A/N:
I so needed to update a fanfiction and so here it is. It just popped out of my mind when I watched the trailer of Megamind (so wanna watch it). It probably doesn't make any sense but I really liked its concept. Please, any criticisms that can improve my writing are welcome. Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes. And please excuse my clichéd introduction
Disclaimer: I, VagueFuture own One Piece—shot in the head by fans— Okay, I'm sorry! If I own One Piece, you probably won't be reading this fic or any fanfic about it.
~Heroes~
Once upon a time . . .
There was a kingdom that was far greater than any others. This kingdom was named Grand Line by its founders for it is by their philosophy that this kingdom would be the bridge towards greatness.
And so their prophecy stands
Many great heroes arise from the kingdom, making it a prominent one. Their harvests are always blessed by the gods as they are always bountiful. Their children, for several generations, have been gorgeous and reliable. The kingdom had the most beautiful sceneries that there will ever be in the world!
But as we all know, good things never last.
The people of the said kingdom have become too complacent for their own good. The men never trained like before and just drink alcohol through day and night. They became slothful and just let the gods work on their farms. In return, their once bountiful harvests have withered and died. The children were still gorgeous but no longer reliable. They just depended on their parents throughout their lives. They became greedy and took all of their resources for granted. The once beautiful kingdom was never to be found again.
Starvation, crime and war with the other kingdoms. And what's worse, a demon had paid them a visit. And what 'visit' means is that it had burned their houses and kidnapped some of their women and children. Though it never killed anyone, it gravely injured their people. All people had now pointed their fingers on the said demon, blaming it for the misfortunes of their lives
Fight me in Fuusha Church at East Blue Kingdom. If by any chance you defeat me, you can have your precious wives and children back
That was the demon's message when he visited.
The king, Dracule Mihawk, had first tried to negotiate with the said demon. But he deemed it unnecessary, especially when his best friend, Red-Haired Shanks, came back with one arm missing. Furious he was, so, he turned to the other option; kill that monster
Since they were at war with other kingdoms, he had no choice but to hire mercenaries, assassins and fugitives from all over the world. He could use his own people but they can only get themselves killed.
But it was no use. They all return beaten up and defeated. Even the infamous CP9 were of no match for the demon. Running out of options, the king decided to send his best soldiers to the job.
And that includes his son, Prince Zoro, the best swordsman in the kingdom, second only to his father.
The next one was the prince's rival yet friend, Kuroashi Sanji, the best cook and the best fighter in the kingdom. Another one was Mikan Nami, the most cunning, best planner and the most beautiful maiden that one has ever laid eyes on. The last one was the coward, Sogeking Usopp, the best sharpshooter.
The king was sure they will also be defeated, considering that there were many stronger fighters that had gone before them. They would just be a decoy while the king trains most men in the kingdom to become great fighters. According to the previous fighters, the demon gets bored easily and they don't want it to come back for another 'visit'
And so, the four great soldiers set out to the church. It had been two months since their people were kidnapped so they needed to hurry. Imagining those poor women and children being tortured by the demon made their determination stronger.
The Fuusha Church had been abandoned for centuries. And because of that, many thick vines and mosses grow through its walls. Its angel statues were weathering, making them look like devils instead.
The church door opened, revealing a creature with black feathered wings, a cat-like swishing tail and long black-painted nails. It was grinning like a lunatic as it locked the gigantic door with a key. As it turned to face them, its smile vanished, replaced by a curious one.
The demon's skin tone was paled white in contrast to its raven locks. Its eyes were pure black, making it look innocent yet menacing at the same time. It had a crescent-shaped scar under its left eyes. It looked no older than them in physical appearance
The four who had glanced upon its big grin glared at it. They were pretty sure the women and children were inside the church, hearing the screaming inside before the door was lock. The demon tilted his head and smirk, its fangs glinting dangerously.
"Did the king send mercenaries again? Or perhaps assassins?" the demon asked in a gentle voice that if it wasn't for its looks, it would have been mistaken for an angel
The four soldiers put their guards up, readying their weapons and getting into a fighting stance.
"Neither" Zoro answered, his tone hard. "We're the king's soldiers"
The demon's eyes widened ever so slightly. Nami, the ginger-haired girl, let her eyes wandered through the structure of the church, scanning for another entrance. The demon caught her gaze.
"The church may look like a weak structure but I've put up a barrier around it" the demon informed, snapping Nami out of her thoughts. "No one can get in or out unless they use this key" the demon held out a golden key for them to see.
"And I don't suppose you'll give it to us" Sanji said, lighting a cigarette
"Could you please stop smoking? This is sacred ground after all" the demon stated in an overly sweet tone
Sanji kicked swiftly towards the demons head, the air making a swish sound. The demon dodged downward. Usopp, still trembling at the presence of the demon, took this as his chance. He gripped his Kabuto and fired a bullet filled with holy water at the creature's hand which had the key.
The demon dropped the key with the hiss as the holy water burn through its skin like acid. Nami caught it before it hit the ground. Or that was what she was planning to do.
Unexpectedly, the demon's arm stretched beyond its normal length and grabbed the key before she had a chance. The demon then did a back-flip, backing away a good five meters. The soldiers were too shock to move. They didn't know it can do that.
"That was mean" the demon pouted in which it looked a like a seven-year-old.
The demon's hand was quickly healing with smoke coming out of the wound. Then, the demon opened its mouth, bigger than it normally would be, and swallowed the key
"Oi, oi, what are you doing! ?" Zoro shouted watching as the demon grimace from the key's taste
"Ugh! It tastes like rust! Yuck!" the demon stuck out it tongue in disgust.
It then patted its belly and smirked again.
"Well, if you want the key, I guess you have to rip my insides out to get it"
Sanji spit out in disgust as he remember something.
"So, are we going to find Red-Haired Shanks' other arm in there too?"
The demon's eyes visibly widened. Then, it looked down on the ground, its bangs covering its dark eyes. It bit its lip as it muttered something incoherent. But to Zoro's sharp ears, it was anything but.
"I didn't mean to do it"
Zoro's eyes narrowed at the statement but it was not the time to get distracted. He charged towards the dark creature. Then, the battle started. Swords slashing, legs kicking, strange ammos firing, and lightning striking
After several broken bones later . . .
"You guys are too weak!" the demon laughed out, not even a scratch on his body
Sanji groaned, wanting to shut that stupid mouth and stop the mocking laughter. They had totally been defeated by the demon using only a single hand! That creature would pay for hurting his Nami-swan. The four of them laid sprawled out on the ground, all bloodied and beat up. Then, Zoro grudgingly stood up; ignoring the pain it caused and grabbed all his swords. He faced the demon with no fear in his eyes. The demon stopped laughing and stared at him.
Then, it smiled. Neither a lunatic grin nor a smirk. It smiled at Zoro. The prince was taken aback by the action.
"Luffy" the demon spoke, "You guys can call me that"
Back at the Grand Line . . .
Not even fully healed, the four best fighters started training along with the other men. The remaining wives, children and old people in the kingdom started working hard on their crops, wanting their husbands/fathers/sons to eat a good meal. They wanted the men to keep training and bring back their friends. It wasn't easy but they managed to harvest enough crops
Meanwhile, the men, including the fighters, trained thrice as hard. Encouraged by their families, their determination grew ever stronger.
Zoro, his curiosity killing him, decided to confront Red-Haired Shanks. He narrated to Shanks on what he had heard.
"So," Zoro started. "What actually happened?"
Shanks just smiled and glanced at where his right arm was supposed to be.
"He saved my life. That's what happened"
Zoro frowned. "What?
"A poison was spreading fast on my arm and so we had to cut it"
Zoro got more questions than answers that day.
A month after their defeat, the fighters set out again. Only this time, they had two additions. One was a boy barely fifteen named Chopper. He was the youngest doctor in the kingdom but is also the best one. He knows all the vital points in the demon's body and can attack it if needed. The other a cyborg named Franky who upgraded himself until he was half-robot.
Reaching the church, they found the demon perched on one of the statues, munching an uncooked meat. Its face and hands were covered in blood as it continue to finish the meat to the bone
The six warriors were trying not to think that it was one of the wives or children. They winced as the boy continued eating
"So unsuper" Franky hissed
"Don't worry" the demon broke through their thoughts. "It's only a wolf's leg"
"Like we'll believe you!" Chopper cried out as tears of sadness and pity ran down his face, fully believing that it was one of the children
Suddenly, the demon was in front Chopper in less than a second, the meat in its hands gone. Chopper unconsciously stepped back and the other five was going to charge when the demon did something they didn't expect
It squealed. Like a girl. And glomped at Chopper, almost chocking him
"You are so cute! You're like my pet back in the demon world!" they stand frozen as Chopper was getting smudged with blood and cuddled by the soft feathered wings.
The first one to get over from the shock was Franky. He punched the demon in the face with a metal fist, successfully getting it off of Chopper and sending it flying at the church's door. Chopper muttered a 'thank you' as he wiped the blood off of his face. The others got over the shock after Franky.
"OW!" the demon massaged its face. Then it glared at Franky with such intensity that the cyborg shivered. "I didn't know you wanted to die that quickly. Fine then!" the demon smirked. "Let's continue on with our match"
After several clashing later . . .
The six of them lay sprawled on the ground, bloodied and beat up. The demon stood, panting and supporting its dislocated shoulder. The six of them slowly stood up, ready for another round. Their pain was overwhelmed by their determination to win. The demon blinked, then, it cracked its dislocated shoulder back into its place. It smiled almost sadly.
"Good to know you're not giving up"
Back to Grand Line . . .
Grand Line was going great! Their harvest was bountiful again. Their men were now stronger and keep on training. Their environment was getting better as the children started getting reliable again. Their war with the other kingdoms was solved.
The next they would fight the demon, they would go with numbers. The king was stoic as ever but inside, he was happy. The kingdom was back to its great reputation. And it was under his reign that this had happened! Now, all they had to do was to get back their kidnapped people
That monster will pay.
Another month passed and they set out. Ten thousand people of the kingdom, that is. With the king in the lead, they bravely went to the Fuusha Church. This will end tonight
"It's time" the demon muttered, watching thousands of people heading its way. It grinned, an ear to ear grin.
The ten thousand people reached the church. The six warriors were first to attack, showing off the results of their training. The demon attack with all its might, punching and kicking them but all the while smiling.
Zoro, then, noticed something shiny dropped from the demon's clothing and onto the ground. He shook his head. He was going to get it later when this demon was dead.
The other people soon joined in, their swords and blunt weapons hitting the demon mercilessly
"You heartless monster!"
"Savage beast!"
"You should go back to the hell you belong to!"
And the insults continued as the demon was overwhelmed. And very soon, the demon was on the ground, its wounds healing quickly but more were inflicted as the seconds passed by. Its wings were losing its feathers, its tail was lying limp by its side, and its sharp nails were long broken. The demon coughed its dark blue blood but was still smiling at the people. The people took this as its way of mocking them and beat him up some more.
Zoro, meanwhile, got on one knee to the spot where the shiny thing had been dropped. His father, Mihawk, stopped the people from attacking the creature. He approached the creature and grabbed the huge sword strapped at his back.
"My son said you ate the key to the church" Mihawk nonchalantly said. "And that we'll have to rip your insides to get it" the king raised his sword on top of the demon's stomach
Zoro's eyes widened. In his hands lies the golden key of the church. But how? Then, he remembered on their first battle with the demon where it had only used one hand, the other hidden on his back. He stood up and ran towards the crowd around the fallen demon. Time seemed to go slowly as he scurried with all his might.
"Wait! Stop!" he knew he shouted that with the loudest voice he could ever muster, yet, why had no one heard him?
The sword came down on the demon, hard. The creature's eyes widened with pain and it spluttered more blood from its mouth. Its dark blue blood sprayed all over the people nearby. The people watched in satisfaction and pride swelled up inside of them. They were pretty sure they were the first ones who killed a demon.
Zoro froze and so did the other five fighters that had seen the key on his palm.
"But didn't it just . . ." Usopp trailed off
The six of them suddenly felt guilty. They didn't know why but the demon didn't need to be killed. After all, they just needed to defeat him to get the wives and children back. The other people didn't care. They killed the demon and that was that. Using the key, they opened with uncontained excitement the church doors. What greeted them on the other side surprised them all.
All their wives and children were partying. Partying
They were laughing, cooking plenty of meat, chatting incessantly, playing music and were dancing. They gaped. They were training for four months and they were partying?
However, the partying stopped as the women and children noticed them. They gasped in horror simultaneously. They all ran towards the people, some even tripping. The people had interpreted it as a gasped of surprise and happiness. Their husbands and fathers held out their arms, expecting a hug. The king managed a smile, his swords still embedded on the creature's stomach.
Then, all of the women and kids pushed them aside, hurting their feelings. But the hostages couldn't care less. The king and the six warriors raised an eyebrow at this.
"Luffy!" they called out, forming a crowd around the demon's body.
Camie and Vivi, Nami's best friends, gently pulled out the swords on the demon, the other children helping in the process. Kaya, Usopp's long time crush, kneeled down and took the demon in her arms. Tears ran down their eyes as they sobbed. Again, the men gaped, including the six warriors and the king
"What in heaven's name are you doing! ?" Nami screeched, trying and failing to drag Cami and Vivi away
"Have the demon bewitched you too, Kaya?" Usopp asked rather sadly.
Suddenly, all the women glared at them while the children continued on crying. To say they were astonished was an understatement.
"What is going on here?" the king asked, one eyebrow asked
"You didn't have to kill him!" some of the women exclaimed, getting near the demon.
"What do you mean, my beautiful maidens?" Sanji asked nicely. "Weren't you being held captive by this beast?"
"The only beast here is you guys! He—" Kaya paused as she felt movements from the body on her arms
"K-Kaya?" the demon rasped out, eyes dazed
"Yes, Luffy, we're all here"
"S-Sor-ry, I-I-can't s-see anyth-thing." The women continued to sob
"Luffy-san, w-we did it! We did it . . ." one of the boys, Pepper, exclaimed through his tears.
"W-We di-d?"
"Yes, we did" the hostages nodded though the demon couldn't see.
"T-Then be pro-oud now! We m-m-made yo-your f-fathers he-he-heroes" the demon smiled weakly
By this time, they had realized it. Their harvests were now bountiful. Their children are becoming reliable. Their pretty sceneries were coming back. They were stronger and were united.
All because of this demon.
And they had just killed it—no, him.
"I th-think I-I-I need t-to go now"
"Wait! Don't go!" the children cried out. "Didn't you say you'll always stay by our sides when this is over?"
"I-I'm sor—ry guys. I-I-I'm a l-little sl-sleepy. W-We'll tal-lk about i-it wh-when I-I-I wake u-up. Oka-ay?"
The children nodded but the adults knew it was a different kind of sleep.
"N-Nighty-night then"
And the demon closed its eyes, never opening them again.
The men bowed their heads, guilty of what they've done. They buried the demon properly, as an honorable hero. Many great heroes were born from this experience and they lived out the saying;
Because nobody is a hero without a villain,
It takes a bad person to bring the good out of people
And always remember,
That there will always be two sides to the story
~The End~