Chapter 10: The Shichibukai meet! Discuss the Supernovas?!
To say it was hectic at Marineford would be a serious underestimation. It was so hectic that if a marine wasn't running around in a panic, trying to do several things at once, he was put on a dereliction of duty charge.
The Shichibukai were coming!
And this wasn't one of those regular Shichibukai meetings where the Shichibukai rarely actually turned up, unless they really wanted to try the buffet at the Marine cafeteria. Fleet Admiral Vires had sent a message instructing the Shichibukai that if they didn't turn up, they would be stripped of their status. Whatever this meeting was about, it must've been very important.
"Clear the way!" A voice sounded among the chaos. "Two of the Royal Shichibukai are coming through!"
Immediately, there was a scramble to move out of the way of the two Shichibukai. Minutes later, and the path was completely clear, with a rich, red carpet covering the ground. The two Royal Shichibukai soon came into view.
"Kishakshakshak!" The first Shichibukai chuckled. "So we're the 'Royal' Shichibukai now? Even after that unceremonious summons? Kishakshakshak!"
Royal Shichibukai: Rashank 'Raptor' DeRoy
Former Bounty: 460,000,000
DeRoy was a tall, skinny man, with a slight hunch as he walked. He dressed in a dark-green leather jacket, with blue jeans and a white T-shirt with the word 'Raptor' written on it in big red letters.
"Don't get what's so funny." The second Shichibukai grunted. "Those damn Marines treatin' us like dirt! Makes me want to smash them!"
Royal Shichibukai: Bulledo 'Debris Collector' Molze
Former Bounty: 320,000,000
Molze was a huge man, easily dwarfing DeRoy. He also looked like he'd spend his entire life living in a pile of compost. Smelt like it too.
"Then why don't you?" Deroy suggested. "You did last time! Kishakshakshak!"
"That would be unwise for the both of you." A voice sounded out.
Immediately, a figure appeared between the two. He was shorter than both of the Shichibukai, yet somehow commanded even more of a presence than them. He was dressed in an impeccable blue suit, with the typical marine jacket on his back.
Admiral Aokiji (formerly Kirakai)
"Oho! They sent an admiral to pick us up!" DeRoy grinned. "Although considering the mess Molze caused last time, that's not surprising! Kishakshakshak!"
"We have made preparations for 'Debris Collector' Molze." Aokiji smiled politely. "If you two Scum-of-the-Ocean would like to follow me this way, your fellow Scum are waiting inside."
"Before we were the Royal Shichibukai, now we're Scum-of-the-Ocean?" Deroy snickered. "I love this place... Kishakshakshak!"
When Aokiji, Molze and DeRoy reached the meeting hall, it was already ablaze with arguments.
"*clank* Why do those two get off so lightly!" One of the Shichibukai was yelled. "*clank* We were all ordered to turn up here, in person, or else our status would be revoked!"
Royal Shichibukai: Tobias 'Scorpion Armour' Krieg
Former Bounty: 255,000,000
Krieg was a huge man, with the same sort of body mass as Molze. However, unlike Molze, Krieg was wearing a huge set of golden armour, which covered most of his body. He also had a golden helmet, several sizes too big, which clanked around every time he talked.
"As I've already explained, my master is... uncomfortable leaving his casino." A man answered, nervously.
Assistant to Royal Shichibukai, 'Gambler' Roulerre: 'Luck Reader' LeBlouff
Former Bounty: 95,000,000 (LeBlouff, not Roulerre)
LeBlouff was a small, timid man compared to most of the Shichibukai. He wore a long, brown coat and always seemed to be fidgeting with it.
"My Empress feels very much the same way." A woman nodded in agreement.
Assistant to Royal Shichibukai 'Empress' Cerie: 'Black Rose' Tharrina
Former Bounty: 179,000,000
Unlike LeBlouff, Tharrina didn't seem intimidated by the other Shichibukai. She was a young, tall woman with long black hair and pair of thin-rimmed glasses. She was dressed in a ankle-length, black skirt and had a long, white katana sat on her leg.
"It's fine." Fleet Admiral Vires sighed, with the weary look of a man trying to hold the world together. "I wasn't expecting Roulerre or Cerie to appear anyway."
"*clank* W-Well I object!" Krieg stuttered. "*clank* Sanroza, you agree with me, right?!"
"..." The young woman sat on the windowsill didn't answer.
Royal Shichibukai: 'Worlds 2nd Strongest Swordfighter' Sanroza Mihawk
Former Bounty: 270,000,000
Sanroza Mihawk was slightly younger than 'Black Rose' Tharrina, but no less fearsome. She had short, messily chopped, brown hair, hidden underneath a large, white cap. She dressed in simple brown trousers, with a plain white shirt. On her belt were three thin scabbards.
"*clank* Come on Sanroza!" Krieg urged. "*clank* Say something!"
"...I honestly don't care." Sanroza finally answered. "But if you continue referring to me by my first name, I will cut you down where you stand."
"*clank* Oh, are we doing this?!" Krieg growled, getting to his feet. "*clank* Come on, you stuck-up sword brat!"
Sanroza also got to her feet and drew one of her katana.
However, before the two could fight, another two figures appeared between them. The first was holding what seemed like a shard of glass to Sanroza's neck.
"Come on then." He sighed. "You pirates ruined my weekend. The least you can do is let me gut one of you."
Admiral Kizaru (formerly Ceras)
Kizaru had a similar build to Aokiji and wore an identical, yellow suit. He also had a large pair of sunglasses covering his face.
The second figure had grabbed Krieg's head with his enormous hands.
"Calm yourself Kizaru." He mumbled, quietly. "We must resist personal temptations today."
Admiral Akainu (formerly Gantz)
Akainu dwarfed over everyone in the room, even Molze and Krieg. You could be almost be forgiven for thinking he was of giant blood, or at least half-giant. Like his fellow admirals, Akainu wore a large suit, this time dark-red.
"Yeah yeah." Kizaru sighed. "It's still a pain."
"Thank you Kizaru and Akainu." Fleet Admiral Vires nodded. "You may stand down now."
The two Admirals nodded, returning to their original positions by the doors.
"Ah Aokiji." Vires became aware of the three's presence. "And two more Scum-of-the-Seas. Please take a seat."
"What a warm welcome." DeRoy grinned, taking a seat at the large meeting table. "Kishakshakshak!"
"This better not take long." Molze growled, sitting in a particularly large, diamond encrusted chair, which had specifically been built for him and whose makers had guaranteed to be 'indestructible'. A relative term where the Shichibukai were involved. "If I'm left waiting, I get the urge to smash things!"
Immediately, the three Admirals moved to restrain him.
"That's not necessary, gentlemen." Vires sighed. "This room has already been 'Debris Collector' proofed."
The Admirals returned to their positions.
"I'm sure you won't have to wait long." Vires continued. "I believe we're only waiting for K now."
"Actually, I've been here for a while." A voice suddenly sounded, startling Molze.
Royal Shichibukai: 'Black Spot' K
Former Bounty: 520,000,000
There wasn't much you could say about K. It wasn't that he had little presence. It was that he had no presence whatsoever which, in some ways, made him more terrifying than anyone else in the room. He was smaller than anyone else in the room and wore a large black cloak which concealed his body and most of his face.
"Gwaah!" Molze screamed, crashing through the back of his 'indestructible' chair "When the hell did you get here?!"
"So much for 'Debris Collector' proofed..." Aokiji muttered under his breath.
"I arrived here before any of you." K answered, in a quiet voice. "No-one noticed me, so I just took a seat and waited."
"Very well then." Vires attempted to hide his embarrassment at not noticing K. "If all the Shichibukai, and their stand-ins, are here then we'll begin this meeting."
"I will begin by bringing up the main topic of today's meeting." Vires began, slamming a bundle of Wanted Posters onto the desk. "I'm sure you've all heard of the new Supernovas?"
"Eh, that bunch of rookies from the North Blue?!" DeRoy grinned. "Surely they can't be the main reason for all this? Kishakshakshak!"
"*clank* Never heard of them." Krieg admitted.
"Me neither." Molze agreed.
"I've heard of them." LeBlouff took a look at one of the wanted posters. "Never paid much attention to them. Just headstrong rookies, right?"
"I have detailed factfiles on all thirteen of them." Tharinna answered, without even looking at the posters."
K muttered something quietly under his breath, but no-one paid any attention.
"I don't bother looking at the weak." Sanroza sighed.
"That's a bit harsh!" DeRoy chuckled. "After all, isn't one of them your little brother? Kishakshakshak!"
Sanroza shot DeRoy a deadly gaze.
"I have no brother." She growled, with icy tones.
"Settle down, please." Vires sighed. "As you all know, the North Blue has always been the most difficult of seas on which to enforce justice. Compared to the much more docile East Blue, the North Blue has always been a hot spot for strong rookie pirates."
"But weren't Gold Roger and Straw Hat Luffy both from East Blue?" DeRoy pointed out. "Not to mention our own Tobias Krieg. Doesn't seem very docile to me. Kishakshakshak!"
"As I was saying..." Vires gave DeRoy an angry glare before continuing. "North Blue has always been a hot spot for strong rookie pirates, many of whom become great problems when they reach the Grand Line. Remember Basil Hawkins, X. Drake and Trafalgar Law? Not to mention, three of the infamous Yonkou. Even Molze, Roulerre and Sanroza Mihawk are all from there too, I believe."
"That's correct." LeBlouff nodded.
"I guess." Molze scratched his back, which currently had a large chair stuck to it. "I don't remember stuff like that too well."
"..." Sanroza didn't answer.
"Indeed." Vires sighed. "Because of the strength of North Blue pirates, the average bounty is normally 15,000,000 beri, more than for any other ocean, aside from the Grand Line, of course. However, in recent weeks, thirteen new pirates have come to the public's attention."
Everyone's eyes moved to the small pile of wanted posters in the middle of the table.
"I'm sure you've all guessed whom I'm talking about?" Vires raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "The New Supernovas. All thirteen of these pirates have achieved bounties of 20,000,000 beri, or over, in the past few weeks. And four of them aren't even Captains! Originally, we only had seven to deal with, but six more pirates have received bounty increases and are being hailed as Supernovas as well! The strongest, 'Cloaked Tiger' Kuurant currently has a record-breaking 62,000,000 bounty after his horrific destruction of three heavily-populated towns! Even the presumed weakest of the original seven, 'Mad Emperor' Ushio D. Neptune, has just received a large boost in his bounty after defeating a high profile Marine Captain and joining forces with two other recently promoted Supernovas!"
"Wasn't that high profile Captain corrupt though?" DeRoy asked. "You know, was executing random civilians and generally running a reign of terror?"
Vires ignored him.
"Our sources tell us that all thirteen are likely to enter the Grand Line at about the same time." He continued. "And here's what I want you to do. Each of you is to hunt down and eliminate one of the New Supernovas each, and their crews. That should be a big enough deterrent for any other rookie pirates believing they can imitate legends of the past!"
"*clank* Do we look like your own personal lapdogs?" Krieg growled. "*clank* Why doesn't the World Government go after its own problems?"
"Because we already have our hands full in the New World!" Vires growled. "I'll tell you what you already know. We Marines consider you all a bunch of untrustworthy scum. That's the way it was in the past and the way it always shall be. However, we have to acknowledge your power, especially now when your bounties are higher than they've ever been before. My predecessors were afraid of your power and tried to keep you hidden away until they really needed it, like in the Whitebeard War. The result? You were all running wild, defecting and plotting against us. As the strongest Fleet Admiral this Government has ever seen, I say no more! You will obey our commands or you will be stripped of your privileges and hunted down like dogs! Now, I have no intention of getting you to obey our commands 24/7. That'd be impossible. Instead, I will set you tasks like this, to hunt down potential rookie pirates, every few months, and that'll be the end of it. Do you all understand?"
There was silence for a moment.
"Fine." DeRoy shrugged. "It might be kinda fun."
"*clank* It's a waste of my resources..." Krieg snarled. "*clank* But I'll do it anyway."
"I have no qualms with this..." Sanroza muttered under her breath.
"Neither do I." Tharinna nodded.
"I'll have to check with the master..." LeBlouff looked nervous. "But it should be okay..."
"As long as I can smash something, I don't care!" Molze growled.
K muttered his agreement, but no-one had really noticed he was still there, so it went unheard.
"Good." Vires allowed himself a rare smile. "Now we can move onto the meatier topic of today's meeting. The Yonkou..."
Outside, the four marines who guarded the door talked among themselves.
"What do you think they're discussing in there?" The first asked.
The Marines Five Beasts: Vice Admiral Garest
Garest was a short, slightly hunched-over man. He was also the youngest of the Five Beasts and the most talkative.
"That is not for us to know." The second sighed.
The Marines Five Beasts: Vice Admiral Doragon
Doragon was much taller, bulkier man. He also had the second-best physique of the Five Beasts, second only to Minos. He was also considered the most handsome of the Five Beasts, but the rest had kept that fact from him.
"I know." The third shrugged, throwing potato chips into his fat mouth. "I peeked at Fleet Admiral Vires's preparation notes."
The Marines Five Beasts: Vice Admiral Kakarine
Kakarine was very fat. Little surprise, considering he ate potato chips most of the day. Despite that, he was considered an effective, albeit easy-to-hit, fighter.
The fourth marine just stood in silence.
The Marines Five Beasts: Vice Admiral Roman
Roman was a huge man, easily the tallest of the Five Beasts. However, he very rarely talked... or did anything for that matter, except stand about. Many times had he accidentally been mistaken for a statue by a visiting ambassador or new recruit or even a couple of pigeons. Some weren't even sure he could speak, or even knew what was going on around him. Those who'd seen him fight, knew differently though.
"You looked through the Fleet Admiral's notes?" Doragon sighed. "That's a punishable offence, Kakarine."
"But you've nothing to prove it." Kakarine shrugged. "Garest and Roman won't rat me out, will you?"
"Nope!" Garest grinned. "Now tell me what they're discussing!"
Roman simply stayed silent, as always.
Doragon just shrugged and gave up.
"Now, obviously they're gonna be talkin' about 'Anarchist' Jeremiah." Kakarine explained. "After all, he's the new head of the revolutionaries and all that jazz. But I've heard the main topic of the meeting are North Blue's New Supernovas."
"New Supernovas?" Garest scratched his head. "They sound familiar..."
"They should." Kakarine snorted. "They're probably gonna be the big hitters of the next generation, unless we do something to stop them. Now what where their names...? Hang on! I've got a list!"
Kakarine pulled out a scrumpled bit of paper.
"Here they are! The Thirteen New Supernovas!"
'Cloaked Tiger' Kuurant
'Spiced Gentleman' Chiffry Shill
'Drunken Fist' Elways Vodska
'Chewing Clown' Gummy Cerish
'Legend's Child' Ichiya Mihawk
'Wild Seed' Sophia Violettes
'Hundred Arms' Krishin Limbosa
'Noodle King' Nerras Wanze
'Poison Lion' Couralle
'Straight Man' Rawn Jeffries
'Devil's Blade' Tsurugi
'Magic Sniper' -
The last name was badly smudged, so they couldn't read it. However, there was a bigger issue to take care of...
"Er... hate to rain on your parade, Kakarine..." Garest scratched his head. "But there are only twelve names on this list."
"Really?" Kakarine began to search his pockets wildly. "A bit must've fallen off!"
"Wasn't there that one who recently got a bounty increase." Doragon pointed out. "One which Minos himself suggested? You know, the one who joined forces with those two others?"
"So you really are interested in all of this!" Garest sniggered.
"N-No!" Doragon looked embarrassed. "I just felt it logical to know one's future enemies.
"He's right though." Kakarine stuck his finger in his mouth and came out with a blob of ink. "and I've just remembered the missing guy."
'Mad Emperor' Ushio D. Neptune
Tell was having a nice nap. A lovely nap. The best nap he'd had in ages. So when Ushio slammed the door open, Tell already had a feeling something was wrong.
"What is it?" He groaned, in a half-awake state.
"Well... um..." Ushio seemed nervous. "I know you said we shouldn't wake you under any circumstances, but this seemed kinda important..."
"What is it?" Tell sighed.
"We may have accidentally capsized the boat..."
…
…
...
"What?!"