Soul EaterXOne Piece Collab Special 2! Ch. 11- Breaking the Mould: Doubts and Determinations?


One Piece © Oda

Soul Eater © Atsushi Okubo

Blizzard, Spike, Mark, Will, and Juliet © Me

Alex and the Six Feathers © yellowpikmin88


This chapter was written by yellowpikmin88 from deviantart. Please credit him, too.


Meanwhile, in the latest dark corridor (this time, lined with white torches) we find Death the Kid and Liz walking side by side, keeping an eye and ear out for any sight or sound of their friends.

"I sure hope Patty's okay." Liz hoped worriedly. "She could be trapped somewhere, or lost, or scared, or hungry!"

"I highly doubt all of the above." Kid muttered. "She's most likely with one of the others, so for now let's stay focused on the matter at hand, in meeting up with her and finding the kids."

"Good call." Liz said.

"Because the sooner we get her back, the sooner I'll be able to fight properly." Kid murmured in fear.

"Now, Kid come on. You can do this." Liz said, aware of the danger of Kid nearing a possible breakdown. "You can't let your OCD get in the way. You can fight just fine with one weapon."

"But it has to be perfect!" Kid said frustrated, his head in his hand. "If it's not perfect I won't be able to protect my friends! And if I can't protect my friends, then I'm not worthy of being Reaper. How? How can I be ruler of Death City if I can't protect my friends?!" Liz stared at her meister in a mixture of shock and confusion. This wasn't like his usual fits. He seemed generally concerned and doubtful. But that was when it dawned on her.

"The reason he's so obsessed with perfection…is because he's in doubt if he's worthy of inheriting Lord Death's roll." She thought in realization. "You can't give up on them, Kid!" she said as she suddenly took his head in her hands so he could look at her. "Or yourself either. I know you're stronger than this. You don't need symmetry to prove your worth to Lord Death. He's always considered you worthy, because of your will to protect your companions and Death City and to keep the world in balance. It's always a good thing to want to protect your friends, but you know they're strong, and they'll never give up on you….and neither will I." she said, before she gently leaned in, and much to Kid's shock, kissed him on the forehead. "You know, I still haven't properly thanked you for all you've done for me and Patty. We were nothing but scum back then, but you turned us into something amazing when you took us in. Well now I'm going to return the favour, by helping you get over your obsession, because I know you have it in you. So suck it up and let's go find our friends." She finished, with a small blush. Kid was at a loss for words at this point. He'd never expected the Liz could be so deep and passionate with words.

"…You're right, Liz. I can't go on like this. If anything, all this symmetry is holding me back from being the Reaper my Father hopes me to be."

"That's more like it." Liz smiled, before transforming, as Kid caught her in his hand. He trembled for a few seconds at the unbalanced contact, but gritted his teeth, before mentally slapping himself.

"Let's go." He said, determine, before the duo continued down the corridor, before reaching a large set of doors, which Kid proceeded to push open. The pair entered to find themselves in what looked like a chamber, filled with all sorts of strange instruments…mostly sharp things like saws, scissors, and needles. And what's more, there were many large crates packed into the room. This was in fact the room that Mark, Will and Angela had woken up in after they were captured. Kid felt his stomach turn at the leftover lingering aura of the many souls of innocent children which had been ruthlessly harvested for Annabelle's toy army.

"Judging by the décor and nauseating presence of Annabelle's dark magic, this place is likely where the transferring of the children's souls takes place."

"All the more reason to stop her and put this place out of commission." Liz said. Kid nodded, but as he slowly walked passed a stack of crates he heard the faint tinkering sound, like an old machine coming to life. He turned sharply, eyes scanning the area for any sign of movement, but found known, and thus continued onward. But then heard the noise again, followed by a loud thud. BANG! Kid fired a shot at the area where the noise was coming from.

"Looks like we have a fight on our hands." He murmured, before the noise sounded once more, before he turned to see a large crate in front of him. It appeared to be about a foot taller than him, and was branded with a big, black yellow smiley face, only this one has spirals for eyes and its mouth looked like stitch like pattern. Kid stared at the large crate, entranced by its symmetrical image, before a nursery rhyme began to trickle out of the box before…SPROING! CHOMP! Kid summersaulted away from the crate as it sprang open, to avoid being snagged by what looked like a giant, beak-like claw with serrated teeth.

"Wait…That weapon looks vaguely familiar." Kid said in suspicion before a second claw emerged from the box, followed by a pair of arms with sharp fingers, and finally…the head of a jester. Half of its cap was blue while the other half was red. The dangly appendages on the scalp were reversed to their chosen colours (blue on the red side and vice versa). Its face was covered in a few cracks that surrounded its slanted eyes, while its mouth was half frowning and half grinning. Its body was a twisted mass of yellow, red and blue pipes, as its arms sprouted from its sides, while its pincers extended form its shoulder blades.

"Oh no. Not this guy again. I hate clowns~!" Liz whimpered.

"It appears Annabelle salvaged the remains of Eibon's robotic watchdogs and reconstructed them as one….as they should be." Kid murmured the last part.

"Whoa, Kid don't get caught up in it. I mean look, the body's symmetrical, but the colours aren't. And look at his mouth!" Liz pointed out.

"Rrrr, damn. So close to being perfected with a simple paint job." Kid cursed.

"I'm still hungry~!" The clown gargled its words out, before lunging at Kid, pincers and mouth agape.

"It'll take more than that to eat my meister, John-in-a-crate!" Liz barked.

"What?" Kid asked.

"You know, like a Jack-in-the-box, but this guy's in a crate and John is sorta similar to Jack." Liz explained.

"I…suppose that works." Kid said. "That's rather silly." He then thought before ducking to avoid the newly christened Jones lunge at him again. "How is he moving around like that?!" but then noticed that the robotic clown was no longer in his crate, revealing his legs to be replaced with a large razor sharp spring. He bounced on it a couple of seconds before springing towards Kid again, at a much quicker speed, allowing him to land a lucky hit on the Reaper, and sending him crashing through a stack of boxes.

"KID!" Liz shouted.

"I'm ok. I should start fighting back anyhow." Kid growled before he aimed at John and fired. BANG! But the clown seemed to dodge the shot with ease. "What?!" SKISH! POW! Kid hissed in pain as he was knocked away by the slash of one of the clown's giant pincers.

"Kid, that should've been a bull's-eye." Liz said, confused.

"I don't know, I usually don't…oh no."

"What is it, Kid?"

"I think it's cause I don't have Patty. My aim's off balance."

"WHAT?!"

"Well you couldn't expect me to just get used to being asymmetrical instantly, could you?!"

"No but…I know you can still do it. Wait, try closing one eye. Most marksmen fight that way with one firearm."

"I'll give it a try." Kid said as he shut his left eye while holding Liz in his right hand, as John came at him again.

"I'LL SWALLOW YOUR SOUL!" he roared.

"GOOD! Cause here's some soul resonance! IT'S ON THE HOUSE!" Kid hollered back, as he morphed Liz into her Death Cannon form. KABLAM! The blast did manage to hit John, but it also sent Kid flying back against the wall. "Dammit. The blast was unbalanced, this isn't too good, Liz. I need balance."

"Kid I know you can win this!" Liz said, before light flashed in her head. "I've got it! Kid, hold me in both your hands! And use your skateboard so you can aim properly!" Kid stood still for a few long moments before a huge smile broke across his face.

"LIZ YOU'RE A GENIUS!" he cheered, before he suddenly kissed the pistol on her barrel. "You've got an answer for everything!"

"Y…You're welcome~." Liz whispered who surprisingly was glowing a slight shade of pink, despite being in her weapon form.

"Beelzebub!" Kid called, summoning his trusty skateboard to his feet, before he began to weave around John as he continued to attack him, but couldn't keep up with the Reaper's smooth skating skills. He grasped Liz in both palms before aiming at the clown. BANG! - BANG! - BANG! - BANG! - BANG! The robot clown was hit by several of the shots before attacking Kid with his pincers again. Kid then flipped his skateboard up so it was facing John, before kicking Beelzebub's thrusters to full throttle, launching himself a fair distance away from his opponent, and setting John's head aflame in the process. The clown roared in a mix of anger and frustration before he coiled his spring back as tight as he could and launched towards the Reaper once more, turning over in mid-air and aiming his jagged spring at him, while twisting rapidly like a corkscrew.

"I'LL GOUGE YOUR GUTS OUT!" he cackled. But Kid stood his ground as he aimed Liz at the clown with both hands.

"LET'S GO! SOUL RESONANCE!" he and Liz shouted, as the latter transformed into her Death Cannon again, just as John collided with them. Kid let a sharp cry of pain, as he felt the tip of the spring digging into his torso, but endured the pain as he clenched his teeth. It is revealed the John now had his spring coiled around the Death Cannon and thus couldn't dig his spring any deeper into Kid. "Now I've got you." Kid grinned, before the barrel of the cannon began to glow. "DEATH CANNON!" KABLAM! With a single blast of energy, John was sent flying across the room and hit the wall with a SMACK! his spring lodged into the wall, leaving him comically dangling in the air.

"YOU DID IT! You beat an enemy with just one weapon!" Liz cheered, changing back.

"Only because of your genius strategies!" Kid praised before the pair embraced each other, laughing proudly, before realization hit them and they separated, looking away awkwardly.

"Um, yeah. We should go find the others." Liz suggested.

"Yeah. Time of the essence n' all." Kid agreed, before they departed from the area, unaware that their search for their friends would be shorter than they thought.

XXX

Concurrently, we now turn to Stein and Marie who oddly enough, had come across a large hole in one of the walls (obviously made by Crona, but they of course had no idea). Curious to what had caused it, and whether that cause posed a threat to the others, the couple decided to follow the trail. Whilst walking, Stein couldn't help but feel a melancholy presence coming from his wife. He sighed, before putting his arm around her.

"You know he's alright. We'll find him. Everyone else is looking for him too, so if we don't find him first, they will. Don't worry."

"I can't help it, Frank." Marie sniffed. "Just the thought of what might've happened to him. What she might've done to him! The thought of it just reminds me of….that bitch!"

"Well she is related to her." Stein thought. "You have every right to be concerned. But letting negativity get a hold of you is a quick way to madness and this whole place is full of it so I can't afford to let you get caught up in it. I know how much Crona means to us both, and how much we love him, but he would want us to be strong for him. So keep your head high and when we find him, give him that smile of yours he loves so much."

"Right after he gets the talking of a lifetime." Marie smiled a little, earning a chuckle from Stein. Her gaze drifted off, as she felt a special memory float into her mind's eye. "I still remember that day he told me how special we were to him." She smiled. "Actually it was mainly you at the time." Stein corrected. "Oh don't be so modest. You were just as important too. It was just the situation that made it seem more intent for me."

~Flashback~

It all happened about a year ago. Four months before the gang had set off to the New World to hunt Bluebeard. Crona had been spending the day with Maka, and discovered that the scythe meister was sending a present to her mother, Kami. The reason being that Mother's day was coming up in a few days so Maka wanted to send the package early so that her Mother would get it on the right date. Maka wasn't much of a fan of the whole 'better late than never' thing. This seemed to get Crona thinking. At first all it reminded him of was medusa, but after a few minutes of talking with Maka, he then began to see another person in the snake witch's parental position. So about a week later, Marie was marking a few papers from a passed exam, while Stein was out on a mission that he and Spirit had been assigned to, she heard a knock.

"Coming." Marie casually walked to the door to find none other than Crona waiting for her, a small greeting smile on his face. "Crona, hello."

"Hello, Marie. May I come in?"

"Of course. Make yourself at home, dear." Marie welcomed. "Care for tea?"

"Thank you." Crona said as he took a seat on one of the couches.

"Usual, Ragnarok?" Marie asked.

"You know it." Ragnarok said, popping out of Crona's back, as Marie went off to prepare the tea. Crona quietly waited before he pulled out a small box, from his robe. He gently brushed his thumb over the surface before he looked up to see Marie returning.

"Here we are, boys. Enjoy." She smiled.

"Thank you." Crona and Ragnarok said in unison, taking their retrospective cups, the latter's bubbling like a volcano due to the pepper.

"So are things with you two?" Marie asked.

"Um…f-fine thanks. We've been working on a few new moves." Crona said, his eyes drifting to his cup as he sipped his tea.

"Are you alright, Crona? You seem rather quiet. Is there something you wanted to tell me?" Marie asked.

"Yes, actually. Well you see…um…it's kind of weird and…" Crona murmured, fiddling with his hands, though he soon felt a weight on the other end of the couch to see Marie now sitting next to him, a gentle smile on her face.

"Whatever you have to say, Crona, I promise I'll understand. When it comes to you, Stein and I always do." She said, gently stroking his hair. Crona swallowed a lump in his throat before he then held out the small box to the Death Scythe.

"I-It's for you." He squeaked.

"Me?" Marie asked as she took it, before opening the box to reveal a locket with her lightning bolt insignia on it. She gasped as she lifted it out of the box.

"I came up with the design, and Kid drew up a template of it, before we had JB smelt it. It's empty, but I wanted to leave that part up to you." Crona explained before he was pulled into Marie's arms.

"Crona, thank you so much. I love it. Though if I may ask, why? My birthday was few months ago." Marie said, before she released Crona form her hug.

"Well…you see. I was at Maka's last week, and she was sending package to her Mother." Crona began.

"Mmhm." Marie nodded, listening.

"Well, when I found out why she was sending her Mother a gift, it got me thinking about some things. Big things. Things that…I may not have been able to deal with." "Alright." Marie said.

"You see, M-Marie I…well I…" Crona tried to say, but his tongue began to tie in a knot and his face began to go red.

"It's ok, Crona. I know you're flustered, but take your time. You don't have to rush it." Marie said gently.

"The thing is…ever since I came to Death City. Before I had all my other friends, you were the only one who really cared for me the same way Maka did. But as time's went by, I've started to see how you like me a different way that how Maka and the others like me." By this point, Marie was beginning to put the pieces together. Her inner self almost felt like it was going to faint, but she kept steady, waiting for Crona to finish what he had to say.

"This is probably gonna sound ridiculous but…Marie…after all this time you've looked out for me, fussed over me, worried about me. Over all sorts of situations. Like that time me and the others were going out for the evening to celebrate how we defeated a whole army of Kishin Eggs; you spent nearly half an hour fixing up my outfit and even teased me by saying I looked handsome. Or that time I got sick and you looked after me. And now…whenever I try to picture my Mother…." Marie held her breath at was about to come next and she felt the tips of fresh teardrops stinging her eyes "…The only person I see…is you. It's nonsense I know but, I can't help it. You're everything she wasn't and…" he was cut off by Marie gently taking a hold of his head and turning it to face her. A wide, warm smile upon her face and faint trails of tears could be seen, before she gently turned Crona's head slightly and to his shock, kissed him on the cheek. Crona froze at the sudden contact, his face lighting up instantly as Marie pulled away, before she smiled and kissed him on his opposite cheek, taking him by surprise again, until finally planting a third one on his forehead which she held for about five seconds and then pulled him into a tight hug.

"I know, Crona." she said. "It's what I always hoped." She then whispered. Crona's eyes widened in surprise when she said this. "You're such a sweetheart. You always put others before yourself and you do anything you can to help them whether they need it or not. And what you feel is anything but nonsense. You have no idea how much we care for you. I know it may not seem like it, but Stein cares just as much about your wellbeing as I do. Ever since I started teaching you and others he often asked me how you were doing after work and if you were settling in. I think it's because he really wanted you to have a happy life here, due to how much you deserved one after all you'd been through. He may look like he's made of stone, but he really does have a big heart under all those stitches. I'd say it's the one part of him that he hasn't experimented on." Marie chuckled, before she felt a slight dampness on her shoulder and pulled away to discover Crona's face now riddled with tears.

"You…You really mean it?" he sniffed.

"Of course I do. Would I lie to my favourite pupil?"

"No?"

"Of course I wouldn't. I love you, Crona." Marie smiled, but her face instantly turned surprised after she said it. Crona also looked at her in surprise, before his lip trembled and he threw himself into her arms, burying his head against her chest as he sobbed happily.

"I love you too, Marie!" he smiled.

"Crona? I think we both know where this is going, but I'll ask anyway…..Do you want to live with me and Stein?...As our son?" Despite everything he'd heard and already knew, Crona still felt the sentence hit him like a tonne of black blood bricks.

"Y…Y…Yes." he whispered. "Yes. YES!" he repeated the word louder and happier each time, as Marie laughed happily, embracing him, letting the moment engrain itself into both of their memories.

"…Mother."

~Flashback End~

Marie smiled loving at her locket which now held a picture of her adopted son smiling cutely at her, with his eyes closed and Ragnarok peeking over his shoulder curiously. "

That was the day that sealed the deal." Stein smiled, as he wrapped his hand around Marie's, the both of them now covering the locket. "So don't give up hope. If he was strong enough to say you'd become his Mother, he's strong enough to survive this."

"You're right, Stein. I know he'll be alright. In fact I feel as though we may find him any moment." Marie said.

"That's what I'm talking about." Stein smiled proudly before he suddenly stopped. "Wait. I can sense a soul nearby." The couple stood quietly before they heard a faint sound coming from behind one of the walls that had been smashed through. Stein slowly flexed his fingers, preparing a soul force, while Marie's hand began to glow a golden yellow. But that was when they spotted a hand creep around the edge of the broken wall, followed by a head of lavender pink hair and a tattered black robe. Marie and stein both gaped at who was in front of them.

"CRONA!" Marie cried before she ran at him and embraced him tightly "You're alright! You have no idea how worried I've been, young man!" Stein was about to run over and join in the family reunion when he stopped suddenly, before his eyes widened.

"Marie! Get away from there!"

"What are you talking about, Frank?!" Marie asked.

"That's not Crona!" Stein shouted. Marie looked at him in surprise before she heard a hiss and looked back as Crona lifted his head. Ka!Ka!Ka!Ka!Ka!Ka!Ka!Ka!Ka!Ka!Ka!Ka! Marie froze as a pair of lights flashed in her face, as she felt her body begin to stiffen.

"MARIE!" Stein cried as he ran to her, just as the Seamstress revealed itself, readying its needles. GREEEEEEEEEEEUUUGHH~! But just as it was about to ensnare Marie…"SOUL FORCE!" ZA-POW! The large burlap snake was struck by Stein's wavelength, sending it crashing against the wall. "Marie?! Marie can you hear me?!" he said as he gently shook his wife by the shoulders. The Death scythe shook her head as he pupils shrank back to normal.

"Stein? What…" but then she spotted the Seamstress [picking itself up off the ground, hissing angrily at them. "What is that thing?! And what has it done to Crona?!"

"Marie, that's not our son! Whatever that thing is it's clearly working for Annabelle. She must have purposely sent it after us and disguised that thing on its tail to look like Crona.

"That…That…THAT BITCH!" Marie screamed in fury before she transformed into a large black hammer with white patterns and her insignia on the tip which Stein caught in his hand. "Let's crush this freak!"

"Hmm-hmm. I like it when you're fired up." Stein smirked at the Seamstress. "I think I'll dissect you now." GREEEEEEEEEEEUUUGHH~! The seamstress screeched before it charged at the couple. Stein flipped away as it stabbed the ground with its needles before retaliating with Marie. POW! The Seamstress shook its head form the concussion before it suddenly released a burst of red thread at the scientist. SHF-SHF-SHF-SHF-SHF-SHF! Stein was caught by surprise as the thread ensnared him.

"STEIN!" Marie cried, before the Seamstress lifted its tail to face Stein, but instead of flashing him, the head of the tail opened its mouth to reveal several rotating rows of metal teeth, as ti grabbed Stein by his shoulders with its arms. The very sight of the creature imitating Crona's appearance while preparing to devour Stein, not only terrified Marie, but pushed her anger to its maximum.

"LIGHTNING ROPE!" KRRZZZZZZZZZZZZZT! Suddenly a burst of electricity was released from Stein's body, causing the Seamstress to drop him in shock. He looked down at Marie to see her weapon form had changed. The rear of the hammer's head had extended in length and a small guard emerged from its handle just in front of his wrist, while a mass of black tendrils had wrapped around his wrist. In short, Marie had changed from a large hammer, into a slim, black and white tonfa. Stein shivered at the sensation of Marie's electrical abilities flowing through his nerves, before he twisted his screw a few times.

"Thank for that, darling." He grinned, before he suddenly disappeared taking the Seamstress by surprise, before he suddenly began striking it from all sides at a blinding speed. For those who don't know, Marie's lighting rope ability allows her to interact directly with her meister's nervous system. The effects of which increase the meister's blow strength, interception and reactionary skills. In other words, allows the meister to move at speeds the eye can't follow while also increasing their wavelength capacity and the ability to channel an entire wavelength into an opponent in one blast. Stein continued to run circles around the Seamstress throwing sharp strong blows at it before suddenly stopped in front of it, a mad grin on his face as he thrust his palm against it.

"SOUL FORCE!" ZA-POW! The seamstress was sent flying against the wall again, but Stein then clenched his fist. "Sutures go!" The Seamstress was then pulled against the wall by a series of glowing white threads of wavelength.

"LET'S GO! SOUL RESONANCE!" Stein and Marie both shouted, resulting in the former's right hand being shrouded by a cloud of electricity as he gripped Marie tightly in it, before he readied his stance and charged, reeling his weapon back. "This is for my son! DEMON HAMMER!" KER-SMASH! With a single blow Stein slammed Marie into the Seamstress' face, shattering its porcelain head in the process and flooding its body with a burst of high voltage soul wavelength before its body fell to the ground, unmoving. Stein sighed as Marie's weapon form released a small burst of steam from the attack.

"It's over." She sighed as she changed back. She looked at the creature (particularly its tail) before she and Stein embraced in a gentle hug.

"You fought well." Stein said. "Let' not dwell on it and keep going."

"Yes. You're right." Marie said, before they continued on, as she threw one last glance back at the Seamstress. But as the couple continued onward through the trail of wreckage, they heard what sounded like a roar up ahead, followed by a large rumble and then faint voice a few seconds afterward.

"What was that?" Marie asked.

"Only one way to find out." Stein said, before they hurried onward. As they drew closer they heard the voice again. This time a little clearer.

"HEY! There's something inside its throat!" it said.

"Tony?" Stein said, recognising Chopper's voice. They kept moving before they heard Chopper again. This time he sounded completely shocked.

"WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON?!"

"Well I'd certainly like to know." Marie said, before the couple ran through the last hole in the wall. And that was when they spotted Chopper, and with him was Katherine and much to their absolute shock, joy and disbelief, Mark, Will, Angela and…Crona. All four of them unconscious and the swordsman himself was holding the children in his arms.

"Crona?" Marie said hoping it wasn't another trick. Despite how quietly she said it, it managed to reach Chopper and Katherine's ears, for they both turned around to see the couple standing a few feet away from them. Stein turned his gaze to what looked like a large dead green dragon, then to Crona and the children and finally to Chopper and Katherine.

"Hey. Funny story." Chopper grinned awkwardly.

To be continued…


Well, that's one update! I'll try and upload Journey to the New World tonight or tomorrow!