A.N: What is up, everyone? Merry early Christmas, first of all. Here's my early gift, a new chapter.
BTW, wanted to discuss something real quick. I'm currently reading Edens Zero, Hiro Mashima's new work. I'm just over a hundred chapters, and not entirely caught up.
I'll be completely honest. For as much criticism as I give Mashima and his work, and I do still stand by most of that criticism because I believe it to be valid and fair, if there is one thing I genuinely respect about Mashima, it is his ability to improve with every new story. Reading Edens Zero, I can tell that he listened to all the criticism levied at Fairy Tail and used it when writing Edens Zero, and the results show. I am genuinely enjoying the series, and I have to say, between Erza and now Homura, I'm a little disturbed by Mashima's ability to accurately guess my type on a consistent basis.
Anyways, just thought I'd share that with you all. Enjoy the chapter, everyone.
Chapter 35: Sabaody
As the battle in Mary Geoise rages on, let us take a moment to go back in time to the beginning of the fight in the Sabaody Archipelago. The first shots were fired off just as the battle in Mary Geoise was beginning. First, the coated ships of the 2nd Fleet dove out of the water, having traveled through Fishman Island's passageway to get back to the Paradise portion of the Grand Line.
Then, when the ships leveled out, Sabo immediately gave the order. "Fire on the shores!" He exclaimed. "Blast the frontlines into oblivion."
The ships of the 2nd Fleet fired off their cannons simultaneously. The Coalition soldiers yelled in terror as the resulting explosions sent them airborne. Sabo did not let up. "Press on! We will make landfall and take them down before they have a chance to get organized!"
All hell broke loose shortly after. Monkey D. Luffy rocketed off the flagship and was already beginning his fight. Then, the ships dropped anchor and made landfall, with Sabo declaring to Marco the Phoenix that if Luffy was going to give his all, they better do the same. High-ranked 2nd Fleet soldiers were already stepping in to do their part as well.
Flare Corona, however, was currently looking for her new captain. "Luffy? Luffy? Where is Luffy?" She wondered out loud. "How could he leave us behind like that?"
"You get used to it." Tony Tony Chopper admitted with a tired expression on his face.
"You might as well believe in your captain, Flare." Renji Abarai told her. "Us 13 Court Guard Squad Lieutenants go through the same things whenever our captains get into big fights."
"But LuLu's done so much for me!" Flare exclaimed. "He gave me a home now that mine is gone and some great new friends! I want to be close to him and protect him!"
Chopper and Renji both sweat-dropped at Flare's cutesy nickname for Luffy. LuLu?
Renji chuckled. "Well, I can't say I hate that loyalty." He admitted. "You're definitely going to fit right in with that crew."
And while we're on the subject, you've definitely got a few screws loose like everyone else in this crew. Renji added inwardly, remembering all the wacky hijinks he had seen from the Straw Hats so far. Chopper hiding terribly and doing that weird dance. Sanji flirting with literally everything in a skirt. Zoro's obsession with booze and somehow getting lost on the ship. And then there was...literally everything about Luffy and Franky.
If it wasn't for the fact they were so incredibly strong, I'd never believe they lasted as long as they did on the seas.
"That's sweet of you, Flare." Renji told her. "If it makes you feel better, I'll help you find him. Let's look after that big lug together, okay?"
"I'll help too!" Chopper cheered. "Luffy can never stay out of trouble for too long, so I should probably be close by to heal his injuries."
An explosion suddenly rang out. The trio looked to see the General Franky rolling across the shores of Sabaody. "WHOA!" Chopper and Flare yelled out in utter glee at the sight of the General Franky. "SO COOL!"
Definitely a bunch of weirdos. Renji sweat-dropped.
Still, I can't say I don't disagree with them worrying about Luffy. He admitted. I mean, it seems like every battle, the bad guys are getting stronger and stronger. I guess that was to be expected, considering we took Fiore and with it, the entire Wizard World, back from them. There could eventually be a situation where even Luffy can't hope to punch his way out of things, and if he keeps running off into battle, nobody will be able to save him in time.
Even if he did take Zeref down...things still seem to be getting much worse. I'll consider chatting with him about it when we're done here.
Speaking of Luffy, the Straw Hat captain was currently making life a living hell for Coalition soldiers in Sabaody. As he threw punch after punch, knocking out soldier after soldier, he found himself thinking back to his showdown with Itachi Uchiha. "I was starting to figure out how to see the future, while fighting Itachi." He noted. "But it looks like I'm having trouble replicating it again. Maybe it's because the guys I'm fighting right now are super weak compared to him?"
Luffy casually dodged a bullet fired from a nearby soldier's rifle. "Huh, that worked at least." He mused. "Okay, so I can do it. That's good, I guess I just have to keep putting myself in danger for my Haki to grow. I think Rayleigh said something like that back then."
"Boy, you really love talking to yourself, don't you?" Son Goku teased Luffy.
"I mean, if you want to get technical about it, I'm talking to you." Luffy pointed out in a surprisingly sage statement.
"Seriously, why do you always make sense at the weirdest times?"
Luffy just laughed at Son's response. Son heaved a sigh. "Well, I guess if you want to find someone strong to practice your new Observation Haki powers, now's as good a time as any. You took down Zeref, so people will definitely be gunning for you."
And I need to get used to being inside a Jinchuriki that actively seeks danger. Roshi was a hermit. I wonder if this is how Kurama feels about his vessel constantly seeking danger. As if I ever wanted anything in common with that arrogant fox.
As Luffy continued making his way through Sabaody, snow slowly began to fall. "Huh? Did it just get colder?" He wondered out loud.
Close behind Luffy, the Mist Shinobi Chukichi was slowly moving up from behind, using his Hidden Frost Jutsu to strike the Straw Hat Captain down. Coalition...don't want to work...but no choice...forgive me...die…
Luffy then looked over his shoulder, having for a brief moment, seen the awful future of a man trying to slit his throat. Chukichi's eyes widened. He...saw me?
"Take this!" Luffy yelled, punching Chukichi right in the jaw and driving the Mist Shinobi right into the ground.
Chukichi was left twitching in pain. Luffy kept an impassive look on his face. "Sorry," he said, "I didn't use my powers though, so I hope I didn't hurt you too badly."
"It looks like you can see the future after all." Son noted. "I mean, you saw that guy's attack. Your showdown with Itachi was absolutely worth all the blood, sweat and tears."
Luffy sighed and gently rested Chukichi up against a tree. You're growing pretty empathetic for a ruthless and greedy pirate, Luffy. Son noted inwardly.
Luffy ignored Son's statement and trudged through Sabaody. He had no real aim. He just wanted to find as many Coalition jerks as possible to punch out. That was his role in the fight after all. He based people's heads in, they fell down, he won, the good guys won. Thinking about it, Luffy had a pretty simple role in this and that was the way he liked it.
Meanwhile, other Straw Hats were going to work as well. Sanji calmly kicked his way through a defensive line of Coalition soldiers with ruthless efficiency. "7...8...9...10…" Sanji counted with every guy he kicked in the face and knocked out.
Sanji then landed in the middle of a group, doing a handstand and began spinning rapidly, kicking out guys with the force of a very ruthless cyclone. Sanji kept counting in his mind as he sent guys flying. "Party Table Kick Course!"
Sanji then propped himself back onto his feet with a triumphant smile on his face. "That's 50," he chuckled before looking off to the side, "how about it, Nel, fall head over heels in love with me yet?"
Sanji's mouth then dropped open in disbelief. Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck was in the middle of striking soldiers with blunt strikes, knocking them out with one blow each. Sanji's triumphant smile was replaced by a dejected look. "She's not even focused on me." He lamented.
Sanji then regained his composure and chuckled. "Well, at least I've got a pretty swell consolation prize." He noted. "What do you say to that, Moss Head? You're gonna need to really step up your game to catch up to me. I wonder what Kagu-Swan will say."
Sanji then looked to where Roronoa Zoro had been before, only for his mouth to drop open again. Zoro was nowhere to be seen. He immediately realized what happened. "What the hell?" He exclaimed. "I turn my back on him for one second and he still just wanders off?"
Sanji then freaked out some more. "NO!" He screamed. "Kagu-Swan is gone too? She was supposed to be watching Moss Head!"
Sanji wanted to rip out his blonde hair in frustration. "No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no!" He said repeatedly. He sounded like a machine gun firing off.
At that moment, Sanji began to realize what happened to Zoro and Kagura. "They went off to make out!" He exclaimed. "We're in the middle of a war, and those two went off to make out somewhere!"
Okay, nevermind, he did not know at all what happened to Zoro and Kagura…
"Damn you, Moss Head, get your damn priorities straight!" Sanji exclaimed.
Needless to say, Zoro is definitely not the one who needs to get his priorities straight…
"When I find you, Moss Head, I'm going to kick your ass!" Sanji declared.
That is probably the first thing he said that actually made sense since he began going on this insane rant of his. And that was only because he always tries to kick Zoro's ass. It was routine at this point.
Meanwhile, Zoro was wandering around Sabaody. "Wow," he groaned, "they got lost. They all got lost."
Zoro looked over his shoulder. "Wow, and even Kagura got lost too." He mused. "And after I so kindly decided to stay by her side and make sure she didn't get lost."
And just like that, Zoro became as delusional as his best frenemy. Thankfully, there was someone here to call him on it. Someone who was just as frustrated as he was, but for very different reasons.
"YOU!" Kagura Mikazuchi yelled in disbelief. "You are unbelievable! I turn my back on you for one second to deal with someone, and you just wander off! Just like that! How do you function?"
"Wow, you rarely go up this much in volume." Zoro gave Kagura a deadpan expression.
"Oh, don't you turn this on me, mister!" Kagura walked up to Zoro and jabbed him in the chest with her pointer finger. "How is it possible for someone to be this directionally challenged, huh? Please explain it to me in a way that I can understand, because clearly I don't!"
Zoro just looked at Kagura in confusion, like she was the one who was going crazy. "Do not look at me like that." She growled in frustration.
"Then don't give me a reason to." Zoro responded like she was the one out of line here.
"You are the worst." She muttered, rubbing her temple. "Come on, we're going back to the others. The last thing we need right now is one of our own wandering off randomly."
Kagura grabbed Zoro by his shirt collar. "I put up with it back in Fiore, because we were in my homeland, and my homeland happens to be a large landmass where even if you get lost, you'd have to be pretty stupid to never be found by us."
"Here though, we're on a variety of islands. So if you get lost there that means we could accidentally leave you behind!"
"That actually did happen once." Zoro said dispassionately.
"Which is exactly why I need to stay close to you, genius!" Kagura exclaimed. "And furthermore, I am going to drag you back to the others! Maybe that Sakura is right and you do need to be led around with a leash!"
"Do that and I actually start to fight you seriously." Zoro glared at her.
"I knew it!" Kagura yelled. "I knew you were holding back in all our matches, you unbelievable, inconsiderate jerk!"
Unbeknownst to both Zoro and Kagura, Coalition soldiers were waiting in the wings to ambush them both. Needless to say, they were all utterly baffled by the borderline-comedy routine that was going on in front of them.
"Is...this like some sort of lovers quarrel?" One whispered.
"I'm super jealous if it is," another admitted, "I mean, seriously, look at the body of that woman."
"Go ahead, admire the nice legs, great ass and rocking tits, boys." A female Coalition soldier was drooling at the sight of Zoro. "I'll just be drooling over that incredible cut of meat over there. Seriously, now that's a man."
"She's actually got a point. Whether it's a boy or a girl, they would make some kids that'll be seriously attractive when they grow up." Another Coalition soldier acknowledged.
"...I am so glad that you added that they'd be attractive when they grow up." The first soldier gave him a deadpan expression.
"Hey, I have standards."
"Weren't you in prison for torture charges?"
"I can still have standards." The torturer insisted.
"Oi!" The soldiers spying on Zoro and Kagura were drawn to the voice of the Straw Hat's resident master swordsman (sorry Brook). "You know we can hear you, right?"
This made all the soldiers' blood run cold as ice. "Three Sword Style: 108 Caliber Phoenix!" Zoro yelled.
"Undrawn Sword Style," Kagura was red with embarrassment and rage at the horribly crude description those soldiers had given of her, "Wind Style!"
Kagura stabbed forward, firing off a large bullet of wind similar to a few of Brook's Soul Solid techniques. The soldiers could only yell in utter terror as the two combined techniques sent them flying into the air.
"Perverse monsters," Kagura snarled, "behavior like there's is exactly why I joined an all-female guild."
"I'm pretty sure one of those people making those comments was a woman." Zoro pointed out.
"She was talking about you." Kagura reminded him.
"Oh? And you're telling me that me being eyed like a piece of meat doesn't bother me?" Zoro looked offended. "Don't you think that wounds my fragile maiden's heart too?
"Does it?" Kagura folded her arms.
"No, but it got you thinking." Zoro pointed out.
"Moss-Headed Jerk." Kagura growled, remembering how Sanji refers to him.
"Prissy Princess." Zoro countered before turning away.
"And where do you think you're going?" Kagura demanded, unable to comprehend that he would call her something as childish as 'Prissy Princess' and then just walk away like he was declaring victory in an argument. Also like a child, by the way.
"I'm going to keep looking for more guys to fight. Hopefully, they're guys who are actually a challenge."
"You got lost before!" Kagura reminded him.
"You got lost." Zoro corrected.
"Why in the world are you just doubling down on doing the exact same thing that got you lost in the first place?" Kagura demanded, ignoring Zoro delusionally attempting to gaslight her.
Zoro ignored her and just walked away. When in doubt, just ignore the pissed off woman. Zoro remembered his golden rule when dealing with Nami.
Unbeknownst to them, however, two individuals were perfectly concealing their presence from both of them. One of them gave a big, toothy grin as he stared at both sword fighters, knowing exactly how this was going to go.
Elsewhere, 2nd Fleet soldiers were shocked to see skeletons suddenly arise from the ground, armed and prepared for battle. "What the hell is this?" Kensei Muguruma muttered in disbelief. "The Thriller music video?"
"Don't be so stupid, Kensei, that music video had zombies!" Mashiro Kuna reminded him. "Stupid, stupid Kensei!"
Kensei's vein bulged in annoyance at the sound of Mashiro's voice. Seriously, why did he put up with this girl? His eyes then widened in realization. "Oi, Ishida!" Kensei turned his attention to Uryu Ishida. "You better not fire a single arrow at them!"
Uryu frowned at Kensei. All this time and he still really hated being ordered around by Soul Reapers. "Don't give me that look, dumb ass!" Kensei yelled. "They may be the walking dead, but I still sense souls from them! That means if you destroy them with those powers of yours, you'll destroy their soul entirely!"
"I ain't interested in seeing that happen to some poor saps who are tethered to the world by some creepy-ass power."
Uryu sighed. He could not argue with Kensei's logic. Destroying innocent souls who never asked to be dragged into this certainly did not sit well with Uryu either. It also disgraced his Quincy honor and duty to the innocent.
"I refuse to sit on the sidelines though!" Uryu exclaimed. "If these things are tethered to the world, that means they're basically puppets! And that means there must be a puppet master close by!"
Kensei nodded in agreement. "Good call, kid." He praised the Quincy. "If you do want to make yourself useful, track down the puppet master and kick his ass."
"Mind clearing a path to make it possible?" Uryu requested. "After all, he's probably hiding behind this army of corpses."
"Gladly," Kensei nodded, stepping up, "sorry about this. Hope you don't feel any of it!"
"Blast Away, Tachikaze!" Kensei's Zanpakuto changed into its Shikai form, a combat knife. Then, with a single swing, Kensei launched a wave of air blades that tore through several of the corpses.
"Give 'em hell, kid!" Kensei exclaimed as Uryu vanished with Hirenkyaku, making his way through the now jumbled army of corpses.
"Kensei!" Mashiro complained. "Why can't I go after the necromancer? He's a villain! That means a superhero should take him down! Stupid Kensei, you don't know the rules of fighting villains at all!"
Kensei groaned. "Don't be stupid," he said, "the kid's no good to us here thanks to his powers. I don't know why these people in particular have ended up living corpses for this necromancer. Maybe they volunteered as donors, maybe they were kidnapping victims. I don't know, and I don't care. Destroying their souls would just leave a bad taste in my mouth."
Mashiro giggled at this. "Kensei is such a softie." She teased.
"Shut the hell up." Kensei muttered under his breath as the corpse army regrouped and converged on him and Mashiro.
Elsewhere, Silvers Rayleigh breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Shakky's Bar was still standing. "She was actually gonna kill me if it was wrecked." Rayleigh noted, remembering how terrifying his wife looked. "I tell her time and time again that she really should've gotten insurance...but to be fair to her, nobody's going to give insurance to an establishment that serves pirates as often as she does."
Rayleigh casually stepped over several Coalition soldiers who were foaming at the mouth after being smacked with a very powerful dose of Conqueror's Haki. "Sorry about this. It must suck to be knocked out by an enemy that doesn't really care about the war around him at the moment. Truth be told, the only reason I volunteered for this mission was to check on my wife's business. If any of you are married, I'm sure you understand. Happy wife, happy life and all that jazz."
Rayleigh then realized he was talking to literally nobody due to all the soldiers being knocked out cold by his extraordinarily powerful Conqueror's Haki. "The hell are you doing, Rayleigh?" He muttered. "People are gonna think you've become a senile old man if they saw you having a one way conversation like that."
Still, mission accomplished, Rayleigh proudly noted. I live another day, now that I've been able to confirm that Shakky's bar is just A-OK.
Then, as though God Himself decided to show off his own sense of humor and play a merry prank on the Dark King, Shakky's bar exploded right in front of Rayleigh. Rayleigh's expression changed from one of relief to one of pure terror as one single thought crossed his mind. I'm dead.
"I'm terribly sorry, did that upset you?" A voice rang out behind Rayleigh in a tone that clearly intended to mock him.
Rayleigh looked over his shoulder to see a blonde youth in the robes of a Sternritter. "I saw your face. I saw how happy and relieved you looked at the sight of that building still standing, and I just couldn't help but imagine what that face would look like if I just took it all away." Gremmy Thoumeaux admitted. "And once I imagined it...once the thought crossed my mind, I just couldn't help but bring it forth into reality."
"It is what I do, after all."
"Why?" Was all Rayleigh could say in despair, knowing that he was going to get an earful at best and a beating at worst from Shakky for this.
"Well, it's really quite simple." Gremmy explained. "You see, the more I'm curious about something, the more I want to do it. I became curious about what would happen if I destroyed that bar, so I did it."
Suddenly, an entire line of machine guns appeared around Gremmy, all trained right onto Rayleigh. "Can you guess what I'm curious about now? I'll go ahead and tell you."
"Right now, I'm curious about what you look like on the inside." Gremmy revealed before opening fire.
Rayleigh then regained his composure and growled in anger at Gremmy. "You damn brat." He growled before emitting Armament Haki from his body, just as the bullets neared him.
Gremmy watched in shock as the bullets were stopped by some mysterious force and then fell to the ground. "You arrogant, smug little bastard." Rayleigh dropped all pretenses of lightheartedness. That was unimportant in the face of a very serious situation. "Do you realize what you've done?"
"Enlighten me."
"You just doomed me to face my wife's wrath." Rayleigh told him. "Can you even begin to imagine what the wrath of any woman, let alone your own wife is like?"
"I'd prefer not to imagine it." Gremmy admitted. "You have my sympathies. That said, if you didn't want it destroyed, you shouldn't have been anywhere near it."
"After all, Dark King Rayleigh, you're not exactly the kind of person my comrades want to live any longer than he already has."
"So you've heard of me?" Rayleigh raised an eyebrow. "Younglings are quite bold these days, to knowingly confront me. I mean, I'm not as young as I used to be, but still."
"Well, to be honest, I'm kind of disobeying orders right now." Gremmy laughed. "They were so insistent I stay close to the auction house to make sure everything proceeds smoothly."
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow at that statement. "The auction house? Wait, are you saying that place is up and running right now? That's an odd business to be running in the middle of a war."
"Whoopsies, perhaps I said too much." Gremmy giggled. "The point is, Dark King, when I sensed a monster here, I simply had to come. I will take any opportunity to expand my imagination. I will take any opportunity to make the strongest Sternritter even stronger."
Rayleigh responded by hoisting his massive double-edged sword, ready for battle. Gremmy pointed right at Rayleigh's right arm. "Your right arm is boneless." He proclaimed.
Rayleigh felt his arm go limp. He gasped as the blade fell harmlessly to the ground. He looked at his right arm and saw it flopping about. It was boneless, it was really boneless. All Rayleigh's arm was made of now was muscle and skin.
"Best I get past those odd little defenses of yours, right?" Gremmy grinned. "Armament Haki is quite impressive, but with a little imagination, you can get around it."
"I think I get the point, kid." Rayleigh scowled.
"I am no mere kid, I assure you. Like I said, I am the strongest Sternritter, on a quest to grow even stronger than that." Gremmy proclaimed. "I am Sternritter V, the Visionary, Gremmy Thoumeaux."
"Now then, let the gravity around you grow heavy." Rayleigh suddenly found himself forced to his knees from a sudden increase in weight.
"Heavier." Rayleigh was now doubled over, on his hands and knees.
"So heavy, all you can do is prostrate yourself before me." Gremmy concluded as Rayleigh was forced to fall flat on his face.
What an unbelievable power! Rayleigh was stunned.
"I can't wait to deliver your head to the Navy, Dark King." Gremmy admitted. "But not because of the bounty. I can imagine all the money I want."
"I just want to rub it in the faces of the Navy, who has failed to capture you for decades. I really can't stand those guys." Gremmy admitted.
"Guess that makes two of us." Rayleigh grunted. "Though to be honest, you're quickly creeping up on them on my dislike-meter."
"Your mouth is sewed shut." Gremmy proclaimed.
Rayleigh winced, feeling his mouth suddenly close. He could practically taste the stitching. "I'm enjoying our chat, Dark King," Gremmy promised, "it's just, if all you're going to say is snarky, insulting stuff, I'd much rather make our conversation...one-way."
"Now then, sink into heavy quicksand and die." Gremmy commanded.
Rayleigh gasped as he suddenly began to sink into quicksand that appeared out of nowhere. "Thus ends the Dark King." Gremmy held his hand over his heart as though he were saying a prayer of respect...which he was not.
Elsewhere, Gaara of the Desert, the 5th Kazekage was sailing through the skies on a cloud of sand. "The first major targets must be the weapons caches they have placed all across the archipelago." Gaara noted. "If we can take care of their weapons, we can cut their fighting forces down to only the heavy hitters who don't require the help of weapon caches to arm them."
"I can't believe you got a job like that! It hurts my feelings that you got grunt work, Gaara! It insults my pride as a Tailed beast!" Shukaku exclaimed.
Gaara sighed. "Tailed Beast you may be, you are the One-Tails. You shouldn't have that much pride, Shukaku."
Gaara could hear Shukaku grumble in irritation at that comment. He knew that Shukaku would not do anything though. The sand tanuki had become quite docile in recent months. To the point where Gaara could have normal conversations with him. Between that and the fact that Gaara could sleep normally, he was truly at peace.
It allowed him to focus on the truly important things. Namely the wellbeing of his village, his family, his friends, and his allies. Gaara then came across a clearing with several tents set up. He could see guns, ammunition and cannons being rushed about by desperate Coalition soldiers.
The gourd on Gaara's back produced even more sand. "A Sand Shower will be insufficient. If mere grains cannot do it...then I shall drop a desert. Shukaku, will you lend me your strength?"
"If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to look the old man or the old priest in the face. So yeah, I'll lend it to ya."
Gaara's body became enveloped in the Chakra of a Tailed Beast. Sand seemed to expand outwards, to the point where it seemed to blot out the sky. It caught the attention of the soldiers guarding the weapons cache. "What the hell is that?" One yelled in disbelief.
"That's sand...no, it's the Kazekage!"
"Begone, Desert Shower!" Gaara exclaimed, dropping practically an entire desert onto the area, crushing the soldiers and the weapons cache in the process.
"Forgive me, this was inevitable." Gaara lamented.
"You've definitely gone soft over the years, kid. Then again, I guess I'm no better. Still, this almost makes me miss the days you were psychotic. You were definitely a lot of fun to watch then…"
"Please do not ever say something that ridiculous again." Gaara rolled his eyes before scowling, sensing a presence nearing his location.
"Yeah, I know," Shukaku scowled, "be careful who you're about to go up against. I can sense it, they've got more of a demonic presence than I ever could."
Then Gaara heard a calm and chilling voice. "Inferno," Gaara instinctively whipped up a shield of sand around him that blocked flames that enveloped him.
Gaara took note of the sand turning into glass. "Damn, if I get trapped in something like this, I'll be suffocated."
"Concentrate," Shukaku told him, "traces of your Chakra are still in there, so you should still be able to manipulate it, break it apart. Just wait for the fire to stop burning, or we'll both get cooked."
Gaara took note of the outline of the flames outside. They seemed to let up. "Now!" Gaara exclaimed, closing his eyes and picturing the Chakra inside of the glass.
The glass then shattered, allowing Gaara to come face to face with his stoic-looking foe. "And you are?" Gaara inquired.
"Technically, I have no name. I am merely one of the Nine Demon Gates. Humans call me calamity. Though if you insist on calling me something, my comrades seem convinced that my name is Tempester." Tempester of the Nine Demon Gates revealed.
"If you were here to defend the weapons cache from me, I'm afraid you did a very poor job, Tempester." Gaara told him. "Your comrades are dead, and the weapons destroyed."
"I use no weapons, and I have no use for human comrades." Tempester responded. "Truth be told, I feel absolutely nothing for losing either."
"The only thing that matters to me right now is you." Tempester revealed. "I came here because I sensed the presence of a monster...a monster comparable to that of us Etherious."
"Oh, so I guess this is my fault."
"You have the presence of a human, and yet I sense a beast inside of you. What are you, exactly?" Tempester demanded. "No, the name of what you are is on the tip of my tongue, but I can't seem to...remember."
"Wow, this guy is a few pieces of sushi short of a sushi buffet. Scratch that, he's a ton of pieces of sushi short of a sushi buffet. He makes freaking Naruto, of all people, look like a genius."
"For once, Shukaku, I think we're in complete agreement." Gaara sweatdropped. "Though I'd appreciate you not talking about my dear friend like that."
"I suppose it doesn't matter who you are." Tempester sighed. "I'll just destroy you. That always works out whenever I can't remember something. That way, I don't have to go to the trouble of remembering it anymore."
"You know, that's actually not terrible logic."
"...Really?"
"Cyclone," Tempester interrupted Gaara and Shukaku's conversation with a massive twister.
Gaara quickly surrounded himself with a shield of sand to protect himself from the cyclone. Tempester scowled slightly. He raised his hand into the air. "Downpour." He commanded as several stormy clouds appeared over Gaara's sphere of sand.
Heavy rain began to fall from the clouds. Gaara's eyes widened as the sand began to fall apart from the rain. "It's like one of those freaking power washers from that world the Soul Reapers come from...I saw the pictures through your eyes."
"Now is not the time, Shukaku." Gaara muttered.
"You're vulnerable now," Tempester noted, raising his hand in an almost throwing-like motion. "Thunderbolt."
A sphere of pure Curse energy engulfed Gaara. The sphere then transformed into a bolt of lightning that blasted Gaara. The Kazekage yelled in pain as the electricity coursed through his body. "Gaara!" Shukaku yelled in concern.
"Calamity is defined as an event that causes great damage or distress, in other words, a disaster." Tempester pointed out. "And as I'm sure you know, a true disaster is an unstoppable force that destroys everything in its path. Not even your defenses can stand up to a true disaster, a true calamity."
"Judgment is upon you, false demon." Tempester proclaimed. "Your fall to Hell begins now."
Meanwhile, a massive giant of an old man was rampaging through Sabaody as well, much to the terror of Coalition soldiers who were directly in his path. "I have a great deal of pent up rage against you Coalition scoundrels for what you did to my homeland! Consider this payment of your debt to me!" Makarov Dreyar exclaimed.
Makarov swiped his hand forward, sending soldiers at the front flying. Several soldiers then appeared, training rifles and magic staffs on the elderly Wizard Saint. The soldiers fired on Makarov simultaneously.
"Giant's Wrath!" Makarov yelled, exuding brilliant light that burned away the attacks with their intensity.
Makarov then raised his right hand in the air, gathering a ball of light that began to grow in size. "Now, Giant's Calamity." Makarov commanded as the ball suddenly scattered into multiple beams of light.
The soldiers all yelled in terror as the beams of light struck the ground and exploded, sending them all flying from the shockwaves that resulted. As Makarov stood and gazed at the destruction he caused, a wizard using a sort of permeation magic suddenly appeared behind him with a dagger.
Die you geezer from hell!
Before the invisible man could strike down Makarov, a bolt of lightning came crashing down on him. Makarov looked over his shoulder and saw a familiar face standing over a body.
"You're getting slow in your old age, Grandpa." Laxus Dreyar noted with a smirk. "So, mind letting your grandson look after ya for a bit?"
"Cheeky brat, you're still a decade too early to look after me." Makarov scowled at Laxus' 'attitude' before chuckling. "Still, in all our years fighting in the name of the guild, I don't think we've really fought side by side like this before."
The two turned around, standing back to back. "You telling me you're up for a little grandpa-grandson bonding time?" Laxus joked to his grandfather. "Most people would call you crazy for saying we need to bond in a war, old man."
Makarov and Laxus both chuckled at this. "My oh my, what kind of sick and depraved person would be cruel enough to break up such a wholesome bond between...grandfather and grandson. Oh right, I would."
Laxus and Makarov turned to see a rotund, dark-skinned man in sunglasses floating atop a circular craft, holding a caduceus-like rod. "Ge he he! After all, all this love between you two, there ain't enough for old PePe." Sternritter L, PePe Waccabrada pointed out. "And that makes me sad. Sad and real mighty jealous!"
Laxus and Makarov both scowled, immediately on guard at the sight of PePe. He did not look like much of a fighter, but there was something about him that was extremely dangerous. "How about you go bug your own grandpa if you're that jealous." Laxus snapped.
"Aww, don't be like that, there's enough love to go around, don't ya think?" PePe grinned, holding his hands together in the shape of a heart.
Then, a heart made of spirit energy was fired from PePe's hands. "What the…" Laxus could only look at the heart in confusion before it pressed against his cheek. The Lightning Dragon Slayer's eyes glazed over.
"Laxus!" Makarov's eyes widened.
"You have one heart! And you have one body! But one look into my eyes, and your heart is split in two! When heart and body join as one, they're mine for evermore!" PePe declared.
Makarov looked at his grandson in concern. "Laxus?"
Laxus then smiled at PePe. "What do you require of me, Master PePe?" He said in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice that just was not Laxus at all. He looked so in love. It just was not Laxus.
"Aww, I can already feel your love for me, child." PePe declared. "See, the old man though, he just doesn't get it. Ailing old minds and all that. You reach a certain age and you just don't understand the concept of love anymore."
"Do me a favor and get rid of him please. If you love me, I mean."
"I do love you, Master PePe." Laxus said sincerely before turning his attention back to Makarov.
Makarov's eyes widened, immediately realizing what was happening. "Laxus, fight it! Don't let him control you like this!"
"In the name of love." Laxus said as his right fist began to crackle with lightning.
"Lightning Dragon Iron Fist!" Makarov had no time to react as Laxus nailed him right in the chest with a lightning imbued punch.
"Oh, how tragic!" PePe lamented insincerely as Makarov was left reeling from Laxus' punch. "So the love between grandfather and grandson was not strong enough to overcome the love you have for me? I am touched but also so, so, so, so sad!"
"I mean, it's not like I used my unassuming but super-dangerous Schrift granted to me by His Majesty to take control of one of Fairy Tail's strongest wizards and then attack his own grandfather, knowing that his grandfather would struggle with attacking his own flesh and blood."
"It's not like I did all this with the intent of wiping out two major threats to us and then taking all the credit, because I wanted the loving praise of my king." PePe laughed. "After all, I'm a lover not a fighter."
"I leave the fighting to my many, many loves. And it's been a pretty good strategy so far."
Meanwhile, a girl with bunny ears was running excitedly towards a throne. "Lord Mard Geer, Lord Mard Geer!" Lamy of the Kyouka Squad squealed. "I've got a report from the front! Oh, it's all so exciting. All these sweaty men clashing together! Oh, it gets me so hot I might actually get pregnant from it all!"
Mard Geer Tartaros laughed. "You're as incorrigible as always, dear Lamy. How Kyouka managed to put up with you for so long, puzzles Mard Geer." He admitted.
"Aww, you're such a kidder, Lord Mard Geer." Lamy proclaimed. "A totally handsome and mysterious kidder, for that matter."
Mard Geer looked at Lamy impassively. "Mard Geer would strike you for speaking out of turn like that, but you would probably like that, wouldn't you. Mard Geer learned his lesson from last time."
"Your thorns do feel really great on bare flesh, sir." Lamy giggled.
Mard Geer sighed and then rose from his seat. "Wretched girl."
"Oh, do I love it when you talk dirty to me, Underworld King." Lamy said giddily before Mard Geer walked past her. "Er...where exactly are you going, Lord Mard Geer? It's not like you to get up from your throne."
"Mard Geer has something very important to look into...also this room becomes almost unbearable to be in when you are present." Mard Geer admitted.
"Ah, your words sting me like the thorns do when they strike me." Lamy admitted.
"It is an important mission for Mard Geer from Lord Konton himself." Mard Geer admitted. "And if Mard Geer can complete this...then perhaps Lord Konton will see to a great reward."
And elevate me to a level even higher than Zeref. Mard Geer's expression darkened remembering his betrayal at Zeref's hands in his previous life. You made a mockery of what had been my purpose since the beginning of my existence, Zeref. And now, I will make you pay by taking something from you.
I will take your spot as an Act of Chaos.
Meanwhile, another member of the Coalition was preparing to move out as well. Sasori of the Red Sands stared up at his greatest creation with an uncharacteristic look of satisfaction. The magnum opus I've long searched for…something that is truly never ending. Something that will last for an eternity.
The ultimate weapon in puppet-master jutsu…
Sasori's eyes then widened as the words that Kankuro spoke to him during the 4th Great Ninja War came back to him. "Sasori… your strength came because of your soul, not in spite of it. You tried to erase it, to become a puppet yourself, but couldn't change completely. Now you've got your immortal body but you've fallen, sunk to the level of the puppets you used to control. You were supposed to be a top class ninja puppeteer, not a worthless nobody who lets someone else pull the strings."
Sasori's expression darkened. His face fell into a look of sorrow. I'm sorry, Kankuro. Really, I am. He thought. I don't believe you were wrong back then…it's just…
Sasori found himself remembering his first meeting with Konton after being pulled from the Styx Dimension. He remembered the Lord of Chaos's utterly bone chilling presence. How he introduced himself as a god among gods among mortals. "The lifespan of a Watcher practically makes us godly as is…and I am the most godly of them all, my dear Sasori."
It's just that the universe as I know it has changed. In a universe that had once been so down to earth, Soul Reapers, aliens that use ninjutsu, and now godlike beings with incredibly long lifespans have become a thing to me.
I should be thrilled by the change. Beings who represent my belief in eternal beauty, true art. And I must admit, it does stir my soul just a bit.
But…it scares me too. Sasori shuddered. The revelation of gods among mortals…it makes me realize how insignificant I am. And for an artist, there is no worse fate possible. It scares me, but it also makes me jealous. I'm jealous that something I searched for years is something others were born with. But most importantly, I'm scared…scared that compared to eternal gods…a meager artist is nothing impressive.
In this brave new world of ours…I will inevitably die, and I will eventually be forgotten. I…I couldn't handle an ending like that. That's why…
"Does it frustrate you, Sasori? Does it frustrate you, knowing how insignificant you are compared to people like me?" He still remembered Konton's biting words to this day. "That's good. That means that there is still hope for you, oh great puppet-master of the Hidden Sand Village."
"Well then, this actually works out perfectly. I'll tell you what, I won't indoctrinate you. I brought you back thinking you had found peace with yourself so I'd have to force you into my service, but now I see that isn't the case. So, how about I make you an offer?"
"An offer?" Sasori had tragically sealed his fate with that statement.
"I'm going to be blunt, Sasori. This offer is 100% for my benefit. It is to get you on my side, and I'm preying on what I know to be your deepest desires." Konton bluntly told him. "Of course, I only tell you this to make sure there are no secrets between us."
"And of course, I'm being completely honest when I say that I will grant you your desire if you complete your contract with me."
Sasori had gulped at Konton's honeyed words. He should have simply refused. However, he nodded instead. "If you serve me and make it to the end of this war. I will grant you immortality, true immortality and not that cheap puppet body of yours. An artist and his work could never stand the test of time compared to a god. I will help you with that."
"Can you really do that?"
Konton's laugh would echo in his mind for as long as he lived. "Sasori, when my plans succeed, I will be capable of doing anything."
Anything. Anything. Anything. Anything. Anything. That one word rang out in Sasori's head repeatedly.
Sasori's expression grew more solemn as more of Kankuro's words rang out in his mind. "When a puppeteer lets someone else control him, it's all over! I won't lose to you… or to the one controlling you. If I'm going to control Sasori, I might as well control the real thing! …Your techniques… and the puppets you created will never rot. As long as there's a successor who will take up the spirit inhabiting them!"
I'm sorry, Kankuro. Sasori sincerely said once more. I really am sorry. I just…I can't. The world has changed. I can't allow myself to become meaningless in this world of gods we now live in. For an artist…that is a fate worse than death.
I'm desperate…we're all desperate. I'm sorry.
"Master Sasori, Master Sasori!" Sasori looked over his shoulder to see a Coalition Soldier who was also his handler/direct assistant running up to him.
"What is it?" Sasori inquired solemnly.
"Your orders came in, sir, you're moving out." The assistant told him. "The higher ups look forward to the exhibition of your newest creation."
"Newest creation," Sasori hummed, "thanks to Vegapunk and the government's cooperation, I was able to create the ultimate puppet from better materials and technology that I never even could have imagined doing back in my world."
"With this weapon…I've truly become the ultimate puppet-master, stronger than even Monzaemon Chikamatsu."
Sasori's expression turned somber. And yet…I feel empty. So empty.
Meanwhile, a detachment of Alliance Soldiers suddenly hit a figurative wall in the form of an unmovable object. An unmovable object that took the form of an incredibly stoic looking man dressed in the garb of a Sternritter.
"Damn," Akatsuchi cursed in frustration, "we've thrown so much at the guy already and he hasn't even blinked!"
Now I know why this place had such little troop presence, Akatsuchi added inwardly, when reports came in of a road that had no soldiers, we thought we could move through and flank the enemy, but instead this guy shows up! Hell, even then, we thought plowing through him would be a walk in the park, but he's tanked everything we've thrown at him!
"Don't falter, big man." Akatsuchi turned to the right as someone stepped up to the plate to fight. "No defense is unbreakable. Take a look at his body."
Akatsuchi looked ahead and saw the Sternritter's skin. It was taking a greyish color, like iron. "What the hell?"
"That's his defense." 'Destruction Cannon' Ideo accurately noted. "And any defense can be broken through with enough force."
"An unstoppable force meets an immovable object…that saying is the biggest load of crap in history. At the end of the day, it's can someone's raw power beat whatever paltry defense someone decides to throw up. That's what boxing is all about." Ideo claimed. "And I have confidence in my raw power."
"I have confidence in my cannon."
Ideo then sped forward. His right arm suddenly launched forward, right at the Sternritter. "Destruction Cannon!" Ideo yelled as the haymaker connected, exploding from the impact.
"Did Ideo get him?" One soldier inquired out loud.
Did he? He's certainly got some incredible punching power. If anyone could pound right through a defense like that, it would be Ideo! Akatsuchi noted.
Then the explosion died down, and the Sternritter Ideo attacked simply stood there, remaining as impassive and stoic as always. His entire face was now grey. "You're kidding…" Ideo muttered.
"Unstoppable force meets an immovable object is a 'load of crap'. That's what you said earlier, yes?" Sternritter I, Cang Du inquired. "The truth is, you're right. That statement is idiotic."
"At the end of the day, everything is meaningless in the face of overwhelming power, we Quincy understand this better than anyone."
"You're simply too weak to ever hope to breach my defenses." Cang revealed, pulling his right arm back and brandishing a Reishi Claw-gauntlet.
"Shé Yá Cì!" Cang punched forward stabbing right into Ideo's stomach. Two spikes of spirit energy protruded out the other side of Ideo.
"IDEO!" Akatsuchi yelled in worry as the boxer stumbled backwards, coughing up blood.
"I think it's become pretty clear that no amount of offense you throw at me can hurt me." Cang noted, turning his attention to Akatsuchi and the other soldiers.
"Now then, allow me to go on the offense. I'll show you the perfect combination of offense and defense, blessed by His Majesty, Yhwach."
Elsewhere, the elderly Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto was strolling through Sabaody with all the calmness of an elderly gentleman strolling through the park with his grandchild. Of course, this was no park and Yamamoto had no grandchildren. Though, to be fair, with how at home Yamamoto was on the battlefield, a stroll like this may have well been through a park.
This was especially true when one took note of the dozens of Coalition soldiers who had collapsed from being in the presence of Yamamoto and his overwhelming Spiritual Pressure.
This…this isn't Conqueror's Haki… One Navy Rear Admiral struggled to stay conscious. This is just…this monster's overwhelming presence.
And with that horrifying revelation, the Rear Admiral fell unconscious. "What a pity all these poor fools are." Yamamoto lamented. "Nothing but canon fodder for a higher power that cares absolutely nothing for them. I suppose if Shunsui were here, he would call that 'par for the course' and I'm inclined to agree with him this time."
Yamamoto's eyes then opened, sensing a very powerful presence coming towards him. A bit further down, Dracule Mihawk was walking with his moocher/roommate, Perona, who was floating near him.
"Hawkeye, will you please stop for a moment and listen?" Perona demanded.
"You mean like you don't?" Mihawk countered.
Perona seethed at Mihawk's savagery. "Why did you get up and leave our spot?" She demanded. "You should've stayed there so that you could protect me! You know, the cute ghost girl that's been living in your castle for two years!"
"You mean the ghost girl that's been mooching off of me for two years?"
"Ugh, you're impossible!"
"Anyway, to answer your question, I am on the move to avoid running into my apprentice." Mihawk admitted.
"Huh, that stupid mosshead, Zoro?" Perona was surprised. "Why would you want to avoid running into him? What, are you scared?"
"Of course not, now is not the time for him to seek me out and challenge me for my title." Mihawk explained.
"Wait," Perona's eyes widened in realization, "you can sense that he's here on this dumb archipelago?"
"You sound surprised that I can."
"Er…no, now that I think of it, I guess it's really not a surprise." Perona admitted. "I'd expect nothing less from your Haki, Hawkeye."
"I know exactly where Zoro is at the moment. Therefore, I know exactly where to go in order to avoid him."
"And does he feel the same way as you?" Perona folded her arms. "I mean, you know how thick headed that idiot is."
"Oh, I know." Mihawk nodded. "But Zoro is no fool when it comes to the blade. He knows it is not the time for us to settle things. It is not the time for him to stake his claim as the World's Greatest Swordsman."
"So, lemme get this straight, we're wandering around just because you want to avoid Zoro like you two are a couple that's arguing or something?" Perona pouted.
"Nobody said you had to follow me around." Mihawk sagely pointed out.
"I have to follow you around, you big dummy!" Perona flailed her arms in frustration. "I'm a delicate maiden in need of protection, and you're the World's Strongest Swordsman! There is no better bodyguard for the Ghost Princess!"
"Woman, you have no need for a bodyguard. Any prospective attacker who spends even a minute in your presence will run the other way." Mihawk said bluntly.
"How rude!" Perona shrieked.
Mihawk rolled his eyes and ignored Perona's seething expression. He had long grown used to her behavior in her two years of mooching off of him. While it was certainly true that he had intended to leave his post and by extension Perona to avoid running into Zoro, there was a second reason.
There was a presence on this Archipelago that had peaked his interest. A very powerful presence. And he prayed that this one was a swordsman.
Needless to say, when Hawkeye Mihawk came face to face with Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, he was very disappointed. He could tell this old man was powerful, but all he saw was an old man with a cane. No sword. How disappointing.
"Oh, you're approaching me?" Yamamoto opened a single eye and gazed at Mihawk.
"As a warrior, I concern myself with strong opponents." Mihawk pointed out sagely. "And this world teaches you not to underestimate your elders."
"My age matters little, it is my name and reputation that I concern myself with." Yamamoto admitted. "Tell me, whelp, do you know who I am?"
"No," Mihawk said bluntly.
This actually surprised Yamamoto. "You do not? I am surprised. I would think the Coalition would warn you about someone like me?"
"I don't pay attention to that. There are only a few people who warrant my attention." Mihawk admitted. "I cannot be bothered to know and remember everyone I clash with."
"What an arrogant brat you are."
"I assure you, my self-assurance is very deserved." Mihawk promised.
"And I assure you, I have heard some variation of that statement in a long, long life." Yamamoto countered.
"You must be senile, old man!" Perona snapped. "Hawkeye is the World's Greatest Swordsman around these parts, and you're just strutting around with nothing but wrinkles, a white beard and a cane!"
Perona grinned. "How about you just go home before you break a hip, Grandpa."
Such rudeness in youth today. Yamamoto mused.
"You hear me, Grandpa? Or are you deaf?" Perona demanded rudely with a mocking grin. "Go home! Go home and eat your pudding! Drink your soup! Go yell at the young people who won't get the hell off your lawn-"
Perona was then cut off when she looked Yamamoto dead in the eyes. The old man was glaring at her. Perona's eyes widened. Her skin turned ghostly pale, befitting that of the Ghost Princess. She began to hyperventilate and sweat. Yamamoto stared at her with a hard glare as he exerted his Spiritual Pressure for the sole purpose of shutting her up.
Then, Perona's hyperventilating was cut off. She began to choke out for air that simply would not come to her. I can't breathe…why can't I breathe? She wondered.
Mihawk narrowed his eyes, unfazed by Yamamoto's vast Spiritual Pressure. It's almost like Conqueror's Haki. He mused.
"Listen well! Be gone from here! I don't have time nor the patience to teach a mere infant like you how to breathe." Yamamoto warned Perona.
Perona whimpered at Yamamoto's commanding voice. "Perona," Mihawk said calmly, "look at me. If you do that and take your focus off of him, you can alleviate the effect he's having on you."
Perona managed to do as asked. Mihawk, in a surprisingly gentle display, rubbed her shoulder to calm her down. "Now leave. Go far away from this place. It's clear that this is no ordinary old man…even by the standards I myself have grown used to."
Perona whimpered and fled before she could be paralyzed and suffocated by Yamamoto's presence once more. Yamamoto let up on his Spiritual Pressure at this. Mihawk turned his attention to Yamamoto, drawing the mighty Yoru sword. "That was quite cruel of you." Mihawk mused. "Or perhaps…you can tell that a fight between us will likely wipe out this entire part of the archipelago and you frightened her away for her own safety. Still cruel…but I suppose even kindness can be cruel sometimes."
"I see you're a swordsman." Yamamoto ignored Mihawk's attempt at making conversation, attempting to get right down to business.
"This is Yoru, one of, if not the strongest sword in my entire world." Mihawk brandished it to show it to Yamamoto. "It is my pride and joy as a swordsman."
"I take no joy in wielding a blade against someone who isn't a swordsman…of course I say that and yet I can tell once upon a time you yourself wielded a sword." Mihawk noted.
"And how can you tell?" Yamamoto raised an eyebrow, now genuinely curious about the answer.
"You have calluses on your hands. Calluses that you wear like battle scars." Mihawk gestured to the old man's elderly hands. "Only a veteran swordsman could have something like that. And yet…I don't see your sword anywhere. Perhaps you traded it in for a new fighting style?"
"If you bothered learning who I am, perhaps you'd already have the answer, whelp." Yamamoto noted.
"We will see if you're actually worth my notice, old man." Mihawk promised. "Now then, those bones of yours render you capable of dodging."
"This is the world's strongest slash, after all." And with that, Mihawk swung Yoru horizontally, firing off a flying slash right at Yamamoto's neck.
Yamamoto calmly raised his free hand. "Bakudo #81, Danku." And with that, a transparent barrier erected itself between Yamamoto and the world's strongest slash.
The attack collided with Danku and was stopped dead in its tracks, making Mihawk raise an eyebrow in surprise. Then, Danku cracked like a mirror and then shattered to pieces. "Impressive, not many attacks can break through a level 80 binding Kido." Yamamoto praised.
"Sorcery against the blade? This won't be fun at all." Mihawk sighed.
"Is a warrior not allowed to use every weapon at his disposal?" Yamamoto inquired. "Of course, if you insist, I will gladly make this a battle between blades."
Yamamoto's cane then began to disintegrate, revealing his Zanpakuto. "I can't deny that Ryujin Jakka hungers to test its steel against that blade after an attack like that. I pray that you do not quickly come to regret this, whelp."
Mihawk narrowed his eyes at the Zanpakuto. There it is, his blade…I can sense it…incredible power…wielded by a man who is clearly of incredible talent and experience.
Mihawk then nodded, coming to terms with the revelation he had approached this old man incorrectly, disrespectfully. It was time to rectify that. "My name is Dracule Mihawk, I am known far and wide as Hawkeye, the World's Greatest Swordsman. State your name, sir."
Yamamoto's eyes opened, taking note of Mihawk's new respectful tone. "I am Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the former Head Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads. Circumstances led me to die in battle, and now circumstances have led me back onto the battlefield."
"You are known as the World's Greatest Swordsman? A pity Kenpachi Zaraki is not here. I'm sure he would've loved to face you. Instead, you will allow me to exercise these old bones now given new life. Do try and keep up, Dracule Mihawk."
Yamamoto then vanished from sight with his incredible Flash Step. Mihawk's eyes went wide with uncharacteristic shock and fear. Instinctively, he hardened his body with Armament Haki.
Yamamoto then reappeared behind Mihawk and sheathed his sword. A large flesh wound then appeared on Mihawk's chest. The man called Hawkeye gasped in pain as blood flew from his body.
Even with my Haki…he cut right through it? No, if I hadn't used my Haki, he would've killed me right then and there!
"Hitotsume: Nadegiri," Yamamoto said, "a Zanjutsu technique designed to kill in one blow. I'm impressed that you're still in one piece. Your battle instincts are incredible to form a defense just in time to block a technique designed for instant death. A pity they are held back by your apathy. And that has cost you dearly."
"First blood goes to me, Dracule Mihawk."
Meanwhile, Monkey D. Luffy continued to run through Sabaody, hunting for strong enemies, as per Sabo's orders. "You've matured Luffy, you're more willing to stick to plans, and I love that." Sabo had said. "However, the enemy still knows you as an unpredictable wildcard, so that's exactly what we're going to give them. Besides, considering we won't be able to do any reconnaissance thanks to how we're going to arrive, we're flying blind. So, having a detailed plan is out of the question. To use you correctly, we need you to be that wildcard again."
"Do your best to take as much heat as possible off everyone else. Just stay close if you run into an enemy you can't beat. That way, I or someone else can come running to help."
Luffy hummed at Sabo's words. "Hey Son, you think I'm plenty close, right?"
"You have Haki, sense for them!"
Luffy folded his arms. "Well, I guess I have been working on it ever since that fight with Itachi." He admitted before closing his eyes.
Inside Luffy's mindscape, Son watched his new vessel go to work. "He's been at this since the duel with that Uchiha." He noted. "At the rate he's going, if he doesn't have it by now, he'll have it before this fight is even close to being over."
"The advanced application of this Observation Haki I'm learning more and more of the more time I spend with this boy…"
Luffy was suddenly cut from his thoughts by a familiar voice. "Deep in thought, eh? That ain't like you at all, Luff."
Luffy gasped at that voice and the way it addressed him. Luff. Only one person called him that. He turned to the source to see a familiar mohawked man leaning against a tree with a grin on his face. "Long time no see, bud." Sternritter H, Bazz-B said sincerely.
Luffy smiled. Sabo said to be wary of enemies as the 'wildcard' of the plan, but this guy was not an enemy. At least, not in the traditional sense. "Hey Bazz! Good to see ya!"
A.N: Is Mihawk as savage in canon as he was to Perona in this chapter? Probably not. Do I regret making him savage AF in this chapter? Hell no, it was funny.
Also, before anyone accuses me of nerfing Laxus so PePe's The Love can hit him, I just want to point out to everyone that it's difficult to properly gauge attack speed in manga panels, and PePe was only around for like ten chapters at best. And besides, who in God's name is going to take a heart seriously?
Furthermore, I want to talk about the direction I took Sasori's character in this chapter. I wanted to take a moment to experiment with different types of motivations for antagonists, and I don't think I've ever tried fear, anxiety and insecurity as a motivation. So, hopefully that turned out well.
Finally, we're seeing what I think happens when people go up against hard counters. Gremmy's broken powers make him a hard counter for most. Tempester's varied powers do kinda make him a decent counter for Gaara, and Old Man Genocide is a walking hard counter.
Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Merry early Christmas once more. I'll see you all next time.