been able to establish a foothold."
"I know. Even now with Whitebeard gone, it''s incredibly difficult for anyone who is not a Yonko to carve out himself a piece of territory." Nero said. "Even Dofflamingo only has his single island."
"If you know that, shouldn''t that be all the more reason for you to join us?" Koala questioned.
"Not really. For all his strength and influence, Dragon is not and can never be one of the four. And like they do with the marines, the Emperors will band together to stop an outsider from muscling in on their territory."
"And Bellamy is different?" Koala asked skeptically. "I can''t imagine that he will have any more luck."
"The difference is that Bellamy can become one of the Yonko. Plus, unlike your boss, Bellamy actually wants to become one."
"His chances of success have to be miniscule, you do know that right?"
"I am aware that it isn''t something that will be easily achievable and that we aren''t nearly strong enough yet. But if I consider the competition, I truly believe that Bellamy can do it if he is given enough time." Nero stated. "In any case, a tiny chance is still better than no chance at all."
"Alright, let''s assume that I accept this and that Bellamy becomes a Yonko. I don''t see how that helps you achieve your goal."
"A single Yonko already wields near absolute authority in his territory. Protecting the children there should be a simple matter."
"...it''s a nice dream, but to play the devil''s advocate, that''s not really a safe world, is it? Emphasis on World."
"That''s true, but it took the World Government gathering near the sum total of their might to repel Whitebeard, then they folded like a wet blanket when Red-Hair intervened. And both of them merely controlled a quarter of the New World."
"Wait a goddamn minute¡"
"Imagine what would be possible if one were to unite the New World."
"Nero-chan, you absolute madman!"
"I''m going to turn Bellamy into the sole Emperor of the Sea."
?
The Navy Wants You!
?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
Having proven without doubt during the War of the Best, that they are the an effective bulwark against the darkness, the naval command has now decided to expand upon their functions. No longer content to merely shield the world from the despicable pirates, it has been decided that the marines will need to take the fight to them. Especially now, that the countless dregs of society have taken to the seas in order to take advantage of the temporary re-organization of marine personnel. All of them fools who believe the mad ramblings of a dying man. The World Government has issued a statement refuting any rumors that an item commonly called the "One Piece" exists, claiming it to be a fable started by Gold Roger and supported by Whitebeard in an attempt to sow chaos.
In order to bring a swift end to the current disturbances and to reestablish peace and order, the World Government, in their infinite wisdom, have issued the World Military Draft with the full approval of the Five Elders from the Holy Land of Mariejois.
With the honorable retirements of Admiral Aokiji and Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and the promotion of Admiral Akainu to fill the gap left behind by the aforementioned Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Navy is clearly awash with new opportunities for the motivated and the just.
Among the first notable recruits are the new Vice-Admirals Issho and Aramaki. Both of them gentlemen of extraordinary talent and skill, who have long harbored a personal desire to serve the greater good and have eagerly accepted the opportunity to enlist in our glorious institution via the World Military Draft. As of now, they''re on a very short list of several candidates for the two vacancies for the post of Admiral.
We, the people (and the editorial staff) wish them and all other recruits, the best of luck! May they serve valiantly and true, and show those evil pirates who dare to spit on our sacrifices, the futility in chasing a pipe dream rather than integrating into the current world order.
To the rest of the world, a message from Marine HQ.
The Navy wants YOU!
Be at the forefront of the battle for justice, the glorious vanguard of order. Be the successor to thousands upon thousands of heroes who have served valiantly for the cause and be remembered for may days to come for your sacrifice (of your free time, not your life). Join the Marines and show the world that the Shield and Hammer of Order is as strong as ever. Justice will always prevail!
So far, the statement delivered by the Marine spokesperson.
Please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
Chapter 64: If Dreams Can Change...
Author''s note: I''ve added two news articles to chapters 62 & 63, which are (somewhat) relevant to the story. Do please go and have a look.
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
As every physicist knew, the natural behavior of the universe was to try and find the path of least resistance to the lowest energy state.
In other words, the universe desired to do the least amount of work for the greatest gain in order to reach a state of being where no further effort was required. Humans, being a part of the wider universe, were not exempt from this general trend. There was a reason why wealth was coveted so greatly and why, when given the choice between the difficult but perfect path and the easy but good enough path, most individuals would choose to go with the easy option. That wasn''t to say that this was bad per se. Many of the great innovations in history were created precisely because of this desire for ever greater efficiency, hoping that it would provide a more comfortable life.
However, because this was our baser instinct, it was all the more admirable when individuals raised themselves above it to work towards a greater cause. This was doubly true when said individual came from a background of luxury, where bodily comforts would have been all but guaranteed if they had not rocked the boat. In the world of One Piece, Dragon was one such individual. No doubt, he was someone who could have had a glorious career in the marine corps if only he had so wished. After all, who was going to gainsay the only son of the legendary Hero of the Marines? But instead of enjoying the privileges his station of birth and his heritage would have afforded him, Dragon had seen the controversies of the world and voluntarily decided to walk the thorny path of a revolutionary. For someone like me, who had grown up in the 21st century dreaming of financial independence and early retirement, Dragon was the sort of man I could respect if not admire.
And like his commanding officer, the blond man sitting across from me was another such individual. Not that I let any of these thoughts appear on my face of course, while I was hashing out the rough outline of future cooperation between the Revolutionary Army and the Bellamy Pirates with their Chief of Staff.
That our two groups would work together wasn''t in doubt. Like Koala had mentioned previously, the Revolutionary Army was always in need of new recruits and a group with the sort of concentrated firepower my Crew possessed wasn''t common. Given that the Bellamy pirates had not committed any atrocities or caused some form of humanitarian crisis in the last six months or so (that is after I took command), I would wager that we were pretty high up on the list of desired partners.
For our part, the Revolutionary Army could offer the one thing we severely lacked and had little to no chance of obtaining on our own in the near future¡ namely a secure base of operations. It was difficult to overstate how critical such a thing was to my crew''s longevity. The most obvious benefits being the easy access to food and water, as well as a thousand other bits and bobs one needed to maintain a pirating life. But it went so much further than that.
Ship repairs, a source of intelligence independent from Disco, a place to hide from the marines and bounty hunters alike¡not to mention the sheer amount of support this provided in keeping morale high. There was a world of difference between having a place to fall back upon in times of need and well¡not.
So, yes. It was a win-win scenario where we didn''t really have a reason not to work together. The big question of the day was the how. In what manner would we work together or better put, what form would our cooperation take? Sabo, and by extension the Revolutionary Army, clearly preferred a clear chain of command. It was an army after all, and this was much more of a necessity than an option when facing an overwhelming foe like the World Government. They needed to be able to deploy their assets wherever they were needed, whenever they were needed, at a moment''s notice with no questions asked.
I obviously rejected that idea. I was at most an ally, not their subordinate. I wasn''t going to be throwing my crew into danger just to save their skins, and giving up the right of independent operations was just opening myself up to becoming a disposable pawn. Considering how much trouble I''d gotten myself into to get out of a similar position, I was in no hurry to get back into it. The last time, I''d had to give Doflamingo a proverbial slap to the face, for which I was pretty sure the Warlord was doing his best to hunt me down even at this very moment.
Which brought us to the here and now. Just Sabo, me and our adjutants sitting around a table, doing our best to talk the other into submission and insert more favorable clauses into the agreement.
"I suppose it can''t be helped. As much as it hurts me, we''ll strike the clause about streamlining the chain of command." Sabo said, taking a red pen to the document lying on the coffee table between us.
"Think of it more as introducing greater flexibility and adaptability into your system. Seeing as you guys are at a numerical disadvantage, you really should play to your strengths."
"Which are flexibility and adaptability, I suppose?" Sabo replied, giving me a wry smile.
"Exactly." I beamed at him. "I don''t know why you''re so dour about this. After all, it''s not like you aren''t getting a lot out of this deal. You''re just not getting everything."
"I''m not sure we are..." he muttered. "To confirm, you are agreeing to perform two short-term missions a month or one long one every two?"
"Within reason and depending on our own circumstances, which take precedence. Don''t forget that caveat." I reminded him. He was a cheeky bugger. "Plus, I reserve the right to refuse any missions."
"Can''t blame a man for trying." Sabo shrugged before giving me a deadpan look. "This is beginning to sound suspiciously more like a mercenary contract than an alliance treaty."
"Now you''re just being ridiculous. This is nothing like a mercenary contract." I objected. "For one, you''re not paying us."
"In cash. We''re not paying you in cash." he pointed out. "We''re providing you with training, intelligence and a base of operations instead."
"Pish tush. The first two are simply measures to increase the success chances for whatever mission you want us to complete. When compared to the price of failure, giving us the needed tools is surely the better choice." I argued.
"And the base?" he asked, and I raised an eyebrow in a gesture meaning more or less, are you being serious right now?
"It''s a hovel." I stated, eliciting a squawk of protest.
"It''s the fifth largest building on the island!"
"It is a cheap ramshackle wooden hovel with a nice coat of paint, designed to act as a decoy and throw people off the trail of your real headquarters. Which are located underground." I replied, leveling an even stare at the young revolutionary. "In fact, as you''re using us as a decoy, we really should be demanding more from you guys."
"If we''re going to go that far, you are using us as shields." Sabo retorted, taking a sip of coffee in a manner only a noble could. "I''d say that entitles us to add some additional clauses instead."
"Ah, ah, ah." I said, wagging my finger in his face. "Correct me if I''m wrong but I was under the impression that we were here as honored guests. At least that''s what your man told us when he invited us to Baltigo."
"And?"
"Isn''t it natural that the host guarantees the safety of his guests? It''s a common courtesy."
"..."
"So, unless you''re going to kick us out or we come to some other arrangement, we''re still guests with all the benefits afforded to us by societal convention."
"What makes you think we won''t do exactly that?"
"What? Kick us out?" I asked, causing him to give me a slight nod, though rather than being upset, he looked more amused with the whole situation. "Apart from the fact that it would be a costly decision on your part, both because we''re not that weak and you''d have to send your own men to complete the missions you wanted us to do¡ wouldn''t it stain Dragon''s reputation quite badly if it ever came out, that his own Chief of Staff acted so dishonorably with a potential friend? Especially if said friend had risked life and limb to rescue a senior commander of the Revolutionary Army with no strings attached."
"I''d like to point out that we helped you rescue Nico Robin, so I''d say we''re even on that point."
"We did most of the heavy lifting. In fact, your boys didn''t lift a finger to fight the CP9 agents." I reminded him, causing him to slightly frown. "And I won''t even mention how I got stabbed because your men were careless."
"...seriously?"
"I already said I wasn''t going to mention how I got stabbed because your men were careless, didn''t I? So, what''s the problem? Did you want me to mention how I got stabbed because your men were careless? If so, I can mention how I got stabbed because your men were careless."
"..."
"..."
"...sigh¡what do you want?"
"What makes you think I want something?" The moment these words tumbled out of my mouth, I knew I''d made a mistake. Mostly because Lily, who''d come along as my adjutant, buried her face into her hands.
"If you don''t want anything, that''s perfectly fine with me." Sabo grinned. I¡I might have overplayed my hand a little.
And I was doing so well too.
In the end, after hours of wrangling and verbal sparring, we reached a point where we were both too exhausted to keep going. It wasn''t as if we''d managed to achieve much either. The final draft had ended up being very similar to the initial one, despite the many, many changes we''d made over the course of the evening. It just so happened, that half the changes simply reversed anything the other half had done rather than add anything new.
Still, I had gotten more or less everything I wanted out of the deal, in part due to my amazing negotiating skills and in a much bigger part thanks to the Battle on Yakka draining the Revolutionary Army''s resources.
Even now that they had emerged victorious, Dragon simply couldn''t afford to pull his forces back, lest the World Government come back to exploit such an opening. It was a precarious position they were in, requiring absolutely everything the Revolutionary Army had at its disposal to stabilize. Which also explained why Sabo handed me my first mission dossier the moment the agreement had been signed.
Apparently, a while back, one of their outposts had suddenly and inexplicably gone silent, as had the squad sent to investigate the matter. The Revolutionaries hadn''t tried again since. Now that he had the option, Sabo decided to throw us at the issue in the hopes of resolving it instead of risking his own men for questionable gain. Or as he put it, we were currently the strongest force they had at their disposal, which wasn''t tied up in some manner.
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In the interest of being stealthy, Sabo and I agreed that instead of taking my ship and my entire crew, both of which were rather conspicuous, I would head over on a smaller vessel with a reduced crew and a guide. After a bit of deliberation, I ended up bringing Hewitt and Muret along, the latter to treat any potential injuries we might pick up and the former¡because we needed to talk and I believed that he would be more willing to do so if we had a bit more privacy.
The rest stayed behind on Baltigo under Sarquiss'' leadership to do some more training with Izou while we had the time.
Thing was, I wasn''t very confident in my ability to soothe whatever was eating away at my Cook. Feelings were something I had never been that comfortable with, and while I had certainly gotten better at talking to people since becoming Bellamy, I did not have the knowledge or experience required to give psychological counseling. But¡ I was the captain and part of being a captain entailed making sure my crew was well cared for, both physically and mentally.
Still, this didn''t change the fact that I had no clue how to even begin breaching the topic, because "Hey, wanna talk about why you''ve been gloomy recently?" probably wasn''t going to cut it. As a result, I ended up simply sitting next to Hewitt, both of us staring out into the waves without saying a single word. The next day I did the same thing. And the next. It wasn''t until the last evening of our little trip that Hewitt decided to speak up.
"Captain?"
"Yes, Hewitt?"
"I''m an envious person."
"I know." I told him.
"I''m not sure you do, actually." Hewitt answered, turning to face me. "Unlike the others, you''ve never been the target of my envy, because you were so far ahead of me that I couldn''t even see myself surpassing you anymore."
What followed was a lengthy confession of every person and thing Hewitt had ever felt an ounce of envy towards, starting with a childhood neighbor who had received a nice pair of red shoes for his birthday, to the more recent cases such as Lily and Ross unlocking their haki. As I listened to my cook bare his soul to me, a little voice at the back of my head noted that the rate at which he felt envy towards our friends had increased dramatically ever since we had departed from Jaya. As had the amount of self-loathing.
The question I asked Hewitt, after he was finished, was Why? Why was he envious of his crew mates? Did they put in a lot less work to achieve what they had?
"...no." he conceded hesitantly.
Did they deserve it less?
"...no." he admitted reluctantly.
Did Hewitt deserve it less?
"NO!!" he rejected the idea emphatically. "But despite that, there seems to be nothing I can do. I train at least as much as the others do if not more, I had a better start than half the original crew¡but I feel as if I''m falling further and further behind."
Did he want the crew not to have the things which made him envious any longer, or did he want to have the same things too?
By Hewitt''s own admission, it was most definitely the latter. Not that this had ever been in doubt. For all of Hewitt''s character flaws, he wasn''t malicious towards his friends and didn''t enjoy pulling them down. Sadly, my initial plan of convincing him of the merits of reflecting on the blessings he currently had, and hence leading him towards a more positive outlook on life¡ yeah, that plan failed near immediately.
"Look captain." he told me. "I know I don''t have a rational reason to be envious. I know that objectively I''m one of the luckiest pirates in the world, especially with the likes of Izou giving me personal training. But that doesn''t change the fact that I''m starting to feel inadequate¡"
"Inadequate?"
"You told us you were going to be an Emperor of the Sea. I was going to be a member of an Emperor''s crew. This," he said gesturing towards himself, "this is not a member of an Emperor''s crew."
From the sounds of it, it seemed like his problems were less about envy and more about feeling dissatisfied with himself. Just because Ross had unlocked his haki earlier than Hewitt had done, didn''t mean that he wasn''t going to.
"Heck, I unlocked mine only recently and I''m stronger than all of you. You''ll grow into your future role, the same way I''ll grow into mine." I encouraged him, but my cook remained morose.
"Maybe. Maybe not." he mumbled. "It''s easy to say that I could grow into it later, but I feel like I''m stagnating. Actually, I know I''m stagnating, and I just don''t know why."
"...I may have an idea."
My words were met by Hewitt''s widened eyes. "Really? What is wrong with me?"
I wasn''t lying. I really did have an idea, based upon my own experiences, but the question was how to bring it across in an understandable and acceptable manner.
"A lot of things¡" I began before being interrupted right away.
"Huh?"
"...but I suppose the thing that pops into mind first, is your envy." Like I had reflected at least once in the past, envy was a sure sign that one did not have enough confidence in themselves and even worse, that they may have set mental limits for themselves on what they could be capable of. Was it any wonder then, that in a world where willpower and the power of belief ruled supreme, this sort of mentality would be a crippling handicap?
Of course, Hewitt was not pleased at all with my assessment.
"I practically am the embodiment of envy! How is that different from saying that I am my own problem?" he despaired, "I know it isn''t exactly a virtue, but I am envious by nature. And that''s just the thing! It''s in my nature! I can''t change that!"
"Let me ask you one thing. What does it mean for you to be on my crew?"
"What do you mean?" my bewildered cook asked me. "What does that have anything to do with this?"
"Why are you on my crew? What do you hope to achieve?" I persisted, prompting my friend to give me an odd look.
"That''s a convoluted way of asking what my dream is, captain."
"Just humor me." I told him and in response he shrugged in a manner which screamed I suppose it can''t hurt.
"When I was a child, my dream was to get rich enough to afford the lifestyle I wanted. A life like one of those merchant kids I envied in my childhood. Now that I''ve grown up a little, I suppose my current dream would be to get rich, get married to a beautiful woman, have kids and open a business. Probably a restaurant so I can keep cooking."
"Then what''s stopping you? You''re already rich. After Skypiea and Crack''s mansion, you already have more money than you could spend on a backwater island like home." I pointed out. "It''s definitely more than enough to open a restaurant, heck you could open a chain of restaurants. Once you do, you''d be one of the most eligible bachelors around, and a wife and kids will naturally follow."
"..." Hewitt didn''t say anything for a while as he digested my words.
"You already have everything you need. So why are you still on my crew?" I asked once more.
"I want to support you guys. It would be pretty cheap of me to go my own way now and leave you all high and dry." he tried to joke but I wasn''t going let him off that easily.
"That''s probably a significant part of it and I''m thankful for it." I told him, "But can you honestly tell me that that is all there''s to it? That you''re only here to help the rest of us achieve our dreams?"
"¡no." he admitted eventually.
"That''s right. No. You''re not here merely out of duty or obligation, Hewitt. You''re on my ship because you want to be." I stated, placing one hand on his shoulder. "Because some part of you has started dreaming of other things, dreams which go beyond retiring early."
"And what if I have?" he asked, challengingly.
"In that case I''m happy for you. I changed my dream, so there''s no reason why you can''t change yours." After all, I''d gone from wanting to survive to wanting to become the strongest man alive. "But think about this. Dreams are an expression of who we are at our core. Hence, if our dreams can change, why can''t we?"
Holiday Hazard!?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
It is a well-known fact that not everybody has what it takes to succeed in a civilized, orderly world. There will always be those who, either for lack of effort or lack of talent, fail to grow up into productive members of society. Some become beggars or criminals, content to be parasitic existences for the span of their miserable lives. However, even these lowlifes are virtuous individuals when compared to the rats scurrying about in the darkness beyond the light of order.
That''s right, these contemptible vermin are the Revolutionaries.
Not satisfied with merely taking advantage of our freedom of speech and assembly to spread their vile propaganda amongst our innocent citizens, they have gone ahead and rejected the very pillars upon which our civilization was built in the first place. For years, they have lurked, stirring up trouble wherever they could until finally, they struck.
Dozens of kingdoms were upended by these monsters, tearing down benevolent kings and gracious nobles, murdering babies in their beds. Under Dragon''s lead, the great achievements of the past eight centuries were rolled back: the social security, the rule of law, the right of man to own property¡ in particular a World Noble was very upset that his expected cargo of toys was stolen.
The Yakka Kingdom was but the latest in a string of violent attempts to overthrow the legitimate government and establish a military dictatorship. Formerly a favorite vacation destination for our wonderful world nobles, Yakka had enjoyed the honor of serving them up close and personal for decades ever since St. Foggarty the Elder started hosting his biannual parties there. Many even caught the eyes of the celestial dragons and were invited to work at the holy land of Mariejois! Now, the fate of our poor citizens, who suddenly found themselves deprived of their divine light, seemed darker than ever. Even worse, St. Foggarty the Younger''s holiday plans were in danger of being cancelled this year.
However, our beloved world government and our resplendent marine corps refused to let this travesty stand and have assembled an emergency response team to deal with the issue. The marine force lead by Vice Admiral Dalmatian departed yesterday amidst the well-wishes of the entire world, vowing not to return until no innocent citizens of the Yakka Kingdom remained under the tyrannical rule of the Revolutionary Army.
We are certain that this time, the criminals will not succeed in their attempts to escape their just punishments.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
Please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
Chapter 65: High Stakes Bet
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
Of course, this meant in turn that there was no marine presence anywhere in the near vicinity. It was a similar case to Nami''s home island but worse, as these officially unnamed islands were not even afforded the purview of a highly corrupt marine like Nezumi had been. It just had never been worth it and even the vaunted World Government, for all its monstrous size and capabilities, did not possess the ridiculous amount of resources - administrative, military or otherwise - it would require to exert control over every minuscule island in every godforsaken corner of the world.
Perhaps, perhaps if the World Government had access to the Internet or if it had reigned over a solitary ginormous landmass, it might have stood a chance. As it was, the scattered geography of its domain made the idea of centralized governance a pipe dream at best. This was precisely the reason why the Five Elder Stars, and the World Government by extension, didn''t even attempt to move away from the current decentralized system, which was akin to a loose federation.
Rather, in exchange for granting the various kingdoms under its banner a large degree of autonomy, they focused their entire attention on maintaining a tight grip on three things. These were, in no particular order, their absolute military superiority over the various member nations, their exhaustive control over the flow of information and the legal right to act as the supreme judiciary within its entire domain. Or to put it shortly, the World Government fought tooth and nail not to lose the ability to isolate and legally snuff out the life of any single member state, something they reminded everyone in the know on a periodic basis.
In this matter, the decentralized geography which had stymied the World Government''s ambitions, worked in its favor by making it nearly impossible for the various kingdoms to coordinate and mount any meaningful resistance. The mere fact that Dragon had managed to do precisely that spoke volumes.
Even worse, it wasn''t as if the World Government could afford to erase too many kingdoms from the map too quickly. For one, it would have prompted even more kingdoms to reconsider their membership, and two, it could have fractured the greatest force they had at their disposal. Considering that all those Marines had to have come from somewhere and a not insignificant fraction had enlisted to protect their homes and families in a greater capacity than they could in the local military, removing too many kingdoms in too short a span of time would have risked throwing the Marine Corps into turmoil.
So, in conclusion, the World Government was not as absolute as they tried to make themselves out to be and were forced to play a delicate balancing game, one in which the World Government had to wisely decide where to use the limited resources it had available for the greatest gain.
A sleepy frontier town on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere simply didn''t make the cut. As you can no doubt imagine, this state of affairs suited the local residents just fine. Unfortunately for them, the reasons that made their island unimportant also made it the perfect place for the Revolutionary Army to set up shop, but at the very least, Dragon was adamant that the base never grow beyond a small outpost to act as an early warning signal. Which was why I had been sent here to find out why the outpost had gone suspiciously silent.
I saw nothing out of the ordinary as I entered the town, only noting a distinct Wild West theme in its architectural style of wooden shacks and dusty roads. The residents themselves only reinforced this image, for they proudly bore their cowboy hats atop their heads as well as the appropriate footwear. Though I did question the utility of the spurs, considering that I had yet to see a single horse anywhere.
"Howdy, old timer!" I called out to the old coot sitting by the road. The man gave out serious, retired prospector vibes as he idly chewed on his pipe, his lone visible ocular organ regarding me with a gimlet eye.
"Who are ya calling old, ya pipsqueak?" the old coot spat out, adding to a growing puddle of tobacco laced phlegm on the road next to his rocking chair.
"Nobody. All I see before me is a man in the springtime of youth." I quickly backtracked and gave the man my most winning smile. I wasn''t sure if it worked but either way the man just glared at me for a while.
"Whaddya want?" he eventually asked, before growing his puddle again.
"You wouldn''t happen to have a saloon around these here parts, would you?"
"It''s right over there, are ya blind?" he said, pointing a thumb down the road at the largest building in town. I had, in fact, noticed it right away but assumed it to be the town hall or something. It looked cleaner (or as close to clean as one could get in a frontier town) and newly built, but now that he mentioned it I could faintly hear music coming out of it. Though oddly enough, very little in the way of conversation.
"It certainly looks large enough to house the entire town." I commented. His response was another glob for the puddle.
"Blame the new stranger. We had to rebuild the entire thing to make sure the fatass could fit through the darn door. Or under the roof for that matter." He grumbled. "Odd fella, that guy. Almost never leaves the saloon. At least he does pay for all the swill he drinks, so we let him stay."
"My thanks." I told him, tipping my hat. As none of Sabo''s men had been larger than the average human male, this stranger was for now my most likely suspect. After all, almost nothing ever changed in a town like this, so if something did it was as good a place to start an investigation as any.
"Don''t go starting anything, ya hear me laddie? We don''t want no trouble."
"I''ll try to get out of your hair as soon as possible." I promised before motioning for my companions to follow me into the saloon. However, what I saw upon shoving the doors open stopped me short, causing Hewitt to bump into my back.
"Say captain, why''d you stop like that?" Hewitt asked, rubbing his nose, while trying to push past me to peer into the main hall. "Give a man a little warning¡next¡time¡"
Hewitt''s voice trailed off as he too witnessed what I had, the sight being so beyond his expectations that his brain couldn''t come up with an appropriate response.
The building''s interior design itself wasn''t anything to write home about. Sure, it was large but in the style of your typical saloon, which you could see in every movie and comic about the Wild West. It was also pretty empty, currently being occupied by the bartender, his piano player and three patrons.
What had struck us speechless had been the identity of said patrons, something which Muret couldn''t avoid either. However, even as my doctor reeled back in surprise, I couldn''t stop a grin from spreading across my face at the sight of Gecko Moria, doing his best to try and drown himself in his own drink.
For all the ridicule Gecko Moria had gotten, one had to remember that this was a man who had clashed with Kaido in his heyday. When one considered how difficult it was to reach an Emperor in the first place, as one would have to fight one''s way through their entire crew first, the mere fact that Kaido had deemed Moria a large enough threat to deal with him personally should be more than enough proof of his potential. Unfortunately for Moria, the moment of his greatest glory had very quickly turned into the most traumatic experience of his life, when the battle had left him bereft of his entire crew and his self-confidence.
In a way, the man had gone insane, his will having been broken and he himself being reduced to an empty husk. By the time he had pulled himself together, all he had left were the fragments of his former dream of becoming the pirate king and a deep founded fear of losing his friends and crew again. This in turn had prompted Moria to fill his crew mostly with zombies. After all, zombies were already dead and hence could not die, and should they ever be destroyed or purified, replacements were relatively easy to come by.
But even as a shadow of his former self, he had managed to inspire a surprising amount of loyalty in his crew and been a promising enough prospect that the World Government eagerly inducted him into the ranks of the Seven Royal Warlords. No, this man was far from harmless.
Which probably made my decision to walk up to the bar and take a seat next to him¡not the smartest decision in the world. Interestingly, neither Absalom nor Hogback did anything to stop me, though they did give me wary looks.
"Gecko Moria." I called out by way of greeting.
"¡" He ignored me.
"Gecko Moria." I tried again.
"¡" He kept ignoring me, his only signs of life being the few bubbles which floated to the top of his large saucer of sake. A quick glance at Absalom garnered me only a helpless shrug. His crew had probably tried a lot of things already to get Moria out of his funk, and had obviously failed. Which meant that I probably should do something they would not have dared to.
Prod Moria''s trauma.
"I thought you were amazing once, you know? Someone who took the world by storm and faced every obstacle with a never-say-die attitude. Even after you returned from the New World, the old codgers sitting in their ivory chairs invited you to take up the mantle of a Royal Warlord." I told him, but he didn''t react. Then again, I hadn''t expected him too. Nothing I had just said mattered to him, unlike what I would say next. "But looking at you now, I''ve got to say that I''m not impressed. Have you ever considered what your old crew mates would say if they were to see you now? Would they blame you, I wonder? Or would they be disappointed that their captain doesn''t care about them anymore?"
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
"SHUT UP!!!!" Moria screeched, sitting up to level a death glare at me, rivulets of alcohol flowing down his face. "You. Know. Nothing! NOTHING!!!"
Well, that got his attention at least. I didn''t like doing it, but reopening old wounds was an age-old tactic to manipulate someone into a state of heightened emotions. People tended to be more honest then and oddly enough, more accepting of whatever conclusions they drew. Perhaps, it had something to do with how their brain linked the strong emotions they felt at the time with a greater amount of surety in their decision, anchoring it so much more firmly into their own psyche.
Of course, first I needed to talk him into making the decision I wanted him to make, which was not going to be easy. After all, why would he listen to me when I had made him furious? Still, I could work with this, as anger was better than no emotion at all.
"I know enough. I know that you challenged Kaido when you were younger and that you scurried back to Paradise without your crew and with your proverbial tail tucked in between your legs."
"Shut! UP! What do you know about the monster that is Kaido? What could you possibly know of the terror that is to face that invulnerable beast on the battlefield?" he hissed at me, his faced scrunched up in fury. I could have answered his questions, but that would have meant deviating from my train of logic to follow his, and that would have been very counterproductive at the moment. As it was, I was already playing a very delicate and dangerous game, where a single misstep could ruin everything I was trying do.
"I know that you spent a decade creating a crew which could never die, so you''d not have to lose them again. A decade during which you did nothing but make grandiose statements about getting revenge on Kaido and becoming the pirate king, all while you were content to hide away and let yourself decay."
"I was preparing!" he protested loudly. "In fact, I was almost finished, my ascent was inevitable!"
"And what did all those years of preparation bring you?" I asked him, cutting him off before he could insult me. "Nothing. Everything you had accomplished in that lost decade was nullified by a rookie."
"Monkey D. Luffy!" he ground out, the reminder momentarily distracting him from the ire he felt for me by bringing a recent memory to the forefront of his mind.
"Exactly. Defeating Kaido? Don''t make me laugh." I scoffed, "A single rookie, worth only 300 million belli, was enough to bring your vaunted army and even the strongest zombie in history to its knees."
"Stop it!" Moria demanded, swinging one clawed hand at my head, intent on crushing me against the ground. It was sloppy and had very little weight behind it with Moria, still sat upon his stool, having been unable to bring his full strength to bear. Thus, I had very little difficulty in stopping the blow cold with a single arm of my own.
Personally, I was surprised that it had taken him this long to attack me. At the moment, I couldn''t tell if his self-confidence had been eroded so greatly that the idea of fighting a mere rookie like myself made him hesitate this much or if it was due to something else. Either way, Moria''s attempt served as a signal. Despite having been following our exchange so far with great interest, Absalom leaped into action to attack my undefended back.
"Did you know that they proclaimed your death in the newspaper without confirming anything?" I continued undaunted and unworried. And my trust was proven correct when Hewitt intercepted Absalom, his two meat cleavers blocking the lion-man''s bazooka blast. "In fact, with your current miserable state, I wouldn''t be surprised if they had tried to get rid of you themselves for being liability."
"How did you¡?"
In the meantime, Dr. Hogback had run to a corner and opened a door, revealing two armored zombies wielding a battle axe and a war hammer respectively. Both of which launched themselves at Muret, who pulled out her syringes in response.
"Oh what, it''s true? I was just guessing, but what do you know?" I wasn''t but he didn''t know that. "Who did they send? An Admiral? No that would have been a waste. Another Warlord perhaps? Someone like¡Doflamingo?"
Hewitt and Absalom were having a right old bar fight, knocking over tables and smashing glass bottles as they dueled across the main hall. Fist against cleaver, bazooka against a frying pan, the two did their best to beat the other into submission with no regards to their surroundings.
"Shaddap!" Moria screamed in rage, drawing himself up to his full height and bringing his hands crashing down on me in a double fist. I could have dodged. I could have blocked. But as my observation haki didn''t warn me of any danger, I stood by and let him flatten me into a pancake. After all, unless he used haki, blunt force trauma was never going to do anything other than temporarily compress my body. As such, when he withdrew his fists, I simply sprang back unharmed and unruffled.
"Don''t you want revenge?" I asked him, the magic word causing Moria to freeze. "On Kaido for killing your crew? On the World Government for betraying you? On Doflamingo for trying to murder you?"
It was like magic. As I watched, the madness and berserk fury drained itself out of his eyes, leaving only hatred and cold rationale. If I had to guess, they were the remnants of the veteran captain who had challenged the New World shining through, sensing an opportunity where most would not.
"Color me intrigued, Springtrap." Moria hissed out. "Though I warn you, your next words better be good."
"Let''s be honest for a moment and admit that Doflamingo is stronger than either of us, or at the very least, his crew is stronger than ours." I said, holding up a hand to stop his instinctive outrage before it could leave his mouth. "If you want to kill him, you''re going to need help and zombies are going to be useless against a literal puppet master like him."
"Go. On." Moria gritted out, not sounding pleased at all but unable to refute my statements.
"I have my own beef with Doflamingo, so I suggest we work together until we take him down."
"Hah, I was patient and gave you a chance even when you insulted me, but that''s all you have to say?" Moria scoffed, "What a waste of time. I do not need help from a useless greenhorn like you!"
"I''d be far from useless. Wanna bet?" I gave him my best smirk. Moria responded about as I had expected him to, by summoning his shadow clone, Doppelman, at the same time that I activated my Coil Chassis. I didn''t need to elaborate on the process. After all, how the bet was going to be settled had never been in doubt.
"What are the stakes?" he asked, pulling out his giant scissors from his breeches and pulling them apart into two separate blades. Off to the side, Muret was rapidly learning that zombies were impervious to her narcotics, forcing her to abandon her go-to method of incapacitating her opponents.
"I win, we cooperate on even grounds." I suggested. "If you win, you get my shadow or my corpse. You choose."
I was going to become the strongest man alive. How was I ever going to achieve that if I lost to the current Moria of all people?
"Interesting. I accept" He said, before immediately forcing me to divert his blades up and over my head. "Hand over your shadow, Springtrap!"
"No." I told him, before jumping in front of Moria''s face and punting him through the saloon door.
Marine Offensive Slows Down!?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
The navy HQ has released a statement admitting that unexpected developments may cause slight delays in the peacekeeping mission to reestablish order in the Kingdom of Jakka.
Astute readers will no doubt remember that the bloodthirsty revolutionary army had occupied the island resort two weeks ago on the pretext of saving innocent civilians from oppression. This claim is obviously as spurious as it is false, proven by how thousands of refugees accepted the marine corps'' kind offer to relocate to a safer location. Food and lodgings were generously provided by several of our illustrious World Nobles, though due to logistical limitations, only young women and children were given the option. It is noteworthy that none of them refused the offer.
This humanitarian corridor wasn''t opened a moment too soon as the Revolutionary Army, once pushed to the brink by Vice Admiral Dalmatian''s Poodle Brigades, counterattacked. This turned out to be especially tragic, as a sudden storm swept over the marine camp, soaking the majority of the gunpowder just as the artillery had been about to blow the rebels to smithereens. Unfortunately by some quirk of fate, the storm missed the rebel base completely, leaving their ammunition untouched and ready for use.
Furthermore, the desperate Revolutionary Army had press ganged the locals into their combat force, using ill-trained and ill-equipped men as cannon fodder to throw into the meat grinder that were the marine trenches. While only a few dozen rebel casualties could be confirmed, the true number of dead and wounded is very likely much higher. The marines reported no losses on their side.
Reports say that the marines made the valorous decision to advance backwards before being forced to slow down their offensive due to having outrun their supplies. Shocked by the rapid gains on the ground, the rebels retreated forwards in a disorganized mess, stumbling past abandoned supply depot after supply depot in their haste to get to defensive positions.
In response to recent developments, the marine high command has decided to dispatch Vice Admiral Aramaki to the front with additional reinforcements to speed up the pace of the offensive beyond a crawl. This will be the first time the newly enlisted Vice Admiral will be seen on the front lines in the ever present fight against the encroaching darkness. We look eagerly forward to his no doubt stunning performance.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
And as always, please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
Chapter 66: Gecko Moria
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
The moment that Moria went flying, I was sprinting out the door as fast as I could. As a result, by the time his large derriere crashed through the doorway, I was already waiting for him with one of my legs drawn back. And being the Spring Human that I was, I could draw my leg back quite a bit.
"SPRING HAMMER!!!" I cheerfully called out as my boot-clad foot smashed into its mark precisely on target, launching the former Warlord back into the sky and away from the town. After all, I did feel slightly bad for being, at least partially, responsible for the damage done to the saloon and I didn''t want to damage the rest of town. Moving the battle away from potential sources of collateral damage was the least I could do and it wasn''t as if it was all that hard either. I could shatter rocks with my kicks, as many unfortunate boulders had found out. Booting a large blob of blubber a hundred yards or so down the road was quite simple in comparison.
Of course, a longer flight distance was usually accompanied by a longer flight time, which meant that even a veteran as rusty as Moria could regain his balance and land on his two feet. As such, once I caught up to him I found him ready and raring to go.
"DOPPELMAN!!" Moria screeched, summoning his shadowy clone to his side. In response to which, I pulled out my favorite dial and blasted the construct apart.
"Reject!"
Drops of shadow splashed everywhere, as a pathway to Moria was opened up. Taking only a split second to take in Moria''s shocked expression, I let my springs propel me through that hole in Moria''s defense, swinging my right first to deliver a haymaker into the side of his face. Or I would have, if a small, bouncy sphere hadn''t interposed itself between my fist and its target. Of course, no matter how bouncy, a single one of Moria''s little shadow balls wasn''t nearly enough to stop me, but that hadn''t been its purpose. It had only ever been intended to slow me down momentarily, buying enough time for one ball to become two, then four, then more until a veritable wall appeared between Moria and I. It was an effective defense against my reject dial, as the damage would be limited to a single sphere and Moria wasn''t going let me punch my way through unopposed.
"Brick Bat!"
Hundreds of spheres turned into hundreds of bats, the swarm attempting to overwhelm me with pure force of numbers. Sharp teeth sought to rend and tear my flesh apart, but found only unyielding steel and that was if they managed to find purchase in the first place. Most of them were knocked out of the sky by a copious use of my new Spring Gatling, my arms effectively functioning like anti-air turrets.
By the time Moria called the assault off, I had to admit that unlike the opening exchanges our second clash had not gone in my favor. Sure, I had come out of it more or less unscathed, but at the same time I had not been able to land a proper blow on the former Warlord. And this realization allowed Moria to recover his inner equilibrium again, his entire posture relaxing as a confident smirk started to creep its way back onto his face.
"Kishishishishi! Do you see now, you arrogant child?" he cackled, wiping a smudge of dirt off his cheek. "Do you see how useless you are? What chance did you think you had against Doflamingo, when you can''t even lay a finger on me?"
My answer was to hop away and create some more distance between myself and the re-forming Doppelman. Predictably, the shadowy clone chased after me, trying to either grab me or crush me beneath its body, but failing to do either thanks to my superior speed. And once I''d judged that the time was right, I put that advantage to good use by bodily launching myself at an unguarded Moria like a speeding bullet.
"Spring Snipe!"
Annoyingly, it wasn''t going to be that easy. After all, he was a veteran and unless I was a speed demon like Kizaru, Moria was going to see me coming and react accordingly.
"Kishishishi. Kagemusha." my opponent intoned, casually activating the most useful technique he had to switch places with his doppelganger. Against most people, this was a good move to make. However, this time it would turn out to be a mistake for two reasons. First of all, he didn''t have the element of surprise. I knew he had this move up his sleeve and as such, planning for the eventuality wasn''t very difficult. And second, I was a Spring Human.
A quick flip saw the soles of my boots slamming into the unprepared Doppelman. Under normal circumstances the clone would have grabbed me, unperturbed by the severe deformation I had forced upon its abdomen, and proceeded to immobilize me. Soon after, its master would have proceeded to steal my shadow. Interesting tidbit about springs. Assuming no loss of energy due to friction or heat, a spring will bounce back with the same force it was compressed by. Add in the trampoline effect from Doppelman''s stomach and my ability to freely manipulate the strength and size of my springs, and I was reflected away - for lack of a better word - at double my initial velocity.
"Grrrkh?"
As a result, Moria had barely begun to try and leave the battlefield when I kneed him in his spine, bringing him to the ground. From there, I went ham. Deathknock, gatling, simple slapping¡I laid into him right and proper before my nascent haki nudged me to the side and away from a sudden spike piercing through the space I had just vacated.
"Ouch! That hurt, you little brat!"
"And you said I was struggling to touch you. Honestly, it wasn''t even that hard."
"You¡you¡how dare you laugh at me!!!" Moria screamed, his furious eyes seeping into red as the tiny arteries began bursting from his rising blood pressure. He didn''t seem to notice, wholly focused on my person and the grievous harm he wanted to inflict upon it. "Doppelman¡Twin Edition!"
"Well, that''s new." I commented to no one in particular, as two clones rose out of the ground. However, before I could ruminate on just when the former Warlord had picked up this little trick, my (now) three Moria-shaped opponents pulled out their giant scissor blades as one and charged in my direction. Within moments, I was desperately pushing both my kami-e and my haki to their utter limits, trying to weave and dodge the absolute storm of blades trying to separate either my head or my shadow from my body.
One thing you should understand was that controlling anything substantial, which was separate from your main body, required an insane amount of focus. To give you a frame of reference, despite unlocking my haki, manipulating a couple of separate springs took nearly everything I had and that wasn''t even accounting for the subsequent headache that inevitably followed. Hence, it wasn''t a coincidence, that the vast majority of those who performed such feats were veterans of the Grand Line if not the New World, people such as Buggy the Clown with his many floating body parts or Doflamingo and his string clone.
Even logia weren''t an exception to this rule as inexperienced (and haki-less) users often failed to take full advantage of their abilities, being often limited to their invulnerability and the production of their respective elements. Caribou and Caesar were obvious examples of this.
Which led to the logical conclusion that Moria was actually very skilled in the usage of his observation haki, only that it was completely tied up in controlling his many, many shadows. As such, he simply didn''t have the capacity left to use its precognitive abilities, which in turn probably explained why Luffy had been able to hit him in the first place. In effect, he was an exhibition case of someone taking his inward focus too far. Though perhaps he''d had no other choice if he wanted to use his Shadow Asgard ability without ripping himself apart.
However, in exchange for giving up on this external aspect of haki usage, Moria had been able to achieve near perfect coordination between his three bodies. And stuck between the three as I was, I was getting a first class demonstration of just how effective such masterful teamwork could be. By this point, I had abandoned the attempt to avoid everything entirely and had focused on keeping my shadow safe. This meant dodging what I could and tanking what I could not. Using tekkai to harden my hands certainly helped, but the circumstances forced me to use it sparingly, not least because I could not afford to become a sitting duck.
"Kishishishishi! Surrender your shadow, Springtrap!" Moria gleefully demanded, as I contorted my shadow out of the way of one of his many slashes.
"Seriously, your mood swings are ridiculous!" I shot back, deflecting two more blades away from my shadow and into a Doppelman''s neck. Sadly, the head regrew not long after. At this rate, I was going to exhaust myself before he did, purely because the bastard kept switching bodies whenever he was about to be overwhelmed. I needed to break this deadlock I had inadvertently found myself in and the first step in doing so would have to be getting out of Moria''s encirclement. Otherwise, I would remain stuck playing his game instead of using my speed and mobility to my advantage.
Abandoning defense, I pushed Moria back with a flurry of attacks before my spring sweep bisected his clones, momentarily incapacitating them and forcing them to regenerate. Then I turned around, leaping through the opening and into the wide open space beyond. I would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn''t been for Moria''s blade flashing out and taking my arm off at the shoulder.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
¨C Hewitt ¨C?
For someone who claimed to have hundreds of pounds in wild animal muscle, Absalom didn''t hit that hard. Ross used to hit Hewitt harder during their spars and that had been before his rival unlocked his bloody armament. Now, whenever Hewitt let one of his punches through, it felt like he was being hit by an artillery round. Which¡Hewitt only knew, because that was what Laki had effectively turned her rifle into and his tekkai had served as a convenient target during a team exercise. Hewitt had also sworn to never get on her bad side, after Laki revealed that she only ever used her rifle at half-power unless she had no other choice because of maintenance and longevity issues.
So, all in all, Hewitt didn''t have any trouble keeping up with his chimera-like opponent. In fact, once he''d analyzed his basic combat patterns, Hewitt had been this close to begin pummeling Absalom into submission, only for the slippery bastard to turn invisible of all things.
Things had evened out afterwards, as Hewitt was still able to keep up with the invisible man, thanks to his instincts which had been honed by the months of blindfolded haki training Hewitt had undergone. Unfortunately, that was all he had to go on, because Absalom didn''t have the common decency to make any noise, prowling around like a feline predator. By this point, Hewitt was just thankful that the man hadn''t gone after Muret, who was currently busy trying to pry her opponent''s armor open as if it were a can of tuna. So far, she''d succeeded in removing their helmets, but was finding the remaining pieces to be a lot trickier to take off. Especially if the wearer was actively trying to relieve you of your head.
"You''re open!"
"Tekkai!"
Like how Absalom was attempting to do, launching a kick at Hewitt''s neck. Had he tried this a few months prior, it may have broken it. But as he didn''t, Absalom found out the hard way what it felt like to kick a pillar of steel. A shudder went through the man''s entire body, as the impact made its way from the shins to the ends of his hair, the pain effectively freezing him in place. It was all the opening Hewitt needed, the cook quickly releasing his tekkai and grabbing the offending leg floating by his neck.
"Today on the menu, we have gorilla and elephant steak with a dash of lion!" Hewitt grinned, tightening his iron grip and heaving with all his considerable might. "It''s delicious but it requires some tenderizing first!"
"Wait! Wait wait waitwaitwait¡gaakh!" Absalom let out before being slammed face first into the ground, the wooden tiling cracking from the impact. Hewitt didn''t let up, smashing his opponent bodily and repeatedly into the increasing ruined floor. He only stopped when he had to guard himself from Absalom''s bazooka rounds, though by that time Absalom''s invisibility had worn off to reveal a very beaten up man.
"Do you give up?" Hewit asked, but Absalom didn''t answer, too busy panting and glaring.
"..."
"I can keep going, you know." Pulling out his meat cleavers, Hewitt gave the downed man a meaningful look. "I really should have butchered the meat before tenderizing it but better late than never, right?"
A couple of clangs of metal on wood signaled that Muret had managed to work her way through the zombies'' armor, somehow having used her scalpels to make surgical incisions at the links and rivets holding the metal plates together. Though, considering that she regularly pierced people''s tekkai during training, maybe Hewitt should have seen this coming.
Perhaps it was the sight of their doctor¡dismantling the zombies limb for limb, but Absalom nervously swallowed before surrendering. Dr. Hogback did the same moments later.
It was only then that Hewitt allowed himself to relax. He''d won and not just against anyone, but against a former officer of a Warlord''s crew. One who had been surgically enhanced to have far greater potential than a baseline human such as Hewitt and one who even possessed the power of a devil fruit. And he''d done it without either of those advantages.
He still wasn''t happy about what had happened on Tequila Wolf and he didn''t think that he ever would be. He still wanted a devil fruit and haki and rokushiki mastery and a host of other things he did not yet have. And he wanted a dream he could pursue, one befitting the cook of an Emperor''s crew. A dream like Eddy''s dream of seeing what lay at the end of swordsmanship or to a lesser extent, Rivers'' desire to visit every corner of the world in order to try out every snack in existence.
However, despite all that and everything which was missing from his life, Hewitt decided that he could allow himself to be happy with himself today. Just for today.
As the midday sun shone through a hole in the ceiling they''d inadvertently made, Hewitt could feel some of the dark clouds lifting from his soul, through which a foreign¡something entered and made itself home. Letting out a breath he hadn''t known he had been holding, Hewitt closed his eyes before leaning his head back to enjoy the warm sunlight caressing his face and the songbirds merrily singing a dozen kilometers away.
"Oh¡so that''s what it feels like."
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
My arm was missing. Well, not missing per say. I knew precisely where it was, as the metal appendage was just lying there next to my feet. Which was disorientating by the way. And potentially concerning. Oddly, no blood though. Or pain for that matter. I should be more concerned, shouldn''t I?
"Kishishishi! I''ve won, Springtrap!" Moria cackled, his clones silently joining him. "Your shadow is mine!"
Seemed like he hadn''t used armament in that blow, so that was something at least. But even then, if my haki hadn''t screamed at me just then to twist out of the way, Moria would have beheaded me instead of just taking my arm.
My balance was off, though that should have been expected. Thankfully, it wasn''t a crippling injury in that I wasn''t going to stumble and fall over immediately. Haki helped a lot in that regard, shoring up my vestibular system to help my brain adjust to this new state of things as fast as possible. Moria himself wasted my most vulnerable moments, just gloating. Then again, he wasn''t looking too hot either. His face was a broken mess and half his teeth were missing, not to mention the mass of ugly bruises peeking through the tears in his clothing.
"It''s not over yet." I ground out, lowering my stance.
"Oh, you still wish to fight? Give up, I cut your arm off." he smirked, "You no longer stand a chance."
"T''is only a flesh wound." I replied. I wasn''t sure why I was feeling as fine as I was, but regardless of whether it was the adrenalin or a side effect of my coil chassis, I probably wanted to finish this quickly and go find Muret. "Spring¡Hopper."
What did one do if your target had three bodies he kept switching in between to avoid suffering too much damage? The answer was simple. You hit all three at once, or as close to it for the difference not to matter. The original Bellamy''s version had been fast enough to chain several jumps together per second. With geppou, coil chassis and my generally greater leg strength, I was exponentially faster. And with my observation haki active, I could actually see where I was going and hit my target.
Driving all the air out of Moria''s body with a spring deathknock was just the start. Jumping in and out dozens upon dozens of times every second, I riddled Moria and his clones with thousands of punches by driving my spring gatling into their bodies every time. I rattled their brains, fractured Moria''s bones and liquified his clones, pouring everything I had into this final gambit. Caught off guard by my speed, Moria didn''t even get to scream as keeping air inside his lungs became a luxury. When I showed no signs of slowing down, getting faster with every jump instead, Moria eventually dismissed his shadows entirely and hunkered down to weather storm with black armament covering his body.
"You can''t keep this up, Springtrap!" he coughed out, bloody spittle dripping onto the ground.
"I won''t have to!" I roared back, leaping higher than I''d ever done, before shooting earthwards like a rocket, my one remaining arm drawn back to deliver one hell of a whammy. The ground shattered as my fist collided with his curved spine, my metallic skin meeting his black sheen. Trees were uprooted from the resulting winds, even as I willed my fist to break through his outer carapace.
I wasn''t losing this fight. I refused to lose this fight! And I was ending it!
Right!
HERE!
Black flashed and black shattered, as my darkened fist found purchase in Moria''s fleshy body and his eyes rolled up into the back of his head. Like flecks of black light, the remnants of his haki dispersed like they had never existed in the first place. I sat upon Moria''s back for a while, panting as if I wasn''t completely metal right now, marvelling at the ebony sheen covering my right fist.
"Bellamy!" a voice called out and when I looked up, it was to the sight of Hewitt and Muret running in my direction.
Informational: Bellamys Arsenal
Bellamy''s Arsenal (As of Chapter 66)
- Bane Bane no Mi
- Coil Chassis (basically, Bellamy''s equivalent of Luffy''s Gear Second)
- Bellamy completely transforms his body into a collection of springs, the size of which can vary from the order of cm to micrometers. As it''s not just his bones and muscles which transform, but everything from excess fat to internal organs, Bellamy can call upon much more strength & speed than he would be able to otherwise. Additionally, as springs...you know...bend, his flexibility shoots through the roof.
- Another benefit is the near invulnerability to blunt force trauma in this form, as all the force gets absorbed by the springs composing his body and released back to where it came from.
- Spring Gatling
- one of the newest moves in Bellamy''s arsenal, where he transforms his forearm into a spring and has it rapidly piston back and forth at a rate of 100 punches/second (the firing rate of the historical gatling gun). Unlike Luffy''s gomu gomu no gatling, Bellamy''s version delivers all the damage in a much more concentrated area and at at a greater speed, as he doesn''t have to draw his entire arm back every time before launching another punch. Because of this, the Spring Gatling boasts a much greater stopping power.
- Spring Hammer
- Bellamy draws his leg back as far as he can, before releasing it to deliver a devastating kick (to someone''s backside).
- Spring Ricochet
- By taking advantage of the fact, that he can introduce joints between his individual springs, Bellamy can change the direction of a punch after he''s thrown it, allowing him to hit someone even after they''ve dodged the original attack. Oh, and he can have his punches ricochet off different surfaces to hit someone from the back too.
- Spring Sweep
- Bellamy extends a limb out as far as he can or needs before whipping it around in a circle. Extra damage if he extends more than one limb at a time.
- Spring Shield
- Bellamy transforms parts of his body (usually the forearms) into giant plane springs (basically a giant sheet of metal) to act as a shield. By manipulating the shape of his transformation, he can envelop himself and others inside a metal dome.
- Spring Snipe
- basically the same thing as the OG Bellamy''s move, though the MC''s version is faster and more powerful
- Spring Hopper
- basically the same thing as the OG Bellamy''s move, though with the addition of Geppou and Observation haki, the MC is able to use it much more efficiently, without being blindsided.
- Spring Deathknock
- basically the same thing as the OG Bellamy''s move, though by compressing his springs much further than the original ever could, it''s destructive power has at least quadrupled
- Material Composition
- As long as Bellamy understands and has a clear picture of what he wants to transform into, he can change the material composition of his springs
- Available: steel, copper, polished silver, chrome-vanadium (the strongest of spring steels and is the current default material), rubber
- Spring Production
- This isn''t as much a move but a newly discovered ability. Bellamy transforms a hair into a pair of linked springs, unlinks one of the two before extending and transforming the other into a second pair of linked springs, which look exactly like the original pair before the unlinking. The result is a single spring which is separate from Bellamy''s main body, but which he can still somewhat control. However, the utility is very limited as of yet, partially because Bellamy simply can''t keep this up for too long before severe headaches set in. The produced springs can also be dismissed from existence, which freaked Bellamy out the first time he did it because of...well... E = mc^2
- Other Skills
- Rokushiki
- Soru: Bellamy has combined this with his devil fruit, which makes it pathetically easy to kick the ground a mere 10 times per second. As such, Bellamy''s version (which could be called Spring Soru but is never referred as such) requires the user to kick the ground 100 times per second and is very much faster as a result.
- Geppou: Bellamy has combined this with his devil fruit, which allows him to stay longer in the air and move about much more quickly. It''s also made the Spring Hopper a viable move in places which don''t have tall buildings for Bellamy to bounce off of.
- Rankyaku: Not exactly Bellamy''s favourite, but it is one of his few ranged options. Extra points when used in conjunction with an elongated leg.
- Shigan: As Bellamy can transform his fingers into springs, he can literally use his springy fingers as a finger gun, launching small if still powerful blasts of air from his fingers using the Shigan to pierce holes in his opponents. Sadly, it has very limited range.
- Kami-e: Bellamy is a Spring Human. Springs are flexible. Bellamy is flexible. Kami-e boosts this to ridiculous proportions. And when you add observation haki to the mix...?
- Tekkai: This is the skill of tensing one''s muscles until they are as strong as steel. But what if your muscles are already steel or some stronger alloy? It makes no sense, but the effect is multiplicative.
- Rokuogan: not yet learned
- haki
- Observation Haki
- Inward Focus: by turning his new awareness inwards, Bellamy gains much greater control over his devil fruit. This increases his strength, speed and reaction times significantly and aids in achieving greater mastery.
- Outward Focus: perhaps it''s a side effect of being unlocked very late due to issues with his soul(s), but Bellamy''s haki has had to develop while being subject to metaphysical restraints. As such, it is far stronger than the freshly unlocked haki of a rookie should have any right to be...
- Armament Haki: just unlocked
- Conqueror''s Haki: ?????
- Others
- Electromagnetism: the result if Bellamy combines his springs/coils with Aisa''s lightning. When done correctly, this produces powerful electromatic waves which can either be released in pulses to fry electronic circuitry (like a Pacifista''s insides) or focused into lasers (though this requires a lot more work). Maybe, Bellamy will eventually figure out how to turn a part of his body into a battery...
- Tools
- Reject Dial: something Bellamy borrowed from Wyper without his express permission. But the guy didn''t say no either and it wasn''t like he could use it properly either. As Bellamy''s springs can absorb the impact and channel it straight back into the dial, he''s obviously the perfect person to have it.
- Seastone: Bellamy has been gathering seastone whenever and wherever he could, including Wyper''s rock, a pair of seastone shackles he picked up on St. Poplar and other bits and bobs.
- A variety of other dials.
Chapter 67: a New Ally?
Author''s note: if you''re confused you likely missed chapter 66. Go back and have a look.
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
"How does your arm feel?" Muret asked, packing away the plethora of medical instruments she''d used to examine my arm. It hadn''t been the first time she''d asked me that question and it likely wouldn''t be the last time either. Seriously, you lost your arm once and they never let it go.
"As good as new." I told her reassuringly, showing her the full range of motion with my reattached left arm. "It barely even left a scar."
"Don''t overexert yourself now. That arm still requires a lot of rest and rehabilitation." Muret chided me, reapplying some salve and bandages to the wound. Honestly, bringing her along on this trip had been a stroke of genius, though I hadn''t known it at the time. How had I been supposed to know I would run into Moria or that I''d need surgery afterwards? Even weeks after the incident I shuddered to think of what might have happened if my doctor hadn''t been there with me.
Dr. Hogdback had grumbled a bit about what a waste it was that I refused to let him add a few, tiny, insignificant modifications to my body, such as transplanting a bit of extra muscle or replacing my skeleton with a metal construct¡but for some reason, he had acquiesced to acting as Muret''s assistant during the surgery. As I barely trusted the man at all, beyond the belief that the pride in his own work would prevent him from intentionally botching a surgery, I elected to forgo being completely put under and had them only apply regional anaesthesia. In hindsight, it wasn''t something I would recommend to anybody, but at the time it had seemed like the right choice.
To be honest, I might not have even needed surgery in the first place, because I had been using my coil chassis at the time and the separation from my main body hadn''t caused the transformation on my arm to wear off. And as I could unlink my springs, it stood to reason that I could re-link them as well, in effect fusing the arm back unto my stump. However, when I had pitched my idea to Muret, she had immediately and vocally vetoed it, forbidding me from ever attempting something like this in the future without expert supervision. Apparently, while it was theoretically possible that I could re-attach my arm that way, chances were I''d do so wrong. For one, the angles could be slightly off, which would have had dire consequences the moment I undid my transformation.
I might still have to resort to my version of a field treatment in a pinch, but I was glad I left medicine to the experts. Like I had told Muret, my arm felt as good as new.
Contrary to what one might expect, Moria hadn''t tried anything while Muret and Hogdback were working on my arm. Part of that would have been because he was bedridden as well, but I think the far more relevant reason had been his inner turmoil. One the one hand, he''d been beaten - again - by a rookie in straight up one on one. As such, his remaining pride demanded he keep his word and cooperate with me against Doflamingo. On the other hand, he could be cooperating against Doflamingo with a pirate who was capable of beating him, Moria, in a straight one on one. Thus, true to his nature, the former Warlord had postponed making a decision and focused on massaging his wounded pride.
Which led to the words, "I don''t like you." being the first words he uttered in my direction when I went to visit him in the sickbay. Naturally, in the face of such blunt honesty, I could only answer in kind.
"The feeling is mutual, I assure you."
"I''d go as far as to say that I hate you. You came to my little refuge, insulted me and goaded me into a fight." Moria accused me, crossing his arms with a huff. I snorted in response and leaned back into my chair.
"You tried to flatten me into a bloody paste while I did nothing except talk. I''d say that makes us even."
"You probably fractured my spine. My back hurts." He whined, or maybe he didn''t. It was a little difficult to tell, with how flat his voice had gone.
"I lost an arm." I retorted, but this time, it was Moria who snorted and pointed a clawed finger at my very much attached left arm.
"You got it back." was his riposte, which I easily parried.
"No thanks to you."
"But thanks to my doctor."
"Hodgback only assisted. Muret did the heavy lifting." Having launched our opening volleys, we both glared at each other in silence across the bed''s banister. If there had been any observers, I''m certain that most people would have had difficulty breathing. The tension in the air was stifling.
"¡"
"¡"
However, I hadn''t come here to glare at him all day and unlike him, I was a busy man.
"You might hate me, but you hate Doflamingo more." I stated to which Moria nodded in agreement.
"I loathe him."
"You want to kill him." I continued to which he smirked at me.
"Kishishishi. So do you and you want my help to do it."
"That''s true." I admitted easily, not seeing a point in denying it. We lapsed into silence again, as having reached the most basic of agreements, we needed to plan how we wanted to hash out the details. However, as neither of us were very inclined to be flowery about it, I went right for the throat from the very beginning.
"You''ll release the shadows of the Revolutionaries." I demanded. While Muret and I had been busy, Hewitt had stumbled across a bunch of them hiding out in a little shack at the edge of town. As my primary reason for coming here had been to investigate their disappearances, I really had no other choice but to make this my first condition. Luckily, just because it was important to me, didn''t mean it was important to Moria.
"Done. In exchange, you''ll provide shadows to replace those I''ll release. It can be marines, rival pirates¡I''m not picky."
"No." I refused without any hesitation, causing him to puff up in outrage.
"No? What do you mean, no?"
"Because it wouldn''t help." I told him, quickly continuing on in order to stop his rant before it could properly get going. "Tell me honestly, unless they were a special zombie like Oars, do you think your zombies would be of any help at all when you are facing someone of Doflamingo''s caliber?"
"You mentioned him earlier too. How did you know about Oars anyway?" He asked me, obviously taken slightly aback that I knew of the events at Thriller Bark. As I couldn''t tell him that he had been a anime character in my other life, I settled for a half-truth.
"I know Luffy. Look, does it matter how I knew? I''m trying to make a point. You yourself would have been easily capable of bringing down Oars Jr. who by all accounts was his ancestor''s equal in size and strength." I told him, adding a bit of flattery at the end to butter him up.
"Kishishishi. That''s certainly true." He snickered, the corners of his mouth moving rapidly upwards. Then, they moved just as rapidly downwards when I kept talking.
"What makes you think that Doflamingo wouldn''t be able to do the same?" I asked him. "While one could argue that Admiral Aokiji did most of the work, it doesn''t change the fact that Doflamingo''s strings were capable of turning the big guy into mincemeat, ice and all."
"¡ugh." Moria groaned at the reminder, covering his eyes with a clawed hand. "What a waste that was¡"
"In my own opinion, I''d say that you would be far better served recovering the peak you had in your youth. To become the Moria you were when you challenged Kaido all those years ago. After all, would Doflamingo have stood a chance if he had fought you back then?"
"No, of course not! I''d have trounced the brat!" Moria boasted. I had no idea if this was true or not. Regardless of whether or not Moria had been able to fight Kaido on a relatively even footing and not die, Doflamingo had been an absolute beast in canon. Additionally, there was no guarantee that he''d remain merely as strong as he''d been in the original Dressrosa Arc. Not least, because there was a massive, glaring difference in circumstances between the story and my current situation.
Namely, I had pulled his proverbial tail at Marineford right and proper. It would be na?ve to believe that something like that would have had no impact whatsoever.
"Then, what''s stopping you?" I challenged him.
"Nothing!" he claimed, before giving me the stink eye. "And don''t think that I can''t tell what you''re trying to do, Springtrap. Be glad, I decided to close a blind eye to your blatant manipulation attempt."
"How gracious of you." I replied in a dry tone. If it bothered Moria, he didn''t show it.
"Kishishishi, I sure am, but in exchange Doflamingo is mine. I will not budge on this."
"Sure, you can have the first crack at him." I answered. If he volunteered to scout out Doffy''s abilities, I wasn''t going to say no. Plus, it wasn''t like I could physically stop him from gunning for the feathered Warlord from the get-go if I refused, so I lost nothing by accepting this condition. "I get to go second."
"I suppose that''ll have to do. It''s not like you''ll get a chance anyway." He claimed, satisfied for now. We weren''t friends. We weren''t even allies. We were merely using each other instead. Hence, I had no reason to burst his little bubble and chances were that he wouldn''t believe my warnings. So, instead of advising him to beware of hubris, I chose to remind him of a hidden danger to our chosen course of action.
"When we bring down Doflamingo, Kaido isn''t going to like it at all."
"I wouldn''t have it any other way." Moria said, sticking out a hand. I grasped it.
We had a deal.
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¨C Muret ¨C?
"Captain, can I ask you a question?"
"You just did, but you may ask another." Bellamy grinned at her, but it quickly fell when Muret glared at him.
"¡"
"I''m sorry? You looked uneasy, so I tried to lighten the mood a little¡" he mumbled, his voice trailing off when she continued to glare. At times like these, he seemed so much more like an insecure boy than the charismatic pirate captain that he was. However, Muret didn''t think that it detracted anything at all, for it made the captain more human. It was reassuring to know that behind the frankly ridiculous confidence, the ambition and the monstrous strength lay an individual with his own fears, worries and faults. That Bellamy had felt comfortable enough around her to show her this side of himself meant a lot to Muret.
"Pfft." Of course, just because it was a relief to see him like this, didn''t mean that Muret wouldn''t find the dichotomy funny as hell. Especially when she pictured a chibi version of her captain nervously pushing his two index fingers together.
"Hah, so it did work!" he triumphantly exclaimed, pointing a finger in her direction.
"Yes, captain. I suppose it did." Indirectly of course, but technically true. With the mood having been eased significantly, the two of them slowly made their way out of the sick bay and towards the upper deck in a comfortable silence. At least, until Bellamy decided to pick off where they had left off.
"By the way, what did you want to ask me, Muret?"
"Are you sure we need to work with Moria?" she asked somewhat hesitantly. "There''s just something about him and his crew which rubs me the wrong way and that goes double for his doctor. I can''t put a finger on it precisely, but there is a distinct feeling of wrongness about Dr. Hogdback."
Bellamy didn''t say anything for a while, seemingly gathering his thoughts before giving Muret an odd look. "You''re closer to the truth than you might think. The man is a monster, not in terms of strength but in terms of his humanity. Or the lack thereof. Hogdback is a vile being and rotten to his very core."
"Then why work with him in the first place?" Muret asked, suitably confused. While the Bellamy pirates had never been saints, they did have standards, which had become even more obvious after Jaya.
"It''s less that I''m working with Hogdback but more that he''s an accessory to Moria." Bellamy explained. "If it were just Doflamingo we have to worry about, I may not need him. However, Doflamingo has his own backer."
"Kaido." She muttered darkly, causing the captain to give her a grim smile. The name alone was enough to make the weak go faint and cause even the strong to balk at the idea of opposing him. For such was the weight of Kaido''s name, one of the four.
"Exactly. And we have no idea of how strong he actually is." Bellamy said. "Whitebeard focused more on quality than quantity, meaning that he only had a few thousand allies he could call upon at Marineford and even then, the Navy gathered a hundred thousand elites to face him. Kaido on the other hand is known to have a far larger crew than Whitebeard, numbering in the tens of thousands."
"...my word. And if he has been buying up the SMILE fruits¡"
"Tens of thousands of New World veterans, armed with hundreds of SMILE fruits in addition to whatever else he''s got up his sleeve. Whereas we have a couple of dozen fighters at best, even if we count the Harmony and Mad Monk Pirates." the captain grimaced. "They aren''t the best odds, are they?"
"..." Muret swallowed nervously, the sheer magnitude of the task before them starting to sink in.
"And that''s without even taking into account the strongest ace up their sleeve. Kaido himself."
"If he''s anything like Whitebeard, then¡" Muret gasped, her mouth open wide.
"If anything, he''ll be stronger. Whitebeard, for all his might, was an old man. Kaido, on the other hand is only 57 years old, and hence is in the prime of his life right now."
Whitebeard had been the strongest being Muret had ever seen in action. Even if she knew that Shanks was supposed to be his equal, there was a clear difference between having heard about something and having witnessed it first hand. Merely being in the same vicinity as the late Emperor had been enough to make her break out into a cold sweat when she felt his rage wash over her¡and the legendary pirate had been an ally back then. To think that they were hurtling head first towards a confrontation with someone even stronger¡it terrified Muret to her very core.
This was what Bellamy had decided to overcome?
"Will we be able to grow strong enough to hold off an Emperor''s crew in the time we have left?" Muret asked uncertainly but Bellamy held out his hands in a who knows gesture.
"Maybe. Maybe not. Who can know for sure?" When Muret gave Bellamy an astounded look, he raised one eyebrow in response. "What? Just because I''m planning on beating the living daylights out of anyone standing in my way, doesn''t mean I''m going to ignore how strong our enemies are. It doesn''t really change anything either way."
Muret stared at her captain for a while, before sighing when she didn''t find what she was looking for. "We don''t have another choice, do we?"
"Not really. If we want to topple an empire, like the one Kaido has built over the course of decades, we''re going to have to pull out all stops and use every advantage we can get our hands upon." Bellamy explained. "In the end, this is just an arrangement of convenience and it''s highly unlikely that we''ll be able to maintain a cooperative relationship indefinitely."
"In that case, I guess¡not that I don''t trust your judgment or anything, but I just couldn''t help but feel uneasy around them. Absalom was creepy too."
"They are a creepy bunch." Bellamy admitted. "However, I''m confident that Moria can keep them under control. Plus, should they be stupid enough to bother my crew, I''m going to explain to them why it would be a very bad idea."
"Alright, captain. I trust you." Muret smiled. "Thank you for indulging me."
"Anytime."
Slander!?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
It is often said that those in power universally fear change. This is patently untrue. After all, who could ever accuse the five Elder Stars or the marine command of not supporting scientific innovation and human progress? And the World Nobles abhor stagnation, always seeking out the new and the exciting, always eager to pay good money for novelties.
No, this paper would go as far as to claim that most of the powerful (and respectable) individuals in our society as a rule would rather embrace change than fear it. Sadly, where there is a rule, there is always an exception.
It has recently come to our attention that Big News Morgan, CEO of the world''s premier newspaper, has acted in a petty manner unfitting of his position. Perhaps threatened by our recent rise in viewership, he has published a series of scathing and defamatory articles about our work. While most of the insults are unfit to be printed in a civilized newspaper like ours, we will now list a couple of selected statements.
- "The Marineford Daily is a profit driven, unethical, dishonest Newspaper whose sole purpose is to be a propaganda device." We emphatically reject the accusation that we are a profit driven, unethical Newspaper and point out that we serve many functions, not least amongst which is the facilitation of economic growth by dedicating an entire page to job adverts to aid our fellow citizens in finding gainful employment. Something which the CEO of the World Economic Newspaper would know if he weren''t such a birdbrain.
- "Their articles are a perversion of the truth and a mockery of what real news should be, clearly showing a complete disregard for journalistic duty and pride." While this may be somewhat difficult for someone like Mr. Morgan to understand, we do in fact take great pride in our civic duty to let the public know what they need to know. All our articles are the result of long hours of dedicated creativity and carefully vetted before ever seeing the light of day. Furthermore, we find the insinuation distasteful and extremely disrespectful when one considers that we recently lost one of our own (RIP Tucker) in the line of duty while pursuing the truth on Sabaody.
- "Especially their coverage of the Summit War and its aftermath was an absolute disgrace, being nothing more than a collection of attention seeking, sensational garbage with misleading titles which should merit no more of the public''s time than it takes to use it as toilet paper." We do not know what sort of circumstances Mr. Morgan finds himself in, that he equates the coarse (and recycled) fibers of our newspaper to the soft delight that is toilet paper. But, we humbly suggest that he try out one of the premium brands listed in our complimentary catalog before attempting to send his entire readership to the proctologist* with raw derri¨¨res.
The above was our refutation of Mr. Morgan''s ridiculous flights of fancy and we demand that the World Economic Newspaper retract said articles and publish an apology. We find that our response is a very measured one and maintain the right to take further steps if the situation is not resolved to our satisfaction.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
And as always, please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
*A proctologist is a doctor specializing in conditions affecting the lower digestive tract.
Chapter 68: First Date
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
Being a reincarnator came with a lot of perks, such as literally otherworldly knowledge. Admittedly, not all of that knowledge was useful and most of it wasn''t applicable. But having once had access to the combined reservoir of human creativity that was the Internet, that certainly had its upsides.
"Well, this is certainly something I haven''t seen before." Robin told me. "It sounds dangerous."
"Relax, Robin. Everything is going to be fine." I assured her, perhaps somewhat cockily. "What''s the worst that could happen?"
For one, there were tens of thousands of stories, manga and anime with a myriad of different abilities, some obscure and many which were more common, but all of them more than capable of being a source of inspiration. Millions of fans had analyzed, discussed, and re-imagined these abilities, trying to push them to their very limits. As a consequence, I was able to take the fruits of their labors and use them for my own benefit or that of those individuals I chose to share my knowledge with.
One such case was Gecko Moria, whom I had regaled with tales of historic shadow users, focusing primarily on how they had applied the concept of shadows in new and interesting ways. Examples included but were not limited to the Nara clan techniques from Naruto, which I knew would be possible for the former Warlord to recreate, as he already had similar moves involving corporeal shadows in his repertoire. Moria had been very interested in my ideas. So much so, that he hadn''t questioned why he hadn''t ever heard of any of the shadow users I was talking about before.
"You could fry your entire nervous system and end up as a vegetable." Robin offered, leaning her head lightly against one open palm.
"...and, thank you for putting that picture in my head." I muttered.
"You''re welcome."
"I was being sarcastic, you know." I told Robin, but she didn''t even bat an eye.
"I know." she smiled before smiling even wider when I chose to turn away with a cough.
However, as was only to be expected, the greatest beneficiary of my own knowledge and my unique heritage had to be myself. I simply thought differently from your average local, which often made for different and unusual results.
"Aisa! Are you ready!" I called out to my crew mascot, who gave me a thumbs up.
"Ready!"
Though, this didn''t mean that local residents who weren''t average couldn''t have ideas which were similar to mine. I just had the potential to pull them off better¡many brains working together and all that.
"Fusion!" Aisa and I called out together, ignoring Robin''s disturbed look at our word choice.
As proof of the aforementioned concept, one only had to look at mine and Aisa''s newest collaboration move. In the original show, the concept of fusion between two individuals had either been a joke ¨C see Pirate Docking Six from the Thriller Bark Arc for reference ¨C or resulted in the creation of a chimera. There had been a reason why Nico Robin had refused her comrade''s calls to fuse together into the Giant Robot Big Emperor form, citing that it would hurt her human pride.
Our version was a whole different beast. And as Aisa transformed into pure electric current to flow into my Coil Chassis, I looked Robin in the eyes, daring her to say otherwise. Soon after, I lit up like a Christmas tree, the electric discharge crackling and flashing blue all around as Aisa''s dispersed body melded into mine. And unlike our humble beginnings, it no longer burned even when Aisa was at full power, the lightning flowing through my coils and down my chassis feeling rather refreshing instead.
The inspiration for this had been the third Raikage''s lightning armor, a move designed to stimulate my nervous system and greatly enhance my physical parameters such as reaction time, speed, and strength by pulling out every last drop of potential my body possessed. Now, admittedly, I didn''t have nerves or muscles in the traditional sense anymore while my Coil Chassis was active, but they were conceptually still there, if transformed into metal coils. Hence, they remained capable of being boosted, with their new metal state only increasing their conductivity and thus the speed at which Aisa''s lightning could flow through my body.
That all the excess energy which couldn''t fit into me was used to form a crackling layer above my skin was a nice bonus, the streams of electric current serving as a first layer of defense while simultaneously adding an elemental quality to my attacks. I''d wager that my fight with Moria would have been much more one-sided had I been able to pull this ace out of my sleeve. Sadly, I hadn''t taken Aisa along and as a result, Muret had gotten some practice in reattaching my arm.
Anyway, the resulting rush of power was almost enough to make someone feel like they could take on the world and win. Intellectually, I knew I couldn''t, not yet at least, but damn if my new Lightning Mode (better name pending) didn''t feel amazing.
"Let''s go wild!" I cheered, pumping my fist in the air. Then I moved. The combination of soru and my coil chassis had already turned me into a top tier speedster, capable of reaching ridiculous velocities in an instant. With Aisa on board, that had just been¡multiplied.
I ripped across Baltigo Base, through the gates and past the crowds, my burgeoning observation haki more than capable of guiding me through this impromptu obstacle course. Admittedly, the winds left in my wake knocked a fair few guards to the ground and sent papers fluttering everywhere when I broke the sound barrier, but nobody got hurt which was the main thing. I didn''t stop running until the base was but a speck on the horizon and I was surrounded by nothing but empty wasteland. And rocks. Lots and lots of rocks.
Aisa''s laughter rang out nice and clear, getting louder the faster I flitted from boulder to boulder, my electrified fists going through solid rock as if it were paper mache. I wasn''t immune from the euphoria either, there being something cathartic about reducing giant stone monoliths to dust. Simply put, it was an intoxicating feeling and both of us indulged in it without want.
It was only after running out of targets that we returned back to base to find Robin where we had left her, seated underneath a parasol and casually leafing through one of her books. I was also unsure how she had gotten her hands on the same outfit she''d been wearing on Thriller Bark, but damn did she look fabulous in purple.
"Welcome back." She said, putting her book down when Aisa and I came to a halt in the middle of the training area. "How was it?"
"Amazing." I beamed at her, the adrenalin not having left my system yet. "Absolutely amazing! I barely noticed the time flying by."
"Well, I''m glad you did notice. It''s almost dinner time."
That being the case, I would insist until my dying day, that said hormone running rampant through my brain was wholly responsible for what tumbled out of my mouth next.
"About that, do you want to grab dinner with me?"
And for the first time since we had met, I was able to detect the slightest hint of red on Robin''s face.
¨C Mani ¨C?
Mani covered her mouth with her hands to stop the squeal from escaping her lips.
Oh dear heavens, what had she just witnessed?
She hadn''t meant to overhear any of this. Originally, she''d only wanted to pick up Aisa for her regular medical after-training checkup, but as she was approaching the training yard her haki had started tingling like crazy. Having rapidly learned that ignoring it tended to be a bad idea, Mani had immediately reacted in the most appropriate manner she knew how. Namely, by engaging her mental stealth mode.
Just to be clear, Mani lived for attention. She loved it, she thrived in it and one could even say that she needed it. Once upon a time, the attention she received from others had been her sole source of validation, be it lust or jealousy. And just because she''d changed somewhat ¨C in that unlike before she valued the attention she got from Rivers more than anybody else''s ¨C didn''t mean she put in any less effort into grooming her outward appearance. Everything she did from her makeup to the way she walked was specifically designed to draw in the gazes of everyone around her.
Conversely, this also meant that Mani knew precisely which levers she had to flip in order to reverse this effect. Unlocking her haki had only enhanced this ability, as her horizons had been broadened and with it, her awareness of all the little giveaways she''d used to have. Or to put it a bit more simply, having become an expert in standing out after a decade of careful study, Mani had mastered the art of blending in.
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As a result, Mani''s stealth had been honed to a point where even individuals with pretty impressive observation abilities remained unaware of her presence unless she wished it otherwise¡with the notable exception of Aisa whose head snapped in her direction almost immediately. Thankfully, the girl chose not to reveal Mani''s hiding spot, more preoccupied with gaping at the blushing pair.
Mani wasn''t doing much better than Aisa either, though her initial shock had given way to barely suppressed excitement.
This was big. This was really big. She had to tell someone¡no, better yet. She had to tell everyone!
It was finally HAPPENING!!!
After silently, but rapidly making her way back to the ship where the entire crew was assembled for regular maintenance duty, Mani wasted no time in spreading the news at the top of her lungs.
"The captain did it! The captain did it! The pot is mine, because the captain just bloody did it!"
That certainly got everyone''s attention with her friends poking their heads out the doors, popping out of hatches, and dropping down from the riggings. And all of them wore the same astounded expression on their faces.
"Now way!" Ross gasped. "Wasn''t he off training with Aisa?"
"He confessed? Like confessed, confessed?" Hewitt asked. "When did that happen?"
"How did he do it?" Eddy wanted to know. "Swagger over to her and do a theatrical bow? It sounds like something he''d do."
"I bet he was a stuttering wreck!" Sarquiss sniggered, before getting slapped over the head by his girlfriend.
"You think the captain is like you, shithead?"
"Oh, I remember that." Rivers giggled, "Sarquiss sure panicked a lot when he thought he''d misplaced his flowers."
"I remember that too." Muret reminisced, uncaring that the first mate was turning into a dangerous shade of red. "He rushed over to my clinic twenty minutes before his first date to borrow a bunch of flowers from my garden without as much as a by-your-leave."
"Do please correct me if I''m wrong, but wasn''t your entire garden composed of poisonous plants?" Eddy asked Muret, who nodded.
"Oh, so that''s why he was shaking that badly. I thought he looked somewhat unhinged rushing through town. " Ross realized, slamming a fist into his palm. "Well, more unhinged than usual."
"You Blue Sea dwellers give your intended poisonous flowers?" Laki asked, tilting her head in confusion. "That''s certainly an odd custom."
"No, we do not give our loved ones poisonous plants on our first dates either." Hewitt grinned, trying to clear up Laki''s misunderstanding. "That''s just Sarquiss."
"Remind me, why did you agree to go out with this guy again?" Mani asked Lily in a stage whisper, who gave her sulking boyfriend a fond look.
"I suppose it was his willingness to risk his life for me that won me over." Lily joked. "Though, at the time I did wonder why a purple grape was asking me out while shoving a toxic bouquet in my face."
This of course, prompted another round of laughter from the crew, a couple of them collapsing to the ground while clutching their stomachs at the memory. Most prominently, Rivers, who had begun rolling about the deck uncontrollably.
"Oh, that hurts. My stomach hurts so bad!" he chortled. "It''s too much!"
"Shut up! It''s not that funny!" Sarquiss grumbled from where he''d sought refuge on an empty barrel. "I swear, you try and confess while intoxicated one time, and they never let you live it down."
"This is probably the least original thing to say at this point, but you''re right. It isn''t funny." Ross told Sarquiss, placing one hand supportively on the first mate''s shoulder, the very image of commiserating camaraderie. Sarquiss wasn''t fooled.
"Don''t you dare say it¡" Sarquiss tried to warn Ross, but it proved to be for nought because it wasn''t the sailmaker who finished that joke.
"It''s fucking hilarious!" Hewitt howled, doubling over from laughter together with Ross. Nobody else laughed. Eventually, the idiot pair too came down from their high, unable to ignore the accusing stares of their friends any longer.
"Guys¡you should be ashamed of yourselves." Eddy told them, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That was just¡bad."
The pair had the good conscience to blush in embarrassment when the entire crew echoed the sentiment. It was then that Mani remembered why she had sought out her crew in the first place.
"Guys, wait! Why are we teasing Sarquiss anyway? We''ve got far more important things we should be doing right now."
"Yeah!" Sarquis vocally agreed. "Not sure what but yeah, we do."
"Like what?" Nero asked, to which Mani puffed out her chest with her hands on her hips.
"What do you think?" Mani replied, as if it were obvious. "We need to spy on the captain, of course."
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
I was going to hurt them.
I hadn''t quite decided yet on the how, but I was going to hurt them. Badly.
Had they really thought I wasn''t going to notice their heads peeking around the corner like a totem pole? Furthermore, if they must follow Robin and I around, they could at least have had the decency of being stealthy about it. The fact that most of them had worn disguises consisting of long winter coats and scarves wrapped around their faces¡that just made them stand out even more like a sore thumb. Especially as we were in the middle of summer. And hiding behind a newspaper with giant cutouts for eyes didn''t make Nero invisible either.
Eddy and Muret had been more brazen about it, having coincidentally decided to go on a date at the same establishment where I had reserved a table for tonight. They didn''t even try to hide, my doctor even cheekily waving in our direction.
Robin waved back before covering her smile with a hand.
"Fufufufu, your crew seems like a very curious bunch, Bellamy." she chuckled. "And isn''t that Hewitt in the kitchen?"
"...I hadn''t expected them to go this far¡" I murmured. "I really am sorry about all this."
"Fufufufu, it''s fine. In fact, this is a rather amusing experience." Robin reassured me, accepting my proffered arm. "Shall we?"
"I believe we shall." I replied, before allowing our waitress to lead us to our table. A waitress who bore an uncanny resemblance to Mani.
I had never been on a date before, having been too busy with my studies before the transition, but I had at least some idea as to how one should act. Things like: pull out the lady''s chair, mind your basic table manners, don''t talk about politics¡Granted, that knowledge came from my mother''s upbringing and a couple of old movies, but it was better than nothing.
I had also run through three thousand five hundred and sixty two simulations for potential conversations in my head while waiting for Robin to get ready. However, that turned out to have been an utter waste of time, because I forgot everything the moment we sat down. Thankfully, Robin took pity on me and drew me into a lively discussion about Kafka. True, it wasn''t the most romantic of conversational topics, but I latched onto it in my desperation and we somehow made it work.
Before I knew it, the nervousness which had gripped my heart had dissipated until I was enjoying myself, and if I wasn''t completely misinterpreting her cues, Robin was having a good time as well. I did briefly wonder if Robin had so easily accepted my offer for a date because I was the only (male) friend she had who shared her love of literature. The Straw Hats were obviously not up to the task and while I would never claim that Nami was not intelligent, she was a rural girl who''d grown up without access to the vast library of literary masterworks that I''d had back in my first life. I could very well imagine that Robin had been starved for someone with whom she could share her hobby with.
Helped along by Robin''s skill as a conversationalist, dinner went well. There were hardly any awkward pauses and the few which did sneak their way in were quickly resolved. By the time we''d finished our food, I had even forgotten about my crew watching us from the sidelines, though I noticed when they left to grant us a little privacy as we took a little walk along the coast. From there, I carefully ventured into other territory, subtly trying to get her to talk about her adventures, both those I knew and the ones hidden in the twenty missing years prior to canon. Robin regaled me readily enough with stories of the former, and I didn''t push on the latter. This wasn''t an interrogation and that sort of thing could come later¡or so I thought.
"Bellamy, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"
"Of course not. Shoot."
Turned out, I wasn''t the only one trying to understand my date a bit better, though unlike how I''d gone about it, Robin''s approach had about as much subtlety as a brick.
"In that case," she began, turning to look me in the eyes, "when did you read Kafka?"
Chapter 69: Revelation
¨C Bellamy ¨C
"When did you read Kafka?"
Robin''s question was posed so smoothly, that I almost didn''t properly register what proverbial minefield I''d just stepped into. But when I did, my brain, which until now had been admiring her eyes and enjoying the warmth of her hand in mine, screeched to a halt and it was all I could do to limit how bad the following stutter was. That said, my trust in my ability to reply to her in an eloquent manner had been very rapidly eroded into nothingness, so I had to settle for a more simple compromise.
"P-pardon?"
"When did you read Kafka?" Robin repeated, but that slight window of time was enough for me to pull my wits slightly back together. As such, I managed to regain enough control over my voice to attempt an emergency parry.
"I read his books a long time ago." I answered honestly, hoping that this would be the end of it. It wasn''t.
"Personally, I know about Kafka because growing up I had access to the Great Library of Ohara, a library which boasted the greatest collection of written works in the world." Robin continued. "And from what I gathered, you did not."
"Did Muret tell you?"
"We occasionally exchange book recommendations. Like you, she''s pretty well read though her selection focuses more on medical literature and modern novels rather than the older classics." Robin replied. "Then again, she is a doctor from a long line of established doctors and would have been more than capable of affording a small library. Which makes it all the more baffling, that the literary knowledge of someone without a secondary education like you far outstrips that of a doctor like Muret."
"..."
"This is compounded by the claims of most of your crew, that they had never seen you pick up as much as a booklet, never mind a full length novel in the entire time they''ve known you." Robin told me, her pitch revealing nothing about her inner feelings other than a vague sense of curiosity. If you asked me, that last one was probably deliberate. "If you hadn''t regularly read the newspaper, they would have thought you illiterate."
"How did you have time to convince my crew to reveal those tidbits?" I asked in bewilderment. "You''ve only spent like three weeks together."
"You do know that their favorite topic to gossip about is you, right?" Robin answered, as if she were pointing out the obvious and in a way, she was. "You''re their hero, friend and role model all rolled into one. It''s only natural that they''d be interested in you. I simply¡ joined in over tea and biscuits."
"Ugh¡" I groaned, sitting down on a nearby rock and burying my face in my hands. "Right, remedial lessons in data security for everyone."
"Don''t be too hard on them. Even without their accidental testimony, I would still have asked you the question." she told me, taking a seat on a log next to me. Out of the periphery of my vision, I could see a row of arms dissipate into flower petals, their purpose complete after having transported Robin''s seating arrangements. "After all, it''s rather odd that someone who obviously enjoys books as much as you do, barely has any in his bedroom."
That last part had honestly been an unfortunate accident of my transition. Whereas in my past life I could spend hours every day with a nice book in hand, that was a luxury I no longer could afford. For one, the duties of a ship''s captain never seemed to end. There were always supply stores to check, riggings to inspect and crew members to talk to. What time I did have mostly went into training or into telephone (I was tired of saying den den mushi) meetings with Byron. Books¡had kind of fallen to the wayside in the face of survival. Plus, while a lot of novels from my past world were present in my current one, not all of them were and the books which were new to me often contained obvious propaganda, which made for a rather boring or even unpleasant reading experience.
"I didn''t have time to read a lot lately, not with Doflamingo coming for my head and all that." I tried, "And being a captain is a lot of work."
"So, if you didn''t read books while growing up and you haven''t read any since setting sail¡again, when did you read Kafka?" Robin asked again, refusing to be diverted.
As most people would have guessed by now, this entire conversation wasn''t about the precise date on which I had read a particular book by a long dead author. This was about Robin confronting me with the inconsistencies in my back story. In a way, this was a positive sign, for it signified that Robin was taking my date offer seriously enough to try and clear up any misunderstandings and doubts before moving forward. After all, if she weren''t interested at all, she wouldn''t have breached the topic. In other words, this confrontation was Robin giving me a chance to explain.
The issue that I was facing however, was that I had no acceptable way of explaining myself without revealing my status as a reincarnator. And that came with its own set of problems, not least amongst which was that any sane person would think me a liar or a madman, neither of which were positive impressions to leave if I wanted to date the person in question.
Having said her piece and hence, having thoroughly thrown me off-balance, Robin leaned back while still maintaining her grip on my hand.
Meanwhile, my mind was racing furiously to find a way out of this predicament. I mean, I could have straight up lied to her, but Robin had spent the last twenty years surviving amongst crooks and gangsters, many if not all of whom had betrayed her and sold her out at one point or another. Developing the ability to detect if someone was trying to deceive you would have been a necessity for survival. And more importantly, I liked Robin. A lie was no way to start a relationship. Plus, I''d already decided once before that I did have other things I valued more highly than safeguarding my secret, so it wasn''t as if there weren''t a precedent¡ even if nothing had come of that prior decision.
Thing was, if I told Robin, I had to tell the rest of my crew and it did not solely have to do with fairness. While the risk of a secret being revealed increased exponentially with every soul who was in the know, the sense of betrayal my crew would feel, when they eventually did find out by some other means, would be all the greater if I confided in Robin but not my own crew. No, that way lay disaster¡ not to mention that my entire crew was hiding behind a rocky outcropping and listening in at this very moment.
So, lie or deflect and accept that everyone''s suspicions would be rekindled¡or tell the truth and risk the World Government finding out and deciding to send agents after me in order to secure my person for research purposes.
In the end, it was never a choice.
"This might be a bit difficult to believe," I warned her, grabbing Robin''s remaining hand and looking her straight in the eyes. "but I have memories of another life."
They were coming after me anyway.
¨C Sarquiss ¨C
"So let me get this straight." his darling began, walking back and forth with one hand supporting her forehead. "You are a scientist from another world with no combat or naval experience, who possessed our friend and captain."
"Well, not exactly?"
"And then you decided that taking a ship and a crew into the sky in your first month on the job was a good idea."
"It beat the alternative."
"And you have been bumbling along ever since while learning on the job."
"It''s more like re-learning, but kinda true?"
"How does nobody else have a problem with this?" Lily exclaimed, letting her incredulous gaze wander across the gathered crew.
"Well, if it actually were possession I''d be more scared, but you heard what the captain said, didn''t you?" Hewitt answered her with a shrug.
"Yeah, it''s more like he gained another set of memories. People get visions all the time, or so my uncle Bob used to say. He certainly claimed he did often enough." Rivers added. "Apparently, everytime you get the feeling of deja vu, it''s because your future self is sending you subliminal messages."
"Your uncle was a nutcase."
"Hey! He was a nutcase, but you can''t call him that!" Rivers protested. "That''s rude!"
"Look, Lily. You need to relax a little. Having your captain get drunk and have surprisingly accurate and vivid visions really isn''t the weirdest thing we''ve seen on the Grand Line." Ross said, patting the girl on the back. "And even if some ghost had tried to possess Bellamy, don''t you think that Bellamy would have kicked its ass instead?"
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"Well¡that''s certainly true¡"
"Either way, this does explain so much." Sarquiss mused. "Like Bellamy''s suddenly expanded vocabulary."
"Or the fact that he apologizes to people now." Muret said, throwing in her two cents.
"And his improved sense of fashion." Mani finished. "Seriously, I''m so glad he no longer tries to wear that stupid pink feather coat."
"So, that''s why you were fuzzy!"
"Guys, like seriously? How can you accept this so easily? It''s our captain¡our friend we are talking about here!" Lily demanded to know, shooting accusing glares at everyone, at least until Sarquiss slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a sideways hug.
"Darling, I know what you''re worried about but there''s a rather simple solution to your concerns." Sarquiss said before turning to the captain. "We can just ask him. Are. You. Bellamy?"
The responses to his question diverged quite significantly.
"What?!?" Lily shouted in disbelief, while Bellamy laughed.
"Of course I am!"
"And he''s not fuzzy anymore!" Aisa piped up.
"See, nothing to worry about." Sarquiss grinned triumphantly before doubling over when Lily punched him in the gut. "Oof!"
"That doesn''t make any sense!" Lily shouted before Bellamy''s question stopped her short.
"Then how should I prove it to you?"
To be fair, this was the kind of thing that made Sarquiss'' head hurt. How did you prove that you were who you were? It reminded him too much of that conversation Bellamy and he''d had that one time about dreams and identity. Once had been more than enough, thank you very much.
"Uhm¡"
"It''s not like I can let you cut me open and show you my soul, is it?" Bellamy asked. "The only thing I can prove is that I have all the memories of the Bellamy you knew."
"How do we even know you have his memories anyway?" Lily questioned, latching onto the first opening she saw. And like in combat, such openings were usually traps in disguise.
"I suppose, I could tell everyone that story about the time we went to the pony park¡"
"STOP!!!" Lily shrieked, leaping at Bellamy to forcibly gag him with her hands. "You promised to never mention that incident ever again!"
"You can''t stop there! Now, I''m curious." Ross whined, before quickly clamping his mouth shut and looking away when Lily snarled at him like a wounded cat.
"Believe me now?" Bellamy smirked at the quartermaster, who jumped off his chest with a slight blush adorning her cheeks, which was quite the contrast to her ferocity mere moments prior. Then again, Sarquiss loved that dichotomy of hers as well.
"Fine¡you may have Bellamy''s memories." Lily acquiesced, coughing awkwardly. "But that still doesn''t make you Bellamy!"
"Lily, if I have all of Bellamy''s memories, all of Bellamy''s dreams and know in my heart that I am Bellamy¡wouldn''t that make me, Bellamy?"
Sarquiss found himself nodding along to his best friend''s argument, being unable to think of a better answer. If it looked like a duck and quacked like a duck, it was probably a duck¡or an evil twin.
"He does have a point, darling. And it''s not like you ever suspected that he wasn''t who he said he was before, right? We just couldn''t figure out where he''d learned all this new stuff."
"..."
"Plus, new experiences and hence new memories change people." Eddy said, taking up the metaphorical torch. "I mean, look at us. I, for one am a different man from the boy who first set sail."
Lily looked around the circle, seeking support but finding none, especially not from Laki.
"Don''t look at me. This Bellamy is the only one I know." The dial mechanic rolled her eyes before elbowing Nero in the side who shrugged non-comittantly in agreement. That proved to be the last straw for his girlfriend.
"I''m surrounded by simpletons...ah, what the heck." Lily groused, throwing up her hands in surrender. "If you can''t beat them, join them. I liked the new guy better anyway."
On that, they would probably all agree. They''d liked the old Bellamy, but they loved the new one. And besides, he was more fun.
"So, are we all good?" Bellamy asked Lily, who smiled sweetly in response. Everybody, except his brave captain, took a step back. His brave and foolish captain.
"Almost." And just like Sarquiss had known was going to happen, Bellamy got a first hand demonstration of Lily''s progress when she drove her fist into his gut. "Now, we''re good."
¨C Bellamy ¨C
That could have gone a lot worse or rather, it had gone surprisingly well. I meant, I had gone into this expecting a lot of them to begin questioning my mental sanity. I wonder what it said about them that none of them did. Even Robin had accepted my tale without much of a fuss, merely listening intently before summarizing her impression with a simple "That''s interesting."
The one thing I hadn''t told them was that One Piece had been a show in my other life. For me, there had been no point in doing so, not when I myself rejected the viewpoint that I was living inside a figment of someone''s imagination. The world in which I found myself was real, the people I met were real and telling them that they were nothing but characters in a long running comic series would be an insult. That was one piece of information I would take to my grave. After all, it wasn''t as if even family told each other everything either.
Still, I felt as if I had taken a giant leap forward by opening up to my crew and removing a potential ticking time bomb. Hopefully, my feeling that we''d strengthened our bonds wasn''t just wishful thinking on my part. For now, life had gone back to normal and everyone was acting like nothing had changed with even my haki empowered empathy being unable to pick up any discrepancies.
So, I was understandably in a good mood for days afterwards and it was made even better by a phone call I received one afternoon.
Puru puru. Puru puru. Puru pu-click
"You have reached Bellamy''s Buccaneering Bureau. How may I help you?"
"Springtrap-ya. We need to talk."
Omake: At the Office
Truth. It was such a nebulous thing, seemingly so simple and yet so difficult to pin down. Slipping through one''s fingers before one even knew they''d approached it in the first place. However, it had been precisely this trait which had drawn Ernie to his calling and after years of literally bone breaking effort, Ernie had managed to secure a position as the Marineford Daily''s star reporter.
It granted him access to places the public didn''t even know existed and let him take glimpses behind the curtain. Which, of course, made it all the more bitter when he saw his pride and joy be mutilated beyond all recognition.
"How could you? Have you no soul?"
"Oh, quit yammering." the chief editor groused at him as he painstakingly drew another line through Ernie''s proposed draft with a big, fat, red marker. "Why do you insist on looking at me like I''m murdering your unborn child every single time?"
"You''re a monster." Ernie stated, staring at him with dead, empty eyes.
"I''m a government employed servant of the people and gatekeeper of the truth." Another line. "Though admittedly, that''s a fancy way of saying I''m your chief editor."
"She was only a few hours old. Freshly brought into this world with love."
Another line. The page which had once been black and white turned ever more scarlet as the crimson fluid soaked into the paper.
"Well, you can fix her. Just try not to include sensitive information this time?" the editor requested. "There''s only so much I can do to cover for you if you refuse to be careful."
In the face of that earnest gaze, Ernie folded and looked away. It wasn''t as if he didn''t know that his colleague meant well and Ernie himself hadn''t expected his first draft to go through. But it was precisely because he knew it wouldn''t be accepted, that Ernie could pour his heart and soul into his writing before taking the rejected article and twisting her into a mockery of what she''d once been.
"I liked the phrase, it''s the job of a lifetime, so you can probably leave that in."
Like he always did.
But if he was going to twist the truth, he was going to twist it right and proper. This he promised (well somebody) in the name of Honest "Ernie" Earnest.
Chapter 70: A Naive Optimist
¨C Eddy ¨C?
When the captain had told them to pack up and get ready to sail, Eddy had initially thought very little of it. Perhaps they had another mission from the Revolutionaries, or the captain had picked up the trail of some long-lost treasure. By this point, neither would have surprised him very much.
However, when the captain declared that they were going to meet up with the famed Surgeon of Death to see if he could fix Eddy''s lungs, he''d been struck speechless for a moment. Not least, because after Muret told him that there was nothing she could do for him anymore beyond continued physiotherapy, Eddy had somewhat resigned himself to his current fate. As a result, after managing to recover a significant portion of his pre-injury endurance ¨C he no longer felt like dying after a short jog ¨C Eddy had adapted and completely revamped his fighting style to account for his handicap.
The navigator would even go as far as to claim that he''d become far deadlier than he''d ever been prior to his injury, much of which he owed to Izou''s swordsmanship training. So, Eddy had found his peace with the cards fate had dealt him and the very notion that his lungs could be restored had been pushed into the farthest corners of his mind. After all, why worry about the impossible?
Of course, the captain had to try and disprove Eddy''s standards of impossibility again by dangling this new opportunity before his eyes. That the captain may have been playing a cruel joke never registered as a possibility, because Eddy knew Bellamy too well by now for him to ever believe that to be a possibility. This held true, even if his captain had gotten memories of a past life¡somehow. But despite some concerns the fact remained that the current captain was his captain. The same captain with whom Eddy had shared the most life-shaking and formative adventures of his short life. So, for Eddy that was the end of the matter.
Thus, if this wasn''t a joke, it meant that Bellamy truly believed that this Trafalgar Law fellow could help him and thus Eddy had found his hope rekindled. Not least because the style of swordsmanship Izou taught him was incredibly effective at finishing a duel very quickly, but required incredible stamina to truly master. With the removal of the greatest obstacle left in his way becoming a very real possibility, how could Eddy not get excited at the prospect?
Perhaps, that was why the entire journey had passed in a blur. While Eddy carried out his duties well, his mind had always been miles away. He''d barely even noticed when they''d made landfall, being forcibly jerked out of his thoughts by Bellamy and Muret physically dragging him off the ship to meet the surgeon.
Even now after the consultation, Eddy felt like he was in a daze with most of the medical jargon having gone over his head. All that remained embedded in his memory were the warmth of Muret''s hands in his own and three words.
"So, what did the doctor say?" Rivers asked expectantly as soon as Eddy stepped into the kitchen. "Can he fix your lung?"
It is possible.
"Yeah, the doctor said that he could do it." Eddy told his crew, who collectively let out a cheer. "Apparently the surgery itself won''t even be that difficult."
"Nice!" Ross exclaimed, pumping his fist. "In that case, when''s the big day?"
"Muret was still discussing the logistics of it all when I left, but it will probably take a while yet."
"Why though?" Hewitt asked. "I thought captain Law¡"
"I didn''t understand most of it, but I think it''s because he can''t regrow my lung. If that were possible, Muret would have done it already." Eddy replied, interrupting Hewitt. "He''s going to have to put a whole new lung into my chest or something."
"A new lung?" Rivers piped up, tilting his head quizzically to the side.
"Yeah. Apparently, they can''t just use any old lung from a random hobo. It''s got to be one that matches my blood type or something, plus it should be from someone whose lungs are already trained to my current level of strength. Well, either that or higher to account for the inevitable loss of function." Eddy answered the sniper before shrugging. "Not sure where he''s going to get my new lung from, but he said he''d handle it."
"So, we just got to fucking wait, is that what you''re saying?"
"More or less." Eddy said, shrugging again. "Lily, I''ve waited this long without hope. What''s a little longer?"
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
Founder and captain of the Heart Pirates, wielder of the ope ope no mi and holder of the medical knowledge to use it. A young genius with a tragic past and a lost family to avenge. A ruthless pirate who wouldn''t hesitate to remove your still beating heart from your body. There were many ways to describe Trafalgar D. Water Law, but if I had to choose one it would be the following.
A naive optimist.
Now, that was not to say that the man wasn''t intelligent. In fact, if you lined up our peers in descending order of IQ, I wagered that one would find Law near the very top of the list. Unfortunately for our good doctor, he suffered from an ailment which preferentially afflicted individuals of above average academic ability. Namely the near unshakable confidence in their own intellectual prowess, as well as the flipside of the same coin, the belief that everybody around them wasn''t nearly as smart as they themselves were.
In canon, the result of this had been Law''s complex and convoluted plan to take down Doflamingo and weaken Kaido, with which he convinced Luffy to enter into an alliance with him. And while the current circumstances weren''t the same as they had been in the story, the mastermind behind it was, leading to Law explaining a very similar idea to me when we met up.
Considering our shared vendetta against a certain feathered Warlord, an alliance against a common foe was agreed upon within the first minutes of our meeting. So in the interest of saving time, we decided to pool our limited resources and lay our cards out on the table. Much to my private amusement, Law had been unable to hide his surprise upon realizing I''d accomplished far more in six months than he''d done in an entire decade when it came to gathering strength and allies. After all, while Law had only his own crew ¨C a talented bunch but only a single Paradise crew ¨C I had managed to recruit Urouge, Byron as well as the Gecko Moria. If one also counted Bonney, who I was still hoping to convince eventually, the Revolutionary Army and Disco (and his spy network)... I was the lynchpin of a rather powerful network. The Whitebeard Remnants were just the cherry on top.
Naturally, Law, who''d originally intended to form an alliance on an equal footing, was forced to face reality and accept that this wouldn''t be the case. Regardless of our wishes, whether it be by contribution or by influence, I had inadvertently put myself into a position where I would dominate my peer on every metric. Urouge and the rest had allied with me and not with Law. Hence, they were far more likely to listen to my suggestions than they would Law''s. The one way he could flip the board, so to speak, would be if his personal combat ability were to utterly dwarf mine, but as we were both supernovas this was unlikely to be the case.
Law hadn''t seemed too disturbed by this situation, because the benefits of working with a well connected and, more importantly, a sane pirate far outweighed any misgivings he might have. However, Law wouldn''t have been who he was if he''d been content to ride my coattails to victory. Instead, his pride demanded that he contribute as much as possible to balance the scales. Seeing as I had provided the brawn, the only possible conclusion a person confident in his own cleverness such as Law could reach, would have been to become the brains of the operation.
The above being the explanation for why I found myself sitting across from my fellow captain who, after finishing his grand presentation, was giving me some very expectant looks.
"So, to summarize¡" I began, drawing out the words while I gathered my thoughts. "Your plan is to cut out a hundred beating hearts from a hundred pirate captains and offer them as live sacrifices to the World Government in exchange for being appointed as one of the Seven Warlords to fill the holes left behind by Sir Crocodile, Teach and Moria."
"A morbid way to put it, but not incorrect." Law said, giving me a small nod.
"After which, you will use the access granted to you by merit of your new position to dig through secret government files in the hopes of unearthing some of the Joker''s dirty secrets."
"It''s not a hope. I know there is something. While I just don''t know what it is, that can be solved easily enough once I am one of the seven." Law replied, relaxing into his seat. "Ideally, it would be something that could impede his relationship with Kaido."
"You will then use whatever blackmail you find to threaten him into relinquishing his own Warlord title, causing him to lose the protection he enjoyed from the Marines." I continued, staring into Law''s smiling eyes. In response, he winked at me. "Once the deed is done, you would carry out your threat regardless, forcing Doflamingo to fail his obligations to Kaido."
"Kaido was never the most forgiving man nor the most understanding. It would be enough if he merely retracted his implied protection but it is far more likely that the two would go to war. Kaido for the alleged slight and the Joker to survive." he explained, before adding on "The Joker won''t survive."
"And as the marines aren''t going to be able to accept Kaido executing the reigning monarch of Dressrosa, they''ll be forced to retaliate, inflicting even more casualties upon Kaido''s crew in addition to whatever damage Doflamingo managed to do."
"Mutual destruction at its finest." Law smirked, "Without the defender''s advantage they enjoyed against Whitebeard, the Marines won''t be able to finish the Emperor off, meaning our alliance can step in to take Kaido''s head."
"So according to your plan, we''d be able to take Doflamingo''s life without lifting a finger, cripple the marines and hence help spread the fires of Revolution while also clearing an Emperor''s throne in one fell swoop."
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"Exactly. Everybody wins!" Law finished, looking mightily pleased with himself.
It was a fine plan, at least in theory, and if everything worked out as intended it would be an incredibly easy way to win. The problem was that plans, especially intricate ones, tended not to survive contact with the enemy. Something that Law and Luffy had found out in the canon timeline much to their detriment. As such, I had no intention of following a plan which had been proven to be faulty, though that still left the question of how to transmit this diplomatically.
"I have a few questions if you don''t mind."
"Of course not. Let''s hear them."
"How are you going to gather a hundred hearts of sufficient quality in time?" I asked, to which my conversation partner launched into another lengthy explanation.
Law''s proposed solution had been to stir up an uprising in Hachinosu, which was perhaps the pirate hub in the New World and hence, filled with enough harvestable hearts to make the World Government salivate. Failing that, the power vacuum left by Whitebeard''s death had destabilized the area so significantly, that there wasn''t going to be a lack of ambitious elements eyeing up prime real estate anytime soon. Either way, he could use the chaos to ambush and individually pick off his targets before making a clean getaway.
My new ally''s first choice for a distraction had been Marshall D. Teach, who had more reasons than anybody to begin carving out a piece of territory for himself. After all, his little show at Marineford had all but been a declaration of his candidacy for Whitebeard''s empty throne. Hachinosu would offer Teach not only a symbolic base but also a very large pool of recruits as long as he could kick out the former owner.
"You do know I''m a known associate of the Whitebeard remnants, right? If you''re going to be involving Teach, I''m not going to be able to help you." I told him. "I''ve got too much to lose by working alongside Blackbeard."
"It''s fine. I can do this part by myself." He answered without a care in the world. In a way, he probably preferred to do this alone anyway, if only to increase his own contribution.
Which still left one rather glaring issue we needed to address.
"The success of this entire operation depends on the element of surprise. Doffy cannot find out that we''re investigating his weakness, he cannot find out that we know about his weakness and he definitely cannot find out we control whatever his weakness is before we are in position." I said, listing things off with my fingers.
"Right you are."
"How are you going to stop him from finding out?"
"Originally, I was going to lie low and fly under the radar¡but then you arrived." Law answered, gesturing in my direction. "Didn''t you mention that Disco was capable of blinding the Joker''s network to your movements?"
"For now, but it''s already taking nearly everything he has to cover my tracks from Doffy''s agents and that time is running out. According to Disco''s estimates, he won''t be able to keep this up for longer than a year and it''s already been a few months since he made that estimate." I pointed out, causing Law to frown. "Afterwards, we''ll have to assume that Doffy is going to be aware of our every move."
"Drats."
Still, because the problem we were facing was that Doffy had his eyes and ears everywhere in the criminal underground, the solution was relatively simplistic if a bit tricky to pull off. After all, if Doffy didn''t have a vast network he could use to keep tabs on us, he couldn''t keep tabs on us. Sadly, as neither of us had the time, the manpower or the skills necessary to root out the Joker''s crime cartel root and stem, nor the ability to even properly damage it, we would need to involve outside help. Which meant dealing with one of the other Crime Lords, who had a vested interest in seeing the Joker knocked down a peg or two.
In essence, we had three choices as to whom we could approach.
The first was the illustrious Prof. Michael Orwell Riarty. A famed mathematician, star lecturer at the Imperial Collegium of Clearwater and a known philanthropist. A genius by all accounts, he had taken the academic world by storm when he published his first papers at the ripe old age of ten, solving a centuries old mathematical puzzle. If one believed the rumors, his intellect rivaled that of the world''s greatest mind, Dr. Vegapunk.
That was about as much as the general public knew about the man, including most of the law enforcement. However, those in the know fearfully whispered his chosen epithet¡the Criminal Consultant. The man was a master of playing the various gangs, pirates and crooks like a fiddle, offering great rewards for cooperation and swift retribution for betrayal. If the man made a suggestion in his role as a consultant, you probably wanted to listen lest a bounty be placed on everything you held dear...with detailed suggestions on how one might go about collecting them.
The second was Gild Tesoro, also known as the Casino King. Not only was he the proprietor of the Gran Tesoro, the largest and most famous entertainment city-ship in the world, but he was also a veritable kingpin in the underworld with extensive dealings with the World Government. Most relevant to my purposes, he was a former enemy turned business partner of Doflamingo, though my canon knowledge told me that he wouldn''t be too displeased if the Warlord were to be defeated. Sadly, going anywhere near his ship at my current level of strength was likely to result in Tesoro turning me into a gold-plated statue before turning me over to Doflamingo. Probably in a bid to lower the man''s guard before betraying him himself, but still it wasn''t a palatable option for me.
The last but not least amongst the illustrious trio, was the Bloody Countess, Elisabeth Bathory. No one knew for sure if the title of nobility was legitimate but few dared to question her claims. Fewer still were those daring enough to mention the rumors of Bathory bathing in the blood of virgins. And no one in living memory had survived catching her in the act. As such these tales were never verified, though they persisted in the form of folktales.
Elisabeth Bathory had first risen to prominence following the death of her husband several decades ago, showcasing an amazing business acumen to greatly increase her family fortune until she was able to literally purchase her home island from her king. Years later, when the king''s heir tried to have her arrested on hundreds of murder charges, the crown prince found himself deposed in short order by popular (aristocratic) demand. In the years that followed, the Bloody Countess had turned the kingdom of her birth into her private domain, though unlike Doflamingo she seemed content to be pulling the strings from the shadows.
And it was with this lady that Disco had managed to arrange a meeting, the Bloody Countess having agreed to grant us an audience if we were to bring her a suitable gift.
"Did she mention what she wanted?"
"She did." I sighed.
"Not going to tell me what it is?" my new ally asked, crossing his arms.
"I will. It''s just a little unexpected, is all." I told Law, before taking a deep breath. "The Bloody Countess desires the Pure Gold."
New Bounties for the Bellamy Pirates?
This morning we are bringing you the following statement by the World Government:
In light of recent revelations and events, the central committee for the protection of the people (CCPP) has seen fit to issue the following bounties to the members of the notorious Bellamy Pirates.
- For the captain, "Springtrap" Bellamy a bounty of 303 million belli is issued for the crime of resisting arrest and the interference of justice.
- For the first mate, Sarquiss "the Hornet" a bounty of 79 million belli is issued for the production, possession and proliferation of chemical weapons of mass destruction.
- For the quartermaster, Lily "Scarlet" a bounty of 55 million belli and a new epithet is issued for the destruction of government property during the riots on the Sabaody Archipelago.
- For the navigator, Edward "Eddy" Low a bounty of 30 million belli is issued for the destruction of government property during the riots on the Sabaody Archipelago.
- For the doctor, "Mercy" Muret a bounty of 40 million belli is issued for the theft and improper usage of government assets.
- For the cooper, Mani "the Assassin" a bounty of 27 million belli is issued for the assassination of "General" Gasparde.
- For the cook, Hewitt "the Hooligan" no new bounty is issued, maintaining the same 35 million belli for the assault of a senior government official.
- For the sailmaker, Ross "the Ruffian" a bounty of 30 million belli is issued for the destruction of government property during the riots on the Sabaody Archipelago.
- For the sniper, Rivers "the Sentinel of the Sky" a bounty of 43 million belli is issued for the distribution of illegal and disruptive items on government property.
- For the sniper, "Fallen Angel" Laki no new bounty is issued, maintaining the same 50 million belli (only alive).
- For the "Thunder Child" Aisa a bounty of 150 million belli (only alive) is issued for the attempted assault on a royal warlord.
- For the traitor, Nero "the Renegade" a bounty of 81 million belli is issue for the sale of government secrets to criminal elements.
They are armed and dangerous and utterly ruthless. Should these bloodthirsty criminals be sighted, the good citizens of the world are advised to seek shelter and notify the closest marine base at the nearest opportunity.
So far the official statement from the CCPP and this reporter dares say that it was a wonderfully accurate and succinct analysis of the crimes and threat levels of these dastardly individuals.
There is no doubt that once they are brought justice the world will be a better place.
Please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
Chapter 71: Heart of Gold I
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
According to the movies, the Pure Gold was a legendary metal with near mythical value, though it wasn''t surprising that an object whose light granted eternal youth would be priceless. As such, it was a greatly desired treasure with many scientists and alchemists having devoted their lives to the near impossible quest of replicating it. Most of the world had called it a fruitless endeavour but nevertheless, fuelled by the desire of the rich and powerful for eternal life, the attempts never ceased.
Until one fateful day two hundred years ago.
The news that a researcher on the Island of Alchemi had succeeded in this age-old quest sent ripples through the world, with people smashing up their labs and burning their experimental logs in frustration and envy. Dozens threw themselves into the sea as their life''s purpose was taken from them or when their funding dried up, their patrons having decided that using the money to procure the existing Pure Gold was a more efficient use of resources than paying someone to try and make more.
Marines, pirates, bounty hunters, treasure hunters, hobby adventurers¡all of them converged upon the suddenly famous island, turning it into a hellscape. Most of the local residents fled their homes while those few who remained were slaughtered. Yet, by the time the first wave of raiders pulled back from the island, the Pure Gold eluded them still with its creator having gone into hiding. Naturally, the second wave was far larger than the first, including enough bodies to cover every inch of the island thrice over. However, when this massive armada arrived, the island was nowhere to be found, only an underwater plateau marking the location where Alchemi had once been.
Thus, the Pure Gold slipped back into obscurity and out of the public eye for two full centuries.
Then the marines began to move once more.
Like the rest of her peers, Elisabeth Bathory had numerous feelers in almost every echelon of society and the marines were no exception. As having the marines actively do their jobs was usually bad for business, the Bloody Countess had immediately mustered her considerable network of informants to find out why the marines had broken the silence they''d maintained since the Summit War. The answer wasn''t long in coming.
A descendant of Alchemi had been found and not just any descendant at that, for the name Myskina Olga implied familial relations to the creator of the Pure Gold himself. Furthermore, if the girl was to be believed, she possessed the knowledge of how one could reach the lost island, when even the eternal poses set for Alchemi had stopped working centuries prior.
Thus, the hunt began anew.
"I get that, and I also get that this is a race against time." Law said, raising a hand in my direction. "What I don''t get is why you''re covering your ship in copper plating. She is already made from the wood of the Treasure Tree and can withstand broadsides by your own admission. Adding a bit of copper isn''t going to help that much."
"Would you believe me if I claimed it was to prevent barnacles?" I asked but received a flat look in return.
"If this were any other time? Maybe, but with the marines closing in on our target as we speak? No." Law told me, tapping his fingers against his crossed arms. "Definitely not. Pull the other one."
"Alright." I sighed, deciding to come clean for once. "The reason for the modifications are to prevent my ship from being dissolved by the stomach acid of a giant fish in the event we ever get swallowed by one."
Law said nothing for a while, though there were probably a lot of things he wanted to say to me if how his face kept contorting in all manner of ways was any indication. In the end, he settled for the following.
"Are you pulling my leg?"
"Nope." I answered, popping the p. In response, Law began massaging his own forehead as if to drive away the incoming migraine. "It''s not that unlikely, if you think about it."
"Oh, really?" he scoffed, leaning back in his seat and covering his eyes with his forearm.
"Just ask Luffy. He sailed his ship into a whale''s gut." I pointed out, which caused Law to groan in resignation but also in understanding. It said a lot, I felt, that someone who barely even knew Luffy, wasn''t surprised to hear about him pulling stunts like this. "By comparison, being involuntarily swallowed seems like a far more reasonable concern."
"Does this have to be done now of all times though?"
"Oh, absolutely. In fact, I''d even go as far as to say that it''s rather late, but better late than never." I grinned, drawing a frustrated growl out of his throat. People, eh? Refused to believe you even when you told them the truth. "Don''t worry about it. Everything is going to be just fine."
My ally didn''t look very reassured by my words, burying his face in his hands and muttering dejectedly.
"I swear, if we miss the marine convoy because of this¡"
We did, in fact, almost miss the marine convoy, but that had less to do with us being late to the party and more to do with the marines being ambushed before they could reach our position. For a moment, all of us had wondered if the intel provided by the Bloody Countess had been inaccurate, but those concerns were laid to rest when we saw the pillars of smoke rising into the sky. Upon following it, we found the burning wreckages of what had once been several battleships, in addition to their listing command vessel which was currently in the process of being boarded.
"Geez, those guys are being slaughtered." Sarquiss commented from beside me, both of us looking at the massacre happening before us. "Is this seriously the best the marines have to offer?"
"No, but it''s what they had available in the short term." I answered him. "According to Bathory, they did send a rear admiral and one of the CP0 along as a protection detail."
"Who the fuck are the CP0?" Lily interjected, coming up to join the conversation. "Are they anything like those shitheads we fought on Tequila Wolf?"
"More or less." I nodded. "Though apparently these guys are even stronger and more secretive."
"Fantastic." My quartermaster muttered under her breath. "Absolutely fantastic. Hey, Nero! Did you know about them?"
"No, I didn''t." Nero called back as he finished tying a couple of knots to stabilize our sails. "Then again, barely anyone was supposed to know about the CP9 either, so it wouldn''t surprise me that the World Government had more cards up its sleeves."
"Guess that''s something for me to look into when I''m a Warlord." Law mused, dropping down from the mast and reaching out to take Sarquiss'' binoculars. My first mate didn''t resist all too much. "Still, the amount of intelligence the Bloody Countess has access to is rather frightening."
"I wouldn''t be surprised if she had dossiers on all of us as well. If Disco knew how Sarquiss'' first date went, I think it''s a fair guess to assume she does too." I replied, before glancing at him. "By the way, please do remind me again. Why are you on my ship?"
"Your ship is faster than my sub." Law shrugged. "Considering how much time we lost because you insisted on being prepared for a very unlikely scenario, it was only logical to use the quickest means at our disposal. Which happens to be your ship."
"Why are you still miffed about that? We found them, didn''t we?"
"Springtrap-ya. I have dedicated my life to seeing Doflamingo put into the dirt six feet under and this operation has the potential to do more damage to him than I''ve done in my entire life." Law said, turning his very intense gaze upon mine. "I would be very upset if we messed this up."
"Uhh¡guys? Don''t you think we should do something about that?" Sarquiss asked, pointing at the battle and interrupting the two of us before we could properly butt heads.
"Probably?" Lily shrugged. "How else are we going to fucking secure our target, dickhead?"
"It''s not like our target is going to come to us if we wait, is it?" Law added, readying his blade as most of my crew assumed combat stations. Much to the confusion of my crew, I just waved at them to stand down, pointing to where Myskina Olga was racing towards us on her prehistoric reptile. Like literally. It was running towards my ship across the ocean on its two webbed feet with the young girl slumped across the saddle.
"Actually, Law-buddy. I think that''s precisely what she just did."
¨C Laki ¨C?
Perhaps it was her inexperience showing, but there was something decidedly off about Olga. Despite looking like she was barely six years old, her playful eyes were unable to hide the world weariness behind them. Well, it was either that or the fact she tried to take her captain hostage as soon as she woke up¡ while wielding only a single kitchen knife. All because Bellamy, a pirate whose head was worth hundreds of millions of belli, looked quote stupid unquote. She failed as a matter of course, but as her captain was notorious the world over, the fact Olga didn''t recognize him just added to the oddness.
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Then again, she was now throwing a small temper tantrum and hollering at them to feed her meat all while dangling upside down from Bellamy''s grip, so maybe Olga wasn''t as mature as Laki''s first impressions had led her to believe?
In the end, the Crew took pity on her and Hewitt prepared some food, which the young girl scarfed down without abandon before declaring it to have been the best meal she''d had in like forever. From there, they managed to tickle out further information, including that she had been living on her own for years by gathering her own food or that she''d been born on Alchemi. Normally, Laki would have been disinclined to believe such claims, as foraging without guidance wasn''t a feat easily achieved by children, even those from her own tribe. However, the way Olga described the process was all too real for her to not have experienced it herself, even if the timeframe seemed unrealistic at best.
Perhaps unsurprisingly though, when it came to how one would actually reach her home island, the girl''s lips clamped shut tighter than a clamshell, only replying that she didn''t like pushy guys. Laki could sympathize with Olga not wanting to give up her island''s treasure so easily, but the Bellamy Pirates arguably needed the Pure Gold more than Olga did. And no matter how hypocritical it may have been of her, when it came down to it, Laki would always put her friends and family first.
"I''d say it has something to do with her ring." Nero guessed, after having remained a silent observer the entire time. And with the way Olga startled before trying to hide her hands behind her back, it didn''t take a secret agent to know that the rokushiki instructor had hit the nail right on the head. Soon enough, in the face of Nero''s knowing smirk, the only thing the girl could do was sigh in resignation and glare.
"How did you know?"
"I didn''t, but you just told me." Nero replied, looking very pleased with himself.
"Oh." the girl realised, bringing her tiny fist down into her palm in an "Aha!" moment.
"Yep."
Laki wasn''t so certain that outsmarting a six-year-old was an achievement worth being so smug about, but to each his own she supposed. Though, considering Nero''s background, one couldn''t be certain it wasn''t all an act. Intentionally revealing a weakness or a flaw to lead a desperate someone into a verbal trap would be par for the course as far as a secret agent was concerned. Plus, with that little exchange, Nero had effectively taken away her biggest bargaining chip and brought the initiative completely over to their side. An edge Bellamy didn''t hesitate to take full advantage of.
"Look Olga, I''ll cut you a deal." He began, drawing the girl''s attention back to himself and offering her a compromise. "I''m not certain what sort of obstacles you''ll need to overcome in order to find the Pure Gold, but I know you''ll need help."
"Yeah? What makes you so sure?" Olga asked defiantly.
"You don''t have the Pure Gold for one, despite having been on Alchemi." Law stated in her captain''s stead, as if that explained everything. When it became obvious that it didn''t, Law sighed and elaborated. "Look Olga-ya, if it were possible, you''d have already recovered the Pure Gold, sold it and be living a life of luxury somewhere. But as you''re not, I think we can safely conclude that you couldn''t for one reason or another. Plus, the World Government clearly wanted you to lead them to its hiding spot. I think that''s enough, don''t you think?"
"I guess you guys are not as stupid as you look." Olga said, before placing both her hands on her waist. "But what will you do if I refuse to tell you how to find Alchemi in the first place?"
"We can always just take the ring off you." As Eddy told her this, Olga''s reaction wasn''t to panic. Rather, Laki would describe it as a lightbulb turning on behind her eyes. "I''m sure we can figure something out, but because I don''t want to rob a child, we''re offering to work with you."
"Very well. I''ll help you reach Alchemi, but in exchange we split it fifty: fifty." Olga offered, perkily holding out a hand for Bellamy to shake, which he did with no hesitation.
"Deal. And after you''ve used us to get the Pure Gold, you can always betray us for the rest later." Bellamy smiled just as Olga began speaking very audibly to herself.
"And after I''ve used them to get the Pure Gold, I can always betray them for the rest¡hey!!" Of course, when the captain''s words registered, it drew out a rather indignant hey from the diminutive girl, much to the amusement of the Crew.
Things went quite quickly after that with Olga activating her ring without much pomp or fanfare. This was, of course, contrasted quite sharply by the reactions of most of the crew to its effect. Laki herself had let out a rather embarrassing shriek when a giant fish had broken through the surface of the water to try and eat them... despite their abundant experience in cooking and eating various sea kings.
"EDDY, GET US THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!!" Sarquiss screamed at their navigator, who was already turning the wheel like a madman to bring the Black Pearl about. Meanwhile, Ross and Hewitt were dashing below deck to activate their jet dial propulsion systems at the same time that Mani and Lily were furling their sails to reduce air resistance, aided by an entire crew''s worth of extra hands on deck provided by Robin.
Others were more collected.
"That''s a big fish." Aisa breathed out, staring at the ship-sized teeth in fascination.
"And no doubt with a big stomach to match." Robin mused, "I wonder if there''ll be anything left of us after we''re digested."
"Eeep!"
"Robin, do please refrain from scaring my crew."
"Miss Robin, I''m beginning to see why you were on the same crew as Ace''s little brother." Izou commented dryly, idly polishing one of his many pistols. "Are the rest of you as unique as you two are?"
"Fufufufu." the archaeologist chuckled, "Why, I''m not sure what you could possibly be talking about, Izou-san."
"Of course, you don''t, Miss Robin. Of course, you don''t."
That these individuals happened to be amongst the strongest members on the Crew was surely just a coincidence. Either way, their attempts to get their ship, and hence themselves, to safety were halted by Olga hollering at them not to.
"Wait, if you guys truly want the Pure Gold, you will have to sail into the fish." Olga claimed, grinning (maniacally) at them from the prow of the ship.
"I''m not sure I want to know, but what do you mean by that?" Sarquiss asked Olga, his eyes doing their best to imitate a dead fish.
"Simple, Bonbori-sama swallowed Alchemi two hundred years ago."
"Why am I not surprised?" Sarquiss groaned, throwing his arms into the air. "Alright, I can see the writing on the wall. You heard the little lady, Eddy. Take us in!"
"I hope you know what you''re doing¡" Eddy called back, setting them all on course into the giant maw once Bellamy signalled his agreement with a thumb''s up. To be honest, Laki had no idea where her captain got his confidence from to dive headfirst into the unknown like this. Amongst her people, you called such individuals reckless fools, idiots without the most basic knowledge of the huntsman''s craft. Down here, it seemed to be a virtue.
"You know, out of everyone on this ship, I was certain you were the sane one." Nero commented to their first mate. "I''m not so sure anymore."
"Eh, to be honest, I think I went crazy a long time ago." Sarquiss sighed, before a slow grin began spreading across his face. "It just took me until now to acknowledge it. Plus, with a captain like mine, it was inevitable anyway."
"Because he is a madman?"
"Because he is a great man."
Author''s note:
So we get started with the events of Heart of Gold. Some things will stay the same, others will not and some new (and relevant) bits will be added.
I somewhat question whether Bellamy is ready for Mad Treasure, but we''ll see when we get there.
Chapter 72: Heart of Gold II
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
So, why was this brief summary of movie canon relevant? Well, because things played out quite differently for us in the initial stages.
For one, Mad Treasure didn''t attack us. To be precise, we had seen neither hide nor hair of the famous treasure hunter, though we knew he was shadowing us on his camouflaged ship. Considering that this was a man who had challenged a post-dressrosa Luffy without hesitation, I hardly believed that the presence of a mere three supernovas would have deterred him at all. Though, as Luffy''s victory over Doflamingo wouldn''t have been that well known in the immediate weeks following the events, it could have been that the treasure hunter simply hadn''t been aware of the latest news. However, the most logical explanation for his reticence to attack us would have to be Izou''s presence on our ship. The former Whitebeard commander was an absolute beast and everybody knew it. Hence, it wouldn''t have surprised me if Mad Treasure had decided to wait for a better opportunity to jump us.
Second, because I knew a steep drop was coming, I had prepared the Black Pearl accordingly by outfitting her with several parachutes to soften the fall. Not long after we went over the edge, I could feel the shouts of panic coming from Mad Treasure invisible ship, who notably did not have similar equipment. Extremely effective as it was against most members of society, Psycho P''s ability wasn''t capable of fooling the senses of individuals who were adept in the use of Observation. And as fate would have it, I had not one, not two but six people on board who had unlocked that particular form of willpower. Meaning, they simply hadn''t ever stood a snowball''s chance in hell of hiding from our metaphorical sight.
"You''re quite the character, Springtrap-ya." Law idly commented, as we gently floated towards the large splash below. "Not many would allow one of their competitors to follow them unmolested, because they wanted a challenge."
"I don''t recall saying anything of the sort. I simply took advantage of the existence of my brain to pick and choose my battles."
"Uhuh. And that involved not firing a broadside into an unsuspecting ship?"
"Maybe I would have¡if I had any guns on board that could breach the metal plating!" I protested. Sadly, despite being a well-equipped lady, the Black Pearl''s strength lay not in her ability to deliver balls of lead. While sufficient to ward off the majority of our piratical peers, the few cannons we had on board didn''t have the caliber needed to punch through inches of steel and while my snipers might have rifles which rivalled field artillery, I had doubts they could sink an ironclad warship in a single shot.
"Ever thought of having the Thunder Child take advantage of that metal plating to do her thing and electrocute everyone on board?" Law asked in his characteristic drawling voice.
"Ever heard of Faraday''s cage, smartass?" I shot back, only to receive an unknowing look in return.
"Who''s Faraday?"
"¡"
Looking back, I wasn''t quite sure how I''d managed to talk my way out of that one. Admittedly, it had been na?ve of me to assume, that just because similar literary writers existed in this world, the same would hold true for the scientific community. Thankfully, Law didn''t resist too much when I eventually tried to return the conversation to the matter at hand.
"You could have boarded them, Springtrap-ya."
"In the short amount of time we had before we went sailing over the edge? You can''t be serious." I scoffed. "Just because I want to fight the man, doesn''t mean I''m assuming that taking down a New World Veteran like Mad Treasure is going to be easy. If anything, I want him to push us to our limits."
"And that''s not the same as seeking a challenge, because¡?" Law raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, letting the question hang in the air.
"Because I''m not doing this just for the heck of it, smartass. How else are we going to practice fighting against stronger opponents together?" I replied, arguing my point. "It''s purely for practical purposes."
"You do know you''re not being very convincing with that hungry grin plastered across your face, Springtrap-ya." Law chuckled. "Purely practical purposes, my ass."
"¡you know what? Fine, I admit to being the tiniest bit excited about the prospect." I let out, throwing my hands up in surrender. "Not that you''re any different. You''re absolutely itching for a fight."
"I never claimed otherwise, Springtrap-ya. I never claimed otherwise."
Considering my otherworldly knowledge, Olga''s experience and our original mission parameters, it would have been logical to sail straight for the lost island of Alchemi and recover the Pure Gold as fast as possible. To the surprise of probably no one at all, that was precisely the one thing we did not do.
Rather, we took the scenic route, sailing around the corrosive sea before making landfall at the first island we came across. This was mostly at Robin''s behest, who had insisted that we not miss the historical opportunity presented to us on a silver platter. When asked what sort of opportunities she was talking about, she had bewitched my crew with stories of lost artefacts and archaic knowledge. To be fair, she wasn''t completely wrong that ruins could bear the secrets to great power, such as the Poneglyphs scattered throughout the world, which described the locations or the working mechanisms of the Ancient Weapons. Who was to say that the islands swallowed by Bonbori over the span of several centuries weren''t hiding treasures of the same magnitude?
Unlike my easily excitable crewmates however, I personally believed that Robin had other ulterior motives for wanting to explore the lost islands. At the end of the day for an archaeologist like her, the chance to examine over two hundred years of previously unknown history would have been an irresistible temptation.
As it happened, I did want to find Olga''s father before heading to Alchemi, so I gladly agreed to Robin''s idea. That I had no clue which of the many islands in the footballfish'' stomach the scientist was stranded on also played a part in convincing me that we needed a closer look. Plus, as long as we held all the clues as to Alchemi''s location, the chances of Mad Treasure reaching the island before us were, for all intents and purposes, nonexistent which meant we could afford to take our sweet time with impunity. That we were eroding his patience with every fruitless hour he spent shadowing us was just the cherry on top.
And make no mistake, he was shadowing us from a distance in the hopes that we would lead him to the Pure Gold. While he could opt to attack us in order to abscond with Olga, Mad Treasure was an experienced treasure hunter, who no doubt knew that this was a risk he need not take at the current stage of the game. After all, letting others do the work before swooping in at the last second to steal the rewards, was one of the oldest tricks in the book for a reason.
A potential concern might have been that they would attempt to sabotage the Black Pearl, but Izou had voluntarily stayed behind to keep an eye on things to ward off this very scenario, along with the less combat-oriented members of my crew. Thus unburdened, we made landfall and headed deeper into the forest, although the lack of dinosaurs quickly made it obvious that I was on the wrong island. Rather than packs of oversized lizards, we found the abandoned ruins of civilization instead. Ruins, which the surroundings woods had been in the process of slowly reclaiming over the course of several centuries. Thousands of empty residences in various states of disrepair, once home to an entire city now housed the slowly growing roots of verdant giants. Yet¡when observing the surprisingly clean city, I couldn''t help but wonder¡
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
"Where are the bodies?" Sarquiss asked, peering through a rotting doorway. "There are still some traces of ash left in the fireplace, so someone obviously lived here."
"Judging by the complete and utter lack of any household utensils, I''d say the former residents all left." Nero remarked. "Peacefully too. This place looks too orderly for it to have been otherwise."
"No kidding. Who in their fucking right mind is going to stay here after their home got eaten by a bloody fish? Which reminds me¡" Lily groused before turning towards Olga. "Oi pipsqueak, how do we get out?"
"Wait, why are we only asking this now? That should have been like the second thing on the list!" Ross'' exclamation started a chain reaction as the realization spread throughout the Crew, that we had literally dived into a giant stomach without setting up an exit strategy.
"Well, I guess we should leave the same way Olga did¡how did she leave anyway?" Hewitt wondered aloud, though Olga didn''t provide him with an answer. Obviously, the little, smirking gremlin was enjoying my crew''s discomfort and was planning to milk this opportunity to the fullest for the sake of her own twisted amusement.
"I''m really hoping that it wasn''t the physiological way. I don''t want to know what bonbori''s rear end looks like from the inside."
"You won''t have to worry about that, Ross-san." Robin said comfortingly.
"I won''t?" Ross asked, taken in by her gentle and kind smile.
"No, you won''t. We''ll probably be digested long before we reach that stage."
"Gaah!"
By this point, I had to seriously wonder whether Robin really believed what she was saying, or if she just enjoyed messing with people. Eventhough I wasn''t quite sure which of the two I preferred. Either way, Olga and I did manage to calm Ross down by assuring him that no, we wouldn''t have to go through the rear end while risking digestion and that yes, we had a safe way of getting out of here. Well, safer.
And thus, our merry band of pirates continued on our little tourist adventure, making our way through the meandering streets and alleyways. Like the first house we''d visited, none of the other buildings revealed anything of note beyond the barest signs that intelligent life had once dwelt within its walls. Suspiciously little in fact.
"By the way, has anyone else noticed that we keep getting turned around?" Eddy asked after we stepped onto the umpteenth boulevard leading out of the town. "It''s like the town itself is trying to tell us to go away."
"Now that you mention it, it is odd. None of the streets we''ve come across beyond a certain point seem to lead into the city centre." Nero concurred. "From the looks of it, this place is probably shaped like a bloody bagel."
"Or a donut."
"Yes, Aisa¡it could also be a donut." Nero sighed, before ruffling her hair a little too much. "My point being, that a ring is a clearly deliberate design for a city and if there is a design, there is a purpose behind it."
"And if the purpose is to keep us, or at least other unwary visitors, away from the donut''s middle¡" Sarquiss voice trailed off, as we all turned around to face the row of houses blocking our way.
"Then that''s where we want to go." I finished.
Obviously, something as simple as a series of three-story buildings wasn''t going to inconvenience the Bellamy Pirates, not after months of training the rokushiki. Though after literally leaping over the first hurdle, we were immediately faced with another in the form of a giant maze.
"Is anyone going to suggest, that we navigate our way through it the normal way?" I asked my companions, who all shook their heads.
"You know captain¡after what we''ve been through, I don''t think we''d recognize normal if someone whacked us in the face with it." Sarquiss answered me in a jovial tone, prompting a round of laughter from everybody including myself.
"I''ll take that as a no, then." I smirked before leaping down from the rooftops and racing across the hedges composing the maze, my companions following close behind. Despite weeds having taken up residence all over the place, I was surprised to note that the maze was in surprisingly good shape, especially for a place which hadn''t received any maintenance in centuries.
Which made it all the more confusing when we reached the middle to find¡nothing.
"Uh, think we missed something?"
"Not sure. I certainly haven''t seen anything." Laki replied, peering into the hedges.
"We didn''t. There''s nothing else in the maze." Robin declared with absolute confidence, uncrossing her arms and opening her eyes once more. Nero seemed a bit more skeptical.
"How''d you figure? We haven''t checked the whole maze yet."
"Actually, Weasel-san. I just did." She told the gaping man, one palm held up to display a projected eye. To his credit, Nero didn''t flinch. "We''re exactly where we want to be."
"Really?" I asked to which Robin smiled and daintily took a step forward.
"Really."
With a click a square section of grass beneath her shoe sank an inch into the ground, setting off the rumbling sound of whirring gears all across the central circle. Understandably, my crew let out sounds of surprise as the tremors produced by an underground mechanical contraption were clearly transmitted through even our thick boots.
"Look! The ground is standing up!" Aisa called out excitedly as an obsidian rock began rising out of the ground, dirt and dust falling off it in droves to reveal a legacy of more chaotic times.
"It''s just like with the Golden Bell¡" Laki gasped out, kneeling down behind her ward and wrapping her arms around Aisa.
"Well, would you look at that." Law grinned.
By the time silence fell once more on the maze, there was no mistaking what we had stumbled upon.
"We found a Poneglyph."
Construction Boom?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
According to the newest reports, the current job market is booming with the demand for unskilled construction labor being especially high. This may not come as too much of a surprise to you, if only one thinks back to the recent wave of anarchists trying to wreak havoc on our peaceful and orderly lives. And nobody can deny that Whitebeard''s cowardly ambush hasn''t left its scars on our beloved beacon of hope and safety, Marineford.
But like scars, everything can heal and be restored back to a semblance of normalcy. Already, word has reached us that the Marine HQ has been restored to its former glory, even if there are rumors slowly circulating that the new Fleet Admiral Akainu is considering moving the Marine''s seat of power to the New World in order to bring the Four (Three) Emperor''s to heel.
However, the recent boom in the construction sector wasn''t purely due to the repair work being done all around the world. No, the World Government and her patrons were not satisfied with merely undoing the damage others have attempted to inflict upon us, but have sought to create something new.
This is a tradition dating back six hundred years, with the proudest example being Tequila Wolf. It is a project brought into the world and completely funded by our benevolent World Nobles, meant to enrich the lives of every citizen on the planet. By constructing a network of bridges of gigantic proportions between the many individual island kingdoms comprising our great society, the World Nobles sought to facilitate the easy transport of goods and people across the oceans without the need to brave the dangers of the ocean. Piracy on the high seas would have been eliminated in its entirety.
And now, you too have a chance to contribute. The spokesperson of the project has recently announced that they are looking to recruit thousands of new workers to speed up the progress being made on the bridge.
Housing has already been prepared for thousands if not tens of thousands of individuals, guaranteed to keep you warm even in the coldest winter months. There are no predators lurking in the shadows, waiting to make off with your child. Security will be provided by the elite guards, handpicked by the World Nobles themselves. Plentiful food and drinks provided free of charge for all workers for your one daily meal. And to top it all off, the World Nobles guarantee your employment for the full length of the project.
It''s the job of a lifetime.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
And as always, please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
Chapter 73: Heart of Gold III
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
In the world of One Piece there were many mysteries, with some being much more easily solved than others. However, out of all of them the truth surrounding the events of the Void Century were some of the most nebulous. So much so in fact, that at the time of my reincarnation the information which had been revealed to the public had been extremely limited, with Oda only dropping the occasional hint as to what might have transpired during the most defining hundred years of the world he had created. Last I checked, Dr. Vegapunk had been hinted at to know something, but unfortunately I never got to find out what that something was.
As such, when it came to this particular issue, I was able to familiarize myself with the rather unsettling experience of being just as blind as the next guy. For someone like me who had become accustomed to coasting by on my foresight, being forced to stumble my way from clue to clue ¨C if I ever wanted to pierce the veil of ignorance the World Government had spent centuries to erect ¨C was a decidedly slow and arduous process. So, color me surprised, when by some quirk of fate we stumbled across one of the thirty keys holding that information.
A Poneglyph.
For the confused out there, the Poneglyphs were massive, mysterious, cubic steles with historical knowledge inscribed upon them in an ancient script, the name of which was lost to time in the same way the knowledge of how to read them had been. Carved out of some unidentified and ostensibly indestructible type of stone, the messages created with the aid of Wano''s ancient master stonemasons had been scattered amongst the many islands of the world. Now, how on earth they managed to chisel words into the surface, when a Poneglyph was supposedly impervious to damage was another mystery. But somehow, by some today unknown means they had succeeded.
"My word¡"
"That''s a big rock."
"Way to state the obvious, shithead!"
Regardless of my own casual curiosity, this was a great find for any lover of history, and I had just such a person on board. From the moment she had caught sight of the dark blue sheen, Robin had gone very still. If a normal person had been stuffed into her shoes, they would have displayed dilated pupils and erratic breathing patterns. Robin, on the other hand, had been very limited when it came to the outward signs, though there was no hiding her excitement from my haki.
"Go on." I told her, gently placing a hand on the small of her back and applying the slightest bit of forward pressure. "You''re the one who found it. It''s only proper that you get the first crack at it."
I knew how much value my girlfriend placed on these things, having made uncovering the mysteries of the Void Century one of her life''s goals. It had been the mission in whose pursuit her mother and her entire home had given up their lives and it had been one of the supporting lights the newly orphaned child had clung on to, as she was forced to survive in a hostile world¡alone. Even two decades after the events which had turned her life upside down, that desire had not faded and had bloomed into a dream instead. The only thing holding her back was the fact that Robin was currently a guest of a foreign crew rather than being with her own, and social conventions as well as personal diplomacy mandated a more careful approach than she''d use otherwise. Giving her the assurances she needed was a simple decision to make if I wanted to make her feel at home.
"Thank you, Bellamy." Robin murmured, giving me a slight nod which I answered with a wry grin.
"Well, it''s not like any of us can read the ruddy thing, is it?"
Robin met my attempt at levity with a small smile, holding within it a myriad of different emotions, though most prevalent amongst them gratitude and trepidation. Almost hesitantly, she took the few steps she needed until she could reach out and stroke the cool surface of the stone, slowly running her fingertips along carved grooves and fissures. All while the rest of us watched on with bated breath, witnesses to this surprisingly intimate moment.
"This is one of the Rio Poneglyphs." Robin declared once she was done, turning around to share her conclusion. "One of the nine said to record a piece of the True History."
It was a grand statement with great ramifications. Yet, when compared to the weight these words carried, the significance was not widely known. As such, it should probably be unsurprising that the majority of my crew merely cocked their heads in confusion. Yet, there were a few individuals amongst them, who through one means or another had caught glimpses of the truth, and their responses were¡ not very measured to say the least.
"WHAT THE FUCK??" Lily screamed; her voice having gone drastically shrill. I wasn''t even surprised to find out she knew about the Rio Poneglyphs, as the upper echelons of society had a tendency of knowing things they probably should not. They just didn''t act on the knowledge most of the time, if they deemed the accompanying risk unacceptable. "Like, what in the fucking world is that effing thing doing in a bloody place like this?"
"Decades¡centuries of the World Government spending money and lives like water to find these, and we just stumble across one without even trying¡I have no words." Nero faintly whispered out in disbelief. "I simply have no words¡"
However, unlike my two crew mates who were cartoonish in their reactions to finding the damn thing, Trafalgar Law had focused on something else. Perhaps, that shouldn''t have been so surprising, seeing as my fellow captain was a broken man whose focus was primarily on wreaking bloody vengeance upon Doflamingo. Additionally, having survived some rather traumatic experiences in his childhood, the good doctor was about as unflappable as they came concerning most things.
"What does it say, Robin-ya?"
"The first half is a short record of the final years of a war against some Great Kingdom, though the name itself isn''t mentioned here. Unlike most chronicles though, the details on the battles are sparse and a lot of this is devoted to listing the names of the twenty kings who formed the coalition." Robin answered. "The latter bits are far more interesting, in my opinion."
"How come?" I asked, walking up to stand beside her.
"It''s written in a different style from the rest and resembles an amateurish attempt at poetry more than a historical chronicle."
"Poetry?"
"It''s not really a poem to be honest. There''s no real metric, the rhymes could be significantly better and it doesn''t really follow any standard form I know of. But the language is certainly flowery enough." Robin continued.
"Tyrant of Four, Master of Two, Ruler of One.
White were the skulls that covered the sun.
Despair she left, in darkness she thrived,
The world of hope, she happily deprived.
Against this we only had a fragile light,
Which held our crumbling will upright.
And we crushed it in our greed."
¨C Lily ¨C?
Apart from the Poneglyph, further searching failed to turn up anything of interest and the Crew had subsequently decided to move on. As the sailing conditions inside Bonbori''s gut were calm with nary a breeze, it also meant that less work needed to be done to keep the Pearl afloat. Hence, the Crew found themselves with a surprising amount of free time on their hands. Since staring at the mucosal layering of the stomach walls became rather dull after a while, most of them had decided to alleviate their boredom by breaking up into little groups and trying to decode the message left by the ancients. After all, if they ignored the actual quality, or lack thereof, the poem was just cryptic enough to hold the Crew''s interest without driving them bonkers on the journey to the next island.
"The first line is rather obvious, innit?" Lily asked her fellow puzzle solvers. "It''s got to be the four Blues, the two halves of the Grand Line and the bloody Red Line. What else do we know that comes in a grouping of four, two and one?"
"So, it''s just a very pretentious way of describing the whole world?" Eddy asked, jotting down a few notes.
"Essentially. It fits quite well too, especially if one considers that this line likely refers to the ruler of the Great Kingdom." Muret added. "Whoever she was, she certainly sounds like a nasty piece of work."
"She reminds me of Enel but worse." Laki muttered from the side. "I didn''t think that was possible before."
"The World Government, the Celestial Dragons, just about every royal asshole in the world¡" Lily replied, ticking off her fingers one by one. "One would think you''d have learned by now."
"As I was saying, before I came down here."
"Uhuh, of course you were." Lily snarked, but further escalation was stalled when Eddy diverted the course of the conversation.
"I''m more curious as to who or what the hope is, that they are referring to. Maybe the leader of the resistance movement?"
"It would make sense. Sounds like they betrayed him though for whatever reason." Muret mused. "Does that strike anyone as odd though?"
"What''s odd about it? Obviously, the resistance won or else we wouldn''t have the World Government. As everyone knows, it was fucking royalty who led the resistance and reformed the world in their image and royalty isn''t known for being charitable." Lily scoffed. "That they''d get rid of a symbolic figurehead after his usefulness had run out is typical for the bloody bastards as far as I''m concerned."
"¡I''ve noticed this before, but for being part of the upper class you really don''t like them all that much, do you?"
From the way his eyes widened in alarm once the words he''d so casually spoken exited his lips, Eddy knew precisely what he''d just done by pushing one of the many buttons Lily had. Still, if it were under other circumstances, Lily wouldn''t have been on such a hair trigger. Unfortunately, the subconscious stress compounded with her already bad mood from being faced with evidence of royal greed and avarice, created a prime environment for Lily''s sin of wrath to flare up.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
"Geez Eddy, whatever gave you that idea?" Lily asked, her voice absolutely dripping with sarcasm. "It''s not like royalty convinced my asshole of a father to sell my hand to the breathing corpse that was the fucking king''s favorite grand uncle in exchange for vague promises of royal favor¡"
"Lily¡"
"¡nor is it like my oh so precious cousins tried to convince my father not to go through with it. Actually, wait. That''s precisely the opposite of what happened. If anything, they all cheered and tried to throw a party! And why wouldn''t they? From their point of view, it was a brilliant idea!" Lily''s voice had been steadily getting frostier the longer her rant went on and if it had been at all physically possible, the room would have likely become a prime penguin habitat. "Get rid of the heiress to the title and the estate, while getting some use out of damaged goods at the same time! After all, Lady Lilian''s virtue and marriageability were questionable at best after cavorting with gutter rats and other riffraff, weren''t they? Voluntarily entering into a political marriage for the good of the family was the least she could do in recompense."
To be fair to Eddy, it wasn''t like he''d said anything truly deserving of the ire Lily was leveling at him. If anything, Lily was the one being very unfair to him and her friends, while not even having a good excuse for blowing up like this. The only thing she could offer in her own defense would have to be a lifetime of bad experiences and a cupboard of horrible memories, but who amongst the crew did not have something similar stowed away? That she''d always had a problem keeping her temper under control certainly wasn''t sufficient justification either. Perhaps, if Sarquiss or even Bellamy had been around, the situation could have gotten resolved quickly with barely any fuss. Sadly, neither was in the immediate vicinity and as such, once triggered, Lily''s anger was running off the rails like a train without a driver.
"This is getting rather heated rather quickly. Why don''t we all just calm down with a nice cup of tea?"
Which unfortunately meant, that rather than calming the quartermaster down, Muret''s attempt at mediation had an effect more akin to pouring a gallon of oil on the proverbial forest fire.
"Oh, fuck you, Muret! And your stupid tea too!" Lily snapped, abruptly standing up and marching for the door. The last thing Lily saw before she slammed the door shut behind her, were the stunned faces of her friends.
"As much as I enjoy having you in my bed, I''d really prefer it if you weren''t bawling your eyes out on my sheets." Sarquiss dryly told her after listening to Lily''s recounting of events. "To quote what you said to me when I got my SMILE, you''re getting snot everywhere."
"Hey, at least I listened to you and offered you my shoulder to cry on, dickhead!"
"So did I if you recall. I never said anything about my sheets." Her boyfriend pointed out. Perhaps, if it were any other day, Lily would have been angrier or annoyed at him for daring to joke at a time like this. However, having drained her emotional reserves by venting into his bedsheets, she couldn''t muster up anything intense enough to really care.
"You''re an insensitive ass." Lily groused, tossing the wet object in question in Sarquiss'' vague direction. He dodged it. Coward.
"Actually, I''m not. I could be sensitive and caring and all that, but we both know that it isn''t what you need right now."
"Yeah? If you know so much, then tell me. What do I need?"
"Someone to tell you when you''re being stupid, obviously. And you''re being very stupid, darling."
"Ah nuu. Hut uub."
"You really need to stop burying your face into things if you want people to understand you." Sarquiss replied, leaning forward on his stool. "I can fight a marine squadron for you, darling, but I can''t read your mind."
"I know. Shut up."
"You could just apologize. That''s always an option." Obviously, pulling the blanket over her head and turning herself into a human cocoon was a perfectly reasonable response to his ridiculous suggestion. And fuck anyone who claimed otherwise. "Hiding in my room and hoping everyone will forget about this isn''t going to work."
"I can''t! It''s too embarrassing!" Lily wailed, her face turning as scarlet as her epithet.
"They''re all friends, aren''t they? Plus, they know you have anger issues. I''m sure they''ll forgive you, especially if you tell them why you got so angry."
"That just makes it worse."
"Lily, I love you, but if you start talking about how you don''t deserve forgiveness or that they are too good for you, I swear I''m dragging you over to them right now."
"¡"
"Why were you so angry anyway? I know your past is a sore point for you, but it''s not like you haven''t talked about it before. Heck, you told me about it on our third date and that evening ended wonderfully." The first mate said, looking slightly wistful at the memory.
"I don''t really know. Usually, it all seems like the past is dead and buried, but today it clambered out of the grave I guess." Lily murmured, sitting up and resting her chin on her knees. "Might have been the reminder of how greedy nobles can be and how that can ruin so many lives."
"Didn''t know you had such a bleeding heart, darling, nor that you wanted to be a philanthropist. If you''re not careful people might no longer think you a penny pincher."
"Hardy har har."
Unfortunately for Lily, her attempt to sidestep the issue using sarcastic laughter was stifled near immediately when Sarquiss, figuratively, went for the kill.
"Is it the Pure Gold?"
"¡" For a moment, Lily was taken aback when her boyfriend''s question hit closer to the mark than even she herself had been aware of. But the more she thought about it the more sense it made, until she found herself nodding in agreement. "Yeah. Growing up where I did, I''ve seen greed rip families apart way too often. People who I thought above it all, married couples who''d been in a loving relationship for decades, parents and their children¡and I''m never going to be able to forget the look in my father''s eyes when he came back from a meeting with the royal messenger."
"Go on."
"The Pure Gold is a treasure that''s said to be able to buy half the world. Who wouldn''t be tempted by that?"
"Bellamy for one. Not sure I would be either." At that, Lily leveled a disbelieving stare at her boyfriend, but he met her gaze evenly without flinching. "Darling. If I were to choose the Pure Gold, I know it would hurt you. Between you and a piece of metal, it''s not really a competition."
"¡"
"Darling, you''ve got to talk to me. You still haven''t explained what about the things Eddy said set you off."
"¡he reminded me that I was a noble." Lily confessed after a lengthy pause. "That despite everything, despite having shed the clothes and the manners and the pomp¡that I was still a noble."
"So?"
"You don''t understand just how far nobility will go in pursuit of their greed nor what sort of atrocities they will commit while pretending to be different. Heck, even the great founders of the World Government, who renounced their right to become the sole ruler of the world¡ apparently, they weren''t immune either. It''s always there, just bubbling beneath their skin and I have that same blood running through my veins." Lily continued, burying her face into her knees and hugging her legs tighter to herself. "I''m scared, Sarquiss. Scared of what that greed will do to me. Of what it may turn me into or what it may make me do."
Having said her piece Lily closed her eyes, afraid of looking into Sarquiss'' eyes lest she find disappointment there. After all, she''d just revealed one of her biggest fears and hence, felt more vulnerable than she''d had in a long, long time. Thus, when Sarquiss flicked her on the forehead, it came out of nowhere.
"Darling, you are one of the most intelligent and bravest people I know, but you''re being incredibly idiotic right now." Sarquiss told her. "Greed isn''t limited to a certain strata in the social hierarchy. Ross can probably tell you more about it, but the poor do pretty disgusting things in exchange for a few coins too. If anything, they''d be even more tempted by the Pure Gold than your father could ever be. And you know this, as well. You''re too smart not to."
"¡"
"Your blood has nothing to do with this. Your heritage doesn''t define your life. If it did, you wouldn''t be here with me." The bed creaked as its owner moved over to sit beside her, wrapping one arm comfortingly around her shoulders in a sideways hug. "Plus, it''s not like a little greed is a bad thing. Everybody has it to some extent and our capitalistic society wouldn''t function without it."
"¡"
"And, if you''re worried about being too greedy¡just decide not to be."
"Decide¡not to be?"
"Pretty simple, right? It''s what I do and if I can do it, so can you." Sarquiss shrugged. "It''s not like you don''t have the willpower for it. After all, you unlocked haki before I did. That''s proof if you need it."
"It''s not that simple."
"Who says it has to be complicated?" Sarquiss countered. "Darling. Don''t worry about something that you don''t even know will come true and focus on the present. If it helps, think about how heartbroken I''d be if you decided to leave me for a metal hunk. I''d be very sad. And probably cry into your bedsheets. A lot."
Contrary to his words, Sarquiss didn''t look too worried about the prospect, grinning earnestly instead. So, earnestly in fact, that it made Lily giggle. Just a little at first but soon she was letting out peals of relieved laughter and hanging on to the first mate for support, who patiently bore the burden of supporting her weight.
"Feeling better now?" Sarquiss asked, once Lily had managed to collect herself again.
"Yeah. Thanks, dickhead."
"Anytime, darling."
The two of them sat together for a while in comfortable companionship, enjoying the warmth and presence of the other. Or at least, Lily did until Sarquiss broke the silence.
"Darling? You still need to apologize to Eddy and the others."
"¡do I have to?"
"Yep."
"¡fuck."
Chapter 74: Heart of Gold IV
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
It took a while, but in the end, we did find the island I was looking for and all it took was going over half a dozen others with a fine comb. Sadly, we failed to find anything else worth writing home about, because any signs of civilization we found had long since been abandoned and the former residents had barely left any loot for us to find. The orderly manner in which the homes had been picked clean also gave credence to the hypothesis that the locals hadn''t been particularly surprised by their change in circumstances, or at least had had the time they needed to come to terms with it.
In fact, Robin even postulated that the residents of the Poneglyph Island, for lack of a better name, had somehow triggered the devouring of their home themselves before the remaining few escaped out into the open sea. Their motivation for such a risky and seemingly harebrained scheme?
"To protect the Rio Poneglyph, of course." Robin said. "It is¡was a well-known fact amongst the archaeological community that the original creators wished for the Poneglyphs, and hence their message, to be passed down through the generations. In order to achieve this, they entrusted people and organizations with their safekeeping, many of whom still carry on that duty to this very day."
"My tribe is one such example." Laki offered. "It''s partly why our ancestors fought so desperately to protect Shandia and why we never gave up trying to reclaim our home in the centuries following our defeat."
"From the looks of it though, the locals weren''t nearly as numerous or combat tested as our Shandian friends. To make matters worse, they didn''t have the advantage of being in a place not easily accessible by the World Government. Which means, they needed to find another way."
It wasn''t difficult to understand what our resident archaeologist was getting at. After all, the only plausible benefit which could have possibly been gained from the affair, would have to be the concealment of the Poneglyph in a location far beyond the reach of the World Government.
"Bloody hell¡" Ross breathed out. "The mad bastards."
"I''d say, that''s what you call dedication." Hewitt added, shaking his head partly in disbelief and partly in admiration. "They didn''t go for half measures, that''s for sure."
Honestly, Robin''s theory made sense to me and did offer a valid explanation for why one of the greatest treasures of the world had landed in Bonbori''s gut. Our discovery, and subsequent landing on Dinosaur Island brought us one step closer to finding another, even if most of my crew didn''t know it yet. What they did discover near immediately however, was the presence of an intelligent mind somewhere on the island.
"Let''s go pay our lone survivor a visit, shall we?" I suggested, leading Law and my entire crew straight into the jungle with Aisa acting as our guiding compass. The few overgrown lizards which attempted to come looking for a snack were quickly dispatched, and their remains left behind as a warning to their brethren. After a while they stopped coming, having seemingly learned their lesson from the string of charred barbeque deposited in our wake.
"It amazes me every time, but your Thunderchild is simply unfair." Law complained as we trudged after Aisa, who preened ever so slightly.
"I''d tell you to get your own, but unfortunately Aisa is unique. And yes, she''s off limits. You can''t have her."
"I didn''t even say anything yet, Springtrap-ya." His innocent face might have convinced others. It failed to convince me.
"But you were thinking it." I accused, which he totally didn''t deny when he chose to cross his arms behind his head and whistle a ditty instead.
Meanwhile, Eddy had taken it upon himself to clear a path forward, allowing our haki prodigy to move through the formerly thick foliage in a straight line. That Eddy''s efforts also provided an easy trail for Mad Treasure and co to follow was of little consequence to our minds.
Were we being dangerously confident? Maybe. Like I had probably stated before somewhere, Mad Treasure was certainly a dangerous man, worthy of caution. As was anyone really who had been active in the New World for as long as he had. That being said, I didn''t think we were in over our heads and neither did Law.
For one, we had survived a fight against Doflamingo, albeit with a truckload of luck and Haruta''s intervention, while giving the Warlord a bloody nose in the process. And despite his strength, I seriously doubted that Mad Treasure came anywhere close to being as dangerous as Doflamingo had been. Considering our significant growth since the Summit War; including but not limited to additional haki users, a greater baseline all around, my new lightning mode and Law not being half-dead this time¡I liked our odds of coming out on top.
Briefly, I asked myself if our pursuer would have agreed with my assessment, but quickly decided that he wouldn''t be shadowing us like this if he did. Still, if we didn''t get a move on soon and make visible progress, I felt like the man was going to blow a gasket. The growing frustration of our competitor was palpable via my haki and I could very well imagine Mad Treasure soon deciding that his current course of action to be no longer worth the hassle.
He wasn''t the only one who was feeling somewhat impatient with all the delays. While initially distracted by the new sights as well as the revelation of a secret guarded within a lost city, Olga only had the attention span of a six-year-old and quickly grew bored accordingly. And in true childish fashion, she levelled the greatest insult known to children in our direction.
"You guys are lame. Like, really lame."
"I''m heartbroken you think so, Olga." I replied, casually tossing a snake back into the trees.
"You are? Are you going to die?" the gremlin eagerly asked, her eyes shining with expectation. Thankfully for my well-being, my health was not going to deteriorate from a single insult, no matter how deadly. Sadly, I couldn''t say the same for Ross and Hewitt who looked stricken at Olga''s words, but their egos would survive. Probably.
"Eventually. When I''m old."
"You''re already old." If this accusation had been uttered by a normal person of Olga''s stature, both physical and mental, it would have likely made more of an emotional impact. As it came from someone who''d been born prior to Alchemi''s disappearance, but whose mental development and corresponding maturity had stalled at the age of six, I merely responded by giving Olga a very dry look.
"I don''t want to hear that from you."
That her social competency was underdeveloped for her age due to a complete and utter lack of human social contact during said two centuries, hardly convinced me to treat her as anything other than the child she appeared to be. And like the mental child she was, Olga quickly folded under my best parental stare.
"W-what are y-you trying to say?" She stuttered, beginning to sweat profusely. "I''m not old. I definitely did not spend two hundred years inside here. I''m a¡normal¡six-years-old girl¡or seven¡no, Six. Completely normal."
"U-huh." I replied, very unconvinced.
"Completely normal." Olga reiterated, as if she wasn''t the worst liar I had ever come across, which included Luffy. Eventually though, her panic gave way to realization, causing her eyes to narrow. "You don''t believe me, do you?"
"Why should we? That was practically a confession, as far as I''m concerned." Law cut in, deciding to break out of his role as a silent observer. "Though, if it''s true, Springtrap-ya, this is an absolutely fascinating discovery which has the potential to revolutionize the entire field of medicine."
"Now that they know my secrets, I have no choice but to wait until they fall asleep to silence them all¡" In response to his words, Olga devolved to her usual habit of muttering her plans out loud in the dark and obvious way she liked to do. Though her voiced trailed off when she caught sight of Law''s movements. "W-wait¡why the needle? WHY ARE YOU PULLING OUT A NEEDLE?!?"
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"For science. Or medicine. I''m not picky." My ally shrugged and took a small step towards the girl. "Don''t worry, it won''t hurt a bit."
"LIAR!!"
"Law, we''re not running tests on our guide. We still need her." I said, putting my foot down. Law just grinned in response, playing along magnificently.
"Just a few litres? She won''t miss those."
"I will! I most definitely will!" Olga screamed, running to place a barrier, namely me, between herself and my partner in this little play.
"Don''t worry, Olga. I''ll keep the big, bad doctor away from you." Smiling in an as friendly a manner as physically possible, I tried to emit an aura of trustworthiness. It¡kinda worked as Olga''s grip on my leg got increasingly similar to an industrial grade vice.
"You will?"
"If you behave." And I needed her to behave because our rotund target stumbled out of the jungle dressed like a dinosaur, before stopping short the moment he laid eyes on us. Or more accurately, on a particular little girl amongst us.
"Olga? Is that you?" Myskina Alcier managed to gasp out, his pupils dilating as his body tried to forward the ocular information to his brain as fast as possible. Whereas Alcier had recognized his daughter almost immediately thanks to the girl having stayed more or less unchanged over the decades, Olga took a little while longer to reconcile the tall, lanky man from her memories with the corpulent individual before her. Yet she eventually managed anyway, despite the years she''d spent without her father far outstripping those in which she had, in a demonstration of how important and how deeply rooted childhood memories could be.
"A-are you really my old man?"
"You''re alive! I''d hoped, but I''m so glad you''re alive!"
I was not quite sure what I''d been hoping for when I originally planned to facilitate this family reunion, but it certainly wasn''t for Olga to run up to her long-lost father and deck him in the gut. Judging by how the man doubled over while gasping in pain, a blow fuelled by decades of suppressed rage and bitterness packed quite the punch.
"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Olga screamed, tearfully flailing against Muret''s grip which was the only thing holding her back from committing patricide. "If it weren''t for you, none of this would have ever happened!"
Yet, despite the vitriol launched at him, despite all the accusations and his daughter''s rage, the alchemist remained silent. His face cycled through a very complex set of emotions as he drank in the sight of his daughter, though most prominently featured amongst them was relief. And why wouldn''t that be when before him stood living proof that the beloved daughter he''d lost centuries ago was alive and well?
"If you hadn''t been so greedy! If only you hadn''t been your ambitious, greedy self; the bad men wouldn''t have come and Alchemi wouldn''t have been swallowed!"
One after another several members of my crew began perking up, beginning with Aisa and ending with Hewitt, their gazes turning to stare into the jungle behind us. Hand signals were exchanged, the silent alarm sounded and defensive formations taken up. Ever quick on the uptake, Law soon joined us, his hand ready to draw his blade at a moment''s notice.
"If you hadn''t created the Pure Gold, Mom would still be alive!"
Olga hadn''t noticed because the demolition of the dam, which had been holding her emotions back for so long, had robbed the girl of the mental capacity she needed to take heed of the events around her. However, a father''s protective instincts were not so easily fooled, and Alcier gathered his struggling daughter into a protective hug.
"Well, well, well¡now isn''t that interesting?" Almost as if someone were pulling off Harry Potter''s cloak of invisibility, the space where mere moments before only the indentations on the grass had given hints to someone''s presence there, was now filled by Mad Treasure and his entire crew in their full glory. "Did I hear that right? You created the Pure Gold, old man?"
"You again? I told you before, I don''t like clingy guys." Olga said, puffing herself up and pushing her father''s arms away. "And what if he made the Pure Gold?"
"That means, little girl, if I have him¡I don''t need you anymore." Mad Treasure grinned. "And best of all, I don''t need to follow you idiots around any longer, either!"
"What makes you think you''ll get the man?" I asked, stepping forward to block his line of sight.
"Who''s going to stop me? You?" he scoffed.
"Yes, me." I told him, before adding a few words when Law made poignant coughing sounds. "Together with a few friends."
"Seriously, Springtrap-ya?" My ally deadpanned, giving me a very flat look and breaking the thick tension in the progress. Like the mature adult that I was, I decided to make a formal complaint, as was only proper.
"I was having a moment, Law. And you are ruining it."
"You deserved it."
"Did not."
"Did too."
"Did not."
"Did too."
While Law and I did our thing, Mad Treasure''s arrogant expression had increasingly become tinged with confusion at our flippant attitude. Before long it had shifted further, rapidly turning into rage. If it weren''t for his already dark complexion, I would have even dared to say that he''d have turned crimson with how dilated his surface veins had become.
"Are you brats¡IGNORING ME?"
"Yep." "Duh."
"YOU FUCKING BRATS!" And with that scream of outrage and indignation, the New World Veteran charged at us with his crew following close behind. All of them hollering battle cries at the top of their lungs.
They were met by our own.
The jungle shook.
Eustass Kidd: the Pioneer??
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
Pirates are ruthless and nobody amongst the newer generation embodies this statement more than the captain of the Kidd Pirates¡Eustass Captain Kidd. A man who rose to infamy by climbing over a mountain of corpses, this monster in human skin has left a trail of destroyed villages and devastated families behind in his quest for Roger''s crown.
At times it seems as if the list of tragedies attributed to him are endless and the marines are publishing new reports of his purported crimes¡and to their confusion and dismay, the pirate seems to be enjoying it. It has gotten to a point where the pattern is clearly recognizable. The authorities get up in arms about one atrocity or another and the accused does his best to break his own record while escaping justice time and time again. If one didn''t know any better, one might even be inclined to believe the pirate is mocking the marines for their incompetence and inability to catch him.
Please note that this paper does not believe anything of the sort and is merely stating the believes and claims of other individuals, who will remain anonymous according to the witness protection act of 663. Relevant details have, of course been passed on to the proper authorities so that the individuals in question may be taken into protective custody¡or in two cases, proper custody the crime of piracy.
Yet, it seems as if his string of successes has gone to the rookie''s head and as everyone knows, pride comes before the fall. Barely a year after having made his violent debut to his pirating career, he has led his inexperienced crew into the New World. It is a bold statement to the world, in effect claiming that he is the frontrunner of his generation.
And in a manner of speaking, he did become one. For no sooner had the news of Captain Kidd''s excursion reached the public ear, did several of his dastardly peers raise their anchors in pursuit. We do not know what the consequences of this scramble for the New World will be, but for now we remain content that these dreadful individuals are no longer terrorizing our peaceful shores.
Now, if only Springtrap and the rest would follow suit¡
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
And as always, please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
Chapter 75: Heart of Gold V
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
The first amongst us to respond was Law, who raced ahead while opening his room to start throwing giant piles of debris and trees in Mad Treasure''s general direction to slow him down. Most of it didn''t even reach the man, being shot out of the air by their sniper, Naomi, but the obstructed field of vision did cause our opponents to momentarily pause. Unwilling to let this brief window of opportunity go to waste, I rattled off orders like a machine gun.
"Lily, Muret, Robin, Mani! Protect the Myskinas!" Guard the home front.
"Aye, aye captain!"
"Eddy, Hewitt, Ross, Laki! Their swordsman, Psycho P! Bring him down!" Break their hidden blade.
"On it, captain!"
"Nero, Rivers, Sarquiss! Silence their sniper!" Tear down their support.
"Consider it done!"
"Aisa! On me!" And finally¡
"Coming!"
"Let''s go wild!" ¡cut off the snake''s head.
When one watched a lot of movies or read many comics, it became very obvious very quickly that very few characters, if anybody at all, entered a fight while giving it everything they had from the get go. On the rare occasions that someone did go full throttle from the start, it often meant that whoever did this was so ridiculously outmatched, that the attack they poured their entire being into could be used as a demonstration of their opponent''s overwhelming might¡usually by having the ultimate blow be stopped cold by a single finger.
Now, admittedly, there were valid tactical considerations for why one would choose to hold themselves back during the initial phases, not least amongst them the lack of actionable intelligence on the enemy''s capabilities. Not only did that drastically increase the risk of one''s own efforts failing to bear fruit, going all in necessitated leaving oneself open to a potential counter without any further aces to call upon. That and other concerns thus drove experienced combatants to use the initial stages of a battle to feel each other out, so to speak, throwing light jabs while waiting to see how their opponent would react. It was only when they found a weakness, an opening they could exploit, that they''d ramp up the pace.
However, despite this sort of pattern having established itself as conventional wisdom, there were select circumstances in which such things became a luxury. The most obvious of which being a situation, such as the one I found myself in. Or in other words, fighting someone who would severely outclass me if I held anything back.
Mad Treasure was one such individual. Despite having beaten fairly handily by Luffy in the movie, that had been after the events at Dressrosa. While I knew I''d reach that level someday, fact was that the treasure hunter was a New World veteran fighting three Paradise rookies. And it showed.
Chains filled my vision as Mad Treasure used his devil fruit to produce dozens of the things, all of them tipped with a variety of implements designed to cause grievous harm¡spikes, claws and blades. Dodging the first wave didn''t really buy me any time, for hidden behind the first wave was a second and a third and a fourth, with all of them seeking to surround me and limit the one advantage I enjoyed against the guy. My superior mobility.
Nimbly dancing around the latest attempt to clap me in irons, I grabbed the metal chain with both of my hands. Aisa needed no further encouragement and the electrical output of our Thunder Cloak surged, sending several million volts worth of power racing towards the enemy via this convenient conductor.
There was a fascinating fact one should know about electricity. While it may vary a bit depending on various factors such as the material composition or physical dimensions of the medium it traveled through, electricity could reach up to ninety percent of the speed of light. That Doflamingo managed to react in time at Marineford was more a testament to his ridiculous strength than a mark against Aisa''s lightning. And while powerful in his own right, Mad Treasure was no Doflamingo.
Sadly, he also wasn''t Gan Fall either. Even as his nerves were lighting up like a Christmas tree and his muscles were seizing up in protest, the man quickly decoupled the offending chain from his body to limit the damage. To his credit, it worked as intended in protecting him from Aisa and I, but with his whole attention focused solely on one danger, he opened himself up to another.
"Shambles." Swapping position with a rock at Mad Treasure''s back, Law wasted no time in cutting the man in half at the waist by taking advantage of the hunter''s brief moment of inattention.
Law''s basic offensive technique, amputate, was a brilliant move if one wanted to bypass someone''s outer defense, as it ignored most of it and cleanly severed the target into two pieces. The downside being, that despite being heavily debilitating, my ally''s brand of bisection wasn''t fatal. Quite on the contrary, it merely created a physical separation but maintained a metaphysical one, such that both parts remained alive and well¡and fully capable of independent motion.
None knew this property of his own attacks better than Law himself, which was why after cutting Treasure down to size, he brought his blade down in a reverse grip to try and pin his heart to the ground. At the same time, my Spring Rifle aimed to shatter Treasure''s hip into a hundred fragments.
Neither of us hit our marks.
Like some sort of eldritch monstrosity, chains sprouted from Treasure''s separated halves to form a barrier and buying the man precious time. Time, during which other chains dragged him piecemeal to safety where he re-assembled himself, using those very same metal appendages to literally chain himself together.
"Well, there goes our surprise advantage." I grumbled as Treasure tried to immolate us with his glares alone. "If you were going to bisect him, couldn''t you have done a more permanent job?"
"If you were going to electrocute him, couldn''t you have done a more permanent job, Springtrap-ya?" Law snarked, throwing my words right back in my face. Not long after that, we were both forced to leap away when subterranean chains burst out of the ground and drove us apart. And unlike before, these were made from diamonds.
Harder than steel and significantly lighter, Treasure''s new crystal appendages had another rather annoying property¡they were electrical insulators. I hadn''t known he could do this but considering that Nami & Robin''s collars had been made from gold and studded with gems, it shouldn''t have surprised me as much as it did to find out he was capable of material manipulation as well.
"Try and electrocute me now, you little runt!"
The following seconds were fierce but ultimately inconclusive, with me ducking underneath his wild haymakers as his chain-encased fists whistled harmlessly through my hair. Likewise, my answering elbow was stopped by Treasure expanding his Gigantea to completely cover himself from head to toe in diamond links, until what stood before me was a warrior clad in the most expensive suit of chain mail I had ever laid my eyes upon.
Then my haki was screaming at me and I barely got my arms in the way just in time for Treasure''s fist to smash into them. And the only thing I could think of at the moment was: "Had he gotten faster?"
Hundreds of blows rained down upon me and I met each with one of my own, my fledgling armament clashing against his, flagging and flickering but holding on. This meant that the pace kept escalating as a result, until we were pushing the limits of my Thunder Cloak. Yet, throughout the entire exchange, I couldn''t shake the feeling of oddness that rather than Treasure moving his chains, his chains seemed to be moving him.
"Move, Springtrap-ya! Tact!"
No sooner had I vacated the area, did Law telekinetically smash two giant logs together with Treasure squished in between them. Naturally, when it came to a contest of toughness between solid wood and human flesh, human flesh won decisively with the tree trunks cracking and splintering into thousands of tiny shards. Law responded by following up with a pair of boulders. Then more trees and rocks until it looked like he was trying to bury the man alive in a cascade of wood and stone.
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"I''ve just about HAD IT WITH YOU!" Treasure''s furious scream echoed around the newly uprooted clearing, as he punched his way through the bombardment and towards Law. Maybe it was haki maybe it was not, but in that moment, I''d instinctually known what my partner wanted, and I gave him a small nod. No sooner had I done so, did the cheeky bugger switch positions with me, causing Treasure to come face to face with Aisa''s Ten Million Volt Vari without any prior warning.
The ensuing scream had little to do with anger and far more to do with pain, for as good as an insulator diamonds were against electricity, they offered no resistance to heat. And as we were finding out, ten million volts were more than enough to turn his crystal armor into a thermal oven. Human reflex mandated that one cast a burning object as far away from oneself as one possibly could, and Treasure was no different. White-hot glowing links peppered my body, bouncing off my Coil Chassis and my Thunder Cloak, as I forced my way through Treasure''s explosive disarmament to drive my Spring Gatling into his solar plexus.
My second one didn''t make it; my fist stopped cold by a black hand catching my left wrist in an iron grip¡a fate shared soon after by my right. Attempts to pull out and put some distance between us were foiled when Treasure stepped on my foot with his own, turning what would have been an easy escape into a yo-yo movement. While I was certain that the subsequent strike with my knee broke a few of his ribs, Treasure seemed very unwilling to let me go and engulfed me in bearhug instead, even chaining us together into a cocoon for good measure.
"Die!" he hissed into my ear, and I knew pain.
¨C Eddy ¨C?
It had been a while since he''d fought a swordsman, at least in a manner that wasn''t training. He got enough of the latter from Izou during their daily sessions. Yet, as incredibly helpful they were in sharpening his skills, those practice duels paled in comparison to the life and death situations he''d been in over the past year. The sensation of his blood pounding in his ears and his solitary lung being pushed to its limits¡and the feeling of triumph that came after, all of that had been exhilarating. Especially, when Eddy could bear witness to his palpable growth in real time. Thus, when his captain had given the order to face Mad Treasure''s swordsman, Eddy had been rather excited.
"Scatter Shot!" Laki''s rifle shot, so seemingly unified at the muzzle, split into seven separate rays of white-hot plasma, cutting off all avenues of escape for the invisible swordsman and forcing him to raise his guard in a shower of sparks.
"Surprised you found me, that''s no lie; Like a needle in the haystack, I caught your eye." Impressively enough, even when on the receiving end of a bombardment capable of leveling a city block, Psycho P somehow found the mental capacity to rap, grunting the words out through gritted teeth.
"Scatter Shot!" the dial mechanic repeated, pulling the trigger again. Considering that Laki''s rifle packed more of a punch than a conventional artillery piece, this had the additional benefit of necessitating Psycho P to stand still while defending himself or risk being knocked off his feet.
Unfortunately, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. Psycho P was fast. Psycho P was strong. Psycho P was also tricky to fight on account of his devil fruit ability, which allowed the rapper to spray himself with paint and go invisible. While his friends, who had unlocked their observation haki had little issue finding the guy, for someone like Eddy who had not, trying to pinpoint his location was no trivial task. All of the reasons listed above, made fighting Psycho P an annoyance.
"Jet Punch: Armament!" Ross'' timing was impeccable, having closed into punching range just as Laki''s attack was tapering off, swinging his fist from Psycho P''s blind spot. Yet, haki was a skill one could not do without in the New World and the rapper proved to be no different, turning around at the last moment to interpose his blade between himself and a future hospital stay.
Unfortunately for Psycho P, in pivoting about to face the new threat Ross represented, he''d sacrificed some of the stability he''d brought to bear against Laki. As a result, he soon found himself launched off his feet with a sound akin to the ringing of a giant bell.
"Listen up, let me break it down, don''t be mistaken; Rookies with haki, you''ve gotta be fakin''. That shit ain''t right, you know it''s true. Gotta flip the script, find a breakthrough."
"Oh, shut the fuck up! You''re rapping is so irritating!" The bell rang a second time.
But in the end, that was all he was. An annoyance.
When it came to swordsmanship, the rapping idiot was mediocre at best, even by Eddy''s relatively low standards. It wasn''t as if he''d been comparing the rapping fool to the likes of Izou or Zoro, nevermind Mihawke. Though no doubt far weaker than Psycho P in absolute combat prowess, the drugged knight under Crack A. Barrel''s sway would have trounced Eddy''s current opponent in a contest of pure skill.
Unlike their sailmaker, Hewitt didn''t require Laki''s lightshow to sniff out his target, having unlocked observation haki in his own right. In addition to this and perhaps just as helpfully, he just so happened to be the only member on his crew, who had any experience beating an invisible opponent into the ground. Not to mention that Absalom had been light on his feet as well, unlike the clown flying towards him while rapping at the top of his lungs.
"Frying Pan technique #1: searing." Hewitt''s skillet made a beautiful arc as it was swung by his right hand in an overhand strike towards Psycho P''s face from above.
The footwork was atrocious. The parry, poor in its execution. Within the first minutes of the engagement, it had become abundantly clear to Eddy, that there were no insights he could gain from this battle, which could aid him in his quest to discover what lay beyond mere mastery of the blade. No, the display Psycho P was putting on, as he desperately fought to keep Ross and Hewitt at bay, could barely be called swordsmanship at all.
"Scorchin'' sensation, can''t deny the sting; Heat rising¡" Perhaps unsurprisingly, the first pan was blocked, though obviously Hewitt had expected nothing else, because the second soon followed.
"Frying Pan technique #2: whack-a-mole." Using the momentum gained from Psycho P''s parry to his own advantage, Hewitt allowed himself to be sent whirling around like a pinwheel, bringing his left pan smashing into the rapper''s jaw and shutting the man up mid-rap.
"First of all, that is not a cooking technique. Even I know that much..." Ross deadpanned, his eyebrows twitching slightly. Hewitt just shrugged before gesturing for his friend to continue. "And two, how the hell is your pan sizzling right now?"
"Heat dials."
That this fool was wielding a sword at all, especially one as beautiful as this bejeweled masterwork, was an insult to the art. A treasure like this was not meant to be wielded by someone like Psycho P, and to Eddy''s mind, there was no doubt that this was a travesty he needed to rectify¡immediately.
Allowing everything to melt away into the subconscious void, Eddy sank into the little space he called the Zone. In that state of near total concentration, nothing else mattered. Not Treasure''s subordinates being massacred by Lily, not the fight between the captains, not even the fact that Psycho P had reappeared amongst a squad of his subordinates while wearing Eddy''s face. Nothing mattered except the path his sword would follow once it left its sheath.
No sooner had Eddy''s katana been drawn, Laki''s shot was breaking through the rapper''s guard and knocking his sword away. Meanwhile, the small group of meat shields Psycho P had hoped to surround himself with were swept aside by a combined effort from Ross and Hewitt, clearing the path to Eddy''s target.
Slowly exhaling in the controlled manner Izou had drilled into him over the past months, Eddy returned his blade to its home. Moments later and over a dozen meters away from Eddy''s position, a severed head began dying the surrounding sands red while a row of jungle trees began toppling over in a straight line. But whereas his friends congratulated themselves on a near bloodless victory over a New World Pirate, Eddy found himself picking up the rapper''s blade to stare at its emerald sheen in wonder.
Chapter 76: Heart of Gold VI
¨C Sarquiss ¨C?
Sarquiss was cognizant enough of his own character to admit that there existed a non-zero possibility, that he might not be as completely flawless as he may seem like to others. After all, he was only human and he did have the occasional bad hair day, even if those were few and far in between. While others did call him a vain, prideful narcissist at times, Sarquiss had always been of the opinion that a reasonable amount of adoration towards one''s own person was healthy for the psyche.
And why wouldn''t he adore himself? If there ever was a tale of rags to riches and power¡well, Sarquiss may not be the first example to pop into someone''s mind but he''d wager his own name to be quite high on that list regardless.
In a way, apart from the rather humble station in life he''d been born into ¨C as the sixth son of the local butcher ¨C there was no denying that fate had dealt him a rather generous hand to play with. Likewise, most people would likely agree he''d utilized his cards well, rising to a station he''d only been able to dream about in the past. Sure, he owed a large part of his success to Bellamy''s friendship. However, Sarquiss had been the one to initiate it all those years ago, all the way back when he''d invited the surly kid sitting alone on a park bench to play a game of pirates.
Of course, life being what it was, things hadn''t all been sunshine and roses since that fateful day. There was no greatness without appropriate trials and over the course of his life several incidents had challenged his worldview, most of them concentrated in the short period spanning their arrival on Jaya and the present date. Starting from his helplessness against Satori and his inability to protect his Lily from harm, and culminating in Sarquiss becoming a literal liability in his best friend''s desperate battle for survival against Doflamingo¡ reality had mandated that the na?ve country bumpkin grow up into the great pirate he could be.
As a result of the lessons imparted by life itself, Sarquiss'' arrogance had been forcefully tempered into justified pride. The key difference between the two being, that pride made it impossible to turn a blind eye to one''s own weaknesses nor to accept anything less than one''s personal best. Minor flaws were to be excised in their entirety and larger ones hammered into submission, until the individual known as Sarquiss met the strict requirements set by his own pride. All while maintaining a perfect exterior for his adoring fans, of course.
However, there existed a single facet of himself that Sarquiss couldn''t fix so easily. His SMILE. That was not to say he disliked his pseudo devil fruit. Quite on the contrary. Despite the rather unfortunate circumstances surrounding its consumption, it had been the boost to his combat prowess Sarquiss had needed at a time, when his sense of self-worth was being challenged by the appearance of people like Laki or Nero.
Nevertheless, as versatile as his SMILE was or as useful it had proven to be, there was no denying that there was a set cap on how powerful it could become when compared to the genuine article. Hence, conventional wisdom would have seen Sarquiss focus on other avenues of growth such as the rokushiki or haki in order to circumvent the issue. Sticking stubbornly to a path which obviously ended in a dead end would have been stupid. And despite his lack of secondary education, the first mate of the Bellamy Pirates wasn''t an idiot, no matter what his girlfriend said.
But¡well, pride. After all, making that decision would be akin to giving up, wouldn''t it?
The Sarquiss who had first set sail would probably have decided to do the smart thing. The Sarquiss, who''d had his world flipped upside down by his captain in the last year or so... well, that Sarquiss had this little voice in his head which plain refused to move on. It had been so persistent that he''d essentially declared "to hell with conventional wisdom" and gotten to work.
The initial trigger had been Bellamy''s off-handed comment that force was the change in momentum within a specified interval of time. And momentum was mass multiplied by velocity. Sarquiss wasn''t a scientist nor did he have the memories of one, but he''d understood enough to come up with a plan of action. If his SMILE only gave him a third of the boost in raw strength a standard zoan did to others, he could still deliver the same impact by being thrice as fast.
Simple, right?
Honestly, when he''d gone about trying to make his idea a reality, the speed aspect had been by far the simplest aspect of it all. The Crew already had three speed demons in the forms of Nero, Eddy and Bellamy so there had been plenty of ideas to use. Combined with the fact his own powers were geared towards being a speedster, it had taken barely any time at all for Sarquiss to reach and eventually surpass his initial goal. That his insectoid eyes and vibration senses made tunnel vision a non-issue had been an unexpected but very welcome bonus too, such that he hadn''t needed observation haki to know where he was going.
The problems arose with the fragility of his own body. According to Bellamy, the conservation of momentum was a universal law. Which unfortunately meant that whatever impact he imparted to his opponent, he''d experience one of the same magnitude. Or had that been the third law of motion of some egghead called Newton? Either way, the first time Sarquiss had rammed his fist into a tree at full speed, the tree had shattered in a beautiful proof of concept. Emboldened by this evident success, he had immediately moved on to tougher targets of the more mineral variety and had promptly broken his own arm.
Chastened by both the experience and their resident doctor, Sarquiss had gone back to the drawing board to figure out what had gone wrong and how he might go about changing that. Identifying the issue had been simple enough¡for Nico Robin, who had pointed out that Sarquiss simply lacked the chitin exoskeleton a standard zoan would have obtained. The solution had been equally simplistic in its base idea.
Get tougher.
So Sarquiss had gone about doing just that. He''d bulked up somewhat fierce, going from a slim swimmer''s build into something more akin to a professional weightlifter and had quickly seen results with the support of the Crew. For example, Nero and Izou had put their heads together to come up with a training regimen while Hewitt had created a special diet just for him, with Muret maintaining a watchful eye to make sure he didn''t hurt himself again. Tekkai had helped a lot too, especially once he had figured out how to limit it to his fist and forearm, so that he wasn''t forced to turn into a flying log every time he tried to slam into someone like Superman (whoever that was).
But it hadn''t been enough. Not if he wanted to be able to give someone like Doflamingo pause. Spurred on by the success of his friends, Sarquiss had thrown himself into his haki training, unlocking armament a few weeks after the events at Tequila Wolf. The following month had been spent experimenting and figuring out how to turn that into a functional replacement for an exoskeleton by spreading it out over his entire body. He''d succeeded too, even if his new armour was fragile, but he no longer hurt himself by hitting things. Unsurprisingly, Sarquiss had fostered high hopes that with more time, it would turn into something great.
Thus, when after all that effort, he barely got a chance to use any of it in the battle against Mad Treasure''s sniper, Sarquiss had been conflicted on how to feel about it. On the one hand, it had been disappointing that Naomi had been taken out before he could really do anything. On the other hand, who knew Rivers had it in him?
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¨C Rivers ¨C?
If one thought about it, Rivers hadn''t really won a serious fight on his own. Ever.
He''d played overwatch on St. Poplar, sat on the sidelines against Gasparde, worked as a glorified shuttle service on Sabaody and been a dial dispenser at Marineford while doing little else once that was done. The fight against the Vice Admirals in the mines of Silverstadt had been a group effort as had their victory on Tequila Wolf. And while this was hindsight talking, he''d also been left behind while Hewitt and Muret accompanied the Captain on his little trip to kick Gecko Moria''s ass.
Surely, it said something about him that the closest thing to a personal win he''d had in his entire career, was bribing Fuza with sweets while in the midst of an aerial rodeo. Was it any wonder then, that out of everybody on the crew, Rivers felt as if he had arguably played the smallest role in their success so far? Even his supplementary role as a scout had become increasingly irrelevant as Aisa''s range and accuracy grew by leaps and bounds.
Maybe that had been why Rivers had swung himself onto Fuza''s back and flown ahead of his team as soon as the captain had issued the order. Intent on proving to himself that he wasn''t deadweight.
Fuza could be very fast when his lazy partner wanted to be and that went triple with the harness Laki had thrown together for him. Bellamy had called it a poor man''s rocket pack, though as Rivers had no idea what a rocket was, it wasn''t like he could judge the veracity of that assessment. However, there was no denying that the three-fold combination of flame, breath and jet dials spewing out gallons upon gallons of fiery air made accelerating past a reasonable speed limit a piece of cake. That Fuza could freely control the direction by simply moving the legs the packs were attached to had been the cherry on top.
Swerving out of the way of Naomi''s answering volley, Rivers returned her greeting with one of his own, which while not harming the New World sniper, did force her to exit the defensive perimeter her subordinates had formed around her lest she be evaporated like the perimeter was a split second later. With the opening volleys exchanged, the two snipers proceeded engage a furious duel, continual explosions rocking the air as both tried to unsuccessfully sneak a shot past the other.
Mobility became the name of the game, Naomi flitting about on the ground and through the trees, while Rivers and Fuza moved as with one mind, almost dancing between the fiery blasts. Occasionally, the pair would fly off to gain some distance for the sake of better angles of attack, usually followed close behind by Naomi''s efforts to imitate an anti-air turret with her bow and arrows. Their subsequent dive would then result in them chasing Naomi around for a bit until a standoff ensued again and the cycle began anew.
Barrel rolls, sudden upward acceleration and headlong nosedives, along with a host of other aerial maneuvers were used liberally as the pair strove stay a step ahead of their opponent''s observation haki, just like she tried to do with theirs. And like most sniper duels between observation users tended to do, it soon became a case of predicting that the other would predict they''d predict she''d predict they''d predict she''d predict they''d predict something¡in aeternum, which sometimes led to craters being formed in some very out of the way places.
Neither side spared a single thought to how Rivers'' friends had cleared the field of Naomi''s remaining subordinates and were now watching the show while munching on popcorn. That Psycho P met an inglorious end was worth just as little attention when all three combatants were wholly focused on trying to anticipate the events of the next second from the smallest available signs. Everything that didn''t contribute towards this became a luxury neither side could afford when the battle was so finely balanced on a knife''s edge.
In the end, it was Fuza who tipped that balance.
Breaking off the current attack run, he began climbing higher and higher into the air until they reached the ceiling of Bonbori''s stomach. For a moment, he just floated there with Naomi staring up at them, confused as to why they had broken their usual pattern. Rivers had wondered that himself before Fuza''s haki intermixed with his own, allowing a tendril of something to enter his mind. It wasn''t quite a thought or even an emotion, holding only the barest hints of a mental picture but it was enough for Rivers to understand. He didn''t question why this phenomena had occurred or how it worked, just appreciating that it did.
And with that, the pair dived straight down, the island racing towards them as Rivers flattened himself against Fuza''s speeding back, trusting his partner to keep them alive. His trust was repaid, when merely two meters before they''d have coated the ground red, Fuza changed trajectories, funnelling all the gathered kinetic energy into the tightest ninety degree turn one could imagine.
True to form, Naomi reacted to the bird rushing straight towards her by blowing up the space between them, but to no avail. Without even flinching, Fuza barreled on through, opting to open a hole in the explosion by launching a fiery blast of his own from the fire dial in his beak. Sure, they were singed in the process, but it didn''t matter when they were nearly on top of their target, flying so close that Fuza''s stomach feathers would graze Naomi''s hair as he flew past.
Before that happened though, Rivers let go of his grip and slid off Fuza''s back.
It didn''t take long for him to traverse the distance between himself and the unyielding ground, but that was all the time he needed. Having pursued Fuza with her eyes and her aim, Naomi only belatedly turned around to find herself staring down the barrel of Rivers'' rifle, his aerial posture the very textbook definition of a sniper''s prone position. Time slowed down for both of them, Naomi''s eyes widening in surprise and terror, while Rivers'' own narrowed in concentration. Perhaps, to her trained sight, in the split second that decided their fate, Rivers may have looked as if he were suspended horizontally in thin air as he pulled the trigger.
"Gotcha!"
"Hick-"
BANG
Moria is Alive!?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
To the collective horror of the world, Gecko Moria has risen from the dead! Once believed to have fallen in the line of duty during the War of the Best, the former Warlord has been sighted on Water Seven where his former ship had been sent for disassembly following it''s confiscation by the marines.
The marine spokesman had noted that according to the agreement signed by the relevant parties, all assets of the Seven Royal Warlords were forfeit to the World Government in the event of their timely demise and that the marines had been perfectly justified in the actions taken during the chaotic aftermath of the war.
But Moria obviously didn''t see things that way. Rather than going through the proper channels to reclaim his property and filling out the proper forms, the former Warlord decided to expedite the process by breaking into the dockyards by force with a small army of his walking dead before subsequently sailing off on the Thriller Bark.
Once believed to be a hero of the world, Gecko Moria has thus shown himself to be the cowardly, thieving traitor we always suspected him to be and proving that pirates cannot be trusted, regardless of their standing.
In response to this reprehensible robbery of government property, the marine spokesman has revealed that discussions were being held as to the future fate of the Warlord system. We remain confident that whatever is decided, it will be beneficial for the world as a whole.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
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Chapter 77: Heart of Gold Finale
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
While I was certain that my knee had broken a few of his ribs, Treasure seemed very unwilling to let me go and engulfed me in bearhug instead, even chaining us together for added measure.
"Die!" he hissed into my ear, and I knew pain.
Springs were compressible.
I just wanted to put that out there. Now, the degree to which they were compressible varied depending on the respective size, shape, and material composition of the spring in question, but the basic premise wouldn''t change. This was in part because one, a non-compressible object could hardly be called a spring any longer as it wouldn''t fit the basic definition of what a spring purported to be; and two, everything on earth was compressible in one form or another and thus had the properties of a spring. Which also implied that all of creation was a spring to some degree¡
Possibilities perhaps?
Anyway, to get back on track, springs were compressible. When using my Coil Chassis, I was literally composed of thousands of coiled springs. Ergo, I should have been compressible and unsurprisingly I was. My body adapted to the sudden strain applied by Treasure''s chains by occupying smaller and smaller volumes of space, while Aisa''s lightning tried its best to melt through our opponent''s haki. At least, until my Coil Chassis reached a limit I hadn''t known it had and would not be crammed together any further, which had also been when the pain started. As anybody who''d ever gotten a door slammed unto any part of their anatomy would surely attest, that shit really hurt. Treasure had rammed that up to a thousand by turning his chains into a poor man''s omnidirectional, hydraulic press.
Had Treasure applied the same amount of force from only one direction, I probably would have been fine, not least because my body would have been able to bend and contort to adjust accordingly. However, with Treasure''s chains encasing me completely and squeezing from all directions, there was very little I could do that I wasn''t already doing. Unfortunately, regardless of how hard Aisa and I tore into the guy, he seemed very intent on all of us going down together and simply refused to give an inch.
In my pain-addled mind, I briefly played with the idea of bursting into a pile of tiny individual springs to escape the current encirclement, but common sense quickly shot that down. If reattaching an arm had carried risks of malalignment and permanent debilitation, trying to pull my entire body back together was very unlikely work as intended without some serious preparations beforehand. So, instead of going against the rational part of my brain, I decided to try something more logical.
Get bigger.
Consciously willing my springs to extend, I turned the one-sided offense I''d been suffering under into a contest of brute force, however not one of muscle but of devil fruits. Intentionally, I might add, for if it had been I probably would have lost because my body wasn''t tempered enough yet to compete with a New World Veteran like Mad Treasure. Though, when it came to our mastery over our respective fruits? That was a whole different story.
While he''d showcased several abilities he hadn''t in the movie, with my survival depending on it I had focused almost everything I had on mastering mine whereas he had not. That difference in motivation ended up being key in allowing me to compete with him on even ground and even pushing him onto his back foot.
"Twenty Million Volt Vari: KICK!"
"Gaah, you little shits!"
Longwinded as that entire explanation might have been, the actual amount of time which had transpired was rather short. In particular, the interval from Treasure enveloping me to Aisa leaping out of my body to plant her heels into his jaw could be counted in mere seconds. Which was just about enough time for Law to get his breath back and come over to help.
"Radio Knife!"
Smoothly cutting through the chains binding me in place, Law carried on by taking advantage of Treasure''s momentary mismatch between bodily sensation and optical input to slip inside his reach¡
"Mes!"
¡and cut out Treasure''s heart. While unwrapping myself from the now inert chains, I got a front row seat to our enemy''s eyes bugging out as he registered the fact, that his vital organ was tumbling through the air instead of being safely protected within his ribcage. Not that I really blamed the fella, because seeing one''s own beating heart be excised must have been an unexpected sight, to say the least.
In the end, it proved to be too much for Treasure. Turning on his heels with no hesitation, he ran for the hills with his extracted heart grasped firmly in his hands. Much to the dismay of his remaining crew, I might add. Unfortunately for them, their cries of disbelief and despair fell upon deaf ears as their captain sought to escape on his own. Naturally, we weren''t going to stand aside and let him go so easily.
"Abandoning your men to save yourself, that''s a bit cold, isn''t it?" Law asked him conversationally once he caught up to his quarry with a quick teleport, interposing himself between Treasure and his chosen escape route. "What happened to the concept of maintaining trust and camaraderie?"
"Why the fuck would I give a shit about that?" Treasure spat out, swinging a chain like a flail in Law''s general direction, which my ally easily ducked under without losing a beat. "I can gather comrades with money and purchase trust with gold. As long as I have my treasure, I can always start over!"
"And you''ll fail again. After all, money can''t buy success and is no substitute for genuine effort." Law lectured, smiling easily as Aisa and I completed the encirclement. "In the grand scheme of things, your treasure really doesn''t matter."
"TREASURE IS THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS!" Roaring like a wounded animal, Mad Treasure launched a cascade of spiked chains at Law while simultaneously fending off Aisa''s own attacks. "There''s not a single problem in the world that treasure and gold cannot fix so long as you have enough it! There''s no goal worth pursuing in the world apart from it!"
"Though, it doesn''t look like it was worth it at the moment, now does it?" I quipped, trying to rile him up further. "In the very unlikely case that you get out of this alive, you might want to reconsider your priorities in life."
I succeeded.
"YOU WILL NOT TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME!" Forcing Law and I to take a step back or risk having our heads caved in by a veritable hydra-like mass of thrashing chains, Treasure broke through our perimeter at its weakest link: Aisa. My crew mascot, bless her heart, did try to stop him but was caught off-guard when Treasure opted to simply take her lightning lance head on. Essentially, gritting through the pain and focusing everything he had left into running away with a sizeable hole in his gut.
Away from us and towards the coast where his ship presumably lay anchored. That the shortest route would have taken him straight through the group guarding Olga and her father probably hadn''t even factored into his calculations¡and that proved to be his downfall.
Wounded and tired as he was, Treasure wasn''t nearly as fast nor strong as he''d been at the beginning of our scuffle and Lily was one of the top fighters on my crew. Not to mention that his philosophy on life had probably rubbed her in quite the wrong way, if what Sarquiss had told me was any indication.
"Outta my way, you stupid bitch!"
"Fucking make me, asshole!"
What happened next was a masterful example of teamwork, which was only made all the more beautiful by the spontaneity of it all. The chains which had been meant to sweep Lily and her compatriots aside, all disintegrated into a cloud of reddish flakes upon contact as the steel rusted away in an instant. The baffled look on his face turned into befuddlement, as a pair of hands flowered into existence to grab his ankles. The facial transition finally ended in alarm when he lost his grip on his own heart, causing it to painfully bounce a few times before coming to a stop next to a pair of boots he could have sworn hadn''t been there moments prior.
"Where the h-hell did you c-come fro¡" Treasure groaned, scrabbling for his heart which was just out of reach, only for his eyes to widen in agony as Mani''s knife pinned it to the ground.
"Where do you think?"
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Mani smiled.
¨C Mani ¨C?
For someone who had given her captain and the others such a hard time, Mad Treasure''s death had been rather anti-climactic. Though in hindsight, she probably wouldn''t have ended things in quite the same manner if she could go back to try again. Blood was surprisingly difficult to wash off of fashionable leather boots and there had been way more of it spurting out than the isolated organ should have been able to hold.
Apart from that minor inconvenience however, things had gone rather swimmingly afterwards. With their officers gone, the surviving members of Treasure''s crew had surrendered without a fuss and promptly been put to work shifting everything in their hold into their treasure''s new home. And what a haul it had been¡ mountains of silver and gold, piles of precious gems and precious stones, not to mention the chests full of cash and other valuable items, including but not limited to a very luxurious armory. It had been so much that Mani wouldn''t have been opposed to securing their silence in a more permanent manner afterwards, but the Captain had decided otherwise and allowed Treasure''s former crew to go on their merry way once the job was done.
Not because he had a bleeding heart, mind you, but because committing such an act of cruelty and ruthlessness in front of a civilian you wanted to recruit (temporarily) would have been counterproductive. Though, neither of the father-daughter duo had seemed particularly disturbed by the violence, so perhaps Bellamy needn''t have worried?
Especially as convincing the alchemist to take them to the Pure Gold hadn''t been that difficult either. Starved for human contact as the man apparently was, Alcier had been surprisingly talkative, which had made it a piece of cake for Mani to tickle information out of him. Getting men to spill their secrets had been something her mother had been rather good at back in the day. Mani had inherited that skill, for lack of a better word, and it had been one of the tools she had used to survive the streets before she joined Bellamy.
There had been a brief, emotionally laden interruption midway through, when Alcier''s motivation to create the Pure Gold was revealed to have been a desperate attempt to halt his daughter''s terminal illness from progressing any further, by taking advantage of the anti-aging properties inherent in the light of the alchemical miracle. Soon after that, Olga had tearfully reconciled with her father. Meanwhile, the Crew was forced to come to terms with the reality that the child was older than all of them combined. Naturally, Olga and Alcier had ignored the gobsmacked looks on their rescuers'' faces and promises were made to spend their remaining years together as a family.
That had led to the two doctors present asking what illness Olga was suffering from, and to Alcier subsequently finding out that a cure for the disease had been developed in the two centuries he''d spent idling away inside a fish. After a bit more wrangling, Alcier agreed to lead them to the Pure Gold in exchange for the cure, safe passage to a secure location where he and his daughter could start a new life, in addition to sufficient funds with which to do so with. Naturally, Bellamy had agreed, offering to take them to Baltigo Base.
In Mani''s opinion, it had been a smart choice on Alcier''s part, the man being obviously aware that in the hands of someone without the power to defend it, the Pure Gold was a curse rather than a blessing. It was far better to sell it to the highest bidder while he still could.
Turned out, the Pure Gold had been hidden in an abandoned temple-like complex, complete with traps, hidden passages, and various tests of skill. Under normal circumstances, the Crew may have struggled to clear the obstacles laid in their path and reach their destination, but with the original system designer along for the ride, they had breezed past everything without any trouble.
They found the mythical metal sitting in a jar amidst stacks of books and piles of scattered papers, its soft glow illuminating the dusty lab it was slumbering within. Most of the Crew had stood frozen in place, staring at the object in fascination and near reverence. Bellamy and Law, on the other hand, had walked up to it and unceremoniously packed it into a thick burlap sack.
"Right, time to see what other goodies this place has to offer." Bellamy had said, eagerly rubbing his hands together. Alcier had glanced askance in his direction but had wisely kept his mouth shut. For her part, Olga had stomped over to Bellamy and held out a hand, demanding additional payment for the right to plunder Alchemi for its remaining secrets, to which Bellamy had laughingly acquiesced.
The island had been rather sparse in terms of traditional valuables and the atmospheric conditions within Bonbori''s stomach hadn''t been the most suited to the preservation of written works. However, the crew still found a small library''s worth of academic papers, experimental logs and textbooks, though nobody amongst them could really make heads or tails out of their contents. Fortunately, Alcier had agreed to cooperate as a sort of freelancer in exchange for ownership of the library. That is, once he and Olga got settled in properly and he had some time to set up his new workshop.
Loath as Mani was to give up something likely worth hundreds of millions at the very least, sometimes one had to invest for greater returns. Hopefully gaining the cooperation and goodwill of the most experienced alchemist on the planet would be worth it in the long run. Though, what exactly Bellamy hoped to gain from this relationship was a little unclear to Mani.
After all, it wasn''t like they could physically carry any more gold at this point.
Alabastan Rennaissance!?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
The Kingdom of Alabasta has recently announced an absolute swath of reforms aimed at improving the lives of its citizens, including extensive government investments into welfare and provincial development. Countless industries are to receive subsidies and interest rates on loans are to be lowered to facilitate economic growth. Already, production has ramped up significantly on traditional export goods such as spices, incense and jewelry; while other more civilian industries are following suit to increase the level of self-sufficiency of the desert kingdom.
Surprisingly enough, most of the funds needed to pay for the implemented measures are said to have come directly from the personal coffers of the royal family. Combined with a general pardon for every member of the now disbanded rebellion, this has allowed King Cobra to enjoy near unprecedented popularity amongst his subjects.
In turn, such positive public sentiment also translated into increased tolerance and patience, as a few more contentious but no less necessary reforms are enacted, all of which are aimed at cracking down on corruption and breaking up the monopolies of established corporations. However, experts fear that such measures will threaten to drive away foreign investments, which are critical to maintaining the desert kingdom''s economic stability. Especially as Alabasta is poised to re-enter the world stage as a major mercantile power.
However, rumor has it that rather than the King himself being driving factor behind the reforms, the entire renewal movement is the brainchild of his daughter Princess Vivian (better known as Vivi to the masses). Considering, that the story of Princess Vivian actively lobbying for the pardon of everyone involved in Kohza''s rebellion, is well known and verified by numerous sources, there may be good reason to give credence to such rumors. Questions are still being asked as to her motivations for making such a sudden debut on the political stage, but there is no denying the public''s adoration for their princess.
Having risen to prominence in the recent months following the Marine arrest of the former Warlord, Sir Crocodile, the princess has only recently concluded a tour of her future realm on which she promised an era of great change. While it is as of yet unclear what the extent of those changes will be, there is little doubt that the formerly isolated kingdom is rising from its centuries long slumber.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
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Chapter 78: Tea Time
¨C Muret ¨C?
In her humble opinion, Medicine was the flower of civilization. After all, few things mattered as much to as many people than their health and physical well-being. Unsurprisingly, many of the world''s greatest minds had devoted their lives to broadening the horizons of what was doable. Everything eventually led back to this topic, with every scientific breakthrough inching them ever closer to the ultimate goal of freeing humanity from disease and illness. In a way, medicine could be said to be the magnum opus of human history.
Of course, there had been individuals who had tried to reach beyond this and achieve the unachievable by conquering death itself. The dream of immortality was one which had accompanied society since before its inception and as long as there existed anyone capable of conscious thought, would likely never die out completely. Legends had been formed around this idea, such as the philosopher''s stone and the elixir of life. Or a bit closer to home, the Ope Ope no Mi was said to be able to grant eternal life to another in exchange for the wielder''s own. None of these were confirmed, but the stories had prevailed.
Back when she''d been studying to become a doctor, they had been just that¡stories. Muret had never placed any real credence in such tales, deeming them a distraction and a waste of time, time which she could use to further her own education. Even after having seen the impossible happen on the Grand Line, her core belief in the finite nature of the human lifespan had remained unshakable. Then she''d met Myskina Olga and her father, Alcier.
They were living proof that she''d known far less about the world and human potential than she''d assumed, even after her repeated humbling on the Grand Line. The experience closest in magnitude had been the revelation of the White Sea''s existence, which had been both the start and the catalyst of her reality shattering for the first time. Others may have raved and ranted and tried to find a way to find proof which supported their original stance in order to wallow in their outdated world view.
Muret had been far too excited to go down that route. So many questions bouncing around inside her brain, dozens of theories and conjectures demanding experimentation¡and all of it came down to a variation of the following.
What else was possible?
If the art of alchemy could grant someone a form of eternal youth by placing their body in a developmental stasis, how else would a master be able to twist the natural laws of the universe to suit their own interests? Impossibility had just become the new frontier and with Alcier stuck on their ship for the foreseeable future, the Bellamy pirates had found themselves in the privileged position of being the first to explore it.
The first to take advantage of the opportunity had been their snipers, Laki and Rivers, who had immediately put their heads together the moment they''d escaped out of Bonbori''s gut. Thankfully, that part had been unspectacular. With the Pure Gold wrapped up in so much packaging that detecting its light became impossible, the giant footballfish had let out a disgusted huff and turned its back on the newly regurgitated ship.
Anyway, by nature of their chosen discipline, the combat potential of those two was significantly more dependent upon the specs of their equipment, than it would be for someone like, say, Lily. Simply put, stronger guns usually equaled stronger gunners. While Izou had demonstrated repeatedly, that applying armament to bullets was possible, there wasn''t much haki could do about the speed of the bullet itself.
Simply increasing the amount of powder wasn''t the solution either. While more gunpowder did increase the explosive energy behind the projectile, the strain it placed on the method of delivery grew exponentially as well, mandating ever thicker barrels and bigger guns. Assuming that one did manage to create a steel barrel capable of outlasting the amount of powder required to reach the desired bullet velocities, the gun in question was likely to be unwieldier than a cannon. So far, the two of them had been circumventing this issue via the clever use of dials, but Laki had confessed that they''d hit a glass ceiling a while ago.
Thankfully for her friends, alchemy offered an alternative. If one had access to a material with properties far more suited for gunsmithing than conventional steel, creating the dream rifle no longer had to remain a dream. Of course, whether getting their hands on such an alloy was possible was another matter entirely. However, with the mere possibility being dangled before their faces, the two snipers had barricaded themselves in Laki''s workshop with Alcier and refused to come out.
As previous attempts to break into Laki''s workshop had ended¡badly for those involved, the rest of the Crew were left with no choice to twiddle their thumbs and wait outside in enforced patience. Muret used that time to ponder her ideas a bit more, though due to her lack of insight into the alchemical principles, those had remained nebulous at best. Boosting the efficacy of her herbal brews was an obvious avenue to explore, but beyond that? Who knew what was possible?
Poison and medicine were two sides of the same coin, so maybe something in that direction? The limiting factor was usually the dosage required, so if alchemy were to magnify the healing properties while suppressing the undesirable, or even transform it into a benefit too¡ if that were possible, then previously unusable materials would all of a sudden become viable options and effectively increase the possible pharmaceutical combinations a hundred-fold. Diseases, previously untreatable, may obtain permanent cures and horrendously expensive medicines might become cheaper than dirt.
And if she dared hope, should Alcier be capable of distilling or otherwise extracting a concept such as healing into liquid form¡well, that was the legendary panacea, wasn''t it? She probably should discuss her ideas with Law at some point and see if he had any of his own. Even if he didn''t,
kidnapping securing Alcier''s time was going to be a lot easier with an extra pair of hands available.
Still, that was going to have to wait because a certain someone had commandeered her potential research partner for an experiment of his own. Why Bellamy kept insisting on detaching his arms from his torso was anyone''s guess, but ever since Law had joined them, he''d taken full advantage of having two surgeons on board. Especially, as with Law''s devil fruit, fixing any cases of misalignment could be achieved much more easily than what she''d had to do with Dr. Hogdback.
Thankfully, no accidents had occurred until now which they couldn''t fix in a jiffy, but her earlier caution had proven itself to have been warranted. Unfortunately, the lack of permanent consequences had only served to embolden her captain, who had started pulling his legs off for further research once he''d gotten used to re-attaching his arms properly. Oddly enough, the legs proved to be far easier than the arms had been, though they had postulated that this was likely due to Bellamy getting the hang of his back-and-forth transformation.
This didn''t mean that Muret hadn''t slapped him over back of the head, when Bellamy stated his intentions to eventually decapitate himself in his Coil Chassis form. Though, if there was anything she''d learned about her captain, it was that he was as stubborn as a mule once he had set his mind on something. As a result, the best she could do was extract a promise to only attempt it with Law in the immediate vicinity. It did hurt her pride somewhat fierce to admit she wouldn''t be enough should the worst come to pass. However, being a doctor also meant knowing where one''s own limits were and asking for help when needed in order to secure the best possible treatment for the patients under her care. Simply put, her pride wasn''t worth risking the lives of her friends over.
But, if Alcier could put someone''s body into a perfect stasis¡?
¨C Nero ¨C?
Back when he''d been a government agent, the ability to distinguish between those individuals who were valid targets and those who were untouchable, had been an indispensable skill. The reasons for their invulnerability were many, depending on where the person in question stood with regards to the system. Some, such as the Five Elder Stars, reigned nearly supreme within the system while others moved with impunity outside of it, taking advantage of the blind spots a world spanning organization couldn''t help but have.
The Bloody Countess had featured quite prominently near the top of that list, with every agent being told to stay the fuck out of her way unless explicitly ordered otherwise. And for the damn good reason that trying to fight her was going to end very badly for the marines. This didn''t mean that Elisabeth Bathory could flex bigger military muscles than the navy could, not by a long shot. However, with how dispersed her organization was, eliminating them all in one swell swoop was near impossible and would only invite guerilla style retribution from an incensed crime boss.
Even bringing down a buster call on her home island wouldn''t do the trick, as while nobody knew where her main base of operations was, everybody knew it wasn''t in the kingdom of her birth despite the countess de facto controlling it. In this, she differed quite a lot from Gild Tesoro or the Joker, who both had designated strongholds where they had concentrated most of their power. It was, if nothing else, a clear demonstration of where the individual priorities were set, with Bathory going for longevity by giving up the benefits of greater centralization.
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That said, for only being one of her many decoy bases, the castle they''d been invited to was certainly memorable, both in its stature and its creepy atmosphere. The red walls and black spires rose tall above the pines, their needles having turned red in accordance with the season. When combined with the many bats flying through the inky darkness of the night sky, it painted quite the sinister picture, as Nero and his four companions made their way up the ambling cobble path towards the heavy front gate.
On the other hand, the interior, which an old butler led them through, was tasteful in its gaudiness if a bit too red for Nero''s liking, showcasing the extent to which luxury could be stylish. The furniture was well chosen, the paintings exquisite and the many suits of armor lining the walls were polished to a shine. Nero had half expected them to be taken to the great hall, but contrary to his expectations, the room they ended up in was a large solar with a set of comfortable looking couches surrounding a long coffee table.
And seated at the head of this arrangement was someone who could only be their host, sipping elegantly from a teacup before looking up at them with a flick of her ebony hair. Under other circumstances Nero might have spent a bit more time appreciating her beauty, but all such thoughts went flying out the window the moment her piercing blue eyes caught his own. Later, he would describe the feeling as if, in that moment, she had flayed his soul bare, which had been enough to make him wish to don one of the many suits of crimson plate adorning the walls. Then, that moment was gone as if it had never existed, and Nero was left wondering if he''d imagined formerly chilling visage of the gently smiling lady before him.
If she was uncomfortable being alone in a room with a bunch of notorious pirates, she didn''t show it, wordlessly gesturing at the open seats and pouring them all a cup of black tea. In terms of quality alone, it probably was the best tea Nero had ever tasted and that was even before the added milk. Similarly, Law and Izou were giving off various sounds of approval as they closed their eyes and focused on committing the sensory input to memory. Across the table, Rivers was busy heaping a spoon''s worth of sugar into his, the sniper oblivious to the (very) subtle looks of distaste the countess was throwing in his direction.
Bellamy, however, had noticed and stepped in before the Elisabeth Bathory decided to take matters into her own hands.
"I think that''s going to be sweet enough, Rivers. You might want to drink that before the tea goes cold."
"You think so? It still smells a bit bitter to me."
"Believe me, you want to drink your tea."
"Eh¡I do?" Fortunately for his own well-being, Rivers wasn''t completely blind and deaf. "Ah¡uhm, yes. I do want to drink the tea. Now. Yeah, now."
While his captain was busy saving their mutual friend, Nero occupied himself by scanning his surroundings, as was his wont whenever he entered a new location. Always secure an escape route, had been a lesson which his trainers had drilled into him, and those instincts hadn''t gone anywhere. Even a superficial glance revealed a pair of hidden passages camouflaged behind bits of furniture in addition to the tall windows behind a statuesque desk. Fortunately though, it seemed like they wouldn''t need a complicated exit strategy, not with how genial the atmosphere had become once the words started flowing.
Most of it was meaningless small talk about everything and nothing, everybody finding something to pitch in about. Whether it be about the newest developments in the medical field or Ross''s budding skills as a shipwright, the conversation naturally flowed from one topic to another while granting everyone their time in the spotlight.
"My, how fascinating. Do tell me more."
Naturally, Nero''s companions did what people tended to do when someone paid attention to what they were saying¡they talked more, often without Elisabeth needing to prompt them further. It probably didn''t help that Nero''s current companions possessed rather large egos, grown into their current state by the corresponding developments in skill and ability.
"Do correct me if I''m wrong Mr. Ross, but didn''t Mr. Law mention something similar a few minutes ago?"
More than once, Nero caught himself about to spill the beans on every mission he''d completed as an agent, purely because the countess mentioned the location as one of her many holiday destinations. What probably made it so much easier to talk to her was her conscious decision to not venture into dangerous territory, the countess deliberately diverting the conversation away from their current circumstances or other personal details. There were no overt attempts to sniff out their weaknesses, no displayed interest in their methods of training, no attention paid to the skeletons they had stashed away in their individual closets¡but despite that, the atmosphere was personal, which made it so easy to become invested in whatever was being talked about.
"I can recommend ''An Evening with Dawn'' if you''re interested in our history, Mr. Bellamy. If one ignores the rather romantic title, it really is a well written account of the most chaotic era of our nation''s past. Or maybe, it''s precisely because it was such a topic that the author became a romantic?"
Such was the power of a good listener, he supposed. You didn''t have to pick up secrets as if they were seashells on the beach. People just threw them at you by the bucketload, or at least Ross would have if Bellamy and Law hadn''t been running interference the entire time. That the sailmaker remained oblivious to the verbal fencing match being played around him was remarkable in and of itself. Especially when one remembered that he''d grown up on the streets, where one wrong word could have disastrous consequences. Izou certainly had noticed, going by the amused glint in his eyes, but rather than helping his beleaguered pupils, the commander had chosen to enjoy the show while emptying the teapot.
"More tea, Commander?"
At least they''d learned that for all his paranoia and street smarts, Ross was incredibly vulnerable in terms of operational security, at least when a beautiful aristocratic lady was involved. Which ultimately meant, Bellamy''s decision to concede defeat and move negotiations along was an understandable if regrettable decision.
"So, Alchemi was inside a giant fish? How curious."
The World Is Safe??
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
Perhaps upset with having his rivals steal the spotlight, Cavendish of the White Horse has publicly stated his disdain for those pirates who are already being called the Worst Generation. Just as a reminder, this title refers to that group of villainous rookies who attempted to obstruct the path of justice at Marineford during the Summit War. Regardless of their failure to do so (the true target Edward Newgate having been slain), their vile nature and ravenous hunger for chaos has quickly marked them as the single greatest collection of scoundrels to plague our waters since the death of the infamous Gold Roger.
However, while the world surely despises these good-for-nothing criminals, the sheer amount of vitriol spewed out by the captain of the Beautiful Pirates makes it obvious that his hatred for them runs far deeper. Unfortunately, the reason for his hostility is not quite clear as of yet, because whenever we attempted to question the former prince on the topic, his words became a lot less coherent. In fact, this reporter would even claim that his responses had more in common with the howling of beasts than human speech.
While this no doubt highlights the barbarous nature of pirates as a whole, this enmity between Cavendish, a frontrunner of last year''s batch of rookies, and the current crop of notorious newcomers can only signal good things for the world. It is our sincere hope that these animals will turn upon each other and subsequently, slaughter each other instead of turning their combined might against the current World Order.
Then again, as one government insider revealed, the chances of any two of these very prideful and arrogant pirates being friendly with each other, never mind willingly cooperating towards a common goal (beyond very temporary arrangements) are deemed to be highly unlikely.
Thus, we close today''s news with the following quote from Vice Admiral Aramaki.
"The World can relax. The World is safe."
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
And as always, please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
Chapter 79: The Bloody Countess
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
When one considered how to run a criminal enterprise, there were several answers that immediately came to mind, which formed a list including but not limited to fear, greed, respect, or some combination of all three. Mind you, this list was far from complete or even exhaustive, but it should get the point across.
Basically, entrepreneurs in this business had a variety of tools available to them.
While all of them would theoretically get you to your destination eventually, as long as you had enough of it to throw at your problems, reality mandated that one have limits. And that was where the wheat was separated from the chaff, as it were. In order to climb the corporate (criminal) ladder, one needed to be able to use the resources one had available for the greatest gain. Obviously, this was a task which became ever more herculean the higher one rose up said ladder.
Most individuals never made it far, often gambling everything on a wager which refused to pay off. Others, the smart ones anyway, recognized the finite nature of their assets and contented themselves with a position in middle management. A few even left the game altogether, cashing in their gains while the going was good.
And then¡and then there were the crazy ones. Individuals, who acknowledged the impossible gamble for what it was and went for it anyway with a smile. Individuals, who, whether by luck or by skill, managed to thread the needle just right to claim the crown while stepping on the backs of a thousand corpses.
Individuals such as Doflamingo.
Doflamingo was a bit of a complex case when it came to his methodology, as most of those at the top tended to be. But when it came down to it, he was someone who employed fear and violence as the main tools of his trade. It was how he kept his network intact by ensuring that traitors met a gruesome end and it also served as an effective contrast to the treatment his inner circle enjoyed. After all, when a murderous madman acted very affectionately towards you, it carried a far different weight in comparison to someone who was nice to everyone on principle.
From what little I could glean from our interactions over tea, the Bloody Countess operated on a slightly different plane. Unlike what her epithet may suggest, Elisabeth Bathory exuded an aura which put people around her at ease. Most dealings in her world were negotiations to one degree or another, and by establishing empathy and fostering the feeling of a bond, she ensured she got a leg up on the competition. Doubly so, when she made her counterpart want to work with her.
It was a tactic she employed very well, as I found out much to my consternation, when she wrapped Ross around her little finger. A task made even simpler by the societal hierarchy both of them had grown up with. Essentially, Ross had been surprisingly vulnerable when an aristocratic lady gave him the time of day. Lily didn''t count, because¡well, she was Lily.
Thing was, even if you knew precisely what she was doing, you were severely limited in your options when attempting to defend yourself. What were you going to do? Complain that she was being too nice? Unless one was willing to break societal conventions or were willing to forgo doing business with her entirely, she''d effectively forced you to play a game in which she, in all likelihood, had a far greater mastery in than you.
Law and I certainly tried to match her for a while, as neither of us were uneducated, but she''d been born into her role while we hadn''t been. Thus, I decided to flip the board, which brought us to the present situation.
"So, Alchemi was inside a giant? How curious."
"You could put it that way. Tiresome is what I''d have called it." I sighed, leaning into the backrest. "Searching for treasure while simultaneously being digested is an experience I''d rather not repeat."
"Will you have to?"
"No." I replied, casually tossing a small ring to her, which she caught with an equal lack of effort. "We found what we were looking for."
"So, this is¡?"
"The Pure Gold." I told her, as honestly as I could. "I''d say we kept up our side of the bargain."
After all, she hadn''t said how much of the Pure Gold we had to bring, right? And you didn''t want to lay all your cards on the table right away.
"Hope you don''t mind me saying so, but it is a tad smaller than I had been expecting."
"I wish the original creator were here so he could confirm this, but surely you understand that creating something as miraculous as the Pure Gold in any quantity is a challenging task."
"Certainly." Elisabeth nodded.
"Additionally, while this may be a disappointment to you, the creator didn''t require a large amount for his own purposes."
"Which were, pray, what exactly?"
Sensing an opportunity, Law interjected, therefore drawing Elisabeth''s attention unto himself and splitting her focus¡at least a little bit.
"To save his daughter''s life. It turned out that she had a terminal disease with no cure and the only way for her to have any hope of reaching adulthood was if her illness stopped progressing." Law drawled. "Trust me when I say this, that there was no way they could have helped the daughter with the medical knowledge of their time."
"Hence the Pure Gold." I said, picking up where my partner in crime had stopped. "While most of what we know about it comes from hearsay and legends, all stories agree that it was incredibly valuable. What they failed to tell you, was why."
"Eternal youth." Elisabeth cut in before giving us an indulgent smile. "Or at least a form of developmental stasis close enough to the real thing for the difference not to matter. Surely, you didn''t believe that I wanted it for the money, did you?"
"Eh, the thought had crossed our minds." I shrugged. "But if you know, then that makes explaining things a lot simpler. Myskina Alcier, that''s the creator''s name by the way, made a ring using the Pure Gold and gifted it to his daughter so that its light would keep her alive. Coincidentally, it also meant her body didn''t age a single day since the moment she put it on."
"My informants had told me that this Myskina Olga seemed odd for a six-years old. That would explain it, I suppose. Seeing as you''ve mentioned her in depth, may I take it that this is her ring?"
"Yep."
"What happened to her?"
"She doesn''t have her ring anymore. What do you think?" Technically, not a lie.
"Of course." With that, Elisabeth seemingly sank into her thoughts for a bit, deeply pondering our words. The rest of us sat in more or less comfortable silence as we waited for her to return to our conversation. Which she did after about five minutes. "If you''ll excuse me, there is one more thing I''d like to ask you."
"Ask away."
"Being a parent myself, I find it difficult to believe that this Alcier would have created a means for his daughter to live for centuries without ensuring the same for himself. After all, the world is a dangerous place for a child, regardless of her mental maturity and fortitude."
"That''s because you''d be right. Alcier did create more rings of the same make for himself and his wife. Unfortunately, I have no idea what happened to his wife''s ring as it was lost in the chaos preceding Alchemi''s¡consumption."
"And Alcier''s ring?"
"Well¡as it turned out, the Pure Gold attracted more than just treasure hunters and marines." Law answered. "The ancient beast, which ended up causing Alchemi to disappear for nigh on two centuries, only did so because it had been drawn to the light of the Pure Gold. We needed something to distract it."
That was completely true by the way. While I''d have loved to bring every piece of it with us, Bonbori was far from stupid and it had been rather suspicious of us once the fish was done regurgitating us. As he had no more use for it, Alcier had tossed his ring overboard as a sort of consolation prize for the footballfish.
"I suppose I shall not fault you for that." Elisabeth stated, amicably smiling in our direction.
"How generous of you." Law replied, slightly inclining his head.
"Nor shall I for the Pure Gold you''re still withholding from me." The smile lost none of its outward friendliness, but the same could not be said for the mood which froze solid.
"¡"
"I admit, you''ve done well for a pair of children. Not many could string so many truthful facts into a coherent story like you''ve done, while prompting your target''s imagination to fill in the missing blanks and reach the entirely wrong conclusion in the process." She praised us, completely at ease as she instinctively offered Izou a scone. "Next time though? Don''t try so hard."
"Was it that obvious?" I asked, unable to read her intentions. She didn''t seem angry nor was she making any aggressive movements, but that just put me even more ill at ease. Weren''t crime bosses supposed to hate situations like this? Maybe, I shouldn''t have listened when Law suggested hiding most of the Pure Gold?
"No, but I''ve been playing this game for far longer than you''ve been alive. I''d probably have to retire if you could pull the wool over my eyes, no?"
"I''m rather surprised you''re not angry." Law asked, forgoing all subtlety in favor of seeking a straight answer.
"Why should I be? The condition was that you''d bring the Pure Gold as a gift in exchange for a meeting. I never mentioned how much you were to bring me nor what portion was to be mine. As far as I''m concerned, no promises were broken." She explained. "And it wasn''t like I hadn''t expected something similar. It is the mythical Pure Gold after all, and it is only human nature."
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"¡"
"Of course, whether or not I help you resolve your little spat with the Joker is another matter entirely."
"What would it take?" I sighed, to which the corners of her mouth moved upwards into a smirk.
"You''re the ones seeking help, are you not? Why don''t you tell me."
¨C Ross ¨C?
HE''D. MESSED. UP.
BIG TIME.
Shit.
It had been hours since that disastrous meeting and Ross still couldn''t get it out of his head. Honestly, it would probably stay in there for months if not years and that was if nothing bad came out of this fiasco.
How had that even happened? He''d grown up in the red-light district, where he''d been inundated with pretty faces day in and day out. He should have been immune or at least highly resistant to attempts of feminine persuasion and manipulation. Scratch that, he had been immune and not for Mani''s lack of trying, before she hooked up with Rivers.
Admittedly, his recent successes had given him a bit of a big head. Unlocking armament haki, the creation and ongoing mastery of his jet dial-based combat style, the string of victories¡ all of it had started making Ross feel very good about himself. Confident even. Secure in the knowledge that he could handle the challenges fate would throw in his direction, Ross would concede that he''d become complacent without himself noticing and had thus revealed a chink in his armor. True to her reputation, the Bloody Countess hadn''t been one to miss such an opening and exploited it for all it was worth.
Looking back, it was also increasingly obvious just how she''d turned him into putty in such a short amount of time. She had appealed to his own paranoia. Paradoxically enough, the ones held most tightly within the grip of paranoia were the ones who most desired to escape it. Nobody enjoyed living in a constant state of anxiety. While such individuals may staunchly refuse to let anybody in, once you convinced them that you could become a safe sanctuary, they dropped their own defences without a further need to breach them.
Ross hadn''t been an exception to this rule, still wasn''t really, and when she''d flooded his senses with signals signifying trustworthiness, safety, affection and everything in between via her body language, words and intonation¡Ross had relaxed completely. Which had, of course, led to him providing her plenty of clues as to their crew''s adventures even if he had only explicitly revealed a secret worth keeping at the very end.
Considering that he''d been brought along precisely because of his ability to keep his mouth shut and get a good read on people, Ross had failed miserably in every way that counted. Thankfully, negotiations had gone alright despite the disadvantageous position he''s placed his captain in, with the Bloody Countess agreeing to do her bit in dismantling Doflamingo''s underground network.
By which she meant that she would convince or trick or otherwise motivate Gild Tesoro to do it for her, most likely by dangling her share of the Pure Gold in front of him. Something she could only do because of her ability to deter the Casino King from making a more direct effort to obtain his prize. And all it had cost them were two favors to be cashed in at a future date in addition to a mere third of the Pure Gold.
At least, he had learned a valuable lesson from this: His paranoia had been warranted. Nobody, apart from his adopted family, nobody could ever be trusted. Greater walls would have to be erected around himself, bigger shields and sturdier armor procured to prevent anything like this from happening ever again¡
"Do you have brain damage or something? Cause you''re being a moron."
"Go away, Hewitt. I''m not in the mood to argue with you right now."
"Then you shouldn''t have gotten drunk in my kitchen and spilled the beans."
"I cleaned them up, didn''t I?" Ross retorted, somewhat unsteadily.
"I meant figuratively, but if we''re being literal¡ you brushed them all under the fridge. That wasn''t cleaning up. That''s just making more work."
"¡sorry." Ross muttered, slumping forward to rest his face on the dining table.
"Look, you messed up. No big deal. We all mess up at one time or another." Hewitt said, pouring Ross a glass of water. "Laki punched that one dude on Sabaody¡"
"And rescued Marie in the process, who''s now well on her way to becoming a little monster. That ended up being a net positive."
"Eddy got shot and lost a lung¡"
"Which really wasn''t his fault. And Law''s going to fix him up as soon as he''s done preparing Mad Treasure''s lungs, isn''t he?"
"Well, what about¡"
"Oh, stop it." Ross snapped, raising his head off the wooden furniture. "I appreciate you trying to cheer me up but out of everybody on this ship, nobody has been a liability as much as I was today."
"Sarquiss was a liability at Marineford, by his own admission I might add."
"Doflamingo is a force of nature. Everybody would have been a liability and unlike our first mate at the time, I was supposed to be an asset!" Ross snapped, causing Hewitt to frown.
"You know what? Fine! Jokes on me for trying to imitate the captain and give someone a pep-talk. Obviously I don''t have the talent for it like he does. So, I''m going to do this my way." Hewitt declared, standing up and rolling up his sleeves.
"What do you me¡HEY, let go of my shirt!" Ross yelped as he was bodily dragged away from the dining area and into the kitchen proper. "Where are you taking me?"
"The kitchen, obviously. Are you blind?" Hewitt scoffed before violently sitting him down on a little stool in front of a bucket of water.
"Ok, violent much. So, you''ve brought me to your kitchen. Now what?"
"Now, you peel these." Hewitt answered, dropping what amounted to a small mountain of vegetables and potatoes onto the floor. "Chop chop, get to work. We''ve only got three hours until dawn."
"You can''t be serious."
"Deadly serious."
"This will take forever." Ross half-groaned half-whined. Hewitt wasn''t moved.
"Of course, it won''t. Only a few hours."
"This isn''t going to take my mind off things, you know?" Ross grumbled, but nonetheless reached out for the first lumpy root. The first of many.
"It''s a good thing that that''s not why we''re doing this, ain''t it?"
"Then what?"
"You said you messed up, right? That you had been a liability? Well, in that case, you owe us." Hewitt stated, moving off to a different part of his domain to begin inspecting his knives. "You, of all people, should know that working to pay people back is a perfectly valid way of clearing one''s debt. You can start by helping me with the potatoes. The peeler is over there."
"¡I feel like there''s a small difference in scale here, between my mistakes and this."
"If you think that, then you''ll just have to think of a way to properly make up for whatever you did in a manner that doesn''t involve sinking into a victim mentality or crawling into the bottle to feel sorry for yourself." Hewitt replied, slowly moving the whetstone over a cleaver. "Be proactive. Fix things. But until you do come up with something¡"
"Potatoes. Gotcha." Now...how did one peel a potato?
"Look, we both have issues, you and I. We both know this, even if how it manifests is different." Hewitt sighed as the rhymical sound of stone sliding against steel filled the air between them. "And unless I''m very much mistaken, you''ve reached the same conclusion I have. My envy and your paranoia? They might have served us well at one point but now they''re holding us back."
"¡yeah."
"If you want to stop messing up, you need to be better than you are now, right?"
"Right."
"In that case, how is crawling back to your paranoia going to help you?"
"¡"
"Just think about that, will you?"
With that, Hewitt fell silent and so did Ross, neither of them saying another word, as they mechanically went about preparing the meals for the day. By the time the sun began peeking over the horizon, the mountain had been cut down into a more manageable pile and with it, Ross'' inner turmoil. He still felt awful about that blasted tea party, but he felt as if he''d somewhat managed to recenter himself.
"Hewitt?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
(A few hours prior)
¨C Elisabeth Bathory ¨C?
"My lady, you really didn''t have to be so generous to them." Her trusted butler commented while cleaning up the empty cups and plates.
"You''re right, Vlad. I didn''t have to. I didn''t not have to either." Elisabeth replied airily, as she gazed down through her tall window at the pirates departing from her docks.
"Prodding two of the four is a risky venture as well. Why get drawn into Springtrap''s scuffle with the Joker when you could have taken everything at no cost? My lady, they even dared to try and mislead you at first."
"It''s the prerogative of the young to be reckless fools. How else will they learn? Plus, Shakky likes him and a shiny bauble, no matter how shiny, isn''t quite worth upsetting a friend." Turning slightly to look over her shoulder, Elisabeth gave her butler a smile. Framed against the setting sun, it was without doubt a dazzling sight. "Especially when she cashed in a favor."
"You did mention that she had put in a good word for the rookie in her last communiqu¨¦."
"Not to mention, if they have a bit of the Pure Gold, it just means the cute doctor is going to stay cute a bit longer, doesn''t it?"
"If you say so, my lady."
Chapter 80: Alchemy
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
Getting Myskina Olga and her father settled in at Baltigo Base hadn''t been very difficult. If anything, the revolutionaries had been excited to have someone like Alcier join them, if only in an unofficial capacity. After all, no military organization could possibly say no to a skilled potion master setting up shop nearby.
The real issue arose in trying to hide his identity. If it had been just Alcier, a simple name change would have sufficed and no one would have been the wiser. Even the revolutionaries wouldn''t have had a clue that the man supplying them with exotic pharmaceutical products was, in fact, the fabled creator of the Pure Gold. After all, that legendary alchemist had disappeared two hundred years ago, which was way longer than the average human lifespan.
The problem, as it usually tended to be, was the child. Over the course of her reckless and hasty attempt to recover her inheritance, Olga hadn''t given much heed to the concept of operational security. As a consequence of which, both the World Government and just about every information broker out there, were well aware of her lineage. Thus, by virtue of being her father, Alcier had to be a resident of Alchemi too.
Understandably, this state of affairs represented a rather large obstacle, when it came to fulfilling the Myskinas'' dream of starting a new and peaceful life. Which had made Luffy''s decision to let them go on their merry way at the end of the movie, without putting any protective measures in place¡baffling to me. To be perfectly frank, the assumption that the pair would have survived for any length of time beyond the end of the movie seemed rather optimistic. The much more likely scenario would have seen Alcier and Olga being kidnapped by one party or another within days of them waving goodbye to the Straw Hats.
Since I had promised to provide them with (the funds for) a new start, I felt a form of obligation to ensure this new phase of their lives didn''t end with them waking up in a secret government facility. I could probably have asked Marco or even Shanks for a favor and gotten the matter settled that way, but then again, I wasn''t a charity and approaching them with this issue would have meant spending some of the favors I had accumulated.
Thus, when eliminating them from the pool of possible patrons, my choices essentially boiled down to the Revolutionary Army. Not only were they a military organization experienced in maintaining operational security, they also required the sort of services Alcier''s cover identity could provide on a large scale. One could even argue that the Revolutionary Army would owe me a favor for facilitating Alcier''s resettlement into their heartland. That this arrangement ensured a steady stream of income for the Myskina family was the cherry on top. Even if they wouldn''t need to work a day for the rest of their lives with the amount of money we''d paid them for the Pure Gold.
In the end, no easy solution had presented itself to me, which had prompted me to go for a frontal assault by telling Sabo the truth. He was Luffy''s adoptive brother after all, and for all his faults Luffy was a fantastic judge of character. Not that I would have disagreed with him, because having personally met the Chief of Staff, I was inclined to share Luffy''s opinion. Sabo was trustworthy.
Whether or not he was dependable was a different matter entirely. Before today, the decision would have been an easy yes, but as I gazed across the table, where the slack-jawed blonde was staring at me like an idiot, my brain had begun having second thoughts.
"Wait a minute. You''ve brought who to my base?!?" Sabo eventually asked me once he had picked his jaw up from the floor. I was far from impressed.
"Whom." I corrected him.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Whom. The correct wording would be to ask whom I''ve brought to your base." I replied, idly inspecting my chocolate chip cookie. "But yes, Alcier is the original creator of the legendary Pure Gold."
"You''ve got to be kidding me."
"I assure you, I''m not."
Letting out a sound which was somewhere between a groan and a sigh, Sabo slumped back into his seat, looking very drained all of a sudden. The way he tiredly rubbed at his eyes further added to this image.
"Why, Bellamy? Why?"
"You know, I''m picking up a distinct lack of gratitude. Shouldn''t you be thankful I''ve helped you recruit such a talented individual?" I asked somewhat flippantly before popping the sweet snack into my mouth.
"Not when you''ve painted a giant target on our backs!" Sabo exclaimed, his eyes taking on a manic quality. "The World Government is going to be out for blood after this!"
"Oh please, drop the act will you? There''s no way that someone in your position won''t see the benefits Alcier can bring to the table. Plus, it''s not like his presence can make the World Government want your collective heads any more than they already do."
"¡touch¨¦."
"And if you''re that worried about it, you can always hide them behind some new identities, can''t you? One would think that something like that would be right up your alley."
"Just because it is, doesn''t mean it''s easy. The required paperwork alone is horrendous." Sabo dryly replied, going from imitating a hamster about to burst into tears to the veteran Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army within the blink of an eye. "Just for the record, I don''t appreciate you causing a mess and forcing me to clean it up after you."
"It''s hardly cleaning up if you are immensely benefiting from it, is it? That''s what you call an investment." I pointed out before throwing out a metaphorical lure. "And if I recall correctly, our arrangement was that I''d do the occasional mission in exchange for a safe berth for me and mine. Which naturally includes my associates. I can appoint the Myskina''s as my associates if you prefer to do it that way."
"There''s no need to go that far. We''ll protect them from the World Government. Helping those who can''t help themselves is kind of our mission anyway." Sabo hurriedly declined my offer, rising to take the bait when I suggested moving the world''s only alchemist from his chain of command into mine. "Though, I am a bit confused as to why you''re letting them go so easily. Aren''t you worried you''ll lose your monopoly on the Pure Gold?"
"Not really."
"Would you mind if I asked for your reasoning?"
"Apart from Alcier''s refusal to have anything to do with the substance which led to the death of his wife?" To his credit, Sabo did wince a bit. Being the good person he was, Sabo would find it rather difficult to ignore this little emotional hurdle I was setting in his way, which added another layer of safety for Alcier. And even if this should prove to be insufficient, I had another far more convincing argument up my sleeve. "Do correct me if I''m wrong, but does the Revolutionary Army have the funds to spare for such an endeavor?"
"We can always reshuffle the budget. Something as valuable as the Pure Gold could be a huge source of revenue."
"That is if you ever figure out how to produce it. Without Alcier''s help, it''s going to take you centuries at the very least to crack the code, in addition to who knows how much money." I said, calling his bluff. "You''d be far better served using those funds to purchase more guns and keep your current momentum rolling."
"True that." Sabo nodded, not seeming too bothered. As his earlier jab hadn''t been meant to land a hit anyway, he''d lost nothing. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk about before we get to work on finding Mr. Myskina a new name?"
"Just one more thing. The Pure Gold."
"Weren''t we finished with that topic?"
"Alcier might not be making more of it, but there''s still the matter of what little he already put out into the world." I told him. "A full third of which is in my possession."
"You''re rich. Congratulations." Sabo''s eyes, which had begun perking up a little, did a hundred and eighty shift to resemble those of a dead fish, while his voice went very, very flat.
"Well, now you guys are." With that, I tossed the little casket holding the treasure in Sabo''s direction, before tacking on the following. "That right there, is a sizable portion of my share of the Pure Gold."
"Not to come off as aggressive, but what''s the meaning of this?" Sabo''s eyes narrowed in suspicion, though there was no hiding the slight tremble in his voice.
"Call it an investment of my own."
"In the Revolutionary Army? Not sure if you''re aware, but we aren''t a corporations with stock options."
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"Don''t be daft, Sabo. I''m investing in myself. And my Crew."
"I''m not sure I understand, so please explain this to me." Sabo requested, placing the casket on the coffee table between us. "What do you hope to gain by doing this?"
There had been many ways with which to answer his question, beginning with an explanation that the Pure Gold was practically useless to me at the moment. Liquidating such an asset was always going to be a hassle because putting it up for auction was just asking to be robbed, and even if I were to receive my payment, my treasure hold was filled to the brim right now with no great foreseeable expenses on the horizon.
Not to mention that the Pure Gold''s greatest potential benefit acted more as a detriment in our case. Basically, the light given off by it put the physical development of the body in stasis, meaning that as long as I was in contact with the light, I could kiss any further gains from training goodbye. Considering the threats I was going to be facing in the near future, I couldn''t afford to handicap myself nor my crew like that.
I could worry about going immortal once I had dealt with Doffy and the Yonko, if I even wanted to have eternal youth in the first place. While I loved the idea of a long and fulfilling life, the notion of staying around forever seemed so very tiring and lonely. The latter I might be able to alleviate a bit by handing out Pure Gold rings to my friends and future family, but where would it end? Their friends and family? Their friends'' friends? Their friend''s friends'' friends? I was going to have to draw a line somewhere and people were always going to be unhappy if I did that.
No, while I might change my mind later, I didn''t want eternal life at this point and hence, the Pure Gold lost most of its appeal to me. Such that I had no compunctions about spending it to obtain what I wanted.
"Sabo."
"Yes?"
"How much would you say that Dragon''s time is worth?"
¨C Laki ¨C?
Synergy.
A word ostensibly originating from a now defunct language and meaning the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects. As she gazed lovingly at the fruit of her labors, Laki could think of no better word to describe her new baby.
Beautifully sleek and magnificent to behold, its form reflected the many, many sleepless nights spent hammering out the shape to be just right, in the same manner that its interior mechanisms were silent witnesses to the blood, sweat and tears which had been shed over the course of their creation. Hers and that of her companions.
While normally, Laki wouldn''t be one to brag, but in this one circumstance she could proudly proclaim that her new rifle had no equal in the world¡bar one. But considering that the rival was the sibling to her own baby, this did little to diminish the sheer incredibility of the feat they had achieved. Neither did the fact that it had taken them the entire trip back to Baltigo Base and then some before making any real progress.
Alchemy, like gunsmithing, was delicate work which required a well set up laboratory to showcase its full potential. By nature, a ship, no matter how large, simply wasn''t up to the task of providing a stable foundation to ensure Alcier could control and maintain optimal conditions for the thousands of alchemical reactions he needed to oversee. Not to mention that learning how to combine two very foreign disciplines, like alchemy and dial mechanics, into a functional whole had been a rather explosive process. Again, something that the interior of a ship wasn''t wholly suited for.
But despite these difficult conditions, Laki and Alcier had kept at it with Izou (and Rivers) pitching in occasionally, until their design began to assume a corporeal form in the weeks that followed. Until at last, a full half year after Laki had first witnessed the power of Izou''s firearms at Marineford, she was the proud wielder of a rifle she was certain would become her partner for the rest of her mortal life.
Izou himself had noted, that at full power, her rifle would likely be able to sink the average maritime vessel in a single shot and even send the lumbering marine battleships to the bottom of the sea with a bit of effort. The caveat being, that there wasn''t a senior officer on board who could reinforce the ship with his own haki. What pleased Laki even more, was that thanks to Alcier''s alchemical alloys, the gun barrel wasn''t going to need replacing any time soon, even if she were to maintain her rifle''s maximum output.
Realistically, she wouldn''t though, as limiting herself to simply being a walking and talking artillery piece would be akin to Mihawke refusing to use anything other than the pommel to fight. While he no doubt could and probably emerge victorious against most opponents, it wouldn''t change the fact that his tactical flexibility would be drastically reduced.
And unlike Rivers, who had opted to go back to using boring old ballistic projectiles, Laki''s rifle had¡options. That was the good thing about dials. You could store such a wide variety of things in them that imbuing her plasma with their properties became a viable option. Sadly, Alcier hadn''t yet managed to figure out how to give her shots the ability to knock her targets into sub-zero temperature. However, the sheer breadth of elemental choices available to her already should make countering a logia''s ability a much more manageable task.
Unfortunately for Rivers, his ultimate goal of obtaining an endless stream of sea-stone bullets via alchemical means would have to wait a while longer, because Alcier had been
liberated kidnapped by Muret and Law to work on their pet project, before the poor man could get any rest and relaxation in. Namely, Eddy''s new pair of lungs.
Simply put, with a perfectly good pair of New World grade lungs being dropped into their lap, courtesy of Mad Treasure, there hadn''t been a reason to wait until Law could procure a set later. As such, the pair of doctors had set about the arduous task of optimizing the organ to suit their purposes. Unfortunately, that had been easier said than done due to a number of reasons Laki didn''t fully understand, but systemic disorders occurring due to dysfunctional immune responses and potentially ending in multiple organ failure had sounded pretty bad.
Another mystery Laki wasn''t able to solve, was how the pair had managed to keep the lungs fresh and alive until Alcier could be convinced to join them, but Laki had eventually given up and put it down to devil fruit absurdity. But, if one were to believe Bellamy, that little trick had been nothing worth writing home about, when compared to the sheer ridiculousness that followed once Alcier had been recruited to the project.
To paraphrase her captain, they had succeeded in reassembling the cellular makeup of the lungs at a molecular level, turning what should have been a foreign implant into something that Eddy''s body recognized as being an inherent part of a flawless whole. Essentially, using Mad Treasure''s lungs as a base, they had recreated Eddy''s lost lungs down to the immunological markers on the surface of the cells, albeit in a far better trained state than the originals had ever been.
Still, medical and scientific impossibility aside, Eddy had been a changed man once he''d come out of surgery, though the navigator had admitted that changing his combat style again would be far too inefficient. Not that he really had to, because being able to breathe properly had clearly made a difference.
When he''d first been wounded, Eddy''s proposed solution had been to maximize his own efficiency. Efficiency of movement, efficiency of respiration, efficiency of posture and most of all, efficiency of technique. Eddy''s quest to answer the question of how to swing a sword as quickly as possible with the least amount of strain possible, had forcibly adjusted the paths Eddy''s swords could take until everything had been stripped away that was wasteful or sloppy.
Izou''s lessons had built upon this foundation by providing Eddy with a direction and by teaching him how to combine the basic components Eddy had distilled his swordsmanship down into, until he''d come up with a style Eddy could call his own. Now, his new lungs had completed the picture, removing the last limiters the navigator had and opening a host of new avenues for him to explore.
In other words, whereas before ending a fight as quickly as possible had been a necessity, now it had become a choice.
And surely, that was something to celebrate.
Interlude: the Silver Fox I
¨C Byron ¨C?
Their time on Mecha Island had been both profoundly profitable on one hand and utterly useless on the other.
Their hold was filled to the brim with the golden remains of giant turtle eggs, which had been smelted down into a small mountain of gleaming ingots. Suffice to say, his ship held more riches than Byron had ever laid his eyes upon and for the first time in a very long time, the captain of the Harmony pirates was privy to what financial freedom felt like. That the ancient turtle would no longer lay any more eggs for centuries to come only highlighted the good fortune which had brought them to the right place at the right time.
Not to mention all the little gadgets and blueprints they''d managed to borrow from Dr. Ratchet''s laboratory, albeit without the good doctor''s explicit permission. Then again, the young man hadn''t voiced any objections while Shura had ransacked the ruins of his fortress and they''d taken his silence as his tacit agreement. While useless to Byron himself, Shura had been rather busy, either going through his new library or tinkering in his workshop.
But arguably, the greatest gain had been Byron''s inexperienced crew mates getting some much needed combat experience. That they had won their individual fights on their own merits had only made things better. Not only had it taken away much of the fear of combat inherent in former civilians like the youngsters were, but it had also reinvigorated them by proving to them that their training hadn''t been in vain.
Marie''s subsequent growth in particular had been astonishing, with the girl rapidly ironing out some of the habitual mistakes caused by her inexperience. It still left dozens of larger issues in addition to hundreds of smaller ones, but Byron would give her good odds of thriving in the New World when the time came.
Her fianc¨¦, Judy, would probably need a little more help, but then again the young man''s temperament wasn''t suited to being a frontline fighter. Of course, he would learn to pull his own weight, Byron and Shura would make sure of it. But one could already argue that he was well on his way to achieving this already. While it was no secret that Byron''s own abilities had been Judy''s inspiration when he came up with his special cocktails, that he''d managed something similar at all, within only a couple of months no less, spoke volumes about his talent.
So yes, the little goose chase the Honey Queen''s request had sent them on, had been a worthwhile venture. Which made it all the more tragic that their original objective remained out of reach for the time being.
They had lost the Bear King''s trail.
Requesting more information from Disco had yielded precious little in the way of actionable intelligence, because Helena''s brother seemed to have up and vanished into thin air. Thus, it was all the more surprising when the Byron''s crew stumbled across a fresh clue as to the Bear King''s whereabouts in the form of the Foxy Pirates.
Honestly, they hadn''t even been probing for information at the time, content to enjoy a week off on a luxury spa resort for some rest and recovery. Helena (a.k.a the Honey Queen) had been the one to propose the idea, but Shura had been the one to convince Byron. To be honest, he hadn''t needed much convincing either, as some intense pampering was sure to do his green recruits a lot of good after receiving their first real dose of combat.
Naturally, despite all the benefits and amenities a luxury resort provided, it also came with a couple of downsides. One of which was the abundance of individuals who had a far more generous opinion of themselves and their charm than they had any objective right to have. And as such men were wont to do, they congregated around Helena, who merely by being her glamorous self attracted all manner of self-important riffraff like bees to honey.
As fate would have it, one such contender for the blonde beauty''s attention happened to be the Silver Fox, Captain Foxy of the Foxy Pirates. Byron hadn''t been around at the time to see Foxy turn on his charm and miserably fail, but he''d found them in time to witness the final moments of the fiasco Foxy''s seduction attempt had turned into. In essence, Foxy had decided that blustering and boasting about himself was the best way to impress the woman, to which Helena had arrogantly responded by revealing her own status as the (former) second in command of the Trump Pirates.
What she couldn''t have known was that the mere mention of the Bear King''s name would have been enough to send Foxy into a spiral of depression. Which it did before rapidly transforming into an angry rant about the allegedly cowardly, dishonorable, pathetic, reprehensible actions of Helena''s brother. This, in turn, had prompted Helena to defend her older brother with equal fervor, leading to both of them engaging in a childish argument.
From what Byron had been able to decipher from the caterwauling, the Bear King had been in a rather sorry state when the Foxy pirates had come across them, as their failed assault on Mecha Island had further depleted the already weakened crew. Determined to rebuild his crew but simultaneous acknowledging that his chances of defeating the Foxy Pirates in a straight up battle were slim, Helena''s brother had challenged Foxy to a Davy Back Fight.
To give the Bear King some credit, it had been a reasonable decision on his part. A victory would have allowed him to replenish his own ranks with the veterans he''d be poaching from Foxy''s crew as his spoils of war. Unfortunately for the East Blue pirate, what he hadn''t factored into his calculations was that the Silver Fox happened to be an expert in using the time-honored pirate tradition that was the Davy Back Fight, to forcefully take members of other crews and add them to his own.
Much to his own detriment, the Bear King had discovered that Foxy''s record of 920 straight victories to only a single defeat, shouldn''t have been taken as lightly as he''d obviously done. Shortly after the traditional pistol shots were fired, to signify the irretractable acceptance of the challenge, Helena''s brother had found himself with three crew members less than he''d woken up with that morning. Subsequent attempts to get them back had been unsuccessful and the Trump Pirates, including the Bear King himself, had all been reunited as the newest members of Foxy''s crew, honor bound to swear loyalty to their new captain.
At least, they should have.
Mere weeks after joining the crew, the Bear King had staged a mutiny by gathering the more unscrupulous members of his former crew as well as recruiting those who had been disillusioned when Straw Hat Luffy had shattered their captain''s illusion of invincibility. The plot had been well executed by all accounts, with Foxy and his officers having been caught completely unawares by the Bear King and his fellow conspirators.
Yet, for all his childishness, Foxy was a pirate who had survived the Grand Line for years, and he''d quickly rallied his loyalists around himself and fought back. The whole affair had concluded with the mutineers fleeing into the night, though not before stealing a ship and a significant portion of Foxy''s booty. Including the bottled directions to a luxury resort island they''d fished out of the sea.
Understandably, the Silver Fox had been rather upset with the whole affair and was nursing a very large grudge. As a result, tempers had flared when he''d found himself face to face with the traitor''s sister, especially once she began making excuses for the villainous cheater. Which was how Byron had gotten dragged into this mess, as his own honor demanded he defend Helena, whose status as his guest acted as a warranty of his protection.
Thus, with one side demanding that the Honey Queen be handed over and the other side staunchly refusing, there had only been one civilized way to solve this dispute. At least, only one which did not involve having the situation devolve into an outright war between the two crews.
A Davy Back Fight.
Once this had been decided, the Foxy Pirates had been quick to set up a festival ground, complete with dozens of stalls providing entertainment, food and fortune telling. Judy had even set up his own, selling his cocktails for a tidy profit. Byron had allowed himself to be swept up in the festive atmosphere too, confident that his crew would be able to handle their opponents. Not to brag, but despite the numerical disadvantage, the Harmony Pirates were a talented bunch and Byron knew the rules of the game. Most of them, at least.
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He just hadn''t counted on Judy.
He should have.
The first event had been the Donut Race, a staple in Davy Back Fights. In it, teams of three from each crew were given construction materials, consisting of three barrels and a set of oars, with which they had to build their own boat. Then, they would use said boats to race one lap around the island they were on. Unlike their tamer civilian counterparts however, the competitors of the Donut Race were allowed - and in some cases even encouraged - to do everything in their power to hinder their opponents from winning. And by everything, Byron meant everything. This included the use of weaponry, sabotage and conniving trickery, though outright murder was heavily frowned upon. Of course, this didn''t stop tragic accidents from regularly occurring at these races, but this unspoken rule ensured that the Davy Back Fight didn''t end in a bloodbath every time.
The disadvantage of not having a shipwright quickly made itself apparent, as Byron''s crew mates struggled to come up with a proper design that wasn''t a raft. But after much toil they successfully cobbled the barrels together into something faintly resembling a canoe. It was a sad, shabby looking thing, especially when compared to the shark-powered racing boat the Foxy had assembled under Porche''s leadership.
Nevertheless, Shura was a competent first mate and for all that she had a flighty personality, Helena was an experienced sailor. And both of them were capable of giving Judy proper directions. As such, despite the rudimentary nature of their craft, the race itself started off relatively well for the Harmony Pirates. Shura used his strings to link Porche''s Cutie Wagon and the Canoe together, allowing the Harmony Pirates to be pulled along without having to lift a finger themselves.
Porche''s team inevitably did notice what Shura had done, in no small part due to the Monda the Shark straining more than he usually would, and quickly cut the wires.
"Shura?"
"Yes, Judy?"
"Shouldn''t we start rowing?"
"Kid, why in the world would I ever do that?"
"Uhm¡to keep moving forwards?"
"Let me rephrase that question. Why do we want to keep moving forward?" Shura asked, speaking to his younger crew mate as if he were a particularly dim child.
"To win, of course." Judy replied, not quite understanding the question, causing the first mate to deeply sigh.
"And can we win by rowing?"
"If we row fast enough, yes we can."
"Can we row fast enough?"
"¡no." Judy begrudgingly admitted, causing Shura to grin.
"That''s why we''re not rowing. And before you ask, I do have an alternate solution." Shura stated, pointing a thumb in Helena''s direction, who startled like a deer in the lamplights.
"Why are you looking at me? I don''t like it."
"It''s time to earn your keep, princess."
Turned out that a logia''s ability to indefinitely produce their respective element as long as their stamina sufficed, could be repurposed to work like a jet dial for the sake of providing a boat with forward momentum.
A lot of forward momentum.
It didn''t take long before the Harmony Team was back in the race, going neck and neck with Porche''s Cutie Wagon. However, when they started pulling ahead, it spurred the remaining Foxy Pirates into action. Unwilling to lose again after their defeat at the hands of the Straw Hat crew, they began adhering to the age old wisdom that if you weren''t cheating, you weren''t trying.
Mines were laid in the Canoe''s path, nets cast at them from the shore and smoke screens set up. All of which were easily dealt with by Shura''s strings either cutting through the offending objects or being swung hard enough to make the problem go away. The running commentary was certainly impressed. So was Foxy for that matter, though the respective level of excitement varied, with the other captain seeming more stunned than anything else. That didn''t stop Foxy from quickly recovering though and initiating more operations to hinder Byron''s crew from winning the race.
With the more direct methods having been proven not to work, Foxy turned to more insidious means.
Operation Lie to Them ¨C setting up false way markers to throw the Harmony Pirates off course¡
"Shura, the sign says that we need to turn around."
"Judy, please tell me you''re joking."
¡failed.
Operation Sick Grandmother ¨C putting on an award worthy theatrical performance about a dying grandmother in need of urgent help, specifically designed to tug at the heartstrings of any person possessing even a shred of humanity to tempt them ashore¡
"Boss, err, Granny¡." Hamburg sobbed.
"Yeah¡I think I''m done for." The Granny (Foxy) groaned, before stretching out a skinny arm in the Canoe''s direction. "Oh, you on the boat! Please save me!"
"Shura, we need to help the poor grandmother."
"Oh, dear heavens. You''re not joking."
¡failed.
Operation Fake Goal¡failed.
Operation Hungry Hot Dog Stand¡failed.
Operation Definitely A Real Marine Checkpoint¡failed.
While Byron silently watched from the sidelines, Foxy''s attempts got increasingly sillier with every trick that failed to deliver the desired results. Until at last, only a few hundred meters separated the Canoe from securing the first victory of the Davy Back Fight.
"Slow Slow Bea¡"
Eventually, the man decided to drop all pretenses and use his devil fruit, which was when Byron decided to intervene by humming a lullaby. As soon as the first notes reached Foxy''s ears, his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he collapsed forward with a loud snore escaping his lips. Unfortunately for everybody involved, in an effort to be as precise as possible, Foxy had been standing at the very edge of the shoreline at the time of his involuntary nap, meaning that his sudden loss of consciousness sent him tumbling face first into the water below.
"And there you have it, folks! A devilish new move by our very own Captain Foxy! Surely, Operation Pretending to Drown will succeed with such a masterful performance. Now, that''s what you call acting." The commentator called out, drawing out a cheer from the assembled pirates. "If I didn''t know any better, I would believe that the captain was drowning for real."
"Shura, I think he''s drowning!"
"Why, so he is. Moving on."
"No, we need to help him!"
It spoke volumes about their faith in their captain''s theatrical ability, that the Foxy Pirates didn''t even entertain the thought that his current distress might be genuine. Judy, however, did not have the same amount of confidence and before Shura could stop him, Byron''s bartender had leaped into the water to swim to Foxy''s rescue. Unfortunately, for all his enthusiasm Judy was not a prolific swimmer capable of keeping both himself and Foxy above water. Especially not with their wet clothing dragging them down. Thus, Shura was forced to abandon the race in favor of pursuing his errant teammate, to fish both him and the drowning captain out of the water.
The good news was that Judy''s actions saved the life of another. That Foxy was their best bet to finding out where the Bear King might have fled provided some marginal benefits as well. The bad news was, that in a race as close as the one they''d just participated in, the short amount of time Shura had spent on a rescue operation turned out to be costly.
By the time Shura had dragged the two idiots back onto their boat, Porche and the Cutie Wagon had crossed the finish line.
Interlude: Silver Fox II
¨C Byron ¨C?
When the crew mate Foxy chose to join him turned out to be his fianc¨¦e, Judy had been inconsolable. He blamed himself for losing Marie, as he rightly should, and it was only Shura''s promise that he''d get her back in the very next round that stopped the young man from causing a larger scene. That said, the absolute despair and subsequent rage the bartender was directing at Foxy was astonishing. So much so, that it had prompted the man to break out into a comically large amount of sweat and look away, clearly unable to meet his savior''s eye. The one attempt Foxy made at mediation had been his offer to pick Judy next so the two lovers would be reunited, but the traumatized look Judy had sported on his face silenced the Silver Fox rather quickly.
Still, the situation was far from unsalvageable. Because as this was a three-coin game, there were another two events in which they could make up for Judy''s poor decision making. Byron probably could have also gone up to his fellow captain and convinced the man to choose someone else. Mentioning Judy''s history and his experiences on Sabaody would have no doubt garnered the young man enough sympathy points, that when combined with the life-debt Foxy owed him, would have more than likely resulted in Foxy rescinding his initial decision.
But Byron hadn''t.
Judy needed to learn a lesson and personal loss (however temporary) was the most effective way of making it stick. Judy was a good lad, but his new way of life demanded more of him and would cost him dearly if he refused to change his ways. In a world where the only people one could rely upon were one''s crew and their various allies, shallow morality was only going to be a liability. If he wanted to do good in the world, Judy had to realise that he needed to do it only on a scale where he could handle the consequences. After all, regardless of whether or not a good deed would have a large return on investment further down the line, the initial cost usually tended to be higher than electing not to do it in the first place.
Or to put it another way, Judy needed to learn where his limits were. Those who consistently ignored those limits and challenged fate, either ended up being very lucky or very dead very quickly. So far, Judy had been lucky. Who knew if he would continue to be in the future.
Looking at the steely look in the young man''s eyes now, Byron was confident that the lesson had at least begun to sink in. He would turn Judy into a proper pirate yet. However, before he could do that, he needed to prevent him from giving up on life entirely and to achieve that, winning the second event was a must.
Which ended up being a game of modified dodgeball by the way, with an extensive set of rules numbering precisely nine hundred and ninety-nine, intended to cover all possible scenarios. The rules were enforced very strictly too, with any referee making calls, which were not perfectly in line with the plethora of regulations, being at risk of literally losing their head. As far as Davy Back Fights went, the event called Hit and Dead Ball was as fair as they came.
"What a great upset, folks! Who would have ever imagined such an outcome! I suppose the moral of the story is, don''t get in between a man and his love! It won''t end well for you! Oof, what a shot, right to the noggin! Unfortunately for our dear contestant, headshots don''t count. Though, you''d think Judy would have learned the lesson after the first one hundred and fifty-seven times."
Still despite this, when one side drastically outnumbered the other 500 to 4, the entire game seemed like an incredibly unfair matchup. In truth, this also turned out to be the case, with one team absolutely demolishing the other in a very one-sided match. Not that it was all that surprising to be honest, because in the face of righteous fury, the Foxy Pirates simply hadn''t stood a chance.
"How culd yu? And a-agter I was so nishe to you too, Roxy! Ah eben saved y-your life!" Judy slurred in between sobs. "How vould you take mai Marie away von me?"
As if to make up for his earlier mistakes, Judy had imbibed more of his experimental concoctions than he''d ever done before and consequently turned into an angry, sad drunk. Shaking and swaying with no discernible pattern, the bartender danced his way of the trajectory of every ball trying to touch him with deceptive ease.
"You will phay!" Judy roared out, glaring at his shamefaced opponents. "All ob u will ¨C Hick ¨C payy!"
Occasionally, he would also catch the ball before hurling it back at a particularly painful spot along with a slurred insult, his tongue having long since been freed from his brain''s moral control. It was difficult to judge which of the two hurt the targeted Foxy Pirates more, though if Byron had to make a guess, he would wager that it wasn''t the balls.
"I get that you''re angry, but can you at least hit them somewhere that isn''t Foxy''s face?" Shura complained, snatching the ball out of the air before Judy could. "You''re making me do all the work."
Supporting Judy''s little rampage were the rest of Byron''s remaining crew mates, who were bringing their various gifts to bear in this competition. For one, Shura''s observation haki basically rendered Byron''s first mate untouchable to his opponents. That this very same ability also made Shura''s own aim unerringly accurate, resulted in Foxy''s team being casually dismantled in front of their captain''s swollen, disbelieving eyes.
"Hey, I''m helping too!" Helena protested, briefly taking up her human form to shake a fist in Shura''s direction. "I''m helping a lot!"
"Yes, yes you are. Now get me that ball!" However, as could have been expected, Shura''s dismissive tone only resulted in the pass going to Judy. "Oh, come on! Not the face again!"
If Judy and Shura constituted the Infield half of the Harmony Team, the Outfield portion was being covered entirely by Helena. Literally in some cases as she took full advantage of the fact that the use of devil fruit powers was not against the rules. The Honey Queen had leveraged her logia powers in order to erect a liquid barrier around their opponent''s half of the field. Considering that the outfield''s mission could fairly accurately be summarized as delivering the out-of-bounds ball back to the infield team, Helena''s control over her fluid form ensured that her teammates didn''t have to go without something to throw for long.
When combined with an abundance of friendly fire from the Foxy pirates themselves, especially at the hands of their half-fishman-half-giant member, their side of the field had emptied itself out very quickly, until only their captain remained in play after only a few short minutes.
Not that Byron had any right to criticize Foxy, as he''d been kicked off the field near immediately because he''d run afoul of rule #683. Sadly, hoping that nobody else had thought of humming a lullaby to put the opposing team to sleep, had apparently been too much to ask for. Just so you didn''t misunderstand, you were allowed to sing or otherwise generate noises which could be understood as being musical in nature.
Unfortunately for Byron, the sole exception to this rule had been lullabies, because another pirate had attempted a similar tactic some 177 years ago. Subsequently, the incensed losers had successfully campaigned for an expansion of the rulebook. As a consequence of which, Byron had been forced to watch from the sidelines as his team won the second event without him being able to contribute at all. While their victory did pave the way for Marie to be rescued, Byron couldn''t shake the feeling that he was going to be the butt of many jokes for being the first and only player of the Harmony Team to be eliminated¡
Foxy didn''t last all that much longer either, having been mentally and physically exhausted by being forced to rapidly oscillate between one extreme of the emotional spectrum and the other. The catalyst had been the severe dejection and shame which had set in whenever Foxy met Judy''s accusing glare. It had usually ended up driving the man to his knees, which had resulted in Porche doing her best to keep her captain in the game by cheering him up. But whenever she would manage to restore him to a triumphant mood, Foxy would meet Judy''s gaze again starting the whole comedy routine anew. This vicious cycle of involuntary squats finally ended when Shura put the panting man out of his misery with a well-placed shot to the abdomen.
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On the bright side, with Marie back on their team, the Harmony Pirates could now have two people participating in the final event instead of Byron being forced to compete all on his own.
Dodge Touch Mr. Daruma was the pirate version of the popular children''s game Red Light, Green Light, in which the players had to approach and touch the referee without the referee seeing them move. Essentially, they were supposed to manage this feat by freezing in place whenever the referee was looking in their direction and taking advantage of the moments in which the ref''s gaze was turned away to close the distance. Of course, having appropriated the game for the purposes of a Davy Back Fight, their swashbuckling ancestors had put their own spin on it. By which Byron meant, they''d decided that an "everything goes" approach was acceptable when trying to hinder the competition.
As the Foxy pirates weren''t idiots, they had quickly clued in on to the fact that Byron was behind the recent string of narcoleptic incidents plaguing their crew. Naturally, they had plugged their ears with whatever wax they could get their hands upon. Though, like his traitorous and deceased former first mate, the Foxy pirates had been unaware that Byron''s ability to influence people with his music wasn''t limited to others. If anything, the buffs he could apply to himself were far greater than those Byron could impart to others, purely because he himself was the audience Byron understood the best. As a result, he could tailor his performance to achieve the greatest resonance.
It would have taken a small miracle for a small band of fruit-less, haki-less, generic paradise pirates to beat him in a fair fight. Limited as he was by the rules of the game, trying to prevent them from ignoring him and rushing headlong towards the referee was slightly harder. Especially since Byron had his back turned to the referee by necessity of his chosen role. Fortunately for him, Byron had recently unlocked his observation haki, meaning that he was able to tie Porche, Hamburg and friends down quite effectively. Much to their growing frustration.
It was also thanks to his burgeoning haki, that Byron knew Marie was being proactive and not standing still at the starting line like his eyes were telling him. Unbeknownst to the Foxy Pirates, who were mistakenly reassured by the spectral clone she''d left behind; Marie had been making steady progress up the mountain under the cover of her illusionary camouflage. Porche and co may even have started to feel a bit better about their chances, when despite Byron''s halfhearted efforts, the Foxy Pirates managed to make some headway while Marie seemed perfectly happy to do nothing at all.
Hence, imagine the surprise the Foxy Pirates must have felt, when Marie reappeared at the mountain peak with her hand firmly grasping the referee''s shoulder and thus securing the Harmony Pirates their final win.
As a whole, the Foxy Pirates had a rather inflated sense of importance about themselves, even if this was somewhat understandable when one considered their history. Despite being hilariously weak individually in the grand scheme of things, practically every member had once occupied a critical role on their original crew. These included positions such as the doctor, navigator or even the captain, which had also made them attractive prospects of recruitment for Foxy''s style of headhunting. In short, they had never known a life in which they hadn''t been desirable in one form or another.
This being the case, a crew composed of nothing but desirable, skilled and important individuals had to be strong by definition, no? Their very favorable win-loss ratio over the course of nearly a thousand Davy Back Fights had only reinforced this self-image further. When combined with Foxy''s impressive ability to find loot and treasure so that he could keep his large crew properly funded, it meant that his ship was an attractive place to be for the average paradise pirate. All of which ultimately culminated in the piece of comedy playing out before Byron''s eyes.
With five hundred men and women doing their best to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible, the once orderly line quickly devolved into a chaotic blob, with its members seeking to muscle their way to the back of the crowd to hide from Byron''s sight. A few of them even backed so far away, that they were in danger of falling off the shore and into ocean below. The accompanying murmurs only added to the ridiculousness, especially when Byron didn''t even want any of them on his crew. One, admittedly well-meaning, idiot was already more than enough, thank you very much.
"He''s going to choose me; I just know it."
"What do I do? I don''t want to leave this crew."
"When he chooses me, I''m going to go with a smile. I want my former friends to remember me fondly."
"I better not meet his eyes. If he notices me, he''s going to pick me for sure."
Byron could have simply taken their very ugly flag as his spoils of war and hence banned them from flying their colors ever again. He might even have been doing them a favor, as he couldn''t fathom that they were voluntarily sailing with an amateurish misrepresentation of a fox proudly displayed on their main sail. While he didn''t know what sort of sadistic individual had forced such a cruel fate upon the Foxy Pirates in the past, Byron was certain that they must have been someone with a very callous nature.
The Callous Individual In Question
Though in the end, when it came down to a choice between saving the Foxy Pirates from the abomination that was their flag and doing something that would benefit his crew, Byron was always going to pick the latter.
"Captain Foxy. It wasn''t easy but I''ve made my decision."
"You have?" Foxy asked, before noticing the finger pointed in his direction. "Me?"
"Yes. Welcome aboard."
"I knew it! There was no way that you wouldn''t want someone as amazing as myself on your crew!" Foxy exclaimed, his nose pointing tall and proud into the sky. He looked so pleased with himself that Byron didn''t have the heart to burst his bubble. Especially when behind that proud look, the now-former captain seemed to be on the verge of tears at the prospect of leaving his old crew mates behind. "Guys, I''ll miss you!"
"We''ll miss you too, captain Foxy!" Porche called back, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. Those words opened the floodgates holding the watery reservoirs at bay and soon the field was flooded with the sounds of sobbing and teary goodbyes. It was a very touching sight, showcasing the deep bonds of friendship between Foxy and his former crew. It was also somewhat premature in Byron''s opinion.
"Crewman Foxy! I have a mission for you, which you are to embark upon immediately."
"Aye, captain Byron?" Foxy saluted, in response to which Byron''s smirk got just a little wider. "How may the amazing Foxy be of service?"
"You are to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew; raid, pillage, plunder, and otherwise pilfer your weaselly black guts out as you''ve been doing until now."
"¡eh?"
"With the caveat of being the newest affiliate crew of the Bellamy pirates, so our allies and civilians are off limits. Any questions?" Immediately following Byron''s question, Foxy raised a hand. "Yes?"
"B-but¡but where am I supposed to find a ship and a crew? I''m broke." Foxy stammered out, having gone rather pale. Unmoved by the pitiable sight, Byron just pointed to the small crowd of leaderless pirates behind him, who had gone suspiciously silent and were watching the proceedings with a large degree of interest.
"You may want to begin with those guys over there. Something tells me that they just lost their captain and could use a new one."
Chapter 81: Philosophy of Awakening
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
Monkey D. Dragon.
Son of the marine hero Garp the Fist and Luffy''s absent father.
For being part of this rather conspicuous lineage, Dragon was a man whose mere existence evoked many questions, starting with why Garp had decided to name him after a mythical creature in the first place. Personally, I wanted to give the old Vice Admiral the benefit of the doubt, and believe it to be representative of his desire to see his son become a noble and strong marine. It wasn''t the most polished of opinions, true. But the alternative was Garp taking inspiration from certain fishbowl wearing idiots, which was as unlikely as it was a cruel thought to entertain.
Either way, from what little I knew about the man, Dragon had followed his father into the marine corps before leaving it at some unspecified time due to the irreconcilability of their sense of justice with his. Fast forward a couple of decades and Dragon had gone from being the leader of a small band of Freedom Fighters to the Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary army. In all likelihood, it must have taken an eye-boggling amount of effort to even reach this stage, not to mention how much was still needed to keep the momentum going.
As such, enough wealth to buy the world or not, arranging a meeting with the leader of a global military organization such as Dragon was never going to be a simple affair. Especially, if the individual in question spent most of his time travelling the world to command his troops, inspect his scattered bases and drum up further support for his revolution. Meaning, that despite Sabo having contacted his commanding officer near immediately about my offer, it had still taken a good two months before Dragon managed to foist his responsibilities unto Emporio Ivankov and return to Baltigo Base.
As I had little else to do, I''d made good use of that time to explore a train of thought which had occurred to me during my battle with Mad Treasure. Namely, the ubiquitous spring-like nature of our universe. Like I had noted before, everything which was compressible could be understood to be a spring in one form or another, from the largest stars down to the basic building blocks of reality. And if there was one thing springs did very well, it was oscillate.
Just in case you guys weren''t physicists¡ another term for the energy contained within molecular oscillation was heat. In other words, I had the potential to turn into a thermal generator at will, at least once I had gained enough control over my devil fruit. Which in turn meant that I could make use of the Seebeck Effect to convert the generated thermal energy directly into electricity. Admittedly, it wasn''t the most efficient method in the world, but unlike my earlier ideas of turning my heart into an electromagnetic generator, the Seebeck Effect didn''t require any moving parts. That it would also free up Aisa to act as an independent combatant was an added bonus.
However, as amazing as this breakthrough had been, it paled in comparison to the possibility entailed in Dragon''s offer.
"What do you know about Devil Fruit Awakenings?"
"Very little, I''m afraid." I admitted. "Basically that it''s the only way to unlock the true potential of a devil fruit and achieving it greatly enhances one''s powers. In the case of paramecias like myself, my element affecting not only my own body but my environment isn''t outside the realm of possibility. At least according to some rumors."
"That about sums it up." Dragon nodded. "While it isn''t without risks, there''s usually a near insurmountable gap between an awakened fruit and one that''s not."
"Near insurmountable?"
"Yes. While awakening a fruit requires mastery over one''s devil fruit, mastery does not automatically translate into combat effectiveness." He explained. "Those who rely only on their awakened devil fruit and nothing else can still be beaten rather easily. Or for that matter, be countered by sufficient expertise in haki or the creative use of another devil fruit."
"You''d think that would be obvious."
"You''d be surprised at how often people miss the obvious. Anyway, it''s a good thing that you think so, because that saves me the trouble of having to pound that lesson into your brain. It also means that we have more time for more interesting topics¡"
"Pound¡?" I mumbled to myself, his choice of words making me uneasy for some reason.
"¡and that we can get down to the meat of things." He grinned. "Do you have any idea how one would go about it?"
"If there''s a manual I haven''t heard about it. As you yourself know very well, awakenings aren''t that common in the first place, and those who managed it tend to be close-lipped about it." I sighed, shrugging in a what-can-you-do gesture.
"True. At the end of the day, most people or even most fruit users aren''t even aware of its existence, never mind the methodology."
"Unlike you?"
"Unlike me." He confirmed, smirking slightly. "After all, I awakened mine."
"I guessed as much. You wouldn''t have mentioned it if you hadn''t." I replied, before leaning forward eagerly. "When do we start?"
"As soon as we''re done here. But before you get overly excited, there are two things that need to be said first. The first being that what I''m about to teach you are the conclusions I''ve drawn from my own experiences and may not necessarily be true for anybody else. Exceptions to this may very well exist." Dragon paused, waiting until I gave him a nod before continuing. "As for the second matter¡"
"By any chance, is it something along the lines of: you''re not ready to awaken your fruit just yet?" I interjected, causing him to raise a curious eyebrow.
"Why, yes. That''s exactly what I was about to say. How''d you guess?"
"Just a feeling." I answered, leaning slightly back in disappointment. "Well, that and the fact that I know of a few who have awakened theirs."
"You do?"
"Doflamingo and Gild Tesoro come to mind." Giving Dragon a wry smile, I shrugged again. "Not sure if you noticed but there''s a rather large gap between them and I at the moment in terms of devil fruit mastery."
"I''m not sure where you''ve heard that little tidbit, but that''s mighty interesting information."
"You didn''t know?" That was unexpected. I guess that even their incredible intelligence network wasn''t perfect.
"It''s not something you go about proclaiming from the rooftops. For most of us, it''s the ace up our sleeves." He said, scratching his chin. "Though, this does mean that we''ll have to reshuffle the infiltration teams a bit for safety reasons. That''ll push several of our operations back."
"¡"
We both froze as his words registered, triggering an awkward silence. What was it with members of the Monkey family and casually blurting out secrets? And more incredibly, how had this man kept the Revolutionary Army hidden for so long?
"You weren''t meant to hear that."
"I''m legally deaf."
That had to be genetic. Even the response was the same as Garp''s and Luffy''s.
"Smart man."
Though, on the other hand, it did mean that Dragon trusted me enough to let his guard down around me, didn''t it? I supposed that was good news.
"Can we get back on topic, please?" I requested and Dragon complied, eager to move on from his...accident.
"Sure. You were correct when you pointed out the disparity between yourself and the likes of Doflamingo. But the difference isn''t quite what you think it is. Awakening goes beyond merely mastering one''s fruit. It''s a venture into the unknown, using the foundation you''ve built until then." Dragon explained, waving his hands about like an overly excited magician. I probably just looked confused. "Think of it this way. You are aware of how a devil fruit power manifests, largely depends on the imagination of the user?"
"Of course."
"Awakening goes a step beyond that. Whereas before you''d be moving within the rules and bending them to suit your needs, awakening is the process of creating a new rule and enforcing it upon the world. Or at least your own unique understanding of a rule."
"There has got to be a catch."
"Naturally. Beyond needing to be strong enough in body and mind to handle the boost, you must get your fruit to agree with you."
"Agree?" I echoed. "You speak as if devil fruits are sentient."
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"While it''s true that they aren''t sentient in the same manner as your or I, surely someone of your standing is aware that devil fruits have a will of their own?" Dragon asked, one singular eyebrow disappearing into his hair. "Is it so unthinkable that they would have preferences or desires too?"
"I suppose, it is rather telling that zoan users are influenced by whatever creature their powers emulate¡" I mused, scratching my chin. "If I''ve understood you correctly, that''s just the process of a devil fruit nudging its user towards a preferred end state?"
"Exactly. Personally, I believe that all devil fruits want to awaken and hence seek to prepare their user accordingly, though some do this more than others. Think of it as a symbiotic relationship." He said, holding up two hands, palms up. "As you grow into your power, so your power helps you grow ever more attuned to it, until you are eventually able to tap into everything your fruit has to offer."
"So¡basically, my mind and body have to catch up to my power." I said, quoting Kaido''s explanation from the canon manga series. It had been a barebones answer and not one designed to be an expos¨¦ into the mechanics of devil awakenings, but it was the single biggest clue I had. Dragon looked rather surprised at my words, though he quickly caught himself and gave me a wide smile.
"That is the minimum requirement, yes."
"But where does the creation of a new rule fit into all this?" I blinked.
"It''s implied in the minimum requirement. Like I said, fruits aren''t truly sentient and thus aren''t capable of conscious thought. As such, they lack one integral ingredient which we humans have."
"Which is?"
"The ability to dream." Dragon stated in a low tone, lending the simple phrase more gravitas and philosophical depth than it would have had coming from near anybody else.
"I''m assuming you''re not referring to the things my brain experiences while I sleep."
"Call it a vision or the big picture if you must. Unlike us, devil fruits do not possess the ability to present a roadmap for the future and are driven by instinct more than anything else. However, as useful and powerful as it can be, instinct alone is never enough to reach the top."
"I''m still not seeing it."
"If we only ever learn and practice that which was already done before, can we call that true mastery?" If nothing else, the exasperated look in his eyes, one which had been a staple on the faces of my professors, made it obvious that this had been a rhetorical question. "Every layman can do the same with enough time and effort. No, to truly make the fruit''s power your own, one must be a pioneer. And if you manage that get your fruit to fully cooperate with you¡you can change the world."
"Okaaay¡ setting aside that this seems like a circular argument, how exactly am I not ready?"
"You can hardly convince your fruit to follow your vision if you haven''t finalised it in your own mind yet, can you?"
¨C Aisa ¨C?
Aisa loved being a member of the Bellamy pirates. They were funny, nice and genuinely cared about her. In a way, they were like a bunch of new aunts and uncles who doted on her and gave her cookies when Bellamy wasn''t looking. Though sadly, now that he had unlocked his own haki, it had become increasingly more difficult to smuggle cookies past him.
"Stand still!!" Aisa called out. Olga just turned around and stuck out her tongue.
"Never!"
More often than not, he always burst into the kitchen at precisely the wrong time to find her with her hand in the cookie jar, before proceeding to take her beloved snacks hostage. Aisa always had to work very hard to rescue them from Bellamy and make sure they were safe by winning the ensuing game of tag. She usually did ¨C though she had the faint suspicion that he was letting her win ¨C and the rewards were always very tasty. That didn''t change the fact that these training sessions ¨C Aisa wasn''t stupid. She could tell! ¨C were very tiring and somewhat stressful. Even if they were fun at times.
"Got you!"
"No, you missed Aisa-chan!" Soren giggled, ducking around a corner.
Getting to play an actual game of tag with no hidden motiv¡ moti¡ reasons was something she had missed dearly without having realised it. When she was still with the tribe, she''d used to play such games with the other children. At least until they realised that she was the chief''s granddaughter. Things had gotten much lonelier after that.
"Stop running and let me tag you!"
But things were different now because Aisa had friends her age. In fact, she had two! Admittedly, it had taken a little time to coax Soren out of her shell, but now she was very eager to discover what fun was like. Olga was a lot of fun too, if a little odd. She really seemed to believe that she was over two hundred years old, but that was just silly. Aisa was bigger so she had to be older, right?
"Too slow! Better luck next time!"
But quirky or not, Aisa loved her new friends and spent as much time as she could playing lots of fun games. Like hide & seek, jumping rope and tag. To make things fair, Aisa always limited herself so that she was about as strong and fast as Soren and Olga. Oh, and her haki. That had to be turned off too.
Which was why Aisa had no idea why Olga stopped in the middle of the chase to peer around the corner while letting out an impressed Oooh. It was only when she stuck her head out above hers, that Aisa found out exactly what had caught her friend''s attention. And even as Soren completed the totem pole of heads, Aisa watched transfixed as a fishman ran through a series of punches and kicks with Nico Robin watching from the sidelines. While the movements themselves weren''t anything new, the way they flowed together was¡different. In fact, the whole sequence reminded Aisa a lot of her tribal dances.
"Wow."
"Seems like your audience grew a bit, Mr. Hack." Robin said, beckoning the trio over, seeming quite amused to have them here. The fishman seemed less enthused.
"This isn''t a playground, children. You shouldn''t be here."
"We''re not children. I''m a brave shandian warrior!" Aisa declared, puffing out her chest. But like Olga''s muttered objections, her statement was similarly disregarded.
"Yes, yes. Run along children."
"Not before you tell us what you were doing." Olga imperiously replied, crossing her arms and staring up at Hack. Soren tried to copy her but ended up looking more like a curious puppy. Instead of answering, Hack just tried to stare Olga into submission. It didn''t work.
Thankfully for everyone involved, Robin was rather good at resolving arguments.
"Mr. Hack was showing me the basics of Fishman Karate." She answered the trio, though that told them basically nothing.
"Fishman karate?"
"Yes. Mr. Hack is an expert in this martial art discipline and a combat instructor of the Revolutionary Army." Robin explained. "He was kind enough to offer me lessons."
"Can you show us more?" Martial arts? That sounded interesting. Very interesting indeed.
"No. It is a dangerous art, and I will not be responsible for any injuries resulting from you three trying to copy me without the proper technique."
Apparently, Olga disagreed with the fishman because she leaned backwards to whisper into Aisa''s ear.
"Huhuhu. I''ll call it boring to trick him into proving us wrong. Then I''ll do it again and again until I''ve seen enough to copy him later."
Unfortunately, Olga was really bad at whispering so that everybody clearly understood her.
"You know, we can hear you, little miss." Hack muttered, looking rather unimpressed. "If you don''t want me to learn of your plan immediately, you shouldn''t say it out loud."
"Hoh!" Olga said in realisation, lightly bringing her fist down unto her open palm.
"Why are you looking impressed?"
Perhaps it had been Olga''s threats or Soren''s puppy eyes, but in either case Hack eventually gave in and agreed to teach them his secrets. If only to stop them from hurting themselves. Though, contrary to the trios initial intentions, the lesson plan turned out to be much more time intensive than Aisa had initially anticipated.
And as she lay groaning in bed a few weeks later, Aisa would regret awakening the demon that was the combat instructor Hack and allowing him to take over her evenings. Robin, being her very unhelpful self, kept encouraging everybody involved while providing lots of arms to practice against.
Though oddly enough, the thought of quitting never once crossed Aisa''s mind.
Chapter 82: Road to Closure
¨C Nero ¨C?
Life could be cruel at times.
To grant someone the barest glimpse of greatness, only to then let the fog of ignorance fall upon the path once more¡ it was akin to letting a parching man in a desert catch sight of crystal clear water, before revealing it to have been a mirage. One could not miss what one did not know existed. In a way, life had dangled the perfect lure in front of Nero''s face and afflicted him with the curse of knowledge.
So yes, life could be cruel at times. That his words may ultimately turn out to be helpful hardly made things better in Nero''s opinion.
For Nero, the rokushiki were special.
They weren''t only some of the most powerful set of fighting techniques in the world. Their knowledge and the ability to perform them was the sole prize Nero had walked away with from his stint in the Government. If one discounted his friendship with Koala (whom he had believed dead at the time), his daily improvement in the rokushiki had been one of his few sources of pride in those bleak days.
After graduating from boot camp, the frequent beatings he''d suffered at Jabra''s hands had made achieving mastery that much more attractive. Rob Lucci''s scornful derision for Nero''s lack of proficiency, and his being declared worthless shortly thereafter, had only reinforced this in Nero''s mind.
While Nero''s motivation had once been a desire to be recognized as their equal, somewhere along the way it had morphed into something else. It wasn''t quite mastery for mastery''s sake, but it was close. Not least because the rokushiki had been the focus of his existence for so long that becoming an undisputed expert had become his life''s goal. If one were to take one more step, one might even say that Nero needed closure.
He''d seemingly been getting close to reaching that milestone as well. For one, Tequila Wolf had been an enlightening experience. Jabra had certainly been highly proficient in the art and what Nero had been too weak to see prior to the sea train fiasco, had become much more apparent in his final battle against the CP9 agent.
And two, awareness of the gap between them was the first step in filling it, was it not? He''d been doing so well too.
Or so he''d thought.
So, when Jabra had casually revealed the existence of a secret seventh technique, he''d found that rather than having conquered the intended peak, Nero had climbed a hill to find a mountain looming before him. To say the least, it had done a lot to put his current progress into perspective.
"Rokuogan is the ultimate attack of the Rokushiki style, which only those who have absolute mastery of the other six can access."
Curiously enough, Bellamy had known more about the rokuogan than Nero had, despite having no discernible background which might explain this. Though frustratingly for Nero, despite being aware of something he had no right to, the actual extent of Bellamy''s knowledge had been limited. Apart from the minimum requirement necessary to perform the technique, Bellamy had only the following to add:
"I''ve heard that the user must focus their physical strength to launch a devastating shock wave from his knuckles in a forward direction, causing severe internal injuries to the victim." He''d said. "In a way, it functions similarly to an impact dial."
While better than nothing, it really hadn''t been a lot to go on when trying to reverse engineer something Nero had only experienced once. Naturally, Nero had had his work cut out for him. Considering that his only clue had been a possible resemblance to a White Sea dial, Nero had quickly secured Laki''s assistance with a hefty bribe of (Ross'') sweets. He''d rather not futilely bang his head against the wall, thank you very much.
"Rokuogan...?"
Many months and a copious amount of dials later, Nero had been finally ready for his first test. And how could it be otherwise, it had been a spectacular failure.
"I think the leaf moved a bit? Like half a milimeter? Laki, what do you think?"
"Uhmm¡"
"It didn''t move at all, did it?"
"I''m afraid not."
Of course, a single failure was never going to be enough to dissuade Nero from his path. The cave hadn''t managed it. The CP9 hadn''t managed it. A minor setback wasn''t going to. Nero wasted no time in moving on to his next theory. Perhaps, if studying the anatomy of shellfish and its mysterious internal mechanisms wasn''t enough, feeling its effects firsthand would work.
"Are you really sure about this?"
"Yes."
"Like really, really sure?"
"Yes."
"You do know that it will hurt, don''t you? Like...a lot?"
"No pain no gain, right?"
That had been the start of a few very pain-filled weeks. At the very least, Nero had gotten intimately familiar with what the rokuogan was supposed to feel like in miniature. Not that it had resulted in much progress to be honest. After all, just because one knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of pain, didn''t automatically mean that one knew how to dish it out.
The experiments had only confirmed this unfortunate reality.
"Rokuogan."
"¡well, the leaf trembled a bit. It''s progress."
"Back to the drawing board?"
"Back to the drawing board."
How did one "focus their physical strength to launch a shock wave" anyway? Without noticeably moving to boot? Utterly lost on what to try next, the pair had brought their (lack of) findings onto the agenda of the Crew''s regular Friday meetings and asked for ideas. While most of the well intentioned advice had either been inapplicable or off-target, Eddy had come up with a potential way forwards.
"So, I''ve been working on my version of the Seimei Kikan, you know."
"Remind me, what was that again?"
"It''s a technique that allows the user to completely control all of their body parts, even parts that cannot normally be controlled. This includes involuntary functions such as digestion too."
"Interesting world we live in."
"I''m surprised that you didn''t know about it. After all, I got it from Kumadori."
"Didn''t you cut the guy''s head off on Tequila Wolf? When did he manage to teach you about it?"
"He had a very talkative personality."
"That he did."
"Plus, Izou knew about it too. Anyway, what I''m trying to say is that the technique requires one to extend one''s consciousness throughout one''s entire body."
"Consciousness?"
"Will, chi, bioelectricity, haki, whatever floats your boat really. The main thing I''m getting at is this. If you have complete control over your body and it''s functions, wouldn''t focusing your physical strength be included in that? Not really sure about it, but hey. Maybe it''ll help?"
"It''s better than what I''ve got. Let''s try it."
Izou had been delighted to add even more hours to their already grueling training regimen, but Nero couldn''t argue with the results. The Whitebeard commander had somehow beaten the technique into him and Nero still wasn''t quite certain how he''d done it. All he remembered was that Izou had exuded an air that screamed learn or die, and that Nero had no intention of doing the latter.
While having a New World pirate come after you with deadly intentions had been a thoroughly terrifying experience ¨C enough to make Nero unlock his observation haki to get away ¨C Nero couldn''t argue with the results. Even when discounting his new haki, the benefits had been palpable. His punches had gotten significantly stronger and his legs faster by virtue of being able to mobilize greater amounts of his reserves at will.
That said, there was still a teensy tiny problem.
"Rokuogan!"
His control ended at his skin. Beyond that, whatever physical strength he''d gathered to try and expel from his body¡very quickly dissipated into thin air.
"I can see a crack in the bark at least."
"Nero, that''s an oak tree. It''s covered in cracks."
"Well, one of them did get a little longer."
"Huh. Now that you mention it."
It was pure chance that Nero stumbled across his next clue. He''d been up and about, taking a leisurely stroll through Baltigo Base to try and get used to his new observation haki, when he''d come across Hack demonstrating fish-man karate to Aisa and Robin. This had been significant in so far that Hack''s punch had created a visible shockwave. While it hadn''t been exactly the same thing as the Rokuogan, it had been enough to pique Nero''s curiosity.
The following theoretical lecture did make it abundantly clear that fish-man karate and the rokuogan were only very tangentially linked at best. However, there had been one key detail that had caught Nero''s attention. Namely, Hack''s martial art was based around the manipulation of water. Water, which was usually outside the user''s body. As so far, affecting anything beyond the limits of his skin had remained out of reach, Hack''s lecture had thrown open another door of possibilities.
Attempting to figure out the underlying principles of one martial art style, especially one as esoteric as water manipulation, and applying it to another was never going to be a simple task. And nobody had ever accused Nero of being a genius when it came to the theoretical side of things. Thankfully, Hack and Nero did have nearly half a century''s worth of experience between them and slowly, very slowly, they''d dissected the puzzle that was the rokuogan together.
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"ROKUOGAN!!!"
The results of their research had been two tiny, barely noticeable indents in the face of a cliff. But Nero would swear that it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen in his entire life.
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
I didn''t regret making my deal with the Revolutionary Army. Having a safe base of operations had already proven to be extremely useful, because as nice as the Black Pearl was, an actual land base allowed for significantly larger training facilities. Not to mention that on land, we could go all out without having to worry about accidentally sinking our own ship and us along with it.
Then there were the bevy of other benefits such as a shipyard for repairs, a stable source of supplies, information as well as instructors for my crew. Sadly, as everybody knew, nothing in life was truly free.
"I hear you''ve got a problem on another island and need us to bail you out?" I asked, swaggering into the office and plopping down on the couch. The owner of said office soon joined me with two cups of coffee.
"No. We''re going for a walk and thought you might want to tag along." Sabo dryly replied. "Coffee? The sortiment is a little limited as we aren''t on Baltigo, but this place does produce some of the most fragrant beans in Paradise."
"With two sugars please." I replied, accepting the offered cup. "By the way, a walk? Really?"
"It''s a very long walk."
"Across the ocean?" I asked incredulously.
"You can walk on a ship''s deck, can''t you?" He replied with a completely straight face. "All jokes aside, we''re planning a liberation and the team could use a few additional heavy hitters."
"A liberation, you say?" I echoed in a questioning tone.
"According to some intel, the minor island has been recently taken over by a group of pirates who have enslaved the entire populace to work in its mines."
"Why does that sound so familiar, I wonder?" I murmured, referencing our adventure on Argent Isle. Of course, Sabo''s following smirk clearly signified that he was aware of those events.
"Why indeed?"
"That was rhetorical." Sadly, my grumbling seemed to provide the chief of staff a lot of joy. Sabo''s grin got a little wider.
"I know."
"You''re an ass." I muttered under my breath, but sadly a veteran like Sabo had good hearing.
"Please. If anything, I''m a gentlemanly ass." He said brightly, as I let out a small groan. Point to him. "Anyway, we''re hoping to secure the friendship of the locals and set up a base of operations there. So try to keep the collateral damage to life and infrastructure to a minimum, will you?"
"When have I not?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
In this case, Sabo''s call had been nothing unusual as I had agreed to do the occasional mission for these guys like the simple one we had done last month. To be honest, I wasn''t that opposed to the idea either. With the Payback War slowly looming over the horizon, we''d spent a relatively long time training our asses off in between missions. While the last couple of months had no doubt been productive ones, I was ready for a change in scenery.
"Alright. Count us in." I said. "We could use the distraction."
"Glad to hear it." Reaching behind himself, Sabo handed me a small folder of documents. The mission dossier.
"Though, it must be quite something if you''re calling us in." I commented as I leafed through the pages. There weren''t that many.
"Not really." Sabo smiled, casually sending a verbal jab my way. He obviously hadn''t quite forgiven me for the stunt I''d pulled with the Pure Gold. It wasn''t my fault that he hadn''t expected me to drop a mythical treasure in his lap. "In fact, we don''t expect any substantive amount of resistance. You guys are a contingency measure."
"Do please elaborate." I asked, one of my eyebrows disappearing behind my hair. "What constitutes a substantive amount resistance to you?"
"Gecko Moria comes to mind, though you did deal with that situation rather handily." Sabo hummed. "Though anything above a marine Rear Admiral would qualify."
"Well, in that case. Should be a walk in the park¡ though, where are we going exactly?"
"Just a small island called Silver Mine."
"That''s not a very vague name at all, is it?"
"Nope. In fact, we have good reason to believe it to be rather literal." Sabo answered. "The island is more or less one giant silver mine."
"Right. No wonder you guys want it. I''m not sure how big those mines are, but they must be fairly lucrative if you''re willing to risk exposure to secure them." Draining my coffee, I placed the empty cup down on the table with a soft clink. "Though, if you don''t mind me asking, how is it that the marines or the World Government haven''t taken over yet?"
"It''s a small island, much smaller than the one you met Moria on. Silver Mine is unmarked on most maps and believed to be a deserted rock. Until a short time ago, it was actually deserted, before a small group of prospectors decided to dig a hole there."
"And of course, they found silver and started a silver rush."
"More or less. Only a small one though, which hardly made it worth the notice of the World Government. Especially when they are as busy as they are right now. You had something to do with the latter I believe."
"I have no idea what you''re talking about." I denied reflexively.
"Oh, don''t play coy. Who else could possibly be responsible for the sudden flare up in hostilities between the Joker and Gild Tesoro? I hardly think that it is a coincidence that the Casino King decided to break his unofficial non-aggression pact with your former patron mere days after you visited the Bloody Countess."
"Did anyone ever tell you that you''ve got an active imagination?"
"All the time. But am I imagining things in this case?"
"¡no." I admitted. We were allies, so lying wasn''t going to help me here. "Got to say though, I hadn''t expected her to move this fast."
"It certainly caught us by surprise. The joker too, if his network''s panicked response is anything to go by. Coincidentally, his current predicament benefits you tremendously."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Because he needs everything he has to fend off Tesoro, he can''t devote nearly as many resources to tracking you down as before." Sabo explained. "Case in point, the strain on our counterintelligence efforts to keep you hidden have decreased significantly in recent weeks."
"Thanks for that by the way. Really appreciate it."
"Don''t worry about it. What are friends for?"
Chaos amongst Criminals?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
In a surprising twist of events, two of the four lords of the underworld have turned on each other in what can only be described as a frenzied feeding frenzy.
Formerly believed to have been on cordial grounds, war has erupted between the blackmarket weapons dealer also known as the Joker and the Casino King, Gild Tesoro. The number of bodies washing ashore and the steadily increasing cases of people vanishing without a trace are clear indicators of the deadly nature of the conflict. It is only by the valiant efforts of the marine corps that no gunfights have broken out on the streets and that innocent civilian casualties have remained within acceptable bounds.
While it is unclear what prompted Gild Tesoro to break this alliance of convenience, but analysts are saying that this is a break from his usual MO. It certainly seemed to have caught the Joker with his pants down. However, the quick marine response ¨C it only took them three weeks ¨C lends credence to a claim put forward by Vice Admiral Aramaki. Humble as the man is, he didn''t outright declare that he had anything to do with the situation. Instead, he praised the veteran Vice Admiral Tsuru for coming up with a plan of action to keep our streets safe, while only hinting at his own involvement.
On an unofficial note, a recently promoted senior marine officer with a plant based devil fruit, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that this entire chain of events was clearly the result of a carefully executed operation of the Marine HQ. After all, only their tactical brilliance could have possibly faciliated the current infighting between criminals while the hidden hand of the government remained¡hidden.
It is surely a blessing that we have individuals of such genius intellect and incredible humility protecting us.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
And as always, please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
Chapter 83: Desire
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
I was never calling anything a walk in the park ever again. Ever. Honestly, I should also have known better than to trust Sabo''s stupid grinning face. At the very least, I should have suspected something was up when the chief of staff hadn''t specified where the island actually was. As it turned out, Silver Mine was located in the initial sections of the New World and Sabo had forgotten to mention that little tidbit until we were well on our way to Sabaody.
Understandably, I was tad miffed at the whole situation. Not about the need for us to travel to the New World, mind you. Heavens knew we''d been travelling to and fro from Paradise every time we visited Baltigo. It was about the route Sabo had chosen. Now, under normal circumstances the underwater passage near the archipelago would present the fastest, and arguably safest, route from Paradise into the New World. Unfortunately for us, present times were anything but normal.
Despite the chaotic aftermath of the Summit War and the heavy casualties they had sustained, ten months had been enough time for the Marines to put their house in order. The new Fleet Admiral hadn''t been idle either after assuming his new office and had energetically gotten to work dyeing the marines with his brand of Absolute Justice. New recruits had been trained, order in core areas reestablished and the Akainu had managed to solidify his control over the global organisation. The final piece of puzzle in removing Sengoku''s influence was to be the relocation of the Marine HQ from the pulverized Marineford to the New World.
As a consequence, the route from Sabaody was absolutely clogged with marine vesssels, personnel and civilian contractors. Meaning that trying to sneak an infamous pirate frigate past all that security unnoticed¡ that had sounded like a spectacularly stupid idea. Sabo, who I had been increasingly certain would be classified as being certifiably insane by any self respecting psychiatrist, had just given me a bright grin and said:
"Trust me."
I hadn''t. Not in the slightest. Unfortunately, with no other viable plan of action, I had been forced to hand over the reins of the operation to my friend of questionable mental stability. After a brief stop at Shakky''s, both to say hello and pick up the letter she''d asked me to deliver, Sabo quickly got to work. For all that it was a monstrously powerful and dangerous organisation, the World Government was also horrendously corrupt and rotten to its core. Likewise, not every marine in the navy was a dedicated guardian of justice, whatever the trending definition may be at the time. Nezumi being a prime example.
Thus, a few stacks of bills in the right hands resulted in the guards waving us through with nary a fuss. Those senior officers, who turned out to be unbribeable, were conveniently drawn away from their posts at the right time by an accident requiring their urgent attention elsewhere. Of course, my Crew and I had to stay hidden during the entire process while Sabo''s men manned my disguised ship, but that was a small price to pay for our safe passage.
Robin and I spent that time continuing our regular training sessions. More specifically, training her haki. Despite knowing a lot about it, Robin hadn''t ever displayed the capability to use either armament or observation in the canon timeline. At least not to my knowledge. And honestly? I had never understood why.
In terms of sheer strength of will and determination, she would have placed very highly even amongst the Straw Hat crew. In terms of theoretical expertise, I highly doubted that any of her crewmates would be able to hold a candle to my girlfriend. And finally, the Revolutionary Army should have been more than capable of providing an instructor had she ever needed one. The ingredients were all there, but for some unknowable reason, Oda had neglected to give Robin haki.
Personally speaking, this was an affront that needed to be rectified. And rectify it we did. Izou''s lessons had proven invaluable at the start in helping Robin to unlock both observation and armament, but he had left the two of us to our own devices afterwards and wandered off to focus on the others. He had also given me a rather conspicuous wink before closing the door, much to Robin''s amusement.
"How was that?" Robin asked me after we finished sparring for a bit.
"Better. Much better." I answered. "It already wasn''t easy to get into close range before, but now it''s actually a challenge to try and hit you."
Once she had clued in to the fact that her usual method of breaking her opponent''s spine wouldn''t work on me, she''d turned to other means to stop my approach. We were experimenting with a lot of different ideas, some useful and others not so useful but we were making steady progress. One such brainchild had been blooming a veritable forest of limbs into existence around her to create a defensive barrier, composed of hundreds of arms all coated in armament and using fishman karate to slap unwary attackers into submission.
"Yet, you still succeeded. Rather easily too." Robin pointed out, though without losing her smile. I matched it with one of my own.
While such a fortress theoretically had the potential to be inpenetrable, its effectiveness depended a lot on Robin''s ability. As she was still in the first stages of learning both haki and fishman karate, bulldozing my way through today had been a viable strategy. However, it was far from certain that the same method would continue to work in the future once she got the hang of both disciplines.
"I''ve haki too, you know, and I''ve had it for longer." I reminded her. "You''ll get there with time."
"Hmmm." Robin hummed in agreement, palming her left cheek. "It won''t take that much longer either, I think. Especially when I have such a nice practice dummy."
"Wow. Way to make a man feel appreciated."
"Nice of me, wasn''t it?" she teased before scooching over to hug me. I returned it. "But really. Thanks. And I''m not only talking about today, either."
"Uhm¡it was nothing?"
"No, it wasn''t nothing." Robin refuted while gently grasping my face between her soft hands. "You saved my life on Tequila Wolf. And even if it weren''t for that, I know that you went out of your way for me when you didn''t have to. Several times in fact. So, again. Thank you for helping me, Bellamy. I''m not sure how I can ever repay you but I will."
"You don''t need to, Robin. Honestly, it was my pleasure."
"Then this is for mine."
Then, as I had half been hoping, she slowly leaned in and gently covered my lips with her own. It was brief kiss and mostly chaste, but regardless I was left gasping for air afterwards. Robin was breathing heavily as well, her cheeks tinted red and her eyes shining with mirth, as well as something I could not quite identify. On instinct, I reached out to take hold of her cheeks in the same way she held mine, slowly closing the distance between us once again.
"Captain! You''re gonna want to see this!" Or at least I was going to, when Rivers slammed the door open before proceeding to close it just as energetically. "Errr¡ I didn''t see anything?"
"Rivers. This better be important¡" The or else was implied, but from the way my sniper slash scout blanched, the message was delivered loud and clear.
"Uh... Aisa sensed something and sounded the alarm? Does that count?"
Exchanging a quick glance with Robin, I sighed and got to my feet. "I suppose it does. Let''s get out there and have a look. Rivers, your bloody timing was impeccable by the way. It physically couldn''t have been any worse."
"I''m sorry?" Rivers squeaked. Robin just giggled.
"Fufufufu."
Seriously. What perfect timing.
¨C Lily ¨C?
Lily knew that the world was odd and filled with crazy people. This had been true back home in the Blues and it was doubly true on the Grand Line. Heck, the old coots back home were liable to have thought her insane for casting away her inheritance and running off to join a pirate crew. But in her entire life, she hadn''t believed she''d ever meet anyone with a less sea worthy mode of transportation than the Blackbeard pirates and their raft.
"Here, have some tea. It will warm you guys up in a jiffy."
"Thank you, Mr. Cook. That''s very kind of you."
"Oh, think nothing of it. If you need anything else, just let me know. Like Blackleg would say, nobody goes hungry on my ship."
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"Blackleg? As in the Straw Hat Sanji?"
"Yeah, he''s somebody I respect a lot."
Fate had laughed and decided to prove her wrong. Like it always did. You''d think that she would learn, but Lily continued to be surprised each and every time. In a way, it was the consequence of maintaining a tenuous hold on her faith in rationality and reason in an absurd world.
But even with all that¡ a fish?
"Funkfreed, can you get a couple more blankets from below deck? These girls are freezing."
"Arouu?"
"No, I don''t need anything else. Just the blankets, please."
"Pawoo?"
"On second thought¡ that''s a pretty good idea actually. Funkfreed, well done. Mind picking up a packet while you''re down there? They should be in the third medicine cabinet."
"Arouuuh."
"It''s the fifth, you say? Are you sure?"
"Barooha!"
"When did you reorganize the cabinets?"
"Pawoo."
Admittedly, it was a large fish and kitted out with all manner of gadgets and weaponry, but at the end of the day, it was still just that. A bloody fish. And this lunatic had decided to enter the New World while riding on its back. As had the redhead''s crew of thirty female racers. For a quartermaster like Lily whose entire job consisted of trying to keep her crew fed and alive, this decision was like the very incarnation of incomprehensible negligence.
What was it about the East Blue that kept producing nutjobs like these?
What about supplies? And shelter? Where would they sleep? How were they going to keep themselves from getting lost on the Grand Line? For that matter, how had they remained together as a cohesive group without the crazy weather scattering them to the four winds?
"Not that I''m ungrateful or anything, but how did you guys find us in time to rescue us? Vision was severely limited due to all that mist."
"You can thank Aisa over here. She''s the one who heard you and convinced us to come have a look. She''s also the one who told us that you seemed like a nice person which clinched it, so to say."
"You''ve got to be kidding me, captain. That little girl?"
"Yep, her. She''s probably worth thrice as much as you are by the way, so do play nice."
"She''s got a bounty of a hudnred and fifty million belli? Wait a goddamn minute. There''s only one child on the six seas with that bounty¡ which means you''re¡"
"Springtrap Bellamy at your service. It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Captain Desire."
The utterly ridiculous amount of arrogance this girl must have had to dare enter the New World in such an unprepared manner¡ it boggled Lily''s mind. Not that the girl, who''d introduced herself as Desire, seemed that confident or arrogant now. When they''d fished her and hers out of the water, they had looked more like a bunch of drowned cats with how they were bundled up in borrowed towels.
By the time that Lily and co had reached the scene, the Sweet Pirates were in the process of being gunned down by a cruiser and she''d seemed rather shellshocked after her crew''s close brush with death. In fact, Lily was certain that most of them wouldn''t even be alive right now if it hadn''t been for Laki and Rivers sinking the hostile vessel.
"Laki, I don''t think I like her anymore."
"Is it because she didn''t recognize you, Aisa?"
"Uhhhh¡ no?"
The attackers themselves had been allowed to flee on a lifeboat, though unbeknownst to them they were being followed by Rivers and Fuza. It was only a matter of time before they found the pirate base, though Lily had the faint suspicion that she already knew where it was. After all, there was nothing of interest in the near vicinity except from the Isle of Silver Mine.
Her hunch was proven correct not long after that when Rivers returned from his little scouting mission along with another informational tidbit. Turned out that Silver Bill had been behind the attack against the Sweet Pirates, though what reasons the newest Super Rookie could have possibly had remained a mystery. Perhaps he''d been trying to protect his silver mines from possible interlopers?
"Do you have any idea why you were attacked?"
"None whatsoever. From our perspective, the ambush came out of nowhere. When I get my hands upon the one responsible for this, I''m going to make the bastard regret ever messing with the fastest racers from the East Blue."
"You certainly seem motivated."
"Why not? They hurt my friends. That should be reason enough. Though, may we trouble you for a ride?"
"You''re going after them right now?"
"Yep. Granny always used to say not to leave problems unsolved until tomorrow. It''s like old grease on the stove, she''d tell me. You either use a little bleach now or the whole bottle later."
"Makes sense, I suppose."
If that were the case, Lily pitied the man. She wouldn''t begrudge a man fighting to defend what he believed rightfully his. Not to mention that the whole might-makes-right attitude had been slowly loosing its lustre for her. But the Revolutionary Army wanted that island and the Bellamy Pirates were honor bound to assist them. Plus, from the way her captain was comforting Desire, it seemed that he''d taken a shine to the East Blue rookie.
"Well, we were going after him already, so why not?"
"I call dibs on the bastard."
"Sure. You can have the first crack at him."
"¡that was easy."
"If you want to do my work for me, please. Be my guest."
No, Lily wouldn''t begrudge Bill the right to defend his current territory. However, when it came down to it, she would always prioritize the interests of her crew and their allies. Anyway, with the Bellamy pirates and the vengeful Sweet Pirates bearing down upon him, Silver Bill was about to have a very bad day.
"Guys, let''s move! We''ve got an island to liberate."
"Aye, aye captain!"
Cancelled Holiday Plans?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
The past few weeks were surprisingly peaceful in the South Blue resort island of Bali, though they were by no means, calm. While the seasonal flurry of activity is in keeping with the traditional holiday season, the extent of the
desperation excitement was rather unusual. But with good reason.
Following the age old custom of his forebears, one of the gods had decided to descend from the holy land of Mariejois and grace the island with his divine presence. While we mortals may never truly know what the reasoning had been behind this decision, it was undoubtedly a wise and virtuous one. The slanderous rumors coming from some corners of uncivilized society are clearly deceitful in nature. After all, how dare they suggest
truthfully that someone as busy with their celestial duties as a World Noble would have the time to be¡ malicious?
Regardless, the entire population of Bali pulled out all stops to welcome St. Charloss and make the task of inspecting their home an easy one.
However, much to the terrible disappointment of the locals, the anticipated arrival of the Celestial Dragon never occurred. And that despite the entire populace, from the smallest babe to the most grizzled senior, having been voluntarily assembled at the beaches by the marine garrison in preparation for the welcoming ceremony. After two days, the crowds were
finally permitted to disperse, once the news arrived that the visit was cancelled.
Ostensibly, this was due to St. Charloss''s merciful nature deciding to spare the island the burden of feeding his relatively humble retinue. It definitely had nothing to do with the private yacht inexplicably requiring urgent repairs, which had taken too long for the World Noble''s fickle nature not to force a change of plans.
Though, with the yacht being only the latest in a long series of unexpected accidents, it seems likely that the holiday plans of the World Nobles will sadly have to be put on hold this year.
Reported sightings of an orange-haired, curvaceous young woman wearing a crimson newsboy cap with gold goggles, a pink shirt with a frilly collar as well as a maroon short skirt and brown high heeled boots in the vicinity of the yacht just prior to the accident were unable to be independently confirmed by this paper.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
And as always, please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
Chapter 84: Silver Bill
¨C Eddy ¨C?
The nice thing about Observation haki was that it usually told you when you were about to do something monumentally stupid. With a bit of practice, that limit could then be lowered to account for more mundane inconveniences such as not stumbling over a length of rope for instance. Or avoiding one of Aisa''s many pranks. Having thus honed his haki to achieve the required level of competency, Eddy had no issue with heeding its warnings. He hadn''t regretted it since.
Which was also why he had decided to deflect the incoming projectiles rather than cutting them in twain as had been his instinctive response. He was glad he''d changed his mind too, because their explosion had scattered patches of sticky glue everywhere. Getting covered in it would have been a rather unpleasant experience, not to mention the nightmare that trying to clean it out of his hair afterwards would have been.
So no, Eddy was happy to listen to his sixth sense whenever it chimed up. Especially when he was treated to the gobsmacked look on his opponent''s face as a result. Judging by his disbelieving stare, Eddy would infer that Perseta hadn''t ever faced a haki user before. Or at least not one who had bothered listening to his inner voice.
Which was a tad odd in Eddy''s opinion, because as one of Silver Bill''s two senior officers who''d made it to the New World, Perseta really should have come across haki by now. Then again, while they were both members of a Super Rookie''s crew, Eddy and friends had spent most of the past year training and preparing themselves with a Warlord''s crew in mind.
It wouldn''t be too much of a stretch to think that Perseta, and Bill by extension, simply hadn''t been experienced enough. They''d likely not understood how risky an unprepared incursion could be nor would they have had the knowledge required to shore up their weaknesses.
On that count, the Bellamy pirates had been lucky to not only have had a prudent captain, but one who had successfully recruited some very talented instructors. Which was just another reason why he couldn''t help but adore both his captain and his crew. Honestly, Eddy was realising again how getting Izou''s personal attention was a luxury that other paradise crews couldn''t even dream about.
If he''d signed up with any captain other than his own, Eddy wasn''t sure he''d have ended up any different from Perseta. A one trick pony, trapped in a hopeless situation against an opponent he was utterly outmatched by.
"With a subpar trick to boot." Eddy thought as he lazily deflected another volley of cannonballs. A slight flick at the end even sent the projectiles flying back in Perseta''s direction faster than he''d launched them. "Well, and that''s that."
Turning his back on the now immobilized and harmless pirate, Eddy sat down to watch the rest of the battle. Not that it was much of one to be honest. Eddy had noticed that whenever they found themselves in a combat situation, things tended to go one of two ways. They were either forced to desperately fight for their lives against an opponent who ¨C at least nominally ¨C outclassed them. Or they''d curbstomp whoever was unfortunate enough to be in their way. Though, seeing as those two choices covered all bases, maybe it was only natural that one of those two cases always occurred?
...logic had never really been his strong suit.
Anyway, the rank and file of Bill''s recently founded Silver Alliance were being swept aside like a sand castle before the flood. Not only were the Revolutionaries heads and shoulders above them in terms of combat ability, the Sweet pirates were also wreaking havoc amongst their ranks.
Somehow, they''d repurposed their few remaining fishy rides to function as land roaming vehicles. Very quick and mobile ones at that with lightweight cannons attached. The result was that the Sweet Pirates were, for a lack of a better word, racing circles around the Silver Alliance while bombarding them with artillery shells.
Funnily enough, the Silver Alliance had attempted to respond with fishriders of their own. However, as if trying to prove that they were not only the best racers of the East Blue but also the Grand Line, the Sweet pirates had obliterated the opposition within only a few minutes. Which also had the unintended side effect of essentially reducing the enemy horde to a sitting duck amongst a swarm of angry piranhas.
Most of Eddy''s crew mates hadn''t even needed to get involved. Case in point, apart from the few fighting Bill and Avelon, they were all lounging around having an impromptu picknick.
"Oh, finally done are ya? Took you long enough, Eddy. You really need to up your game, ain''t that right, Hewitt?"
"Yup. Hopefully your performance in other matters is more satisfy¡ hey, wait! Wait a goddamn minute! Muret, let''s put that needle down and talk about it, alright? No need to go that far."
"Talk."
"¡I''ve got nothing. What about you, Ross?"
"I was talking about navigation?"
"Funkfreed."
"Funkfreed? What about him?"
"Arouu?"
"Sit."
"Gaakh!" "Ooof!"
Speaking of Avelon, that fight was wrapping up too. Eddy wasn''t sure what had prompted Mani to volunteer for the task of taking the locomotive wannabe down, but she had. If he''d been his pre-Jaya self, Eddy would not have given his friend very good odds of coming out of this alive. After all, Avelon had a lot of weapons, including cannons and bombs. Mani did not. Avelon had a devil fruit. Mani did not. Especially the devil fruit would have drastically shifted the scales in Avelon''s favor.
However, after spending a bit of time around devil fruit users, Eddy had come to realise that their powers weren''t automatically as overwhelming as he''d once believed. Like any tool, their effectiveness varied drastically depending on the expertise and imaginative power of the user. In that regard, Avelon was about as imaginative as a brainless rock.
Seriously, the ability to turn any part of his anatomy into wheels and all he did was transform his hands and feet? Eddy could think of no less than twelve different ideas on how to make better use of that fruit off the top of his head. It didn''t even have to be anything complicated. Just turning himself into a giant spiked wheel would have been more effective than trying to hit Mani by throwing bombs at her.
Not only that but why had he limited himself to moving about a set of pre-laid train tracks? Even if Avelon occasionally jumped between tracks, it made him very predictable. Predictable meant vulnerable, which was doubly true if your opponent had observation haki. Avelon quickly found this out the hard way, when Mani snuck up behind him without her target noticing a thing by taking advantage of the smokescreen created by Avelon''s own explosions. A few moments later, she was walking towards her crew while casually flicking some blood off her dagger.
So, yes. Eddy had noticed that whenever they found themselves in a combat situation, things tended to go one of two ways. They were either forced to desperately fight for their lives against an opponent who was at least their equal. Or they''d curbstomp whoever was unfortunate enough to be in their way.
Today was definitely shaping up to be the latter.
¨C Sarquiss ¨C?
Fighting Bill felt good.
After the danger fraught experiences of Tequila Wolf and Bonbori''s gut, being able to easily dominate a combat situation was a refreshing change of pace. Sarquiss would almost call it a relaxing experience if it weren''t for the tears and the crying and the heightened emotions of his temporary partner.
Desire clearly had a bone to pick with Bill. Not that Sarquiss could really blame her, because one, he would have reacted in pretty much the same way if someone had dared to harm or threaten his friends. Scratch that, he''d already lost his cool at least once with Satori way back when. Gods, it felt like that had been a lifetime ago instead of a mere 16 months.
And two, Bill''s reasoning would have infuariated anyone. Seriously, what sort of sick mind decided that¡
"Hey, that girl looks useful. Let''s kill all her friends and cast her down into the deepest depths of despair, all so that I can ''rescue'' her and become her hero. Once I''m her hero, I can manipulate her into doing my bidding as a competent underling. Later, when I get tired of her or she no longer proves useful, I can always dispose of her without any consequences. "
¡was a good idea? That Desire had ultimately lost none of her crew in Perseta''s failed ambush was inconsequential in this regard. Once Bill had run his mouth like some sort of cheap cartoon villain, the East Blue racer had blown a gasket. Like any human being with a sense of personal pride and dignity would have, really.
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The problem was that in a competition between a pipe-wielding 50 million pirate and a devil fruit using 150 million super rookie, the super rookie usually won quite handily. Unsurprisingly, Sarquiss had been forced to bail Desire out near immediately, catching a silvery blade with his bare hands mere inches before it would have relieved the girl of her head. Thank goodness for armament.
To be honest, Sarquiss had been unsure if he was going to be able to keep Desire alive from Bill''s relentless assault like Bellamy had asked of him. After all, Bill was a super rookie who had taken the world by storm in the year following Bellamy''s own debut. He had twice Sarquiss'' own bounty and his devil fruit was the real deal, while Sarquiss had only eaten a SMILE. However, the moment his hand had made contact with Bill''s blade, Sarquiss had realised something.
Bill was weaker than him.
A lot weaker. It wasn''t just the rookie''s lack of haki either. Bill was slower than him. Had less punching power than him. And most critically, Bill had no idea how to fight someone stronger than him.
Unlike Sarquiss who had his ass handed to him on a regular basis by Bellamy and Izou, Bill barely seemed to have any experience at all. Thus, when Sarquiss danced circles around him while subtly nudging his strikes away from Desire and disrupting the rookie''s pace, Bill panicked. Of course, if panicking were a viable tactic in a crisis situation, everybody would do it. But as it wasn''t, the fragile mental balance Bill had been maintaining until then completely shattered. As a consequence, the fight which had already been an unfair 2 vs 1, turned into a very lopsided affair.
It didn''t matter what sort of weapon Bill tried to create with the metal ores he''d smelted within his body. With his concentration shot to pieces his creations soon followed; axes, swords, spears and even guns breaking down at an ever increasing rate. Desire, for her part, seemed to be having the time of her life beating Bill like a percussion instrument.
"Enough!"
Pushing Desire away with a surprise shoulder tackle, Bill began extracting knives out of his gut and hurling them at Desire at an alarming rate. She parried the first but soon her hands lost their coordination, requiring Sarquiss to abandon Bill in order to cover her. The moment he did so, their opponent turned on his heels and ran for the hills.
However, like Sarquiss had noted earlier, he was faster than the leader of the Silver Alliance. It didn''t take long before Sarquiss caught up, only to find that Bill had given up on running entirely and was in the process of stuffing himself with a mine cart''s worth of iron ore. His eyes were bloodshot and it was obvious that Bill was straining himself by attempting to digest more than his body could physically handle. But as people said, where there was a will there was a way and sometimes, a strong enough will could make things possible that reasonably should not be.
"You. This is all your fault."
Glowing red hot from the heat of melting ores, Bill''s bloated form lumbered towards Sarquiss, liquidating earth and stone with every step.
"Why couldn''t you guys have left me alone? I wasn''t harming anyone important."
In response, Sarquiss'' expression turned serious for the first time that day as he allowed himself to fall into a ready stance.
"Like seriously, what''s your beef with me? I certainly don''t remember picking a fight with you or the revolutionaries. Was it because I threw in my lot with the Monster of the New World?"
The air warped and wavered while the grass withered and turned to ash.
"Surely you know what it''s like to be faced with power you can''t comprehend? Didn''t you guys follow Doflamingo for the same reason? I just wanted to ride Gild Tesoro''s coattails for a bit too."
Sarquiss closed his eyes and concentrated, his senses painting a more vivid scene than his eyes had done.
"The Casino King ordered me to claim this island so I did. Didn''t even want his name involved for some reaon. His man told me I could keep whatever excess I had left over once I had paid Tesoro his share of the silver. It was supposed to be my chance at an easy life."
Black began to spread from his toes and his back, slowly creeping across Sarquiss'' entire body.
"All the silver I could ever want, extracted by idiots and guarded by fools at my behest. All because I sold them a stupid dream of everybody reaching the top. Why should I struggle to survive against monsters when I could live in the lap of unimaginable luxury? What other dream could I ever need?"
Eyes were opened, adding a final dash of clarity to the picture.
"And you ruined it. But I can recover from this. No, I will recover from this. I can always gather more morons and rebuild the alliance. Capture more dimwits to work the mines. All once I''ve killed the lot of you."
"I sort of felt sorry for you at first. Like you said, we had no beef with each other until now and it isn''t like I can''t see where you''re coming from."
A wave of liquid metal. Bill was trying to submerge everyone and everything in a wave of liquid metal, but the path was open and the target unguarded.
Sarquiss frowned.
"I used to think like you, you know?" Wings came to life, propelling Sarquiss towards his opponent who ineffectively tried to shoot him out of the air. "I left home because I wanted adventure and a better, easier life."
"Fucking Insect!"
"But you know what I''ve learned since then?" Sarquiss asked, swerving out of the way of a right rook before going for the kill. "Money isn''t everyhing."
"Of course it is! You can buy everything you''d ever wa¡hrrkk?
An ebony fist met shining armor. The fist won.
"I can''t buy Lily''s love with it. I can''t buy our happiness with it." With all the air forcefully driven out of his lungs, Bill could not even offer a token resistance as Sarquiss gently lowered him to the ground. "Not even with a treasure worth half the world. So what use is it to me?"
Without the devil''s power to support it, the red hot tsunami died down before it could really rise, the metal cooling by the second. Fingers scrabbled aimlessly at Sarquiss'' pitch black wrist, before a listless head came to rest against the ground.
"¡lovestruck f-fool¡"
"Maybe. But a happy one."
Grudge Match??
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth ¨C coming to you from Bernie, the twin brother of Ernie who is most definitely missing and not impersonating a non existent sibling.
It''s been near a full year since Whitebeard so foolishly challenged the invincible marines. And as we all know, the arrogant pirate paid for his hubris with his life. That his end was marked by the betrayal of someone he''d once called his own son was as inevitable as it was befitting the phrase: poetic justice.
It''s been near half a year since Blackbeard stepped in to start filling the gap left behind by former patron''s demise. While he hasn''t made any big waves so far, it was only a matter of time before he turns his greedy gaze upon the largest share of Whitebeard''s legacy.
Unsurprisingly, Blackbeard''s flottila has been becoming bolder as they test out the waters. Repeated incursions into territory still claimed by Whitebeard''s remnants have become the norm in the New World. The resulting instability and lack of security for the locals is clear evidence in support of Fleet Admiral Akainu''s decision to move his HQ into the New World. They are surely waiting for their liberation and will welcome the heroic saviors with open arms.
But it seems as if the Fleet Admiral will wait until the criminals have finished slaughtering each other before making his move. And experts are predicting that the fateful day is not that far off.
Marco the Phoenix has been quietly but steadily marshalling his forces, gathering his men and allies to Whitebeard''s home island. What is suprising is the utter silence coming from the former 2nd division commander''s direction to what could be considered a de facto appropriation of his adoptive father''s inheritance.
While it is yet unclear just how Marco has so successfully sidelined his rival for the empty throne, marine intelligence is predicting that anything less than a decisive victory will mean the end for Marco''s inept leadership. Most likely at the hand of a man he''d once called brother and now has become his greatest rival.
But what else could you possibly expect of the son of the Pirate King?
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
And as always, please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
Chapter 85: Overdue Family Reunion
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
Once Bill and his Silver Alliance were neutralized, securing Silver Mine became a trivial matter. Most of the newly freed prisoners in the underground mines either accepted the offered safe passage home, or as was usually the case, agreed to work for the Revolutionary Army in some capacity. Ironically enough, this usually involved doing pretty much the same thing they had been doing as part of the Silver Alliance''s efforts to extract silver from the mines.
Bill himself was taken into custody by Sabo''s men, though the chief of staff remained tightlipped about his intentions for his new prisoner. Despite having been taken down fairly easily by my first mate, Bill''s devil fruit could certainly prove useful in easing the Revolutionary Army''s logistics. Either way, I didn''t particularly care what his fate would end up being and so I didn''t pry.
Instead, I focused my attention on a new pet project of mine. Recently, Byron had let me know that he''d expanded the Bellamy Armada ¨C pending a better name ¨C by another ship and five hundred bodies. He''d done it by accident too, if his account of events was to be believed. While Foxy''s crew weren''t the most glamorous of recruits, they nonetheless had the potential to be valuable allies in my fight against Doflamingo.
In the canon timeline, Luffy had received a lot of help in storming Dressosa''s palace from many individuals, most of whom would later go on to become the founding members of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet. Which had also been the reason why I''d been gathering allies whenever and wherever I could. Allies like Urouge and Moria. And Byron.
However, if one looked at the trend I''d been following, my recruitment efforts had been disproportionally focused on small crews with a high degree of individual competency. Quality over quantity, as it were. Thing was, quantity had a quality all of its own and unless I wanted to exhaust myself taking out Doffy''s foot soldiers, I would need some of my own. Or at least a method to tie them down.
Foxy''s crew were godsent in that regard. They''d require quite a bit of work to be brought up to par, but by joining me they had easily quadrupled our numbers. Maybe I should dispatch Nero to help speed their progress along?
But regardless, now that I had two affiliate crews the natural thing to ask was¡ why not three?
Desire''s crew was nowhere close to being as large as Foxy''s, but it was still three times the size of my own. Add on their speciality and they had all the markings of a highly mobile strike force possessing firepower very much above their weight class. They weren''t there yet and it would take soooo much effort to get them up to snuff, but the potential was there.
We even helped her get set up with a mid sized galleon to serve as the mother ship and new lauching pad for her fish riding crew. Similarly to how aircraft carriers would act as berths for fighter jets, the newly christened Sweet Desire would hold the thirty battle boats we''d looted from the Silver Alliance. Having experienced first hand how helpless her crew had been in the face of Bill''s battleship, it had been an easy task to convince her to change her main mode of transportation. After all, like my crew had noted earlier, the back of a fish was no way to travel on the Grand Line.
Which made it disappointing when Desire declined my offer to become my affiliate captain.
I admit that her choice surprised me, as according to my memory of the show she had joined Bill with no questions asked. Then again, the situation wasn''t the same as it would have been then. For one, Desire hadn''t lost most of her crew nor been in a despondent state of mind after the ambush. Quite on the contrary. Her crew was alive and she had played a ¨C minor ¨C part in knocking Bill down a peg or two. As a consequence, her self-confidence was fractured but intact.
Though, now that I thought about it¡ this was also the person who had seen Luffy curbstomp Bill into the ground and then declared that she would reach the top by herself. Despite knowing perfectly well that it was an unrealistic proposition.
At least she wasn''t bullheaded enough not to recognize that her friends were in danger of getting seriously hurt if she continued along as they''d been doing until now. Hence, why she didn''t refuse my suggestion to accompany us for a bit and get some pointers along the way. Which provided me with just enough of an opening to postpone her final decision until a later date.
Was Desire worth the amount of effort I was putting into her? Especially considering the favor I was going to ask of a certain someone on her behalf? Probably not. But she was at least a cut or two above the normal riff-raff I could recruit in Paradise and I needed to visit Amazon Lily anyway.
Amazon Lily was an island famous for two things in particular. One, it was a jungle island in the middle of the Calm Belt, home to a tribe of haki wielding warrior women who called themselves the Kuja. And two, it was the home base of a Royal Warlord who laid claim to at least two rather pretentious titles at the same time.
Admittedly, neither of the two were really her fault. What was she to do when the world saddled her with the epithet the Pirate Empress when Big Mom was a thing? Refuse? Offer a formal rebuttal of her own unworthiness in the newspaper? Yeah, that hadn''t been a viable option so the title had stuck.
As for being called the most beautiful woman in the world¡ I could concede to being a tad biased on that front. Nonetheless, it was a canon fact that the mere sight of her stirred up lustful thoughts in almost everybody regardless of gender, though how much of that could be attributed to her natural charms was up to debate. Honestly, being able to turn a shipload of hardened, veteran marines into simpleminded simps with a flick of her hair... that wasn''t normal.
I was much more of the opinion that her devil fruit ¨C the Love Love Fruit ¨C was the cause of an effect quite similar to Veela Allure from the Harry Potter books. A subtle form of mind manipulation which provided the basis for her other, more petrifying powers to work. And now that I was faced with the full brunt of her charms, I could appreciate why Vice Admiral Momonga felt it necessary to go as far as mutilating himself to break out of its grip. Thankfully, I didn''t need to go quite as far. As it turned out, pinching myself was good enough.
"That was quite rude you know? Is this how you greet guests around here?"
"But you will forgive my actions. Why, you ask? Because, I am¡ beautiful." Hancock declared with absolute confidence, complete with her trademark pose, prompting the peanut gallery to react as they usually did.
"She''s looking down so much that she''s looking up!"
"¡that''s not how this works, lady."
Hancock for her part, seemed rather miffed that I refused to bend over backwards and forgive her attempt to petrify me the moment we met. Nearly as much as she was about my failure to be a good simp and be turned into stone in the first place. At least, having probably built up a bit of an immunity from Luffy''s unwillingness to fall in love with her, Hancock didn''t swoon and collapse in an overly dramatic fashion when I did something similar. Her subordinates on the other hand were much more vocal.
"Male! How dare you talk to her like that!"
"You impudent, insolent, impertinent¡ eh, man!"
To be honest, I had no idea why they seemed so upset with me. It wasn''t as if I was the only male specimen of our species they had come across and I was friends with Luffy. With how infatuated Hancock was with Luffy, one would think that saving the guy would garner me a warmer welcome. As unlikely as I thought it to be, maybe they didn''t know? It was worth a shot.
"Eh¡ I''m friends with Luffy?" I tried, but the response was frankly speaking, ridiculous.
"Liar! I know who you are, Springtrap Bellamy!" the Pirate Queen proclaimed in an accusing tone "Luffy called you his rival!"
"Miss, those are not mutually exclusive." I deadpanned. She ignored me.
"I would do anything for Luffy." Hancock intoned, hunching slightly and allowing her bangs to cast a shadow over her face. "Anything."
"Are you even listening to me?"
"I will not allow his enemy to exist!" she declared, straightening up to her full, impressive height. And, how could it be otherwise, my protests went unheard.
"Lady, I am NOT his ENEMY!"
"This is for love."
"You cannot be serious right now." I muttered, palming my face. "Look, I did not want to do this yet but lady, you are leaving me no other choice."
"Love¡"
"I''ve brought one of your potential in-laws along." I stated, thoroughly disturbing Hancock''s rhythm and taking the wind out of her sails. "The blond dandy back there is Luffy''s long lost older brother."
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
"¡arrow-eh?" As a result, her arrow went flying way off course to punch through a Sea King several hundred meters to the side.
"Can you tell me where Luffy is please? This family reunion is way overdue."
"But¡ wasn''t Ace his brother?" Boa Marigold asked in lieu of her speechless sister.
"He is. But I''m talking abou the other one."
"I''m meeting my brother-in-law?" Meanwhile, Hancock was barely refraining from squealing with excitement and muttering to herself, her blushing cheeks covered by her own two hands.
"Wait male, how do we know you''re telling the truth?" Boa Sandersonia interjected, wrapping an arm protectively around her daydreaming elder sister.
"Simple. We just need to go see Luffy."
The good thing about having a capable navigator was that the captain could take some time off as long as the course was set. Which meant I could afford to take the occasional break here and there. Sitting at the kitchen counter while sipping a much deserved cup of coffee, I tried my best to ignore the stare coming my way.
The stare got more insistent. I took another sip.
In the end, it turned out that I wasn''t the one who wanted to speak more.
"Bellamy. To tell you the truth, when you told me that you had a plan to deal with the Kuja, this wasn''t what I was expecting." Sabo deadpanned, giving me a very unimpressed look.
"Everything turned out fine, didn''t it?" I shrugged noncommittantly.
"Everything did not turn out fine." Sabo groused. "I want it officially on record that I opposed this plan."
"What''s your problem with it? They didn''t attack us, I get to deliver my letter and we''ll score a few browny points with the Kuja." I replied, ticking off my fingers. My friend seemed unimpressed.
"And you don''t think that lying to the Pirate Empress to get out of a tight spot might potentially¡ I don''t know¡ backfire? Like really soon?"
"Why does everybody think I''m lying? I''m an honest person."
"You''re Springtrap Bellamy. A notorious pirate known for being a tricky bugger with a silver tongue." He said, before vaguely gesturing in my direction. "Your face doesn''t exactly help either."
"Excuse me?" I exclaimed, putting on an affronted air. "What about my face? I''ve got a trustworthy one, don''t I?"
"Have you looked in the mirror lately? That smirk doesn''t exactly scream integrity." He pointed out. "You constantly seem like you''re planning a prank or something."
"Ouch. That hurts you know."
"Plus¡ regardless of how you convinced the Kuja that I''m apparently Straw Hat Luffy''s long lost brother, we both know that I''m really not."
"I''m not sure how to tell you this, but you really are."
"Bellamy, I get that you want me to play the part but your insistence on this charade is odd to say the least." Sabo replied, crossing his arms. "My memory of my childhood is a bit spotty I''ll admit, but Dragon investigated my family for me."
"Former noble of Goa Kingdom in East Blue, whose younger brother is currently scheming to take over the throne?"
"¡I''m surprised that you know that much, but then you''d also know that I only have that one sibling. I have no relations to the Monkey family at all."
"That you know of."
"That I know of." Sabo nodded but not without throwing out a verbal jab. "Still, don''t you think the notion that you know my family better than I do might be a little bit ridiculous?"
"Your memory is spotty by your own admission." I countered. "And do you honestly think that I would have told such a bold-faced lie in the first place? When Luffy refuting our claims would be all it would take for it to explode in our faces?"
"Pardon me, but¡ our claims?"
"I didn''t hear you tell the Kuja otherwise when I was talking to them earlier. Which means you''re at least complicit."
"Bellamy¡"
"If it helps, they probably won''t kill us?" I joked, playfully warding off Sabo''s attempts to strangle me. "I do have a letter for Hancock and if the worst comes to worst, Robin can probably put in a good word for us."
"Remind me again, how did I let you convince me that accompanying you was a good idea?" Sabo groaned, giving up his attempts to cut off my airflow and electing to bury his face in his hands instead.
"I didn''t. That was all you." It had been too. Something about Boa Hancock being too good of a prospective ally for the Revolutionary Army not to approach. Especially now that her relationship with the World Government was fraying very rapidly. Already rumblings were being heard that the big brass wanted to do away with the Royal Warlord system in its entirety, Akainu in particular being a vocal supporter of such a policy change.
"Sigh ¡there goes making a good first impression."
"Wanna bet on it?" I grinned.
"No."
"Are you sure? What do you have to lose?" I argued, causing Sabo to relent.
"What are the stakes?"
"A favor to be cashed in in the future?"
"It''s your funeral."
Our wager ended up being resolved decisively in my favor, not that I had expected otherwise. No sooner had Ace and Luffy laid eyes upon the tophat wearing blond, did the tears start flowing. Both those of joy and relief, as well as those of pain from how tightly a certain rubber human was wrapping around and squeezing a certain non-rubber human. Ace adding his own blazing emotions to the mix probably didn''t help.
"SABO?!?!??!?"
"YOU''RE ALIVE!!! I''M SO HAPPY THAT YOU''RE ALIVE!!!"
"Get off me! Bellamy, don''t just stand there grinning like a loon and help me!"
Nope. I was not getting in between an emotional sun, his limpet brother and their mutual victim. Sabo could enjoy being the centre of Luffy''s literally breathtaking hug for a little while longer. And honestly, I wasn''t even sure how I''d go about prying Luffy and Ace off of him without a crowbar. Hence, seeing as Sabo wasn''t in any real danger, I did the sensible thing and left the premises, inwardly promising to return in an hour.
Or two.
The Largesse of St. Camael?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
Months after the spark was lit to one of the greatest dangers to civlized society, the world can now breathe easily again. The speaker of the World Government announced only yesterday that the most severe jam shortage in living memory has now been resolved. The harvests are not quite bountiful, the production somewhat short of plentiful and the supply lines are a little less than secure. However, with Big Mom and Kaido sated for now, pirates have not been sighted in the vicinity for days at this point.
But the most important thing is that the breakfast tables of the World Nobles are complete once more. In a show of global unity and cooperation, the precious resource was gathered and delivered to the place where it was needed most.
Graciously, St. Camael even handed out high praise for all the obedient and diligent citizens of the world. In his own words, "It is good that the commoners know to act in accordance with their station, knowing when to serve and when to offer their betters what they are due. But I am a generous soul so let this jar of jam be the reward for good service."
It is an exceedingly rare occasion when we are referred to by the World Nobles as anything other than bugs, so this marks a monumental occasion. Even rarer is the day when a World Noble will part with a non-negligible portion of his property. Surely, with the support St. Camael has shown towards the furtherment of human rights, we''ll be able to spread the light of civilisation to the furthest reaches of the world.
In other news, a fierce debate has sprung up in the middle management of the World Government as to how they should go about distributing the largesse of St. Camael amongst the wider populace in a just and fair manner. Apparently, it will be a slow process due to unspecified logistical issues, but the government speaker has assured us that the matter will be given its due diligence.
However, until the time comes where we will all be able to enjoy the sweet taste of jam for breakfast once more, there is nothing to be done except expectantly wait in eager anticipation. And ignoring the rumors of the dastardly revolutionaries sniffing around the Isle of Jam. Because it''s not true.
Really.*
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
And as always, please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
*This statement by Vice Admiral Aramaki was dependently verified by dependent sources within the marine corps, who depend upon their goodwill to live their very much dependent lives. As such, it is the most independent source available.
Author''s note:
Ok, some of you may have read my comments, but the Payback War is next after our stop at Amazon Lily. I''ve got most of it planned out, though I do want to ask how you guys feel about chapters with Whitebeard Pirate POVs. I.e. Marco, Izou, Ace, Vista and the like.
Chapter 86: Exhibition Match
¨C Muret ¨C?
The Kuja were an interesting people. They were, in essence, a tribe of warriors and hunters who valued personal strength above nearly everything else. This, when combined with their near total isolation from the rest of the world, resulted in their culture developing in a very differently direction from what Muret was accustomed to. There were the obvious things such as choice of attire, favorite foods and the establishment of a matriarchal society. Though the latter was less of a choice and more of a necessity, because due to some genetic quirk, the Kuja were incapable of giving birth to male offspring.
Then there were the less obvious things.
Naturally, with a complete lack of men in their population pool, the women had been forced to take up all tasks needed to maintain their society. Which, given that they were a hunter-gatherer society, included a bevy of physically demanding jobs. Perhaps it was inevitable that the traits the Kuja deemed desirable were heavily skewed towards those that helped them survive.
To them, strength was beauty and to be beautiful was to be strong. Mani had been horrified to find out that she was deemed to be one of the least attractive members of the Crew. Of course, horror had given way to pity when further conversation revealed the lack of even rudimentary knowledge of cosmetics present amongst the Kuja. If it hadn''t been for the Captain having mandated that everyone be present for the current spectacle, Mani would likely still be introducing her curious pupils to the expansive world of beauty products.
Muret herself had been affected a lot less than her friend. In part, this was because she couldn''t care less if other women found her attractive so long as her boyfriend did. Not to mention that Muret had more pressing matters to attend to. Because whilst she may not have met their beauty standards, Eddy decidedly did.
This was all her captain''s fault. According to the rumor mill ¨C otherwise known as Mani ¨C Bellamy had carelessly boasted about his multiple crew members who could wipe the floor with Boa Hancock''s senior officers. Not only that, but he was also said to have made this claim straight to the Warlord''s face. Naturally, a brazen challenge like this could not go unanswered and an exhibition match had been organized within a matter of hours.
A match between two of Muret''s friends and the younger Gorgon sisters.
Lily, being the adrenalin junkie that she was, had immediately volunteered to test out her mettle against some of the best the Kuja had to offer. Surprisingly enough, Sarquiss hadn''t tried to enter himself to protect Lily, mentioning that he had complete faith in her ability to handle herself. Left unsaid was that his fianc¨¦e ¨C he had proposed a couple of weeks ago ¨C was also more suited to an arena battle than the first mate himself was.
The last slot had been a bit of a toss-up between Eddy and Nero, both of whom had a new trick they wanted to try out. However, as Nero had yet to stabilize his rokuogan and wasn''t able to use it without breaking his arm, he''d been convinced to let Eddy take his place.
The match itself had started out simply enough. Both sides spent a couple of moments testing the waters, launching small probing attacks to see how their opponents would react. However, with a hothead like Lily involved, things escalated rather quickly.
"Let''s get this party started!!"
Strength against strength, speed against speed. That would have been the most optimal pairing in Muret''s opinion, especially if both Lily and Eddy were superior in their respective abilities when compared to their opponents. Fortunately for the Gorgon sisters, their quartermaster had other ideas. Why compete with her best quality when her weakest would do and make for a more interesting fight?
"You''re a Paradise pirate!" Sandersonia exclaimed in alarm. "Why do you have observation haki?"
"Because I''m amazing, that''s what."
Maybe Sandersonia was a smidge faster than Lily. Maybe she possessed a little more in terms of mastery over observation. But the advantage wasn''t large enough to compensate for the overwhelming gap in their ability to use armament. Within moments Lily had driven Boa Sandersonia to the edge of the platform, using her own observation haki to force the Kuja warrior to either block or parry her blows. Soon, visible bruises began appearing wherever Lily''s fists made contact, with the green haired woman wincing evermore visibly whenever said contact occurred.
"Whoa. I thought you were a slippery girl, but your name makes so much more sense now."
"It''sss payback time!"
"I don''t fucking think so."
Perhaps having decided that there was no other path out of her predicament, Sandersonia called upon her devil fruit and successfully slithered her way out of the proverbial corner. Though this had been only possible, because Lily had been suitably distracted by the appearance of Sandersonia''s new appendage. Not that it was her fault really. Seriously, how many people were accustomed to a giant tail lashing out at them from their blind spot? That Lily had avoided getting brained from behind was already praiseworthy in Muret''s opinion.
"Gotcha!"
"Where are you touching me?!?"
"Sister! Out of my way, male!"
"Not happening, miss. My girlfriend is watching."
Unfortunately for Sandersonia, she wasn''t able to push her momentary advantage properly before Lily adjusted to the new variable. As a result, rather than the Kuja ensnaring her opponent with her tail, she ended up with Lily grasping hold of it instead.
"Let go of me! Why can''t I move?"
"What makes you think I''d tell you, dumbass?"
With her mobility neutralized by Lily''s Rust Rust Fruit forcefully stiffening her spine, Boa Sandersonia was rendered helpless before she even knew what was happening. As such, when Lily let go of her tail and began casually strutting up towards her head, she could do nothing but watch in silent horror as the fight entered its final stages. Watching as Lily jumped into the air. Watching as Lily drew back her leg. And watching as Lily''s boots made contact with her frozen chin.
"Laki''s super deluxe special order boots: IMPACT!!!"
While this was all happening, Eddy had been keeping the youngest of the three sisters at bay. Which was easier said than done because as soon as Sandersonia was in trouble (which she was from the very beginning), Marigold had gone berserk. Naturally, this meant facing down the trio of the king cobra zoan''s enhanced strength, venom and large mass barreling down towards him.
"Miss, spitting poison at people really isn''t the politest thing to do."
"Raaah!"
And for all that Eddy had recovered from the injuries inflicted upon him by the pacifista, raw brawn was never going to be his strongest suit. What he did have, however, was superhuman control over his own body. Originally meant to be a way to make the best of the meagre reserves his lung had left, it had blossomed into something incredible. Even if it went against just about everything Muret had learned during her medical training.
"Ora! Ora! Ora!"
"Oh dear. That''s a lot of property damage. What did the floor ever do to you?"
Beyond a certain point, there wasn''t a way for a human being to influence how quickly their nervous system processed information and transmitted commands. Likewise, there was only so much metabolic waste that could be carried off by one''s blood in a certain time interval, just like there was an upper limit to how quickly one''s energy reserves could be mobilized. These were well-established medical facts.
"Stop dodging and fight me!"
Eddy''s Seimei Kikan ran contrary to this principle. Via some means that Muret still didn''t completely understand, her boyfriend had managed to transcend humanity. At least a little. Simply put, whenever he so desired it, Eddy''s body worked faster than it had any right to on all levels. Electric signals travelled faster, muscle fibers took less time to recover, glucose was turned into ATP at a ludicrous rate. All of it working together in flawless concert to increase his speed to levels that easily matched Aisa''s ridiculousness.
"Alright. As I''m trying to be a gentleman, far be it from me to refuse a lady her wishes."
And like Izou always liked to say: speed was power.
It was over in an instant. One moment, Eddy looked like he was preparing to draw his blade (his old one, not the shiny new toy they''d pilfered from Mad Treasure) and in the next he was sheathing it again. Understandably, the crowd was confused. Muret was too, until Marigold''s head snapped back accompanied by the belated sound of the flat of a blade smashing into her forehead.
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"At least that''s what Sabo''s manual said anyway." Eddy murmured.
Eddy''s opponent didn''t reply on the grounds that she no longer was capable of doing so. With her consciousness having fled her body, Marigold''s eyes rolled up into the back of her head, even as her large form toppled over with a heavy thud. Sandersonia joined her sister not long after, the two sisters forming a large X on the ground.
And as Muret watched the crowd go from stunned silence to ardent admiration and avid applause, she couldn''t help but wonder how many sticks she was going to need to fend of Eddy''s new fans.
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
Sometimes there were things that one had to do, even when one knew that it wasn''t the most intelligent thing in the world one could be doing. The reasons for such a choice were many, ranging from showmanship for the sake of appearances, to desperate last-ditch gambles to overturn a hopeless situation. Or as it was in my case, when facing a hill I had to climb for the sake of my dream.
So yes, what I was about to do was most definitely not the smartest thing to do. There were better places, better times and better circumstances in which I could¡in which I should attempt what I was about to do. Then again, what choice did one have when Hancock demanded proof of my worthiness? A friend needed no qualifications but to become more than that required respect. As to the Kuja to be worthy of respect was to be strong, Hancock had not so subtly suggested that I also take part in an exhibition match. Thankfully, she''d let me pick my opponent and in that case, there really was only one choice I could make.
If I had so wished, this could have been a much more dramatic occasion, one in which I would call out my rival in a suitably grand and charismatic manner. Something along the lines of striding triumphantly into the ring and looking wordlessly in his direction, our gazes locked in a staring contest lasting way longer than would be comfortable. Once the moment had been savored for a sufficient amount of time, I would make a come-hither motion with my hand to which he would grin and jump into the arena to join me.
But¡that would have been way too juvenile even for my tastes, so I ended up going for the more casual approach. Then again, we were talking about Luffy here, so this was probably the better choice.
"Hey Luffy." I called out after jumping into the ring. "Let''s have some fun!"
"Yeah!"
He''d certainly seemed equally enthusiastic about the idea when I had pitched it to him after my audience with Hancock. Something about being curious as to what I could do and a good scrap always being fun. This was kind of unsurprising to be honest, because one of the ASL trio''s favorite pastimes on Goa used to be training and sparring with each other. Perhaps, it was this joy and delight that had been the driving force behind Luffy''s rapid growth. Or at least one of them.
"Luffy looks so handsome, doesn''t he? Oh, it''s too much¡"
"Snake Princess?!? Hurry, someone fetch a doctor!"
In Oda''s world, Luffy was meant to become the strongest character¡ eventually. After all, he was the main character whose main strength lay not in his ability to solve problems with his analytical mind, but in punching those very problems until they went away. Plus, his uncanny ability to turn enemies into allies and his instinctual grasp on what needed to be done whenever the going got tough... but you got my point.
Luffy was meant to be strong. Bellamy was meant to be a joke.
Like hell was I going to accept that! If Oda had decided to turn Luffy into this immeasurably tall mountain, it behooved me to climb it, no? Again, I could have done this at a later point, possibly when we met again at the end of our respective journeys. There was no objective need for me to commit to this at this very moment in time. But should that be my chosen path, there would always be this nagging feeling at the back of my mind about how I had avoided this challenge in the name of efficiency and rationality. That wasn''t acceptable to me on so many different levels, so despite everything which spoke against it, I had issued the challenge before a host of witnesses.
"Aright! I''m going to win!"
"No Luffy, you''re not."
"Yes, I am!"
"No, you''re not."
"Yes, I am."
"In your dreams, mate."
Besides, if I couldn''t beat him now when I had all the advantages of an earlier start to my haki training, the steeper learning curve that came with being an amateur at combat and the initial strides I''d made in my devil fruit mastery¡ if I couldn''t beat him now when the gap between us was theoretically going to be at its narrowest¡ when was I going to do it then?
"All out, Luffy. Hold nothing back."
"Of course I won''t. That would be boring."
"Hah! You got that right."
When it came down to a choice between defying fate with a chance of greater triumph or relegating myself to safely chasing after Luffy for eternity, I was making a conscious decision to pick the former. Not to mention that I really wanted to know where I stood in relation to Luffy. Had I caught up to him yet? Had I surpassed him? Or did I still have a long way to go?
"Ready, Luffy?"
"Ready!"
Of course, a single spar wasn''t going to prove anything in a decisive manner. After all, if one looked at Luffy''s fights in the canon timeline, he always managed to exceed his limits whenever his crew and his dream were on the line, whereas this was a match between friends for the sake of fun, training and a small amount of self-validation. Plus, it wasn''t as if a loss today was going to cause either of us to give up and crawl into a corner in self-pity.
"Kick his ass, Luffy! Make your brothers proud!"
"My life''s savings on the Captain! Anybody going to take that bet?"
"A bet? Count me in!"
"Me too!"
But¡even if nothing would change about the path I was going to follow in pursuit of my dream, regardless of the outcome¡ or perhaps precisely because it would change nothing¡ investigating where I stood today wouldn''t hurt, now would it?
"Gear Second!" "Coil Chassis."
This wouldn''t hurt at all.
"Spring Deathknock!" "Jet Pistol!"
Peace and Prosperity?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
Today we bring you the happy news that the World Government has announced a new program to bring peace and prosperity to the entire world. While the specifics aren''t known yet and won''t be for quite some time, rumors are circulating that the allocated budget is going to vastly dwarf the annual revenue of the ten richest nations of the world¡ combined. Surely a responsible and benevolent organisation such as the World Government will use such vast resources for the betterment of mankind.
While it is a pity that the World Government is not forthcoming with further details, it is a sad reality that there remain inhumane elements who would abuse such knowledge to sate their terrible greed. At least it remains in safe and responsible hands for now.
The catalyst is said to have been a comment from the ever merciful St. Charloss who was horrified at the macabre state of his servants. After all, if even those who most closely served the god suffered so, how much worse must the situation be for those bereft of their divine providence?
One theory put forward by an insider (who remains unnamed to the wider public for their protection) was that the world''s greatest minds are working on a revolutionary new power source. One which has the potential to either destroy the world or save it. Of course, we at the Marineford Daily have no doubt that our kind overlords will make use of this research for the latter purpose. Perhaps with cheap energy available to all, economies around the world will flourish and less people driven to desperate acts of criminality. One can hope that with the denizens of the world happy and well-fed, the despicable pirates will no longer find fertile grounds to seduce our good citizens away from the just path.
We remain hopeful that the results will have a palpable effect in the coming years.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
And as always, please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
Chapter 87: Oddly Poetic
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
But¡even if nothing would change about the path I was going to follow in pursuit of my dream, regardless of the outcome¡ or perhaps precisely because it would change nothing¡ investigating where I stood today wouldn''t hurt, now would it?
"Gear Second!" "Coil Chassis."
This wouldn''t hurt at all.
"Spring Deathknock!" "Jet Pistol!"
Fighting Luffy could mean two vastly different things depending on the circumstances. On the one hand, Luffy could be having the time of his life running around and seemingly goofing his way to victory, such as he did for much of the tournament in Dressrosa. In this case, the difference in strength usually favoured Luffy quite heavily, such that the risk of significant personal loss was so small so as to be negligible. And if it was negligible Luffy didn''t have to care about it, meaning that he could seemingly play around with no worries.
"Gum gum jet spear!" Stubborn person that I was, my response to Luffy''s attempt to plant his feet into my gut had been to dig in my own heels and meet him head-on. Figuratively speaking.
"Spring Shield!" And according to the laws of physics, if a rubber object met an unmovable wall, said object bounced off. Usually at the same angle of incidence relative to the orthogonal. Or in layman''s terms, it was a simple matter to change Luffy''s direction of motion¡upwards. "Bye bye, Luffy."
"Whoa! I''m flying."
But should his opponent be a danger to the things Luffy held dear, then it was like a switch was flipped inside his mind. Gone was the happy-go-lucky goofball, only to be replaced by a deadly serious pirate who knew no compromise. While exceptions did exist ¨C for how could they not ¨C such cases tended to involve either an insult to his beliefs or a threat to the safety and well-being of his friends. A prominent example being his fight with Lucci on Enies Lobbie.
"Oh well, if I''m already up here¡ gum gum axe." The triple combination of gravity, Luffy''s rubber tension and the downward pull of his well-trained leg muscles granted his heel a terrifying amount of momentum. The flooring tiles never stood a chance.
"Just so you know, I''m not paying for a new floor." I told him, my face set in a deadpan expression and one foot trapping his beneath my soles. Luffy didn''t seem too bothered, choosing to pout instead of trying to escape.
"You moved, Bellamy. That''s cheating."
"What in the world made you think I was going to stand around and let that hit me? That ain''t normal behavior. You should know this."
"But that''s what Gramps did all the time. As did most of those I''ve used this on."
"I hate to break it to you buddy, but your gramps isn''t normal."
Now, our current situation clearly belonged to the former. However, did it mean that just because Luffy wasn''t risking life and limb, he was holding back? No, not really. While he lacked the destructive potential that rage and desperation could provide, Luffy''s more joyful approach did have its own benefits. One of the more annoying being his creativity running amok, almost like a child which had consumed a bucketload of candy.
"Spring Hammer!" Held in place as he was by my boot, Luffy had no chance to dodge my own kick to his backside. Not that he had any intention to.
"Gum gum Balloon."
"Luffy! Stop bouncing all over the place and get back here!"
"Okay." Luffy grinned, changing track as easily as he would eat a boar whole. "Gear Third."
"What in the world are you doing¡?"
"Gum gum¡ giant chubby dive." And as I watched Luffy''s humongously inflated body falling down towards me, I could think of only one thing to say.
"Oh, shit."
Seen in that light, Luffy''s devil fruit awakening had, in essence, merged these two states into one to get the best of both worlds. Those being an unerring fixation on beating his enemy into the ground, coupled with the imaginative power of a toddler. To my knowledge, Kaido had been the first unfortunate soul in the original timeline, who had the displeasure of experiencing what a single-minded focus could do if it regained access to Luffy''s absurd creativity.
"Huh? Where''d you go?"
"I''m underneath you, you idiot. Now gerroff me!" Heaving for all I was worth, I launched his giant body back into the sky, helped along by the restorative properties of a flatly compressed spring. "Why are you so bloody heavy all of a sudden? It doesn''t make sense!"
"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" With the gathered air escaping through the small opening that was Luffy''s mouth, his body followed the path that inflated balloons usually did when you deflated them. A random one, that by some coincidence brought his rear end on a direct collision course with my person.
"¡not sure what I was expecting to happen, but it certainly wasn''t this." I muttered before stepping aside and letting the rubber man whizz past me into a wall.
Thankfully, it didn''t look like that fact was going to be changing today, which was a big relief to be honest. After all, I was having a hard enough time already without reality deciding to flip itself on its head. I wasn''t sure what I would have done if he''d reached awakening already.
Regardless, Rayleigh''s training had obviously born fruit even if most of them weren''t quite ripe yet. True, Luffy''s observation was ordinary, his armament average and his conqueror''s had no effect on me whatsoever. However, what he had learned was more than enough to make the task of landing a proper hit on the guy an arduous one. Not an impossible one though.
"Gear Second: Jet Gatling!"
"Kami-e. Gotta try harder, Luffy."
Reach was one aspect in which I was unlikely to ever truly match Luffy. Undoubtedly, it was a great advantage and Luffy used it well, his punches trying to herd me into a killing zone. However, a longer reach necessitated longer preparatory times and that meant openings I could exploit. Contrary to what it may look like to others, Luffy''s jet gatling was nothing but a sequence of rapid punches coming at me one after the other. Obviously, this also meant that the number of fists I had to dodge at any one time was limited as well.
"Gum gum whip!"
"Too slow~"
And if range and raw power were his strong suits, speed was mine. After crouching to avoid the leg whistling past my hair, I responded by activating my Thunder Cloak, a technique which had originally started out as a collaboration move between Aisa and myself.
"That looks so cool!" Luffy gushed, starry-eyed. "Join my crew."
"¡did you seriously just ask me that?"
"Duh. Of course I did."
A couple of feints followed by a Spring Ricochet distracted him enough, for me to deck him with a Deathknock and send him flying. It didn''t do much more than that though, as by an unspoken agreement, both Luffy and I had been refraining from the use of armament. Naturally, this elongated the spar tremendously, because by virtue of our respective devil fruits both of us were practically immune to blunt force trauma.
"Done with the warmup now, Luffy?"
"Yeah. You''re strong alright." He nodded, grinning with excitement. "I feel like I could go all out."
"Then what are you waiting for?" I asked, cracking my neck. I didn''t have to wait for long. "Let''s kick this up a notch."
¨C Izou ¨C?
"Red Hawk!" "Raiken!"
The crowd roared again as the combatants clashed in a dizzying display of sparks and light. That most of the audience wasn''t capable of following their movements any longer had obviously done little to dampen the Kuja''s enthusiasm. Even the vaunted Snake Princess seemed suitably impressed, though most of her emotional reserves were being rapidly drained every time Luffy allowed a lightning coated fist to slip through his defences. Of course, the assembled Kuja seemed insensitive to their empress'' plight and cheered all the louder.
Was this what being a proud parent felt like?
"Geez, you''ve raised a monster."
"I could say the same to you, Ace."
"Can''t really take credit to be honest. That''s mostly old man Rayleigh''s doing." Ace replied before looking askance at his brother-in-arms. "Can you stop looking so inordinately proud of yourself?"
"Wouldn''t you in my shoes? Between the Dark King and my humble self, I clearly have the superior student."
"Yeah¡ that''s real humble alright. Why not outright claim to be the better teacher while you''re at it?"
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"Because that wouldn''t be humble anymore. I thought that was obvious."
"Prat."
"Please, I''m a gentlemanly prat."
The exchange down below ended with Luffy and Bellamy skidding to a stop on opposite ends of the arena, their wide smiles unable to hide their exhilaration from the world. Then they were off again, fists being parried, knees being deflected and the occasional headbutt thrown in for good measure. It was a brawl, pure and simple. Yet, despite neither having studied a structured martial art, it was common wisdom that at a high enough level, all things coalesced into one. Izou would be the first to admit that he found their movements, unrestricted by predefined forms and standards, to have some artistic quality to it. Beautiful art at that.
Once more the two broke apart, Luffy clutching his dislocated shoulder where he''d tanked a Spring Gatling, whereas Bellamy had a hole in his stomach, where Luffy''s haki infused Jet Stamp had ripped through his Coil Chassis. Scattered all over the place were tiny springs that should have filled the now empty space, flopping about like little worms.
"That looks serious. Shouldn''t we call a doctor or something?"
"You''d think so, wouldn''t you? Surprised me the heck too the first time I saw it." Izou nodded as the hole began filling itself, the component springs flying back into position one after the other. "Damn near thought I''d killed him when I shot him through the heart."
"What in the world¡since when was the Spring-Spring fruit a logia?"
"While I do think that that was what Bellamy was going for, it''s really not." Izou explained to his gob smacked crew mate. "Despite practicing detaching and re-attaching pieces of himself for months, the extent he can handle is quite limited. Not to mention that it''s a much slower process in comparison to the real thing. He''ll probably need another year to master it properly."
As fascinated as he seemed to be by Bellamy''s new trick, Luffy hadn''t been idly standing around like an idiot either. To a rubber man like him, fixing a dislocated shoulder was nothing more than a minor inconvenience, which he proved by pulling on his arm and snapping the joint back into place. And with his shoulder taken care of, there was nothing stopping him from pouncing upon his distracted opponent.
"Well, it''s mighty impressive, nonetheless."
"That it is¡ even if Bellamy didn''t need to showcase that here."
"What do you mean?"
"Bellamy''s coil chassis isn''t fragile enough for an attack of that caliber to inflict so much damage unless he allows it to. That reassembling thing he''s doing was designed to let him shrug off one of Kaido''s blows ¨C just one mind you ¨C and take advantage of the resulting surprise to finish the fight. Though that down there? That''s Bellamy showing off."
With Bellamy still in recovery mode, Luffy quickly pushed his peer onto his backfoot, forcing him to yield ground little by little in the face of his onslaught. Izou, and the audience for that matter, were treated to a full display of the capabilities of the Gum-Gum fruit. From giant fists seeking to squish Bellamy against the ground to steaming fists chasing after openings like one of Izou''s homing bullets, it seemed as if Bellamy could only painstakingly parry and delay the inevitable.
"I''ve got you now, Bellam¡ WHOA!!!"
At least, it had seemed inevitable until Luffy suddenly broke off what had most likely been intended to be the final attack, only to begin backpedaling for all he was worth.
He didn''t merely stop either, going ramrod straight just in time for the metaphorical jaws of death to clamp shut right before his wide-open eyes.
"Did he do what I think he did?"
"Probably."
"In that case, that was pretty clever of him. Didn''t know he could do that."
"I''d be surprised if you did. It''s a pretty new development."
The key detail Luffy had missed was that not all of Bellamy''s component parts had returned to him. A few springs had remained where they''d fallen, innocuously lying in between Bellamy and his attacker. Silently waiting for the right moment and when that moment came, they''d struck without warning. What Izou knew and Luffy had not, was that Bellamy maintained control over his springs even when they were separated from his main body. And if he could control them, he could shape them at will.
It opened up all sorts of possibilities for traps and the like. Such as the two newly transformed leaf springs snapping into an upright position and almost trapping Luffy in between them. Covered in armament haki as they were, Ace''s brother could count himself lucky that his observation had sounded the alarm.
"Ack! Why''s it so dark all of a sudden?"
Though, he probably needed more practice, as while he''d avoided the first trap, he failed to notice the second before it was too late. Six flattened leaf springs could quite easily be combined into a large, hollow metal cube, with their victim stuck in the middle. Oh, Straw Hat certainly tried his best to punch his way out, but his initial attempts barely put a dent in the thick metal. Then, to make matters worse, the cube slowly began to shrink.
"How do you like this, Luffy? It''s a little trick I picked up from a guy named Mad Treasure."
"Gum gum jet gatling! I''m going to get out soon and then I''m going to kick your butt! Just you wait."
"I''ve got no doubt that you will try. The question is though, will you have enough time?"
"Gear third: elephant gun!"
That last one did dent the cube a little, encouraging Luffy to do it again and again. And again. Slowly wrenching his prison open by pure force. For his part, Bellamy didn''t seem all too bothered at his creation coming apart at the seams with the screeching and groaning of metal. Rather, he was much more focused on bouncing all over the place, slowly at first but with ever increasing velocity, speeding up with every jump he was chaining together.
"Oh great, the box is gone. Now where''s Bellam-Eh?"
It also stood to reason that if Bellamy could create a cube out of his springs, he could dismiss it just as easily. Which he did at precisely the right moment, timing the dissipation perfectly with his own passage through the space the metal barrier had occupied only moments prior. All, with one ebony fist drawn back, loaded and ready to fire.
"Spring Hopper ¨C Deathknock!"
For some reason that Izou couldn''t pin down, seeing Luffy get punched in the face by Bellamy''s modified Spring Hopper seemed oddly poetic. Though for the life of him, he wouldn''t be able to tell you why.
The Golden Lion Roars Once More?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
The more experienced and worldly amongst us may yet remember that Gold Roger wasn''t alone in causing death and destruction everywhere he went. Some of his vile compatriots are well known to you, monsters such as Kaido, Big Mom or the heroically slain Whitebeard. (That we mean heroic on the part of our brave marines probably need not be said but we say it anyway to make sure we''re all aware of the right truth.)
Others are more obscure, and with good reason. Unlike the four emperors who remain at large to wreak havoc in the New World, one particular individual had been locked away in Impel Down and the key thrown into the deepest pits of the ocean. There he''d remained crippled and forgotten by the world¡ or so we''d thought.
Somehow, at some unspecified time, Shiki the Golden Lion escaped his rightful imprisonment. As the marine speaker revealed, the navy had attempted to track him down right away but their efforts had sadly not been crowned with success. The Golden Lion went to ground and was not seen again.
Until now.
After ripping a few islands out of the East Blue, latest reports place the legendary pirate on a straight course for the New World. Nothing in his path is safe, for unlike our tax collectors who take anything that isn''t nailed down or the kitchen sink¡ Shiki takes everything. Including anything that is nailed down and the kitchen sink. Plus the house and island attached to said kitchen sink.
Whether or not his arrival will herald greater chaos in the struggle for Whitebeard''s empty throne or the fortunate event of pirates slaughtering each other will have to be seen. But there''s no question that we live in an age where the horrors of the past (such as Blackbeard''s crew) walk amongst us once again.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
And as always, please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
Chapter 88: Hopes Return
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
I would freely admit to using the following phrase more often than I probably should, but I couldn''t think of a better way to phrase it.
It all started with a phone call.
More specifically, a phone call for Izou whose relaxed posture went rigid almost as soon as the speaker on the other side began talking. Being the polite person that my mother raised me to be, I opted not to listen in on what was most likely a private conversation. However, I did inadvertently catch the message that Izou transmitted to Ace. It wasn''t very long.
"Ace, a message arrived from the home front."
"Does that mean it''s finally time?"
"Yeah. Marco has sent out the call."
We raised anchor and departed from Amazon Lily not long after, headed for Whitebeard''s home island. Left behind in the Kuja''s care were the Sweet Pirates, whom Hancock had readily agreed to coach for the next year as a favor to me. One might assume that the Snake Princess would be upset with me for hurting her crush, and one would be wrong. While that had been one of the emotions warring for dominance on her face, it had been a minor one. In fact, the most prevalent had been unrestrained joy at being able to nurse Luffy back to health, for however brief a time the rubber man needed to bounce back to his usual self.
"I''m coming too."
"No, you''re not Luffy. No way."
"Whhyyyyyy? Come on. Sabo is going with you."
"I''m your big brother. It''s different. Now, don''t look at me like that. I happen to agree with Ace and that''s not going to change."
"But that''s not faaaaaaaair!"
Of course, Luffy had been rather insistent that he come along too, but in a surprising twist, both Ace and Sabo had managed to put their foot down. Regardless of his wishes, Luffy was to remain where he was and finish his training. That Sabo was coming along to help Ace while he himself couldn''t, clearly did not sit well with the youngest of the three brothers, however no amount of whining, arguing and stubbornness was enough to overcome Ace''s determination to keep Luffy safe.
"¡I''m still coming."
"No. I refuse to allow you to come. It''s dangerous."
"I refuse your refusal."
"Well in that case, I refuse your refusal of my refusal."
"And I double refuse your refusal, so there!"
In the end, Luffy had given in and waved us goodbye with a dejected look on his face. Complete with a raincloud and a handkerchief. Though with her captain unable to accompany us, it also meant that Robin would be staying behind as well. In part this had been because Robin knew how upset Luffy would have been if she''d been able to go on this mission while he was stuck on his little island. The other part of her reasoning remained a mystery to me, but when she''d winked at me and promised to spend our time apart preparing a gift, I''d just nodded my head.
"Come back safe, Bellamy."
"I will. I promise."
Nobody questioned why the Bellamy Pirates were heading to war. Not my own crew nor the Kuja. Not even Luffy. I''d almost go as far as to claim, that there was a tacit understanding of sorts. One which had not left an inch of doubt that things would turn out this way. Perhaps, it had been Izou''s extended stint on the Black Pearl marking us as the newest allies of the Whitebeard Pirates, the first and only addition after the Summit War. Or maybe it had been how I''d made Bonney promise to wait until Marco made a move before going after Blackbeard, heavily implying that I''d be around to lend my own hand, instead of leaving Bonney to hang high and dry. Though, in all likelihood, the cause behind my Crew''s easy acceptance was probably something else entirely.
In any case, when considering the level of danger we were willingly exposing ourselves to, morale was surprisingly high. While exuberance was far from the first word that came to mind when trying to describe the mood, there was a sense of quiet confidence prevalent on every level. An unshakable belief that things would turn out ok, just like they had every time. Faith in our strength.
Faith¡ in me.
It was infectious. And not for no reason either. Despite knowing how the Payback War had ended in the original timeline, things were different enough that I held high hopes for a better outcome. After all, Ace''s presence alone was huge both in terms of morale and literal firepower, even without including the benefits of Rayleigh''s training.
In addition to all that, Byron''s concert at Marineford and the consequences thereof had ensured a much higher survival rate amongst the Whitebeard Pirates than had been the case in canon. Many who would have fallen prey to the pacifista or been slaughtered in the encirclement by the cannon emplacements on the walls, were still alive thanks to the flapping of frantic butterflies. In a word, Edward Newgate''s first mate had many more ships and allies to play around with, including a few he hadn''t been expecting. Three of whom could trace the catalyst for their participation back to me, however tangentially it may be.
"What do you mean you''re not bringing pizza? This bloody trashheap doesn''t have pizza and you made me promise to stick with the Whitebeards for an entire year. How am I supposed to survive without pizza?"
"Just for the record, I asked you not to go after Blackbeard on your own. I never made you promise to stay on Whitebeard''s home island. That one is all on you."
"¡just bring me pizza, please? There I''ve even used the magic word. I''m going to starve to death if you don''t. There''s nothing to eat on this blasted rock. Hell, I''ve been surviving on burgers and fried chicken! That''s no life for a pirate like me, surely you can see that."
"Oh, the absolute horror."
"I''m being serious!"
"I pity your cardiovascular system."
"My cardiovascular what?"
Bonney alone had the potential to be a game changer on a large battlefield, able to occupy a significant portion of the enemy rank and file by herself. In conjunction with the commanders around to keep the worst of the Blackbeard pirates away from her, it wouldn''t be improbable to see her effect multiplied.
"You should have seen it, Midget. It was wonderful, beautiful and majestic! Angelic even. The way she took care of that marine was a pure work of art. While there''s little that will trump a good thumping with my trusty pillar, there is something sublimely, aesthetically pleasing about watching a six-inch woman swinging a six-foot man around like he doesn''t weigh a thing."
"Wait a minute, before you keep talking about your favorite giantess, let''s backtrack a little. What do you mean you''re coming along?"
"You didn''t think I''d let you hog all the fun without me, did you? That hurts, Midget. Right through the heart. And here, I thought we were drinking buddies."
"Do I even want to know how you knew about this?"
"Disco told me."
Urouge had been another who''d pledged his support. Though in his own words he was only joining the expedition for the sole purpose of guiding some heretics to hell, while having a good time doing so. His phone call had been as unexpected as it had been welcome, even if I could have done without the man boisterously singing the praises of his newest recruit. The time he''d spent describing the demise of a marine vice admiral at the hands of the former giant rear admiral in excruciating detail¡ Yeah, those were three hours I wasn''t getting back.
"Your peers are a quirky bunch, Bellamy."
"Eh, not as quirky as someone deciding to join a war to help a brother he didn''t know he had a week ago."
"Touch¨¦ I suppose. Touch¨¦. I think I''ll blame the guy who helped awaken my memories of a brother I didn''t remember having a week ago. You should totally hold him accountable. Absolute irresponsible cad, that one."
"Cad?"
"Would you prefer it if I used scoundrel? I do have a lot of options, if that''s not to your liking. Such as reprobate, rascal, rapscallion..."
"I think I''m partial to the word: pirate."
"...though amongst all possible options, friend is the one I''d use. Seriously, thanks. We owe you one."
"You''re welcome."
"By the way, Ace is bunking with me. Just thought I''d let you know."
"Alright. That saves me the trouble of preparing a separate room, I suppose. But, do remind me again. Why are you guys on my ship?"
"It''s faster than ours, duh."
Yet arguably the single greatest addition to the allied forces had been Sabo, who was at least Ace''s equal in almost every respect. While Ace may have been Whitebeard''s adopted son for nigh on two years and Rayleigh''s student for another, Sabo had been Dragon''s prot¨¦g¨¦ for much, much longer.
Keeping all that in mind, yes, I was feeling rather hopeful that things would turn out differently this time. A hope that rose with every ship which joined the massive armada sitting at anchor off the coast of the Isle of Spinx. The sheer scale of which became palpable by the great cheer, that buffeted our sails the moment Ace stepped onto the pier.
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Their hope had returned.
And the world would know it.
¨C Mani ¨C?
She was used to tension.
It was kind of difficult not to be, when you grew up in the red-light district, where a single mistake could spell doom or worse for a helpless young girl. Yet, the sort of tension she was facing now beggared belief. Or at least, it would have if Mani hadn''t changed somewhere along the way. Now instead of being a crushing weight, it was merely¡very difficult. If she were honest with herself, that last bit probably wasn''t ever going to change.
Especially, because Mani was well aware that she was the weakest combatant on her crew. Heck, she even had trouble fighting against Muret whenever the mad doctor pulled out Funkfreed. It still vexed her to this day that the fruit loving sword always managed to locate her whenever Mani tried to sneak up on them. She would blame the giant elephant ears, if it hadn''t been for Funkfreed having begun to display a propensity for armament haki in their spars lately. Logically, if a weapon, which had gained sentience by consuming a devil fruit, was capable of using one form of haki, it was only to be expected that it had the capacity to learn the other. Didn''t make the sword-elephant any less annoying to fight though.
Anyway, to be facing a crew who''d slain Whitebeard, albeit under extenuating circumstances, was a daunting task in and of itself. That their leader had been a monster capable of defeating Whitebeard''s second division commander, even before gaining the power of a second devil fruit, made Mani''s gut do some very uncomfortable things.
Most thought that Ross was the coward on the ship. It would be easy to think that, considering the sailmaker lived and breathed paranoia. Checking every night to make sure that no odd beings lived under his bed was but the tamest of his habits. If his trust in Hewitt weren''t absolute, he''d still be testing his food for poisons like he''d used to do all the time back home. That they had collectively managed to get the man to relax as much as he''d done was a miracle and nothing would convince Mani otherwise.
Yet for all his worries and his fears, many of which drove Ross further down the rabbit hole that was observation haki, he wasn''t a coward. Mani, on the other hand, very much was.
You could see it in how she fought, always hiding and striking from the shadows. Using her friends as cover and staying out of danger whenever possible. Oh sure, she could put on a good show against opponents who were so far beneath her that they couldn''t pose a threat even if she''d wanted them to. Bill''s officer¡whatshisname¡Avalon had been someone she could have finished off in her sleep with two hands tied behind her back, and he too hadn''t received a fair fight from her.
Not that she minded terribly much, mind you. Mani was weak and she''d come to terms with that. The weak had their own ways of surviving, adapted and honed over generations of being nothing but prey. And that was fine. Like her mother used to say, there was no shame in it. One had to accept reality and move on.
Part of that was sharpening the few weapons she did have to ensure she could at least pull her own weight. While the captain had assured her that she''d never need fear for her place on the crew, that had only made the burden heavier in the long run. After all, few things fostered a greater sense of obligation than unconditional generosity.
Honestly? She hadn''t meant to become some sort of pseudo assassin. Skulking in the shadows, hidden and unseen... It hadn''t been the sort of glamorous role she''d dreamt of as a child, far from it in fact. However, it was what she was good at and it fit her philosophy quite well. Why try to batter down the enemy''s defenses with a frontal assault, when a knife to the back would do? It removed her captain''s foes all the same and was arguably the far superior option. At the very least, it was less messy and loud.
Unfortunately for her wallet, superb quality of equipment was a must for any stealth fighter seeking to live beyond thirty. Clothing, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, knives, needles, gadgets¡ what others like Ross could gain through training their bodies, Mani needed to compensate with the tools of her trade.
Hence, it only made sense to stock up on everything she might possibly need before embarking on a momentous expedition, no?
That was her excuse for dragging Rivers along for a shopping spree and Mani was determined to stick to it.
She wasn''t the only one who''d had that idea and wherever there was a demand, a market would appear to meet it. Be it procuring themselves new weapons or lining up to be treated by Trafalgar Law''s medical tent, the Whitebeards weren''t stingy with opening their purse strings. As such, with thousands of New World pirates gathered on a single island, it hadn''t taken long before hundreds of stalls had popped up to form a temporary grand bazaar. She even recognized some of the symbols flying from flagpoles here and there, denoting a particular booth as belonging to the Joker, the Bloody Countess or even Disco''s new sales branch.
Though, this did mean that the Joker had finally found them, even if the presence of his lackeys here may have been a pure coincidence. Not that she was all too worried. Bellamy had beaten a Warlord already and he was already far stronger than he''d been when he kicked Moria''s ass. Surely, Doflamingo wouldn''t be any different.
Mani and Rivers wandered through the market, inspecting stuff here, buying some there and doing a lot of window shopping. Quite a few vendors had also significantly lightened Rivers'' purse by successfully plying their sugary wares. Her boyfriend hadn''t seemed to mind all that much, happy to enjoy a nice afternoon together whilst snacking on various treats he''d picked up along the way.
It was in the midst of one such moment that Mani saw¡
...IT.
Sitting out in the open with no guards and no security, kept safe only by the honor of the masses and the presence of the shop keep. A greater opportunity, than the one she had so foolishly discarded all those months ago and one which she''d been too busy to pursue thereafter.
An object that her elite shopping instincts screamed at her to purchase.
Something better than the most luxurious of designer handbags.
Something more tantalising than the most extravagant of dresses.
Mani saw the Calm Calm Fruit.
Wapol is Back!?
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
If you haven''t been living under a rock, then you''ve no doubt heard about the newest sensation, which has captured the hearts of children by storm. All across the globe, shops are experiencing severe difficulties in maintaining their stock. Small wonder, as children and their parents are turning every toy store in their vicinity upside down in their quest to get their hands upon the now famous Wapol Toys.
No one was perhaps more surprised by this development than their creator himself, the former King of the Drum Kingdom and the toys'' namesake, Wapol.
Having started his new career as a humble street vendor, the popularity of his toys has allowed Wapol to set up his own factory last week with three more to follow in the coming months. This, frankly, meteoric rise has puzzled experts who haven''t been able to determine what about his products sets them apart from the rest. Fortunately for our curious readers around the globe, a government insider has commented that the source of his success had to lie in Wapol''s kingly bearing and the deep insight he must have picked up while ruling a country.
She cited Drum'' current prosperity as proof of Wapol''s successful management and his decision to pass the crown unto King Dalton as evidence of Wapol''s discerning eye when it came to subordinates. The third factor is said to be his unrelenting drive to bring goodness into the world, which is also supposed to be the reason why he voluntarily left the kingdom of his birth to bring joy and happiness to children on a global scale.
As such, we wish him the best of luck and look forward to watching his inevitable rise to greatness.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
And as always, please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
Rumors of his arrest by the marines and subsequent escape are untrue. The Marine HQ has offered a generous reward of 30000 belli for any information on those spreading such lies amongst the populace.
Chapter 89: Payback War I
¨C Rivers ¨C?
"We''re going to need distractions-yoi. Something to draw as many of them away from our landing site."
"We can send a small squadron to the north. Close enough to the island that Teach''s scouts can sound the alarm, but distant enough that the morning mists will obscure their true numbers."
"You can leave that part to Forliewbs, Reforte and I."
"Captain Sleepy-yoi?"
"I''m probably one of the weakest of us, so I''ll be more useful this way. And if my job is not to engage but merely distract, even someone like me should be able to handle it."
"They may send out a portion of their ships to chase you down-yoi."
"In that case, the more of them we can draw away the better. Ain''t that right, Marco?"
"Godspeed-yoi."
"To you too."
Rivers loved flying.
He loved the crisp air, the open view, the breeze blowing through his hair. What he loved most of all however, was the sense of freedom that came with it. Whenever he soared above the clouds on his partner''s trusty back, the shackles of reality always seemed so very distant. In a way every flight was a reminder that the limits of his former life, that dull and boring life he''d led before Jaya, hadn''t been real limits at all. That things previously thought impossible were possible and the undoable doable, if Rivers were to only try.
And wasn''t that a terribly empowering thought?
"Blackbeard is a cunning and cautious man. He wouldn''t have successfully stayed undercover so long otherwise, Phoenix-ya. A single diversionary force won''t make him commit."
"What are you trying to say-yoi?"
"Give me a few coated ships and I''ll approach Hachinosu from the east. Surface occasionally to draw their eye before submerging and emerging somewhere else to mask our true numbers. After the stunt you pulled at Marineford, there''s no way they''ll be able to ignore an unknown number of ships approaching their position underwater."
"And if they don''t sally-yoi?"
"Then they''ll still be out of position when you land on the south-western beaches. We can slip away and rejoin you then."
"One last question before you leave, Captain Law. Why should we give you command?"
"I''m the only one with a submarine aren''t I, Izou-ya?"
Though it would be rather difficult to feel otherwise when he, a nobody from a backwater island, was the vanguard of the Whitebeard Alliance. Well, not the vanguard vanguard per se as his position was closer to that of an outrider of an army. Though if anything, his mission was far more crucial to the success of this campaign than being part of the first wave of human bodies could ever be. Marco, who had assumed the role of commander in chief, had said as much during the final strategy meeting.
"It''s decided then? We land on the south-western beaches near their town?"
"Not like we have many options left."
"Difficult terrain for a landing though. Even a few men manning the shores could prove costly. Especially if they have cannon emplacements."
"Which is why so much hinges upon Teach being blind and deaf to our movements-yoi. The diversions will help but we''re going to take out his scouts at sea too."
"Pity that Namur isn''t around anymore or that Jinbe couldn''t join us. They would have been perfect for this."
"Moaning about things that can''t be changed won''t help us-yoi. While Jinbe''s absence is regrettable, thankfully Izou has prepared an alternative."
"Captain Bellamy''s crew includes three flyers who are all proficient in the art of observation haki or its equivalent. Be it in terms of range or mobility, we don''t have anyone who is better suited to screen our approach."
"Three? Think that''ll be enough?"
"I''m confident that Aisa, Rivers and Sarquiss will handle themselves just fine. Though Marco, if his scouts start disappearing one after another, Teach is going to know we''re coming regardless."
"I know, but when it comes down to a choice between him knowing that we''re coming and him knowing when and where we''re coming from, I know which one I''d prefer-yoi."
Rivers had done his job well, even if he said so himself. His rifle had not only outranged anything they had by a fair margine, but his mission had been made all the easier by Blackbeard''s scouts having been utterly unprepared and spectacularly lacking in observation haki. Most of them died without even knowing what killed them and the rest were sunk, ship and all, before they were able to sound the alarm.
Then again, Rivers didn''t blame them for being this lax. After all, they were near the seat of Blackbeard''s power and for most people, it would be a crazy undertaking to attack one of the most powerful pirate crews in the New World. Case in point, ever since they''d taken over Hachinosu and kicked out the former owner, the Blackbeard pirates had been constantly on the offensive. Every week new territories were added to Blackbeard''s domain, conquered and subjugated by his eight Titanic Captains.
"Our inside man managed to confirm the presence of Blackbeard and five of his senior officers on Hachinosu, accurate as of yesterday evening. Sanjuan Wolf was last seen wading into the sea and our agent is accompanying Lafitte on another expedition. Which leaves Doc Q unaccounted for, but we do know that his ship sailed out of port on a supply run. Chances are he''s on it."
"That''s near a third of Teach''s strength he doesn''t have available."
"Exactly Ace, and we want to keep it that way. To that purpose we will be sending out strike forces of our own-yoi."
"You want to split up our forces? Marco, don''t you think that''s a little bit risky?"
"It is. However, if we can delay those three with a relatively smaller fraction of our total strength, it''ll be a risk worth taking-yoi."
"Who were you thinking?"
"I''m probably a better person to ask than Marco, Ace."
"Whitey Bay."
"Blamenco, Captain Bellamy and the Decalvan Brothers are going to intercept Lafitte before he can make it back to Teach. As for Doc Q, Epoida and I should be enough to deal with him and stop him from taking part in the battle."
"And Sanjuan Wolf?"
"Doma and McGuy will stay in reserve, ready to sail out the moment we locate the big guy. Think you two can handle him?"
"As long as we''re just trying to delay him, it should be doable. We won''t be able to buy you that much time though."
"But never fear, Doma and I will manage somehow. For Pop''s sake if nothing else."
"Aye."
"The rest of us will be launching a full-frontal assault on Hachinosu."
Once the fleet''s destination began peeking over the horizon, Fuza began to hover in place with slow beats of his wings. Blackbeard''s network of scouts had been well and truly broken for now, thanks to the combined efforts of Rivers and his friends. Aisa in particular had been devastating.
Hachinosu itself seemed unaware of the approaching danger with its residents going about their daily tasks without a care in the world. As unexpected as it was, Rivers'' haki could detect no hint of concern coming from the island''s direction. Nothing that might denote a general readiness for battle.
And that was suspicious in and of itself.
"I don''t like this. Blackbeard will be waiting for us."
"That goes without saying-yoi. With how openly we gathered our forces, it was a foregone conclusion that his spies would pick up the scent."
"It''s like Marco said, Jozu. He may not know exactly when or how we''re going to strike, but that doesn''t really matter if Hachinosu itself is a trap."
"Doesn''t change the fact that the bait is too good to pass up-yoi. We won''t get a better opportunity than now to take Teach''s head. Not once he''s had time to consolidate his new territory."
"At least we''ll be able to lose his agents once we go underwater. And it isn''t like it''s our first time ambushing a heavily fortified position."
"On that note. Whitey Bay, how''s the progress on coating our ships?"
"Finished as of yesterday and I personally checked them all myself this morning. As far as I''m concerned, we''re ready to go."
Slowly wheeling around, Rivers slowly began making his way back to the Black Pearl. Yet¡ despite all the positive signs, Rivers couldn''t help but feel a tad uneasy. In the far distance alarm bells began to ring as the first diversionary force sailed into view, with pirates scrambling for their ships. Shouts of surprise and feelings of panic began to arise from the island, reaching new heights when Law began his own assault. All according to plan.
"Teach will pay. This we swear."
"Aye. For Pops and family."
"For the Old Man."
In the light of two surprise attacks from the North and the East, nobody should have been paying a lone bird and his rider any mind.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
"On your order, Ace."
"Whitebeard pirates. Move out!"
"Aye aye!"
Yet, Rivers couldn''t shake the feeling that a pair of eyes had briefly met his.
Two disinterested looking eyes.
¨C Ace ¨C?
Thatch. Terrance. Jack. Ronald.
The past year hadn''t been easy for the sons of Whitebeard. Beginning with Thatch''s death and reaching its deepest low with the death of their beloved father, they had seemed to stumble from one tragedy into another. Yet, if one had to choose, Ace would wager that the greatest hardship had been his. After all, unlike the rest of his adoptive family, the blame and responsibility fell squarely upon his shoulders..
A year. Nearly a full year of regrets and sorrow, of struggle and loss. That was the weight Ace carried upon his back. A year in which questions and doubt had circled and warred within his head, whispering into his brain without respite. If only he''d been more watchful. If only he''d recognized Teach for the snake he was. If only he''d gone to visit Thatch that evening¡ if only, if only. If things had gone differently, would his friend still be alive? Last year, he would have said yes in a heartbeat. Now, he wasn''t so sure.
Jeremiah. Hoggins. Eriksen. Shawn.
He should have listened when Marco tried to stop him. He should have listened when Pops tried to stop him. He should have listened when Shanks tried to stop him. He should have listened when his haki had tried to stop him. But he hadn''t, allowing his stupid pride to take over and commit his greatest act of idiocy to date.
Ace hadn''t paid for his own folly though. Not enough, in any case. His crew, his friends and his family had been the ones to bear the cost. Worse, they''d done so with a smile, charging headlong into danger to save his sorry ass. And Ace¡ idiot that he was, had forced them to do it twice.
Namur. Barnes. Viktor. Yves.
Too many hadn''t come back from Marineford, many of whom could have. Because he had been foolish. Because he had been arrogant. Because he had been a bloody hothead. And they had paid for it. Pops had paid for it. All because, in addition to everything else, Ace had been too weak.
Even now they continued to pay for the consequences of the disaster whose catalyst had been Ace''s capture. Waiting while Ace had been content to wallow in his own self-pity and his self-loathing. Enduring while Teach continually sent out his goons to conquer new islands in his name.
Timothy. Feren. Hinazuki. Olly.
No longer.
No. Longer.
Ace was honestly very thankful to Rayleigh, not only for training him but for dragging him out of his little cave. He did wish it hadn''t been literally by the ear, but he couldn''t deny that the following kick up his backside had been sorely needed. The same went for his little brother, who had been a constant ray of sunshine in those initial dark months. His motivation and positivity had been infectious to say the least.
Roy. Laurie. Emil. Wulfric.
Ace was done being a victim. After all, relegating himself to such a role would accomplish nothing of note. There simply was nothing to be gained and everything to lose. So, he''d gotten to work on getting his shit together ¨C sorry, Makino ¨C and soaked up every lesson Rayleigh tried to teach him like a parched sponge.
And boy, did Rayleigh have a lot of lessons he wanted to impart. Dusting off his old haki skills, which he hadn''t needed ever since his duel with Jinbe, had been just the beginning. Due to a general sense of urgency, a lack of time and the inevitability of the looming conflict, Rayleigh had opted to beat the more advanced skills into him.
Francis. Al Shahin. Jolly Ned.
He''d picked up the art of imbuing his flames with armament rather quickly, as otherwise Rayleigh bulldozed his way through every fiery obstacle as if it weren''t there. Naibu Hakai, otherwise known as Internal Destruction, had similarly become a necessity because nothing else seemed to delay the Dark King long enough to matter. And whenever Ace allowed the surprisingly vigorous veteran to get in close and personal, his observation haki had been the only thing standing in between Ace and a painful bruising. Suffice to say, Ace had received a lot of bruises.
But, Ace had powered through. Day by day the bruises had gotten fewer in number and his flames had gotten hotter. Hopefully hot enough to burn Teach''s darkness to ashes and bring down the wrath of the sun upon his black soul. And if they weren''t? It just meant that Ace could get a few more good hits in before the traitor croaked.
Ryouji. Coral. Wick. Oars Jr.
Additionally, Ace wasn''t going to be facing Teach alone this time. He was a hothead, not an idiot. If he hadn''t been able to defeat him back when the traitor only had the Dark Dark Fruit ¨C though it had been a close thing ¨C the chances for a different outcome were slim now that he had Pops'' power too. No, rather than try and complete Whitebeard''s revenge on his own, Ace was going to lay down his pride and let cooler heads prevail.
Glancing down to where a hand had appeared, squeezing his shoulder in a supportive gesture, Ace followed the attached arm to Sabo''s smiling face. A face that seemed to say "everything will be alright" and Ace was inclined to believe him. He''d like to see the coward survive when three fighters of Ace''s caliber were gunning for his head.
Zach. Timmy. Gravy. Carl.
The Blackbeard pirates, out of position and caught unawares, scrambled to man defensive positions on the beach. It was far too little, too late. By the time the first responders had rushed to the western beaches, the Whitebeards had already landed on Hachinosu''s shores. What few desperate and disorganized efforts were made to push them back into the sea, were met by unyielding resolve and cold determination. For the Whitebeards owed Teach a debt, which they were dying to repay. And repay it they would.
Vista''s twin blades led the charge, tearing through the hasty barricades set in his path and opening the way for the Whitebeards to flood into the island proper. In a scene reminiscent of the opening moments of the Summit War, the allied forces pushed in deep with the Commanders at the forefront. Resistance was brushed aside, for all that Teach''s recruits had been composed of New World veterans from Hachinosu, they had never been members of an Emperor''s crew. The Whitebeards on the other hand, had.
Harry. Iggy. Patrick. Mort.
Things were going well. Surprisingly well, in fact. True, much of that was due to the strange absence of Teach and his cronies from this battlefield. However, one shouldn''t discount the immense volume of blood, sweat and tears the Whitebeards had shed in an effort to fill the gap left by their father. Their experiences at Marineford had strengthened them and the trials of the past year had tempered them.
There was no way that a bunch of wannabes was ever going to be able to keep them from reaching their target. If Teach wanted to cower behind his own men, then Ace would simply ensure that the traitor no longer had any men left. So, unless he wanted to be an Emperor without an army, Teach would be forced to face him sooner or later. And Ace had a rather handy tool to do just that. Conqueror''s haki bubbled up inside him before exploding out in a wave. It was met by an answering but more malevolent one.
Ryan. Arnold. Quentin. Wong.
"Ace! You''ve come to visit! You should have called. Honestly, I didn''t expect you to survive your execution but here you are and you''ve brought the whole gang too."
"Finally decided to come crawling out of the woodworks, eh Teach?"
"Zehahaha. Well, you interrupted my after-lunch nap, Ace. There was no way I could sleep while you''re tearing down my new home. That wasn''t very nice of you, by the way."
"Good. It wasn''t meant to be."
"Why so angry, Ace? You''re not still angry about me defeating you and handing you over to the marines, are you?"
"Yeah, I owe you for that one. It''s only right I return the favor, isn''t it?"
"Well, you tore up my new home mere weeks after I moved in and beat up my men, so why don''t we call it even? Let bygones be bygones and start over."
Igor. Sanchez. Hollie. Pix.
"Ace, join me."
"This again? I thought I made my stance clear on Banaro Island."
"Things are different now, aren''t they? There''s no reason why the two of us can''t work together to reach the top. After all, your candidate for the Pirate King''s throne is gone now."
"You think that''s possible after what you did?"
"Hey, he wasn''t going to be using it for much longer anyway. Might as well have been me who inherited the old man''s power."
Pops.
"Flame Commandment."
"Oi oi oi! Come on, you know you can''t defeat me. Don''t be stupid, Ace."
"Dai Hiken!"
Chapter 90: Payback War II
¨C Marco ¨C?
Ace''s Dai Hiken marked the end of the prelude, for no sooner had the blue flames engulfed the traitor, did the key combatants of both camps begin entering the fight one by one. Hachinosu trembled as Blackbeard''s five Titanic Captains clashed against Whitebeard''s commanders in a furious exchange of fire, steel and might.
"Karma-yoi! You and Squard take command of the boys-yoi! We''ll take care of Teach and his cronies."
"On it! Just kill them for us, Marco."
"Guys, on me! Chaarge!!"
Kingdew shattered a building trying to crush him, while Jozu leaped through the falling debris to strike the one who''d hurled it at them in the first place. A bullet meant for Haruta''s head let out a cascade of sparks upon meeting Izou''s own, Van Augur warping out of Haruta''s reach soon after.
"There''s nowhere to run, Avalo Pizarro!"
"Who said anything about running, you stupid brats? Behold the power of the Isle Isle Fruit!"
Off to the side, the Corrupt King barely exchanged a couple of blows with Rakuyo before melding into the ground. Within moments the island came alive, giant arms of stone and earth seeking to crush all beneath its weight¡ only to be blown apart by Curiel''s bazookas.
"Hick. Drunken Spitfire!"
"That barely tickles, you inebriated sod!"
More than motivated after Marineford, Atmos charged through the alcoholic flames, uncaring for the burns they inflicted upon him. Blenheim was no different, and the 13th and 9th division commanders respectively, cut their way through the fire to get at Vasco Shot.
"Marco! An urgent report from Captain Islewan! You''ve got to¡DIE!"
"Not today, Catarina Devon!"
"Vista! I was hoping to kill you today. Though do tell me, how did you know?"
"Do you think this is the first time we''ve fought an impersonator? Think again!"
Meanwhile, an assassination attempt was intercepted before it could properly threaten Marco himself. Yet, despite being pincered between Vista and Speed Jiru, Marco''s wannabe murderer laughed and fought back, the disguise melting away to reveal Catarina Devon''s hybrid zoan in all its glory. The Dog Dog Fruit, Model: Kyubi no Kitsune, a mythical zoan equal to Maco''s own. A beast with mastery over illusions and fire.
A tricky opponent to be sure, but one his brothers should be more than equipped to handle. Especially when they outnumbered the enemy two to one. Infamous criminals they may be, but regardless of their reputation, facing two of Whitebeard''s commanders at the same time was no easy task for anybody. Which left only the big bad for Marco to worry about.
"Cross Fire!"
"I''ve seen that trick before, Ace. Don''t you have anything new?"
"Then try this on for size ¨C yoi! Phoenix Great Flame!"
"Two against one? That''s a bit much against a former crew mate, isn''t it Marco? Zehahaha."
"Bluebird!" "Hiken!"
"Vortex!"
The Whitebeard pirates had learned their lesson from Ace''s defeat. The second division commander''s report had been extensive, leaving no detail out in its recounting of the battle on Banaro Island. While insufficient on its own, when combined with the known identity of the fruit, it had been enough to formulate some basic strategies on how to deal with Blackbeard. The first of which was obvious. If their foe could nullify devil fruit users by grabbing hold of them, the easiest way to counter that ability was to simply stay out of reach.
"Zehahaha, what''s with you two? Are you scared or something?"
"You wish! Hiken!"
Of course, merely limiting themselves to ranged attacks alone was never going to be enough to defeat Teach. For one, Teach was surprisingly nimble for someone his size and two, the man had observation haki. However, the adage that nobody was perfect had survived the ages for a reason. In particular, the traitor turned out to be susceptible to the sin of pride. Vanity. Hubris.
"Hey, what''s with the distance, guy ¨C Hrrrk?"
"Crane Claw!"
That the arrogant bastard looked down at them wasn''t surprising when considering the events of the last year. Especially when the memory of his victory over Ace remained fresh and kept stroking his sense of superiority, followed by his journey from strength to strength. As such, Teach had increasingly fallen into a subconscious pattern of complacency the longer Marco and Ace maintained their useless ranged attacks. Meaning, that when Marco burst out of Ace''s Hiken to plant a clawed foot into Teach''s gut, the man had been caught thoroughly off-guard. Yet, even while staggering from the impact, Teach''s hand lashed out, grasping for the offending limb.
"Vortex!"
"Burn!"
"HOT! Hot! Hot hot hot hothothothot!"
The attempt was stopped when Ace enveloped both of them in an inferno, trusting in the healing flames of a phoenix to help Marco escape unscathed. Which he did by the way. Blackbeard on the other hand, whose body drew in the surrounding flames, was faced with very painful consequences.
Blackbeard rolled to the left. He rolled to the right. His large hands patted frantically at the fiery tongues burning him alive. It was a futile effort, for Ace maintained the blaze, not letting it waver for even a second. Marco soon added his own flames to the mix, trying to burn all the oxygen out of Blackbeard''s lungs.
It was a plan that would have likely worked if the enemy had only eaten the Dark Dark Fruit. Even if he could absorb parts of the inferno, it was of no use if Ace and Marco could pump out more than Teach could stomach. Yet, Teach had stolen more than the power of darkness from the Whitebeard pirates. His stolen ability was one, which had made their adoptive father a name to be feared the world over, and he''d obviously spent a year studying its use.
"QUAKE!"
The inferno shattered and the firestorm broke, the countless fiery tendrils covering Blackbeard''s body snuffed out in an instant. All because the madman had slammed a quake into his own body, releasing a shockwave centered around the man himself. When it passed and the dust settled, Blackbeard''s huffing and puffing form was revealed to the world once more.
Gone was the joviality and the complacency in his eyes, replaced by the cunning monster who had handed Red Haired Shanks his trademark scar. Unsurprisingly, once they clashed again the same trick didn''t work twice. The same was the case for anything else Marco and Ace attempted, forcing them to push their creativity into overdrive. However, Marco and Ace had been brothers-in-arms for years and were intimately familiar with the capabilities and fighting style of the other. New combination after combination flowed out of them without pause, the two of them working flawlessly together to maintain their momentum.
Often, one of them would keep Teach occupied in hand-to-hand combat, accepting the momentary loss of their devil fruit abilities and using armament to survive Blackbeard''s two. All in order to buy time for the other to find an opening. An opening in which to set the traitor aflame once more.
After only a few minutes, Marco and Ace were battered and bruised, the combination of Teach''s strength of arm and Whitebeard''s power being too much for armament alone to handle. However, all would agree that they''d dished out as good as they gotten and then some, for Blackbeard looked far worse. Certainly aided by the Dark Dark Fruit amplifying and magnifying any and all damage dealt to its host.
"Ok, time. Time. Time." Teach wheezed, clutching at his fractured ribs. "Why don''t we talk for a moment? Oi, that hurts!"
"We''ve got nothing to say to you, yoi." Marco drawled while Ace kept tossing a fireball up and down. But if their disinterest disappointed Blackbeard, he didn''t show it. Rather, the man began grinning from ear to ear.
"Ah, but I have something to say to you and I promise that you won''t want to miss this."
"Hike-"
"Ah ah ah¡ I wouldn''t do that if I were you, Ace. After all, I''ve got a hostage."
"A hostage, yoi?"
"Marco, why are you listening to this guy?" Despite Ace''s protests, Marco''s ears remained open. Thus, there was no way for him not to hear Teach''s next words. Words, which brought Marco''s brain to a screeching halt.
"Zehahaha. Not just any hostage. I''ve got Whitebeard''s son."
¨C Izou ¨C?
Blackbeard said what now? Who did he hold hostage? Questions flooded Izou''s mind, his brain racing to find answers for all of them and coming up empty. For one, since when did Pops have a biological son; two, why did not one of Whitebeard''s sons know about it; and three, how the heck did he end up in Teach''s clutches?
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"So, unless you guys want poor little Weevil to lose his itty-bitty head, you''re going to sit tight and hear me out."
Izou wasn''t alone in his reaction. All over the battlefield, the charge of the Whitebeards faltered as the news spread like a wildfire. Bewilderment, confusion and disbelief slowed their footsteps and ensnared their arms. For their opponents, who''d been steadily approaching a rout, this momentary lull in the fighting was godsend.
"Don''t you find it odd? Weren''t you guys one big, happy family? Why wouldn''t he tell you he had a son? A real one? Actually, better yet, why would he actively hide him from you?"
"Shut up, Teach!"
"Obviously, it''s because he didn''t trust any of you! The old man was probably worried that you''d reject little wee Weevil or outright harm him. After all, aren''t you Whitebeard''s successor, Ace? Everybody around you seems to think that, at least. Tell me, aren''t you even a little tempted? Remove him and you have no one who could possibly challenge you as Whitebeard''s heir."
"I''m not like you, Teach."
"Whitebeard doesn''t deserve your loyalty, Ace. Not after lying to all of you for years. For decades. In that case, we have no reason to fight, do we? Come, let''s put the past behind us and conquer the world together!"
"In your dreams, yoi."
Yet, none of Izou''s bethren paid the reforming enemy lines any mind, all of their attention firmly glued onto an elevated podium upon which three figures had appeared. A wrinkled and tiny old woman in shackles and a nondescript thug holding a naginata to the neck of a stocky, blonde man. It was also immediately apparent that this third figure was the one Blackbeard was referring to, for featured prominently upon his face was an all too familiar mustache.
"Help. Save. Me. I. Am. The. Son. Of. Whitebeard. Help." Weevil woodenly said in as monotone a voice as one could imagine. Izou couldn''t imagine worse acting if he''d tried ¨C and he was certain that it was acting ¨C not least because Weevil turned to his mother after saying his obviously barely rehearsed lines. "Did I say that right, Mama?"
"Yes, you did, Weevil. You truly are my treasure." The withered granny replied, seemingly unconcerned by her fetters. If someone didn''t find anything odd with that exchange between mother and son, then that someone needed professional help. Urgently.
Much to Izou''s chagrin, that someone ended up being one of his friends.
"Don''t worry, Weevil! We''ll rescue you in a jiffy! Just sit tight!" Squard loudly promised, before raising his blade in a rallying cry. "It''s the same thing we did at Marineford when we rescued Ace! Onwards, men! For Whitebeard!"
Normally, having a portion of their forces split off from the main line to do their own thing would have been bad enough. To make matters worse for the Whitebeard pirates, Squard just happened to be commanding their entire left flank. While most of them didn''t follow the Spider on his rescue mission, his departure did throw them into disarray as the task of coordinating their attack fell to the individual captains at the front.
"Come back, Squard! It''s a trap! It''s fake! He''s got to be a fake!" Islewan called out after his rampaging ally, who briefly did look back apologetically before continuing to hack his way to the podium. "Don''t you find this a little too convenient? He can''t be Pop''s son!"
"We don''t know that for certain, Islewan! If there''s even the smallest chance he could be, that''s already too much for me to ignore! Not after Marineford. I lost Pops. I cannot lose his son too!"
"Oh, by Davy Jones''s bloody locker, you''ve got a point. Wait for me!"
With that the battle resumed in earnest, though with a distinctive desperate tinge to it. Their carefully planned attempt to divide the Blackbeard pirates and defeat them in detail was placed on hold, as Izou''s allies no longer had the manpower to complete an encirclement while simultaneously launching a rescue mission. Instead, they switched to a more defensive stance to weather the storm their enemies unleashed upon them.
Whatever Teach had wanted to say was lost in the din of the fighting, Ace and Marco more preoccupied with keeping his mouth shut and hence unable to issue the execution order. Izou kept himself busy too, herding Van Augur like a hunter would his prey. Spreading his shots out in a careful and deliberate manner, he ensured that the teleporting man had no choice but to appear within range of Haruta''s blade, unless he wanted to escape the battlefield entirely.
Blackbeard''s sniper had looked astounded the first time this happened, staring incomprehendingly in Izou''s direction for a split second too long. Long enough for Haruta to slice his glasses in two. Though, that did happen to be the first and last time Haruta caught up to the guy, because from then on Van Augur kept teleporting away as soon as he appeared. He didn''t even bother trying to take a shot, seemingly content with wasting Izou''s time. It was a waiting game, one in which both sides were trying to hold out long enough for the other to make a critical mistake.
If it had been before his stint with the Bellamy Pirates, Izou may have struggled.
Slightly.
His opponent was gifted in observation and he''d been grinding his axe for years, whereas Izou had been content with maintaining his status quo. Hence, when combined with the Warp Warp fruit, someone who''d formerly been a mere annoyance, may have turned into a credible threat.
Unfortunately for Blackbeard''s sniper, Izou had been cosplaying the infallible instructor for the past year or so. With how rapidly all of the Bellamy Pirates had grown, it had forced Izou to improve himself, to review and rediscover skills he''d once thought long since mastered. Considering what sort of monstrous prodigy Aisa had turned out to be, observation haki had arguably received the most polishing. And it showed.
The longer their confrontation went on, the closer Izou''s misses became. Eventually, it got to the point where he could afford to have Haruta leave to assist elsewhere while still keeping Van Augur in check. And when the inevitable happened and Blackbeard''s sniper staggered back, clutching his bleeding shoulder, Izou deemed the moment right to send the long-awaited signal. After all, if Teach had played his trump card by revealing Weevil''s existence, he couldn''t complain if the Whitebeard''s replied in kind.
Unnoticed by most of the combatants on the field, a shadow approached the podium from the rear. The few lookouts along the way fell before they even knew they had fallen, silent steps carrying the figure from sentry to sentry. Within the span of a few minutes, a gap had been created in the wall of human bodies, allowing the shadow to slip through and leap onto the podium. Unnoticed by most that is. Teach wasn''t most people, but he was too far away and too busy to do anything about it. As such, the only thing left for him to do was complain. Which he did. Vocally.
"Oi, Ace. Calling those guys¡ that''s just plain cheating."
"Says the person wielding two devil fruits!"
One had to give it to the Revolutionary Army. They could be darn sneaky when they wanted to be and that went double for their officers. How else could they routinely infiltrate and successfully exfiltrate out of the World Governments high security facilities? Preoccupied by the sight of Squard, Islewan and Haruta approaching from the front in a loud and conspicuous manner, the guard holding a naginata to Weevil''s throat never stood a chance.
"Alright. Now, where are the keys?"
After a brief moment spent rummaging through the unconscious guard''s pockets, Weevil and his mother were safely ensconced in a protective cordon set up by Islewan and his men. With his job done, Sabo gave Squard and co a playful salute before speeding away in the direction of the main fight.
"Mama, is it time?"
"Not yet. Just wait a little longer, Weevil. Like a good boy."
"Ok, Mama."
After all, who said that a trump card had to be discarded after a single use? Especially on such a finely balanced battlefield where the lightest touch could tip the scales decisively one way or another? Weevil''s rescue had just been the beginning, the first of many dominoes that had to fall for the war to end. Now, they could wait for them to tip over on their own. Izou was certain they would with time, but where was the fun in that?
Especially when they had a hammer named Sabo?
Chapter 91: Payback War III
¨C Squard ¨C?
Things were going¡ not quite swimmingly but well enough. Especially when considering the stiff opposition.
In the first place, none of them had harbored any doubts as to Blackbeard''s strength. Even if one discounted Ace''s defeat, the mere fact that Teach had survived an encounter with Pops already marked him as one of the toughest bastards alive. The same went for his crew, who had been blown away but came back swinging. For this very reason, the Whitebeards had done everything in their power to achieve numerical superiority where it mattered.
As a result, the battle''s momentum had shifted completely over to their side. Faced with a two vs one situation, Teach''s senior officers had no choice but to remain on the defensive, doing their best to weather the storm. Yet, weather it they did.
If nothing else, this was a clear reminder that the Whitebeards'' decision to strike sooner rather than later had been a good one. While it may have been understandable that those captains stemming from Impel Down''s infamous sixth floor were equal or even slightly stronger than the commanders, the same shouldn''t have been true for Blackbeard''s original crew. Despite the many close calls and the numerous minor injuries they racked up, none of them had allowed the one critical blow to bypass their guard. And that made Squard uneasy.
Squard had no idea how Teach had done it and he wasn''t quite sure he wanted to know. But somehow, his original crew had undergone a dramatic transformation, going from not even posing a real challenge to being significant threats. All in the short timespan since their clash with Ace on Banaro Island.
Still, just because they''d achieved qualitative parity didn''t mean that the Blackbeards were winning. They would break soon, Squard could feel it in his bones, if only he and his friends could push a little harder.
A brief glance around confirmed that yes, Teach still remained trapped within a three-way encirclement by Marco, Ace and Sabo. Off to the side, Jesus Burgess was slowly being tenderized by Jozu''s and Kingdew''s fists, while Van Augur was playing hide and seek with Izou. All the while, the island was being terraformed around them by the clash between Avalo Pizarro, Curiel and Rakuyo; with the Corrupt King screaming in pain whenever Rakuyo turned another part of his granite body into dust.
Sadly, things weren''t only positive. Sure, Catarina Devon had lost an eye to Jiru''s lance, but unfortunately their resident speedster was being carted away himself, bleeding profusely from the stump where his right arm used to be. Enraged, Vista was doing his best to return the greeting with Haruta''s aid and he was getting closer by the minute. But that wasn''t going to undo the damage already done. As for Vasco Shot, that man had given up trying to deep fry Atmos and Blenheim altogether, choosing to divert his attention onto the surrounding Whitebeard pirates instead. Naturally, when faced with the choice of taking his head or protecting their friends, the two commanders opted for the latter.
Yet, all in all, there remained not a single card Blackbeard had left to play that Squard could see. His horde was stuck in a brutal melee and his officers were preoccupied. Blackbeard himself wasn''t getting out of that scrap alive and the hostages had been rescued. It was time to send in the reserves.
With a wave of his sword, Squard sped back towards the front, two hundred of their best and brightest following close behind. The enemy''s defenses buckled as his unit made contact before disintegrating altogether, allowing Squard to rip his way through their lines nearly unopposed. Once they''d assumed positions behind the enemy, the rest was easy. Surrounding the enemy piecemeal, Squard began rolling up the front line bit by bit in a methodical manner. Surround and crush. Surround and crush. Again and again and again. Increasingly, fear entered his opponent''s eyes as more and more Whitebeards flooded through the gap, reaching its zenith when Avalo Pizarro retired from the field.
They had done it. The battle was effectively won. The ships who''d been the diversionary force were about to enter port with further reinforcements. All they''d now need to do was¡
"WEEVIL?!? What the fuck are you doing?"
"Treachery! The bastard has betrayed us!"
"The ships! Protect the ships!"
Squard''s head snapped around, his trained eyes quickly finding the source of the disturbance. It wasn''t very difficult to find. After all, how could he possibly miss the sight of their last remaining Moby Dick being cut in twain by the one Squard had believed to be Pops'' son? With every swing another of the barely guarded ships met its end, the skeleton crews being unable to even delay Weevil by as much as a second.
Further damage was briefly stopped by Islewan and Jiru placing themselves between Weevil and his targets, though it immediately became apparent that they wouldn''t be enough. Apparently, Sleepy, Forliewbs and Reforte had seen the same thing and were rushing to join the fight. And all Squard could do in the meantime was freeze in place and ask himself the following question.
Why?
He dearly wished that someone would explain it to him, because he just didn''t understand. What did Weevil have to gain by betraying those who flew his father''s flag? Why would he help his father''s murderer? Why now? Why after they''d risked their lives to rescue him? Why? Why? Why?
"Above us!"
"Hard to port! We need to get out of the way! Hard to port, damn it!"
"It''s big! Scratch that, it''s fricking huge!"
"CANNONBALL!!!!"
"We''re capsizing! We''re CAPSIZING!"
"Teehee."
Focused on the Weevil, everyone failed to notice the threat approaching from the rear.
As such, Sanjuan Wolf''s return caught them completely off guard. Some only noticed the danger when the seas were overturned and ships swallowed by the waves thrown up by the world''s largest giant diving into the ocean. Half the ships Marco had held in reserve in case of an emergency were sunk immediately while the rest were scattered. Two more were crushed soon after when they didn''t move out of reach in time, Sanjuan Wolf''s hands treating them like toys. Not long after, the sounds of cannon fire reached Squard''s ears, as Doma and McGuy tried their best to stop him from wading into port.
"Zehahaha! Give up Ace! You guys are trapped."
"Don''t laugh too soon, Teach! It''s not over yet!"
"Oh, but it is. Did you seriously believe that I didn''t know about your spies? Your ambush only worked because I allowed it!" Blackbeard boasted. "Haven''t ever wondered why I didn''t stop you from gathering your allies? Why I chose not to attack you guys before you could muster your full strength? Surely, you didn''t think that it was because I feared you?"
"You bastard! You baited us¡"
"Of course I did. And lo and behold, you guys sailed right into my trap without suspecting a thing, zehahaha!" Blackbeard gloated. "I suppose I should thank you for saving me the trouble of hunting you down one by one. Admit it, you guys are finished."
"Not if we crush you first!"
"Maybe, but can you do it in time to save your friends?"
"What are you talking about, yoi? They can handle Sanjuan Wolf. They don''t need saving."
"In that case, I should probably stack the deck in my favor, zehahaha. Oi, Doc Q! It''s time!"
Wait, if that guy was here¡ then who the fuck were Whitey Bay and Epoida chasing?
"Haa¡haa¡I''m¡here, Teach...haa."
"You want to know something interesting, Ace? Doc Q ate the Sick-Sick fruit, which allows him to afflict others with diseases!"
"What?!?"
"Let''s see how well you fight when you''re a bloody midget!"
"Haa¡one shrinking disease¡coming right¡up¡haa."
¨C Laki ¨C?
When they''d begun their hunt for Lafitte''s ship, their target had been just that. A single ship with a single ship''s crew. Instead, they found three frigates, packed to the brim with Blackbeard''s new recruits all thirsty for blood and carnage. Veterans of the New World one and all, survivors of a thousand battles and the cream of the crop amongst those calling the pirate haven of Hachinosu their home. It was a force that would have made many a marine Vice Admiral balk and some Warlords think twice about attacking.
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They didn''t stand a chance. Much like wheat before the scythe, they were mowed down by Commander Blamenco and the Decalvan brothers before they even knew what was happening. The only reason the Blackbeard pirates hadn''t been immediately sunk, ship and all, was the need to confirm Lafitte''s presence. Much to Laki''s silent dissatisfaction, the Bellamy pirates had taken a bit longer to clear the frigate they''d been assigned. Though on second thought, what did it say about them that she was trying to compete with the Whitebeard pirates on an even footing?
However, whatever disappointment she may have felt in her own performance, it was outweighed by the sense of confusion. This was Lafitte''s squadron, of that there was no doubt. One of the prisoners had revealed as much when they''d questioned him. In fact, the prisoner had claimed to have seen the Titanic Captain board the flagship before they''d left port.
So, that begged the question: where was Lafitte?
"Any luck, Captain Decalvan? Though from the looks of it, it doesn''t seem like guys had any luck either." Bellamy asked once they''d joined the Decalvan brothers. However, the elder of the two was already shaking his head before Bellamy was finished speaking.
"Nay. None at all. Lafitte, that cowardly rat¡"
"¡isn''t on this ship either. And we searched this ship high and low for him."
"Then he must be hiding from Commander Blamenco on that frigate over yonder." Bellamy mused, scratching his chin. "Though I haven''t picked up any sounds of fighting from that direction for a while now. How about you, Aisa?"
"Nu-uh. It''s all quiet."
"In that case, Blamenco probably crushed him already¡"
"¡or he wasn''t here in the first place. Which means he''s back on Hachinosu. They bloody bastards tricked us!" Decalvan Jr. cursed, seemingly frustrated by the subterfuge. And why wouldn''t he? They''d been led on a merry goose chase.
"I guess, there''s not much to do then apart from regrouping with Commander. If we return now, we should make it in time to help the main force."
"You heard the rookie!"
"Let''s pick up Blamenco and get out of here!"
"Aye aye, captains!" With the order given, the pirates rushed to obey. Sails were unfurled and anchors raised, the seasoned sailors moving with a fluidity that could only come from years of experience. As such, they were ready almost as quickly as Laki and her friends.
"Don''t worry about Commander Blamenco, Captain Decalvan. We''ll let him know."
"Alright, rookie!"
When they approached the Whitebeard Commander''s location, they could see him and his division members walking about on deck. That was when Laki''s senses began tingling.
"Uh, Bellamy? I don''t like it. It''s too quiet." Aisa murmured; her eyes scrunched in concentration.
"Yeah, I feel it too. Let''s hurry."
Tingling became warning bells, which increasingly turned into a muted brass orchestra the closer they got. The Whitebeard pirates seemed fine, their faces betraying no traces of anxiety or fear. Rather, they were peaceful and relaxed as they milled about, periodically moving below deck in groups until only Blamenco remained.
"Hoi! Commander Blamenco! If you guys are done searching for Laf¡ HEY, MOVE DAMN IT!"
"BEHIND YOU!!!"
Neither Bellamy''s exclamation nor Aisa''s warning scream managed to garner any sort of reaction from the 6th division commander. Rather, he remained passive as the enemy stepped into his shadow. As a result, when the Black Pearl pulled up alongside the captured Blackbeard frigate, the Bellamy pirates got a front-row seat to a blade being slipped in between the commander''s ribs.
"Ah, you''re right on time, ladies and gentlemen. I was just about to come looking for you."
"Lafitte!"
"The one and only. The pleasure is all yours, I''m sure." Lafitte smiled, tipping his hat by way of greeting. "I do hope you enjoyed my little opening act?"
"Opening act? This?" On the Captain''s signal, the Bellamy pirates began spreading out and slowly surrounding Lafitte on all sides. Their opponent did nothing to stop them, casually wiping the blood off his sword stick with a piece of Blamenco''s shirt.
"Oh, yes. What else would you call it?" Lafitte said airily. "Frankly, I''m a little insulted that Marco deemed a single commander enough to deal with me. He should have sent at least two if not three."
"Three? You think you can fight Whitebeard''s commanders three-on-one and win?" Bellamy asked with a healthy dose of skepticism. Yet for all that he seemed outwardly relaxed, even going as far as to bury his hands in his coat''s pockets, Laki knew that he was tense. After all, so was she.
"Dear heavens, no. I''m not delusional."
"¡" Laki had been a huntress for near two decades. In that time, she''d faced predator and prey alike, not to mention that she''d been both more often than she''d cared to count. She knew what being faced by an apex predator felt like. That feeling of dread, the growing probability of death and the reflexive adrenalin rush, all those were familiar companions of a hunter''s profession
"Why do you think I brought three ships with me in the first place?"
"¡you wanted to split us up."
"Ding ding ding! Got it in one. Congratulations! Have a cookie!" The hum of a walking stick twirling around stopped for a moment, replaced by the slow sound of clapping. "A three-on-one would be tricky for me, but three one-on-ones? Now that''s a lot easier. Especially if you all let down your guard like the late 6th division commander did."
Lafitte however, didn''t give off such vibes. Instead of the overwhelming presence of someone like Enel, their current opponent was a blank. Despite staring at him with her own eyes, her observational haki seemed confused when it came to him. And that, if nothing else, made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on edge.
"You intentionally sacrificed your men." Laki realized, her gut clenching at the very thought. That sort of thing was one of the greatest taboos that a leader could commit amongst her people. The tribe would fall apart otherwise and be unable to pool their strength when it really mattered. "All to lure us into a false sense of complacency."
"And it worked wonderfully. Commander Blamenco was so busy knocking my men about, he didn''t sense me coming until it was far, far too late. After that¡well, you saw the result." Lafitte smirked, his cane continuing to make circular motions.
"How did you know we were coming?"
"Oh please, surely you didn''t expect us not to know. Especially not with how blatantly Marco was gathering men and ships. Figuring out the when was easy." he scoffed, seemingly unconcerned by the two rifles being trained on his head. "As for the where¡ seeing as I was the lure, the where was pretty obvious, no?"
"You''re stalling." Bellamy realized.
"So were you." Lafitte pointed out. "But did you really think you''d survive long enough for the Decalvan brothers to rescue you?"
"If you knew that, then why wait?"
"Wasting time, mostly. I''d fly back if Teach needed me, but alas, he has more than enough cards to play without adding my humble personage." Lafitte grinned, before glancing at his watch. "I suppose I could let you in on a little secret. After all, it''s about time."
"Time for what?"
"Time to decisively prove the new era belongs to Blackbeard. I guarantee you, Marco is about to have a very bad day. For that matter, why don''t you join us, Captain Bellamy? Amongst your little group of rookies, you''re pretty talented. I''m sure you''d do well under Marshall D. Teach and it isn''t like you''d owe the Whitebeards anything after today."
"That''s generous of you, but I think I''ll decline. I don''t like working for anyone else."
"More''s the pity, I suppose. Well, I gave you a chance."
"Ready to fight, are we?"
"Oh please. Why should I fight you, when I can hypnotize you instead?"
With that, the circles stopped, and the cane came to a halt between Lafitte''s feet with a soft clack.
Laki''s world went dark.
Chapter 92: Payback War IV
¨C Ross ¨C?
You ever get that uneasy gut feeling? The one screaming at you that something was about to go horribly, horribly wrong? Well right now, that feeling was refusing to leave Ross be. It hadn''t ever since Lafitte began talking and it had only grown the longer he kept twirling that stupid walking stick of his.
Thing was, one didn''t survive the streets for long without having very good instincts or at least a very trusty gut. And if that trusty gut told you to jump, you didn''t ask how high. You simply jumped. When one added observation haki into the mix, that gut feeling turned into a dependable premonition. Which was why Ross hadn''t questioned his haki, when it told him to commit a grievous sin. One, that would have caused every combat instructor in the world to scream and rip their hair out in frustration.
He closed his eyes and looked away.
By all conventional wisdom, this was a monumentally stupid move to make. Suicidal even. Especially against an opponent who outclassed him drastically in every way, where missing the smallest bodily cue could mean the difference between life and death. But¡ well, he''d seen what happened when people ignored their haki and hence his paranoia had taken over. He''d even dragged Hewitt along with him, forcibly spinning the cook around a split second before Lafitte brought his cane down with a soft clack.
At first nothing seemed to have changed. Ross certainly hadn''t felt any different. And when he''d heard the twin cracks of Laki''s and Rivers'' rifles, Ross had felt a great sense of relief. One that had calmed his roiling gut enough for the sailmaker to leap into motion, charging Lafitte who''d been knocked off-kilter by the initial barrage. Completely open. Vulnerable. And most importantly, within reach.
"Hewitt, let''s go!"
"Already way ahead of you!"
If only their snipers could keep up the pressure for a little longer, the Blackbeard pirate was about to get dogpiled by their entire crew. Lafitte''s eyes widened, his gaze fixed upon a haki-covered, jet dial propelled fist racing towards his face.
Then, he smirked.
Ross'' head rang as a sea stone bullet smashed into him, barely having managed to interpose his hand between his head and certain death. As it was, the force still sent him tumbling head over heels into the far railing. Hewitt met a similar fate, his molten frying pans proof of their sacrifice, having bought him precious time to dive out of the way of Laki''s plasma bolts.
"Where the hell are you aiming at, Rivers! Have you suddenly gone blind or something?" Ross roared at the airborne sniper. "You could have killed me!"
Rivers'' response was to calmly reload his gun, before proceeding to aim and fire. Aim and fire. That was all he did, but he did it with unerring accuracy, leaving no room for Ross to do anything but hunker down and take it. Hewitt for his part seemed to be quickly working his way through his near inexhaustible supply of cooking implements.
Yet, the current predicament did leave enough breathing room for Ross to ascertain what sort of fucked up situation he''d found himself in. All around him, the deck had erupted into chaos as the Bellamy Pirates devolved into a civil war.
Nero was methodically working his way through Muret''s defenses; with the only reason he hadn''t succeeded yet being Funkreed''s spirited resistance. Eddy, who would normally have rushed to assist, was barely managing to fend off the captain himself with Aisa''s support. Meanwhile, Lily and Sarquiss were having the relationship fight of the century. If that didn''t proof that something unnatural was going on, nothing would.
What was going on? Wait. Hadn''t Lafitte mentioned something along the lines of hyp¡
"Roughly half of you? I''ve got to say I''m thoroughly impressed. I was aiming to catch all of you, but I suppose this isn''t bad. Not bad at all and it''s certainly far more amusing to watch."
"What the fuck did you do, you fucker!" Lily yelled, before turning around to land a textbook uppercut into Sarquiss'' jaw. "Stay down, dickhead!"
"Hypnosis is such an underrated ability, you know?" Lafitte replied. "Doesn''t matter how strong they are or how strong willed. Actually, that just makes it all the easier, because the stronger they are, the less likely they are to miss my little circles. And the stronger their will, the less likely they are to question themselves or their instincts. All I have to do is¡nudge them a little to see things from my point of view and their will do the rest of the work for me."
"Well, undo it now! Bring them back to normal or I''ll fucking kill you!"
"I''d rather not fight a crew of Rear Admiral and Vice Admiral tier enemies all at once, thank you very much. That would be such a hassle, and I do have the Decalvan brothers to deal with as well. On that note¡ta-ta!"
With one final wave, Lafitte sprouted white, feathery wings and sped away. Soon after, alarm bells started ringing frantically from their allied ship as the Decalvan Pirates did their best to keep him away. They predictably failed, resulting in rifle fire being replaced by the screams of wounded and dying men. Not that the Bellamy pirates had any shits left to give about the fate of their allies, because they had far more important matters to worry about. Such as reestablishing their demolished chain of command.
"Alright Shitheads! As the quartermaster and with both the captain and the first mate out of commission, I''m assuming command! Anybody gonna take issue with that?"
"No! But if you''re going to take charge¡oof¡can you do it a bit more quickly?" Muret called out, hastily deflecting a shigan with a pair of scalpels. "Preferably sometime before Nero gifts me a new hole to breathe through!"
"Shut it! We''re switching dance partners!" Lily declared, bodily pulling Muret to safety. "Aisa, keep Rivers and Laki busy! If I have to even glance at them for the rest of the day, I''m throwing every cookie overboard!"
"You''re a big meanie!" Aisa accused, though she flew off to complete her mission regardless. Of course, this also meant that Eddy''s situation worsened considerably very quickly.
"Lily¡ I don''t want to rush you, but some assistance would be KINDA NICE RIGHT ABOUT NOW!"
"Mani, get the fuck out there and help Muret put Nero to sleep! I don''t care how you do it, but I want him getting some shuteye before I''m done clapping some sense into my fianc¨¦!"
"Are you sure that''s a good matchup? You know I don''t do well in a frontal engagement and he''s a trained assassin."
"It''s not fair and we''re shorthanded! Suck it up!" Lily snapped before turning her smoldering gaze unto a frozen Ross and Hewitt. "What are you two waiting for? A written invitation?"
"Well¡eh¡"
"Go and help Eddy keep the captain busy before he turns us all into bloody paste!"
"There''s no way we can handle the cap¡" Ross began to protest, but Lily shut him down immediately and effectively.
"NOW!!!!"
"On it!"
¨C Eddy ¨C?
Ok. This was not a problem. They could handle this. They''d faced worse odds and survived before. Plus, they sparred all the time during training. Sure, Eddy usually got his arse handed to him on a regular basis, but he''d landed a few good hits of his own every so often. Once in a while. Intermittently. Occasionally. Sometimes. Sporadically.
OF COURSE THIS WAS A BLOODY PROBLEM!!!
Eddy was confident that he could fight damn near every Rear Admiral in the Navy and easily come out on top. He''d learned two types of haki while most of them had not, he''d received training from a Whitebeard Commander and he''d probably survived enough combat situations for the difference in experience to no longer matter. So, when Lafitte had referred to the Crew as a bunch of Rear Admiral and Vice Admiral tier fighters, Eddy had mentally placed himself near the top of the pack.
The issue was that Bellamy was so far above a Rear Admiral that it wasn''t even funny anymore. It had been funny on Marineford when he''d gone through them like they weren''t there, but the difference in physical stats was just patently unfair. The only thing still keeping Eddy in the fight were his own speed which matched the captain''s own. Well, that and Bellamy''s puzzling decision not to activate his Thunder Cloak.
"Wake up, Captain! This isn''t the right time to be playing around!"
As it was, he was barely managing to keep himself alive, his knees buckling from the strain every time he parried an attack. And there were so many of them raining down without rest. If it hadn''t been his life on the line, Eddy may have been impressed by how much force remained even after redirecting around half of the starting amount. But, as it was his life on the line, his brain did not have the capacity to reflect on such matters. Thankfully, relief finally came in the form of Hewitt''s attempt to brain their captain with a frying pan, his loud approach creating enough of a distraction for Eddy to catch his breath.
The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"Frying Pan Technique: Whack-A-Mole!"
Though his enthusiastic assault soon resulted in him getting trapped by Bellamy''s new Spring Cube. While Eddy got to work cutting the cook free from his prison, the task of keeping the captain busy fell upon Ross'' shoulders. A task which he did quite well, expertly using the many jet dials attached to his joints to distort his body out of harm''s way. Whenever that wasn''t feasible, Ross would use an impact dial to intercept that which he could not dodge.
"Keep him still, guys!"
Nobody expected such a state of affairs to last for long, least of all Ross. As such, when Bellamy transitioned into a grapple mid-punch, Ross grabbed hold of the offending arm without hesitation. Hewitt was quick to mirror him, wrapping up Bellamy''s left arm in a giant dish cloth and pulling it taut with all his strength.
"Eddy, now!"
"Sorry, Captain but this is for your own good!"
"Shut up and swing already! We can''t hold him for much longer!"
Eddy''s blade smashed into his captain''s head with all the force he could muster. Springs went flying everywhere, as Bellamy''s Coil Chassis deformed to absorb the blow. Yet, the hope that the impact would snap him out of whatever hypnosis Lafitte had placed him under, was extinguished very quickly. Dozens if not hundreds of tiny springs converged upon the trio, packing a far greater punch than their minute size would suggest.
"Ack, they''re like bloody bees!"
Ross used his impact dials to knock them away while Eddy''s arms blurred as he did his best to create a cocoon of safety around himself. Hewitt, on the other hand, pulled out a giant cooking pot.
"Potluck Festival!"
Think Kirby''s Smash Move from Super Smash Bros.
The moment he opened the lid, everything was drowned out by the deafening sound of air being sucked into a vast empty void. Bellamy''s springs, which had until then been flying circles around Eddy and his friends, froze mid-flight before beginning a gradual descent into the cooking pot. Slowly at first but speeding up the closer they got to the silvery kitchen implement, until they were all drawn into open maw. Upon which Hewitt proceeded to slam the lid shut. The sight was so surreal that even Bellamy paused to try and make sense of what they''d just seen.
"Hewitt¡ what is that?"
"A cooking pot?" Hewitt smiled innocently, causing Ross to give him a deadpan look.
"A cooking pot."
"It''s a special cooking pot?" Hewitt tried again to no avail. "Fine, I layered the insides with as many breath dials as I could fit into it. Then Laki helped me add the option to reverse the airflow, so that instead of expelling air, it sucks it in. A complex system, which I don''t understand at all, then empties the dials as fast as they''re filled so that I can maintain the attractive force indefinitely. It''s basically a very powerful vacuum cleaner."
"A vacuum cleaner. Shaped like a pot."
"I''m a cook. I have a certain aesthetic to maintain."
Eddy wanted to argue this point more. To express his own incredulity because otherwise he''d feel like he was the odd one. He really did. Yet, that would have to wait until a better time because Bellamy had activated his Thunder Cloak. Whatever balance the trio had believed they''d achieved evaporated near immediately in the face of a raging storm. Before he could even blink, Bellamy was on him, fists already only centimeters from Eddy''s chest.
"This is going to hurt, isn''t it?"
"Spring Gatling."
It took Eddy three painful bounces on the ground to regain a semblance of balance. Still, apart from an ugly bruise beginning to spread across his ribcage, physically he was more or less fine. Four times Bellamy had tried to cave his chest in, and three times Eddy had managed to block him. It would have been four if his sword hadn''t turned into a pile of molten metal mid-parry.
Things would have been a lot worse if it hadn''t been for Ross jumping to Eddy''s defense. Hewitt had joined him soon after, delaying the Captain long enough for Eddy to get his bearings. Not that his current situation was all that positive to be honest. He was a swordsman without his sword. Would he be able to positively contribute to the fight going forwards? Unlikely. In fact, it would be a miracle if his atrophied hand-to-hand abilities didn''t weigh the others down instead. In a case like this, doing the smart thing would probably mean retreating and finding one of his practice blades.
"Hewitt? I thought cooks weren''t afraid of a little heat."
"Ross¡what about that says little to you? Additionally, that phrase is referring to kitchen level heat! The way he is now, it''s a bloody miracle this ship hasn''t caught fire yet! Kitchen and all!"
The problem was time. Would Hewitt and Ross be able to hold on without him? Would Eddy be able to do his part with the blunt swords he had left? Again, unlikely. He did have one other path of action he could take, though it was one he''d been putting off at Izou''s behest. Yet, with Bellamy sending his two friends reeling, Eddy no longer had the luxury of waiting until he was perfectly ready.
With his mind made up, his hands reached across his shoulder to draw his bejeweled sword. Eddy wasn''t a fool. He knew it was a cursed blade and hence, he''d been carrying it around to get used to its aura on Izou''s recommendation. Once a holy sword, the Shichiseiken now granted immense power to any wielder it acknowledged in exchange for mental corruption. But what choice did he have if he wanted to save his friends? If he finished things quickly before the sword could really dig its claws into him...then maybe?
His fingers closed around the hilt and his world went red. Everything was hot. And cold. And everything in between. Strength flooded his arms, and his wounds disappeared as if they''d never existed in the first place. Exhilarating power, sweeter and more addictive than the greatest drugs, filled his being along with a new sense of confidence. Surely, he''d be able to knock some sense into his captain now, right? If he got a little roughed up in the process, well, it was all for his own good anyway.
Eddy wasn''t going to kill him or anything. He wouldn''t even hurt him all that badly. Just slice off his limbs to keep him still and¡ "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
"Are you sure? You know you need me."
"I need a sharp sword. I don''t need you!"
"Are you willing to bet Muret''s life on that? If you''re not quick, Nero is going to kill her."
"Muret is strong and Funkreed is with her. My job is to delay the captain."
"If you say so. This was just meant to be a greeting anyway. When you fail, I''ll be right here, waiting for you. Consider today a freebie."
The red hue lessened slightly but didn''t go away. Not that it mattered. Nothing really mattered anymore, apart from his mission. Keep Bellamy busy. Keep Bellamy busy. Break his legs-JUST KEEP BELLAMY BUSY!
Armament became easier, observation became muddier. Though, when broken limbs healed within moments, that too no longer mattered. Sure, even with the sword boosting his abilities, landing a solid blow on Bellamy remained a difficult task. Yet, in the same vein, Bellamy no longer had the ability to put Eddy down in one blow. He''d need two or three and Eddy had minions he could use to prevent that from happening.
Like all things however, the fight had to end someday and that time came faster than Eddy had anticipated. Sparks flew as metal met metal, Bellamy''s haki coated fist grasping Shichiseiken''s ebony blade like a vice before it could pierce his shoulder. Ross, on the other hand, wrapped Bellamy''s entire body up in canvas, holding on for dear life. And Hewitt? Hewitt used the provided opening to approach his momentarily immobilized captain and stuff¡something down his throat.
A second passed. Then two. Then¡Bellamy swallowed. The following convulsions sent Eddy and co bodily flying, Eddy vision clearing as he lost his grasp on the Shichiseiken. Which meant he had a clear view of his captain and friend kneeling on the ground, metaphorically retching his guts out.
"Hewitt, what did you feed him?"
"Grilled squid tentacles dressed in peanut butter."
"¡uh. That''s a rather creative combination."
"I know, right? It tastes so bad." Hewitt grinned. "Which makes it perfect."
"As long as you''re happy with it, I suppose¡"
A tortured groan interrupted the trio''s conversation, causing three pairs of eyes to snap to where a very pale Bellamy was clambering back to his feet.
"I swear, Hewitt. If you serve that or anything like it to me ever again, I''m throwing you overboard. And if you two idiots let him do it, you''ll be joining him."
It was a threat. A rather potent one too, if one considered the local maritime life. Yet, their faces lit up, worried frowns being replaced by wide relieved smiles.
Chapter 93: Payback War V
¨C Urouge ¨C?
Well, shit had just hit the fan.
Quite of bit of it too if he was being honest, because Doc Q''s Shrinking Disease had been a game changer if there ever was one. All over the battlefield, Whitebeard pirates suddenly found themselves fighting relative giants while needing to get used to their new knee-high stature. For someone like Urouge, who''d been the big kid on the block for most of his life, the experience had been an unsettling one.
Thankfully, the disease could be resisted with enough haki, but that came with a cost of its own. While their size could vary a lot, one''s haki reserves were a finite resource. Meaning, that whatever was used to counter whatever the fuck Doc Q had done to his body, was hence no longer available to Urouge for use in other matters. Important matters, such as punching this annoying candy syrup in the face.
"Kakakaka! Don''t you want some candy, little one? Open wide~" the green blob cackled. "Everyone loves syrup~"
Naturally, when faced with the choice between losing his familiar body or his haki, Urouge had opted for the latter. Some had made the same choice as he. Others had opted for the former instead, with more or less success. Regardless of what they chose to sacrifice however, there was no questioning that it had been a crippling blow for the Whitebeard Alliance.
Panic had set in all along the frontline, the enthusiastic advance turning into a bumbling retreat. It would have likely resulted in a total rout too, if it hadn''t been for a couple of factors. First, the commanders and the veteran captains had enough haki left to keep Blackbeard''s heavy hitters at bay, proving once more why the world was right to fear them. They wouldn''t be able to keep it up indefinitely, but for now their mere presence exerted a stabilizing influence. Second, Weevil was wreaking havoc to their rear. Well, more havoc once the Shrinking Disease weakened what little opposition had been left. And last but not least, most of the Blackbeard Pirates were struggling to advance beyond a certain point.
"It''s time for you to have some sweet dreams! One from which you''ll never wake up~"
"Has anyone told you that you''re damn annoying?" Urouge growled, trying to splatter the candy syrup logia across the street. Unfortunately, it moulded itself, for lack of a better word, around his attempt. Stupid logia with stupid observation haki. "Oi Pinky! This is all your fault. Why''d you have to use all the flour yesterday?"
"It was an emergency!"
All because of three people.
The most visible of the three was Urouge''s first mate, Brunhilde. Unlike her captain, the giantess had opted to forgo the use of her own haki, deciding to rely on her natural gifts instead. While it was a pity that she had no haki to spare, a giant''s strength was not something that most people could handle. Especially when that giant was fully capable of going toe to toe with one of the weaker marine Vice Admiral under normal circumstances.
And if someone appeared who wasn''t blown away by his stunning first mate? Say, someone like a certain syrup logia who couldn''t keep her sticky hands to herself? Well, that was what Urouge was there for.
"Karmic Retribution!"
Thankfully, the Shrinking Disease did just that. It shrunk the victim but left their strength and speed untouched. Which was why Urouge had no problems wielding his ¨C now perhaps slightly oversized ¨C pillar to teach this unbeliever a lesson. Unfortunately, with his limbs significantly shorter than they''d been this morning, he missed.
"Ahahaha! Praise be to Blackbeard for he grants power to the worthy! The offerings he desires are sweet victory¡"
"You can stuff your sweet victory where the sun don''t shine!"
But as the saying went, ''if you fail, then try, try again.'' Urouge tried again, catching the heretic squarely on the chin. From there a brutal beatdown followed, the dazed logia unable to run away. Urouge would later swear that it had been for the heretic''s own good with no ulterior motives of his own. After all, it was a universal truth that if you clobbered someone long enough, you could convince them to your point of view eventually.
"Stop playing with your food and make yourself useful dammit!"
"Shut it, Pinky!"
"Make me!"
Unfortunately, teaching this pink haired brat some manners would have to wait. Mostly because just like Brunhilde, Bonney was one of the lynchpins holding the horde of enemies at bay. If one had to find a difference, it would be that the Blackbeard pirates were far less willing to approach Urouge''s currently diminutive peer than they were his first mate. Regardless of how hard Blackbeard''s mid-tier officers spurred them onwards, nobody wanted to be turned into helpless baby. Especially not in the middle of a chaotic battlefield, where one was more likely to be trampled to death by their own comrades than not.
"Oi, Beanstalk! You ready yet?"
"No! I wasn''t ready when you asked me five minutes ago and I''m not ready now! Don''t rush me, Monk-ya!"
Meanwhile chibi Law had set up a field lab of sorts, tinkering away with hundreds of vials and samples and whatnot zipping around in the air around him. Urouge couldn''t make heads or tails out of any of it, but the doctor had begun muttering about antibodies and passive immunization before commandeering the entirety of the Whitebeard medical staff for his project. Coincidentally enough, the lab was functioning as a rally point as Whitebeard pirates, wounded or otherwise, flocked to it in droves.
Apart from these few bright spots however, the overall situation remained fairly dire. While Urouge''s own ship was safe as of yet by virtue of having been moored further away, the number of allied ships was decreasing at an alarming rate. A trend that was only accelerated when Sanjuan Wolf broke through McGuy''s desperate defense to join up with Weevil. Sure, they still had a few ships out at sea and the distraction squads should be returning soon, but it was already obvious that not all of them would be able to make it out alive. Not unless they somehow forced the enemy to surrender.
Regrettably, that scenario was looking increasing unlikely. Whereas before Blackbeard had been surviving by the skin of his teeth, now the tables had turned. Regardless of how strong Marco, Sabo and Ace were, their foe wasn''t someone they could defeat with such a large handicap. The revolutionary Chief of Staff was struggling in particular, as unlike his comrades he didn''t have a devil fruit to fall back upon. Even if he seemed oddly comfortable wielding a pipe with a tiny body.
"Getting tired already, Ace? Is it just me or have your flames gotten colder? Maybe you need a nap? I''ve got cells prepared just for you, complete with bars and everything."
"Flame commandment, Hibashira!"
Watching Ace engulf Blackbeard in an azure inferno hot enough to turn the surroundings into glass didn''t offer much reassurance either. For as dazzling as the display was, it paled in comparison to the haki infused black hell the second division commander had unleashed prior to Doc Q''s appearance. Without sufficient haki to protect it, there was nothing stopping Blackbeard from simply blowing it apart with his Quake Quake Fruit.
Still, struggling or not, for now the three were doing an admirable job tying Blackbeard down. Same with the other commanders, who for the most part were leveraging their numerical two to one advantage to keep the Titanic Captains far away from the main fighting. Thankfully, Catarina Devon had retired from the field after losing an eye to Speed Jiru, which meant that Vista could reinforce Islewan against Weevil and Sanjuan Wolf. Same with Haruta, who hadn''t been needed by Izou to keep Van Augur in check for a while now.
However, unless something changed drastically, the Whitebeard pirates were going to be ground down sooner rather than later. But until then, all Urouge could do was do what he did best. Namely beat up heretics until they either returned to the true way or croaked. All while waiting for the winds to change, holding onto the firm belief that no matter how dire a situation may at first appear, an opportunity would always crop up. He just had to persevere until it revealed itself.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
"Ships on the horizon! It''s Whitey Bay and Epoida! I see the Decalvan ship too!"
"Captain Sleepy and the other distraction squads are back!"
"Wait, but whose ship is that red one over there?"
Hopefully, the Midget had been having a better day.
(A little while before Urouge''s POV)
¨C Lily ¨C?
Lafitte was a dead man walking. There was no place in existence where he could run to, nowhere he could hide from her wrath. The heavens wouldn''t stop her from hunting him down and exacting her vengeance. And that was what it boiled down to in the end. Not justice, but revenge pure and simple for what he''d done. Obliging her to fight her fianc¨¦¡that she could perhaps accept. But hijacking his mind to make him hurt her¡ that went too far. Not because of the injuries she suffered in the process. Those were a non-issue.
Yet, every nick and every bruise Sarquiss inflicted upon her would become an emotional dagger rammed into his heart when she inevitably broke him out of Lafitte''s mind control. Between physical wounds and mental suffering, it would always be the latter which cut deeper and lasted longer. To damn Sarquiss to such emotional pain was simply unforgivable. Lafitte would pay. It might not be today or tomorrow. Maybe not even next year. But he would pay eventually.
Lily would make sure of it.
And by the looks of it, she wasn''t alone in that sentiment. Up in the air, Aisa seemed to be winning the contest of observation haki, always staying slightly ahead of their two snipers. Whatever hangups their sensor once held about going on the offensive had obviously vanished as wave after wave of crackling blue exploded out of her. After all, drawing the situation out wasn''t going to help anybody and the sooner she could immobilise her friends, the sooner they could go about getting them back to normal.
Muret and Mani had redoubled their efforts as well, no doubt buoyed by their captain returning to his senses. Who could have known that Hewitt''s culinary deviancy would come in useful? If feeding the victim a disgusting combination of squiggly seafood and peanut butter was all it took to break Lafitte''s hypnosis, then things were looking up. They just needed to be kept still for a moment.
On that note, the substance used in a medical cast had the useful property of going completely rigid within a very short amount of time. Something, which Nero found out when he dodged around Funkfreed''s tusks and ran straight into a small wave of the stuff, courtesy of their resident doctor. Their elephant-nurse helped things along by slapping him deeper into the pile with a well-placed trunk to the back. Finally, Mani inserting one of Muret''s sedative syringes into his neck sealed Nero''s fate as he slumped into unconsciousness.
Showcasing an amazing amount of control, Aisa''s lightning strands formed up into a net that covered the sky. No matter where Fuza flew, there was no escaping the enclosing trap and soon enough the pair were dangling from the riggings in a brilliant blue net. Laki followed suit not long after, immobilized but unhurt, the electric construct doing no harm despite crackling ominously.
Which left only Sarquiss who needed saving. Theoretically, it should have been easy, seeing as Lily''s Rust Rust Fruit was perfect for the task. The problem lay in getting her hands on her fianc¨¦, who kept flitting around her at speeds Lily simply couldn''t match. And getting stabbed by an opponent for the sake of bringing them to a halt was not an option, no matter what Bellamy claimed. Her brain going into overdrive, Lily called upon her own considerable intellect and academic background to find a solution. Thankfully, one presented itself immediately.
"Oi Dickhead," Lily called out, spreading her arms out and leaving herself wide open. As was only to be expected, the hypnotized Sarquiss took the bait. Both his stingers were out ready to impale her with a singleminded focus on causing her grievous harm. That would change soon enough. "I''m pregnant."
The words had a near magical effect. Lily could tell the exact moment his brain had registered her words, for clarity returned to Sarquiss'' once emotionless eyes. Of course, he also tripped over thin air and decided to imitate an out of control wheel until the main mast got in his way.
"You''re what?!?" Mani screamed while just about every head snapped in her direction. Sarquiss was far less eloquent in his response.
"Bloubdeljijojhku?"
Naturally, once the shock wore off and Sarquiss was back to his senses, she needed to explain to her crew that no, she was not in fact carrying a baby and that yes, she''d told a fib. Thankfully, Muret had supported her claim and the matter had been laid to rest, though Sarquiss had seemed somewhat conflicted.
Still, with Lafitte''s hypnosis broken, the crew quickly made their way over to the Decalvan ship to provide what support they could. They arrived to find a scene of carnage. Obviously, Lafitte hadn''t managed to replicate his trick a third time, perhaps because the Decalvan pirates hadn''t given him the time to create enough circles with his walking stick. Yet, that had only resulted in a far gorier situation. Corpses and wounded littered the deck, including the unmoving form of the younger Decalvan brother. The elder wasn''t looking that much better, exhausted and on his last legs. His clothes were soaked and newly dyed in crimson red. Lafitte on the other hand looked fine in comparison, tired but not critically injured.
"Well, lookie here. What a surprise." Lafitte grinned, beginning to make circular motions again. "You''re here a lot faster than I thought you''d be and with all your crew members alive to boot. Obviously, I haven''t given you enough credit."
"Do you think I''ll let you?" Bellamy snarled, his fist forcing Lafitte to block it with his walking stick. "That trick isn''t going to work a second time!"
"That would certainly prove a bother, wouldn''t it? Oh, but look at the time¡I''m running behind schedule." Lafitte claimed. "It''s been a pleasure, but I''m afraid it''s time to call the curtains on this act."
"You''re not getting away!" Decalvan Sr. ground out, leaping into the air after Lafitte, his claws at the ready. They never reached Lafitte, as sadly his arms turned into white, feathery wings which carried him up and away. "Get back here!"
"I''d love to stay and chat, but I simply have to leave. Got places to be, people to kill and Ace is a far more tempting target than you lot. Ta-ta."
And with those parting words, Lafitte ripped a hole into Aisa''s lightning net and flew off into the distance. It went without saying that everybody gave chase, including the elder Decalvan, whose eyes had taken on a distinct fanatic glint. Case in point, every scrap of canvas was hoisted to catch as much wind as possible, both ships desperately racing for Hachinosu.
Lily dearly wished that Lafitte''s parting words had been nought but bravado and empty threats. Yet¡despite her own wishes, a dark pit was forming in her gut as she watched Lafitte disappear over the horizon. It got worse once they reached their destination, only to come across the sight of their reserve ships fighting a losing battle against Sanjuan Wolf.
As much as she hated the thought, between the main force and the Bellamy Pirates, the latter had clearly been having the better day. Though, things were possibly looking up. For in the distance, a familiar set of red sails were approaching the island.
After all, she was an ally, right?
Chapter 94: Payback War VI
¨C Nero ¨C?
In hindsight, it was Lafitte''s arrival and Catarina Devon''s return had been the straw that broke the camel''s back. Already hampered by the combination of Doc Q''s disease and their thus rapidly dwindling haki reserves, the various commanders and captains had been stretched way too thin trying to protect the men under their command. With the chances of victory looking ever slimmer by the minute and with their escape route no longer secure, the current situation had become increasingly untenable. In this situation, Marco had been forced to split up his precious commanders even further to prevent Doc Q & Lafitte from starting a massacre.
"Curiel! Noooo!"
"Haah¡one¡haah¡down¡urgh."
"Get your head back in the game Rakuyo!"
As a result, where before the commander pairs had been dominating the titanic captains, for the most part the opposite was now the case. Nowhere was this more obvious than where Curiel and Rakuyo had been fighting the very island of Hachinosu itself. The key word being had. Too focused on maintaining his destructive output, Curiel failed to notice the danger sneaking up on him before it was too late. Consequently, in exchange for sending a few extra bazooka rounds up Avalo Pizarro''s nostrils, he''d left his buddy without a partner and himself without a head. Doc Q''s scythe likely would have claimed its second victim not long after that, if it hadn''t been for Vista coming to Rakuyo''s aid.
"What the¡gurgle?"
"You''re quite weak for a commander aren''t you, Mr. Water Buffalo? Certainly, a far cry from the likes of Vista."
"Shit, Atmos!"
"Drucken Spitfire!"
"Oh no, you don''t!"
"Haruta, thank goodness you''re here!"
Unfortunately, while no doubt warranted in the moment, Vista''s decision had consequences. Whereas all of Whitebeard''s medical staff was busy finding a cure for the Shrinking Disease, Blackbeard''s doctors were free to ply their craft. As such, Catarina Devon returned to the battlefield in good condition, minus the eye she''d lost to Speed Jiru''s lance. Distracted as he was by Vasco''s alcoholic inferno, Atmos only noticed Devon''s presence when she plunged her sword through his back and into his heart. Blenheim''s panicked cry for help was answered by Haruta, who had until now been driving Weevil back alongside Islewan and Squard.
"Full speed ahead!"
"Fire on my signal!"
Those two were reinforced in turn by the newly arrived Sleepy and Decalvan Sr. Meanwhile, others such as Epoida and Whitey Bay went off to fight Sanjuan Wolf¡. Opening the confrontation by ramming Whitey Bay''s Icebreaker into the giant''s knee. While the maneuver didn''t hurt the Titanic Battleship in any meaningful way, it did force him to his knees and brought his head into range of the fleet''s cannons.
"I do love ambushes. It''s so much more elegant than brute fisticuffs, wouldn''t you agree, Commander Jozu?"
As for Lafitte, Aisa had found him in the process of slicing through Kingdew''s hand at the wrist. Followed soon after by his two carotid arteries, just before the commander would have squashed Burgess'' head like a grape. Again, a two on one situation was only avoided by Fossa''s timely arrival, but the loss of three commanders in quick succession broke the Whitebeards'' morale to a point, where not even Law''s newfound cure could reverse it.
The situation thus being what it was, there was nothing Maco could have done to stop the general flight for the remaining ships. Especially not when he found himself in the fight of his life against Blackbeard. If anything, credit should be given where credit was due, because Marco''s orders, issued at the top of his lungs, turned what could have been a disastrous rout into an orderly retreat.
Though, that still left the rather large problem of Sanjuan Wolf making maritime travel in and out of port difficult. And loathe as he was to admit it, the giant presented an issue that was a little too big for Nero to handle. Not that it would stop him from trying, because hell if he didn''t want some revenge on the hypnotizing prick. And as he couldn''t reach Lafitte, his crew mate would have to do. That said, the question as always was the how. The dozen broadsides seemed to be doing little in the way of actually causing damage and the allied captains were struggling to make it through Sanjuan Wolf''s thick skin.
Clearly, conventional methods were not going to work though the same could be said for Nero''s Rokuogan. While Nero had successfully recreated the damage output, the range was still limited, so that he couldn''t be certain the attack would make it through the layers of fat and blubber protecting the colossus. But¡ what if it was applied closer to home? Like really close? Intimately close?
"Captain, I''ll be back in a bit."
"Nero¡I know that look. Not sure I like it, but I sure as hell know it. What dumb shit are you planning this time?"
"Probably something brainless and brilliant in equal measure. Or at the very least, barmier than a demented fruitcake."
"That''s a colorful description. Anything I can do to help?"
"Can you keep the big guy''s arms still for a moment? I need to get to his head."
"I can probably get you a few minutes." Bellamy replied, cracking his knuckles and taking to the air with geppou.
"That should be more than enough. See you on the other side, captain." Nero smirked, before catching Rivers'' attention with a wave. "Hey Birdbrains, I need a ride."
"Sure. Where to?" Rivers asked, though he blanched when he registered exactly where Nero''s finger was pointing at. "You cannot be serious."
"I can''t believe I''m saying this either, but I actually am. Dead serious in fact."
"Weren''t you always telling us off for being insane? What the heck, Nero?"
"What can I say? Insanity is apparently infectious."
"Can''t you use geppou or something? We''re still bruised from the beating Aisa gave us earlier." Rivers whined, even as he clambered onto his partner''s back. "Getting stuffed into a solid lightning net is hell on Fuza''s back."
"One, Fuza is significantly faster than my geppou and two, let''s go before I start second guessing myself."
"Fine, fine. If you are determined to become an afternoon snack, who am I to say no?"
The initial approach was accomplished without any issue, neither Nero nor Rivers representing a noteworthy threat to Sanjuan Wolf. In fact, judging by the utter lack of attention paid to them, the giant''s observation haki likely hadn''t even deemed them worth issuing a warning for. Meaning, that when Whitey Bay mercilessly targeted the most vulnerable part of a man''s anatomy and Sanjuan''s opened reflexively let out a pained scream, Nero was in a prime position to dive into the wide-open cavern below.
It was loud. It was moist. And it was slimy in ways that Nero shuddered to even think about. The floor kept trying to squash him against the walls or the pearly white gates. However, Nero had trained in harsh environments before and had overcome them. This time would prove no different. Geppou, Soru, Kami-e, Tekkai. Pushing his rokushiki skills to their limit, Nero rapidly made his way across the roiling terrain until he reached the vertical chutes at the back. With no hesitation at all, Nero ripped open the lid and jumped down.
Admittedly, things weren''t looking all that bright at the moment. Rather dark, actually.
That would change.
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
Just because Nero had launched his harebrained scheme, didn''t mean the rest of us were going to sit on our collective derrieres and do nothing. And by that I meant that we couldn''t, because that would be tantamount to letting the big guy have his way with us. Yeah, there was no way I was letting him get his grubby hands upon the Black Pearl. Thankfully, I had a reliable crew.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
"Eddy, you''ve got command of the vessel! Keep her safe!"
"Aye aye, Captain. Hard to port guys! Pull!"
"We''re pulling, alright! We''re pulling! The sail is refusing to budge!" Hewitt complained, heaving with all his might but with limited success.
"I''m on it. Why the fuck is there a bloody knot in the rigging? Oi shitheads, stop pulling for a bloody second so I can untie it, will you?"
"We don''t have time. Cut the rope!"
"Mani, are those jet dials ready yet? I think he noticed us."
"Giant hands incoming!"
"Mani, I needed those dials activated YESTERDAY!"
Very reliable as long as I could get them a little breathing room to do their thing, which meant obstructing Sanjuan Wolf''s attempts to fish my ship out of the water. Throwing out a pair of springs, I slipped the enlarged coils over the giant''s wrists like a pair of metal bracers. Shrinking them afterwards to make them fit ¨C very snugly I might add ¨C was child''s play in comparison. And with that, I had him.
"Teehee? This is odd."
My springs moved not because of some force that propelled them onwards but because I willed it so. Admittedly, there were limits, and it was possible to resist if one possessed one of two things. Those two being either sufficient devil fruit mastery to match my own or high enough physical parameters to overcome the conceptual powers of a devil fruit. Garp being a prime example of the latter. In essence, it was a similar principle to what I had experienced in my battle against Mad Treasure.
Sanjuan Wolf had both. With the Huge Huge Fruit to could call upon as well as the sheer muscle power to match his colossal size, I wasn''t able to fully halt his approaching hands. What I did manage to do was slow them down to a crawl. Whitey Bay and co weren''t ones to miss such an opening.
Ice bloomed out of every cut and every gash, the blood freezing whenever it came into contact with the Ice Witch''s blade. While most of these flowers shattered shortly after, their passage through the surrounding tissue always ripped open a larger wound. Meanwhile, Sarquiss and Epoida were buzzing around Sanjuan''s head, attacking him with impunity. Having quickly realized that he wouldn''t be piercing the thick skin any time soon, my first mate even crawled into one ear to break through the significantly more fragile ear drum. For her part, Lily was doing her best to rust his spine shut, though her power was taking its sweet time working its way past all the fat protecting her target.
They were all distractions. Painful to be sure, but distractions all the same.
While we kept the titan occupied, Captain Karma had been busy wrapping our anchor chain around one giant leg. What followed was a move reminiscent of the Battle of Hoth from Star Wars, the Black Pearl revealing what she was truly capable of for the first time. Jet dials roared to life and the chain went taut as she heaved with all her might, assisted by every captain and every spare hand we had available. Combined with Lily''s Rust Rust Fruit finally taking effect, it was enough to disturb his balance and topple Sanjuan Wolf, sending him crashing unto his back in the shallow waters around Hachinosu.
The impact loosened the chain and sent Lily flying into the water, though she was fished back out by Captain Karma. The splash and the waves that followed swept all of our ships out of position as well. All of them, with the sole exception of the Black Pearl. Eddy had steered her well, not even a dozen meters separating us from Sanjuan''s head.
"Laki! Rivers! Fire at will!"
"Aye aye, Captain! Firing at will!"
I think I''d mentioned multiple times in the past that both Laki and Rivers were toting around rifles, whose firepower rivaled that of an artillery piece. They were examples of scientific ingenuity, human creativity and the fruit of our joint adventures. Dial engineering from Skypiea, Grand Line gunsmithing technology and the alchemical prowess of Myskina Alcier¡ all of it had flowed into the task of boosting their guns far beyond what a mere rifle should be capable of. So then, that begged the question.
If applying those principles to a rifle had made it as powerful as a cannon, what would happen if you applied the same principles to an actual cannon? Just because we hardly made use of them, didn''t mean the Black Pearl wasn''t equipped with heavy ordnance of her own. And today, those heavy guns roared to life, launching a dial-coordinated broadside into the side Sanjuan Wolf''s head. The resultant explosion would have leveled a mountain. Was it enough to put our enemy down for good? No.
"Ow. That hurt. That really hurt!"
"Seriously? He''s still alive?"
Skin and muscle had been burned away, revealing teeth and bones. Some of the latter had shattered, leading to half his face losing its support and sagging in a mockery of what it should have looked like. Blood flowed freely and black scorch marks littered the bald head, the hair having been burned to ashes. But Sanjuan''s eyes were intact, and they were glaring death in our direction.
"I''m going to hurt you back!"
With an enraged roar, the titan grew even more, shattering the springs encasing his wrists. That his skin got ripped to shreds in the process seemed to concern him little, when compared to the freedom to squish those who''d hurt him into fine, red paste. Could I try to slow him down again with the same trick as before? Maybe. But despite his immature personality and childlike demeanor, Sanjuan Wolf was a prisoner of Impel Down''s infamous level six and one of the world''s most dangerous criminals. No, the likelihood of him letting him catch him off guard again were slim.
"Aisa! It''s time!"
"Twenty million volt infusion!"
No, I needed a different method to stop that hand, one that could deliver enough force to counteract its momentum. I needed something that packed enough of a punch, something that could deliver a high amount of kinetic energy in a linear manner. In short, I needed a railgun. My arms provided the rails, Aisa provided the current and a compressed spring became the bullet. Millions of volts propelled the projectile onwards, slamming into the open palm at near ten times the speed of sound. Then another. And another. And another in a continuous stream, slowly forcing his hands back and away from my ship.
Unfortunately, as powerful as this ability was or perhaps because of it, I wasn''t able to maintain the assault for long. Creating expendable springs in such numbers was exhausting as was the strain of resisting the kickback force to maintain a steady aim. Thankfully, I didn''t need to keep it up for very long. Midway through our exchange, Sanjuan Wolf suddenly let out a pained groan and clutched both hands over his heart.
As such, his hands were preoccupied when a new variable interfered.
"How dare a beast of a man block my way! You shall pay for this impudence!"
"Urgh¡a pretty doll?"
"How vile. Even in the midst of agony, your thoughts wallow in disgusting filth. Be grateful that my beauty will be the last thing you ever witness. Mero Mero Beam!"
Nobody dared to move for a long minute, as we stared transfixed at what moments before had been a living, breathing organism trying to kill us. Now, only a petrified corpse stood there with hearts for eyes and his hands still covering his heart. And bouncing in the air was none other than the Pirate Empress herself.
"You, Luffy''s friend. Where is Luffy''s brother?" she asked, turning her cold eyes upon me. I just pointed my thumb in the vague direction of the island.
"Uhm, back over yonder. He''s fighting this big, black-haired dude. You can''t miss him."
Boa Hancock didn''t wait for me to elaborate any further, choosing to speed to Ace''s aid instead. We watched her go before the sound of cracking stone pulled our attention back to her artwork, where Nero was digging his way out of a newly created hole.
"Hey, guys. Everything turned to stone all of a sudden. What I miss?"
Chapter 95: Payback War Finale
¨C Ace ¨C?
A year was not a long time in the grand scheme of things. Yet, Ace''s world had been turned upside down within that very same span of time. Thatch had died. Whitebeard had died. His adopted family was in the process of dying all around him. All because Teach had become a completely different beast from the one Ace had fought on Banaro Island.
Marco''s flames were flickering unsteadily, a dim shadow of their former glory, valiantly trying to close the gaping hole in the first division commander''s chest. If he hadn''t eaten the specific devil fruit he had, Marco would likely be dead by now instead of slowly crawling towards recovery. That Marco had only been wounded trying to save Ace''s hide made things all the worse.
Admittedly, Ace''s answer to Marco''s wounding had been to try and reduce Teach to a pile of ash, but that had been a measured response in his opinion. Not that it mattered all that much because the bastard had escaped mostly unscathed. If Sabo''s pipe hadn''t crushed Teach''s right shoulder while Ace and the bastard had been embroiled in a contest of wills, it wouldn''t even have been that much. As it was, Ace had to satisfy himself with merely reducing Teach''s right arm down to a sequence of charred bones, all the flesh having been turned to ash by an emotionally laden fireball. That Teach was still proving to be more than Ace and Sabo could handle in their current state was a damned blow to Ace''s pride. Perhaps things would have been different if Doc Q hadn''t interfered, but all the excuses in the world wouldn''t change the fact that they were losing.
Slowly perhaps, but they were losing and nothing they did seemed capable of changing that.
Sabo''s dizzying sequence of strikes, each and every single one powerful enough to turn rocks to rubble, wasn''t enough. Ace''s famed firefist, its heat honed until it could turn sand to glass and lakes into deserts, wasn''t enough. To be fair, it wasn''t as if Teach was shrugging off their attacks. He certainly felt them, screaming in pain with every bone they broke and every burn they inflicted. The issue was that the bastard powered his way through agony that should have sent any normal human into a coma.
Too focused on taking out Teach''s remaining good arm, Ace barely got his own up in time when the emperor wannabe swung his skeletal arm like a flail. The follow up kick was blocked by Sabo before he was forced to swerve out of the way of Teach''s grasp¡ right into the path of Van Augur''s bullet. Blackbeard''s sniper going down moments later to Izou''s answering fire was only a cold comfort as Sabo''s left leg collapsed out from under him.
"Sabo! Are you alright?"
"Ace, right! On your RIGHT!" Saba''s warning, as heartfelt and urgent as it was, possessed the limitation of being carried via the medium of sound.
"Oh, crap."
When he was sent bouncing in a painful looking manner, all Ace could do was create a small barrier to slow Teach down. It wouldn''t delay him for long, but it was enough for Ace to right himself and come skidding to a stop next to Sabo.
"Ace, didn''t you say you nearly fought this monster to a standstill on your own?" Sabo asked while flexing his muscles to stem the bleeding.
"He wasn''t anywhere near this strong a year ago." Ace answered, his eyes not leaving Blackbeard for even a split second. "I hate to admit it, but he may even be stronger than Pops used to be."
"¡we''re definitely going to need to get Marco patched up. Though, I don''t think that guy is going to let us go."
"Sabo, can you walk?"
"I can limp. Don''t try too hard, Ace."
"I know. Just get out of here."
"We''ll be back before you know it." Sabo promised, slinging Marco over his shoulder, wincing slightly from the sudden weight. "Ok, I may need a little help."
Sabo made it all of three steps before Ace had to provide support, lest he and Marco become intimately familiar with the ground.
Then Ace''s barrier faltered.
"There you are, Ace¡"
"FOR LOVE!"
"Love?"
Hancock''s heel slammed into Teach''s shiny black nose, just as his face peeked through Ace''s barrier, both kicker and the kicked disappearing behind the flames. Ace and Sabo spent a few seconds staring in incomprehension before they looked at each other and shrugged as one. They could question why the notoriously man-hating Warlord was here once they''d gotten patched up.
Thankfully, Law and the other medics were able to stabilize Marco and fix Sabo''s leg. An added benefit was that without the need to divert all energy to keeping his body alive, Marco was able to return to the land of the living and start giving orders once more. Though, that came with its own issues.
"Why, Marco? We have Teach on the ropes! Why are we pulling back?"
"Because we''ve lost this one, Ace. We need to get out while we still can, yoi."
"What do you mean, we''ve lost? Teach might be holding up a bit better than expected but can''t you see that it''s just a matter of time now?"
"That''s time we don''t have. Look around us, yoi!" Marco snapped, gesturing towards the wider battlefield. Ace wasn''t convinced. "Open your eyes and take a good look!"
"Sure, they caught us by surprise earlier, but the others are handling themselves just fine. Heck, Izou even won his fight and Hancock is here. Now, we just need to hammer in the final nails into the bastard''s coffin!"
"Yes, we could do that, yoi. But have you thought about how many coffins we''ll have of our own to bury alongside his?" Marco screamed back. "Our boys are spent, physically and more importantly, mentally. Maybe not the other commanders but the rest? They''re done."
"The Kuja¡" Ace tried but Marco cut him off.
"The Kuja will not fight your battles for you." The Pirate Empress interjected herself into the conversation, striding imperiously into their midst. "We promised to save Luffy''s brothers. We have saved them. Now, we will leave before Blackbeard digs himself out of the hole I''ve buried him in."
"Hancock!"
"You heard her. The Kuja secured us an escape route but nothing more, yoi. One, which I can''t afford to waste by arguing with you. Not if I want to send our friends home alive." Marco sighed. "Tell me honestly, exhausted as we all are, can we kill Teach and his officers before our friends are dead?"
"So, we''re just going to run away with our tails tucked between our legs? Let Teach get away scot-free after all he''s done? Don''t you realize that we''ll never get a better shot than this!"
"¡I know. I know this better than anyone." Marco softly admitted. "I know I''ll not be able to assemble a force like this ever again. Whatever influence I had, whatever sway I had¡it''s well and truly spent now."
"All the more reason to finish the job today! Hancock, we can take him! Sabo is fine now and Izou is free! I don''t know who you made your promise to, but I''m sure they''ll want this as well. It won''t even take that long if you turn him into stone like you did with Sanjuan Wolf¡"
"That beast is somehow immune to my powers, but I know you are not. If I have to petrify you to keep my word, I will. Do not test me, male."
"You heard her, Ace. Yes, we could keep fighting with or without her, but at what cost, yoi? A third of our division members? A full half? More? Would it be really worth risking everyone''s lives on that uncertain gamble? Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that that is what Pops would have wanted?" Marco''s whispered words took Ace''s breath away as he took in the pained look in his friend''s eyes. "Because I can''t."
"¡neither can I." Ace said, closing his eyes in resignation. Marco was right. Demoralized as the Whitebeard pirates were, their ability to use haki was going to be gutted, if it wasn''t drained already trying to resist Doc Q''s ability. And fighting without haki was essentially suicide. No vengeance was worth the cost of burying everybody he loved in the course of attaining it, he''d learned that at Marineford. If Whitebeard had still been here, he''d have slapped Ace over the back of the head for being an idiot. Just like he''d done, when he decided to hunt down Teach after Thatch''s murder. If only he had listened. "Go. I''ll buy you some time."
"Don''t die, yoi."
"Against these chumps? They won''t be able to even touch me."
It looked like Marco wanted to say more but like the first division commander had said earlier, he didn''t have the time to waste. Giving Ace one last worried look, Marco turned around and flew in the direction of their ships. A look which had been wholly unnecessary by the way. Ace wasn''t planning on dying here today or anytime soon.
Come what may, they could deal with Blackbeard another time. Ace''s mission was to ensure that the Whitebeard Alliance could successfully disengage and the best way he could think of how to do that was¡fire. Lots and lots of fire. A wall of fire to separate the pursuers and the pursued, one hot enough to burn most of Blackbeard''s chaff to cinders.
"Great Flame Commandment¡"
If it had been a year ago, Teach would have easily absorbed the entire construct, though it would have taken him a few minutes. However, Ace''s haki hadn''t been the only thing to receive Rayleigh''s attention. He''d lost track of how many lessons the Dark King had beaten into him, but a fair few had been focused on hammering out the kinks in the way he used his devil fruit. Disappointingly, it hadn''t been enough to defeat Teach, not when he wielded two of the most powerful devil fruits in existence. However, it would suffice for this.
"¡Flame Emperor''s Palace!"
The air rippled as the general temperature of Hachinosu rose to sweltering heights. Blackbeard pirates everywhere stumbled back and away from the sudden wall of heat that erupted in the face of their advance, spanning the entire length of the island. Urouge and the few who had been holding the line likewise backed away from the pitch black wall of fire, shielding their faces as best as they could.
A brief bout of dizziness cost Ace his footing just as his vision clouded itself black. Thankfully a pair of arms propped him up before his face could introduce itself to the ground. He really shouldn''t have used all that haki all at once. One might think that he''d have gotten used to this feeling by now after all those spars with Rayleigh, but it was just as disorientating as the first time.
"Don''t worry, I''ve got you."
When his vision cleared again, his eyes confirmed what his ears had already known. Izou was there, looking slightly singed but otherwise fine, providing support that Ace desperately needed. His legs felt like jelly.
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"Izou, aren''t you a sight for sore eyes."
"Good job on the barrier, Ace. Even Teach should need a while to break through that one." Izou gave him a tired smile. "Let''s go join the others."
However, once they reached the ships they found most of the Whitebeard pirates milling about and not boarding the ships like Ace had been expecting them to be. It wasn''t as if Weevil were blocking their way either, because he''d hightailed it out of there. Perhaps Hancock trying to turn him into a local landmark just like Sanjuan Wolf had convinced him that caution was the better part of valor. Or maybe it had been his mother screeching into his ears, who knew?
Though when they approached the spot where the various captains were huddled around Marco, they all stopped to look in Ace''s direction.
"What''s going on guys? Weren''t we leaving?"
"Well Ace. We''d love to but here''s the thing." Islewan replied, his normally jovial face showing none of the usual cheer. "Weevil and the big guy were damn effective in what they set out to do."
"Wait¡ don''t tell me¡"
"We have far fewer ships left than we thought we did." Jiru spoke up, answering the unspoken question. "Someone is going to have to stay behind. That someone might as well be me."
¨C Speed Jiru ¨C?
Being a good leader meant a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For some, it meant being a visionary, able to inspire others to greater heights. To others, being a leader was to be a teacher, guiding and mentoring others to come into their own. To others yet again, a leader should set a framework ¨C create an environment as it were ¨C in which their followers could flourish. And if one were patient enough to consider one more example, a leader was someone who led by example.
This was by no means an exhaustive or even extensive list. Like there had been thousands if not tens of thousands of noteworthy leaders over the course of human history, be it in roles large and small, their styles of leadership had greatly varied also. Naturally, due to the finite length of the human lifespan, most became proficient in only one or maybe two methods of leadership. Considering how much thought and effort went into each one, expertise in one style alone was already a feat worthy of recognition.
Pops had been a master of all four.
There had been a reason that fiercely independent and eminently prideful pirates flocked to Whitebeard''s banner and it hadn''t been his strength. Oh, for sure, Pops'' had been powerful with or without his devil fruit and there was no denying that he''d been worthy of his title. Yet, to Jiru''s mind, that wasn''t who Pops had been at his core. Unlike the crews of Kaido or Big Mom, the Whitebeard pirates hadn''t feared their captain. They had loved him.
Was it any wonder then, that when he''d been promoted to the position of commander all those years ago, Jiru had looked to Whitebeard as an ideal to aspire to? His fellow commanders had been no different, though the specific aspect they tried to emulate differed. Unlike his more charismatic or frankly speaking, more clever brothers, Jiru quickly decided that he wasn''t going to revolutionize the way his division was run.
He wasn''t going to be able to provide some grand vision to inspire those under his command, because he himself was merely following Whitebeard''s vision. So instead, Jiru had focused on leading by example in his everyday life. Him volunteering for the rearguard was merely an extension of his usual modus operandi.
"Absolutely not! Having somebody stay behind is tantamount to ordering them to die!" Ace exclaimed, violently shaking his head. "I won''t do it! I refuse!"
"You wouldn''t be ordering. I''d be volunteering." Jiru calmly replied before wincing in pain. His belly stung something fierce, but that was only to be expected after getting stabbed by a sharp implement. "Plus, don''t you think it''s pretty arrogant of you to assume you''d be giving the orders? Marco is still the commander in chief, you know?"
"That''s not the point!"
"You''re right. The point is that unless enough of us stay behind, we''re all going to die. If we don''t delay their pursuit until we''re done boarding the ships, we''re all going to die. And if we don''t get those under Pops'' protection to safety, they''re going to die."
"Pops would never choose to sacrifice someone to save his own life! We shouldn''t either."
"Well, Pops isn''t here."
If it had been anyone other than a Whitebeard pirate, they would have been torn to shreds immediately. Though, seeing as it was one of Whitebeard''s sons who had uttered those damning words, the response was a deafening silence.
"¡Jiru. You¡you¡" Stammered Ace. Jiru didn''t let him finish.
"Pops isn''t here anymore precisely because he recognized that not everyone could make it out alive at Marineford. But Ace, you''re right on one thing." Jiru said, struggling to maintain an even voice. "Pops wouldn''t sacrifice another for his own gain. He never did. Instead, whenever there was a sacrifice to be made, he would make it himself."
"Jiru, are you sure about this, yoi?"
"¡yeah. I''m not sure what Devon hit but she hit something important. Not sure how I''m still not dead, to be honest. Barring a miracle¡well, this is going to be my last chance to be the hero, you know? Or the gallant knight. I''m not picky."
"You always did like your knightly fairy tales, yoi."
"So, hurry up and get the damsel out of here, Marco." Jiru smiled. It was a brittle one. "This is my moment."
"Wait a minute! You''re wounded, Jiru. If anyone is staying behind, it''s me! I owe all of you my life! As if I''m going to watch you¡"
"Jozu, if you please."
"¡die-put me down! Jozu! I said PUT! ME! DOWN!"
Ace would probably never forgive him for this, but this really was for the best. While one wouldn''t know it from how loud he was hollering, the hothead was truly and completely tapped after setting up the barrier. After all, he wouldn''t be helplessly slung over Jozu''s shoulder like a sack of potatoes otherwise. That said, Jiru wasn''t in a much better state himself, but at least he could still put up a fight. At least a little one.
"Do you have a plan, yoi?"
"I spotted where they hid their ships and thought we could make a rush for them. It should distract them more than just a bunch of us standing around on the beach."
"Good luck, yoi. And I''m sorry."
"Just keep that bottle of Alabastan Red ready for me, Marco."
Gathering up his trusty lance, Jiru moved away from the main group and towards the fiery barrier separating them and the Blackbeard pirates. Flames so hot that even from a hundred meters away the heat washed over him in waves. Behind him, he could hear Marco explaining the situation to their comrades, feel their surprise and their fear. Jiru didn''t blame them. Who in their right mind, wanted to die?
Especially when one of the ostensible leaders was ¨C however involuntarily ¨C being taken to safety. For Jiru though, there had been no other choice. He had loved Whitebeard, and he loved the Whitebeard pirates still. He simply could not bear to watch that legacy die. Whether he liked it or not, Ace had become a symbol after the Summit War. Despite their defeat today, or perhaps precisely because of their defeat, he remained the sole symbol that had any hope of preventing the Whitebeard pirates from scattering to the four winds.
Hence, his survival was non-negotiable. Jiru on the other hand had only ever been a middling commander. Strong and powerful in his own right but in hindsight, he''d been happy to rest on his laurels. As a result, he simply didn''t have what it took to be Whitebeard''s successor. Few did.
Did that change the general sense of unfairness about this whole situation? Where someone''s survival seemingly depended upon their future usefulness? No, it did not. In a way, Jiru was a coward who was running from responsibility, having left the most difficult task to Marco. Whereas Jiru had only volunteered himself, he''d left the unenviable task of organizing the rest of the rearguard to his friend. Leadership meant leading by example, true, but it also meant making difficult decisions when it came down to it. And Jiru had found that he couldn''t bear to make them.
Breathing in deeply, he closed his eyes and turned his focus inwards. With his consciousness drifting in the gentle darkness of his mind, thoughts and questions passed him by like whispers in the wind. What was working? What was not? What reserves did he still have that he could call upon? How many would stand beside him he wondered. How many would cry? Who would their anger be directed towards? Blackbeard? Marco? Him? Would they be able to delay the Blackbeards long enough for their friends to escape these waters?
The sounds gradually vanished as the ships left port, the noise of bustling crowds gone without a trace. Ace''s cries disappeared last of all, carried across the waves like a particularly persistent echo. Until at last, all that remained was the feeling of dwindling warmth on his face and the silence around him.
A hand landed on his shoulder. A familiar hand.
"You stayed, Fossa?"
"Well, not just me." The 15th division commander replied, taking a deep draft of his ever-present cigar. "We couldn''t let you hog all the glory by yourself, eh?"
"I''m old. Too old to keep up with youngsters like Haruta and Ace. Thought I may as well go out with a bang while I still can." Blenheim said, stepping up to Jiru''s left. Rakuyo soon joined them, followed by Squard, Karma, Brew and half a dozen others. And behind them, two hundred grim-eyed pirates, all of them staring down the flickering barrier with determined looks.
"Our ships are gone anyway." Karma shrugged when Jiru glanced in his direction. "What''s a captain without a ship to do, other than aid the journey of those who still do?"
"Plus, I don''t like running from a fight. Once was enough." Rakuyo said, adding his own two belli. "Not before giving them a bloody nose in any case. I won''t be able to sleep at night otherwise."
"The bastards owe me a new ship. I mean to collect." Squard grumbled.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Ace''s barrier came down, able to resist Blackbeard''s power no longer. The howling horde began to move, thirsty for blood and vengeance. And Jiru? Jiru met them halfway.
With a smile.
Chapter 96: Journalistic Integrity
Welcome to Marineford Daily, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
It''s been three weeks since Marco the Phoenix led his remnants in a desperate and thus naturally, ill-fated assault on Blackbeard''s stronghold. That the entire clash was driven by greed and foolish ambition, and more importantly that the whole world knows it, is readily obvious in how the public has begun referring to the conflict as the PAYBACK WAR.
That the battle resulted in a more peaceful New World without need of Marine Intervention is surely of no importance at all. Especially when one considers that it finally decided who would occupy Whitebeard''s empty throne¡for now. Though¡was it worth the cost? While it is undoubtedly true that the Whitebeard Remnants were decimated in their ill-planned assault on Hachinosu, it seems obvious that the Blackbeard pirates did not escape unscathed either. Experts cite the cessation of all activity by Marshall D. Teach and his crew of savages and cutthroats ever since the war as proof that they too needed time to recuperate from their heavy losses.
The World Economy Newspaper however (as loathe as we are to admit it) did offer a few choice insights, which we have not been able to independently verify as of yet. We are also uncertain as to what sources allowed Big News Morgan to describe the battle as if he''d witnessed it from a bird''s eye view, but being an honest and transparent and dedicated source of news that we are, we did not wish to withhold potential information from our dear readers.
The WEN claims that, despite having been left to die by his ostensible comrades, the 14th division commander Speed Jiru led the rearguard in a spirited if foolish countercharge. Yet, in a contest of foolishness and incompetency, few could trump the Blackbeard pirates, who prematurely drunk on their victory, were incapable of preventing the enemy from reaching their ships. (It goes without saying that if our brave marines had been present, they would have never allowed the Whitebeards to breach prepared positions and reach their target.)
Sadly, that''s where Speed Jiru''s luck ran out. For before the first of the newly captured vessels could set out to sea, Avalo Pizarro reorganized the lines and drowned the Whitebeards in a sea of bodies. When the sun set over the battlefield, not a single Whitebeard pirate remained alive, lying dead amongst Blackbeard''s slain who easily numbered thrice their own. And featured prominently amongst them was the Corrupt King, Avalo Pizarro* himself, his head blown apart when Blenheim dived into it with several metric tons of dynamite. Surely it is a lesson that bravery will get you nowhere and is useless as a virtue when it comes to ensuring the survival of a military organization.
This means, that when combined with the loss of Sanjuan Wolf, Blackbeard is currently down two of his senior officers. To make matters worse for the fledgling Emperor, just before his position was overrun, Speed Jiru put a torch to every tar-soaked vessel moored on the beaches in a spiteful act of arson. The resulting chaos didn''t help either, the bumbling Blackbeard pirates doing more to spread the fire than extinguish it. Eventually, the flames lit by Speed Jiru died down, but not before they had reduced Blackbeard''s entire armada to cinders. Thus, while no one will deny that he has the strength to stand amongst the other Emperors as their equal, he will no doubt be licking his wounds for a very long time.
This comes as a stroke of luck for the Whitebeard Remnants who are currently very busy kidnapping and forcefully dragging the populations of entire islands off to places unknown. This drastic change in their MO is likely a result of a regime change, with Marco having been removed from his post as commander in chief for the incompetence and callous abandonment of his allies. His successor is Firefist Ace, who after a year of being suppressed by the first division commander, is obviously very eager to make his immature ideas of leadership into reality. Already, marine experts are predicting that the complete dissolution of the Whitebeard Pirates is not far off. We can only hope that his youthful folly will accelerate the demise of his wicked band of crooks and criminals.
On to more positive news, Uta''s live streaming shows have now been expanded across the globe. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, as thousands have outright stated that her uplifting music is the only thing holding their hope upright in these trying times. Especially when faith in traditional institutions is justifiably at an all-time low.
And as always, please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
*Let it be known that the marines claim credit for his death, as the notorious criminal was no doubt still suffering the from the severe and possibly fatal wounds inflicted upon him by Vice Admiral Garp during the Summit War. As such, he could have dropped dead at any moment and that he died during the Payback War is a pure coincidence.
¨C Sarquiss ¨C?
"What a load of bollocks."
"What''s a load of bollocks?"
"This Marineford Daily Special Edition coverage of the Payback War. I mean, look at it!" Sarquiss exclaimed, waving the offending article about in Bellamy''s face. "Whatever happened to journalistic integrity?"
"The truth doesn''t sell. It''s as simple as that." Bellamy answered, taking the newspaper and riffling through it. "People only want to see what they want to see and have their thoughts and beliefs confirmed. All so that they can be outraged and feel justified in doing so. It''s why you seldomly see good news being published."
"That''s rather cynical of you. If you have such a low opinion of the official news outlets, why do you keep paying for them?"
"Because, as aggravating as they can be, it''s still better than being completely oblivious to what''s going-on in the wider world. You just have to be able to read between the lines."
"I suppose. Most of the events described in the article did happen in one form or another. Now, if they had gotten the motivation right, we''d have an almost truthful piece of journalism."
"They were correct on one count at least, though this is the one case where I wish they hadn''t been. The Whitebeards and their allies have been gutted by this war." Bellamy grimaced. Sarquiss was tempted to do the same.
If anything, gutted was an understatement. Of the sixteen division commanders the Whitebeard pirates had boasted prior to the Summit War, only six commanders were left after the catastrophe that was Hachinosu.
"Seven actually. Karma got himself and Rakuyo out of there at the last minute. The advantages of being a fishman, I guess. That said, they are currently semi-comatose from the long swim, so it''ll be a while before Rakuyo is ready for duty."
"I mean, they are the cream of the crop as far as commanders go, but¡geez. Izou and the others are going to have their work cut out for them if they want to rebuild."
The amazing thing was, that even in their much-reduced state, the Whitebeard remnants were stronger than Bellamy''s entire network of allies. And that was when one included Gecko Moria amongst that number, which went to show how ridiculously powerful the late Emperor''s armada had been. Or Blackbeard for that matter. Bellamy certainly hadn''t been lacking in ambition when he decided to surpass these titans in his quest to become the strongest man alive.
"Yeah. Marco and the others have been busy little bees, evacuating as many people as are willing to safer locations."
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
If Whitebeard''s death had left chaos in his wake, the Payback War made peaceful life an impossibility in his former territories.
"Doesn''t that mean that they''d be vulnerable to attack? If they''re gathered up in one small area, Blackbeard or one of the others could take them all out in one swell swoop."
"That is a worry, but Izou is of the opinion that it probably won''t get that far. The other emperors were willing to let Teach be because they viewed Marco as the bigger threat. Now, they''re going to be actively hindering him, which should keep him from being able to amass a force strong enough to easily finish the job."
"And with the sort of losses he''s suffered, a close fight is going to be the last thing he wants right now."
"Exactly, you get it."
"Still seems like a risky gamble."
"Not like they have much of a choice left, to be honest. It was either this or spread out to protect as many islands as they can. They just made the choice to set up as much of a deterrent as they can, rather than wait to be picked off one by one."
"And you had no hand in the decision-making process, huh?" Sarquiss asked his captain, one eyebrow raised. Bellamy''s responding smile was the very picture of innocence.
"I may or may not have thrown in my two cents here and there."
"Captain."
"Yeah?"
"I may not have observation haki, but my bug sense is pretty close."
"So?" Bellamy cocked his head, as if he did not understand. Sarquiss was undeterred.
"You weren''t being particularly quiet either."
"Eh¡" Sweat drops began to coalesce on Bellamy''s brow, even as his eyes began darting about seeking a viable exit. There were none.
"You gave Marco and Ace a four-hour lecture." Sarquiss said, giving his captain a deadpan look.
"¡"
"Each."
"It was for their own good?"
"Whatever you say, captain. Whatever you say." Sarquiss sighed. It wasn''t as if it really impacted him in any meaningful way either, so the fate of the commanders'' hearing didn''t matter. "Though, that does mean the Whitebeards will be laying low for a while, right?"
"We won''t be moving together if that''s what you want to know."
"What are we going to do next?"
"Well, I may have an idea or two."
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
I''d made a lot of promises in my time, but I liked to think myself a man of my word. Of course, I''d also done my best to only make arrangements which benefitted me to some extent whenever possible, so keeping them wasn''t much of a burden. That being said, the manner in which such promises were fulfilled could vary a lot, depending on the circumstances and available resources at the time. This meant, plans needed to be flexible enough to adapt to new variables which inevitably turned up, though in this particular case it probably wouldn''t have mattered if the original plan had been as rigid as a brick.
"Law-buddy, could you repeat that last bit again? Because I think my hearing may be going."
"I know for a fact that your hearing is just fine, Springtrap-ya. I gave you a medical checkup last week. But just in case senility is setting in early this year¡"
No matter how lovingly and care takingly a plan may have been crafted, no matter how painstakingly potential loopholes were explored and no matter how skillfully the rules of the game may have been bent¡ none of it mattered if the variable changed the game itself. In such cases, there was nothing to do but accept fate and go back to the drawing board. Though because this bore repeating, this didn''t necessarily have to be a bad thing.
"¡I awakened my devil fruit."
Having an awakened devil fruit user onside was a huge boon to any mission. Furthermore, when one considered who my next target was, an awakened Op Op Fruit was literally a game changer.
"I''ll probably regret asking this, but how''d you do it?"
"Beats me. I''m just as clueless as you are." Law shrugged irresponsibly. "All I know is that something...clicked as I was desperately searching for a cure to Doc Q''s shrinking disease."
In the original timeline, Trafalgar Law''s expanded skillset post time-skip included the ability to switch souls in between bodies. Something which he demonstrated to great effect on Punk Hazard to a bunch of people, including but not limited to Tashigi and Smoker. It stood to reason that in order to shuffle souls around, he''d have to be able to extract and implant a human soul first. Or at least something close enough to it for the difference not to matter.
"Well, I suppose congratulations are in order."
"Springtrap-ya. Please, don''t take this the wrong way, but I don''t like the face you''re making right now. You look incredibly¡hungry." Law said, wrapping his arms protectively around himself.
"I''m sure you''re just imagining it." I reassured him. I probably would have succeeded too, if the freeloader raiding my pantry hadn''t decided to join the conversation.
"The beanstalk is right, midget. You looked like you found the legendary goose that lays golden eggs and couldn''t wait to carve it up."
"Ah, shut up ya big lug."
"Not calling me a pufferfish anymore?"
"It doesn''t roll off the tongue as nicely."
Anyway, if one went back to my own wrangling on the question of identity, the hypothesis that the soul was intrinsically linked to the body it was born into had been shown to be fundamentally flawed. However, just because it was flawed didn''t mean that there wasn''t a kernel of truth to it. If we staked our hopes unto Kuma''s odd interactions with Bonney at Marineford, assuming for a moment that it hadn''t merely been a result of Dr. Vegapunk''s programming but also the echoes of his soul¡ If that were to be the case, Law should be able to extract the scraps of Kuma''s soul from his body, tattered and frayed as they may be. And more importantly, if we eventually were to be successful in returning his soul to a semblance of healthiness, to reimplant it into his body.
Mind you, I had no idea if this was even possible and even if it was, the herculean task of fixing a disembodied soul was way outside my own field of expertise. However, I did have ¨C in some cases tentative ¨C connections to people who might be able to help.
Alchemy was an art that was not fully understood by anyone. However, what most would agree upon is that it wasn''t merely the facilitation of chemical reactions. Rather, its core was the manipulation of the metaphysical, to foster the awakening of latent potential and ultimately bring forth into the world that which was impossible to exist. If anything could aid in the restoration of a soul, it would have to be alchemy and as it so happened, the greatest alchemical mind in the world owed me a rather large favor.
I''d say it was worth a shot.
Of course, before I could call in Myskina Alcier to help, I''d have to secure Kuma''s body first. Thankfully I knew precisely where the former Warlord would be at this point in time, unless I''d done something horribly wrong to change that. Barring that hopefully unlikely scenario, Kuma''s mindless body should be guarding the Thousand Sunny against all comers. Or at least that had been Disco''s last memo.
My friends had been surprisingly ok with the idea of kidnapping Bonney''s dad, including Bonney herself who eagerly pulled out a lengthy piece of chain, custom made for just such an occasion. A construct of solid seastone, which she claimed was a belated father''s day present. None of us had the courage to disagree that it was a thoughtful gesture.
Long story short, our little fleet of three ships and a submarine made way for the Sabaody Archipelago. Full of hopes and dreams, blissfully unaware of the noose tightening around our necks.
Interlude: Elegia I
¨C Byron ¨C?
According to Foxy''s report, the Bear King had absconded with a ship and the directions to a luxury resort, held within a bottle the Foxy Pirates had fished out of the sea. Unfortunately, while certainly more helpful than nothing, it hadn''t provided as much of a clue on the Bear King''s whereabouts as Byron had hoped. Especially as it quickly became apparent that Foxy didn''t have a clue on how to reach the resort Helena''s brother was presumably headed towards. He didn''t even remember what the resort was called, leaving the Harmony Pirates once more with a cold trail.
While annoying, this suited Byron''s purposes just fine for two reasons. Firstly, it was an excuse to spend some more time with the Foxy Pirates. After all, expecting that a single Davy Back Fight and a ten second stint as a member of the Harmony Pirates was going to foster any sense of belonging and loyalty in Foxy was na?ve and unrealistic. And even if Foxy abided by the rules and intended to keep his oath of loyalty to his new captain (who had immediately sent him off to reclaim his old crew), it didn''t mean the rank and file of the Foxy Pirates were going to accept being made into Bellamy''s affiliates so easily.
As such, Byron needed to create more bonds between them and his crew while maintaining a hierarchical relationship. The easiest way he could think of being to slip into the role of a teacher to improve their frankly, abysmal combat skills. It said a lot if even Judy could beat most of them in a duel. Considering the long hours of dedicated supervision that were required to get a whole crew''s worth of recruits up to snuff, they were going to need months at the very least.
Months, which Byron refused to spend on an abandoned island in the middle of nowhere. Which brought him to the second reason. If they needed to dally and dawdle anywhere while waiting for another clue, it may as well be somewhere that Byron had always dreamt of visiting. The Island of Music.
Elegia.
Formerly home to the Elegia Kingdom, a kingdom that had birthed some of the greatest musicians in the world and been the beating heart of the musical world. During its prime, it had laid claim to providing the best musical education in existence and it had also been where Byron''s great-great-grandfather had first learned how to play the piano. Byron himself had never visited, but it had been a dream both his father and he had hoarded for years prior to¡the incident. Unfortunately, by the time Byron had become independent and capable of affording the journey, the Kingdom of Elegia had been wiped out in its entirety by Red Haired Shanks.
Honestly, Byron hadn''t thought the Emperor the type of person to massacre an entire population down to the last man, woman and child. However, it was undeniable that sometime between his arrival and departure, the prospering kingdom had been utterly destroyed in its entirety. Which went to on to show that you really couldn''t judge a book by its cover.
Turned out that the rumors were ever so slightly exaggerated. Instead of massacring the entire population, down to the last man, woman and child¡Shanks had only massacred the entire population nearly down to the last man, woman and child. For upon landing upon the island''s shores Byron was greeted by a chipper young woman, who revealed herself to be the world''s newest musical prodigy.
"Hi, I''m Uta! Nice to meet you.!"
"The pleasure is all mine, miss Uta. My name is Byron, a travelling musician."
Byron had always understood himself to be a musician first and a pirate second. As such, he had developed a habit of not hoisting his colors unless there was a pressing need in order to avoid the potential hassle involved. Foxy and his crew hadn''t been that hard to convince either for two reasons. One, nobody in the world and nobody in their right mind wanted to fly that travesty of a flag Straw Hat Luffy had damned them to on a whim. And two, while it may have been on a technicality, Fox and the members of the Foxy Pirates were no longer part of the Foxy Pirates.
After all, when Byron had poached Foxy in a Davy Back Fight, the man had lost his rights as a captain and the responsibilities attached thereunto. Of course, he had regained them mere moments later, but as it was, he''d been ordered to form a subordinate crew. That every recruit happened to be a former Foxy Pirate didn''t change the fact that it was legally, it being pirate law notwithstanding, a "new" crew who were entitled to their own flag. While they couldn''t use the same one the Foxy Pirates had been flying originally, anything was better than what had been displayed on their mast when Byron chanced upon them. The Foxy Foxy Pirates had leaped at the chance to redesign an appropriate Jolly Roger. However, until they could agree on what it should look like, they had agreed to be a "peaceful travelling artisan troupe" for the duration of their visit to Elegia.
"How was your journey? We don''t get that many visitors around here, apart from the semi-regular cruise vessels passing by or the occasional pirates hunting for the former."
"Thank you for asking. We did run into a pirate crew a couple of weeks ago, but we came out of the exchange unscathed. In fact, you could say that particular crew doesn''t exist anymore."
"Good."
Which had all been a stroke of genius on Byron''s part, because from the very first moment it had become apparent that this friendly, cheerful young woman harbored an intense aversion for all things related to piracy. It was apparent in the disturbance of her song, in the melody of her mood, in the momentary discord of her bearing. Byron hadn''t known that one could pack so much vehemence into a single good while wearing such a bright smile.
"I''d have thought that more musicians would make the pilgrimage here, considering what Elegia used to be."
"You''re the first in years actually. It''s just been Gordon and I ever since the massacre."
"That was truly a tragedy and a great loss for the musical world." Byron nodded, completely truthfully. "I hadn''t believed Red Haired Shanks to be the type of person capable of such¡evil, but I was wrong."
"I hadn''t either. I don''t remember what happened, but I woke up to see Elegia in ruins and the Red-Haired Pirates sailing away with all our treasure."
"I''m sorry. I am being terribly insensitive." Byron apologized. "I didn''t mean to bring up any bad memories."
"No, it wasn''t your faut. You couldn''t have known, and I don''t usually talk about it." Uta replied, forcing out a smile. It was a brittle one. "I''m not sure why I told you either. You''re surprisingly easy to talk to. Maybe it''s because you''re a musician too?"
"Or you were simply lonely." Byron thought. Not that this wasn''t understandable. If she was being honest, Uta hadn''t had many friends to call her own upon whom she could rely. Even with her rapidly expanding fanbase, the communication was surprisingly one sided. Hoping that any relationship could be equal, when one side put the other on a pedestal, was a doomed endeavor from the beginning.
Then again, people could surprise you as Judy demonstrated by wrapping Uta up in a hug. Both Uta and Marie froze, their hair standing on ends though for vastly different reasons as you could no doubt imagine.
"Er¡wha¡why?" Uta stammered, her hands flailing aimlessly.
"You looked like you could use a hug."
Thinks likely wouldn''t have ended well for Byron''s bartender if it hadn''t been for the incredibly vulnerable look on Uta''s face. Judy had a way of breaking through people''s defenses and getting them to open up, as had been the case with Helena, which bordered on the supernatural.
As such, Marie calmed down in a reasonably quick manner and joined them, turning the embrace into a group hugging session by dragging Helena and Porche along with her. Foxy attempted to join in too, his face a crying mess, but was prevented from doing so by Shura wrapping him up in so much wire that he disappeared from sight. The rest of the Foxy Foxy Pirates wisely decided to hang back until Uta regained her composure.
"I''m not usually like this, you know? Don''t know what came over me just now."
"We saw nothing." Byron promised, offering her a handkerchief.
He pointedly did not ask for it back.
Meeting Gordon was like a breath of fresh air for Byron. He hadn''t even realized how much he''d missed having someone he could call his equal within close proximity, someone with whom he could hold an intellectual conversation on their joint passion. Talking with Gordon let Byron return to a time when he''d been nothing but a simple aspiring musician learning from a teacher, for that was what the former king was at heart. His had been a life devoted to nurturing talents, something that hadn''t changed despite losing everything to flames that had consumed his kingdom.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Not to mention that his knowledge vastly exceeded Byron''s own. Nobody could deny that Byron was a master musician in his own right. However, much of that was based on his own experiences as well as rudimentary trial and error. It had been a process that should have taken decades, shortened to mere years by Byron''s raw talent. Yet, whereas Byron''s education had been forcibly halted in his teenage years, Gordon''s had never stopped. Perhaps, aided by his more youthful dexterity, Byron may have been the better performer but the more time he spent with the former king the more Byron found himself slipping into the role of a student. And he loved it.
"You would have fit right in during our glory days. I''ve not seen many who could have matched your gift." Gordon said, giving Byron a standing ovation of one once the impromptu recital came to an end. Considering who was giving it, it was high praise indeed.
"Uta being a notable exception I suppose." Byron''s grin was proudly returned by Gordon. "Her voice is divine. You''ve done well with her."
"Ah, not everyone can be blessed by the gods of music. She didn''t require much from me, only simple guidance. But she is young yet and could use more peers around her."
The prospect of giving up the pirate life and settling on Elegia was incredibly tempting. It was a promise of a simpler life, a peaceful life. If it hadn''t been for the life debt he owed to Bellamy, Byron may have accepted Gordon''s implicit offer. Still, a life debt he did owe, and a promise was a promise.
"Perhaps, once I''ve put my affairs in order." Byron replied in a wistful tone, his fingers beginning to dance once more across the piano keys. "It would be wonderful to play in an orchestra once more. Music was always meant to be played and enjoyed together."
"Very true. Very true. Regretfully, I sadly cannot offer a full ensemble at the moment, but perhaps a duet will suffice in the interim." Gordon offered, pulling out an old but lovingly cared-for violin. "That is, if you''ll humor an old man?"
In response, a bright smile spread itself across Byron''s face, one that had been missing since his childhood days.
"It would be my honor."
And so, the days passed on by, Byron discovering music anew with Gordon while Shura spent his time training the Foxy Foxy Pirates in the arts of haki and the rokushiki. Byron did occasionally pop by to help them along with his music, boosting alertness and concentration levels, easing fatigue and improving motivation, but for the most part he concentrated on his own lessons.
Meanwhile, Uta commandeered the company of Judy, Marie, Helena and Porche to play all sorts of games. Some were childish, some were not but all of them were ones which could not be played alone. For the most part though, they simply spent their time exploring the city ruins with Uta as their guide, ostensibly hunting for treasure that none of them were sure did actually existed. Helena did attempt to stay aloof, but was soon swept along by Uta''s enthusiasm. Judy and Marie in particular seemed to enjoy being young adults again instead of wanted pirates, an experience they mostly had to wave goodbye to after their encounter with the Celestial Dragons on Sabaody.
By the second week of their stay, the Foxy Foxy Private International Requisition And Treasure-hunting Expedition had done what they did best and organized a carnival fair, complete with joy rides, games and food stands. Heavens knew when they''d found the time, but Uta was delighted. Gordon had mentioned that she''d grown up with barely any contact with the outside world, making this her first visit to the fair.
She laughed at the comedy skits, growled good naturedly when she lost at one of the rigged games and squealed for joy when she inexplicably won. She even took part in many a play, turning a theatrical performance into a musical, much to the delight of her audience. And with every day, Byron could hear a little of the dark clouds in Uta''s voice draining away, turning it into an ever clearer crystal gem.
One worthy to delight the world and bring happiness to all who''d listen. The two weeks he''d spent on the island were no doubt some of the most wonderful he''d experienced in his entire life. The highlight of which were the evening concerts with Byron on the piano, Gordon playing the violin and Uta lending it the finishing touch with her vocal accompaniment. Even when he knew he shouldn''t, Byron found himself occasionally wishing that this state of affairs would go on forever.
Then¡Judy happened.
"By the way guys, you''ll never guess what Uta and I found today. A living transponder snail! Anybody else curious about what''s inside? Now, how do I turn this on¡there we go!"
One of the video recording type. More specifically, one which held within it the truth of what had happened to Elegia 11 years ago. A visual record of all the death, the destruction¡ and most importantly, who had been truly responsible.
"If you''re watching this, look out! This girl named Uta is dangerous!"
And Judy had projected the damning truth onto a wall. In front of everyone.
"Her song can destroy the world!"
Including Uta.
The recording was cut off with a flash and a scream, the screen turning dark. Yet, as loud as the devastation immortalized within the video had been, it was utterly dwarfed by the deafening silence that followed. Nobody dared to move. Nay, nobody dared even breathe, for it felt as if the tension would choke them if they did. All eyes instinctively looking everywhere else, anywhere else except that one specific spot where Uta was sitting, her head bowed and her hands balled into trembling fists.
Eventually though, something had to give.
"Uta¡" Gordon''s hand never reached his ward''s shoulder. Naturally, it also wasn''t capable of transmitting the comfort the aged musician wanted to express. None of the assurances or the apologies of the former king received a chance to move beyond his lips, because the moment the first syllables were voiced, Uta shot up and fled the room. The heavy doors slammed shut behind her, the sound echoing throughout the grand hall like a hundred accusations.
Someone hiccupped.
Five hundred heads turned as one, necks craning as a thousand eyes focused on the figure standing frozen next to the now inert transponder snail. After breaking out of his shell during the Davy Back Fight, Judy had become increasingly more boisterous and outspoken, taking the initiative more often and his steps filled with more confidence. One which a man could only obtain by successfully defending his lady and could not so easily be snuffed out under normal circumstances. These weren''t normal circumstances.
None of that confidence was present in his bearing now, his face draining of all color over the course of the recording until it bore closer resemblance to a ghost compared to anything else. Now, faced with the accusing stares of almost every living soul within a one-mile radius, Judy''s tongue decided that enough was enough and went on strike. Which explained why it took him nearly a whole minute to force out the words, words which would leave lasting scars on Judy himself for the rest of his life.
"I-I didn''t know¡"
In the distant future, Foxy would mark this day in his bestselling memoirs, as the day on which the Compassionate Captain Judy transitioned from being a boy into a man. A titan of his age, who sought to fully understand the consequences of his actions, regardless of how insignificant they might have seemed at the time. But that was a tale best reserved for another time and that day was far off yet.
"UTAAAA!"
As such, when Gordon stormed out of the hall in search of his ward, he left behind a crowd of five hundreds pirates soullessly staring down a single individual, whose eyes in turn refused to budge from the tip of his shoes.
Interlude: Elegia II
¨C Byron ¨C?
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the festivities and the laughter, which had characterized the first weeks of their stay, disappeared overnight, only to be replaced by a general sense of gloom. Even the Foxy Foxy Pirates were affected. Severely. Having been Uta''s fans since day one of her debut, seeing their beloved idol being driven to tears had been a critical blow to their morale. Though, if one thought about it, their lack of motivation was probably the only thing keeping the villain responsible for the crimealive so¡win some lose some, Byron supposed.
As for Uta, she had barricaded herself inside her own room and was refusing to come out. Naturally, her regular live streaming sessions had been cancelled without warning as well, causing worldwide panic. If the World Economic Newspaper was to be believed, the central stock market had recorded a whole 5% dip when Uta failed to show up to one of her scheduled streams. That had then worsened to 19% a week later, leading to economic experts tentatively naming this sudden halt in economic activity the Uta Effect.
Gordon had done everything he could to try and coax open her door, from cooking her favorite meals to outright begging. He did get as far as to relaying his version of events but had beaten a hasty retreat after Uta began¡destabilizing when Shank''s sacrifice was mentioned.
The next batter up had been Judy, who had been volunteered by Foxy. "You caused this mess, so you fix it"was a surprisingly convincing argument when backed up by five hundred angry fans. Plus, seeing as he did have something called a conscience, Byron''s bartender hadn''t resisted all too much when Foxy gave him a literal kick up his backside. Not that it made him any more successful.
Briefly, it had seemed as if he would get through to her by revealing his own traumatic experiences of being uprooted from everything he''d known. Especially his sense of betrayal at his friends and family, all of whom had cumulatively turned a blind eye to Marie''s kidnapping, almost struck a chord with the teenage diva. However, the revelation of his current status as a lawless pirate had doomed any further progress. Marie found him hours later, sleepwalking his way out the castle and towards the dock.
Was it any wonder then, that Byron felt that they''d overstayed their welcome? It pained him to leave, to forgo enriching his soul with the secrets of Elegia¡yet, if their presence caused distress to his teacher and his teacher''s favored student, if their presence caused them to lose their joy in music, then Byron would leave. Out of respect for Gordon if nothing else.
Bags were packed, tents were dismantled and water barrels refilled. All of it finished before the sunset. The log pose had finished recalibrating days ago and all that was left, was to wait for dawn. Dawn, which would mark their departure from Byron''s second home. For that was what Elegia had become, despite Byron only having spent a scant few weeks on the island. The island called to him, to the musician and artists within him, encompassing his soul in a comforting embrace. Perhaps that same feeling was why Gordon had never left, despite the no doubt traumatic memories associated with its ruins. Thus, Byron spent the remaining hours of night, wandering the castle, trying to burn its sight, its smell, its sounds into his memory¡until his feet led him to the great hall. More importantly, to the grand piano bathed in the silver glow of the moon shining through a window, sitting within the single circle of light within an otherwise darkened room.
Like the day he first laid eyes upon that fateful piano, all the way back during his childhood, the same feeling drove him onwards like a siren''s call. His fingers fell into place, seeking out the right keys as if they''d been born for this moment even as his eyes closed while his mind travelled through the sea of memories, seeking out the perfect piece for the occasion. Its choice surprised him, for what his mind commanded his body to do and what his body decided to play, was a composition Byron hadn''t touched in years.
How long had he lost himself to his private performance? Byron did not know. But when the last note was played and he awoke from his trance like state, the moon had slightly dipped, casting a longer beam across the hall. A beam, which in accordance with the window''s design, fell upon the large oaken doors and the figure standing before them.
"Who did you kill?"
"Many. Far too many."
"Aren''t you going to ask me how I knew?"
"Whether intentional or not, every song carries within it a story, visible to all who care to listen. Considering how I wasn''t trying to hide it either, I''d have been surprised if you didn''t."
"¡how can you bear it? Knowing that your music was the cause of so much death?"
"I couldn''t. Not for years."
"You hated yourself."
"I did."
"You despised your own music."
"I did."
"But you went back."
"I did."
"Why?"
"How could I not? I am and always will be a musician."
Uta didn''t say anything for a while, obviously mulling over his words, her mind probably half a world away. Byron left her to it, his fingers beginning to tap out a gentle melody, soothing to the soul. Nothing supernatural but simply calming music, for to go beyond that would be a disservice. Though, perhaps he should have because when Uta stepped up to him, the air surrounding her had changed. Nothing that was audible to the naked eye, but her melody smelled slightly off.
"Gordon always told me that my voice could bring joy to the world. I believed him."
"He''s not wrong."
"My fans told me that my music was a ray of hope in their lives. That my music made all the bad things in the world go away."
"Music can achieve wonderful things." Byron nodded.
"But what did it achieve until now? What have I achieved until now? All the world''s evils are still here. Pirates still run rampant. People die. The world isn''t a fair and happy place. My music changed nothing." Uta whispered. "All it did was let them forget."
"Sometimes forgetting tragedy can be a great blessing in and of itself."
"But it doesn''t undo it. It doesn''t undo what I''ve done."
"No. No, it doesn''t." Byron agreed. "Nothing ever does."
"Aren''t you going to tell me not to blame myself?"
"No."
"Because it would be hypocritical of you?"
"Yes."
"You were a child." Uta stated. Byron didn''t ask how she''d known. He didn''t have to.
"So were you."
The two fell silent again, enveloped in lunar light and music, Uta sinking into her thoughts as she hummed along and Byron letting her. Gently massaging her increasingly erratic melody back into place, at least as much as he was able. Shifting away from playing for memories long dead to a concert for the living.
"Hey, Byron?"
"Hmmm?"
"Do you think there''s anything that can make up for the past?"
"I don''t know, but I can certainly try."
"By making lives happy? Many more than we''ve ruined?"
"That''s one option."
"What about creating a world where only good things exist? Where everyone can be happy forever?"
"That''s ambitious of you."
"But what if I could do it?"
"I probably wouldn''t want to live there."
"WHY NOT?"
"Uta, would the residents of your world have the potential to be happy forever or would they be happy forever?"
"¡"
"All emotions have their place in this world. Happiness cannot exist without its opposite to give it value. Forcing people to be happy, especially in a singular manner, isn''t the answer."
"Nobody wants to experience sadness."
"And yet, no one can be truly happy without it."
"You''re wrong."
"Perhaps." Byron easily acquiesced. "But would the ones you propose to do this for¡agree with you?"
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Yes, they would." Uta answered confidently. "In fact, my fans came up with the idea in the first place. Many of them told me that they wished they could listen to my singing forever."
"Ah, there''s the culprit."
"Don''t talk about my fans that way! You don''t even know them."
"You''re right on that front. I don''t know them. However, I do know that they wouldn''t want to be trapped by your devil fruit. Like you''ve already done to me."
"You knew?" Uta asked, pointing a surprised finger in his direction.
"That you ate the Sing-Sing Fruit? I guessed after what you did to Judy. After all, it and its abilities are the subject of many legends amongst musicians. Thank you for letting him go by the way."
"He''s harmless. You on the other hand know too much."
"Enough to do something like this in any case." Byron replied, hammering out a sequence of base chords to throw up a wall of shields to stop a lance from reaching him. A short riff later and Uta''s freshly summoned soldier was reduced into little motes of light. "You on the other hand don''t know enough. About neither the world outside nor the one of your own creation."
Uta''s response was to whistle, harsh and unforgiving, more soldiers materializing to replace the one she''d just lost. Soldiers who flew this way and that, seeking an opening in Byron''s wall of shields, while attempting to dodge the anti-air barrage of sixteenth notes. Yet for every one Byron shot down, another two joined the fray.
"This is my world!" Uta sang in a crystal-clear soprano that shattered Byron''s piano. "My world, my rules."
"Based on music and governed by song." Byron''s answer was a dulcet tenor, replacing the lost instrument with a harpsichord.
And so, it continued. Uta pounding Byron''s defense while he tried to repair them as fast as they were being battered down. He wasn''t entirely successful, because this was Uta''s home ground. Here, she had free rein to create and enact change as she pleased. On the other hand, Byron was limited to borrowing the strands composing this world via the occasional harmony to mould them into the desire object or to dissolve Uta''s attacks by injecting a dissonant note into her constructs. As such, he was slowly but surely pushed onto his backfoot. Though when it came to the verbal battle, things looked slightly different.
"Life is like a melody with its ups and downs, its allegros and adagios with a host of major and minor keys. Beautifully varied and unique in its own way. We may prefer some parts over others, but it''s only in its entirety that it truly shines."
"I''m only going to remove the dissonant notes, the things that don''t belong!"
"Imperfection too is part of music. All of the little things, perhaps temporarily grating to one''s ears are keys which make each song unique and different from the rest. If we begin cutting a little here, pruning a little there, where do we stop? Do we adjust the score until it is perfect?"
"Yes!"
"What will we be left with, I wonder? A single melody shared by every life, holding within it only the monotone ideal of the composer? Would it have any resemblance to the original at all?"
"I wouldn''t be changing them! They''ll still be able to think and dream and do anything they want to. I''d just be improving their environment to make everything better. No more hunger, no more sickness, no more death! Just my fans and I having fun forever. Things would be perfect!"
"How do we even define perfection? There are a billion different people upon this world, with a billion different lives and a billion different dreams. Who''s to say that perfection for one isn''t disaster for another?"
"Yes, other things can bring happiness too but so does my music! If they''re already happy, why would they need anything else?"
"Happiness comes in many shapes and forms. There''s joy in eating a delicious meal and in watching a loved one enjoy the food we''ve made. The anticipation of a coming book release and the lingering memory after reading the final page. The exhilaration of adventure, the familiarity of my home, the nervosity of a first date, the comfort of a fifty-year jubilee."
"¡" In lieu of responding, Uta began singing in a raspier tone. In the face of the hurricane of notes, Byron''s shields began to chip and crack and splinter at an ever-increasing pace.
"The relief of overcoming tribulations, the sense of accomplishment after completing a difficult task. The hope for a plentiful harvest, the thankfulness for rain after a long drought. The expectancy for a new life growing in a mother''s womb and the satisfaction of a life well lived. And so many more."
"¡" Cuts began opening up on Byron''s skin, blood dripping down his arms held protectively over his face. And yet, his voice held melodious and true, singing as if he were talking, talking as if he were singing and tenaciously holding on.
"Can your world harmonize all of that, recreate it in full or at least mimic it in part? Bring together thousands, millions, billions of different tunes as one while maintaining the individual characteristics that made them unique? Unless you''re a god, that''s impossible."
"It is possible! Aren''t you creating music just like you would outside? My world can be just as real as the one we''ll leave behind!"
"You can''t simulate that which you''ve never known. Can''t create what you''ve never experienced. The taste of my mother''s stew, the scent of my father''s coat, the first note of a piano you''ve never met. The lives they may have lived, the love they may have shared, the adventures they may have had¡are all things your plan will snatch away."
"I just have to make sure they have such a fun time that they won''t miss any of that!"
"Uta. What about the people you cannot reach? You''d be splitting families apart. In essence, by creating the divide between your world and the old which none can cross, those on one side of that divide will be dead to those on the other. No amount of fun and games can replace a loved one lost."
"I-I wouldn''t be killing them. They''d still be alive outside!"
"Would that really make a difference? They''d no longer exist in the world you create. How is that different from death?" The storm began to taper off, expended and exhausted as Byron went for the throat. "Would that be any less final than what happened to Elegia?"
"Ah¡" At that Uta collapsed to her knees, all sounds coming from her direction abruptly being cut off with a choked sob.
"Do you truly believe that that is what your fans desire?"
"¡no."
"In that case, what are you doing this for? To make your fans happy¡or to soothe your own guilty conscience?"
"¡I just wanted to fix things. Make things right. Do something good for once with this stupid power."
"You still can."
"How? You just spent so long telling me I was wrong, so tell me how, Byron! How can I make things right if I''m not supposed to fix the world?" Uta wailed, looking as lost as she sounded.
"By doing the same thing you''ve been doing so far. We may not be living in a world where everyone is always happy, but we do live in one where everyone has the potential to be. One, in which you''ve seen for yourself how much of help and comfort your music can provide."
"Ah."
"However, in order to do so, you have to forgive yourself. After all, how are your songs supposed to make others happy, when the singer herself is wallowing in her own guilt and misery?" Byron asked, carefully taking a step towards Uta, who looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes.
"B-but¡but¡"
"Uta. What happened was a tragedy, but please don''t let the past ruin what the future could bring. You deserve better than that." Byron pleaded, closing the last remaining steps to kneel in front of the young diva. At that, the girl broke down into a fresh flood of tears, her body wracked by the sobs she so desperately tried to suppress. The world shattered into a million pieces as the first light of dawn began peeking over the horizon.
"We all deserve better than that."
Chapter 97: Quantum Mechanics
¨C Bellamy ¨C?
The Payback War had been significant-not just globally, but also on a more personal level. In a way, it had been the first venture I had embarked upon since I''d woken up in this world which hadn''t been a success. Honestly, it had been like a bucket of cold water being poured onto my somewhat swollen head, reminding me that the world was a dangerous place. That just because I''d been slowly catching up to Izou didn''t mean I was anywhere close to reaching my stated goal of becoming the strongest man alive.
Now, my response to that dose of reality could have been one of two things. One, I could have fallen into depression, bemoaning the futility of all my efforts and letting myself be dragged along the currents of an existential crisis.
Or I could accept my loss against Lafitte, get off my ass and do something about it. Complaining about cheap shots and cheating bastards wasn''t going to make me feel any better, meaning that there wasn''t any need to waste valuable emotions and time making myself miserable. Furthermore, it wasn''t as if the entire war had been nothing but a continuous sequence of failures.
Regardless of whether we could have beaten him in a fair fight ¨C that is, for a certain definition of fair ¨C there was no denying that we had caused one of Blackbeard''s titanic captains to reconsider facing my crew. On top of that, we had been well on our way to actually slaying one of them before Boa Hancock intervened in a textbook example of kill stealing. Considering what I had started with less than two years ago all the way back on Jaya, calling our progress astounding was probably the understatement of the century.
On top of that, my interference in the Summit War and beyond had arguably resulted in a (slightly) better outcome than in canon. True, most of Whitebeard''s commanders and allies were either dead or otherwise out of commission, as that unfortunately hadn''t changed. Unlike canon, however, the Whitebeards had not been forced to hide underground or go their separate ways. They hadn''t given up the fight either, though they would need at least another year to recover and rebuild. As tragic as the aftermath of the Payback War may have been for those involved, for me it had been another piece of evidence that change was possible.
Admittedly, the dimensions of said change were quite modest so far, but the rest was just a matter of gathering enough strength until I could influence events to my liking. Coincidentally enough, my musings on how I was going to fix Kuma had provided me with a bit of an epiphany.
I had long since learned that the abilities of a devil fruit were conceptual in nature. This, in and of itself, was nothing new nor was it groundbreaking by any measure. However, the question of exactly what my understanding of this concept was had been left unanswered until now. But if I wanted to move forward, that would have to change. Put simply, I needed to ask myself the following question:
What was a spring in its purest form? What was the essence of a spring?
A spring was a device consisting of an elastic, but largely rigid material, bent or molded into a form capable of returning to its original shape after being compressed or extended. If memory served, such or something similar was probably the Wikipedia definition. This was also technically true, but it was also a limited view bound by the restrictions of my past life. Not to mention that this portrayal of a spring was nothing more than an observation of its outward form.
If one dug a little deeper, moving past the exterior and into its underlying functions, one might say that their purpose was the storage and release of energy. Characterized by Hooke''s Law, there was an elegant simplicity in how every interaction and every change a spring underwent eventually returned to this primary principle. Both were aspects I''d used to great effect so far and were the ideas that formed the foundation of my power.
I could have stopped here. It would even have been perfectly logical. Considering my earlier thoughts that all of creation was composed of tiny little springs called atoms, I may have unlocked the ability to cause destruction and mayhem with the snap of my fingers. After all, what was an explosion if not a rapid expansion of volume due to a sudden discharge of energy?
Though, if you''d forgive the theoretical, possibly somewhat inaccurate ramblings of a former physicist, there was one last step I wanted to take before I wrapped up my long-winded exposition. What happened to a perfect spring when it released its stored energy? The simple answer? It oscillated. Assuming no loss due to friction and the like, an activated spring would continue to oscillate until the end of time in a periodical manner, which could be perfectly modeled by a waveform graph.
In a way one could claim that reality itself was my oyster, because a wave was a very good analogy for the inner workings of the world and its smallest constituent parts. And when you mixed waves and tiny spring-like atoms together in a pot with a generous helping of imagination and insanity, you began to approach this wonderful but quirky, little domain we physicists liked to call:
QUANTUM MECAHNICS?
"You are by far the most reckless, foolhardy, insane, rash, halfwit moron of a captain I''ve ever had the displeasure of serving under."
"Urk!" I groaned, being jerked this way and that as her words stabbed into me like a series of impaling spikes. "To be honest, I''m also the only captain you''ve ever served under."
"As if you dismembering yourself at every opportunity wasn''t enough already! Now you''ve¡ you''ve¡raargh!"
"That sort of hurts, you know." I whined, clutching at the fresh bump on my head lest she smack me again. "And it all worked out fine in the end, right?"
"¡" Her answer was a glare that promised unimaginable pain and torment.
"Right, shutting up now."
"Frustratingly enough, you''re simultaneously also the most brilliant captain I''ve had the pleasure of serving under."
"Again, I''m the only captain you''ve ever serv¡eh, you were saying?"
"So, despite you having, in essence, ripped your own existence apart at the seams and mashed it back together in a sudden stroke of madness and genius inspiration¡"
"Ah¡ it''s not exactly like that, you know? It''s more that I took advantage of the fundamentally statistical character inherent in reality¡"
"If you try to explain to me how a quantum wave function works¡again, I''m going to hurt you. I''d fix you up afterwards, but I can assure you, you wouldn''t enjoy the process."
"Didn''t you swear an oath to do no harm to those entrusted into your care or something? As far as I can see, I''m a patient lying in your sick bay."
"A healthy dose of nerval stimulation can be a necessary step in the medical diagnostic process and physical recovery."
"That''s a fancy way of saying that you don''t care."
"I do care, but sometimes the only cure for stupidity happens to be a solid whack to the cranium." Muret sniffed. "If trying to imitate Schroedinger''s Cat doesn''t qualify as absurdity, I''m not sure what does."
"Ahahaha¡ha." My laugh trailed off into awkward nothingness, my hand paused halfway towards scratching the back of my head.
"But then you had to go ahead and be successful, so I can''t even berate you properly. I know that genius and madness are two sides of the same coin, but this seriously takes the cake."
"So does that mean¡?"
"Yep. As far as I can tell, you''ve suffered no permanent damage from your little foray into nonexistence. Or any damage, for that matter, apart from a temporary coma and metabolic insufficiency." Muret answered, pulling out the iv drip and cleaning up the remains of her infusions. "Though, unless you want your body to start breaking itself down for nutrients, I''d refrain from using that new ability."
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"Now that you mention it, I am feeling a tad peckish."
¨C Hewitt ¨C?
As anyone who''d ever had any experience in the kitchen would attest, preparing a meal was a lot of work. One had to stock up on ingredients, prepare said ingredients fitting whatever recipe one was inclined to use on a particular day, and spend time frying, boiling, steaming, or otherwise preparing those ingredients for the plate. And when that was done, there were still pots, pans and dishes aplenty to be washed, a kitchen to be tidied up, and empty pantries to be filled before the cycle began anew. Doing the same on a larger scale was associated with a correspondingly larger workload.
The point Hewitt was trying to make being, that his position as the only chef aboard the Black Pearl came with a lot of work. Not least because he was apparently a glutton for punishment. How else did he explain voluntarily agreeing to create separate dishes for every individual aboard for every meal? That those personalized recipes were tailored to account for their specific dietary and nutritionary needs to maximize health and training benefits didn''t make this task any less taxing.
In the beginning, when he''d first embarked upon this venture, Hewitt had been seriously tempted to recruit help. If only to help wash and peel the ungodly mass of fruits and vegetables that his friends gobbled down in a single sitting. Unfortunately, reality had quickly convinced Hewitt that unless he wanted bloody food, this was going to be a very, very, VERY bad idea.
His friends were hopeless in the kitchen. Every. Single. One of them. Oh, they were certainly enthusiastic enough. Perhaps too enthusiastic. While their exploits were numerous enough to fill a duke''s library, at least according to Lily, Hewitt had to ban them from his domain for the crew''s safety, let alone for the sake of his own sanity. He hadn''t even known it was possible to burn water before Mani showed him evidence to the contrary. And did you know what made it even worse? Hewitt still didn''t have a single clue as to what they were doing wrong. One moment everything would be all fine and dandy, but the moment he stopped supervising them to work on something else, all hell would break loose. It had been a maddening experience.
Arguably, Ross had been the least destructive of the lot. For one, he didn''t cause irreparable damage to Hewitt''s cooking implements. Nevertheless, the state he''d left the potatoes in, after his visit to the Bloody Countess'' castle, had forced Hewitt to throw his carefully designed meal plans out the window and mash the root vegetables'' sorry remains into pur¨¦e. In the end, Hewitt accepted his fate.
"I see you''ve gotten used to your new Devil Fruit rather quickly."
"By necessity, I assure you Captain. By necessity." Hewitt replied, carefully inspecting a glass for smudges. "It''s great having a few extra helping hands around. Or claws. I''m not terribly picky, and if they can hold a knife I don''t care."
"Well, there are certainly a lot of them, that''s for sure." Bellamy mumbled, his eyes wandering across the many tentacle-like limbs diligently washing the dishes.
It had taken a while before Hewitt could pick up porcelain with the claws topping his new chain limbs, but desperation fueled success. Honestly, Hewitt wasn''t sure why Bellamy seemed surprised. The idea had originally been his, though his captain had admitted to pinching the idea from either a Mr. Stan Lee or one Dr. Otto Octavius. Regardless, his ramblings had certainly provided a lot of inspiration when Hewitt had been trying to figure out how to use the new Devil Fruit the crew found in the hold after the Payback War.
"Food doesn''t prepare itself; you know. By the way, here''s the energy drink Muret asked me to prepare for you. Gotta finish it all, Captain. Doctor''s orders."
"This looks¡unique." Bellamy commented, before making a face. "It''s not squid, is it?"
"It is, actually. Oh, don''t make that face, I''ve left out the peanut butter this time!"
"But what is this brown stuff?"
"Quit stalling and drink, captain."
"Why does it feel like the longer we travel together, the less respect I get?" Nevertheless, the Captain downed the contents of his glass with a resigned look. Lots of funny facial contortions followed.
"I''m sure you''re just imagining it." Hewitt grinned, stroking one chain like one would a beloved pet. "Why, I am absolutely brimming with respect and gratitude for giving me that Devil Fruit. It changed my life!"
"Aren''t you being a little overdramatic?"
"Are you kidding? Thanks to these babies, I''ve had more free time than I''ve had in years! I wasn''t sure what to do with all of it, but I''ve decided to start studying."
"Exploring new cuisines, are we?"
"Nope, though it is marginally related." Hewitt shook his head. "I''m having a hard time believing it myself, but Lily convinced me to give accounting a go."
"I''m guessing it''s preparation for when you have your own restaurant to run in the future, right?"
"Yep. It would be rather embarrassing to go bankrupt after everything I''ve been through."
"With your share of the treasury, I think bankruptcy is going to be the least of your worries¡"
"I guess, when compared to Doflamingo having found us, keeping my non-existent restaurant financially afloat seems a more distant issue. Bit of bad luck running into his agents before the war, but what can you do?" Hewitt sighed, staring at the ceiling. A spider was draining a fly dry. He''d swat it, but the spider was just doing its job and he didn''t want to stain a limb with its corpse¡ Perhaps the spider could help clear the kitchen of further undesirables?
"It wouldn''t have mattered all that much. Disco''s promised one-year grace period was coming to an end, anyway. Considering the reach Doffy has, it''s a small miracle that we have yet to hear anything from him."
"Funny how things turned out, isn''t it? If we''d told our younger selves that we would be gunning for Doflamingo''s head instead of trying to join his crew, they''d have called us lunatics."
"It''s not that long ago, if you think about it. It''s been what, a little less than two years?"
"Feels a lot longer if I''m being honest." Hewitt remarked, scratching his chin. "Do you think we''re ready?"
"To face the Warlord?"
"Not that. My flaw is envy not delusion. I''m referring to whatever else he''s going to throw at us."
"I don''t know. It really depends on how many resources he''s willing to burn to catch us." Bellamy mused. "Though considering the jabs we''ve given him since the Summit War, I''m going to guess it''s a lot."
"I guess it''s a good thing you''ve awakened your devil fruit, isn''t it? Not to mention the new fruits Mani and I''ve picked up before and after the Payback War. That makes what, a total of six devil fruit users on this crew? Seven if you count Funkfreed."
"To be honest with you, I don''t think that I''ve fully awakened mine yet. What I have done is crack open the door and shove one boot into the opening."
"Better than nothing I suppose. I still need to learn how to use mine. Seriously, I''m getting a whole new appreciation for how much of a beast Mad Treasure used to be. Material manipulation is no joke."
"I think you''ll do just fine, Hewitt. Have some faith in yourself."
"Same to you, captain. Though, seeing as Doflamingo hasn''t caught us yet, maybe we were being a little too paranoid?"
"You think?"
"Don''t know. But things have been exceedingly peaceful since the War."
"Don''t jinx it."