- Pronouns
- He/Him
I fucking forgot a word in the post, GODDAMMIT--
It was supposed to read "character concept"
It was supposed to read "character concept"
The Man from the Moon - A One Piece SI fic
- Thread starter TheLandMaster45
- Start date
Character concept, huh. Hmmmmm. Different ways you could go about each. I'll have to go with Frog this time. I think that would be more fun. 🙂
Frog sounds kinda interesting maybe a new enemie with a frog zoan?
- Pronouns
- Male
Frog is where I'll throw my vote looking forward to seeing how this goes
- Location
- My happy place
I didn't really like the story start. It give a very "Fucked regardless" feeling with him missing the first truck before being hit anyway. Because she needs a good work review? The rest of the "prologue" is the same or worse. Like, the dumb angel didn't tell him about any disadvantages. So, he got extra fucked for years and years.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I'll admit the beginning is probably my weakest part so far.
I wanted to have a mix of humor but also how a tiny little oversight could have horrible, horrible consenquences.
Out-of-universe, this was done to balance out the massive starting advantage the MC got by being a Lunarian. A few years stuck and being unable to help with shit or train, meaning he now has lost time he needs to make up.
- Location
- My happy place
I think it's a bit too anime if that makes sense. Not only are you shoving a lot of tropes at the reader at the start there, the mood whiplash from that into slavery and torture is harsh. I have to admit I just started skimming at that point because it was grim, nasty and I was not feeling it. I understand the need to balance things out a bit. But really, I don't think that is the way to go.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hey fellas
Not a chapter update yet, but it's coming!
Though I will say, I DO have a little... surprise for you all, coming tomorrow
Stay tuned~
Not a chapter update yet, but it's coming!
Though I will say, I DO have a little... surprise for you all, coming tomorrow
Stay tuned~
- Location
- Oklahoma
CHARACTER ART: RYOMA - TEENAGER (POST-MARY GEOISE
- Pronouns
- He/Him
HE'S HERE
THE BIG BOI, THE TALL LAD, BEST BIRD, RYOMA!
With art done by the wonderful NIKKAN, we have a full ref of him, at last!
This means now you can all properly admire the best boi in all his splendor and grace.
Also yes, he can pick up Hancock and wrap her up in a wing burrito, because by god, she deserves all the hugs, and so do her sisters.
Next to him we also have what is planned to be his weapon! It's name is "Alt Eisen", which for our dear German speakers out there, yes, it's an ironic name considering the look, no? c:
Now, this isn't the ONLY part of the comm! NIKKAN was gracious enough to add in a little extra alts for me, and I'll be showing one of them here:
A rough disguise for him, though obviously he'll be wearing more as a proper disguise later on.
As for the last alt... I'm keeping it a secret for now c:
I'll release it when the next chapter comes out.
I'd like to thank all my Patrons, literally, as a matter of fact! This commission was paid exclusively with Patreon money, and it is only thanks to their support that it was possible for me to do this!
So, a big shoutout to JackOLantern, camel, Peppy Clown, Coffee Text and Edward Woods, you guys rock!
I'd also like to extend a MASSIVE thanks to OceanStarsFall for being the first person to draw fanart of Ryoma. Without you, this piece would have been much harder to acquire, so thank you so much!
And if you'd like to see more art like this for the fics, whichever one it may be, or wanna support the writing, feel free to join up on the Patreon!
With enough pledges, I'll start running polls to let Patrons decide what the next art piece should be, so you guys will have control over what gets drawn!
Next chapter will come after Raise your Hell's next update, which itself will be after this Titanomachy update + the next chapter of Drift with Purpose. So yeah, lotta writing to be done!
Until then, fellas!
FANART: RYOMA 2, NEW STORY IMAGE
- Pronouns
- He/Him
OceanStarsFall never fucking misses, lemme tell ya.
Yet another gorgeous fanart done by them, and just like before, I am making this the story image, because goddamn do I love this piece so much!
They also gave me context for the specific plant they added to the drawing, and while I am not spoiling it yet, it is DEFINITELY 100% canon, now.
Thank you so much for the art, it means the world to me!
Ahhhh! No! Omg dude! 😂 No are you kidding! I had so much fun recently just because of your story. I've had even more fun because I get to draw Ryoma too. I'm so glad you like it and I quite literally choked on air when I got this notif. But seriously have fun and I look forward to more chapters when you get through with them.
I get to give ya'll a hint for the plant! Thanks TheLandMaster!
There once was a plant, prickly and sallow,
That could crown one's brow blessed and hallow!
But prick from this tree,
could find back luck with thee,
With only sweetened ruby red gin to swallow!
There once was a plant, prickly and sallow,
That could crown one's brow blessed and hallow!
But prick from this tree,
could find back luck with thee,
With only sweetened ruby red gin to swallow!
Chapter 4
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Big thanks to my Patrons: Peppy Clown, camel, Edward Franklin Woods, CoffeeText and JackOLantern! Thank you for your continued support throughout these years!
Also spoilers, we're not starting with the bestest boi ever.
Instead, we're checking in on the chaos.
from the great fortress made the sounds of steps, riggings, chains and general humbug of the Marine's greatest fortress of Justice echo like a great orchestra across the surrounding waters, both heralding the arrival of mighty battleships sailing into port, and their departure to whatever mission of Absolute Justice they had been assigned to. Even inside the buildings themselves, noise constantly filled the halls and rooms, either from idle chatter, or work being performed to the utmost highest of standards expected from those who serve the organization.
Indeed, rare were the places one would find total silence in Marineford, even in the calmest of days. Which, in turn, only made the quiet inside the Fleet Admiral's office that much more foreboding.
The entire room had been sealed off, and any personnel stationed even remotely close to the office had been moved to places further away. This meant that only four people were currently present to hear the reports being given by a Transponder Snail who'd only receive calls in the absolute direst of situations: Vice-Admiral Garp, Admiral Sengoku, Fleet Admiral Kong, and Admiral Zephyr. Four of the most powerful men to serve the Marines were now gathered to discuss what could very much be described as one of the greatest humiliations in the history of both the World Government and World Nobles.
Not all of them were happy to be there.
"We've kept patrols rotating constantly on the surrounding waters and beyond, but so far we've yet to locate the stolen ships," said Kong matter-of-factly as he stared down the Transponder Snail in front of him, while also doing his best to ignore the sneer Garp had while off to the side. "It is likely some of the escapees held knowledge of the Celestial Dragons' private travel routes, and used them to avoid our forces."
"We've also deployed troops to the nearby islands and have scoured any city in the immediate range of Mary Geoise's ports, but they've also not found any sign of fugitives," added Sengoku neutrally, his expression just as stone-cold as Kong's.
"Continue the searches, then. Do not allow even one of those ships to remain in open waters," came the voice of the Warrior God of Justice, Topman Warcury, the in-contrast strained tone of his voice making his displeasure with the situation very clear, while the faint sounds of chaos and shouting that still filtered through the call gave the perfect reasoning for his current emotional state.
"Of course."
"We also went after the reported missing Aegis Zero agents, but we only found corpses," added Garp darkly, still avoiding eye contact with the snail and its speaker. "Whatever hit them, hit them hard. Medics said they were dead in an instant."
This time, another voice made their displeasure apparent, that being the Warrior God of Science Jaygarcia Saturn, who let out a long-suffering sigh. "As expected, then. An enemy of this caliber is beyond even the capabilities of CP0, though their death is still an unacceptable loss."
"Something that can kill an Aegis Zero agent is something we should get some warnings about, then. What kind of enemy are we facing?"
"That information does not concern you, vice-admiral. Focus on the orders presented, and abide by them."
The dismissal was somewhat expected by the four men; they had grown used (or, more appropriately in the case of Garp, jaded) to the idea that the Five Elders would withhold whatever information they deemed unnecessary, at least to their mind. But the fact one of them was being so curt to Garp the Hero of all people, gave the four men an uneasy pause. Even Garp found himself unexpectedly flummoxed, the vice-admiral blinking dumbly at the venomous dismissal aimed at him. Before any of them could give voice to their confusion, however, the Warrior God of Science resumed speaking.
"The situation is precarious enough as is, we do not need further leaks of information," continued Jaygarcia, the snail's expression matching the speaker's own stony one. "The fact this crisis is already partially known to the outside world is an inexcusable failure by the part of the Navy. Any further information shall now be further kept under secrecy, and your forces will march solely on what's been provided at this point."
"Furthermore, until Mary Geoise has been properly rebuilt, all further gatherings of the Levely shall be done at Marineford, in order to maintain proper order," added the Warrior God of Finance, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro. "Your forces will likewise assist with the escort of all partaking royals, along with guaranteeing their safety until the end of the Levely."
That comment was enough to cause even Zephyr and Sengoku to frown. Chasing down the escaped ships was one thing, but to also stretch their forces so thin by also assigning protection details to so many dignitaries from across the world would put a severe strain on their ability to enforce peace. Pirates were bound to run rampant, and civilians would pay for it.
Of course, voicing this thought would be useless. The Five Elders' word would always be final, after all.
In the end, the reply had to be given by Kong, the only one still capable of keeping his expression neutral in response to the news. "Very well, then. I'll allocate what troops I can for security, and preparations will be made for the Levely."
"See to it, Fleet Admiral." KA-LICK!
And with that, the snail became dormant once more, leaving the four of the strongest men in the Marines to ponder the orders they had just been given. One of them was quick to make his opinion of the situation known, however, and to no one's surprise, it was Garp. With a grumble, the vice-admiral rose from his seat and stalked toward the door, his hands clenched tightly into fists. "Alright, I'm off," he said just loudly enough to carry inside the room.
"And where do you think you're off to, Garp?" asked Sengoku frigidly as he stared at his oldest friend and companion.
"Oh, you know exactly where I'm going, Sengoku. I'm off to go start organizing those escorts."
"Garp, we have others to delegate this to—" began Kong, but his words were cut short when Garp whirled around and pinned him with a withering glare.
"Yeah, you have vice-admirals to delegate this stuff to. Like me! I'll get it all sorted out, don't you worry."
And with that, before either of the three men could say anything more, Garp left the room, calmly opening the door before, without warning, slamming it so forcefully that the whole archway cracked in two, and left the door handle thoroughly deformed by his grip. After another long pause, Zephyr was the next to rise from his seat, the man heaving out a tired sigh as he moved to follow Garp's example. "I'll start organizing Marineford's defenses and patrols, they'll be ready in no time," said Black Arm, and just as promptly, he left the room, leaving Kong and Sengoku alone in the office.
The silence between them dragged on for what could very well be an eternity, until finally, Kong leaned back on his seat and let out a sigh, the highest authority of the Marines staring at the ceiling with half-lidded eyes as he pondered the situation. "This new era has been one problem after the other, hasn't it," muttered the Fleet Admiral in a melancholic tone, his entire posture now far more saggy and tired than it had been moments ago. "I wonder if Roger is laughing at us from beyond the grave..."
"Whether he is or isn't doesn't matter," replied Sengoku in return as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, at that moment reassembling his Zoan's namesake transformation. "Not all problems of the world were caused by Roger, nor will future ones every time be linked to him. The Navy must remain a beacon of Justice to keep peace across the world."
"Is that what you believe in, or what you want to believe in?"
"It's what should be believed in. Anything else is irrelevant."
The two men regarded their respective words in silence, neither looking at the other, allowing only the noise of the massive, wall-spanning aquarium that resided in the room to fill the emptiness, along with the sheer weight of the events of recent times.
In a way, it was comical in a very sad way. Roger's death was supposed to herald a new era of peace and Justice to the world, the death of the spirit of piracy and a sign that the might of the Marines, and thus the World Government, was far-reaching and immutable. That no matter how powerful you were, how vast the number of your followers, Justice would always triumph. That his announced capture was nothing more than a lie was irrelevant, all that mattered was what the world knew as truth.
Instead, Roger had ignited an entire new era of piracy with a few parting words, and thus brought with it all the chaos and danger the Government had tried to avoid, by galvanizing an entire generation into action. And now, as if to punctuate all of these problems, the sacrosanct Holy Land had been razed in an event no one could have predicted, causing an unprecedented number of deaths among the Celestial Dragons, along with the largest slave rebellion in modern history.
"Perhaps God Valley was a prologue to this…"
"Hm?"
"… Nevermind that." And with that, Sengoku finally rose from his seat, his face once more set with steely determination. "I'll prepare a task force to chase down the escaped ships myself. Keep me posted on any updates."
"Very well then. Good luck, Sengoku."
The dismissal given, the Enlightened Zoan user finally exited the room, leaving Kong truly alone once more, watching dejectedly the spot Sengoku had stood only seconds ago.
"Why exactly did I want this position, again?"
While this admittedly low-key meeting was happening in Marineford, one far more pressing one was occurring inside Pangaea Castle, in a room that had yet to be restored to its fully pristine state, but was also leagues above almost any other place in the entirety of Mary Geoise. In this room, five of the most powerful men on the planet sat amidst the damaged furniture, staring at the now-sleeping Transponder Snail sitting atop their table with equal amounts of frustration.
"This is beyond outrageous," said the Warrior God of the Environment, Marcus Mars, the man stroking his beard just a tad more forcefully than needed. "How could so many vessels avoid detection for this long?"
"The response fleet was too slow to gather, they were never going to catch up in time," replied Warcury. "And regardless, this entire effort was always a shot in the dark."
"It still doesn't excuse the irreplaceable losses we suffered," said Ju Peter, the God of Agriculture turning slightly to peer out of the room's ruined window. "Not only a prime Lunarian test subject, but the captured member of the Wandering Tribe as well."
Jaygarcia, in return, replied with a hum that sounded both aggravated and annoyed. "And before we could extract the coordinates to Waford, even. Control over the Divine Breath would have allowed us to extinguish this age of piracy once and for all, and yet now we have lost our only lead to its resting place."
"Not to mention the partial leak of information regarding the destruction of the Holy Land…" said Nusjuro with a grimace, his eyes not deviating from the stacks of both financial and intelligence reports he currently held in his hands. "Do we have any leads on who could have released this information?"
"No. With Aegis Zero decimated, and the Holy Knights currently preoccupied with securing the Celestial Dragons' safety, we could not trace the source of the leak. And it is unlikely that it will be found within a feasible time frame."
"Then we must rebuild with haste. Pull promising recruits from other Cipher Pol units, and up recruitment of replacement agents."
"Collection of the Heavenly Tribute should also be increased, to provide the necessary resources for reconstruction, and a headcount of all the surviving World Nobles should be held."
"Indeed. Regardless of all, the World Government will stand strong, as the creator wills it."
Right at that moment, the doors to the chamber swung open with a prominent creak, the aged hinges straining from the damage inflicted upon them by the constant quakes. And through it, walked a woman, wearing all-white clothes and holding in her hands a nondescript harpoon, save the fact it had been caked in blood. "What is it?" asked Warcury, both him and his colleagues regarding the newly arrived guest with no small amount of annoyance.
"Forgive me for my intrusion, honorable Elders, but I come bearing excellent news," said Agent Stussy, one of their few Aegis Zero members remaining after the rampage of the Mythical Zoan user. Without further prompting, Stussy strode forward and placed the harpoon down upon the table, an act that drew the attention of all five men to it.
"And what is this?" asked Jaygarcia Saturn, the Warrior God of Science making a point to tap his cane against the table.
The five's irritation quickly subsided, however, once Stussy gave her explanation.
It served as proof that, as always, fate would favor their side yet again.
It should be noted, however, that it was not only Marineford who reacted to the news of the attack on Mary Geoise. Indeed, across the globe, fueled by the information leaked to the World Economy News Paper, many other people would come to learn of the darkest day in the history of the World Government…
Aboard the ship Numancia Flamingo, whose crew was quickly growing to become one of the most infamous pirate groups in all the seas, a man was currently in hysterics. He laughed, loud and proudly, his legs waving like a child's and the glass of wine he had been enjoying reduced to shards on the floor. Even as the rest of his famiglia watched in surprise, the man did not stop, though he made sure to keep the newspaper in his grasp safe and intact, just so he could frame it and hang it on the wall of his office.
Because to Donquixote Doflamingo, seeing the bastards at Mary Geoise die in droves was the best thing he could have asked for.
Aboard another ship, an unremarkable frigate with no custom flag or paint scheme, the members of the Revolutionary Army's Intelligence Division continued to monitor any report sent out by both the Marines and the World Government agents, their multitude of Black Transponder Snails continuously chattering as they fed the Revolutionaries a stream of intel that they quickly jotted down, eager to bring it back to Baltigo for evaluation.
But chief among these agents, was the commander of the East Division, who kept a headset on at all times as she wrote down with one hand the possible headings and coordinates of the ships that had escaped Mary Geoise, while the other transmitted said headings through coded signals to the man she still planned to call her husband someday.
Because Ginny refused to allow these people to be thrown back to the suffering she herself had escaped from so many years ago.
At the same time, in a land of little more besides white sands and rocks, a man wishing to change the world itself stood upon a balcony atop the sprawling ruin he and his army called home, listening intently at the news being relayed by the officers stationed in the room behind him, while at the same time, a giant of a man stood by his side, noting down coordinates sent to him by a woman he held dearer than anyone else in the world, which he could then use to find others just like him, people who had finally escaped the unending torment put upon them by the World Nobles.
Kuma might have failed to save more people all those years ago on God Valley, but this time, he could do it. He could save many more.
Meanwhile, far, far beneath the ocean's surface, in a kingdom almost completely forgotten by the world at large, a queen who whole-heartedly believed in the possibility that her own people and those who lived in the surface could live in harmony side-by-side stared in utter shock at both the newspaper brought down by the News Fish, and the communicate marking the change in location for future Levely gatherings.
"This is… what is happening on the surface?" asked Queen Otohime with no small amount of dread, even as her husband conversed with their sons over the matter at hand off to the side, no doubt regarding if this could be a threat to Fishman Kingdom.
But most of all, Otohime worried for the island's greatest adventurer, a Fishman who had for long traveled the surface. Had this… event perhaps affected him?
All Otohime could do, in the end, was worry. Worry for the present, and the future alike… but most of all, worry for her still unborn daughter.
What kind of world, both on the surface, and below it, awaited her dear, wonderful Shirahoshi?
In a continent of little more besides deserts as far as the eyes could see, King Nefertari Cobra contemplated the tragedy that had befallen the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as his wife Titi did her best to calm their crying daughter, who mysteriously had only begun to do so after the newspaper had arrived.
While Cobra felt no small amount of relief over the fact that their family's decision to eschew remaining in Mary Geoise had spared them the destruction wrought to the Holy Land and the families that still lived there, the king could not help but dread: if even said Holy Land could suffer destruction like this… what did the future hold in store for Alabasta?
For his daughter's future and safety, he prayed that peace would still last.
And in a nondescript stretch of ocean in the Grand Line, where a large galleon captained by one of the last few members of the Roger Pirates still active on the seas was sailing through, "Red Hair" Shanks stared at the newspaper in his hands with utter seriousness, even as the rest of his crew took to singing to liven up the mood of the young girl they had taken in as their charge.
"Captain… did you ever expect something like this?" he asked aloud to no one in particular, the man raising his eyes from the newspaper to stare off into the horizon, and his mind went abuzz pondering what kind of repercussions this would have on the wider world. "The future looks pretty uncertain right now…"
And Shanks could not tell if this was a good, or bad thing at all…
But while these events were still being learned by the world at large, to a small subset of people in the ocean, the destruction of Mary Geoise was, ironically enough, old news. This was because not only had they caused said destruction, but they were also now putting as much distance from it as they could.
Such was the case of the crew of ex-slaves that had commandeered the Gilded Dominance, the personal luxury galleon of the now-deceased Saint Lafont. Where once it was used as an ostentatious, mobile display of the Celestial Dragon's infinite wealth, the pleasure ship now ferried its new crew out of the grasp of both the World Government and Marines alike, its gaudy paint job and decorations thankfully not being enough to oust its location to any patrol vessels hounding the ocean.
And while some of this could be laid at the feet of the expert navigation being done by its crew, just as much could be placed on sheer blind luck, perhaps a sign that the heavens favored the slaves in their mission to keep their freedom.
Still, Fisher Tiger mused as he peered through the lenses of the intricately decorated telescope he had pilfered from the captain's quarters, he could continue propping up said luck with all the skill he and the rest of the crew had. Hence, at every free moment where he wasn't sleeping, the sea bream Fishman kept close watch on the horizon, always making sure no ships had come close to finding them, be they Marine, pirate, or civilian. Likewise, several other people aboard the ship who still were healthy (and sane) enough had also taken up watch, totting top-of-the-line scoped rifles pilfered from the ship's armory, binoculars, telescopes, or just their unaided eyes to assist in the watch.
Even some of the Fish and merfolk, rare as they were aboard, had volunteered to go beneath the waves to look for hidden pursuers, risking their lives for the sake of the ship. And just like those searching the surface, they had found nothing.
"Everything clear so far?"
Taking the telescope away from his face, Tiger looked back towards the ship's current helmsman and navigator, who had just now spoken up from where he stood, that being behind the Gilded Dominance's wheel.
Tiger did not know what kind of life Adio Suerte had lived until now, but his skill as both a navigator and a helmsman made clear he had spent quite a lot of it aboard a ship at sea.
"So far, yes," replied the Fishman as he stowed away his pilfered telescope. "Doesn't mean we can lower our guard, however…"
"Heh, suppose not!"
With another twirl of the wheel, Adio adjusted their course just so once more, enough to catch a tail wind that had come to blow out of nowhere. The ship, in turn, lurched forward minutely from the added acceleration, just enough to make Tiger sway on his feet due to the tiredness slowly but surely creeping into his body, something that did not go unnoticed by Suerte. "I think it's about time you got some rest, then."
Tiger, however, simply shook his head in return. "Not yet. We still have to find an island to dock, and that means keeping an eye out for threats. I--"
"No offense, Tiger, but you're in no state to keep going. Go take a breather downstairs, get some food and sleep, then come back up top," said the Wanderer good-naturedly, even as he summoned one of his gauntlets and poked the sea bream Fishman right in the chest. And to no surprise, Tiger actually swayed from the move, one foot shifting back to steady himself. "You'll be no good to us dead on your feet, boss. Someone else can take up the watch."
"I'll do it," suddenly piped up a third voice, coming from the direction of one of the many hatches leading below decks. And when the two turned towards it, they beheld the speaker almost literally squirming their way through the hatch, their, or more specifically her, limbs squeezing through the hole in a way that would have looked wholly unnatural for a normal human, but was far more understandable considering her appearance.
She was a blue-ringed octopus merwoman, almost as tall as Tiger himself, but with a complete polar opposite skin color: whereas Tiger's body was salmon pink, the merwoman's was blue grey, punctuated by the bright blue markings of her cephalopod heritage contrasting against the black coloring of her octopus half. A sarong with an intricate waves-and-clouds pattern was wrapped around her waist, no doubt pilfered from the plethora of clothing stocked aboard the ship, and was matched well with the blue-and-yellow top wrapped around her chest. Her hair was short, and snow-white in color, whereas her eyes had aquamarine pupils, with black sclera as a background to them. And of course, the ever-present Hoof of the Flying Dragon was branded upon her, visible on her stomach.
All in all, the new arrival cut an intimidating look, but it also contrasted heavily with the casual, downright friendly air she seemed to put on as she approached the two men. "Let me take over the watch, and go get some rest, boss," she said to Tiger with a calm, accented drawl, one neither of the men could quite pin down. "Can't have the big adventurer boss flagging right at the end, can we?" With a smirk, one of the merwoman's tentacles slid forward and took the telescope away from Tiger, instead placing it in her own hands, before she slid past the erstwhile captain to head towards the prow of the ship.
Tiger himself stared at the newly arrived person for a moment more as she took up position to keep watch, before suddenly Adio's gauntlet pushed him once more, this time towards the hatch. "Well, you heard the lady, boss, get going! Kehahahahaha!"
In the end, with a half-hearted grumble, Tiger plodded away to the ship's interior, the Fishman only slightly readjusting his body to fit through the hatch, allowing him to enter the pleasure ship's inner structure.
It was exactly as one would expect them to be: ostentatious to the extreme. Tapestries of the highest quality lined the walls, along with statues and columns of marble that Tiger could only speculate had somehow not sunk the ship to the bottom of the ocean. Paintings were also present, of a variety of styles and colors that most likely came from across the world, to the point one would be challenged to guess where their place of origin was.
All the decoration, however, had a matching theme: all of them depicted Celestial Dragons, bar none, and all of them attempted to exult an air of grandiose and opulence to the Nobles shown in them. It sickened Tiger down to his core, especially the ones that showed World Nobles subjugating or torturing slaves, as if it was an act to be celebrated or revered.
And it most likely was even worse for the slaves that lined the hallways, sitting alone or huddled close to one another for comfort as hushed conversations trailed through the air. Some were even laying down on the floor, either sleeping or, more worryingly, unresponsive, their only sign of life being their steadily rising chests as they drew breath. Thankfully, there were a number of slaves who were both conscious and responsive, and all of them nodded or gave salutes of respect to Tiger as he walked by, and to which he replied with a nod to each of them. Once or twice, he'd even walk past an open door, allowing him to see the happenings going on inside the room.
Here, a scarred, but still standing man who lacked an eye and some fingers, carefully dolling out plates loaded with food and plenty of water to a line of people, and even sneaking a bundle of sweets to a group of children with no adults with them, smiling softly at them as they whispered thanks. He even asked one of the children to hand over a plate and glass to Tiger, who graciously took them before resuming his walk.
Two doors further, a haggard looking but still enduring woman, with the Hoof of the Flying Dragon stamped over her face, tending to the many injured people laid inside a massive bedroom repurposed as an infirmary, alongside both a merman and a Fishwoman.
There, a group of teenagers helping to keep younger kids, including an infant or two, as comfortable as possible, some of the teens even going as far as carrying some of the younger kids in their arms, trying to keep them asleep, while off to the corner, a salmon mermaid nestled a pair of children against the coils of her tail, gently laying them to sleep while she kept watch on everything. On the other side of the room, Tiger saw Tesoro and Stella sleeping next to each other atop a large bed, a few kids likewise asleep and laying atop of them.
And amidst the group, he saw her. The girl Ryoma and Adio had brought aboard while escaping.
When her eyes and Tiger's met, he saw much sorrow, even with her face frozen in such a fake, desperate smile… but also a spark of life. Not much, but enough. Something that Tiger could perhaps do something about later on.
But in the end, Tiger's walk took him further and further into the ship's interior, past an increasingly diminishing number of people, until he had finally made it to the deepest levels of the vessel. Here, while the decorations were just as exaggerated, the lighting and related were kept far subtler. Manacles and chains also started becoming more common, along with the rooms shifting from comfort into something far more… macabre. Still, Tiger did his best to ignore it all, until finally, he came upon a large door at what he could tell was the rearmost, deepest part of the ship. It was better armored than anything else, had many more security features to it, and from a cursory glance he had given the room before handing it over to its current occupant, was soundproofed enough that no one in or out would be able to hear their opposite.
But for now, the locks were all undone, to give the people inside a sense of control over the situation. As such, when Tiger pushed the door open, the Fishman was easily allowed access to the room.
Unlike the bedrooms above, this one had been far more geared into being a personal, private quarters, especially considering the extra-luxurious furniture loaded upon it: a gigantic bed fit for someone triple Tiger's size, enough cushions to cover half the room, and dozens of rugs lining the walls to make it a chaotic tapestry of styles and threads.
But the only thing that mattered to Tiger right now, were the four figures asleep atop the bed, though rather than lying on the bed normally, instead they were sat down right at the back, leaning against the gigantic pile of cushions for comfort.
Three of them were the Kuja sisters, pressed closely together, their heads leaning against one another for support, and all of them, thankfully, with placid expressions on their faces, even if still somewhat sorrowful.
The last occupant, however, was not sitting against the Kujas. Rather, he was behind them, his body acting as extra support for the three girls, and his wings wrapped around both the three and himself like a massive blanket, hiding everything but their heads, and the man's legs, from view.
Tiger didn't know much about Lunarians, and he especially didn't know much about Ryoma… but what he did know was that the young man had pulled through for them all, and especially for these three girls. Whatever the reasons, Tiger didn't much care, but if he had gone this far, then the Fishman would be remiss to not try and help them in return.
Especially considering the oldest of the girls, Boa Hancock, was the sole reason they had gained their shot at freedom in the first place.
So, with his mind steadily slowing down, Tiger set his plate of food aside, and leaned against one of the pillow piles set on the sides of the room, before crossing his arms and closing his eyes.
Sleep claimed him not long after, but for the first time in a long time, Tiger's rest was peaceful.
Darkness.
Darkness over darkness into darkness.
That is where I found myself standing in, my body feeling lighter than it had been for many years now.
The fact I could actually feel such a thing, even with my flames burning brightly upon my back, and the absence of any of the Boa sisters near me, clued me in quickly that this was nothing more than a dream. Still, it didn't tell me much more about why said dream was like this, considering how my recent dreams usually were: repeats of the things I'd gone through in Mary Geoise.
For the sake of brevity, I won't describe said events. Better they stay buried than remembered yet again.
Nevertheless, this still left me with no answer as to what was going to happen now. Would this be a normal dream? A nightmare? Something in between?
The answer, as it turns out, was neither.
Right as I thought of maybe walking forward forever and trying to force things to go forward, a flash of light shined right behind me, followed immediately by something hitting me full force with its weight.
"G-Gah!"
Followed by, of all things…
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! I'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRY—"
Intense bawling and apologizing. By a voice that somehow felt strangely familiar.
Caught completely flat-footed by this sudden intrusion, I was tossed to the "ground" like a sack of flour, my body hitting the infinite darkness as it would the ground, though with a more liquid, gooey feeling, like I had landed on moon sand instead of normal soil. This still left me in the awkward position of having a sobbing person on my back, and no limbs capable of reaching for my back to pry them off. So instead, the best I could do was flap my wings against them, and lift myself back to my knees, to make sure I didn't completely throw them off, but still got them off me. "H-Hey, back off!" I half-shouted, half-complained, even as I felt the person finally leave my back, allowing me to turn around, and finally let me see who had just struck me.
My breath was immediately taken away when I stared down at the young girl on all fours in front of me, dressed in a ruffled blue-and-gold three-piece suit, the suit's blazer hanging loosely from her shoulders and her tie half-undone, her ponytail left in a disheveled mess with dozens of strands popping out of it, and her make-up running freely down her face along with her tears and snot, her cyan-crystal eyes sparkling from the water filling them.
It had been literal years since I'd seen this girl in front of me, cheerily welcoming me to a "vacation" that soon turned into a trip into the deepest, most cruel circle of hell. And right now, she looked more disraught about it than I did.
"I-I'M SORRY, THIS W-WAS ALL MY FA-A-AAAAUUUUULT!" she bawled through a hurricane of sobs, her arms wobbling as she tried to keep herself off the floor. "I'M S-SORRY YOU WENT THROUGH ALL T-THIS, I-I-I DIDN'T MEAN FOR ANY OF THIS TO HAPPE-E-EEEEEN!"
"W-What are you--?!"
Before I could go beyond that, however, the girl pushed onwards, her volume of voice lowering enough that she was no longer yelling, even if her sobbing did not abate. "I-I was stupid, stupid, STUPID! I didn't c-check where you were being s-sent to! If I had just done my damn job I could have warned you about iiiiiiiiit!"
As I watched the girl have what I was pretty sure was an emotional breakdown, my mind racked for anything I could even do to calm her down, but nothing concrete came to mind. So instead, I did about the only thing left for me to do: I got up, walked over to her, and kneeled in front of the girl, placing both my hands on her shoulders to draw her gaze back to me. "Hey, hey, focus. What are you talking about?" I asked as calmly as I could, even as I tried to fight my own heart rate down (the fact I was actually doing this in a dream was pretty strange, I know, but this entire thing was already quite out there). "What do you mean, 'do your job'?"
"I-If I had warned you about the balancing policy, you… y-you wouldn't have gone through any of this!" she finally said semi-normally, wiping some of the tears and snot away with the sleeve of her shirt. "I-I was so worried about getting a good review, a-and you seemed so happy c-coming to this world, I just… I-I…"
And just like that, she was back to crying, even pulling her jacket off her shoulder to shove against her face so she could smother some of the noises she was making.
But to me, it didn't matter, since I couldn't hear any of it. Not with the white noise filling my ears, and not with my attention scattering to the four winds. All I could do, was kneel on the ground, and stare off into the distance, as the reality of my eleven years of torment crashed down atop of me like a meteor.
A fluke…
All of this, all of it… because of a fluke. A mistake.
At that point, what few brain cells I still had conscious finally broke away from my state of shock, and made me react to that piece of news.
"… hahah…"
Or, at the very least… react in the only way possible.
"Shu… Shuhahahahah…"
And that was to just… laugh. Laugh, at the ironic idiocy of this entire situation, at how… banal the reason for my suffering had been.
If I had paid more attention, or asked further questions instead of just taking it at face value, none of this would have happened. I wouldn't have landed directly at Sabaody, wouldn't have been made a slave at six-years old, wouldn't have been dragged to Mary Geoise, and made to suffer for eleven years at the hands of the Celestial Dragons, I—
… I wouldn't have been able to save Stella… or been able to help the Boa sisters, Tiger, Koala, or even Adio…
I wouldn't have heard Jord's last request, either. They would have still been in Mary Geoise, suffering at the hands of the World Nobles, until something finally released them when canon commanded to. Tesoro would have lost the love of his life, and become a ruthless, merciless monster, Hancock and her sisters would have been consumed by paranoia, leaving the future Empress to become a heartless tyrant until years from now.
But all of that had changed… all because this girl, in a moment of excitement, forgot to explain a simple rule, and with the price of me experiencing the same pain and suffering as they all did.
Before I could continue dwelling on this train of thought, however, my awareness refocused on the attendant in front of me just long enough to catch the tail end of what she was saying.
"—can fix this!"
And it made my brain reboot hard from its state of delirium.
When I refocused on her, I took stock of the girl's demeanor: she still look disheveled as all hell, the blazer was now far more wrinkled but also once more upon her back, and her face was both tear and make-up-stained, but her eyes were wide and her mouth pressed into a slightly-maddened smile as she fiddled with a floating pane of light filled with symbols I couldn't make heads or tails of, but that to her seemed to make perfect sense. "D-Don't worry, I-I'll make everything right!" she said as she laughed nervously, tapping away faster and faster at the pane as she went. "It'll mean a hit to my w-work conduct history, but I'm fine with being written up, a-at least it means you get a better experience!"
"Wait, listen—"
"Y-Yeah, something a lot more cheerful, that'll do!"
"Stop, I don't want—"
"J-Just gotta fix this, gotta fix my mistake—"
"STOP!!!"
My shout made the girl jump with a scream, falling back to the ground and making the pane of light disappear. The fact I had risen to my feet gave her a perfect reason to be fearful of my outburst, considering how thoroughly I towered over her, not to mention the flames burning on my back worked to shadow me quite ominously amidst this darkness. So the fact she indeed was looking up fearfully at me, hands trembling, was more than enough to bring me down from my spike of anger, so I took a moment to take several deep breaths until I made sure I had calmed down enough to address this… situation.
So, with that done, I knelt again, and looked the attendant straight in her eyes, making extra sure to keep my hands close to my body, and my expression as calm as possible. "I… I appreciate the offer," I said softly, a sad smile creeping its way over my face as I spoke. "But… this is fine."
Naturally, that caused the reaction I expected from the girl, namely her eyes somehow growing wider and her posture slackening as my words sunk in. "W-What?!" she almost yelped as she stumbled up to her feet, putting a few extra steps of distance between us. "W-What do you mean, 'this is fine', i-i-it's not! You—!!"
"What I… went through… wasn't your fault. I got caught up in my own excitement about what you were offering, and went in half-blind. If I had bothered to ask questions, then maybe I… could have avoided this entire thing." As I went on, I felt my body sag, and the memories started to creep back into my mind. Laughter I knew wasn't there echoed from some distant point, mocking and cruel, followed by screams and rattling chains I thought I had long forgotten, but I forced myself to focus instead on the happier thoughts that the recent days had brought to me. "Regardless… you're not the one to blame. And… even if you can send me to some… some 'happier' adventure, or take these memories away, I… I don't want you to."
"… But… but why?!"
"Because they deserve better." At her still-confused stare, I motioned with my arm to the darkness surrounding us, uncaring of the emptiness of it. "Tiger, Hancock, Tesoro, Koala… and not just them, everyone else in this world deserves to be free from all this." I heaved out a sigh, and let my body fall so I could sit instead of kneel, my wings wrapping around my body in a move I had become far too accustomed to performing. "When One Piece was just a story, I… I could dissociate from all this. It was just a narrative, I could ignore it in favor of the cheerier, happier points. On the jokes, and hijinks, and… well, you get the idea. It was… easy."
"But now? Now I lived through it, regardless of the fact I could avoid most of the pain. I had to see all those people suffer, right in front of me, without being able to do anything. And soon, regardless of Mary Geoise being destroyed so thoroughly, things will begin again. People will be made to suffer that… that hell, just like everyone already did, all because the Government considers this a good price to pay for their brand of… 'order'."
But in the end, all of that drained away the moment I let out a weary sigh, letting the emptiness I had grown familiar with to seep in and make my temper die down. It was… easier for me, to feel like that. Having been stuck between a scale of either almost complete sensory deprivation, or a flood of sensory overload that threatened to make me go insane, emptiness was… preferable.
So, with one more long breath, I shook my head ruefully, then looked at the girl with as best a smile as I could, saddened as it was. "So… don't blame yourself. And don't worry. I don't want to leave, or… start over. I survived until now, and I will keep surviving."
"Because I… I want to help these people. I will help these people. And I'm not quitting until I succeed."
The silence that followed my declaration stretched out for a good while, though it certainly felt much longer than it did go for. But, in the end, I decided to break the impasse yet again.
I leaned forward, reached down with one hand, and gave the girl a gentle pat on the head, letting my fingers run through her disheveled hair as she stared up at me with surprised, watery eyes.
"You gave me this chance. So… thank you."
And just like that, the tears began to run. Not only hers, but mine too, running down my cheeks to drip down, and surprisingly enough, past where we were stepping, disappearing into the darkness. But this time, the girl kept her composure well, still smiling even as she wiped the fresh tears away on the thoroughly soaked sleeve of her shirt, before refocusing on me. "Al… Alright, I guess that works, doesn't it?"
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to give you a good review, like you asked."
The small giggle that elicited gave me enough peace of mind to finally relax in full. In turn, the girl finally rose to her feet and brushed at her shirt to straighten it as best as she could, before snapping into attention, not unlike a Marine the blazer draped over her shoulder made her look like. "W-Well, if that's the case, then Celestial Enterprises wishes the best in your endeavors!" Right as she finished that, however, her expression softened and her demeanor relaxed, even lowering her arm from its salute to her side as she looked at me with a soft, warm smile. "And… good luck. I believe in you."
Just as she finished speaking, I felt an almighty tug at the bottom of my stomach, and suddenly, I started falling into the darkness, slowly but surely, while the flames on my back somehow grew to encompass my body in full. Just as they started creeping over my face, however, a thought struck me, and I shouted after the girl that had stayed floating above me.
"HEY! WHAT'S YOUR NAME!?"
"IT'S ILLUSTRIA! THANK YOU FOR ASKING!"
And right then, all I could see was fire.
As she watched her "client" disappear from the dream plane she had rushedly created in order to apologize, and maybe correct her, to quote her closest work colleague, "massive fuck-up", Illustria could say she felt the lightest she did in several years. All the stress and worrying over what Management would have done to her if they had found out about this situation, the sleepless cycles trying to plan out a solution, the copious amounts of ambrosia, golden apples and peaches of immortality she had binged on due to stress-eating… it was all finally over. Illustria could, at last, breathe a sigh of relief, and return to a normal work schedule and routine.
Still, a final nugget of doubt remained in the attendant's mind. What if things went wrong? What if he died along the way, or his failures started racking up too fast and he gave up? Or what if—
SLAP!
Before her train of thought could keep going, however, Illustria quickly brought it to an end by slapping both her cheeks firmly, leaving two reddened circles on them. Instead, she pulled up her administrative panel once more, and flicked through it until she reached her desired tab:
Precognition.
Technically speaking, this wasn't something she was supposed to use. This was meant to be used by higher administration to guarantee Celestial Enterprises' "clients" weren't about to cause any pan-dimensional incidents during their set period of vacation. Using this required a written request by a deity belonging to the realm of origin, printed in triplicate, plus proof that removal of the client was absolutely necessary.
But considering how many protocols she was already breaking just by being here, what was one more?
So, with her mind made up, Illustria took a deep breath, and pressed down on the "Precognition" tab...
The sound of laughter filled the air, along with the dint of a celebration that was clearly both large and animated. Many regular people surrounded the place, eating and drinking without a care in the world, though they all shared a common article of clothing.
Amidst all this, a group of over a dozen people sat together, their appearance far more exotic and abnormal, even compared to this world's weirdness. But even so, they talked, ate and celebrated together, all of the group's members acting with a casualness that made clear how close and comfortable they were with each other.
And at the head of this group, a man with black wings and flames on his back, laughing as cheerfully as everyone else, and talking animatedly with the people surrounding him. Just then, the man perked up and looked to the side, saluting with the mug he held in his hands whoever he had spotted.
Illustria turned, and she beheld one of the biggest humans she had ever seen in her life approaching the group, himself flanked by a woman with freckles and twin pigtails.
And held in the huge man's arms was—
Opening her eyes once more, Illustria felt the last remains of Precognition flush from her mind, allowing the attendant to properly process what she had just seen.
And as she did, fresh tears began to fall once more, running down beside the content, hopeful smile Illustria now bore. "I knew it…" she whispered softly to herself, as she flicked through the administrative panel back to her main options, and hit the "Recall" option. "I knew you got this."
Meanwhile, at Baltigo…
"Kuma."
"Hm?"
"Do you have the list of coordinates?"
"I do."
"Good. I have a priority target for you already."
Hey fellas!
Here we go, set-ups for things to come soon!
Truth be told, I was gonna have the chapter end with Ryoma and Friends setting out for Sabaody by taking a boat there, but then I realized, better to have a chapter with some winding down first before we start touching upon that can of worms.
Plus, I realized a few narrative snags that'd cause a trip to Sabaody to not be that easy, all things considered, so instead I thought of some… alternative travel methods, shall we say c:
In other news, the recent chapters for One Piece made me realize how lucky I was to drop Ryoma so goddamn early in the timeline. Sure, there's plenty of stuff I missed the mark for and thus can't do much about that, but boy oh boy, for those who have been keeping up with One Piece recently… yeah, canon is getting pile-drived into DUST.
Also, Oda continues to justify my decision to make Ryoma hate Celestial Dragons in unhealthy amounts.
Born to live, Grand Blue is a fuck, Delete All Celestial Dragons. I am Moon Man, 410,757,864,530 Dead World Nobles.
… God, I hope this meme isn't some bigot shit or something…
Anyway, along with the chapter, y'all get a new piece of artwork to go along with it! The reason I got it is because I found out someone who works at the same store as I do is an artist, and they do commissions, so I went ahead and commissioned them for this piece.
Started on Saturday, finished today, so pretty fucking fast. Also the cost of the art is a lot lower due to not needing to pay for dollars, so commissioning them is cheaper, so another win there for me!
In that note, a reminder that if you're enjoying my stories, and would like to support them, my Patreon is named the same as my writing account.
I also have something new planned for it, but I'll save that for the End of Year Update.
Next, the next chapter of Raise your Hell will be started! Aiming for a release still in December, so I'll do my best to make it so!
'Til then, fellas, stay frosty!
Also spoilers, we're not starting with the bestest boi ever.
Instead, we're checking in on the chaos.
~O~
from the great fortress made the sounds of steps, riggings, chains and general humbug of the Marine's greatest fortress of Justice echo like a great orchestra across the surrounding waters, both heralding the arrival of mighty battleships sailing into port, and their departure to whatever mission of Absolute Justice they had been assigned to. Even inside the buildings themselves, noise constantly filled the halls and rooms, either from idle chatter, or work being performed to the utmost highest of standards expected from those who serve the organization.
Indeed, rare were the places one would find total silence in Marineford, even in the calmest of days. Which, in turn, only made the quiet inside the Fleet Admiral's office that much more foreboding.
The entire room had been sealed off, and any personnel stationed even remotely close to the office had been moved to places further away. This meant that only four people were currently present to hear the reports being given by a Transponder Snail who'd only receive calls in the absolute direst of situations: Vice-Admiral Garp, Admiral Sengoku, Fleet Admiral Kong, and Admiral Zephyr. Four of the most powerful men to serve the Marines were now gathered to discuss what could very much be described as one of the greatest humiliations in the history of both the World Government and World Nobles.
Not all of them were happy to be there.
"We've kept patrols rotating constantly on the surrounding waters and beyond, but so far we've yet to locate the stolen ships," said Kong matter-of-factly as he stared down the Transponder Snail in front of him, while also doing his best to ignore the sneer Garp had while off to the side. "It is likely some of the escapees held knowledge of the Celestial Dragons' private travel routes, and used them to avoid our forces."
"We've also deployed troops to the nearby islands and have scoured any city in the immediate range of Mary Geoise's ports, but they've also not found any sign of fugitives," added Sengoku neutrally, his expression just as stone-cold as Kong's.
"Continue the searches, then. Do not allow even one of those ships to remain in open waters," came the voice of the Warrior God of Justice, Topman Warcury, the in-contrast strained tone of his voice making his displeasure with the situation very clear, while the faint sounds of chaos and shouting that still filtered through the call gave the perfect reasoning for his current emotional state.
"Of course."
"We also went after the reported missing Aegis Zero agents, but we only found corpses," added Garp darkly, still avoiding eye contact with the snail and its speaker. "Whatever hit them, hit them hard. Medics said they were dead in an instant."
This time, another voice made their displeasure apparent, that being the Warrior God of Science Jaygarcia Saturn, who let out a long-suffering sigh. "As expected, then. An enemy of this caliber is beyond even the capabilities of CP0, though their death is still an unacceptable loss."
"Something that can kill an Aegis Zero agent is something we should get some warnings about, then. What kind of enemy are we facing?"
"That information does not concern you, vice-admiral. Focus on the orders presented, and abide by them."
The dismissal was somewhat expected by the four men; they had grown used (or, more appropriately in the case of Garp, jaded) to the idea that the Five Elders would withhold whatever information they deemed unnecessary, at least to their mind. But the fact one of them was being so curt to Garp the Hero of all people, gave the four men an uneasy pause. Even Garp found himself unexpectedly flummoxed, the vice-admiral blinking dumbly at the venomous dismissal aimed at him. Before any of them could give voice to their confusion, however, the Warrior God of Science resumed speaking.
"The situation is precarious enough as is, we do not need further leaks of information," continued Jaygarcia, the snail's expression matching the speaker's own stony one. "The fact this crisis is already partially known to the outside world is an inexcusable failure by the part of the Navy. Any further information shall now be further kept under secrecy, and your forces will march solely on what's been provided at this point."
"Furthermore, until Mary Geoise has been properly rebuilt, all further gatherings of the Levely shall be done at Marineford, in order to maintain proper order," added the Warrior God of Finance, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro. "Your forces will likewise assist with the escort of all partaking royals, along with guaranteeing their safety until the end of the Levely."
That comment was enough to cause even Zephyr and Sengoku to frown. Chasing down the escaped ships was one thing, but to also stretch their forces so thin by also assigning protection details to so many dignitaries from across the world would put a severe strain on their ability to enforce peace. Pirates were bound to run rampant, and civilians would pay for it.
Of course, voicing this thought would be useless. The Five Elders' word would always be final, after all.
In the end, the reply had to be given by Kong, the only one still capable of keeping his expression neutral in response to the news. "Very well, then. I'll allocate what troops I can for security, and preparations will be made for the Levely."
"See to it, Fleet Admiral." KA-LICK!
And with that, the snail became dormant once more, leaving the four of the strongest men in the Marines to ponder the orders they had just been given. One of them was quick to make his opinion of the situation known, however, and to no one's surprise, it was Garp. With a grumble, the vice-admiral rose from his seat and stalked toward the door, his hands clenched tightly into fists. "Alright, I'm off," he said just loudly enough to carry inside the room.
"And where do you think you're off to, Garp?" asked Sengoku frigidly as he stared at his oldest friend and companion.
"Oh, you know exactly where I'm going, Sengoku. I'm off to go start organizing those escorts."
"Garp, we have others to delegate this to—" began Kong, but his words were cut short when Garp whirled around and pinned him with a withering glare.
"Yeah, you have vice-admirals to delegate this stuff to. Like me! I'll get it all sorted out, don't you worry."
And with that, before either of the three men could say anything more, Garp left the room, calmly opening the door before, without warning, slamming it so forcefully that the whole archway cracked in two, and left the door handle thoroughly deformed by his grip. After another long pause, Zephyr was the next to rise from his seat, the man heaving out a tired sigh as he moved to follow Garp's example. "I'll start organizing Marineford's defenses and patrols, they'll be ready in no time," said Black Arm, and just as promptly, he left the room, leaving Kong and Sengoku alone in the office.
The silence between them dragged on for what could very well be an eternity, until finally, Kong leaned back on his seat and let out a sigh, the highest authority of the Marines staring at the ceiling with half-lidded eyes as he pondered the situation. "This new era has been one problem after the other, hasn't it," muttered the Fleet Admiral in a melancholic tone, his entire posture now far more saggy and tired than it had been moments ago. "I wonder if Roger is laughing at us from beyond the grave..."
"Whether he is or isn't doesn't matter," replied Sengoku in return as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, at that moment reassembling his Zoan's namesake transformation. "Not all problems of the world were caused by Roger, nor will future ones every time be linked to him. The Navy must remain a beacon of Justice to keep peace across the world."
"Is that what you believe in, or what you want to believe in?"
"It's what should be believed in. Anything else is irrelevant."
The two men regarded their respective words in silence, neither looking at the other, allowing only the noise of the massive, wall-spanning aquarium that resided in the room to fill the emptiness, along with the sheer weight of the events of recent times.
In a way, it was comical in a very sad way. Roger's death was supposed to herald a new era of peace and Justice to the world, the death of the spirit of piracy and a sign that the might of the Marines, and thus the World Government, was far-reaching and immutable. That no matter how powerful you were, how vast the number of your followers, Justice would always triumph. That his announced capture was nothing more than a lie was irrelevant, all that mattered was what the world knew as truth.
Instead, Roger had ignited an entire new era of piracy with a few parting words, and thus brought with it all the chaos and danger the Government had tried to avoid, by galvanizing an entire generation into action. And now, as if to punctuate all of these problems, the sacrosanct Holy Land had been razed in an event no one could have predicted, causing an unprecedented number of deaths among the Celestial Dragons, along with the largest slave rebellion in modern history.
"Perhaps God Valley was a prologue to this…"
"Hm?"
"… Nevermind that." And with that, Sengoku finally rose from his seat, his face once more set with steely determination. "I'll prepare a task force to chase down the escaped ships myself. Keep me posted on any updates."
"Very well then. Good luck, Sengoku."
The dismissal given, the Enlightened Zoan user finally exited the room, leaving Kong truly alone once more, watching dejectedly the spot Sengoku had stood only seconds ago.
"Why exactly did I want this position, again?"
-O-
While this admittedly low-key meeting was happening in Marineford, one far more pressing one was occurring inside Pangaea Castle, in a room that had yet to be restored to its fully pristine state, but was also leagues above almost any other place in the entirety of Mary Geoise. In this room, five of the most powerful men on the planet sat amidst the damaged furniture, staring at the now-sleeping Transponder Snail sitting atop their table with equal amounts of frustration.
"This is beyond outrageous," said the Warrior God of the Environment, Marcus Mars, the man stroking his beard just a tad more forcefully than needed. "How could so many vessels avoid detection for this long?"
"The response fleet was too slow to gather, they were never going to catch up in time," replied Warcury. "And regardless, this entire effort was always a shot in the dark."
"It still doesn't excuse the irreplaceable losses we suffered," said Ju Peter, the God of Agriculture turning slightly to peer out of the room's ruined window. "Not only a prime Lunarian test subject, but the captured member of the Wandering Tribe as well."
Jaygarcia, in return, replied with a hum that sounded both aggravated and annoyed. "And before we could extract the coordinates to Waford, even. Control over the Divine Breath would have allowed us to extinguish this age of piracy once and for all, and yet now we have lost our only lead to its resting place."
"Not to mention the partial leak of information regarding the destruction of the Holy Land…" said Nusjuro with a grimace, his eyes not deviating from the stacks of both financial and intelligence reports he currently held in his hands. "Do we have any leads on who could have released this information?"
"No. With Aegis Zero decimated, and the Holy Knights currently preoccupied with securing the Celestial Dragons' safety, we could not trace the source of the leak. And it is unlikely that it will be found within a feasible time frame."
"Then we must rebuild with haste. Pull promising recruits from other Cipher Pol units, and up recruitment of replacement agents."
"Collection of the Heavenly Tribute should also be increased, to provide the necessary resources for reconstruction, and a headcount of all the surviving World Nobles should be held."
"Indeed. Regardless of all, the World Government will stand strong, as the creator wills it."
Right at that moment, the doors to the chamber swung open with a prominent creak, the aged hinges straining from the damage inflicted upon them by the constant quakes. And through it, walked a woman, wearing all-white clothes and holding in her hands a nondescript harpoon, save the fact it had been caked in blood. "What is it?" asked Warcury, both him and his colleagues regarding the newly arrived guest with no small amount of annoyance.
"Forgive me for my intrusion, honorable Elders, but I come bearing excellent news," said Agent Stussy, one of their few Aegis Zero members remaining after the rampage of the Mythical Zoan user. Without further prompting, Stussy strode forward and placed the harpoon down upon the table, an act that drew the attention of all five men to it.
"And what is this?" asked Jaygarcia Saturn, the Warrior God of Science making a point to tap his cane against the table.
The five's irritation quickly subsided, however, once Stussy gave her explanation.
It served as proof that, as always, fate would favor their side yet again.
-O-
It should be noted, however, that it was not only Marineford who reacted to the news of the attack on Mary Geoise. Indeed, across the globe, fueled by the information leaked to the World Economy News Paper, many other people would come to learn of the darkest day in the history of the World Government…
-O-
Aboard the ship Numancia Flamingo, whose crew was quickly growing to become one of the most infamous pirate groups in all the seas, a man was currently in hysterics. He laughed, loud and proudly, his legs waving like a child's and the glass of wine he had been enjoying reduced to shards on the floor. Even as the rest of his famiglia watched in surprise, the man did not stop, though he made sure to keep the newspaper in his grasp safe and intact, just so he could frame it and hang it on the wall of his office.
Because to Donquixote Doflamingo, seeing the bastards at Mary Geoise die in droves was the best thing he could have asked for.
-O-
Aboard another ship, an unremarkable frigate with no custom flag or paint scheme, the members of the Revolutionary Army's Intelligence Division continued to monitor any report sent out by both the Marines and the World Government agents, their multitude of Black Transponder Snails continuously chattering as they fed the Revolutionaries a stream of intel that they quickly jotted down, eager to bring it back to Baltigo for evaluation.
But chief among these agents, was the commander of the East Division, who kept a headset on at all times as she wrote down with one hand the possible headings and coordinates of the ships that had escaped Mary Geoise, while the other transmitted said headings through coded signals to the man she still planned to call her husband someday.
Because Ginny refused to allow these people to be thrown back to the suffering she herself had escaped from so many years ago.
-O-
At the same time, in a land of little more besides white sands and rocks, a man wishing to change the world itself stood upon a balcony atop the sprawling ruin he and his army called home, listening intently at the news being relayed by the officers stationed in the room behind him, while at the same time, a giant of a man stood by his side, noting down coordinates sent to him by a woman he held dearer than anyone else in the world, which he could then use to find others just like him, people who had finally escaped the unending torment put upon them by the World Nobles.
Kuma might have failed to save more people all those years ago on God Valley, but this time, he could do it. He could save many more.
-O-
Meanwhile, far, far beneath the ocean's surface, in a kingdom almost completely forgotten by the world at large, a queen who whole-heartedly believed in the possibility that her own people and those who lived in the surface could live in harmony side-by-side stared in utter shock at both the newspaper brought down by the News Fish, and the communicate marking the change in location for future Levely gatherings.
"This is… what is happening on the surface?" asked Queen Otohime with no small amount of dread, even as her husband conversed with their sons over the matter at hand off to the side, no doubt regarding if this could be a threat to Fishman Kingdom.
But most of all, Otohime worried for the island's greatest adventurer, a Fishman who had for long traveled the surface. Had this… event perhaps affected him?
All Otohime could do, in the end, was worry. Worry for the present, and the future alike… but most of all, worry for her still unborn daughter.
What kind of world, both on the surface, and below it, awaited her dear, wonderful Shirahoshi?
-O-
In a continent of little more besides deserts as far as the eyes could see, King Nefertari Cobra contemplated the tragedy that had befallen the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as his wife Titi did her best to calm their crying daughter, who mysteriously had only begun to do so after the newspaper had arrived.
While Cobra felt no small amount of relief over the fact that their family's decision to eschew remaining in Mary Geoise had spared them the destruction wrought to the Holy Land and the families that still lived there, the king could not help but dread: if even said Holy Land could suffer destruction like this… what did the future hold in store for Alabasta?
For his daughter's future and safety, he prayed that peace would still last.
-O-
And in a nondescript stretch of ocean in the Grand Line, where a large galleon captained by one of the last few members of the Roger Pirates still active on the seas was sailing through, "Red Hair" Shanks stared at the newspaper in his hands with utter seriousness, even as the rest of his crew took to singing to liven up the mood of the young girl they had taken in as their charge.
"Captain… did you ever expect something like this?" he asked aloud to no one in particular, the man raising his eyes from the newspaper to stare off into the horizon, and his mind went abuzz pondering what kind of repercussions this would have on the wider world. "The future looks pretty uncertain right now…"
And Shanks could not tell if this was a good, or bad thing at all…
-O-
But while these events were still being learned by the world at large, to a small subset of people in the ocean, the destruction of Mary Geoise was, ironically enough, old news. This was because not only had they caused said destruction, but they were also now putting as much distance from it as they could.
Such was the case of the crew of ex-slaves that had commandeered the Gilded Dominance, the personal luxury galleon of the now-deceased Saint Lafont. Where once it was used as an ostentatious, mobile display of the Celestial Dragon's infinite wealth, the pleasure ship now ferried its new crew out of the grasp of both the World Government and Marines alike, its gaudy paint job and decorations thankfully not being enough to oust its location to any patrol vessels hounding the ocean.
And while some of this could be laid at the feet of the expert navigation being done by its crew, just as much could be placed on sheer blind luck, perhaps a sign that the heavens favored the slaves in their mission to keep their freedom.
Still, Fisher Tiger mused as he peered through the lenses of the intricately decorated telescope he had pilfered from the captain's quarters, he could continue propping up said luck with all the skill he and the rest of the crew had. Hence, at every free moment where he wasn't sleeping, the sea bream Fishman kept close watch on the horizon, always making sure no ships had come close to finding them, be they Marine, pirate, or civilian. Likewise, several other people aboard the ship who still were healthy (and sane) enough had also taken up watch, totting top-of-the-line scoped rifles pilfered from the ship's armory, binoculars, telescopes, or just their unaided eyes to assist in the watch.
Even some of the Fish and merfolk, rare as they were aboard, had volunteered to go beneath the waves to look for hidden pursuers, risking their lives for the sake of the ship. And just like those searching the surface, they had found nothing.
"Everything clear so far?"
Taking the telescope away from his face, Tiger looked back towards the ship's current helmsman and navigator, who had just now spoken up from where he stood, that being behind the Gilded Dominance's wheel.
Tiger did not know what kind of life Adio Suerte had lived until now, but his skill as both a navigator and a helmsman made clear he had spent quite a lot of it aboard a ship at sea.
"So far, yes," replied the Fishman as he stowed away his pilfered telescope. "Doesn't mean we can lower our guard, however…"
"Heh, suppose not!"
With another twirl of the wheel, Adio adjusted their course just so once more, enough to catch a tail wind that had come to blow out of nowhere. The ship, in turn, lurched forward minutely from the added acceleration, just enough to make Tiger sway on his feet due to the tiredness slowly but surely creeping into his body, something that did not go unnoticed by Suerte. "I think it's about time you got some rest, then."
Tiger, however, simply shook his head in return. "Not yet. We still have to find an island to dock, and that means keeping an eye out for threats. I--"
"No offense, Tiger, but you're in no state to keep going. Go take a breather downstairs, get some food and sleep, then come back up top," said the Wanderer good-naturedly, even as he summoned one of his gauntlets and poked the sea bream Fishman right in the chest. And to no surprise, Tiger actually swayed from the move, one foot shifting back to steady himself. "You'll be no good to us dead on your feet, boss. Someone else can take up the watch."
"I'll do it," suddenly piped up a third voice, coming from the direction of one of the many hatches leading below decks. And when the two turned towards it, they beheld the speaker almost literally squirming their way through the hatch, their, or more specifically her, limbs squeezing through the hole in a way that would have looked wholly unnatural for a normal human, but was far more understandable considering her appearance.
She was a blue-ringed octopus merwoman, almost as tall as Tiger himself, but with a complete polar opposite skin color: whereas Tiger's body was salmon pink, the merwoman's was blue grey, punctuated by the bright blue markings of her cephalopod heritage contrasting against the black coloring of her octopus half. A sarong with an intricate waves-and-clouds pattern was wrapped around her waist, no doubt pilfered from the plethora of clothing stocked aboard the ship, and was matched well with the blue-and-yellow top wrapped around her chest. Her hair was short, and snow-white in color, whereas her eyes had aquamarine pupils, with black sclera as a background to them. And of course, the ever-present Hoof of the Flying Dragon was branded upon her, visible on her stomach.
All in all, the new arrival cut an intimidating look, but it also contrasted heavily with the casual, downright friendly air she seemed to put on as she approached the two men. "Let me take over the watch, and go get some rest, boss," she said to Tiger with a calm, accented drawl, one neither of the men could quite pin down. "Can't have the big adventurer boss flagging right at the end, can we?" With a smirk, one of the merwoman's tentacles slid forward and took the telescope away from Tiger, instead placing it in her own hands, before she slid past the erstwhile captain to head towards the prow of the ship.
Tiger himself stared at the newly arrived person for a moment more as she took up position to keep watch, before suddenly Adio's gauntlet pushed him once more, this time towards the hatch. "Well, you heard the lady, boss, get going! Kehahahahaha!"
In the end, with a half-hearted grumble, Tiger plodded away to the ship's interior, the Fishman only slightly readjusting his body to fit through the hatch, allowing him to enter the pleasure ship's inner structure.
It was exactly as one would expect them to be: ostentatious to the extreme. Tapestries of the highest quality lined the walls, along with statues and columns of marble that Tiger could only speculate had somehow not sunk the ship to the bottom of the ocean. Paintings were also present, of a variety of styles and colors that most likely came from across the world, to the point one would be challenged to guess where their place of origin was.
All the decoration, however, had a matching theme: all of them depicted Celestial Dragons, bar none, and all of them attempted to exult an air of grandiose and opulence to the Nobles shown in them. It sickened Tiger down to his core, especially the ones that showed World Nobles subjugating or torturing slaves, as if it was an act to be celebrated or revered.
And it most likely was even worse for the slaves that lined the hallways, sitting alone or huddled close to one another for comfort as hushed conversations trailed through the air. Some were even laying down on the floor, either sleeping or, more worryingly, unresponsive, their only sign of life being their steadily rising chests as they drew breath. Thankfully, there were a number of slaves who were both conscious and responsive, and all of them nodded or gave salutes of respect to Tiger as he walked by, and to which he replied with a nod to each of them. Once or twice, he'd even walk past an open door, allowing him to see the happenings going on inside the room.
Here, a scarred, but still standing man who lacked an eye and some fingers, carefully dolling out plates loaded with food and plenty of water to a line of people, and even sneaking a bundle of sweets to a group of children with no adults with them, smiling softly at them as they whispered thanks. He even asked one of the children to hand over a plate and glass to Tiger, who graciously took them before resuming his walk.
Two doors further, a haggard looking but still enduring woman, with the Hoof of the Flying Dragon stamped over her face, tending to the many injured people laid inside a massive bedroom repurposed as an infirmary, alongside both a merman and a Fishwoman.
There, a group of teenagers helping to keep younger kids, including an infant or two, as comfortable as possible, some of the teens even going as far as carrying some of the younger kids in their arms, trying to keep them asleep, while off to the corner, a salmon mermaid nestled a pair of children against the coils of her tail, gently laying them to sleep while she kept watch on everything. On the other side of the room, Tiger saw Tesoro and Stella sleeping next to each other atop a large bed, a few kids likewise asleep and laying atop of them.
And amidst the group, he saw her. The girl Ryoma and Adio had brought aboard while escaping.
When her eyes and Tiger's met, he saw much sorrow, even with her face frozen in such a fake, desperate smile… but also a spark of life. Not much, but enough. Something that Tiger could perhaps do something about later on.
But in the end, Tiger's walk took him further and further into the ship's interior, past an increasingly diminishing number of people, until he had finally made it to the deepest levels of the vessel. Here, while the decorations were just as exaggerated, the lighting and related were kept far subtler. Manacles and chains also started becoming more common, along with the rooms shifting from comfort into something far more… macabre. Still, Tiger did his best to ignore it all, until finally, he came upon a large door at what he could tell was the rearmost, deepest part of the ship. It was better armored than anything else, had many more security features to it, and from a cursory glance he had given the room before handing it over to its current occupant, was soundproofed enough that no one in or out would be able to hear their opposite.
But for now, the locks were all undone, to give the people inside a sense of control over the situation. As such, when Tiger pushed the door open, the Fishman was easily allowed access to the room.
Unlike the bedrooms above, this one had been far more geared into being a personal, private quarters, especially considering the extra-luxurious furniture loaded upon it: a gigantic bed fit for someone triple Tiger's size, enough cushions to cover half the room, and dozens of rugs lining the walls to make it a chaotic tapestry of styles and threads.
But the only thing that mattered to Tiger right now, were the four figures asleep atop the bed, though rather than lying on the bed normally, instead they were sat down right at the back, leaning against the gigantic pile of cushions for comfort.
Three of them were the Kuja sisters, pressed closely together, their heads leaning against one another for support, and all of them, thankfully, with placid expressions on their faces, even if still somewhat sorrowful.
The last occupant, however, was not sitting against the Kujas. Rather, he was behind them, his body acting as extra support for the three girls, and his wings wrapped around both the three and himself like a massive blanket, hiding everything but their heads, and the man's legs, from view.
Tiger didn't know much about Lunarians, and he especially didn't know much about Ryoma… but what he did know was that the young man had pulled through for them all, and especially for these three girls. Whatever the reasons, Tiger didn't much care, but if he had gone this far, then the Fishman would be remiss to not try and help them in return.
Especially considering the oldest of the girls, Boa Hancock, was the sole reason they had gained their shot at freedom in the first place.
So, with his mind steadily slowing down, Tiger set his plate of food aside, and leaned against one of the pillow piles set on the sides of the room, before crossing his arms and closing his eyes.
Sleep claimed him not long after, but for the first time in a long time, Tiger's rest was peaceful.
-O-
Darkness.
Darkness over darkness into darkness.
That is where I found myself standing in, my body feeling lighter than it had been for many years now.
The fact I could actually feel such a thing, even with my flames burning brightly upon my back, and the absence of any of the Boa sisters near me, clued me in quickly that this was nothing more than a dream. Still, it didn't tell me much more about why said dream was like this, considering how my recent dreams usually were: repeats of the things I'd gone through in Mary Geoise.
For the sake of brevity, I won't describe said events. Better they stay buried than remembered yet again.
Nevertheless, this still left me with no answer as to what was going to happen now. Would this be a normal dream? A nightmare? Something in between?
The answer, as it turns out, was neither.
Right as I thought of maybe walking forward forever and trying to force things to go forward, a flash of light shined right behind me, followed immediately by something hitting me full force with its weight.
"G-Gah!"
Followed by, of all things…
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! I'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRY—"
Intense bawling and apologizing. By a voice that somehow felt strangely familiar.
Caught completely flat-footed by this sudden intrusion, I was tossed to the "ground" like a sack of flour, my body hitting the infinite darkness as it would the ground, though with a more liquid, gooey feeling, like I had landed on moon sand instead of normal soil. This still left me in the awkward position of having a sobbing person on my back, and no limbs capable of reaching for my back to pry them off. So instead, the best I could do was flap my wings against them, and lift myself back to my knees, to make sure I didn't completely throw them off, but still got them off me. "H-Hey, back off!" I half-shouted, half-complained, even as I felt the person finally leave my back, allowing me to turn around, and finally let me see who had just struck me.
My breath was immediately taken away when I stared down at the young girl on all fours in front of me, dressed in a ruffled blue-and-gold three-piece suit, the suit's blazer hanging loosely from her shoulders and her tie half-undone, her ponytail left in a disheveled mess with dozens of strands popping out of it, and her make-up running freely down her face along with her tears and snot, her cyan-crystal eyes sparkling from the water filling them.
It had been literal years since I'd seen this girl in front of me, cheerily welcoming me to a "vacation" that soon turned into a trip into the deepest, most cruel circle of hell. And right now, she looked more disraught about it than I did.
"I-I'M SORRY, THIS W-WAS ALL MY FA-A-AAAAUUUUULT!" she bawled through a hurricane of sobs, her arms wobbling as she tried to keep herself off the floor. "I'M S-SORRY YOU WENT THROUGH ALL T-THIS, I-I-I DIDN'T MEAN FOR ANY OF THIS TO HAPPE-E-EEEEEN!"
"W-What are you--?!"
Before I could go beyond that, however, the girl pushed onwards, her volume of voice lowering enough that she was no longer yelling, even if her sobbing did not abate. "I-I was stupid, stupid, STUPID! I didn't c-check where you were being s-sent to! If I had just done my damn job I could have warned you about iiiiiiiiit!"
As I watched the girl have what I was pretty sure was an emotional breakdown, my mind racked for anything I could even do to calm her down, but nothing concrete came to mind. So instead, I did about the only thing left for me to do: I got up, walked over to her, and kneeled in front of the girl, placing both my hands on her shoulders to draw her gaze back to me. "Hey, hey, focus. What are you talking about?" I asked as calmly as I could, even as I tried to fight my own heart rate down (the fact I was actually doing this in a dream was pretty strange, I know, but this entire thing was already quite out there). "What do you mean, 'do your job'?"
"I-If I had warned you about the balancing policy, you… y-you wouldn't have gone through any of this!" she finally said semi-normally, wiping some of the tears and snot away with the sleeve of her shirt. "I-I was so worried about getting a good review, a-and you seemed so happy c-coming to this world, I just… I-I…"
And just like that, she was back to crying, even pulling her jacket off her shoulder to shove against her face so she could smother some of the noises she was making.
But to me, it didn't matter, since I couldn't hear any of it. Not with the white noise filling my ears, and not with my attention scattering to the four winds. All I could do, was kneel on the ground, and stare off into the distance, as the reality of my eleven years of torment crashed down atop of me like a meteor.
A fluke…
All of this, all of it… because of a fluke. A mistake.
At that point, what few brain cells I still had conscious finally broke away from my state of shock, and made me react to that piece of news.
"… hahah…"
Or, at the very least… react in the only way possible.
"Shu… Shuhahahahah…"
And that was to just… laugh. Laugh, at the ironic idiocy of this entire situation, at how… banal the reason for my suffering had been.
If I had paid more attention, or asked further questions instead of just taking it at face value, none of this would have happened. I wouldn't have landed directly at Sabaody, wouldn't have been made a slave at six-years old, wouldn't have been dragged to Mary Geoise, and made to suffer for eleven years at the hands of the Celestial Dragons, I—
… I wouldn't have been able to save Stella… or been able to help the Boa sisters, Tiger, Koala, or even Adio…
I wouldn't have heard Jord's last request, either. They would have still been in Mary Geoise, suffering at the hands of the World Nobles, until something finally released them when canon commanded to. Tesoro would have lost the love of his life, and become a ruthless, merciless monster, Hancock and her sisters would have been consumed by paranoia, leaving the future Empress to become a heartless tyrant until years from now.
But all of that had changed… all because this girl, in a moment of excitement, forgot to explain a simple rule, and with the price of me experiencing the same pain and suffering as they all did.
Before I could continue dwelling on this train of thought, however, my awareness refocused on the attendant in front of me just long enough to catch the tail end of what she was saying.
"—can fix this!"
And it made my brain reboot hard from its state of delirium.
When I refocused on her, I took stock of the girl's demeanor: she still look disheveled as all hell, the blazer was now far more wrinkled but also once more upon her back, and her face was both tear and make-up-stained, but her eyes were wide and her mouth pressed into a slightly-maddened smile as she fiddled with a floating pane of light filled with symbols I couldn't make heads or tails of, but that to her seemed to make perfect sense. "D-Don't worry, I-I'll make everything right!" she said as she laughed nervously, tapping away faster and faster at the pane as she went. "It'll mean a hit to my w-work conduct history, but I'm fine with being written up, a-at least it means you get a better experience!"
"Wait, listen—"
"Y-Yeah, something a lot more cheerful, that'll do!"
"Stop, I don't want—"
"J-Just gotta fix this, gotta fix my mistake—"
"STOP!!!"
My shout made the girl jump with a scream, falling back to the ground and making the pane of light disappear. The fact I had risen to my feet gave her a perfect reason to be fearful of my outburst, considering how thoroughly I towered over her, not to mention the flames burning on my back worked to shadow me quite ominously amidst this darkness. So the fact she indeed was looking up fearfully at me, hands trembling, was more than enough to bring me down from my spike of anger, so I took a moment to take several deep breaths until I made sure I had calmed down enough to address this… situation.
So, with that done, I knelt again, and looked the attendant straight in her eyes, making extra sure to keep my hands close to my body, and my expression as calm as possible. "I… I appreciate the offer," I said softly, a sad smile creeping its way over my face as I spoke. "But… this is fine."
Naturally, that caused the reaction I expected from the girl, namely her eyes somehow growing wider and her posture slackening as my words sunk in. "W-What?!" she almost yelped as she stumbled up to her feet, putting a few extra steps of distance between us. "W-What do you mean, 'this is fine', i-i-it's not! You—!!"
"What I… went through… wasn't your fault. I got caught up in my own excitement about what you were offering, and went in half-blind. If I had bothered to ask questions, then maybe I… could have avoided this entire thing." As I went on, I felt my body sag, and the memories started to creep back into my mind. Laughter I knew wasn't there echoed from some distant point, mocking and cruel, followed by screams and rattling chains I thought I had long forgotten, but I forced myself to focus instead on the happier thoughts that the recent days had brought to me. "Regardless… you're not the one to blame. And… even if you can send me to some… some 'happier' adventure, or take these memories away, I… I don't want you to."
"… But… but why?!"
"Because they deserve better." At her still-confused stare, I motioned with my arm to the darkness surrounding us, uncaring of the emptiness of it. "Tiger, Hancock, Tesoro, Koala… and not just them, everyone else in this world deserves to be free from all this." I heaved out a sigh, and let my body fall so I could sit instead of kneel, my wings wrapping around my body in a move I had become far too accustomed to performing. "When One Piece was just a story, I… I could dissociate from all this. It was just a narrative, I could ignore it in favor of the cheerier, happier points. On the jokes, and hijinks, and… well, you get the idea. It was… easy."
"But now? Now I lived through it, regardless of the fact I could avoid most of the pain. I had to see all those people suffer, right in front of me, without being able to do anything. And soon, regardless of Mary Geoise being destroyed so thoroughly, things will begin again. People will be made to suffer that… that hell, just like everyone already did, all because the Government considers this a good price to pay for their brand of… 'order'."
But in the end, all of that drained away the moment I let out a weary sigh, letting the emptiness I had grown familiar with to seep in and make my temper die down. It was… easier for me, to feel like that. Having been stuck between a scale of either almost complete sensory deprivation, or a flood of sensory overload that threatened to make me go insane, emptiness was… preferable.
So, with one more long breath, I shook my head ruefully, then looked at the girl with as best a smile as I could, saddened as it was. "So… don't blame yourself. And don't worry. I don't want to leave, or… start over. I survived until now, and I will keep surviving."
"Because I… I want to help these people. I will help these people. And I'm not quitting until I succeed."
The silence that followed my declaration stretched out for a good while, though it certainly felt much longer than it did go for. But, in the end, I decided to break the impasse yet again.
I leaned forward, reached down with one hand, and gave the girl a gentle pat on the head, letting my fingers run through her disheveled hair as she stared up at me with surprised, watery eyes.
"You gave me this chance. So… thank you."
And just like that, the tears began to run. Not only hers, but mine too, running down my cheeks to drip down, and surprisingly enough, past where we were stepping, disappearing into the darkness. But this time, the girl kept her composure well, still smiling even as she wiped the fresh tears away on the thoroughly soaked sleeve of her shirt, before refocusing on me. "Al… Alright, I guess that works, doesn't it?"
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to give you a good review, like you asked."
The small giggle that elicited gave me enough peace of mind to finally relax in full. In turn, the girl finally rose to her feet and brushed at her shirt to straighten it as best as she could, before snapping into attention, not unlike a Marine the blazer draped over her shoulder made her look like. "W-Well, if that's the case, then Celestial Enterprises wishes the best in your endeavors!" Right as she finished that, however, her expression softened and her demeanor relaxed, even lowering her arm from its salute to her side as she looked at me with a soft, warm smile. "And… good luck. I believe in you."
Just as she finished speaking, I felt an almighty tug at the bottom of my stomach, and suddenly, I started falling into the darkness, slowly but surely, while the flames on my back somehow grew to encompass my body in full. Just as they started creeping over my face, however, a thought struck me, and I shouted after the girl that had stayed floating above me.
"HEY! WHAT'S YOUR NAME!?"
"IT'S ILLUSTRIA! THANK YOU FOR ASKING!"
And right then, all I could see was fire.
-O-
As she watched her "client" disappear from the dream plane she had rushedly created in order to apologize, and maybe correct her, to quote her closest work colleague, "massive fuck-up", Illustria could say she felt the lightest she did in several years. All the stress and worrying over what Management would have done to her if they had found out about this situation, the sleepless cycles trying to plan out a solution, the copious amounts of ambrosia, golden apples and peaches of immortality she had binged on due to stress-eating… it was all finally over. Illustria could, at last, breathe a sigh of relief, and return to a normal work schedule and routine.
Still, a final nugget of doubt remained in the attendant's mind. What if things went wrong? What if he died along the way, or his failures started racking up too fast and he gave up? Or what if—
SLAP!
Before her train of thought could keep going, however, Illustria quickly brought it to an end by slapping both her cheeks firmly, leaving two reddened circles on them. Instead, she pulled up her administrative panel once more, and flicked through it until she reached her desired tab:
Precognition.
Technically speaking, this wasn't something she was supposed to use. This was meant to be used by higher administration to guarantee Celestial Enterprises' "clients" weren't about to cause any pan-dimensional incidents during their set period of vacation. Using this required a written request by a deity belonging to the realm of origin, printed in triplicate, plus proof that removal of the client was absolutely necessary.
But considering how many protocols she was already breaking just by being here, what was one more?
So, with her mind made up, Illustria took a deep breath, and pressed down on the "Precognition" tab...
=O=
The sound of laughter filled the air, along with the dint of a celebration that was clearly both large and animated. Many regular people surrounded the place, eating and drinking without a care in the world, though they all shared a common article of clothing.
Amidst all this, a group of over a dozen people sat together, their appearance far more exotic and abnormal, even compared to this world's weirdness. But even so, they talked, ate and celebrated together, all of the group's members acting with a casualness that made clear how close and comfortable they were with each other.
And at the head of this group, a man with black wings and flames on his back, laughing as cheerfully as everyone else, and talking animatedly with the people surrounding him. Just then, the man perked up and looked to the side, saluting with the mug he held in his hands whoever he had spotted.
Illustria turned, and she beheld one of the biggest humans she had ever seen in her life approaching the group, himself flanked by a woman with freckles and twin pigtails.
And held in the huge man's arms was—
=O=
Opening her eyes once more, Illustria felt the last remains of Precognition flush from her mind, allowing the attendant to properly process what she had just seen.
And as she did, fresh tears began to fall once more, running down beside the content, hopeful smile Illustria now bore. "I knew it…" she whispered softly to herself, as she flicked through the administrative panel back to her main options, and hit the "Recall" option. "I knew you got this."
-O-
Meanwhile, at Baltigo…
"Kuma."
"Hm?"
"Do you have the list of coordinates?"
"I do."
"Good. I have a priority target for you already."
~O~
Hey fellas!
Here we go, set-ups for things to come soon!
Truth be told, I was gonna have the chapter end with Ryoma and Friends setting out for Sabaody by taking a boat there, but then I realized, better to have a chapter with some winding down first before we start touching upon that can of worms.
Plus, I realized a few narrative snags that'd cause a trip to Sabaody to not be that easy, all things considered, so instead I thought of some… alternative travel methods, shall we say c:
In other news, the recent chapters for One Piece made me realize how lucky I was to drop Ryoma so goddamn early in the timeline. Sure, there's plenty of stuff I missed the mark for and thus can't do much about that, but boy oh boy, for those who have been keeping up with One Piece recently… yeah, canon is getting pile-drived into DUST.
Also, Oda continues to justify my decision to make Ryoma hate Celestial Dragons in unhealthy amounts.
Born to live, Grand Blue is a fuck, Delete All Celestial Dragons. I am Moon Man, 410,757,864,530 Dead World Nobles.
… God, I hope this meme isn't some bigot shit or something…
Anyway, along with the chapter, y'all get a new piece of artwork to go along with it! The reason I got it is because I found out someone who works at the same store as I do is an artist, and they do commissions, so I went ahead and commissioned them for this piece.
Started on Saturday, finished today, so pretty fucking fast. Also the cost of the art is a lot lower due to not needing to pay for dollars, so commissioning them is cheaper, so another win there for me!
In that note, a reminder that if you're enjoying my stories, and would like to support them, my Patreon is named the same as my writing account.
I also have something new planned for it, but I'll save that for the End of Year Update.
Next, the next chapter of Raise your Hell will be started! Aiming for a release still in December, so I'll do my best to make it so!
'Til then, fellas, stay frosty!
Last edited:
- Location
- usa
well done.
- Pronouns
- He
IT LIVES!!!!
and may the odds be ever in your favor
and may the odds be ever in your favor
- Pronouns
- He/Him
This is the one fic I ain't ever giving up on
BELIEVE IT
CHARACTER ART: RYOMA, IN DUE TIME...
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hey everybody!
Sorry, still no chapter update, that'll be a ways off still. However, what I DO have... is character art!
Now, granted, I would like to give some fair warning: this art spoils a tad bit how Ryoma is planned to be like in the future. Maybe near, maybe far, but a future I will make SURE will happen
So with that in mind, the art will be spoilered, for those who want the surprise kept!
But for those that don't mind...
Again, sorry for the massive delay, folks, but I promise you, it WILL continue! I don't plan on abandoning this fic, mark my words!
Sorry, still no chapter update, that'll be a ways off still. However, what I DO have... is character art!
Now, granted, I would like to give some fair warning: this art spoils a tad bit how Ryoma is planned to be like in the future. Maybe near, maybe far, but a future I will make SURE will happen
So with that in mind, the art will be spoilered, for those who want the surprise kept!
But for those that don't mind...
Again, sorry for the massive delay, folks, but I promise you, it WILL continue! I don't plan on abandoning this fic, mark my words!
ψ(｀∇´)ψ Cackles in art references!!!!
＼（Ｔ∇Ｔ）／
～（－－）～
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Receive even more power unto your hands, Ocean c:
- Pronouns
- He/Him
...
You shouldn't have put that thought in my head
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIqmskim2jg
Then who will be the Cloud Strife for Ryoma being the Sephiroth?