Raise your hand if you're ready for this. *waits* I'm assuming you're all raising your hand, so here we go! Who's excited?
This took me a long while to write. I wanted to make sure I got all the aspects of the Haki correct, and also trying to not make Luffy look too weak or too powerful, but just right. And also trying to formulate all of Satoshi/Sabo's attacks. He has to be powerful enough to be one of the top commanders of the Revolutionary Army, but also be sort of on par with Luffy himself. It was hard, let me tell ya! But still, I cried. No joke.
Haki Types In Case It Doesn't Ring a Bell:
Kenbunshoku Haki – Observation
Busoshoku Haki – Arms
Haoshoku Haki – Conqueror
Anyway, enough of me rambling. I don't own One Piece, blah blah blah. Yosh! Let's go for a climactic scene! I hope it appeases you.
This chapter was updated Friday, August 31, 2012
Chapter 7 – Luffy vs. Satoshi
"Are you ready?"
Luffy was more than ready. The fire within his heart burned bright, practically warming him from the inside out. This may only be a simple challenge, man to man, but Luffy saw it as more than that. It was a battle for pride. And Luffy did not like the feeling of having his pride stripped from him after Marineford, watching his brother die in his arms. No, he didn't want to feel that way ever again.
But, that hat. He could not take his eyes off the royal blue hat that he had placed on his head. The brim was frayed around the edges, like he'd had it for a long time. A white sash was tied around the base, the ends hanging from around the brim and covering his left eye. Luffy was sure he had seen that hat, years ago.
He could faintly hear Usopp mumbling something, slapping him timidly on the back. That hat had him in a trance, his vision fading to black until the only thing he could see was Satoshi, grinning at him from beneath the brim.
"Oi, Luffy." Usopp's voice cut through the darkness, and the forest slowly began reforming itself around him. "Earth to Luffy!"
Luffy snapped back into his body, blinking back into focus. "Huh?"
"Are you alright? You kind of spaced out for a minute." Usopp's voice was full of fear and concern, his eyebrows furrowing worriedly.
"Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Luffy knew he couldn't lie, so he didn't try to. He felt fine, and he believed it, but he could tell Usopp didn't believe him. He changed the subject. "Usopp, you go take care of drunk guy Harou. I got Satoshi."
"You refer to him as Satoshi-sama," Harou insisted, throwing off his cloak.
Luffy paid the man no mind. He took a fighting stance, his legs spread firmly apart for balance. His fists clenched as he glared toward his opponent, who had pulled a long grey pole from inside his cloak, which he still hadn't removed.
Luffy closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and releasing his bound consciousness, reaching out toward the man opposite him, just as Raleigh had taught him. Using Kenbunshoku Haki, he could determine whether or not another person possessed Haki. After a moment, Luffy pulled back, slightly surprised at the immense amount Satoshi appeared to possess.
The Straw Hat captain didn't wait any longer. With a yell, he leapt into action, beginning the fight with his trademark Gomu Gomu no Pistole!
Satoshi blocked easily, turning his staff in a manner that deflected Luffy's punch into a nearby bush. Luffy retaliated by lashing out with his leg, connecting against the other man's shoulder. Satoshi stumbled to the left a few strides before regaining his balance and twisting his weapon around Luffy's calf until the leg was wrapped around several times. Satoshi twisted the staff above his head, swinging Luffy along with it. With a yell, Luffy untangled himself, flying into the forest and crash landing in a small thicket.
Luffy groaned, pulling small thorns out of his side. "That actually hurt. Damn Haki."
Satoshi stepped into Luffy's line of vision, discarding his cloak. He wore a white open-neck shirt, unbuttoned halfway down to reveal a thick scar running vertically from his collarbone and disappearing beneath the fabric of his shirt. A dark blue jacket covered his arms, the sleeves pushed up to the elbows. Around his neck hung a pair of goggles; one of the lens was cracked. His black pants were held up with a thick belt with a golden 'S' branded into the buckle. The pants disappeared into his large leather boots.
Luffy's eyes roved up toward his opponent's face, a small hypothesis forming in his mind. Satoshi bore close-cropped blonde hair, barely hanging over a wide forehead. His eyes were dark with tiny flecks of green mixed in. They were curious, thirsting for knowledge. There was mystery and, yes, mischief in them that Luffy liked. If they weren't fighting right now, he'd ask him to join his crew.
"You're pretty good," Luffy said, standing slowly.
"Not too shabby yourself," Satoshi returned, resting his staff on his shoulder. "But still a bit wet behind the ears."
Luffy raised his hand, running his fingers behind his ear. "My ear isn't wet," he said, confused. "I haven't gotten wet for a few days now."
"Not even to bathe?"
"That's once a week."
Satoshi's expression was a mixture between humor and disgust. "Anyway…"
"Back to the fight," Luffy finished the sentence, completing the thought with a Whip. The forest proved difficult for a rubber man to fight, but thanks to his Busoshoku Haki, he was able to slice through the trunks as easily as Zoro.
Satoshi ducked, and the attack flew over his head. While Luffy was still recuperating, he took a step forward and jabbed at Luffy's gut with his staff. Luffy sensed it would hit him directly in his stomach area, but he didn't do anything about it because he was rubber and the staff would bounce back. Only too late did Luffy realize his mistake. As it was about to hit him, the staff suddenly sprouted a blade at the tip.
Luffy managed to pull himself slightly to the right, but he still cried out as the blade slid cleanly into his side. He stumbled back, holding a hand to the wound. It didn't feel too serious, but it was bleeding fast. Satoshi didn't wait for the pirate to recover. He slid the blade back inside the pole, and replaced it with huge fan-like contraptions from either side. Luffy grunted as a sudden wind force blasted him backward.
He crashed into a thick boulder, leaving the imprint of his body in the rock. Luffy shook his head, sliding to his feet. It didn't hurt, but that staff was going to be a problem. Luffy knelt and picked up a large elephant leaf, pressing it against his cut like Chopper had told him. It will at least stop the bleeding.
Luffy went back the way he flew, glaring at his opponent, who only smirked back at him. "Having trouble with my hat?" he asked.
Luffy grinned, raising his fists. "Like hell. If I let myself get beaten by you, then I can't call myself a pirate. And I can't protect anyone. I don't ever want to lose my nakama again."
"Bold words," Satoshi readjusted his staff. "Can you live up to them?"
In answer, Luffy jerked his arm to the side, igniting his body into Gear Second. The trademark steam began to rise from his body, eyes narrowing. Satoshi took a stance as Luffy's fist suddenly ignited into flames, rocketing forward with a yell of "Gomu Gomu no Red Hawk!"
Satoshi blocked the attack with his staff, but the wood suddenly burst into flames, scattering ash into his face. Satoshi's eyes widened, his pupils shrinking in horror, his hands shaking as the flames bit into his exposed palms. He tossed the stick away and took the full force of the blow into his abdomen, flying backward and crashing into the ground, skidding into the forest and out of Luffy's sight. His troublesome stick coincidentally fell into a pile of moist mud and the flames were extinguished before they could do real damage.
Luffy scooped up the staff and ran forward, his eyes scanning the trees for any sign of his adversary. He could sense no presence, so he could only assume Satoshi had mastered a high level of Haki which allowed the user to mask his presence to other Haki users. So the rubber man relied on his senses to realize Satoshi had sat behind a tree to nurse his hands and abdomen, and an eight-pack was now exposed through the charred remains of his shirt. Luffy circled far around the forest until he was concealed in a bush a few feet away.
"Snake Shot," Luffy whispered, and launched his arm in a swerving pattern toward the resting Satoshi, who immediately leapt to his feet. He dodged Luffy's attempt to grab his arm, so Luffy settled for his right calf instead, gripping hard enough to cause immense pain and sending a flash of Busoshoku Haki as well. Satoshi yelled out in pain, ineffectively pulling at Luffy's arm to detach it from his body. Luffy took pity on the man and released him, his arm snapping back into place and standing from his position in the bushes, glaring at Satoshi.
Satoshi panted, his chest heaving with sweat and the palms of his hands glistening with burns. He watched with a wary eye as Luffy tossed his staff toward him; it clattered on the ground, rolling to a stop near its master's foot. "This may just be a challenge," he heaved. "But you sure are taking this seriously."
Luffy nodded. "You didn't do anything to hurt my nakama, so I don't have anything against you. But you're incredibly strong; I want to fight you and become even stronger so I can protect my nakama."
Satoshi winced, wrapping his burned hands around his staff and standing on shaky legs. "You're crazy strong, too. What the hell did you do with that grab technique?"
Luffy cracked a grin. "I don't even really know myself. I just channel a bit of Busoshoku and just kind of let it do its thing."
"I see. I guess we should continue."
"Are you ready?"
"Whether I am or not, you've been more than fair, not taking me out while I clearly couldn't defend myself. So let's go."
Luffy jumped forward and the two men began exchanging blows. Despite Satoshi having endured both his Red Hawk and Snake Shot in rapid succession, the man seemed to be handling himself extremely well, though Luffy could easily see he was nursing his right leg. Satoshi hands grew redder as they were jarred repeatedly. Both the men's attack or defense maneuvers was executed so quickly, not even Haki could fully predict what the next move would be. Sometime during this exchange, Satoshi's blade sliced open the sleeve of Luffy's shirt, exposing his 3D2Y tattoo.
They separated, each breathing hard. Satoshi was soaked in sweat, a bruise forming on his temple. A trickle of blood soaked his hands. Luffy was sort of pleased with this; it meant that despite both of their Haki abilities, there were still weaknesses to be found. Though Luffy himself was still looking severely beat up as well.
Each man took a minute to reset before leaping into action again. Luffy picked up a stick of bamboo, not really sure how it got there, but it looked sharp. He threw it like a javelin toward Satoshi, who sidestepped, barely avoiding being impaled in the shoulder. Instead, the bamboo slid cleanly across his upper arm, slicing the skin. Satoshi cried out, holding a free hand to his shoulder. He moved his thumb in a strange formation and from the staff sprouted a small grenade device, rolling the leaves for a moment before exploding, excreting a strange blue gas.
Luffy didn't bother to clog his mouth and nose; he could immediately tell it was poison. Thanks to Ivankov and Magellan, the Straw Hat captain had developed immunity to any and all poisons. Luffy took advantage of what he considered a smoke screen to rush forward and slug Satoshi in the jaw with a Pistole, sending him flying backward.
His opponent righted himself in midair, landing in a crouch and sticking his rod in the ground as he skidded backward across the forest floor, his face curled in a grimace. With a crack like a gunshot, the blunt end of Satoshi's weapon snapped off and was left behind.
He slowed to a stop, dropping to one knee and leaning on his broken weapon, breathing hard. Luffy straightened, watching Satoshi with a wary eye. At least he managed to break that troublesome staff. Luffy had underestimated his opponent, and he didn't plan to hold back much longer.
Satoshi spat out a mouthful of blood and stood, his gaze hard. A cut on his temple bled freely, running in his eye. Despite all of the many effective attacks, his hat had not fallen from his head and sat firmly upon his blonde hair as if mocking the pirate.
"Nice shot," he said, wiping away the stained blood on his chin with his sleeve. It didn't do much, considering the sleeve he used was already soaked in blood from his bleeding bicep.
"Thanks," Was Luffy's short reply.
Satoshi eyed the broken end of his staff. "You broke my Trickster," he commented plainly.
"That's a weird name for a weapon," Luffy pointed out.
"You think?" Satoshi chuckled. "There were worse suggestions." He grinned, flipping the Trickster around until the tip was pointing directly toward Luffy, the blade protruding from it. Damn. He had meant to destroy the end with the dagger on it.
Luffy jumped back to avoid the spear's stabs, launching himself backward and stumbling into what appeared to be a battleground. The trees were all toppled over, lying on one another. Littering the ground were various vines that looked like they'd taken a beating. Luffy panted, staring into the woods where the attack had come from.
"Luffy!"
Hearing his name, Luffy turned to see Usopp pinned beneath one of the fallen trees. He looked awful; covered in bruises and a few scrams, dirt clinging to every part of his body. He had a small bullet wound in his shoulder, but it didn't appear to be bleeding too freely. Luffy took in his sniper's situation. He looked really kind of funny, with half his body hidden under the tree. He had no idea why his sniper was playing hide-and-seek when he was supposed to be fighting drunk-guy.
He collapsed into giggles, holding his stomach. "Usopp! What are you doing under that tree? Is it a game?"
"No, you idiot, I got stuck after one of Harou's attacks! Now hurry up and get out of here!"
"Not so fast, Straw Hat!" Satoshi emerged from the forest, one hand holding the cut on his shoulder. Small bits of blood seeped from between his fingers. Despite his predicament, a huge smile was plastered on his face. "I'm not done with you yet!"
"Ah," Luffy agreed, breathing heavily as he regained his composure. "That's right. Sorry, Usopp."
Luffy leapt at Satoshi again, unleashing a barrage of black fists, moving at rapid speed. The two men left the third in the dust, continuing to exchange powerful blows. The adversary dodged most of the fists, blocking others. Though Luffy was pleased to see one or two got through Satoshi's defenses, landing a blow against his chest or gut.
At one point, Luffy somehow managed to snap Trickster completely in half, a small length held in either hand. Satoshi discarded his weapon without a second glance, raising his balled fists in front of his face like he was planning to box or something, though Luffy could see his leg still caused him trouble, and he didn't close his hands into complete fists.
If it was a boxing match he wanted, then he was gonna get it. Luffy brought his fists up in a similar manner and the two men circled each other. Each would lash out from now and then, and every time the blow was blocked or knocked to the side. Occasionally, their fists would strike at the same time, crashing into one another and sending the owners flying back into the trees.
They immediately went right back at it, Satoshi resorting to more Sanji-like attacks, lashing out with his feet, mostly his left, and with an occasional fist thrown in. With every strike, the fist lashed out faster until Luffy was eventually forced into Gear Second to keep up with him. Fists striking quick as lightning takes its toll on a man, and eventually both Satoshi and Luffy had to part for a temporary respite.
Luffy's skin faded from its red sheen back to its normal color. He watched Satoshi was a curious eye, wondering what this guy was up to. He didn't seem as phased as most of his other opponents tended to be, especially when they realized the extent of his Devil Fruit powers. His Gears were mostly a mystery to anyone who hadn't fought him before, and even how his Armament abilities were still fairly new to the world, and Satoshi didn't seem to be phased at all. It was like he already knew about the abilities Luffy possessed. As Sanji would bluntly put it, a stalker. It takes one to know one.
Luffy had to end this quickly. If Satoshi knew as much about him that he thought he knew, things could escalate quickly, and not in the pirate's favor. The Straw Hat decided to simply overcome his adversary with a little Haoshoku Haki, intimidating him to the point where he was simply knocked unconscious. It was a last resort, since Luffy really didn't want to end the fight that way because he considered it cheating, but he was getting a bit concerned about Zoro and Usopp, who still hadn't released their signals.
Zoro was supposed to strengthen his Haki signal until Luffy could feel in and sent a wave of his own back, letting the other man know he was alive and okay. Usopp was supposed to send one of his improved Fire Bird Stars into the air, but no flaming phoenix lit the sky.
Ah, well. He really shouldn't be too worried; they had proved their merit on more than one occasion. Luffy now focused on Satoshi, who was getting to his feet. Just as Raleigh had taught him, Luffy began.
His eyes fixed on one spot, in this case being Satoshi himself. His eyes hardened, and he felt the pressure build up inside his chest. It was emotion that congregated within his body, molding together into one huge mass inside him until Luffy felt like his entire body would burst. He held it there for a moment before releasing it all at once, a giant wave of ambition emitting from his entire body. He directed the full blast of this attack toward his opponent, diverting it away from the other animal life he sensed around him.
Everything in the world became black and empty, devoid of all life. The only beings in the universe were Luffy and Satoshi, who appeared to be startled at this attack, stumbling backward a few steps and placing one hand on a solid object for support. His eyes became squeezed shut tightly, and his breath came in short gasps.
Luffy himself took a step back, but he did not blink nor divert his gaze. He had come to some kind of barrier that stood erected around Satoshi's mind. It was like a huge giant wall surrounding the other man's consciousnesses, warding off attacks from any and all invaders. Luffy pushed at the wall, but it would not budge.
A bit annoyed now, Luffy pushed harder, but still, the wall would not give. Luffy was determined, and sent another wave. The wall stood firm, but Luffy sensed a weak spot and began poking and prodding at it. He sensed Satoshi's mind desperately trying to piece together the parts Luffy chipped away, so the pirate strained harder.
"Luffy!"
He could hear his name being called faintly, seemingly from another world, one entirely different from his own. He wanted to yell at whoever owned the voice to go away; he was busy and needed to be left alone. This endeavor of Haoshoku Haki was not easy, especially when the person you were trying to intimidate was resisting, and with incredible strength.
"Luffy, stop!"
Now that person was telling him to stop. Why? He had almost won the battle; Satoshi was leaning against that object, his eyes shut tightly, sweat straining his forehead as he fought back the mental attack. Luffy had almost broken through, almost cracked open the lock that led to his mind. As soon as he collapsed, all Luffy had to do was take off the hat and the match would be over.
"Luffy-san! Please!"
Someone was shaking him now, their hands gripping his shoulders and shoving him roughly. His concentration wavered, and Satoshi's body relaxed slightly. No, none of that! Luffy pushed harder, but the hands were rocking him back and forth on his heels, and his concentration broke. All the tension in both men's bodies drained and they sat heavily on the forest floor, both breathing hard.
Luffy looked up angrily at whoever had interrupted him, and was surprised to see Robin with multiple hands blooming from around him; pulling his limbs and doing everything they could to break his trance. Now they vanished in a flash of flower petals, leaving the scent of carnations in the air. Robin herself was right above him, uncrossing her arms and staring down at him like a mother might berate her child.
"What, Robin?" Luffy asked, his voice coming out a little harsher than he meant it to.
Robin discarded his tone and pulled her captain to his feet, pointing at Satoshi, who was wiping his sleeve across his forehead wearily. "Do you know who that is, Luffy?" she asked.
Satoshi looked up from rubbing his leg, a smile spreading across his face when Robin's form became focused. "Oh, Robin! Didn't know you'd be here."
Luffy looked confusedly between his archaeologist and adversary. "You two know each other?" he asked.
His other crew members emerged from the deep forest as well, Usopp supported by Franky and an angry Zoro by an unhappy-looking Sanji. Chopper immediately set to work on Luffy, pulling out bandages and other things from his pouch. Nami looked to Satoshi, her face grim.
"Yes, somewhat," Robin replied, stepping back. "We worked together while I was at his Revolutionary base these few years."
Luffy gawked. "Revolutionary?" His gaze found drunk-guy and scar-guy, who had appeared from nowhere and were helping their boss to his feet. "They're Revolutionaries? Like Dad?"
Robin nodded. "And do you know who that specific Revolutionary is right there?" She indicated Satoshi, who was pushing off Harou's offers of ointment.
Luffy had a vague idea of what she was suggesting. That he already knew this guy. But he didn't look familiar at all; there was that one time, though, in the bar where they had first met that Luffy had that inkling in the back of his mind, but he had discarded it.
Now Luffy took a closer look, moving to stand only a foot away from his former opponent. He was still exhausted from his Haoshoku Haki attack, and his brain was muddled, so he couldn't discern anything even if he wanted to. He shook his head.
"Maybe this will help."
Luffy looked up as Satoshi spoke. The Revolutionary's hands moved to his jacket, sliding the ruined garment to the ground. Next, he began undoing the other buttons of his charred shirt, slipping the clothing off until he stood bare-chested before the crowd of twelve.
From the corner of his eye, he heard Nami give a low whistle as she observed the scene, and Sanji immediately grew red in the face, obviously jealous.
The thick scar Luffy had spotted earlier was larger than he had expected. It stretched from his left shoulder and across his collarbone, zig zagging over his well-built torso, traveling around his abdomen and finishing at the small of his back. But the thick scar was not what drew Luffy's attention. All he saw was the small locket hanging from a golden chain around his neck, an eight-petaled flower emblazoned into the metal. Luffy recognized that locket.
Slowly, very slowly Luffy looked up, his eyes already misting over. They scanned Satoshi's entire face, drinking in every detail. His next word was choked, and anyone could tell he was trying desperately not to cry. "S-Sabo?"
The other man smiled gently, laying a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "Luffy."
Ultimate cliffhanger. I'm evil.
Satoshi-now-Sabo's Power:
He uses pole-fighting, in reference to how he used to back when he was living with Ace and Luffy. It's how Nami used to fight before she got her Climatact. Except the staff he uses is full of hidden contraptions and weapons he can use. Just in case if the Trickster breaks, he is also training in martial arts, so he can fight hand-to-hand if need be. He does not possess the King's Haki, but he specializes in Kenbunshoku Haki, but only in prediction. He also has a traumatic fear of explosions (not of fire itself, but just huge booms), as witnessed during Red Hawk. One can only imagine why. *sarcasm*
I listened to a lot of E.S. Posthumus while writing this, so some credit goes to them. Mostly Arise, Unstoppable, and Moonlight Sonata.
And I could not resist throwing in that line about Nami being impressed; and Sanji getting jealous. Derreshishishishi!
Hey, guys! See that beautiful text box below this chapter? You know what you should do with it? Type in a review! A good long review! So I can improve this chapter to its utmost brilliance.
Coming Up: Chapter 8 – Identities Revealed
