"So, this is the power of the most wanted man in the world."
Floating in midair, and arms crossed, Dragon's gaze bore deep into my soul.
I raised my head, and met Dragon's stare head on. His expression was the same stern, and uncaring neutral face I had known ever since his introduction in the manga. In the pale moonlight, his tattoos contrasted to great effect. He was the noble savage. A man stoic in the face of two admirals and a Shichibukai. He truly deserved his title…
"Kishishi Ki shi shi!" I raised my head to the sky, and began to laugh uncontrollably.
Dragon slowly began to float his way towards me, expression unchanged.
"You know?"
Dragon maintained his momentum.
"Sabo is still alive, you know?"
At that, Dragon paused for a second. Then, something shocking happened. He smiled.
"I know."
Floating on a furiously churning torrent of wind, Dragon jettisoned his way towards me.
Against Dragon's mysterious devil fruit, my shadow attacks were near useless. Witnessing the fight between Dragon and the two admirals, I figured some things out. Any attack launched at him seemed to be redirected, or curved. Such as Kizaru's beams, or his light sword.
However, when Kizaru empowered his leg, or arm, Dragon's devil fruit had no such effect. This meant his fruit had some restrictions. Most likely something similar to the Golden Lion Shiki's float-float fruit.
Scratching my chin, I began to strategize. I had a few techniques that may help…but they were untested. He was closing in fast, and I didn't have any further time to think. Now was the moment for me to see just how strong Dragon actually was.
Standing atop my shadow board, I rummaged through all of the techniques I had stolen.
'Yeah, this one.' A malicious grin stretched across my face.
Wind began to assault me from all directions, sharp as a blade.
In response, I decided to test a theory of mine. Screens made from shadow appeared around me to block the wind.
The collision between the two perfectly canceled the force of the wind.
I grinned.
"I think I have you figured out."
An outstretched fist, and calm indifference was Dragon's answer. His fist bore down on me like it contained the weight of the world.
"Very well then, don't say I didn't warn you." Circulating the haki in my body in a specific pattern, I took a deep breath.
"Dragon's Palm!" The palm of my hand was coated in armament haki, and released a familiar intensity.
When it reached Dragon's fist, a great pressure built up between us. The air popped, and we once again stared into each other's eyes. The technique of his fist had been countered by my palm.
While his fist was in the palm of my hand, his shadow, barely visible in the moonlight snaked its way toward me. For my plan to work, I needed to buy time, and capitalize on shock value.
"A fighter of great technical skill, one who prides himself in self-discipline and perseverance above all else. A learned man who dictates the direction and momentum of his opponents. Tell me this isn't you."
"…"
In the ensuing silence, Dragon's shadow became bound to my body. I exhaled in relief; my gamble had paid off.
'Shadow capture complete.' I didn't have Doppleman beneath me, but neither did canon Moria at Marineford when he captured those Marine's shadows. With Dragon immobilized, I could team up with the admirals, and take him down.
However, Dragon kept staring at me. He didn't even struggle, or activate his devil fruit. There was no attempt to escape. A slight trace of panic began to seize my heart.
"Perona, I know you're watching! Do it now! Attack him while he's paralyzed!"
Given his strength, he could break through my hold with ease. I had a brief window of attack.
Perona's astral form became visible, and she waved at me. She then pointed a finger, and dozens of her hallow ghosts flew toward Dragon.
'This is it!'
My confidence began to renew, in a moment, Dragon would become a weak, depressed mess. 'That's right, how are you going to redirect something that's intangible?!'
"You were almost correct. If only that were all I was. But life isn't about what ifs." His eyes were closed, and the wind had become still.
"Neh!" Perona stuck out her tongue in mockery as the multitude of hollow's flew through his body.
Dragon had a downcast, dare I say, melancholic vibe surrounding him.
"Otou-san is going to win, he's the best in the world! Will you stop talking? Hurry up and disappear! Once we're done here, we're going to get some ice cream, and have fun for hours!"
"Witnessing this bond you have with your daughter, this is something special. I never wanted to bare this weight on my shoulders. The most wanted man on the planet? What a beautiful life we all could have, my father, son, wife, living happily ever after. What a beautiful life! How I wish this world weren't so cruel."
'Wait, don't tell me, he's already depressed?! Perona's devil fruit has zero effect?'
"No. This is for the future. I know all to well the pain of giving up on those you love." Dragon mumbled to himself, although I was close enough, that I heard every word.
A deranged, obsessive look took ahold of his eye.
"Have you ever questioned yourself. What is the meaning of haki? Haki, in its literal translation means to discard. To some, haki means truth, or justice. Along my path, I learned to observe the world around me, to touch things that couldn't be felt. People began to follow me for my insight. Before I knew it, I was the leader of a movement. I had become a conqueror. What did that mean? Conqueror? Some people thought it was my rebellion against the World Government, or my leadership of men that made me a conqueror. They're wrong!
A conqueror is someone who fights fate! However, fighting fate comes at a cost. Anyone can advance their armaments, or observational skills with diligence and a certain mindset. Their discovery clashes at the borders of fate, but doesn't overwhelm the natural order. In contrast, to advance from a Conqueror, and become a true King? The thing you must discard, for the truth you seek? What is the price we as Conqueror's have to pay to sit on that gilded throne?...You must ask yourself. What is haki? A blessing? Or a curse?"
It felt like I was invisible, and Dragon was talking to himself. I licked my lips, tension was mounting.
"It's ironic. I attained mastery in haki to create a world where my loved ones can live in peace. Where everyone can live in harmony with one another, free from the burden of oppression. For the sake of my dream, I'll spare your daughter the sight of losing her father." A small tear fell out of the corner of Dragon's eye.
"Horo horo horo! What could you possibly-"
Perona disappeared mid sentence. Like a switch was flipped, her astral projection was gone.
I didn't have a chance to process what just happened, because of the feeling that assaulted my body and mind.
Pressure. Indescribably heavy pressure.
"Warrior, scholar. I am all those things you claimed me to be."
The sky around us began to crack. Thin long lines began to form around us. Each nearly invisible crease cut off a sliver of reality. Like a ceiling crumbling under the weight of an old building, shards of the star-studded sky fell into the ocean. The line, there and gone in a flash exposed a white void. It was a world of nothing.
"And more."
The cracks started to form close to me. Under Dragon's guidance, a crack began to form inside of my chest. My observation haki blasting at maximum, I barely had time to dodge. A quick movement to the side, and I almost made it out in one piece. My right arm, became a casualty of war, flopping uselessly into the salty brine below.
My eyes widened in surprise, I was in such a state of shock at the sudden attack, I couldn't feel the pain of losing my arm.
My heartbeat began to go into overdrive, and I was acting on pure instinct. Reaching down, I ripped a third of Dragon's shadow away, and directly absorbed it. Flesh bubbled, and the skin around my stump sealed over.
At the partial loss of his shadow, Dragon sagged a little in the air. He held his head, as if he was suffering from a major migraine. Although he was distracted, and his pressure reduced, the lines didn't stop coming.
It was time for me to leave.
Sighing to myself, I was about to swap with Doppleman, when Kizaru launched a kick. At the same time, Fujitora came riding in on a floating chunk of rock, and jumped out, slashing at Dragon.
Both of Dragon's arms rose to meet, and block their attacks. A three-way power clash ensued.
"What is your devil fruit? Some sort of telekinesis? It couldn't be a mythical zoan, mmmm?" Curiosity tinted Kizaru's voice. As he asked his questions, Kizaru's leg began to emit an intense, blinding white light.
"You guys be careful. He has advanced conqueror's haki! Those fractures in the sky are unlockable!"
"Mm, you paid a heavy toll to earn this information Moria-san. I'm not usually much of a group fighter, but this is an opponent we cannot treat lightly." Fujitora said solemnly.
"One, two, three, what difference does it make? No one will stand in the way of my dream." Dragon declared.
A group of fractures began to form near Kizaru and Fujitora.
I grit my teeth, there wasn't much I could do. But I had to do something to try and turn the balance of this fight. Donning my shadow armor for the third time this day, I pushed myself to the max. I could maintain this ability for a few more minutes at best.
Emerging from Dragon's shadow, I drew a single blade with my left hand, and swiped down across his back. Due to the shadows I absorbed, my physical strength could outmatch giants. Additionally, I learned new insights into haki thanks to Sabo. I was confident in my slash.
Dragon spun at just the right time, and put Kizaru in the path of my blade.
Unable to pull my blade back in time, it fell down with a meaty crunch. Cutting deep into Kizaru's shoulder, my blade was a gory mess.
"Ah. Now that wasn't very nice." Kizaru quirked his lips mockingly.
Soon after, his entire body began to glow.
A furiously bright light blew up the night sky making it seem no different from daytime. In fact, looking at Kizaru right now was like looking directly at the sun.
Recognizing an explosion of unholy magnitude was likely to occur, I hurriedly swapped places with Doppleman.
Connecting to Doppleman, I observed the next scene carefully. Kizaru's entire body became that of a luminous being. His light flashed brighter, contracted to a dim hue, and then expanded greater and further. He repeated this dimming and brightening several times, until the sky was nothing but light.
Then, he exploded in a massive pillar of light. Large beams were deflected, shooting off into the distance. Space, the wide horizon, not even the briny deep was spared from the massive beams of destruction.
Despite his immaculate defense, a large portion of pure, condensed light energy landed on Dragon.
Kilometers away, in the position Doppleman had flown to, I saw a flash. Even from this distance, the intensity of the light was enough to make me see spots. My ears popped from a sudden change in pressure. Then I saw the shockwave. Rolling waves of condensed air flowed toward me in an endless stream. I imagined that Kizaru's explosion could give Earth's mightiest weapons a run for their money in sheer scale and magnitude.
Unwilling to experience the shockwave with my body, I locked on to Doppleman through my connection. Being able to become intangible, not to mention the light was a non-haki empowered attack, he was unharmed. Swapping places, and teleporting back to the fight, I was witness to a miracle.
Kizaru floated high in the sky, his body maintaining a stunning glow. With both hands in his pockets, he seemed cool as a cucumber.
'Just how strong is this guy?! With a body of pure light like that, had Kizaru awakened? Let's see what his shadow has to say.'
Initiating my ability for shadow reading, I took a closer look at Kizaru. From his shadow, I got a jumble of feelings.
'Tired. Elated. Curious. Energized.'
From his shadow, I gathered that Kizaru was excited for more, and happy to unleash his power. However, the massive attack he released earlier had consumed a large portion of his stamina. It took much of his effort just to fly in place. He was essentially out of the fight.
I counted my blessings that whenever I ran low on stamina, I could absorb a shadow for a quick boost.
I heard a shout, and turned my attention towards the noise.
"Ha!" Fujitora stabbed forward, intent on piercing Dragon's heart.
Both men were subject to the point-blank explosion from Kizaru, and it showed. Their clothes were ragged and torn. Their exteriors had patches of ashy black, burnt skin. Several raw lacerations dotted their bodies like rashes.
Besides the explosive damage, the amount of light exposure couldn't be healthy. It wouldn't surprise me if it took Dragon weeks to recover his eyesight. If he were any normal human, he'd be permanently blinded for life.
Eyes closed, and face grimacing in obvious pain, Dragon tried to gain some distance from the blind swordsman.
The chase was on.
Strong gusts of wind bore down on Fujitora, followed by a stream of cracks in reality. This time, however, he wasn't having it. A powerful gravity well surged beneath each of Fujitora's steps. After each step, he would cancel his manipulation of gravity, and then quickly reactivate it for his next step, so that Dragon couldn't alter Fujitora's course.
He quite literally slingshot himself forward at rocketing speeds. Every last ditch attempt to delay and push Fujotora back was in vain. Fujitora was propelled toward Dragon, and could not be stopped.
Understanding he couldn't match Fujitora's speed, Dragon lifted his arms. His sleeves were gone, and his pair of hands were peeled and cracking. Blisters had formed, and it appeared his entire face had suffered a very severe case of sunburn.
Like watching a car crash in slow motion, Fujitora's blade thrust forward.
Both combatants shifted their bodies, and forms minutely as they came closer.
The time had come, everything happened in an instant.
Fujitora's blade was less than five centimeters from impaling Dragon's heart.
At the same time, a haki coated fist from Dragon was raised, and knocking the sword to the side. His other hand was open, and shoving forward like a sword towards Fujitora's throat.
A slight pause on Dragon's part was all it took. Dodging to the side, Fujitora swished his blade down and to the side, avoiding both Dragon's block, and attack. The pathway of Fujitora's blade carried downward, cutting deep into Dragon's lower rib.
In spite of the sword in his chest, and the quick mental attack, an aura of victory began to form around Dragon. The feeling was reminiscent to the conqueror's haki Ace had released at Marineford, only much much more condensed.
Lines spread across the sky, tearing it asunder. Fujitora only barely dodged them. Several close encounters saw long, bloody wounds form across his legs, and torso.
Forming his hand into a claw, Dragon thrust his hand forward in retaliation. His hand moved at an unimaginable speed!
'Is that a five fingered geppo!?'
Piercing Fujitora's chest, the five digits left behind gaping holes.
Barely any time had passed, before I decided to take action. I wasn't about to let this man escape now that he was in a deadlock. Still in shadow armor, I emerged from Dragon's shadow.
Three seconds had passed, and Fujitora had twenty five holes in his chest.
Five seconds later, I shook my scissors free, and Fujitora's chest was becoming unrecognizable.
Swiping his blade downward, Fujitora cut away half of Dragon's left side. All the way down towards his left knee, before pulling out.
I gaped in surprise, we did it?
Despite his grievous wounds, Dragon emitted an aura of victory. A spirit of indominable will flowed outward from him. While they were grappling, and on the verge of life and death, a crack in space time emerged at Fujitora's neck.
"I won that gamble, from earlier. Are you a man of honor, Issho?" Dragon's voice, full of pain and exhaustion rattled out.
Emotions warred across Fujitora's face, before finally, he closed his eyes, and let out a soft sigh. Turning his back, he sheathed his blade.
My face took on a stormy complexion. Fujitora was adhering to that dice gamble from earlier?! To think I thought Fujitora and I could become something akin to friends. This is no better than a betrayal! Lifting my scissors, I snipped downward, severing Dragon's shadow.
Dragon's willpower was mighty, and he struggled to stay awake. Lines formed around him haphazardly, breaking the sky all around us. A random crack was bearing down upon me, and if I didn't make my move in the next second, I would be split in two down the middle! Now! While he was in a weakened state, I reached out again with my scissors, and laid them across the back of his neck.
*Crunch*
Just like that, Dragon, leader of the revolutionaries was defeated. Collecting him in a shadow cocoon, I floated in the sky, lost in thought.
"Moria-san, I knew you would win in this encounter. I hope that as one tea enthusiast to another, we can put this event behind us." Fujitora entreated. Blood dribbled down his chin as he spoke. The wounds in his chest were not for show.
I released my hold on shadow armor and turned to talk to him. Besides showing my face for a more human interaction, shadow armor had come to its end, and I couldn't even use it if I tried until I rested.
"Of course Fujitora-san, we're tea drinking buddies after all, I grinned."
"Hahh, didn't I say so earlier? A man's face is malleable, his heart however, it never lies."
My grin stalled, and my eyes narrowed.
"Kishi shi shi shi shi! Ki shi shi shi shi shi! Of course, leave it to a blind man to be the most insightful person in a room. Truly, we have come full circle. I would have enjoyed maintaining our relationship as tea drinking companions Fujitora. But your honor was more important than our friendship. I'm sorry."
Copious amounts of shadow javelins formed around me, and launched themselves at Fujitora.
"So am I." Fujitora raised his hand, and slammed downward.
A heavy gravity well pushed down on me. I was instantly pressed downward, towards the ocean.
Despite my situation, I wasn't in a panic. True, my shadow armor was unusable, but I could swap places with Doppleman at any time.
As I was flung toward the ocean, Fujitora struggled to raise his sword. Using his gravity powers combined with his superb observational haki, he easily dodged dozens of strikes. He even attempted to use his gravity powers to divert the shadows.
While light, and by consequence shadows were affected by gravity, Fujitora was no black hole. His power over gravity wasn't anything close to that scale. The shadows veered off course, but under my direction, they corrected their path in no time. The sheer amount of shadows headed his way was like a downpour.
If he was in peak form, or even had half his strength, he could easily block the casual mass of shadows headed his way. Unfortunately for him, he tanked a point-blank blast from Kizaru's explosion, and further suffered massive damage from Dragon's offense.
I was coming closer, and closer to the ocean. At that time, I read Fujitora's shadow. He was a mix of feelings. Bitter sadness, and tired relief. Sorry to disappoint you Fujitora, but this play won't end in my death.
I swapped all of my body with Doppleman. Without me being physically present, control of the shadow javelins I launched ceased. Howver, this wasn't much of an issue. Under my control, Doppleman flew high into the sky, up close near Fujitora.
Swapping places once more, I took a good look at Fujitora. He was a mess. Blood flowed freely from his copious wounds, and he struggled to breath.
I felt bad for what I was about to do. All things considered, Fujitora was a man I respected. I only got to know him over the course of an hour or two, but he was an insightful man to speak with. I knew however, that an opportunity to claim a zombie as powerful as Fujitora wasn't something I should pass up. He was tougher than me, and the only reason why I could drive him into a corner like this was because of the insane series of events. It was because of this respect, that I decided to kill him in a way that befitted his status.
"Goodbye, Fujitora-san. Let's be friends in the next life." I raised my blade.
"Moria." Panting, Fujitora gripped his sword.
Our blades came down, each reflecting the brilliant, moonlit sky.
His blade cut through shadow; a portion of my body swapped out with Doppleman.
Mine cut diagonally, cutting deep into his chest, and out the other side, severing him in two. The wounds Dragon had inflicted eased my blades passage.
Scooping both halves up in a shadow cocoon, I paused for a moment. Kizaru was kilometers away, I had to get my story straight.
"I swear Ivankov, I will kill him. I WILL KILL HIM! He'll pay for what he did."
"The life of a revolutionary has never been easy. I always feared this day could pass. I never truly believed it would happen, he always seemed so invincible. Come Sabo-chan, that admiral is still floating there. If we try something now, we'll only let him down."
"Boss, listen to this broadcast!"
"It better be good number eighty eight, if it's another prank, I'll gut you and let you bleed out from your entrails." A black haired, skinny, nearly albino pale man whispered. He wore a white suit, with a black tie, and blue collared under shirt. His voice was soft like velvet, every syllable sent chills down the spine of the gathered men around him.
"N-no, number one, sir! This is it, listen to this!"
"…Follow, in Kame's name against the heavens themselves in righteous victory." Dragon's speech ended.
"Very good, you may keep your entrails Eighty Eight. A slow death is much to cruel." One licked his lips.
"Ahh, yessir!" Eighty Eight saluted.
"Oh, and Eighty Eight? Didn't anyone tell you? Never interrupt my fun time." Standing from a still twitching and very alive, unrecognizable gory mess, One brandished his sword.
"Being the bearer of good news, a swift death is more than enough compensation."
"Boss." Was all Eighty Eight got out, before he was decapitated. His shocked face soaring into the air.
"Alright boys and girls, the target of our Mistresses ire is about to be visited by a rude awakening. The target we've been following for more than a week has finally showed an opening. While he's preoccupied, we'll hit him where it hurts. He hit our family, so let's hit his."
"Ohhhh!"
"And that's what happened. Fujitora-san was defeated by Dragon, and fell into the sea. Heavily wounded, Dragon flew away in a hurry. I tried to pursue him, but my shadows were halted by his devil fruit. With Dragon wounded as heavily as he is right now, now would be the perfect time for the Marine's to strike!"
"Ehh? Our new Admiral died so soon~? That's no good~ Hohh, I guess that's not my problem, let Sengoku-san worry about that." Kizaru picked his ear in disinterest.
"Besides, it's not like we have time to chase after revolutionaries, aren't we planning an attack on Firefist? Ohhh~ Well, it's not like it matters if you know. You'll be part of the attacking force too. See you later." After speaking, Kizaru started to lazily fly away.
'Huh, I wonder what that's all about? Whatever, first things first. I need to see Hogback about getting a new arm. No way in hell I'm going to go about my life like Shanks.'
AN: Sorry if Dragon's talk about haki was confusing/not narratively compliant. I googled the direct translation of haki, and there's a few different meanings, so I thought it would be interesting to incorporate that into the story.
I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter. I could've dragged the fight with Dragon way longer. Especially with how strong I wrote him as. However, I wanted to get Dragon behind me, and move the story forward.
You guys may need to re-read, but if you're lazy like me, that's a pain. That pale dude at the end is part of the Crazy 88's. That group that's under the Wu Tang Clan as seen at the end of chapter 28.
