Hi guys Azza here!
Reviews
Kriim-Sauce786 – Servant strength is going to be a mixed bag. Natsu is just getting his typical luck and finds himself pitted against the OP ones all the time but Marineford will have Servants he could one-shot and Servants around his level. There is also one Servant who will be present who has the potential to one-shot him but that is something better left for the arc itself to explain haha!
Erasenpai946 – The point of doing it was because many people have asked for fem Natsu to return into the story and so I figured with this being the Amazon Arc it'd be amusing to put fem Natsu into it as a bit of a fun addition. This arc is by no means going to be serious like many of the previous ones since it's a prelude to serious arcs.
Also, he's not actually hiding from them otherwise he wouldn't have just walked right into Luffy's cell and taken him. He's literally doing it because he feels like it which honestly is a rather Godlike thing to do.
I do plan on using fem Natsu a bit more just for a bit of variety going forward, be it for a meme or infiltration purposes hence why I gave the form an actual name rather than just calling it Fem Natsu or something like Natsumi.
Anyway on with the story!
I do not own Fairy Tail, One Piece or the Nasuverse.
Meeting The Pirate Empress
/Luffy's POV/
'Man … that was weird,' the Straw Hat Captain thought as his mind flashed back to the two purple haired girls. 'They looked so weak and yet …'
Maintaining his pace, Luffy looked down at his hands to find them visibly shaking. His mind trailed back to what Natsu had taught them about the presence of 'Higher Beings' and how they can use that against mortals such as himself.
'It was like she could've killed me at any time and yet she just messed about with that other girl … They even let me keep running even though they have a pact with two people here, why would they do that?'
Luffy was by no means smart when it came to tactics, but he was arguably unrivalled when it came to his instincts. He couldn't help but smile as he thought back on his dubbed 'Stretchy Instincts' and how they'd learnt of his little gift.
Come on Luffy, everything's gonna be alright!
I'm not making stuff up; I'd never lie to you guys! You're my big Brothers!
Maybe we should listen to him? He was right about Dadan wanting to tan our butts for swiping her sake again.
Anyone could've figured that out, ****!
Let's give it a chance and see if he's right. Honestly, compared to a flogging from Dadan, getting bit by a snake is nothing, right Ace?
Luffy smiled softly as his mind continued to wander back to his early childhood. They didn't get bitten by snakes that day since it just so happened to be the day the massive snake had gone out searching for food, leaving its massive eggs unguarded for the trio of Brothers to gawk at.
"I wonder what you're doing right now, Ace," Luffy muttered as his sprint slowed to a basic jog. "Hopefully you're doing better than I am right now …"
His lack of attention to his surroundings led him to the top of the cliff Natsu in his female form had scaled with both himself and the yellow haired Amazon girl. He also wasn't paying attention as he ran right off of it.
"Huh?"
Looking down, his eyes comically bulged from their sockets as he began falling down toward the massive building below. He knew he'd survive of course, being made of rubber and all, but it would still hurt nonetheless.
/Elsewhere On Amazon Lily/
"I have to admit, you're being rather calm about being captured for a Servant," Enyo mused as she sat down across from the mystery Servant curiously. "Most of the other ones I've fought would've already tried doing something drastic by now."
"Perhaps, had I been summoned in the Berserker Class, I might have been less than pleased," the female Servant sighed as she met Enyo's gaze. "However, don't assume my passiveness as a sign of weakness!"
"I never said it was, I was merely pointing out that it is a first for me."
"So," Enyo huffed as she rose to her feet. "You are probably wondering why I didn't just blast your ass back to the Throne Of Heroes, yes?"
"The thought certainly crossed my mind," the Servant replied neutrally. "However, it is clear that the reason for my survival can be attributed to both a source of information and a potential bargaining tool."
"I was leaning entirely toward the former," Enyo replied which elicited a curiously raised eyebrow in response.
"You would not seek to use me to gain something from the Pirate Empress? You wouldn't use me to save yourself and the man?"
The Servant seemed surprised as Enyo giggled into the palm of her hand, amusement alight in her eyes as she walked over and crouched down in front of the Servant. The look in her captor's eyes in that moment wasn't one of a naïve warrior or a seasoned mercenary.
Those were the eyes of a TRUE warrior, one who had already calculated ten steps ahead before even instigating the conversation. And oh, how right she was …
"Let me be quite clear on this," Enyo whispered as he lips moved to the Servant's right ear. "Should a hair on Luffy's head be harmed, I will wipe this entire island off of the map with flame hotter than the sun itself."
"What …"
"You might think me mad for such a declaration and under most circumstances you would be correct since I am not one to so quickly resort to obliterating entire islands," Enyo continued as she pulled back with a grin that reminded the Servant of her Father. "Unfortunately for all of you, after that crap at Sabaody I'm not in a particularly kind mood and my mental state is kind of all over the place. So, I can't guarantee you I won't resort to obliteration to get my way."
"Sabaody," the Servant muttered in confusion. "But the events perpetrated there were by Nat-."
The Servant froze and really took in the appearance of the woman kneeling before her. Countless battle scars, long shaggy pink hair and a modified form of the coat Natsu always wore draped over his shoulders, concealing her bust which would otherwise only be covered by a set of white wrappings.
"It can't be …"
"Seems like you've got my identity down," Enyo laughed as she sharply pulled away from the shocked Servant who visibly flinched at the erratic behaviour. "It was nice to just be someone else for a bit."
"B-but why would you want to become a woman," the Servant snapped out, her tone becoming more and more hostile. "You're a man!"
"I am what I feel like being," Natsu/Enyo responded in both voices which actively sent shivers down the Servant's spine. "Perks of being like a hundred different things and possessing a slew of powers, I suppose."
"B-but that-!?"
"What? You got something against men," Enyo cut in as the Servant quickly averted her gaze. "I understand the others because they are clearly ignorant in general of what a man actually is. But you …"
The Servant braced herself to be treated just the same as she had the last time she was captured. Gritting her teeth, she snapped her head back toward him with a defiant gaze only to find he'd moved behind her in that moment and cut her bonds.
Almost instantly, the Servant had jumped to her feet and cleared some distance from Enyo, a guarded look on her face as the two circled the small clearing. Enyo didn't seem concerned in the slightest at her behaviour, hands behind her back and walking as if she were out for a casual stroll.
"What is the meaning of this!?"
"What?"
"You released me from my bonds," the Servant snapped. "Why!?"
"That depends, do you want the answer?"
"Well of course I-!"
The Servant paused and thought about what Enyo had just said. Did she want the answer, or did she already know it?
"I'm literally not registering as a threat to you, am I?"
"Nope," she replied bluntly which honestly slapped the Servant's ego rather hard, though in a small way she appreciated the honesty.
"Even still … I could try and flee from you, try and return to my Sisters!"
"Then do that."
"And then what will you do!?"
"Whatever I want."
"Whatever you want?"
"Yep," Enyo replied, emphasising the 'P' as she ceased keeping pace with the Servant's circling. "
"And what makes you think you can just do that?"
"Because it's my right."
"Your right," the Servant spat as she grit her teeth. "Your right as a man, you mean!?"
"No," Enyo replied dismissively as she vanished and appeared behind the Servant so fast to speak clearly into her ear. "It is my right because of my strength."
Before the Servant even had a chance to turn around, Enyo was standing in front of her again only this time she had her hands in her coat pockets and a smirk etched onto her face.
"So, with all that in mind," she continued as she pulled one hand out of her pocket and extended it outward. "How about we try and not let things come to destruction and talk it out, eh?"
"You want to … talk," the Servant said in disbelief. "You seriously just expect me to brush aside the fact that you infiltrated the village, took a prisoner as well as a fellow Amazon, led the guards on a chase around the island and knocked me out and took me captive?"
"Yeah, that about sums it up," Enyo hummed in agreement which prompted the Servant to sigh.
"You do realize that once my Master returns, she'll be furious about all of this, right?"
"If that's the case, better start buttering me up then," Enyo laughed as the Servant shook her head in disbelief.
"They said you weren't mad when you were younger …"
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
/Luffy's POV – Several Minutes Later/
Luffy blinked, the pain from the fall having been mitigated considerably by water. The water was rather pleasant, all things considered, and was heated to the point that steam gently rose from its surface.
Luffy's eyes weren't on the water however, but instead the only other occupant of the room. A tall, beautiful woman, stood with her back to him. Looking over right at him with a shocked gaze, the woman slowly turned around as Luffy pointed toward her.
"A man …"
"Oi, that mark on your back," Luffy started to say only for the woman to drop down onto her knees, a look of horror etching its way onto her face. "I-I think I've seen that before, somewhere …"
"No," the woman said through grit teeth as the only exit to the room burst open, two more women charging inside.
"Sister!"
"What happened!?"
Luffy cocked his head to the side in confusion. The two that entered looked nothing like the naked woman in the water, but looked more like half Giants by comparison. One was slim and had green hair, a theme shared by her almost non-existent clothing. And the other was slightly larger and had chestnut brown hair with similar clothing to match.
"He saw my back," the woman said, barely above a whisper as the two newcomers gasped.
"But how!?"
"How did a man get here!?"
"It doesn't matter," the naked woman said as she rose to her rather intimidatingly full height. "He won't live long enough for it to matter."
Cupping her hands out before her into the shape of a heart, Luffy again cocked his head to the side. It wasn't until the woman spoke that he realized what she was doing.
"Mero Mero: Beam!"
"Beam," Luffy gasped as his memory rewound to the time he and his friends met the Foxy Pirates.
Noro Noro: Beam!
"Crap, she's gonna freeze me in place," Luffy gasped as the beam attack washed over him.
Wincing as the attack went over him, Luffy quickly realized that nothing had actually happened. Returning to simply stare at the woman with a confused expression, Luffy cocked his head to the side in confusion.
"What …"
"B-but how," the two large Sisters behind the woman gasped which prompted the black haired one to shake her head.
"No, that was simply a fluke! Mero Mero: Beam!"
Luffy again winced and covered his eyes as the beam washed over him, and once again found it had no effect whatsoever. The three women all blinked in unison which prompted Luffy to look around, seemingly expecting some sort of effect.
"I don't understand," the woman gasped. "Does he not possess any lustful thoughts toward me despite seeing me naked!?"
"He would have to Sister; your beauty is unrivalled!"
"Perhaps his fear overwhelmed his lust for your body!?"
"Yes," the black-haired woman sighed as she clenched her fists. "That must be it!"
"I'm not really sure what's going on here but I've gotta get going," Luffy said as he ran toward a nearby wall and simply blasted it away with a punch.
"Stop him," one of the Sisters snapped right as Luffy jumped outside.
As he jumped, Luffy was about to land on one of the rooftops when he suddenly found himself mere inches away from one of the purple haired girls from earlier. The girl simply smirked and raised her glowing index finger upward teasingly.
"You naughty boy, peeping in on the bath of the Pirate Empress herself. You'll have to be punished now …"
The girl tapped Luffy of the forehead and he was instantly blasted all the way into the back of the cliff which loomed behind the building he'd just escaped from. The girl vanished and appeared at the side of the tall, green haired, woman.
"I trust that will suffice, Master?"
"Yeah," thanks Assassin."
"He's surely unconscious after that hit," the other Sister said as the identical purple haired girl appeared at her side. "Archer, make sure the man is bound and taken to the arena."
"I suppose," the girl sighed. "I'm not really cut out for all this … work stuff, though."
As Archer vanished, the woman from earlier appeared wearing a rather revealing red blouse and a loose sarong that revealed her long and slender legs. It wasn't a stretch to say that the woman screamed beauty and seduction, however her piercing cold gaze would shatter the heart of any who dared approach her.
"Sister, are you alright?"
"No," the Empress replied with a sneer as she looked over at the massive crater in the side of the mountain that housed a man completely unaffected by her beauty. "No, I'm not."
/Natsu's POV – Half An Hour Later/
"You're being summoned?"
"By my Master, yes," the Servant replied as she looked over to Natsu. "With that in mind, are you sure about this despite everything I've told you? Her hatred for men has no counter nor rival. Even my hatred for men cannot even begin to be comparable, despite the tale I just told you."
"Even so, I'd like to see if we can leave without bloodshed," Natsu sighed as he reverted back to Enyo once again. "This form appears to be more useful than I had first thought, useful enough to get me near the Empress perhaps?"
"Doubtful. She's even willing to take out her fellow Sisters should they so much as look at her the wrong way. Truly, she is a rather frightening Queen Of The Amazons."
"I don't know, sounds like you were too back in your day," Enyo replied sincerely which brought a genuine smile to her face.
"Perhaps, but it was marred by shame toward the end thanks to …"
The woman's eyes flashed amber, her sclera momentarily turning black only for her to shake her head, seemingly calming herself down. With a sigh, she looked over toward Enyo who simply looked at her sympathetically.
"What?"
"That was my mistake, I shouldn't have entered that line of conversation."
"You are one of the few men I can tolerate and I am fully aware you didn't intentionally do it, so its fine. But enough of this, we need to move if we are to speak with my Master."
"I can warp us there if you want?"
"Very well, but not directly to her location, just nearby. If she discovers someone with powers she deems 'too dangerous' then she'll summon the other Avenger in an attempt to wipe them out."
"Noted," Enyo replied as the two vanished and reappeared on the edge of the village. "Didn't you say she lived in that palace over there?"
"Indeed she does, however she has just returned to the island so perhaps she is addressing the Sisters in the arena?"
"Well, lead on," Enyo said as he followed the Servant toward the massive stone arena on the edge of the village. The two arrived and stood atop its edge, peering down upon the assembled crowd below.
"It seems we are already too late," the Servant sighed, Enyo humming with a slight frown on her face as she looked down to see Luffy bound by snakes at the centre of the arena.
"Bloody idiot probably did something stupid," Enyo sighed. "Go down and join the Empress, I'll step in if things get too dangerous."
"Very well," the Servant replied as she vanished, leaving Enyo to scan every last shred of detail within the arena in an attempt to fully gain an idea of the potential threats he'd be dealing with.
/Luffy's POV/
"Damn it, my head still hurts like hell," Luffy winced as the Amazons around him cheered for the woman sitting on the throne at the end of a set of ascending steps.
Seated several steps down from her were the two identical purple haired girls, both smirking at him as if they knew something he didn't. On each side, standing on platforms were their Masters, the Sisters of the Empress.
The Empress herself didn't even flinch as another woman appeared at her side, merely looking over to her with a glance before resuming her half-lidded gaze down upon his position.
"Now that we've all assembled, we can begin," the Empress said as she rose to her feet. "It is time to execute this man who has invaded our country and attempted to destroy us all!"
The cheers from the crowd were nearly deafening, however he idly noticed the blonde-haired girl they'd met earlier not cheering like the rest. Instead, she looked rather worried for him but was too afraid to say anything.
"This man has committed the most heinous crime," the Empress continued. "He tried to expose the back of one of Amazon Lily's Three Gorgon Sisters to you all … MINE!"
The roars of the women calling for his death were swift with many outright throwing things down at him from the stands. Luffy didn't care however, his gaze locked defiantly with the Empress herself who merely sniffed dismissively in response.
"As you all know, the punishment for such a heinous crime is execution at the hands of Bacura! However, this man has gone as far as to peek upon your own Empress in the bath which thereby constitutes a much heavier sentence."
"How the hell do you get heavier than a death sentence," Luffy snapped in disbelief at the crap the woman was spouting.
"SILENCE-!"
"How about you shut up instead," Luffy snapped back which rendered the entire arena silent. "Who the hell do you think you are anyway!?"
"Who am I," the Empress laughed bitterly as she glared down upon him. "Who am I, you ask!?"
Ally Of The World Government
Warlord Of The Sea
Empress Of Amazon Lily
Boa Hancock
Bounty – 300,000,000 Berries
"A Warlord," Luffy shouted in genuine surprise. "Seriously!?"
"Oh yes," Hancock replied with a sneer as she returned to her seat. "And you, you're going to die here with that knowledge being the last thing you ever learn. AVENGER!"
"Yes, my Master," the Servant next to the Empress replied with a slight bow.
"Kill him."
"Understood," the Servant said slowly, looking up to the barely visible figure of Enyo who was no doubt looking down upon them at this very moment.
Sighing, Avenger vanished and appeared across from Luffy with a pensive expression on her face. Luffy was about to ask about Natsu's whereabouts when the Servant entered a fighting stance.
"Do not bother asking questions you already possess the answer to, boy," Avenger snapped as Luffy clenched his fists.
"You think I'm just gonna keel over and die to you, huh!?"
"Of course not," Avenger scoffed, clearly realizing Luffy hadn't in fact understood what she meant by her earlier statement at all. "But you'll need a hell of a lot more than just a Devil Fruit to match me!"
Luffy didn't even respond to her goading, instead entering a crouched stance as the bottom of his legs became much more spring shaped in nature.
"Gear Second!"
"Interesting. So, you have a means of advancing your own power," Avenger mused before motioning for him to attack. "Come then, show me the power that brought you this far!"
"Gum Gum: Jet Pistol!"
Not even hesitating, Luffy fired off his first attack faster than the majority of the crowd could track. Hancock's Sisters seemed slightly surprised at the speed but otherwise made little comment and the two purple haired girls openly laughed.
"He'll destroy his body if he treats it so harshly!"
"What a foolish boy!"
Luffy was shocked when Avenger simply sidestepped his attack, having seen it coming from a mile away. Grabbing onto his extended arm, Avenger dragged him forward and struck him in the gut hard enough to make the rubber man cough up blood on the spot.
"Is that all," Avenger asked in a bored tone as Luffy stumbled backward. "For someone trained by Dragneel, that was pitiful!"
"Dragneel," one of the Empress' Sisters asked, wondering who the Servant in the arena was speaking of.
The two purple haired Sisters however were frozen on the spot, their smirks now replaced with deep frowns as they looked all around the arena. Eventually, the one on the right nudged the one to her left and motioned for her to look up at a shadowed figure standing atop the edge of the arena walls.
"This isn't good …"
"Not good at all …"
"What isn't good," Hancock asked, having heard the whispers from the two purple haired girls.
"That name."
"Dragneel?"
"Yes …"
"What about it? Who does that name belong to?"
"Dragneel is …"
"He's an extremely powerful and nigh unstoppable force," the two Sisters replied which prompted the Empress to actually sit up in her throne.
"Explain!"
"Dragneel is a being far beyond our power, far beyond even our older Sister's power," the girl on the left stressed as Hancock's eyes seemed to shrink ever so slightly, gritting her teeth as she leant forward.
"And what does he have to do with the man down there?"
"Avenger seems to know something we don't," the girl on the right replied as they all looked back to the Servant who was effortlessly toying with Luffy. "Sister … I think her opponent from earlier was-!"
"Of course," the other Sister replied as both rose to their feet. "He has the power to shift into any form at any time! He's here right now, watching us!"
This seemed to further anger Hancock who also rose to her feet, a powerful presence crashing down over the entire arena. The two purple haired girls weren't fazed by it however many in the crowd began to collapse unconscious as it washed over them.
"You mean to tell me that Avenger already faced this … Dragneel, and failed!?"
"Yes, that would explain her absence."
Hancock's eyes darted around the arena until they finally locked onto the shadowed figure standing atop the arena walls, coat flapping in the wind ominously. Looking back down into the arena, she realized what this Dragneel was doing.
He was testing the man against the Servant.
"For one trained by Dragneel, Avenger deemed his power to be pathetic by comparison," Hancock muttered as her two Sisters moved swiftly to her side.
"What should we do?"
"Do we attack?"
"No," Hancock replied softly as she looked back up to Dragneel before looking down into the arena again. "I will not be undermined before my own subjects!"
A second wave of the pressure washed over the arena, knocking out the rare few that had withstood the first burst of the pressure. Its target however wasn't necessarily just the Amazons in the crowd, but rather it was the figure at the far end who towered over them all, obscured by the setting sun.
Avenger stopped fighting with Luffy as both looked over toward Hancock in confusion, the Servant's head quickly swivelling to where she knew Dragneel was upon realization of what the Empress was trying to do.
"NO! MASTER, WAIT-!"
But it was too late. As Hancock's power surged toward the shadowed figure it suddenly found itself smashing against the exact same kind of power.
Hancock took a step back in surprise as the entire arena was coated in black and red sparks, cracks beginning to form all over the ancient arena. All eyes were on the shadowed figure who's eyes now glowed an ominous red, forcing Hancock's Sisters to drop to their knees.
"Sisters, what is the meaning of this!?"
"W-we can't-!"
"His presence … We can't-!"
Hancock noticed that the Servants were only somewhat affected, the two purple haired girls wincing slightly whilst Avenger simply frowned. To her surprise, the other man down near Avenger also seemed to be remaining conscious despite the literal battle of wills going on above his head.
"So, you can use it as well," Hancock murmured as she grit her teeth, the storm above them only getting worse as the figure jumped off of the arena wall to land at its centre. "I will not have you here, not in my country!"
Avenger seemed shocked as Boa started walking down the steps toward the female form of Natsu, a form that seemed to flicker ever so slightly as his body morphed back into its male counterpart.
"Wait … The two of you shouldn't do this," Avenger said as Hancock reached the bottom of the steps. "I know that a clash of that kind of power is a bit different in this world, but-!"
"Stay out of this," Natsu said as he waited for Hancock to reach him. "You stay out of this as well, Luffy."
The Straw Hat Captain could only nod dumbfounded at what was going on before his eyes, despite the oppressive power feeling strangely familiar …
After a tense thirty seconds, Hancock stood eye to eye with the man who was clearly as great of a threat as the two purple haired Servants claimed. To match her own power, one she had worked hard to master, was nothing short of impressive.
"Tell me," Boa said as her leg became coated in an all too familiar black substance. "What kind of King are you?"
"A fledgling one," was the reply as he raised his left forearm to block a swift kick to the side of his head.
Upon contact, the black sparks that were let out above the pair also started emerging from the point of contact between the pair. Boa looked like she was actively struggling with grit teeth and sweat marring her brow.
Natsu on the other hand simply looked at her blankly. It wasn't a bored gaze, rather it was one that simply showed his indifference to the spectacle around them.
And as for the rest, they were blasted back as a powerful shockwave cracked the entire arena floor, forcing them all back to the stairs as an elderly voice began to cry out from the stands.
"Snake Princess! Snake Princess! Nyu must stop this madness!"
"Be silent, your meddling is not necessary," Boa spat as she kept trying to push Natsu back with no success.
"Don't be foolish, he's clearly tnyu powerful!"
"How dare you," Boa growled as she broke off the clash and almost instantly tried to smack Natsu in the face with a series of lightning quick kicks. "I will not back down to anyone, let alone a man!"
Natsu easily dodged the kicks, noting that her speed was abnormal by mortal standards. Sure, she wasn't moving as fast as someone like Kizaru but he didn't really count since he literally was a 'Light Human' and was thus moving at light speed constantly.
Boa's attacks by comparison were still impressive for someone clearly so young. Despite her beauty, she clearly trained hard for her strength which was certainly a positive in his book. As he dodged another barrage, he decided enough was enough and easily caught her leg in an iron grip.
"Ngh-!"
"You have proven your strength, Empress," Natsu said as she tried to get out of his grip. "But you should really listen to the others when they tell you to stand down."
"I will not," Boa hissed as she used the strength Natsu was putting into holding her leg back to lift herself up off of the ground and went to kick Natsu with her free leg.
"I'd rather not hurt you and talk civilly," he sighed as he snapped his neck to the right to avoid the kick. "But …"
With speed none of them save for the Servants could track, Natsu swung the Empress above his head and slammed her into the arena floor. Her Sisters and the old lady were shocked at how easily Boa had been dispatched as she lay unmoving, body several metres deep in thick concrete, however the Servants had already seen the outcome before she'd even stepped down from her throne.
"Alright," he sighed as he looked over to the stunned Sisters of the Warlord. "In my defence I didn't want to do that, but we all know she wasn't about to listen. So, where can we go to have a little discussion?"
The two Sisters looked over at the old lady who looked toward Natsu with a calculative gaze. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to remember exactly where she'd seen him before, eventually dismissing it in favour of the current issue at hand.
"The palace, that is when nywe will discuss things, civilly," she replied as she looked toward the two Sisters of Hancock. "Right Sandersonia, Marigold?"
"Of course … Elder Nyon," the two Sisters replied in unison.
"I'll carry her there if you want," Natsu sighed as he ripped the unconscious Boa free from the concrete floor. "May have used a bit too much force on her …"
"You expect us to just let you carry our Sister-!"
"Be quiet Marigold," Elder Nyon hissed as she looked over toward Natsu. "Very well, nyu may carry the Empress. I do not believe you would try something against her, given how eager nyu are to make peace with us."
And so, the rather strange group set off toward the palace, leaving the unconscious Kuja Warriors behind to recover on their own.
/The Servant State Of Eden – Same Time/
The Servant State Of Eden, a place that normally held up to its namesake thanks to the sheer abundance of differing cultures, ideologies, technologies and other powers, was currently in a frenzied state.
Knights marched around with great purpose; the clanking of their armor audible from beyond the legendary gates. Beasts of all kind, both native to this world and beyond, were being readied for transport as massive Man O Wars received large crates full of them.
But what had the civilian population so enamoured, were the mythical protectors who maintained a solid path from the Dock Of Arrival to the illustrious Palace Of Kings. Their golden armor and enchanted weapons shining brightly amidst the setting sun as the moon fought for dominance over the skies.
They were the fabled Honor Guard, the most seasoned warriors Eden had to offer and those who would often accompany the various Kings on missions of great import.
Eden was abuzz with activity all over its otherworldly surface, all thanks to a single request.
Moving toward the Palace Of Kings itself, within it a meeting was coming to its conclusion as every Servant bearing the title of 'King' sat among a round table. The topic of discussion being a heated one that had sparked a fierce debate.
A debate that had indeed, concluded.
"By a majority vote, the Servant State shall support our ally Whitebeard in his upcoming campaign," proclaimed Sir Bedivere, slowly furling up the scroll in his hand as he looked out over the gathered Kings.
"Then it is decided," roared a rather excited and manly voice as the King Of Conquerors, Alexander The Great, slammed his fist down on the table. "As of this moment, WE ARE AT WAR!"
"Settle down there, King Of Conquerors," Arthuria sighed as she took a sip from her mug of ale. "Until Whitebeard officially proclaims it, there is still no war."
"But there is a ninety-nine-point nine percent chance of it," Ozymandias chimed in with an amused grin. "The Casters are all in agreement on this and even most of the greatest tacticians amidst our own rank also see no alternative!"
"Maybe so, but that does not mean we must be the ones to fire the first shot into this conflict."
"True," Iskandar nodded sagely in a rare moment of calm approval. "That honour does not belong to us, but to Whitebeard."
"That was my only point, King Of Conquerors," Arthuria continued which prompted the man to shoot her his usual carefree grin.
"Don't worry about it, King Of Knights! Honestly, we all knew that anyway but were just trying to rile you up!"
"That might be a tad bit difficult, considering I found your efforts wholly unamusing," Arthuria replied dryly which only earned a loud boisterous chuckle in return. "But enough of this, there is much work to be done to prepare for the coming conflict!"
That seemed to be the cue as everyone began to disperse, leaving only several Kings remaining within the room. Arthuria simply stared into her drink pensively, Iskandar drank his eagerly before taking the unfinished one next to him and finishing that as well.
"So, now that things are back to a manageable level," Iskandar sighed as he wiped his mouth, looking over at the pensive King Of Knights. "What did you vote? For, or against?"
"Why?"
"Call it curiosity," Iskandar grinned as Arthuria rose regally from her place at the table and moved to exit. "Well?"
"For the record," Arthuria said as she turned around to meet Iskandar's gaze with glowing emerald eyes. "I voted for the approval."
Watching as the King Of Knights departed, Iskandar laughed and downed another drink before looking up at the far side of the room.
"Did you think she'd have voted that way?"
"You ask such amusing questions, King Of Conquerors," a familiar voice laughed as Gilgamesh leant forward in his seat. "But to be blunt about it, of course I did."
"I'll admit I did have doubts she would, but it appears they were unfounded."
"That version of King Arthur is not like her Saber counterpart," Ozymandias chimed in as he pointed at a full mug nearby and floated it over to his position. "She understands what it takes to rule."
"Quite," Gilgamesh agreed as he took a sip from his drink. "Saber Artoria is Arthur at her most emotionally unstable which makes her susceptible to the insecurities that plague we who are bound to rule. Lancer Arthuria however, she holds no such reservations regarding her rule and is the shining example of Arthur at her best. The King Arthur who united the fabled Arthurian Briton."
"It is rather interesting seeing two separate points in time of the same person being so completely different," Ozymandias laughed heartily. "It almost reminds me of the differences between myself and my Brother!"
"So," Gilgamesh said as he decided to change the subject. "The question now becomes rather entertaining, does it not?"
"Oh yes," Iskandar grinned savagely as he leant forward in his seat. "How many Kings get to join the battle, and which ones!?"
"I may sit this one out," Ozymandias sighed as he twirled his staff around playfully in his hands. "Nitocris seems to desire my presence at Euphoria for some reason."
"Being pushed around by Nitocris are we, a rather interesting piece of gossip if I've ever heard it," Gilgamesh laughed which prompted the Sun King to roll his eyes.
"I'll admit I do indeed have a soft spot for Nitocris, if only because she did what countless Pharaohs failed to do. Purge the rot, as it were."
"I always wondered if you were mad at her for basically using the position," Iskandar mused. "I figured it'd have been a slap in the face to use the position of Pharaoh to get what you wanted and then off yourself."
"In a way," Ozymandias sighed as the other two Kings leant forward, curious at the rare break in the man's seemingly endlessly cheerful demeanour. "Her short reign was what Egypt truly needed. She was a slap in the face to the near constant political infighting between the upper class and showed all those of her time the wrath of Horus."
"Which is why she now commands the power of Death so effectively," Gilgamesh nodded in agreement. "She is no mongrel, so long as she continues to never shy away from her actions and embraces the change brought about upon her demise.
The talk between the three Kings would drift from topic to topic. However, it was elsewhere in the Servant State that something rather unique would occur …
/Arthuria's POV/
"What a night," the King sighed as she entered her room within her own palace, closing the door and switching on the lights.
Walking over toward a nearby dresser, she undid the bun her hair would normally be done up in, letting it fall freely down her back as she dismissed her cloak and battle armor. This left her in little more than a form fitting blue leotard she used beneath her armor that left little to the imagination.
Removing her crown and setting it upon the dresser, she looked into the mirror at her own appearance and smiled slightly. She saw the jealous gazes of her Saber counterpart at her superior body. She remembered back to when she bore that form, at how small she was in comparison to the likes of Morgana or even her beloved Gwyn.
With a subtle tap, the leotard vanished, leaving her body fully exposed to the elements as the cool night air blew gently across her body through the open doors that led to her balcony. She wouldn't ever admit it, but she was glad that Rhongomyniad's influence also affected her body.
She was glad to look like a mature woman, even if only in private.
"I wonder," Arthuria sighed as she moved to her bed and, in a rather unladylike manner, flopped onto it face first. "Would 'He' appreciate this form?"
She could almost immediately hear Rhongomyniad's response to her question, but chose to ignore it entirely. The Sacred Lance really needed to learn that not every question was directed her way!
Rolling onto her back, she knew she needed to have her bath soon, but found herself melting into the bed with a rather adorable smile on her face. This was Lancer Arthuria at her most unguarded, the woman Arthuria just being Arthuria for a bit.
Therefore, she wasn't prepared when something smashed through her roof and landed right onto the floor before her bed. Startled beyond belief, she had launched herself into the roof whilst hastily summoning her armor, resulting in some of it not being summoned in correctly and her head smacking the concrete.
Landing on the ground in a crouch, she could already tell this wasn't an attack since there was a collapsed body within the centre of the dust cloud. Inching forward, Arthuria froze as some of the dust cleared to reveal the one who had smashed through her roof.
"S-Sir Mordred!"
Arthuria was snapped out of her frozen state upon realizing that Mordred had a massive hole through her and was losing blood at an alarming rate. Without a moment's hesitation, she moved forward and ripped off the damaged armor and moved to examine the wound in greater detail.
"By Merlin …"
This was the first time she'd seen Mordred since the Summit Of Kings and her body was now littered with fresh scars as well as current battle damage, indicating that she had been through much during their time apart.
"You rang," a childish voice called out as a young Merlin walked into the room like he owned it. "What do you … oh."
"Merlin, do something," Arthuria hissed as the mini Mage Of Flowers looked over to Mordred and seemed to slip out of his playful mood.
Summoning a miniature staff, Merlin shot a beam of light at Mordred which seemed to instantly stop the bleeding. Arthuria sighed in relief as the Mage placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I've put her into a state of suspended animation, but she needs serious medical attention or her Spirit Origin will give out. I'm honestly surprised it lasted this long, actually …"
"Then let us take her to Florence at once," Arthuria snapped as she scooped up the wounded Knight and ran from the room, leaving Merlin to smile sadly after her.
"It is good to see you like that, my friend," the Mage sighed before following after her at a moderate pace.
Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!