Hey kids you like violence? Wanna see me stick Shusui and Kitetsu through each one of my eyelids? Wanna copy me and fight exactly like I did? Swing 3 swords and get cut by an edgy ass pirate? My brain's dead weight, I'm tryna get my directions straight but I can't figure out which swordsman I wanna stab today. Dr. Chopper said "Zoro you can't stand!" Nah "Then why's your chest cut? Do any of you give a fuck?"
Figured I'd give a little silver medal to his fans before we never see him again here. Anyway guys we reached the first milestone of 100 Faves, in the span of 3 weeks. It's well, I dunno kinda jarring. By the time Scarlet Maelstrom reached that many I was a few months in at least, and I'm pretty sure I got that many because of the pairing lol. Seriously I love y'all so much. Let's keep this fic growing!
Alright so what's on the menu today? Well we got Judge Arc ( Just Jaune's dad, not Sanji's dad reincarnated) comin' to town. You know, visit some friends, drink, bust some skulls. The usual. As for why I'm replacing Jaunedice, besides it sucking… Well there's no way it would work with any member of the cast. Nobody, not even Usopp has as much concentrated suck as canon Jaune did back then.
Jaune grinned as he lightly hopped from one foot to another. He had been waiting for this for some time now, Combat Class. Not fighting some dinky forest chump Grimm, but human on human combat. He was cautious entering the class, if he got paired off against a female opponent he would look like a fool to the class, and like he was simply looking down on her. In the first week of being at Beacon he found that news of his team and RWBY's initiation test spread like wildfire. He wouldn't be able to coast under the radar, which was fine by him. Luckily for him, his opponent was an arrogant, mace wielding shit-ristocrat. Yeah he dealt with their type before, guy reminded him of Niji, but without any of the power to back up some of his attitude. This would be fun.
"So you just going to hop around like a pansy or fight?" Cardin asked, his voice oozing a tone of arrogance. Jaune didn't even bother to swoon at the cheers from his female teammates and friends, instead just reveling in the fight. He shook his head, no not a fight. It was more akin to a slaughterhouse.
"Eh? I told you before. I'm a chef, not a huntsman." Jaune said with a shrug as he took a step forward. The action in of itself was harmless, but with each step the image of a rampaging demon grew clearer behind Jaune. His head was leaned down, allowing his hair to shadow his eyes to give an even more menacing look. In an instant, he blurred out of sight. Cardin frantically scanned the arena to find his target. "Welcome to the crap cafe, bitch." Cardin's face exploded in pain as he caught kick to the jaw that had enough force to lift him a foot off the ground. He was then met with a kick to his stomach, that lifted him another foot, and another, this process continued until Cardin's aura was in the red and Goodwitch forcefully removed Jaune's foot from the other team leader's now heavily dented chest plate as she lowered the two to the ground with her Semblance. Jaune then flashed a smirk and a thumbs up to the class, hoping to get the attention of one of his female classmates.
"And that was our world famous Frites Assorties. I'll leave you the receipt." Jaune said with a smirk. He was about to walk off the stage when Goodwitch stopped him with a glare.
"As you can see, Mr. Winchester underestimated Mr. Arc's speed and power, and paid the price." Goodwitch announced, "Mr. Winchester's aura is in the red as you can see. Though Mr. Arc I would like to ask that you be less brutal in further mock battles."
"With all due respect ma'am." Jaune coughed, "I kind of developed this style for lopping the heads off of Grimm. That is toned down." A blatant lie of course. About it being developed for Grimm at least. He zoned out for the next part of her lecture, instead choosing to scan the room for one specific person. Their eyes locked, and he nodded. Her eyes widened, before her teammate nudged her in the side. Jaune was then allowed to leave and go meet back up with his team at the lunch room. After a quick shower of course.
—
"Johnny boy! Let's get a move on!" Peter called out to him, his teammate's loud and boisterous voice echoed down the halls of their floor, even though John himself was only in the bathroom. The bathroom which did not have thick enough walls to warrant that volume. John looked over himself once in the mirror. Tan skin, deep blue eyes with a hint of purple, and a bit of stubble. He quickly pulled a gray t-shirt on before exiting the bathroom.
"What's got you so excited this morning?" John asked while yawning. It was hardly even 7 AM, hell it was 6:30. A full half hour before they even started team exercises.
"I believe," A calm voice caught John and Peter's attention, drawing them to the sharply dressed white haired young man standing in the doorway, "He's just excited for this. After all, this is our graduation mission."
"Oz! you got back from your solo just in time." John said with a grin as he ran up to his friend and clapped him on the back. "Basila was worried we'd be doing this without a leader."
"Well she shouldn't have. I'm kind of awesome," Ozpin said with a chuckle.
"You? That's rich you pasty bastard." John said, his previous friendly attitude all but gone as he attempted to put his friend in a noogie. Sadly for him, Peter took that as the moment to step in. Separating the two by force.
"Come on already, I want to get going." The larger man whined, causing his two teammates to chuckle.
"Fine fine, guess we shouldn't keep our other teammate waiting."
NEVerAgAIn
The blonde, John, now older and with a fuller beard woke covered in cold sweat. He had stayed in a cheap motel on the outskirts of Vale. The hardly moving fan was cold comfort to him as he heard it creak as the mid-morning sun creaked through the curtains. He gave a sigh as he rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom to prepare for the day. On his way out he grabbed his duffel bag and his strange gauntlet and put it on. He flexed his armored hand and smirked to himself, the handle coming out the end towards his elbow was a new touch, one he would thank Anatheia for later. Along with the fact that his blade poked through the gauntlet giving him a nice surprise for the Grimm. He walked out of the motel and began his walk to the Bullhead that Ozpin had designated for him. It would be a long trek, though it would be worth it to see his friend again.
The walk through Vale was nice. The city was much more accessible by foot than the farming village where John lived. Though he much preferred the smell of the country to the city. The difference was much less pronounced in Vale; where nature was right at the door, but it was still there. He noticed many of the old Dust Shops he visited in his youth were still open, probably run by the same crazy old huntsman or their children.
"John Arc!" The old man from Dust Till Dawn called out to him.
"Shopkeep!" John chuckled, walking over to the man before shaking his hand.
"You've grown into a fine huntsman. I still remember when you were a wee first year." The old shopkeep chuckled.
"Haha, it was thanks to my team that I got this far." John said with a grin.
"So what brings you back to Vale?"
"Oh I'm just going to visit Oz and Pete. It's been years since I've seen them." John chuckled, "Probably visit Basilla, she'd like to see us together again."
"I believe she would, I believe she would." Shopkeep said with a solemn nod. "I won't hold you up any longer. Give Ozpin my regards!" He said, waving John off. That was nice, it was good to see his store was still going strong even all these years later. He would have to remember to restock on dust there on the way out of town to support the old man.
All in all, with his reminiscing and stops his walk was only around 45 minutes to the Beacon Station. The main Vale airport sadly did not have any flights directly to Beacon as it was still a military school and thus flights required certain clearance. He needed to present his Huntsman ID and Weapon ID as well before boarding. As it took off he was able to take in the sights of the Academy again. It was beautiful, the tower of Beacon stood tall as well a beacon of hope to all in Vale. Hope, he shifted uncomfortably, grasping at an old scar.
"Don't worry…" Bloody hands cupped my face as Grimm closed in on our position. Oz was off in the distance fighting off a Goliath. Pete, shit where was Pete. "You'll make it out alive." Her eyes, once full of life now glassy and dull. Cold, my face felt, no I felt cold on my face. She's gone gonegonegone
"NOOOOOOOOOO!"
K-Krunch! John looked down and saw his hand was crushing the railing in a death grip. His knuckles were white and his hand was shaky. He removed his hand from the railing, and clenched his fist, flexing it a few times before letting his arm fall to his side.
—
"So there we were in the middle of the night," Nora began her story in an eery tone. Yang and Ruby were fully enthralled in the tale while Blake was entertaining herself with her book. Weiss and Pyrrha were simply discussing other topics, Pyrrha having heard this before and Weiss simply not being interested.
"It was the day." Red interjected.
"We were surrounded by Ursai…"
"Beowulves."
"There were dozens of them!" Nora exclaimed, drawing all eyes in the lunchroom to her. The orange haired girl went on unnoticed until she realized the blank look from Yang "Jaune would back me up." She said with a huff
"Jaune would back up anyone that doesn't have a male sex organ." Ren commented, "And it was 2 of them."
"Jaune would do what?" The blonde's voice cut in, causing Ren to freeze. "You're not entirely wrong, shit-sous chef." He grinned as the others turned to face him. His hair was a little damp from the showers but otherwise he looked the same as he did before fighting Cardin, minus the fact he was in uniform rather than one of his normal suits. "Ladies generally have better things to say."
Whatever anyone was about to respond with was quickly cut off by the pained shouts from across the dining hall. Jaune turned slowly to the screams and his face melded into an expression of apocalyptic fury. For he saw Cardin and his team physically and verbally harassing a Faunus girl. It reminded him of nobles like Dofflamingo, or even worse his father. Without saying a word Jaune had already begun marching towards the offending group. He felt a hand on his shoulder though brushed it off.
"Hogging all of the fun isn't nice, Mr. Chef. I think I'd like to express my displeasure as well." Blake said in a tone of barely masked anger. Her amber eyes shone like gemstones, cold and rough.
"Break their legs." Nora said, though it sounded more like an order. The former Straw Hats nodded as they continued their walk. Jaune briefly considered hanging back and letting Blake get some righteous Faunus vengeance, that thought was quickly stomped on by his pride as a gentleman. It would do no good to let this crime against a lady go unaccounted for.
Their slow paced walk got the attention of the students in the cafeteria. Faunus students whispered among each other about someone else standing up to the bullies. Those in the middle looked on, uncertain. While finally the bigots shied away, not wanting to get caught in the ensuing carnage as well. The cafeteria's loud background cacophony of conversation fell to a hush and even Russel nudged his leader to get his attention off of the Faunus girl.
"So Cardin, what'cha doing?" Jaune asked, a wide smile on his face. Though if one looked closer they would see the smile was entirely forced and done through grinding teeth. To his chagrin he didn't have a cigarette to chew on instead.
"None of your business." The bully huffed, though he did let go of the girl's rabbit ears.
"Because it looks to me like you're bullying this innocent maiden, what's your name by the way?" Jaune said, still in the same cheery tone as before.
"V-Velvet," The girl answered shakily.
"Right you looked like you were bullying Ms. Velvet. And that wouldn't be the case, would it Cardin?" Jaune asked, the flames of Diable Jambe flaring full force as he kept up the faux friendly act.
"N-no!" Now Cardin was the one with a tremble in his voice.
"Good, because if it is…" Hands sprouted from the ankles of the members of CRDL, grabbing them by the legs and throwing all the members of the bullying team to the ground. Blake stood off to the side, her arms crossed and a cold expression on her face. "Then trust me, she and I can do much worse." Jaune said, getting up in Cardin's face as he said the last bit. The swirl browed blonde stared down the brunette for a solid 15 seconds before the bigger teen relented and nodded. Satisfied for now, Jaune nodded at Blake telling her to release them. The reincarnates then walked back to their table, though not before Jaune turned around again to speak to Velvet. "Oh and Velvet, a lovely lady like yourself is always welcome to sit with us. Don't hesitate if they start with you again." And with that he left.
Velvet stood there for a few minutes, a blush on her face. She was in such a daze that she didn't even notice Coco come up from behind her. "So who's that?" The fashionista asked her rabbit Faunus teammate.
"Eep!" Velvet yelped, "N-nobody!"
—
Ozpin sat calmly in his office. The content ticking of the clockwork was drowned out by a tune playing throughout his office. It was soft and melodic at first before picking up as more instruments made themselves known through the song.
"Yohohoho yo~hoho"
Ding, Ozpin looked down at his scroll with an annoyed look on his face. It was a text from Glynda, saying that John was here… And had already seen his son. Ozpin's eyes widened as he blurred from his chair in his office to the elevator, furiously tapping the down button.
—
(1 Hour Earlier)
When John had arrived at Beacon he expected some very simple things. To meet up with his old team, visit Basila's grave, and then get absolutely hammered with Peter. He was not expecting to walk into the dining hall to find a blonde boy and a black haired girl stopping a team from bullying a Faunus. He fully supported that, no it was the blonde boy he didn't expect. Blonde was a normal hair color, sure, but swirly eyebrows? Just the right age for a Beacon freshman? Not too many people fit that bill. Not too many besides his no-good runaway son. Though as a veteran Huntsman, he knew not to go into a situation with too little information. He waded his way through the crowd of students to his possibly-son's table. There he got irrefutable proof, it was all in the eyes. The Arc family's eyes were blue, though what one would not know without looking further is that there is also a hint of purple. Enough that it is a different shade of blue than any other on Remnant, at least that John had seen. It always was interesting to find a long lost family member through that. Jaune, he assumed at least, also remembered him as the boy had paled upon seeing the older blonde.
"So," John Arc rumbled, "You want to do this here or outside?"
"Jaune, who is this?" Pyrrha asked
"He's-"
"I'm the brat's father. Now I'd appreciate some time to talk to my son." John said, his gruff tone representing his expression. The man's face was like stone, a sharp contrast from his son.
"Sorry ladies but duty calls." Jaune said with a chuckle as he stood up.
"I'm here too." Ren said flatly.
"I know, I'm leaving it to you to entertain them in my steed. Don't fuck up." Jaune teased his friend as he walked out of the cafeteria with his father. As the two walked away, Pyrrha shared a look with the rest of her team before deciding to follow them.
The two blondes walked in silence for a while. Neither looking at one another nor making any acknowledgement of the other's existence. They walked until they reached the edge of the Emerald Forest. Here, Jaune leaned against a tree and John stood still as if it was previously agreed upon that they would stop here.
"Your mom misses you." John said, breaking the silence. It was awkward, "Your sisters too."
"You're just saying that. I was a punk when I was home." Jaune said with a chuckle, taking a cigarette out and lighting it before taking a drag.
"You smoke?"
"Have for the past few years." Jaune shrugged.
"Those're bad for you."
"What so we're doing this now?" Jaune groaned. "Look I know you're my dad and all, but I've been on my own for the past two years."
"I am your father." John said, his eyes narrowed. "You ran away two years ago. Do you know what that did? Anna was driven to drinking and Mila, Joan and Kara have been searching the badlands relentlessly. And now you show up at Beacon out of the blue? I don't know who I should be more pissed at, Jeff or Oz!" He bellowed, his shoulders rising with each breath.
"… You know Jeff?"
"Of course I know Jeff. It's why he took you in. I was going to let you do your own thing for a bit, let you find your own path because I thought you would still come home. Then he tells me you up and left, saying you were off to do what you were meant to do or some crap. I didn't tell your sisters because I respected your decision to live as a chef not a warrior." John said, his voice calmer now. "But now you're at Beacon. Disrespecting the name of the Arcs, no the name of warriors the world over with your filth."
"You trying to say something?" Jaune asked, his eyes narrowed. Both Arcs were glaring at each other, blue eyes inches apart. Each looked like they were cut from sapphires.
"You can either use your hands to create or to defend those precious to you." John said
"I will never bloody these hands. They exist only for cooking. And I will protect my friends." Jaune pushed his body off the tree so he could get closer to his father's face. A cloud of smoke hung around his head, giving him a visage similar to a dragon exhaling smoke.
"That way of thinking will cost more than your life boy!" John bellowed, his whole body shaking in rage. "You are childish! You have no place at an Academy for the finest." The older man said, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "Here are your options. Come home with me and learn the way of the blade, and fight to uphold the honor of the Arc name, or go to Jeff and live out your days as a cook and not a warrior."
"How about option c?" Jaune asked, "Fuck you." He then began to storm off back towards Beacon. "You're not even my real father." He grumbled under his breath.
"I was hoping you would say that." John said to himself with a chuckle. In an impressive show of speed and strength he grabbed Jaune by his collar and threw him into the tree the younger Arc was previously leaning against. Splinters of wood flew off as the young blonde got his bearings.
"What the hell old man?" Jaune asked, "I run away and your idea of getting me to come back is beating the piss out of me? What's that gonna do, just have me run away again?"
"If that happens then I'll just chain your swirly brow'd ass to the cupboard." John answered lazily. "Now fight me."
"You asked for it, old man." Jaune grinned as he blurred towards his father. He leapt into the air, sparks trailing behind his feet before igniting full force, "Grill Shot!" He called out as the flames burst forth around his kick. John blocked with his gauntlet, stopping the flames and emitting a haze of steam.
"Ice Dust for the shield. You don't know how many chumps try using fire." John commented, his tone unchanging as if they were talking about the weather." He grabbed Jaune's leg that he used to kick him and pulled the younger Arc in before punching him straight in the jaw. Jaune was sent sprawling to the ground, spit flying out of his mouth from the clean hit. "If you had fought like a warrior instead of a thug you wouldn't have been hit."
"I… refuse." Jaune wheezed as he pushed himself to his feet. He kicked off again, rushing in low this time he was still blocked by his father's guard. The man dodged with ease before drawing his sword from the gauntlet and using the flat end to hit Jaune's inner thigh, knocking his balance. John then went in for a slash though Jaune flipped back and used the sole of his shoe to block. At his father's questioning look he grinned, "I fight my way. I've been learning to counter shitty swordsman from day one."
"Hmph just because you can defend against my sword doesn't mean you can beat me." John rumbled, "A true warrior does more than just defend." He stretched his sword arm out, "He attacks too. Crescent Reaping." With even greater speed then before he swung his blade, releasing a massive arcing flying slash that he sent towards Jaune. With wide eyes the boy dodged.
"He can do those? How damn strong is this old man?" Jaune asked himself as he dodged his father's ranged assault. The man had some serious arm strength as he was able to send the wind blades almost without pause.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha called out, causing his focus to break and one of the air slashes to get through. The slash cut into his uniform, but luckily was too shallow to draw blood. Immediately after, she and Nora tapped at their scrolls. Jaune watched as his father closed in, readying another attack when he was knocked to the side by Ren who had appeared from thin air.
"I'll have you know I'm much more than a shitty sous-chef as you put it." Ren said to his leader. "You need a hand?" He asked.
"Not really." Jaune shrugged, "But if you're offering." He re-lit his cigarette before jumping into the fray once more. With Ren at his side it was much easier to close the distance on his father, but the man still was without a mark on him. The telltale sound of Nora's grenade launcher firing was all Jaune needed to know that their partners were joining the fight. While Nora and Pyrrha were strong, hand to hand combat was a specialization of the male members of the team and thus they had to wait for their lockers to arrive. If they had jumped in with Ren they would have been a hindrance rather than a help.
Pyrrha rushed in, sword clashing against sword. The large man grunted in exertion as he tried to push back the much smaller female fighter. In the chaos none of her teammates noticed the slight black aura around Johnathan Arc's sword.
"Your semblance, is kind of annoying." Johnathan grunted, he then continued to speak, ignoring Pyrrha's shocked gasp. "I think I know how to beat it though." He gave a feral grin as he swung his sword again, his entirely black sword ohfuck!
"PYRRHA! GET OUT OF THERE!" Jaune screamed, the cigarette all but forgotten as he shaved towards his partner. He felt as if the world slowed down for an instant allowing him to see clearly. Pyrrha turning her heard towards him, eyes wide with confusion. Her red flamelike hair swaying in the wind as his father's sword came closer. The edge changed into a spear, and the man standing before him became shrouded in armor and an iron mask. Jaune panicked, his leg muscles kicking into overdrive as he shaved towards Pyrrha to get her out of the way.
"Jaune…" She said, a blush on her face. "You can let me down now."
"Only if you promise to get out of here." Jaune said, his tone deathly serious. "He's way above your level."
"And you're on it?" Pyrrha asked with a questioning glare.
"Not anymore…" He grumbled
"Jaune, we're a team." Pyrrha put a hand on his shoulder, "It doesn't matter how strong he is. We can beat him, together." The blonde reincarnate sighed, his head downcast for a moment before he looked back up. He glared at his opponent.
"Hm fight as a team, die as a team." Johnathan said, "You should have taken my son's advice. But to be fair, I'm on a level of my own." He said while he lazily dodged a barrage of flying kicks from Jaune. "I can hear you-"
"Yeah yeah! Observation Haki I fucking know! FLAMBAGE SHOT!" Jaune roared, flames cloaking his entire being as he blurred into his father's blind spot with a flaming kick. Through the smoke he could see that his father had hunched over a little, hopefully from the damage. As the smoke cleared, Jaune's hope waned. His father's entire side was covered in a layer of black armor, which quickly faded.
"You dented it. Impressive." Johnathan said, "But I am still without a scratch. So the way I see it you're coming with me, boy." The older Arc grabbed Jaune's leg once more, though this time he was forced to dodge a hammer attack from Nora; which forced him to loosen his grip on Jaune. Jaune capitalized on this by kicking Johnathan in the jaw with his other foot. The larger man was knocked back, though he didn't let go and brought Jaune along for the ride. Johnathan grabbed his son with a Haki coated arm and slammed him through a tree. He then turned and rushed towards Pyrrha and Nora, swatting their rain of bullets and grenades as if they were mere annoyances.
"Don't…" Flames burst around Johnathan.
"Oh?" The elder Arc stopped his assault, amused and wanting to see where this would go.
"Attack a lady in front of me… shitty old man." The flames grew more intense as a blonde figure burst through them. "Diable Jambe Extra Hachis!" Flashes of light shone through the flames, cutting them apart before creating even more. Each flash connecting with Johnathan's body, his Haki coating his frame though still he was pushed back by the sheer force. The mountain of a man grunted
—
Ozpin practically flew through the halls of Beacon searching for Jaune Arc or any member of Team JNPR. He had met up with Glynda by the elevator who was trailing behind at a somewhat slower pace. Their search eventually led them into the main courtyard where Team RWBY was studying. Or at least Weiss was. Blake was reading Ninjas of Love in a tree, Yang was sunbathing and Ruby was snacking.
"RWBY, have you seen where Jaune Arc went?" Ozpin asked, his voice a little haggard from the running. After catching his breath for a moment he noticed Ruby was raising her hand.
"Uh Professor Ozpin are you asking me, or the team?" Ruby asked innocently.
"Yes." Ozpin answered, "Please it is of the utmost importance."
"Why? Who was the man who came to see Mr. Arc?" Blake asked inquisitively, "Was he not his father?"
"Oh he is. That much is certain. That is why I am so worried." Ozpin said. "Ms. Belladona, if you would please search the campus."
"How do y-"
"Another time Ms. Belladona." Ozpin seethed, "Help now and I promise I will give you answers as soon as my informant returns." Seemingly mollified Blake nodded, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. Her brow knit in concentration. She created eyes everywhere, the dorms, the classrooms, the offices, the Emerald Forest. The Emerald Forest-
—
Seeing the smokescreen created by his attack, Jaune spared a glance at Pyrrha and Nora. Giving them a thumbs up and a grin, "I'll protect you two. Don't worry."
"ENOUGH!" The elder bellowed, a wave of pressure rippling across the yard, clearing the smoke and snuffing flames left over from Jaune's attack. His son staggered in his assault long enough for Johnathan to bash him with his Haki coated shield, his teammates fainted and fell to the ground.
"Conqueror's…" Jaune muttered weakly, he tried to stand but faltered.
"Don't know how you know what this power is, but you should stay down Jaune. I don't want to hurt you more than I have to." Johnathan said, his expression unreadable. Jaune glared at him and ran at him, though it was at a much slower pace than before. It was more akin to a drunken stumble. "You just don't know when to stay. Down." He said, releasing another burst of Conqueror's Haki directed straight at Jaune. This time the concentrated effect knocked him out. John checked him over to make sure he was still breathing, silent praying that he didn't over do it. Luckily Jaune was. Sadly for him he couldn't grab his son at the moment as an angry Ozpin with 4 girls and his secretary were running at him. Oh shit an angry Ozpin and his secretary were running at-
"Dammit John!" Ozpin growled, picking the much larger man up by his collar. "What the fuck Do you think you are you doing?" Ozpin asked, those awake gasped. Ozpin never cursed. "You let Conqueror's Haki off on children."
"They're training to be warriors. They'll be introduced to it eventually." Johnathan said with a shrug.
"No, no they wouldn't. Nobody should even be able to use it still." Ozpin said, though he muttered the last bit. He then walked over to Jaune's downed form and slung him over his shoulder.
"Hey hey. We had a deal Oz, he's coming with me." Johnathan said with a grunt. Ozpin turned, his green eyes were hard like emeralds.
"Jaune Arc is a student at Beacon Academy. And as such he is under my protection. I think in short the answer is, over my dead body." Ozpin began walking back towards the academy as Goodwitch and team Ruby came to the clearing. "Ah Glynda, good. You got team RWBY. Please help take the rest of team JNPR to the infirmary."
"This isn't over Oz!" Johnathan called out, "The boy knows it too. He'll be back to finish things when he wakes up."
"If he does that is up to him, not you." Ozpin said. "I was much looking forward to this visit. I'm sorry it was soured like this." He peered over his shoulder to make sure that the members of JNPR were properly situated before setting off.
—
Jaune had no idea where he was when he had woken up. The location seemed familiar, though he couldn't put his finger on just where he was. He knew it was a ship, but he didn't think Johnathan would take him on a boat back home. Probably a Bullhead. The boat was more like a ship, a caravel if he was correct.
"A caravel named the Going Merry." A voice, much like his own called out to him. Leaning against the mast by the crow's nest was a tall man in a suit. The glare of the sun obscured his face, though it was clear to see he wore a black suit with an orange shirt and black tie. The man jumped down from the mast, his blonde hair shadowing his face from Jaune. He stood, and Jaune immediately recognized him. Swirly eyebrows just like his own, an almost ever-present smirk, goatee and a cigarette in mouth.
"W-what?" Jaune stumbled back, falling against the railing.
"Yeah that was kind of my reaction when I woke up here." The blonde man, Sanji Jaune knew it to be him, "I guess this is kind of the me part of you." He then pointed to a small island, off in the distance. "That would be well, the rest of you."
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked, "I thought I had literally reincarnated as Jaune Arc."
"Well you know how you have my memories right?" Sanji asked, "And what age did you get them?"
"7, why?"
"Well you had a few years as Jaune Arc. Enough time that well, it separates us."
"Well so what does that mean?"
"In simple terms, this is why you can't do Haki. Everything else in my arsenal is something you can achieve through just training. But Haki requires something else, Armament is literally hardening your will." Sanji sighed, leaning against the railing next to Jaune. "Until now you haven't been pushed. Your will hasn't been tested. Now, it is up to you to go and break that barrier."
"So will you replace me once I break that barrier?"
"Don't be stupid, shit head. This is your show, not mine. I had my turn." Sanji chuckled through a cloud of smoke, "And if you ever let Pyrrha-chwan or Nora-chan get hurt again…"
"Trust me, I'm beating myself up almost as much as you can. With Haki." Jaune sighed, "I won't let it happen again. On my pride as a Huntsman… No a Straw Hat. I'll protect my team, I'll lead them… I'll do Luffy proud."
"Well said." Sanji clapped his younger self on the shoulder. "Now let's get to work."
—
On the outside world, Jaune was not in fact on a boat with his past self. He was in fact in the Beacon infirmary hooked up to an IV while his teammates and friends watched over his prone form. The room was dead silent, nobody dared to speak. The rest of team JNPR had woken up rather quickly from the battle, only receiving minor injuries compared to Jaune. A cut across his chest, bruised ribs, a broken femur, and more than a few head injuries. His aura thankfully had been awakened by Pyrrha a few days before so he could participate in combat class, in this case it was a boon in allowing the medics to actually heal him with aura. Right now, she wished that she could have done more for him than just that. She wished she could have helped her leader.
"What… Happened?" Weiss asked, having trouble finding her voice. "We started running as soon as Blake found you guys but only she could really keep up with it. Who would be able to do something like this?"
"We got wrecked." Nora said, her tone uncharacteristically flat and dejected.
"Yeah but what about Jaune? He's some kind of super hero right?" Ruby asked, "What happened to him?"
"His father happened." Ren sighed as he readjusted his arm in the sling. He had a sprained elbow from getting thrown around by Johnathan.
SLAM!
Everyone's eyes turned to Nora, who just nodded her head to the left where Pyrrha stood. Her fist indented into the wall.
Tears forming in her eyes. "That noble idiot!" She screamed. "… We could barely do anything. We couldn't support our leader." Nor and Ren flinched at that. "And worst of all he was toying with us." She spat.
"We'll get stronger." Ren said, as if it were a fact rather than a goal. "Strong enough to support Jaune, strong enough that none of us end up like this again." He said, determination shining in his magenta eyes.
"I believe we share the sentiment, Ren." Blake growled, "Speaking of. Yang you up to a spar? I feel the need to work off some pressure." Yang nodded silently and the two departed to one of the training rooms provided by the school. Weiss also left, leaving Ruby and NPR to watch over their friend. No words were shared only their bond.
—
Night had long since fallen on Vale, the shattered moon hanging in the sky. Johnathan sat in his hotel room, a bottle of cheap whiskey in his hand. He looked down at the drink and took a swig. He gazed out the open window, "Damn it."
"So you never did answer my question." Ozpin said as he came out of the shadows of the dimly lit motel room. Johnathan stumbled back, the bottle of whiskey spilling onto the floor,
"You're paying for that." Johnathan said, seeing Ozpin nod but do nothing else he sighed. "I don't get you Ozpin. He'll die out there. You told me to let him go two years ago, I trusted you and Jeff to make him into a warrior. And this is what I get from it."
"There are are other huntsmen who fight barehanded." Ozpin said deflecting the question.
"And they too will die early deaths. A huntsman or huntress must learn the way of the blade, it is an honor and a duty." Johnathan said solemnly, "That is my belief as the head of the Arc Family. And Jaune…" He grit his teeth, "I should be proud that he's on his way to becoming a huntsman. But when I fought him I couldn't help but see…"
"Basilla fell to unfortunate circumstances." Now it was Ozpin's turn to be held up by his collar. In his defense he showed a remarkable poker face when staring down his much larger and stronger looking teammate.
"What."
"What else would you call bad intel leading us to a Grimm hive? Her death hurt us all. Pete had thrown himself into missions for years before I pulled him out to teach, where thankfully he found his passion." Ozpin was lowered, "And I, well… You know it is just another face that haunts me."
"Hmph," Johnathan huffed childishly, "Even so. He is disgracing the Arc name fighting the way he does. You're better off pulling him out of the program so I can make a proper warrior out of him."
"Maybe, but it is my call to make. Not your's." Ozpin said, "Once a student signs the contract for Beacon they are my wards. And I will protect all of them, from threats unseen…" He turned to Johnathan, "And threats at home. Do I make myself clear?" The smaller man's words were soft spoken, yet they carried the force of a general's order.
"That's fine with your other students. But I said it before, Jaune and I aren't done yet."
Ozpin nodded walking towards the door.
"Oz," He stopped, "Jaune said something. Before the fight. I've been thinking on it, he said I'm not his real father. You know what he means by that?" Johnathan asked.
"There's more to your son than you know."
"And that's why you're fighting so hard to keep him there." It was less a question and more of a statement. "Dammit Oz, he's my kid. What sort of crap is he tangled up with you in?"
"That, is up to him. But should he choose to join me, I believe he will be one of the catalysts in changing the tides of this war." Ozpin opened the door and walked out, standing in the hallway for a moment, "Goodbye John."
And that's part 1 of Where for Arc Thou. Yes I decided to make it into a pun, and you can't stop me. I had a lot of trouble starting this chapter as I'm doing it as an original arc but some canon stuff had to stay the same, such as the introduction of Velvet and the cowing of CRDL. Plus the opening scene of Jaune losing to Cardin had to be rectified like Yamcha v Nappa in Fighterz. You would have thought I was done making DBZ references, but really they never stop with me.
Anyway Johnathan. The first Haki user we have in the story, and a Conqueror too. Thoughts? He was a little hard to write. I wanted to make him go against Jaune, but not an outright bastard. I wanted to make him unmoving in his beliefs in what makes a warrior, and willing to prove it through combat. This was to give him an image that would remind Jaune of Judge. The reason Jaune was not able to fight off the effects of it was because again he doesn't have it just yet. If it wasn't made clear in the story then let me explain. Sanji was reincarnated into Jaune, but the Arc still lived without those memories for 7 years. Those 7 years were where the real Jaune Arc lived, creating a 'divide' in Jaune's soul. This is seen through the Going Merry being a projection of Sanji and the island being a projection of Jaune Arc. I'll go into more detail next chapter once we're back in there.
I also had to make JNPR get roughed up too. I realized they didn't have enough screen time yet, which Nora and Ren desperately need. I hope I didn't do a bad job with them. I have big plans for them, it's like Sanji said, it's their show.
That's all for now. I'm going to not really put up a date for when the chapter will be up by. Assume it'll be around 2 weeks like it usually is. I feel like I could make it longer, and maybe I will with edits, but for now I think a solid 7 thousand is good. Anyway drop a review if you like it, have something you want to see, or have something I can improve on. Writing here doesn't pay cash, but getting better as a writer is pay enough. However I need feedback to improve. If you got a personal issue with my opinions then take it up with me in PM. I'm down to bullshit with y'all for hours on if Goku can suplex Superman or whatnot.
Anyway that's enough rambling for now, peace!