Hello minna :D I'm updating a bit early this week cuz I'll be gone during the weekend 3
Reviews :3
Victoria Horn - I know I love them too (I swear I do I know it seems like I don't) I promise they'll be happy soon, very very soon just a few more weeks and you'll be greeted by another chapter of fluff just hang out a bit longer ;-; (btw I'm so glad you enjoy it :D)
p.s. if you don't want to ruin your holiday season maybe don't read the next two chapters until like... idk, februrary
Shattered Glass
Saga's heartbeat was storm of its own in his ear as he sprinted through the trees, leaping over fallen tree trunks and ducking under snaking vines as instinct urged him on, telling him that someone is in danger, many someones are in danger, and that he cares too much to leave them be. Deep within, ever since that impulse first started stirring, he knew exactly who it was, but perhaps he did not want to admit it, nor can he afford to until he arrived at the scene, for the moment that he does guilt will consume him and leave him a completely immobile mess in the rain.
The last time he saw his friend he had been in a horrible state, with all but his back engulfed in injuries, so Saga had spent every waking moment afterwards honing his muscles and finding the most effective ways to call upon the powers of the Fruit of Life that now lies in his possession. This is a unique Devil Fruit, considered one of the rarest as the parallel of a mythical Zoan or a Logia such as the Yami Yami. In some ways it resembled the Ope Ope in its power to sacrifice and bring life to a body whose soul has left to join the heavens, while in others it was similar to the Soru Soru in its ability to reach out to one's essence. However, the user does not need to perish in order to reanimate, and when the phantom hand reaches out to a soul, it is only ever to sever it. This is a fruit that has mastered the circle of life and inserted itself into the mix, gaining complete and absolute sovereignty over all life forms, granting its user the ultimate power over life and death. Strangely enough, Saga was also gifted a vision upon consuming the strange fruit, demonstrating to him the phenomenal power of the "awakening".
The vision had been both morbid and beautiful.
It was an army, one of such a massive scale that some savage part of him longed to control it, to have all the power in the world grasped securely in his palms. He had admired it, drank it in, let that beast within drool and its stomach rumble, straining against its leash as it pounced and reached for such sweet, wonderful power, controlled solely by its lust to kill. Then there was this tug, this sudden compulsion, perhaps closer to an irresistible force, that stirred within his mind, and suddenly he wished death upon every single person in this armada before him.
Die they did.
The death was swift and eerily silent, not a single scream of pain or cry of fear before every last soldier in the army dropped to the ground and withered away into nothingness before his very eyes, and what horrified him most was that he wasn't horrified. No, not a single ounce of guilt found its way inside his mind, in which he only found strange satisfaction. Some demonic smile tugged at his lips, and Saga felt a breeze stained with the metallic tang of blood and repulsive odor of death ruffle his silver white hair before the vision abruptly ended, leaving him confused and disgusted at the new aspect that he had just invited, though unintentionally, into his life. But he had learned to wield it, as all Devil Fruit users have to when they swallow the first bite of their fruit, and had found that life was really the most fragile thing in the world. One thought, and poof, one down.
Now he raced through the redwoods, the thunderstorm plastering his hair to his face and obscuring his vision, in which silver strands danced. Water slid down his cheeks, though he didn't know when he had started crying.
Luffy faced off against the one that had torn his childhood apart right in front of his eyes, wiping out his brother as if he had been nothing but a pawn that had lost its use, and to Akainu, perhaps that's all he ever was. Luffy still had nightmares, when he would see the fist protruding from Ace's body, the beads scattering like drops of blood, the sound impossibly loud, and the vivre card that he valued for so long burning away to nothing right under his nose, and he was powerless to stop it, any of it. Now he faced that man, and vengeance was his life blood.
"Gear Third."
His fist pumped to life by his lips, and with a simple thought it shone through the sheet of the rain, covered from fingertips to elbow in well-trained, glimmering Haki. Under normal circumstances, his crew probably would have held him back, but right now, they weren't here, though he doubted they would do anything to stop him even if they were. This man had, either directly or indirectly, horribly injured or killed two of the most important people in his life, and Akainu will not walk away unscathed from this fight.
Now inflated to the size of a medium sized barn house, Luffy gathered strength into his arms and threw it back, the fist crashing through trees and rocks, small animals unfortunate enough to be in its path ricocheting off into the distance. However, Akainu did not seem troubled at all by coming onslaught, instead just stood there, the only indication of his readiness for battle was the light layer of steaming red that had encased his body.
"Gomu Gomu no Rocket."
Though he remained stoic and completely devoid of emotion, even the Fleet Admiral seemed caught off guard by the sudden change in demeanor. In one fluid motion Luffy flew into the air, momentarily passing through a darkness that he would later learn to be Noroi's serpent, and stayed suspended in the air for no more than two seconds, but it was more than enough time than he needed, and it didn't take him very long to whip out the real deal.
"Gomu Gomu no Thor Elephant Gun!"
Electricity hummed to life on his fist, lending a polished look to the fist already glinting with the purple hue that the Color of Arms was so renown for. Blue white lines zapped around on the rubber, giving Luffy the slightly itchy feeling that he had become familiar with when using this technique, for though electricity does not affect rubber, it does put some strain on the material.
The fist zoomed through the air to land upon the Admiral, who finally looked up to meet Luffy's eyes before magma exploded, and when the fist smashed into the ground where Akainu had been standing moments before, it met the electricity head on, creating an explosion that rocked the very island. Without hesitation, Luffy gave a great heave that brought his arm spiraling back into the body, snapping back into place with so much force that it sent him spiraling briefly in the air before resuming his fall. Quickly recovering, the rubber boy threw back his arm again into the sky dimmed by layer upon layer of thunderclouds.
"Gomu Gomu no-"
Before he had the chance to launch the attack, something came his way, something blinding and red hot that came straight at his face, giving him the impression that it was going to straight up melt the very substance that made up his body after the digestion of the Devil Fruit. Hissing in annoyance and slight fear, Luffy launched his arm into the awaiting flames in a blind shot, hoping that it would make contact. With quite a dull yet satisfying "thud", it did, and he heard a growl of annoyance that nearly mirrored his own. However, the flames had burned through the rubber that now made up his arm, and the pain scorched through him as the lava finally retreated to reveal its wielder, now slightly flustered, with his cap fallen off and the marine jacket no longer upon his proud shoulders. The enemy's lips were drawn back in a snarl, and Luffy's arm cracked back into place, the unprotected upper arm now a blistering, melted mess, though his coated fist and forearm, now deflated, remained well enough, hanging limply at his side.
Akainu had blood hanging from the corners of his lips, and his torso where the fist had landed was a bruised and swollen mass of flesh, but by the looks of it, he was much better off in terms of damage. However, that was the beauty of attacks on a such a massive scale: most of the damage is not done to the opponent's physical being, but to their organs and innards, which significantly decreases their fight. Not long passed before the two engaged each other in a whirlwind of punches and Haki and scorching flames.
Luffy's fist was the first to make contact, though very brief and not having done any harm, for it ran head first into Akainu's fist, completely enveloped in lava. Having learned from the last mistake he made, Luffy had encased both of his arms in Haki and was now drawing back the other to land another punch. The rubber stretched and stretched, reached its limit, and rebounded with enough force to flatten a building. The Fleet Admiral, far more experienced on the battlefield, dodged without much trouble and began his counter attack. From all sides flames came at the Straw Hat captain, quickly blocking off all retreating paths and only leaving one option: face Akainu's wrath head on. Luffy, being Luffy, accepted the challenge immediately, not that he was going to do anything different if Akainu hadn't forced the choice upon him. With a sound that can only be described as a howl, Luffy flung himself at his foe, Haki coating most of his body as a defense against the flames. The last time they had fought, it hadn't taken very long for Akainu to emerge victorious, but not this time. This time, Luffy wasn't going to hold anything back.
"Gear Fourth."
Shockwaves rippled across the clearing as Luffy took his arm in his teeth and bit down, rapidly inflating himself to unreal proportions and throwing the entirety of his newfound weight at Akainu through the smoke and magma, which had been obscuring the view of his enemy.
"Gomu Gomu no Rhino Schneider."
Having compressed his feet into his significantly enlarged legs, Luffy let loose a devastating kick into the place where he had last seen Akainu standing. With the pressure that normally accompanies the landing of such an attack, the hit landed, only to be rebounded and send Luffy skittering and tumbling head over heels backwards, left to try and regain his balance as his ridiculous proportions rendered him unable to stand still for any length of time. When the smoke cleared, he saw that Akainu had somehow repelled his attack with the Admiral's own haki, though not entirely, for the kick had been solid, and the magma man now stood directly in front of the temple wall, hair disheveled with blood and eyes in flames, fury painted clearly into his face. Still trying to stop his aimless tumbling, Luffy didn't have much time to counterattack or even defend when Akainu finally initiated his attack.
What seemed like an entire volcano-full of lava sprang from the Admiral's hands and lunged for Luffy, steam rolling off in waves and the grass underfoot sizzling in its wake. Determined and slightly desperate, Luffy channeled Armament Haki into every inch of his body and awaited the coming onslaught, taking the crackling mass head on. In a moment, his body was engulfed in the sea of flames, the heat battering his Haki and wearing it away bit by bit as he fought and struggled his way to his opponent, his arm staying behind to ensure that something will be awaiting the Admiral when Luffy gets through all that magma, and it won't be something very pleasant. The steam from Gear Fourth mixed with that of the magma, and Luffy finally found himself on the other side, staring into the eyes of the one that had stripped him of his brother. A low growl forming in his throat, Luffy rammed his fist, shrunken into his arm like a snake ready to spring, into Akainu's face, exploding outward as it did so and shoving the Admiral straight through the walls of the temple, once again releasing the darkness that had curled up inside and away from a demon on the same crew.
It blasted its way out, instinctively finding its way to the one that knows, the one that now claims them as his minions and that they now consider master, the wall that separated them dissipating and joining its comrades in all their eagerness to obey their twisted lord.
The crew surged forward.
Luffy bounced towards his foe, using the strange body structure to his advantage, preparing to deliver a blow that would hopefully be his final, though he doubted it. Like he had anticipated, Akainu was just one step ahead. Before he could reach his opponent, the Fleet Admiral simply disappeared from his view, and when he realized where the marine had gone, it was too late. A fist made up solely of magma pummeled him from behind, the force driving the air from his lungs and blood flew into the air. His focus wavered, and immediately Luffy could feel the deflation coming on, bring with it the extraordinary exhaustion that accompanies every Gear Fourth transformation. Attempting to bite into his arm and inflate once more, the rubber boy was once again stopped in his tracks when he heard his archaeologist utter the single most horrified scream that he has ever heard, the anguish exceeding his own when Ace had perished in front of his eyes.
His concentration shattered, Luffy felt the deactivation of Gear Fourth in full swing as his body returned to its normal form and his eyes swung to take in what had caused that unearthly sound to escape Robin.
What he saw will haunt him for the rest of his life.
Usopp might be a coward and a liar, but he wasn't an idiot, and he too heard Robin's hoarse screech. That cowardice didn't allow him to look, but Luffy did. From the absolutely crumbled and shocked and stricken expression on his captain's face, Usopp only kept his eye on his target. Maybe if he didn't look at it, it will go away eventually…
He had his aim trained on the Fleet Admiral, only waiting for the right moment to let the bullet fly and give his friend a hand. Before now, it had appeared as if Luffy had everything under control, but things were starting to go downhill. So the sniper pulled back and released, letting the Pop Green fly, hitting the Admiral just as Luffy turned to deliver one final punch, now only in base form, before Akainu's lava completely overwhelmed his captain.
"LUFFY!"
At his call, Usopp saw Chopper sprinting over in Walk Point from his peripheral vision, the doctor's large eyes glossy with tears as he shoved himself across the ground, his hooves digging into the dirt and creating small craters. His antlers, having grown appreciably larger during the two years that they were apart, rammed full force into Akainu's side, and lava sprayed and Chopper cried out loud as the substance burned through the crisscrossing branches. Usopp, snapped into action, pulled the strings back once more to take aim, letting his ammunition screech through the air and onto the marine. Most of the Pop Greens that snapped at their enemy were quickly burned off their stems and fell to the ground in a charred heap, but where one fell, two quickly took its place, and soon enough, there were enough carnivorous plants to give the Admiral the slightest bit of trouble.
Soon, Brook and Nami had joined them, ice and lightning slicing through fire, much like they had done that day not long ago, only Akainu was considerably weakened this time thanks to Luffy's horrifyingly sacrificial struggles.
There it was again.
Robin's tearstained cries reached them once more, and this time, Usopp allowed himself a peek, seeing only Sanji running for the archaeologist, his cigarette forgotten and hair a mess of blonde tangles, tears circling in his visible eye, hearing only Franky's strangled yell when he was too late to stop it. Then he looked back, once again too afraid to investigate what it was that brought forth tears from one of the few on the crew that always kept his cool, afraid to see what had wrenched the sound from the shipwright and archaeologist. Instead, he turned back to the foe that was so much easier to face than the truth.
When he once again looked into the wrathful eyes of the Fleet Admiral and the forest beyond, Face Planters emerged in millions.
Robin was somewhat aware of the fact that Luffy now faced off the emotionless Fleet Admiral, and the only thing in her sight was the serpentine nightmare that was Wakazumi Noroi the Wind Cutter. His pale lips were right at her ear, his surprisingly refreshing breath tickling her skin, bringing her back to just the night before, when Zoro had done the same thing and spoke into her ear. However, this time, she wasn't enjoying it. Not. One. Bit.
She was afraid, so unbelievable, deathly afraid, her mouth frozen open in shock, but he didn't strike. At least, not yet. The cobra had encircled her, swallowed her whole, and though it was just a holographic image, it felt real. Too real. Noroi himself was right there next to her, whispering into her ear like he's soothing a cornered animal. What he said however, was perhaps the worst thing she's ever heard.
"One person. One thing."
She heard a crash, followed by the crumbling of stone, and then there was the darkness again, the one that had slowed down time itself. Now here it was, whirling around Noroi like a dog begging for attention from its master. In fact, it seemed to even resemble the shape of a dog, with four blurry shapes that might have indicated legs, and two more blobs that suggested ears. It twirled and swirled, purring and whining as Noroi's face turned sinister, a twisted smile spreading across his deranged yet handsome features.
"One person. One thing."
Somehow, her mind, or maybe it was impulse, immediately knew exactly what he was talking about.
For no … and no … shall the … unfold
"One person. One thing."
For no one and no thing shall the … unfold
"One person. One thing."
For no one and no thing shall the truth unfold
The prophecy lies.
Then there was blade. Weeping, cracked blade.
Then there was someone. Strong, sturdy someone.
Then there was something on her lips. Warm, soft something.
Then there was blood. Red, splattering blood.
She screamed, the crew heard her.
She screamed, Usopp didn't dare turn.
She screamed, magma overcame Luffy.
She screamed, Chopper rammed into Akainu.
She screamed, Nami and Brook joined the fight.
She screamed, Franky roared.
She screamed, Sanji ran for her.
She screamed, Saga arrived.
She screamed, Noroi perished.
She screamed, Zoro protected.
As she watched him fall, everything good in her life: love, happiness, dreams, a future… they shattered.
These things that were so fragile, built with the polished glass her life had finally dared to give her, still so, so breakable…
She felt like a vase, so beautiful yet too frail, pushed off its pedestal to smash onto the ground, the brilliant patterns meeting the concrete and dissolving into powder.
The glass shattered.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays :D
