Wealth, Fame, and Power! W. D. Gaster, The King of The Pirates, had all those and the rest of what the world had to offer! Through many battles and trials, he had reached the pinnacle of the world's virtues and had nothing left but an illness that plagued him.
He brought himself in and was held at a worldwide public execution. Before he was executed, a man from the crowd asked:
"Where did you hide all your treasure?!"
To which the King of Pirates smiled and said:
"You want my treasure? You can have it! I left the most important treasure in the world on an island! Go and find it! 'For the next pirate that finds the UnderPiece, will be claimed the new King of The Pirates!"
Those were his final words before he was executed. He smiled to his death.
With those words, the world was flipped upside down as he created The Golden Pirate Era! People and already existing pirates from around the works started to sail the seas in search of the treasure that W. D. Gaster claimed to be-
The UnderPiece!
It had been Twenty Years since, and people have yet to find the treasure he was talking about. Except for one girl, who is now going to change the world by storm for the sake of her people.
This is the story of Muffet D. Baker and her way to becoming Queen of the Pirates!
[Zewz]-[Thursday, 1:07 PM]
Zewz looked out his castle's main corridor's windows and exuded a solemn sigh of disappointment.
Not in the people, but himself.
He watched earlier as millions of his men, since some never came back from their alleged order from him, had to be taken away from their families to be trained as soldiers for their upcoming war.
This wasn't what he wanted.
He knew that he had done Hydra an injustice in the past, but he never knew he could hold a grudge this long and plan something this outrageous.
Although he knew for a fact that Hydra was behind all of this, he has little to no proof to convince his people that was the case.
In their eyes, he was a King unable to control the raging inhabitants of the people down below because he was a scared King.
When in actuality, he had been avoiding the Minks because he truly didn't know what to do while attracting unwanted aggression and traction of the residences.
After the first Human and Mink War that happened on this continent, he wanted no more bloodshed and just wanted a way where both can coexist.
However, Hydra has been pulling the goal out of his reach for his purposes. He was trying to fight for his people physically while Zewz tried to politically.
He knew now, that although he put up a fight for so long against the Shadow King of the land below, he had finally given in to his madness.
The King already lost.
Just then, as he was looking out the window, a giant rupture appeared within the middle of his Kingdom. He jumped in shock as he immediately ran out his front gates trying to get to the source.
The rupture was massive, it was a 40 meter by 40-meter hole that was so deep it gave a clear view of the continent below.
On the outskirts of the hole, laying there, unconscious and bloodied...
Was Ralsei in her Sulong form with Cardin's corpse in her mouth.
Every one of the citizens that didn't run away by that point was appalled enough to leave the scene from that sight.
Engraved on Ralsei's Sulong chest, as if carved by a sharp object, said the words:
A week in time...Olympus will fall.
Zewz was paralyzed in shock.
Cardin was gone.
Hydra knew of the war.
And now he recognized the true power of a Warlord.
For once, his kingly hood faltered, he wasn't sure if he could handle this.
Just then, the screams of his people sunk back into his ears as they snapped him back to reality.
Ralsei coughed out a small amount of feint blood, it was a small and desperate cough to try and breathe.
Zewz furrowed his brows.
"Apprehend that Mink! Bring it to the cell with no sunlight!" Zewz said with authority as a few city guards that were around prioritized carrying Ralsei and hauling her to Zewz's castle.
Underneath led to the personalized dungeon rooms to which only Zewz could visit the people imprisoned there.
Zewz just looked at the scared people of his kingdom.
"Everyone! It's about time that I told you the truth!"
Zewz then snapped his fingers as the Quartz land started to ripple into waves. He flexed every muscle in his arms, the thyroids blatantly bulging out of his biceps.
The Quartz land all over the Continent was morphing to his liking creating a stage for himself and a podium.
Everyone on the Continent was being safely dragged against their will over to Zewz's location by sliding the quartz below their feet over in the direction to him.
After tens of minutes, a vast sea of humans crowded into this even more vast stadium was made. Encompassing every inhabitant of his land into one spot to listen to him speak.
He even covered up the hole Hydra made when tossing Ralsei through the bottom side of the Continent.
There were murmurs as loud as the waves crashing against the sea.
Yells of confusion as pestering as seagulls.
The sight was audibly nauseating for all.
But the King had enough.
"Everyone! This message is for those out there who question my reign! With War on the rise, it is difficult to keep barring's in mind and heart. And I will not lie to my people, I have been an abstaining leading when it comes to conflict. I believed that given enough time with the Minks we can slowly coexist again...like we did when we first came here. I hadn't meant for us to colonize this beautiful land! That is just not diplomatic. However, our main enemy, Hydra Gordon's has influenced the Minks to the point where we are past the bargaining stage! Sometimes...To do some good, you need to be the bad guy. Which is why I'll be enacting Plan Percius!"
The crowd murmurs became less and less loud. He slowly got their attention and was somewhat focused.
His brows furrowed.
Cardin was the only thing keeping him sane.
Without him, Hydra left him no choice.
"Which means...I'll be on the front lines of this War. This War is more than just petty rivalry, but instead, a statement to be made around the world. This War will set history to all in the Grand Line, and WE...will be on the victorious side!"
Finally, he could hear the drop of a pen.
"Everyone! Lend as much support you can! We cannot allow Hydra to continue to make casualties of those who interfere with his ideal rule of this land! This fight against him will be our final one! In a week, We. Shall. Win. This. War!"
Once Zewz finished his speech, a wave, similar to Hydra's washed over the crowd.
And then, the uproar ensued.
He was breathing deeply, he hadn't spoken that passionately in a while.
This war was necessary...right?
And with that, he flexed his arms again and sent everything back to normal in a slightly shorter time than it took to bring everyone to him.
He then aggressively turned around as the people of his Kingdom cheered for him as he walked into his castle to have a certain talk with a certain Mink.
[Hera]-[Thursday, 2:00 PM]
Hera had followed Ronaldo and Ralsei's instructions, which was if she was ever found, to run away and hide until Muffet found her.
After they were recently found, she ran in a random linear direction and kept up.
Eventually, she got to the point where she took a stop to see if she was followed.
Luckily not. But now she was left with unpleasant thoughts.
"Hopefully auntie Ralsei and Uncle Ronaldo won their battles...hopefully."
Hera just looked around, and then placed up to see the giant mountain with a quartz-paved staircase that led to the encompassing landmass above her.
Something about the structure...made her programming conflicted.
Her other personalities were fighting to take control, but all wanted to do the same action.
Which was see what was up there. She felt like she belonged there.
No, not want.
Need.
She needed to be up there like the universe was drawing her to there.
She took one step...and then.
"...Conflicted, huh?" Said a random woman near Hera.
Hera was always sensually aware of everything in her vast surrounding, so for this woman to bypass her defense meant she was either incredibly stealthy, not real, or simply too fast.
The bioengineered teen jumped in fear as she got in a stance similar to Muffet's natural stance. Which was an open-armed, wide-palmed, crouched stance, a wrestling position. Great for grappling.
After looking at the woman, Hera slowly let down her guard.
The woman didn't show a bit of malicious intent in her, nor was she looking at her.
This woman was Shyren.
Shyren was looking at Olympus too.
"I'm conflicted too...hey, I need an outsider's opinion...if you want to answer that is...uhm, if someone is dead...is that it for them or...is there a way they could stay alive. Through some means...I mean...it's difficult to explain..." Shyren said stumbling over herself in her shy nature.
Hera just gave her a raised brow.
"Uh, who are you, ma'am?"
"Oh uh, silly me, well...it's best if you don't get that invested into me...I'm no one special...I just wanted to see you..."
"You wanted to see me? How do you know who I am?"
"You're an ancient weapon, number four...I was one of the ones that approved your creation process...but you left your incubation early..."
Hera just froze there.
"The only people that have access for that are some Emperors and Admirals...are you an Admiral?" Hera said with genuine terror in her voice.
Shyren only glanced at her softly and slowly with a creepy but cutesy closed-end open mouth smile.
"That isn't important...you were the only one I approved of though...you are technically my favorite..."
Hera somewhat made a 180 in demeanor. She was scared before, but something about how she spoke sparked genuine joy and warmth.
"Why is that?"
"Why is that for what?"
"Well, I guess for everything. Why is it that I left incubation early? Why is it that you favored me specifically? Why is it that you're here and not stopping any of this?"
Shyren's expression slowly shifted into a frown.
She sighed.
Then, she started slithering slowly towards the direction of the staircase. Her body language suggested that she wanted Hera to walk with her.
For some reason, Hera felt more than inclined to do it. So she did.
"That's...heh~...a lot of questions...well, you left incubation early because your purpose was needed unexpectedly before your prime. We hadn't expected something like this to happen so soon...As your body may have felt, your purpose was to serve this land as its savior and protector."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I and Morial were the only people to upvote you for creation. You were a failsafe in the event that this land was going to go through a tragedy. This place is one of the Grand Line's National Treasures. That is because it has one of the Rio Poneglyphs on it. Which, if you don't know, is pretty much a book written in rock, useless to those who see it, except for pirates now. Those who find all four Rio Poneglyphs, find the UnderPiece."
Hera was in awe.
"Wait so, this land is in turmoil right now?"
"Yes Hera, it's going through a Civil War, with a King and Warlord as strong forces that you have to stop from happening. That was your purpose, your side effects and conflicts you have aren't alternate personalities, it's your coding trying to match your age. You need to mature Hera, in under a week."
Hera did not like that part.
"What do you mean?! Why can't you do it?"
"...Sorry to get you mad, but according to Morial...she wanted you to be the one to do it. She's gone and...I wish to respect her ideals."
"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that but...I can't, Auntie Muffie was destroyed by Hydra, and I'm not as strong as her, let alone being able to stop a war and defeat him."
"I know it sounds challenging...but it's going to happen regardless, it's your fate."
"I refuse my fate!" Hera said halting in her walk.
"I'm getting tired of people telling me what I'm supposed to do! I have nothing to do with this war and now when it's convienent for everyone, I have to sacrifice everything to save it?! I don't owe this land favors."
Shyren just stood there silent.
"...You have every right to feel that way...what are you going to do then...your friends are coming back here to fight, will you fight with them...?"
Hera took a minute to process that.
"I...I..."
"I see...either way, I don't prefer how you do it, as long as your influence is the reason Hydra falls, then I'm all for it...Your life isn't fair, I know, and I'm sorry...it seems both you and Hydra are equally as conflicted about the outcome of this war. Even the king...the only group that has a clear motive beyond this war, is your friend's group..."
Hera just held her head to the ground.
"I...I...I just want to live my childhood...I'm growing up too fast. I feel like I was born weeks ago and now I just turned into a teen...I just want to be free...I just want to be alive..." Hera said with tears in her eyes, fist clenched so hard that her fingers dug under the skin of her palms.
Just then, Shyren crouched down by coiling her mermaid-like lower half.
"You'll always be my strong and beautiful child... I and you wish for the same thing...be glad there is still a warmth that's in your body permanently, for me...I'm always cold...so very cold...I'm an...undead mermaid, no blood flows, my heart had stopped beating long ago...but I still feel, doing good deeds is how I stay alive...part of Morial's bucket list was...be a better mom...and I'll do that too."
Hera widened her eyes as she said that.
She didn't know what compelled her to, it was as if everything was a catalyst for her growth, both Olympus, seeing poor Minks, and now Shyren.
She hugged back extra hard.
They stood like that for a good minute.
Shyren then pulled away. She had one good look at Olympus and then one back at Hera.
"You don't have to be in this war. You can choose to run away from your problem, or you can face your fears head-on. Either way, I'll respect your decision...here...press this when you feel like you made a decision."
Shyren slowly opened Hera's palm for her and planted something in it.
Hera looked at it, it was a Transponder Snail with a button at the top.
Shyren then started to slither away to the ocean.
"I'll give you alone time to think about this carefully. You have a week to think about it."
Hera looked at the snail one last time before clenching it passionately.
"Hey, other mom..."
Shyren stood in her tracks.
"Your question early wasn't confusing, someone is only dead if you forget them. So, if you're a good person, you're essentially immortal! I guess that's why you're alive even when you're dead, maybe a lot of people think about you positively."
Shyren...felt her heartbeat.
With a brush from the incoming winter wind, with a happy whistle, she vanished.
[Ronaldo]-[Thursday, 3:47 PM]
Groggy and all the more nauseous, Ronaldo woke up from his state of being unconscious, barely remembering the events that transpired before this moment.
Just then, it all clicked in at once, the wounds in his joints and limbs aligning with the lightning-fast signals to his brain that awakened his body.
The pain ensued.
He bit his tongue and squirmed around in pain without making a single yelp. Just to realize that he was tied up by the wrist and ankles against a giant rock.
All he could see was Cassidy, Hydra, and an angry mob of the village of Minks in front of him.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Ronaldo said using every ounce of strength to try and break free.
He couldn't.
Hydra and Cassidy looked back at him, Hydra with a smirk of devilish background, Cassidy's with a face of annoyance.
"Everyone! Behold! A Navy man!" Hydra said gesturing his hand exaggeratingly.
The townspeople of Minks gasped.
Ronaldo tried to move from his binds, he couldn't escape.
"The Navy has brought nothing to us, because of hush money that was being used by Zewz's corrupt power! Do you think a man like him should be allowed to roam these lands?"
The answer was greeted with growls and roars of the Minks.
Hydra grinned, but then, his Transponder Snail started to ring.
He picked it up.
"Helios...ah...okay...I'll be right there." Hydra looked at Cassidy and gave her a quick nod.
He then looked back at his people.
"I don't care what you do to him! But let him suffer!" He said walking away from the stand where Ronaldo was getting publicly punished.
Cassidy stood guard there as the village's bastion.
Ronaldo looked at Cassidy with pained eyes full of tears. The Minks were approaching.
Cassidy looked at Ronaldo and then back at Hydra, she was seeing him get further and further out of view.
"Why?! Why are you doing this?! You asshole!" Ronaldo said squirming in his bonds, still in pain from the bullet wounds.
The whole village was inching closer, most yelling at him, some tossing small rocks at him.
They were getting their claws out.
Cassidy just kept on looking at Hydra.
Ronaldo kept wriggling.
Then, Hydra turned into his Hybrid form and super jumped way beyond the audible reach of the village and a vast distance across the Continent.
Cassidy Smirked.
Ronaldo...smirked.
"Drain Siphon!" Ronaldo said as he used his Devil Fruit ability on the people of the village.
All of them, being around the strength of a normal person, was immediately knocked unconscious due to the zap of energy done by him.
With his 'Drain Siphon' instead of the energy he gained from the village, he gained health instead.
His wounds closed up but still left dents and felt more like heavy bruises than wounds.
This was enough to break him out of his binds.
He then looked at Cassidy.
"Your acting is terrible, your lucky Hydra didn't account for you or know about your ability and I did. I told him I shot you with Sea Prism bullets so that he assumed you were helpless." Cassidy said looking over the unconscious bodies.
Ronaldo started stretching but also looked at the unconscious bodies.
"Why did you save me and not Ralsei?" He said with both confusion and concern.
Cassidy sighed.
"Back when we first met...and Christie and Susie went to go take down Hydra when he was weakened and you had to stand guard so that I couldn't assist him...you could've killed me, at any time, you could've beaten me up, knocked me unconscious...but no. Despite what Hydra said about the Navy, I know you and Christie and good Navy Soldiers. You let me stand there and do whatever because you trusted that I had common sense...you gave me freedom." Cassidy said without looking at him.
Ronaldo only gave her a soft look. He shook his head.
"Is it true...has the World Government known about the cultural oppression of this land and has been kept quiet because of Zewz's political power?"
Cassidy only gave him silence.
That was enough.
He clenched his fist.
"I see..." he looked over the bodies one last time, "I see what I have to do. If they won't do it, I'll do it myself."
Cassidy finally looked at him.
"And what will you do?"
"Hydra...is not a man I want to fight. Not because of his power, but because I morally cannot, no one can. His heart is of gold, but it's also misguided and desperate, which alone can make any guy seem evil. What happens to him, is not my business to meddle with, regardless of my orders for being here."
Cassidy looked at him and...started smiling. She didn't know why she...liked his energy.
"Sometimes...it's about doing what's right instead of what you have been told. So, as of now, my business is with the betterment of this Continent. I can't save Hydra, he's too far gone, but I can still help the people. If I can do that, then that's all I can do for the better future."
He turned around and gave a thumbs up.
"Thank you, Cassidy, you know, I know you don't know what to do when the war starts, but let me give you a piece of advice, from one friend to another...freedom is found, freedom will never present itself to you. Good opportunities will never present themselves to you, especially if you do bad. Like I said, sometimes it's about doing what's right instead of what you've been told." Ronaldo said with a smile before running off.
Cassidy watched his takeoff. She smiled before slowly frowning.
Her head was in the wrong place.
[Muffet and Crew] - [Thursday, 4:00 PM]
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN CASSIDY WAS TAKEN?!" Susie said gripping Petrichor by the shoulders.
Petrichor only gave a sassy shrug.
"She seemed eager to go with her friends so she took off back to Constricta, she didn't give me room to talk her out of it," Petrichor said in a smile remembering what Cassidy did.
Everyone was healed up by the local doctor and was at the nearest eatery. It was like a tavern but the hospitality seemed that of a family business mixed with a diner.
Petrichor and Susie sat at one table together, as archeologists and knowledge bearers, she would have to gauge their new crewmate and her knowledge.
Undyne, Christe, and Muffet were headfirst into their massive pile of assorted meats and other foods that were all equally as edible considering they hadn't eaten in a while.
Muffet was stretching her hand around Undyne's side of the pile to take a piece of mutton by the bone, but Undyne just slapped her hand away with a spontaneously spawned spear.
They all had appetites so big everyone in the tavern looked at them with wonder as they were eating enough food to last the village three months.
"This is so good huehuehue~!" Muffet said being the one eating the most out of the three.
Susie turned back at them.
"HEY! YOU GUYS EVEN LISTENING?!"
Christie just gave a quick thumbs-up before devouring three steaks in three bites.
"Thank you for taking care of my 'Lil sis these past few months. She is a handful." Petrichor said attracting Susie's attention back to her.
Susie looked back, and with Petrichor's words, began thinking about that sentiment.
The adventures that led her up to this point.
Them pick her up at Yetera, fighting with her, meeting Hera, their time at The Peninsula. She was their latest addition to the team, all and all she still felt new.
"You're welcome, but please thank Undyne, she has been there for her since the beginning of our crew-"
"You betcha!" Undyne said aggressively patting and rubbing Susie's head.
All three had licked all their plates clean already.
They all pulled up their seats to the table the other two ladies were at.
"Hands off!"
"Sorry runt! Long couple days huh?"
Everyone sighed when she said that.
"So, Cassidy is at Constricta...and since you, two got sent together, and everyone else was sent with Undyne and me...it's safe to say that Ronaldo is in Constricta as well," Susie said giving her attention to Christie.
Christie looked alive and healthy, she still had a bit of Perseverance in her mixed with her Justice, but she was no longer a zombie.
As it turns out, Undyne had her blood type.
Weird.
"You think he'll be alright?"
Undyne tapped her chin.
"His lifelines are, Fuhu, Ralsei, and Hera...he'll be fine."
Muffet kept giggling to herself.
Everyone finally gave her attention.
"What so funny Muffet?" Petrichor said.
Muffet rubbed her hands together still chuckling.
"I want Cassidy in our crew!"
Undyne, Susie, and Christie fell off their seats when she proposed that. Petrichor just chuckled and gave her a soft glance.
"Another one of those 'Muffet's Instincts' gut feelings?" Petrichor said knowing her well enough.
"Huehuehue~ of course dearie~ I've decided!"
Undyne crawled up from under the table.
"Have you forgotten what she did to us?!"
"I haven't but...no one died, and I feel like she has paid for what she has done already. I pretty sure that mystery woman and Susie made sure of that."
Susie got up too.
"Yeah but...why?"
"Simple...! We need a sharpshooter, a sniper! You know, someone that fits the role to look after the ship, the person on the mast, and good support! Her skills are quite formidable if she was able to best use for some time huehuehue~" She said giving a sinister giggle.
Undyne grumbled.
"But, she doesn't have a Devil Fruit anymore," Undyne said.
"Well, Ralsei doesn't have one, and we recruited Susie when she didn't have one."
Muffet looked at Susie.
"Speaking of which, how did you get a Devil Fruit?"
"Undyne stashed one she found on Yetera," Susie said nonchalantly while being oblivious to Undyne giving her visual cues to not tell her.
Muffet slammed the table, Undyne sighed aggressively as she sunk into her seat.
"You had another Devil Fruit and didn't give it to me?! I could've had two cool powers-"
Undyne, Susie, and Christie leaned over the table in anger.
"YOU WOULD'VE DIED!" All three said.
Petrichor couldn't help but giggle at all of this mayhem. She had always wondered what the connections between Muffet and her crew were. For someone who had to live with her for an unprecedented amount of time, she often wondered if it would've been hard for Muffet to even build a connection with anyone else that wasn't her.
"Trust me, Cassidy wouldn't want to join even if you asked her. she's stubborn...like the rest of us." Petrichor said leaning into the table while eagerly swaying her tail and thick stinger.
A bead of sweat rolled down Susie's and Undyne's heads when they eyed it. They knew of ancient weapons, Minks, magical creatures...but Petrichor was by far the freakiest thing they had even laid their eyes upon.
From her human body with steampunk aspired limb enhancers and tail, to her all pearly white skin with questionable texture, her six thick but short mandibles reaching and poking from out of her thick hair that was the same as her skin. Even her eyes were all one color and a weird shape, she had no pupils but they felt whenever she was staring at them.
She was a monster, she was mysterious, her powers were freaky and so was her body...
She fits right in!
"What do you mean?" Muffet said while rubbing her ear.
"Before she up and left we had a little conversation. The girl said she respected the old man too much to turn her back on him now, now that both her and his dreams were going to be realized." Petrichor said holding the handle of her teacup with the very sharp tip of her massive stinger and taking a sip.
"Can't blame her." She continued.
Everyone just took a few sips of their tea before letting it cool down some more.
"...So, we have a week right?" Christie said looking around herself, seeing a table of freaks, being only the one human there.
"That is what it seems, and honestly, even if we plan something, no matter what happens, Hydra will always somehow find out. He has people posted everywhere, nowhere is safe on that Continent. He is a monster too, his strength is only matched by his will. That immortality of his is the real kicker." Petrichor took another sip of her tea.
Muffet recalled to her group the time when she fought Hydra initially, and where she completely made sizeable holes in his body but he effortlessly regenerated it. Also, she brought up the fact that his Haki is nothing to scoff at either.
They took more sips of their tea before setting it down again to cool off.
"So, what are our chances you say of getting by with...no casualties?" Susie said.
Christie made a grunt to tacitly announce that she wanted to ask that too.
"Assuming we get through the armies, get by his henchmen, and defeat him- or apprehend him...eh..." she took another sip, "12 percent."
Everyone took that number as they may.
"The ship ride there is about two days, obviously we can't get there early, it's best as we approach right as the war is about to begin so that his attention is diverted," Petrichor said.
"So dearies~ what should we do before then?"
Everyone thought hard about it.
"I wanna say train but...would we even need to in this situation?"
The silence went by.
Muffet and Christie stood up, the rest of the table gave them their respected attention.
"Captain's order...I order all of you to spend these next four days doing what you love."
Petrichor, Susie, and Undyne gave her a raised brow.
Muffet gave Christie a look, it was one a parent would give to another to insinuate that they wish to not talk about the next topic in front of the kid(s). Christie gave her the same look back.
"What do you mean by that Cap'n?" Susie said crossing her arms.
"What I mean is, whatever you do, whether it be training, relaxing, exploring the island, hanging out with each other, going to shops to get things, just make sure you cherish what you are doing. This next battle is one of uncertainty and...I can't afford to lose you guys, and if the last thing you feel before that time is stress and anxiety, then I won't be happy with myself. So, enjoy yourselves, but just know that in a week, we won't be having any regular fight we have done before...you all will be in a war! Anything could happen, so just bring your A-game. I have faith in all of us." Muffet said before walking away towards the eatery's exit doors with Christie.
Shoulder to Shoulder they marched out with a happy glee in each step.
Leaving the others to ponder to themselves...
Petrichor, Susie, and Undyne just sat there, trying to absorb the words their captain just spoke. They looked at each other with puzzled looks.
They finished their tea.
"Well...you heard the captain. I guess I'll go train, Are any of you two up for the challenge? It's gonna be grueling Gwehehe!" Undyne chuckled while getting up.
Susie held up her hand to signify a 'no'.
Petrichor giggled.
"Judging by those two kindred spirits, despite what she said, she's off to go train too. Who knows what kind of leaps and powers they'll unlock if they worked together."
Undyne and Susie raised a brow.
Petrichor placed her chin softly on the smooth inner curve of her stinger.
"I'm just saying, I have an about nine-year-long relationship with Muffet, and once you're with that idiot goofball for long enough, you start to catch on to the little things. Muffet, just very much indeed found her eternal rival. "
Susie chuckled.
"So she has. You jealous dumbass?" Susie said propping her feet onto the table, very noticeably trying to incite some anger in Undyne.
"Pfft! Of course not, why would you think that..." Undyne said looking away from the two.
Susie then realigned her attention back to Petrichor.
"Yeah, for personal purposes, what soul do you have? What are you?"
Petrichor gave a sly smirk.
"Eager girl are you? Well, Integrity. I hold myself and my morals to such a high standard in life. That being my affinity for wanting to cook."
That alerted something in Undyne.
"Hey? Muffet's youngest brother-"
"Papyrus."
"Yeah, Papyrus, he too was a cook and his fighting style was based around kicks only. Do you do the same?"
"Well, of course. We can't afford to have any injuries on our hands, that'll affect our work. Seems you met her brothers already, how was Papyrus?"
Susie stepped into the conversation.
"We both have."
"He was cool, right? I heard he was." Petrichor said.
"Yeah, he was really strong too, a second commander on an Emperor's ship," Susie added.
"Yeah, and he's super hot too..." Undyne blurted just to receive concerned and weird looks from the other two women.
Undyne started to sweat profusely.
"Well, would you look at the time! I gotta go train! You two take care of yourselves!" Undyne said clumsily running out of the eatery.
Susie and Petrichor just shrugged that off and began to discuss their plans for the next week.
[Ralsei]-[Thursday, 4:45 PM]
Ralsei woke up in a cold sweat. She had reverted to her regular form. She could assume it was from the lack of sun and moon she was getting skin contact with. That, and the fact that she probably got whooped out of her transformation.
She shook her head, trying got shake off her headache. She then reflexively hunched her body, finally acknowledging the injuries she sustained from her previous fight.
The room was white, pearly white. Being the only black thing in the room made the situation seem somewhat comedic.
The room seemed to be made of a pristine stone.
It then clicked with her. She was on Olympus.
She looked around to see if there was an exit to this room. The only thing greeting her was a set of bars and a burly old man standing on the opposite end. Ralsei perked up in slight fear but was excited to be able to talk to someone.
"H-hello? My name is uh, well it doesn't matter, may I ask to speak with the King? I have important news for him."
The man didn't move and kept his demeanor.
"I am the King."
Ralsei's face lit up in excitement.
"Oh! That's good! Listen! Hydra is planning to"
"I don't care about Hydra!" The King said before forming a quartz pillar from the ground and smacking Ralsei right in her sore wound on her chest.
Her pupils faded and she coughed up slight droplets of blood before smacking into the back of the cell.
"WHY DID YOU KILL CARDIN?!" The King said with genuine rage.
"WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"
Ralsei slowly got up.
"What are you talking about sir?! Why are you attacking me?!"
Ralsei's question to his question angered him more. Another quartz pillar came from the left, this time she saw it coming. She tried to summon a shield to block it, but the pillar just shattered through it with minimal effort. Her eyes widened as the pillar this time hit the left side of her face, making her head rock to the side aggressively, she was barely holding her ground by standing upright after the attack.
"You know damn well what you did! Crashing in my territory, with my right-hand man in your mouth. LIFELESS!" Zewz said summoning another pillar.
Ralsei attempted the same thing. The same thing happened to her shield, and it hit her directly into her stomach. She spat out all the fluids in her mouth from that.
"I didn't kill him-!"
"LIAR!"
A pillar was summoned. It landed.
Ralsei stood upright.
Another pillar was summoned. It landed.
Ralsei still stood upright.
"HE WAS SO YOUNG! HE WAS THE HOPE OF THIS COUNTRY'S FUTURE!"
Ralsei finally pieced together what had happened.
She stopped summoning her barriers to fend off the attacks.
"WE ARE AT THE BRINK OF WAR BECAUSE YOUR KING WON'T ACCEPT PEACE NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I TRY AND APPLY IT!"
Ralsei stood quiet.
One by one, faster and faster, the pillars came out more and more aggressively. Each connecting viciously at her unattended wounds.
"NOW WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?! FOR BEING THE LINCHPIN OF THE DESTRUCTION OF BOTH COUNTRIES?!"
Zewz summoned multiple at a time at the fastest he could at Ralsei. Ralsei just folded her arms and looked straight ahead. Using her remaining Courage to summon something in her mouth, it was small, thin, and cylindrical.
This attack was similar to Undyne's "Spear Minigun" but instead of sharp, it's blunt. The flurry of blows connected with her, jostling her body in place, breaking some bones, and making the muscles that were unhurt, now insanely bruised.
He continued this for tens of seconds before ending his pent-up rage.
He stopped his onslaught and was thoroughly out of breath.
The sound of the pillars sliding back into the ground was the only sound both could hear for a while.
Silence rolled by afterward.
Just then, Zewz, he heard a sound of a light flicker, like there was a lighter someone turned on.
Zewz examined his prisoner...and his eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
Ralsei, shaking violently, but still stood firm, bloodied all over, somebody parts slightly misshapen due to the broken bone and damaged muscle, in a puddle of her blood, was looking down. Her thumb was emitting a flame out of Courage, and she was lighting her makeshift cigarette in her mouth.
In a deep voice, uncharacteristically to her, she finally spoke.
"...You done yet...?"
Ralsei had successfully lit her cigarette and took a long drag of it. Her eyes were bloodshot but also glowing with her Courage.
"Good. My name...is Ms. Atlas."
Ralsei was now refilled with Courage!
Zewz felt this sudden change in energy coming from Ralsei, he faltered in his offense and fell on the defense suddenly.
"Look," Ralsei let out the smoke from her mouth and took another drag, "I don't know what happens when I'm like that, so I don't remember what I did to this 'Cardin' guy...and honestly...I don't give a damn."
Zewz felt the disrespect coming from Ralsei and tried to once again apply his dominance to send her back down to Earth.
"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE THAT!" He said summoning another, stronger, pillar.
Ralsei summoned a shield by simply holding her hand in the direction of the pillar.
This time, the pillar shattered.
Zewz froze.
Ralsei took another drag of her makeshift cigarette.
She sat down, legs crossed.
"Aren't you that doctor of that Spider Girl's crew?"
Ralsei chuckled.
"She wishes, but you're mistaking me for Ralsei Lightner. A real coward and weakling...this is Ms. Atlas you're speaking to! Beat me up all you want, I'm still going to be the one to carry everyone on my back! As of Hydra's business and seeing everything you've done to the people of Minks, and seeing everything Hydra does to the humans...neither of you deserves to win! I'm doing my job to help the people, NOT YOU! And not Hydra either. Once the war starts, I will stop at nothing to see both you monsters fall-!"
A pillar smacked across her face mid-sentence.
"So you're willing to endure torture, just for the success of your crew and your ideals?"
Ms. Atlas smirked and took one last drag of her makeshift cigarette before flicking it across the room to which it dissolved into light.
"Heh...can you say the same?" Ralsei said staring him down with eyes full of...
Hopes and Dreams!
[Muffet and Christie] - [Thursday, 7:30 PM]
Both team captains had found themselves on the shore on the opposite side of where the eatery was. They had chosen to do this alone, however, Undyne somehow found herself along the same shore by sheer coincidence.
Although they didn't advise them to stress about their strengths and train for their preparing week, they knew that Undyne genuinely did enjoy training, so they let her be.
Since she had a Devil Fruit and was also a Fishwoman sea water didn't make her body go limp and weak, it just only meant that she couldn't use her abilities while in the water while giving her a slight decrease in her overall stats. So Undyne would swim down to the seabed and pick up the heaviest rocks she could find, tie them around her limbs, and start shadowboxing underwater to increase her base strength and speed.
Muffet and Christie were just watching her do her thing for a while.
"That's your partner in crime, huh?" Christie said giving a slight elbow nudge to Muffet.
Muffet returned with a soft shoulder punch.
"You know it dearie~! How are you and that guy doing?"
Christie was puzzled with what she meant, but once she realized it, she blushed.
"Oh, uh, um, we are doing friend- fine! I meant we are doing fine!" Christie said with her face heating up.
Muffet leaned into her face with suggestive eyes, all five of them.
"Just friends~?" She said.
Christie playfully pushed her away before scoffing.
"It's not like that. Well...I've had thoughts about him...like that...before- It's just that...do you have time for this?"
Muffet was a dense person and oblivious to most things. However, romance, was a womanly instinct that she found worth gossiping and chatting about. Although her tastes were very specific and rare for her to feel a romantic way for anyone, not even Undyne, she did enjoy listening to other people's interests. She like knowing the most about her friends.
Although it was in the works, Christie was warming to her. She saw some of herself in her and she could tell Christie felt the same way.
The spider girl responded with a quick set at the shore's sand, perfectly matching with the slow setting sun. Despite it being a cold time of year, it felt warmer than usual this time around. She then pat a patch of sand next to her excitedly and repeatedly, like how you would pat a dog to sit next to you. Her other hands were clapping with the same rhythm.
"Heh, okay spider dork," Christie said while sitting down, but further away than where Muffet had originally positioned her hand.
"Still not entirely settled with...me, right?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry...it's just that..." Christie slowly looked down at her hands before touching the side of her face made entirely out of diamonds, "Spiders freak me out, had a couple of bad run-ins with them, no offense to you."
Muffet just only held out her hand to signal her to stop talking.
"No offense taken...now, you go on then dearie~ I'm eager to hear about what you have to say. What are you and 'Ro-guy' exactly?"
"Ronaldo?"
"Yeah!"
"Well, where do I begin...I've been having a crush on him since we became friends in childhood. I wanna say, hm, since we were five. However, I know for a fact he only has platonic feelings for me. Regardless, he's a selfish, incredibly lazy, sarcastic, arrogant, unenthusiastic guy, but that's why I like him. You know me, so you know damn well that we are complete opposites. We wanted to join the Navy together because honestly...we were scared of pirates. With that in mind, the person who could comfort us the most was Red Von Suitel-"
Muffet got a chill down her spine hearing that name. A lot more was happening with Red than she thought as a kid. Why was she a bartender? And why was she so friendly with Frisk if she hated pirates.
Those are questions she put in her mental log of things she needed to figure out.
"She trained us and put us in a secret navy organization called G.U.N, 'Govern, Unite, and Neutralize'. Like a special forces team where we got to learn secret martial arts techniques only achievable to people deemed 'superhuman'."
"Sounds tough dearie~ how did you do in that field?"
"Me? Personally? I did badly. While trying to figure out me and the techniques, I accidentally discovered what a glimpse of Haki was after Red tried to discipline my form because I wasn't doing something correctly and I dodged from behind because I felt something behind me. However, Ronaldo was the opposite, that man...Although he is lazy as hell, he has been obsessed with getting physical power, and fast. He wanted all the fruits of labor without having to do the labor, I still don't know why. I guess it's poetic the Devil Fruit he has worked so well with his desires."
"It does fit him, hey, do you think that the Devil Fruits find us and not the other way around?" Muffet said looking off into the sunset.
Christie looked over at her puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
"Well dearie~, I've fought a lot of Devil Fruit users in my times here at sea, and I've just now realized that everyone's personality fits their Devil Fruit."
Christie laughed at that thought.
"Hehe, you're gonna have to give me examples here, I can't say much for myself, I have only ever fought mostly basic pirates. My time here in Constricta has gotten me closer to the most Devil Fruit users I've seen in my life." Christie said slowly looking over at the horizon.
"Well let's see, there was this man Bronzio, his name is ironic, but he was always being third place in everything he did, so he could control Bronze as his Devil Fruit. Next, there was the Chaos King, he was of a man in a world where everything he felt was his property, so his Devil Fruit was able to switch around anything as he so pleased. Then there's Susie, who since the beginning of her travels and the role she has on my ship, has to bear incredible weight constantly, poor girl, and at the time of eating her Devil Fruit, she was under the most pressure of her life, fighting someone weighing her down. So, her Devil Fruit made her control Gravity. Undyne can summon spears, always right to the point and tough only when they need to be, like her. You've explained Ronaldo's, but yours makes the most sense out of everything so far." Muffet said trailing off into her reasoning, recalling all her adventures since she left the sea. The more she spoke the more she realized that she had been maturing along the way, beginning adventures her would never be able to form this thought.
Christie turned to her.
"What do you think mine means then?"
"Well ain't that obvious dearie? Your Devil Fruit allows you to become Springs. I've seen you bounce back from death itself, I mean look at you, no offense, most of your body was destroyed fighting that guy back at that base, even half your head, but you're still alive...I can say for myself, I've been forced to be the happiness to everyone's life, been forced to be flexible around other people, and be able to bounce back from anything just like you. I only don't look like you because I have a magic doctor and a bit of help from MewMew huehuehue~" Muffet said while looking at Christie.
However, when she did, she couldn't tell, but she could swear that...she inched slightly closer to her.
She smiled.
"Heh. MewMew did technically get you caused in all this mess right?"
"Huehuehue~ if we are being technical, it's my fault for wanting to go to Monzierre, because then we didn't have to meet Hera, to then know the location of the Emerald Peninsula, to then meet MewMew, to then for her to quit and recommend me for Warlord, it's a whole mess huehuehue~"
"You're right. Hey, I'm not sure if I've seen it on you, but, do you have Haki?"
Muffet solemnly looked at her hands, all six.
"I can't say I do, I think I have one, but I have no idea how to bring it out of me so it's doesn't count. I've been using my soul and base strength to get by on the seas, huehuehue~"
"That's impressive. You have Perseverance, that's like, the second-best one. I wish I had one stronger than my Justice, but, it's mandatory for everyone in the Navy to have some type of soul of Justice. Except for the Admirals, for some reason, they are exempt from that rule."
"What's stopping you from just getting a soul change?"
"Like that's easy to do."
"No seriously, Undyne has gone through a Double Soul Activation, Ralsei went through one, if you're anything like me, you can do it too. I only haven't because I want to keep the purple aesthetic." Muffet said giggling to herself.
"What do I need to do then?"
Muffet stood up and held her lowest right hand out to her.
"Well, I did give you some of my soul, that's a step. You just simply need a change of heart!" She said while continuing to extend out her arm.
Christie looked at her. She then smiled.
She grabbed her hand, Muffet immediately fell limp.
"Oh, shit forgot! Sea Prism!" Christie said trying to pick her up while also trying not to touch her."
"It's okay dearie...~," Muffet said limply on the ground.
Everyone on this island would spend the following week doing what they love most.