Lawson smiled a bright, proud smile.
"My friends, I have the honor to present his Majesty. Lord Reichen Bach, by heaven's grace the one true King of Doyle."
Izuku stood there, frozen in panic. Nothing, not his UA classes, nor his training with All Might, nor all his adventures, had prepared him for this. He had no idea of the proper etiquette! How was he supposed to behave!?
Meanwhile, Yamato immediately dropped to one knee, pressing her clenched right fist to the floor while bowing her head in reverence.
"Your Lordship!" she declared. "I am Yamato! I am a wanderer, and a stranger in your kingdom! I humbly beg your patronage, and your leave to enter!"
Izuku blinked. Why was she carrying on like she was in a samurai drama? Was that how they did things in Wano?
But no one seemed to be objecting. And he didn't have any better ideas.
"Your majesty," he cut in, as he dropped to one knee, imitating Yamato. "I am Midoriya Izuku. I, like Yamato, am a wanderer, and a stranger in your kingdom. I beg your patronage, and your leave to enter."
He stared down at the floor, praying that he hadn't just made a fool of himself. He forced himself to look up, and saw the King gazing down at him, an eyebrow quirked. Lawson was still smiling.
"Any friend of Justinian Lawson is a friend of ours," he said; his voice rich and clear. "We welcome you to our court, and bid you rise."
Izuku almost fainted with relief as he stood up. If the King was offended, or amused, he made no show of it.
"Lawson, how did you come by these friends of yours?" Bach asked, turning to Lawson.
"They appeared outside my residence, requesting an audience," replied Lawson. "I'd just finished getting tortured from the bordom of cabinet meetings and let them in.."
Izuku's gaze went to him, eyebrows shot high. Bored?
"Your duties bore you, Lawson?" asked the King, smirking lightly. "The duties for which you were elected?"
"My burdens are great, I'm sorry to say your majesty," replied Lawson, smirking like the cat that ate the canary. "But honestly, I was positively dying for some excitement."
Izuku's attention began to wander, as he noticed the items arranged around the room. There was a simple hand bell, a blue carbuncle, a framed green coronet, and a statue of a lion. He found himself wondering what they meant.
And then his eyes fell on one of the paintings. It was identical to the one in Lawson's office; but for a couple of things. The royal couple looked older, as did Lawson…and instead of a princess standing beside them, there was a young boy that could only have been the King.
"...and as you can see, they are clearly from a foreign land," Lawson went on. "I believe that…"
"This lady is from Wano."
Izuku almost gasped, while Yamato was staring at the King in amazement.
"From Wano, Bach?" asked Lawson, with an air of weary amusement; as if they were playing a game they had played many times before. "What makes you say so?" The King approached, but kept at a distance as his eyes seemed to be inspecting her clothing, his lips curving into his smirk.
"Her belt is a nio-dasuki, made of strong hemp," the King said, casually pointing at the aforementioned item. "It is strong enough to carry items, yet flexible enough to move around in. The style is unique of Wano; derived from the bamboo of its legendary groves. Wano Bamboo is incredibly rare, and fetches quite a high price in various markets..."
Izuku blinked as the man knelt, pointing at her feet below her red hakama.
"Next, her Geta sandals make a unique sound when they tap along the floor, having been made from the wood of the Kuri tree. The wood of that tree is enormously strong yet remarkably flexible and smooth, forming to match the sole of the wearer over time. Such trees are indigenous to Wano, and while they have been found in other lands due to the migration of birds, they, like the bamboo, are rare."
"The migration of birds, your Majesty?" asked Yamato. "I haven't seen a bird carry a bunch of trees around."
The blue haired man smirked, as if he were a teacher before his classroom. It reminded Izuku of Cementoss and Present Mic; but Bach seemed to be at a higher level than that, despite him looking only to be in his early twenties.
"You see, the birds eat the seeds and nuts from the trees, and then excrete them afterwards," the King explained. "If they migrate to other lands, the seeds grow in those lands from their droppings. Simple animal migratory biology, tying into classical ecology theory; both of them are well-known sciences."
"Oh…" Yamato put her finger to her chin.
"Also, Lady Yamato is clearly a member of the Oni people; a race of humanoids long thought to be extinct. She shares their distinguishing features of above-average height and horns. They are thought to have originated in Wano, only to be exiled by the warrior-kings known as Shogun; who have ruled for at least eight centuries as the history texts go. Since their exile their numbers have dwindled, due to their unfortunate habit of violence."
His eyes quietly drifted towards Yamato's back. "Additionally, she's carrying around a kanabo. A weapon favored by the Oni people."
Izuku bit his lip and did his best to soak this all in. The King, this Reichen Bach, was clearly well educated and learned. His observation skills alone were impressive, did he eat a Devil Fruit?
"Why, I wouldn't have been able to figure that out even if I had read out your entire royal library, Bach," complimented Lawson, as the King stepped over to one of the sideboards. Izuku stared as he picked up a curved pipe from its stand, lit it, and then drew on it. Bach seemed to chuckle, turning towards the mouse mink. The way they talked to one another gave the impression that they have known each other their whole lives.
"Why, it's elementary, my dear Lawson."
He smirked, and Lawson smiled back; at a joke they alone understood. Izuku stared at them, wondering why he felt deja vu again.
"And now, Master Izuku." The blue haired man carried his pipe still, removing it from his lips and stepped over towards Izuku. "You, we confess, are an enigma."
There was an extraordinarily long pause that made Izuku shift nervously.
"An enigma, your Majesty?" asked Lawson, sounding just a little too pleased. "Has your legendary intellect finally been defeated?"
Izuku looked side to side, one eye going to Yamato who just shrugged as he looked back at the man as he approached him, feeling his eyes gaze into him.
"I've never seen clothes like yours before," the King went on, unperturbed. "They match none of the styles of any kingdom or culture we have ever studied or seen; even at the Reverie in Mariejois."
He reached out a hand, as if to touch him.
"May I?"
"Uh, of course!"
Izuku's heart thundered as the King ran his pale hand along his sleeve. He was being touched, by the hand of a King! And he didn't even have scrofula!
"Izuku, you're shaking," said Yamato.
"S-Sorry…"
"Hmm… Your attire appears practical, overly so, combat is the closest reasonable assumption," he went on as he backed off, kneeling as he inspected Izuku's legs as he held his pipe.. "A simple one-piece suit, with reinforced steel boots and gloves, and protection for the knees. This suggests a combat style based on physical strikes and parries, with an emphasis on utilizing the lower body…. I do not recognise the material of your shirt, as it does not feel like cotton, silk or even leather. Some sort of unique linen I am unaware about? To say nothing of the rubber-like gloves. I've only seen such advanced attire for Marines or in stories regarding the Germa Kingdom, but you don't carry yourself like either."
Izuku gulped.
"It's a Hero costume, your Majesty," he said, with all the dignity he could muster. "It's designed for Hero work."
"Hero work…" mused Bach, intrigued. "We have not heard of such. You describe it as if it were a profession."
"Well…it's a profession where I'm from, your Majesty. A proud and honorable profession."
Bach nodded, in what might have been approval.
"We would certainly hope so," he said. "Are you also from the land of Wano, Master Izuku? Your physical appearance would suggest it, and your genuflection is correct for their etiquette; though somewhat over-enthusiastic."
Izuku's heart sank. He didn't want to lie to the King; and wasn't sure that he even dared. But how was he to explain that he came from another world?
"There is also the matter of how you came to be in this country," the King mercifully interjected, he seemed to be thinking aloud, holding his pipe as he began to pace about the room. "Doyle cannot be entered from the sea, save through the Great Lift at Adlerport. Due to current events at Adlerport and the G-12 Marine base, the Great Lift is currently under lockdown. The only alternative would be to pass through the mists and shoals, and scale the cliffs from the water's edge and against the hundreds of waterfalls cascading into the sea. No one below the level of a Marine Admiral could attempt that and live. Which leaves only two possibilities."
The King looked straight at him, the mouth end of his pipe pointing at him, smirking as if he had figured out a complex puzzle.
"One is that you somehow discovered and used the secret Royal passageway. This is impossible, if only because your use of it would have been noticed. The other…" He paused. "is that you can fly."
The King turned away, and looked at Lawson.
"Lawson, your friends are a lady of the Oni clan, and a man who can fly," he said, mildly. "You have not lost your capacity to find interesting people." He said with an amused glance.
"I do my humble best, your Majesty," Lawson said, chuckling. "But if you will forgive me, their presence relates to an urgent matter. I must ask that your Majesty shut off the room."
The momentary bonhomie faded. The King regarded Lawson for a moment, frowning, and then strode over to the fireplace, running his hand over the mantlepiece. Izuku could hear clicking all around him, coming from inside the walls. A clunk came from the doors.
They were locked in.
"What was that?" Yamato asked, looking around.
"Rest assured, the room is soundproof." Bach said, taking a drag from his pipe. There was an edge to his tone that hadn't been there before. "Do you mean to say that these people came from Whitey Bay?"
"Yes, your Majesty. Mister Izuku has the proof."
Izuku remembered himself, and pulled out the ring on its chain; holding it out to the King. The King stared hard at it, then held up his own left hand next to it.
There was a ring on his finger. It was near-identical to the one on the chain. He took a deep breath, his pipe bowl burning lightly before he let out a drag.
"How typical of her," the King sighed, the venom evident in his tone. "Her homeland is on the verge of collapse, and she can't even bother to come herself. We should have expected nothing else."
He stepped away, and sat down in a high-backed chair. There was a shadow over his countenance that had not been there before.
Izuku stared at him, confused. What did this mean? Did he know Whitey Bay? And if he did…why did they look so similar?
Could they be…?
"Mister Izuku, Lady Yamato," Lawson spoke up. "I must ask you to keep what you are about to hear a secret. It is a private matter…and one of great importance."
He was still smiling, but his tone had turned serious.
"Yes, of course," insisted Izuku.
"My word on it, your Majesty," added Yamato with a light bow.
"Very well then." Lawson took a breath. "These rings are Royal signet rings. The Pirate, Whitey Bay… her birth name is Reichen Bailey. She…was the Crown Princess of Doyle, and she is his Majesty's mother."
To his own surprise, Izuku wasn't shocked. It all made too much sense. They had to at least have been related. Though given Whitey's rather young appearance, he'd honestly been expecting the pair to be siblings.
"Sir…was that her portrait in your office?" he asked.
"Yes, it was," replied Lawson. "Her Royal Highness, and their Majesties, the late King and Queen, her parents."
"Ohhhhhh, the blue hair! I get it now!" Yamato surmised, the facts connecting in her head. "So Bay is your mother! How splendid!"
Izuku looked at the King. The shadow hanging over him had deepened at Yamato's words as the pipe bowl burned.
"But…why isn't she here?" Izuku asked, unable to stop himself.
"Because she cares more for random strangers and playing at pirates than for her own family, or her kingdom."
The King's words had been as regal as anything said before. But Izuku could not miss the edge to them.
"It's the same as Kotaro," whimpered Nana in his ear. In his mind's eye, Izuku could see the tears in her eyes; as she remembered the son she had abandoned in order to save him from the dangers of her calling…and the grandson who'd been destroyed by that decision.
Izuku looked at the King again. What sort of man was Reichen Bach, really? He seemed so noble, so erudite. But he carried that same pain within him; that same pain that had left Kotaro a small, bitter, cruel man; a man who had controlled his own family and crushed his own children.
And when his own son had lost control of his quirk, a monster had been born. A monster that swallowed Japan into darkness, and took Izuku from his world and into this one.
"Your Majesty, you speak of her too harshly," Yamato spoke up, making Izuku jump. "Your mother is a great and noble person. Though a pirate, she protects the weak and asks for no reward."
"Yet she ignores a call for aid from her own kingdom!? Her home!?" retorted the King, glowering at her. "Even her own son's entreaties will not move her! Instead she tricks two random strangers into doing her bidding, while she drinks herself into oblivion!" He sighed harshly. "You shouldn't have bothered trying to reach her Lawson." He scoffed, taking a heavy draw from his pipe. "Not worth the effort."
"Bach!" Lawson's smile was gone, his eyes full of pain, and more than a little anger. "She trusted them enough to give them her ring; the ring that can buy an island. I know in my heart that we can trust them!"
The King stood up and rounded on him, and Lawson glared right back. He looked, to Izuku, like a father angry with his son.
Then Bach sighed, and ran his hand through his blue hair.
"Lady Yamato, Master Izuku," he said, turning back to them. "Regretfully, my mother has deceived you, and sent you here under false pretenses. You must not feel any obligation towards us in this matter. After all… this isn't your home."
Izuku glanced at Yamato, who glanced back at him. That was it? Were they being dismissed?
"Bach!" protested Lawson. "They are…!"
"Ring-ring-ring-ring! Ring-ring-ring-ring!"
Lawson began patting his pockets, until he pulled out a Transponder Snail.
"This is Lawson."
"This is Sergeant Wiggins at Gloria Watchtower! Prime Minister, four ships are entering Adlerport!" said the snail. "Four Marine warships!" Lawson's eyes widened, and Bach's mirrored as he approached, standing by the mouse mink's side.
"And their flags?"
"Their flag looks like that of Vice Admiral Scotyard!"
A look of pure joy and relief flashed over Lawson's face.
"Very well! Thank you!"
He put the snail away, and his smile returned with a vengeance.
"Your Majesty, good news at last! Four Marine warships are entering Adlerport! Their flag is that of Vice Admiral Scotyard! He's coming home!"
The King seemed to relax a little.
"Marineford will not have heard from G-12 these past weeks," he mused. "Scotyard must have been sent to check on us."
He strode over to the mantlepiece and repeated his motion from before. At the same time, Lawson pressed a button on a brass panel by one of the side doors. The golden doors clunked open, and the uniformed servant from before strode in and bowed. At the same time, a side door opened and a younger man in a similar uniform did likewise.
"Please inform the Lord Chamberlain that his Majesty wishes to go immediately to Gloria Watchtower, " said Lawson. The servants bowed, and backed out of the room, shutting the doors behind them.
"Our destination is Gloria Watchtower," explained the King, to a thoroughly bewildered Izuku and Yamato. "We will be able to watch the fleet from the observatory there, and ascertain the situation."
"Can't you just call them, your Majesty?" asked Yamato. "The Marine fleet?"
The side door clunked open again, and four uniformed servants strode in, carrying what appeared to be clothes. Two headed for Lawson, and began helping him into his hat and coat. The others headed to the King, and began helping him into a black tunic that matched his trousers, a heavy greatcoat, and a cap.
"On this occasion we cannot," the King replied.. "Our Transponder Snails cannot connect with Marine ships; as they do not have the correct signals. We can't even call the outside world. Most likely someone has placed Horned Transponder Snails on the shallow shoals all around the country."
Three of the servants stood back, while a fourth hurried towards the golden doors and opened them.
"So…Horned Transponder snails can jam other snails?" asked Izuku, as he followed the King and Lawson out of the room; Yamato falling in beside him.
"Indeed they can," replied Lawson. "They vary in their size and capability. Most can only manage verbal communication; but some can broadcast moving images in real time, or even capture images too."
"So…like a camera and a live feed," mused Izuku, thinking hard. "Is there a… Transponder snail television?"
"Television? What pray tell is that? We have not heard of such a thing," commented the King. Izuku suppressed a yelp as he realized his mistake.
"I've seen things like that too!" Yamato cut in, rescuing him. "In Wano, there are Transponder Snails of all shapes and sizes."
"Some can even transmit images of documents," Lawson went on. "And when attached to a printer, can print them out."
"Like a fax machine!" declared Izuku, again slipping up in his excitement.
"We have not heard of that either," the King cut in, and Izuku almost yelped again. To think he had been warning Yamato about that just an hour ago!
"How long will it take us to reach the watchtower?" asked Yamato.
"Many hours, I fear," replied Lawson. "It's in the mountains, past the Baskerville Woods."
"You do not need to come with, as I said, this is a matter pertaining only to Doyle." Bach replied as he marched ahead. "This will be a long night Lawson, hope you're prepared for a long ride."
"Then why don't I fly us there?"
The King and Lawson stopped, so suddenly that Izuku almost walked into them.
"Uh…I mean…" Izuku babbled, caught off-guard. "I…it would be my honor to take your Majesty and the Prime Minister to the tower myself, using my power of flight."
He bowed, feeling a fool.
"Are you certain you can manage, Master Izuku?" asked Lawson.
"You appear to be in impressive physical condition," Bach said. "But are you sure you can manage three people? Even with the Float Float fruit, this may be too much."
"He can!" insisted Yamato enthusiastically. "He carried me all the way from Wano to Ludeterin, and from Ludeterin to here!"
"Well…I've never carried three people before while flying over long distances," admitted Izuku awkwardly. "But it shouldn't be too hard."
Lawson glanced at Bach, who nodded.
"We confess ourselves intrigued. Let us try this method." He added, almost sounding excited at the prospect.
"Okay, I mean, at once your Majesty!" Izuku tried and failed to not blush. "We just need to go outside. And… no people around. I'd like to keep this a secret…"
"Of course," the King said. "Such an ability is best kept secret."
Izuku winced. This King was shrewd indeed; like a detective. Or could he actually read minds?
"It's alright Master Izuku, after all know my deepest secret. I shall not share whatever you display, in return for you keeping the secret of my parentage." Bach said. "Are we in accord?"
"It's a deal. You won't hear a peep out of me, Your Majesty." Izuku said as the blue haired man nodded.
"Very well, follow me."
The King led the way down the stairs and out into an ornate garden; lit with lamps. Just beyond it, Izuku could see the main palace; with its mighty dome. With no one around.
"Okay, if you'd both just stand there," he said, as Yamato stood behind him. "Now, these things look scary, but they're harmless, I promise."
He activated Black Whip, and the tendrils reached out, coiling slowly around the King and Lawson. Lawson looked a little nervous, but the King seemed unperturbed.
"This isn't the Float Float fruit's power?" he asked, eyeing the tendrils. "Is it coming from your gloves? Some new form of technology from your homeland perhaps?"
"Uh, not exactly, your Majesty."
Bach's eyebrows rose up. The tendrils coiled tight, and Izuku rose into the air. It was hard carrying three people, but he managed it all the same; rising up above the palace, and into the night air. Higher and higher.
"Marvelous!" declared Lawson, looking a little nervous as he had a hand on his top hat."I can see why Bay trusted you! You are a gifted young lad Midoriya Izuku!"
"Are you all right, your Majesty?" asked Izuku. The King was clearly trying very hard not to look unsettled.
"We are ready, Master Izuku!" he replied. There was a brightness in his eyes that hadn't been there before.
"Then let's go! To Gloria Tower!"
Izuku flew away, passing over the palace and out over the city. Night had fallen, and the city was a sea of tiny lights.
"Haha!" laughed Lawson, overcome with joy, arms outstretched to mimic wings. "Now this is a bird's eye view, ey Bach!"
Bach looked flustered, even as his wide eyes gazed down upon the city, his hand on his cap as not to lose it. Not just flustered, but wonderstruck.
"Sir, what's this city called?" Izuku called out. "I forgot to ask!"
"Londinium!" replied Lawson. "And the tower is that way! Through the mountains and over that large patch of forest!"
"This is so much fun isn't it Lawson!" Yamato called out, grinning and giggling as Lawson looked back to her, the same level of wonder and joy mirrored in his eyes.
"I do concur, Madam!"
He pointed away into the distance, towards a mountain range.
"Then off we go!"
Izuku turned towards the tower. He laid on the power, accelerating through the night air. He looked down, and saw Lawson still laughing, as if he had never experienced anything so wondrous in all his life.
And the King, whose eyes were bright, his face as unreadable as ever, his hands gripping his cap very tightly.
"Your Majesty, it's going to be okay!" he called out, meeting Bach's eyes. "I won't let you fall!" He then smiled widely.
Those brown eyes looked back, and there was something else there.
Was it…trust?
(X)
"Is that it?"
Yamato pointed towards the shape emerging from the darkness. It was a tall tower, with a dome at the top; just visible in the moonlight.
"That's it!" Lawson called back. "Gloria Watchtower!"
Yamato stared at the tower as they drew closer. Despite the low light, she could make out its curving wall, and the windows set into it.
All at once they were down on the ground in the woods just a ways away, and the black tendrils were gone. Lawson landed nicely, breathing exilarantly. Bach seemed to stagger, placing a hand on a tree to steady himself as he turned towards the boy who landed last.
"What a rush! That was flight! Oh to see the world from such a view, and at such speeds!" Lawson declared. "You are a gifted young man, Mister Izuku, and… goodness… I want to do that again aha!"
He grinned, unable to contain himself as even Yamato giggled. Her first time flying was more intimate and world revealing for her, but for Lawson and Bach, to travel such a long distance over a short time was nothing short of wondrous.
"How do you…" Bach breathed, "have such a power?" The King looked upon Izuku with obvious amazement. "It… this doesn't match any of the Devil Fruits I know about…"
"It's a long story, your Majesty," said Izuku, smiling warmly. "And one I would dearly love to tell you, one day."
Bach let out a chuckle, looking at his cap and adjusting it. "Well, let's make that one day soon. Master Izuku, you intrigue me greatly." He smirked lightly.
Yamato looked from one to the other, and broke into a grin. Oden had spoken of moments like these, of bonds being formed. It was just like on Onigashima, with herself and Izuku.
Meanwhile, the group trotted out of the woods and into the clearing in the shadow of the tower, Lawson trotting up the steps and knocking on the door. The door opened, and a young woman dressed in some kind of military uniform with brown hair done in a bun gawked in utter disbelief.
"But…but we only called twenty minutes ago!" she protested. "How are you here…Prime Minister…and…your Majesty!?"
Her brown eyes almost popped out of her head, and she snapped to attention.
"In due time," Lawson assured her with a tip of his hat. "His Majesty and I wish to view the fleet as it approaches. Would it be possible to use the observatory?"
"Oh, uh, yes! Of course!" The young woman led the way inside. "I'm Amanda, by the way! I look after the tower with Sergeant Wiggins!"
The bottom floor of the tower was largely empty; but for a curving stairway leading up to the next floor and down to the basement below.
"What's all the noise?" gripped a voice from the stairwell. Yamato looked, and saw an old man slowly descending the stairs. He was lanky, with a head of thin white hair, and dressed in a uniform similar to the one the palace guards had worn; though nothing fancy. There was a haunted look on his face.
"Ah!" The haunted look was gone, replaced with blind panic. "Ah! Your grace! Your Majesty! M-Mr. Prime Minister!" The old man snapped to attention with a worrying cracking noise, and even managed to salute. "Such an honor your Majesty! Sergeant Wiggins at yer' service!"
He was panicking almost as much as Izuku had. It might have been funny, if his body didn't sound like it was about to fall apart.
"They've just arrived, somehow," explained Amanda. "They want to use the observatory to watch the fleet come in."
"Ah…" Wiggins faltered, and then deflated like a balloon. The haunted look returned to his face.
"What's the matter, sergeant?" Bach asked, his previous dignity restored. "What ails you?"
Yamato glanced at Izuku. He was staring intently at the old man. Something was clearly wrong, and Izuku could see it too.
"Your Majesty…" The old man looked like his soul had been sucked out. "The fleet…it's gone."
For a few moments, the tower was silent.
"Gone!?" Lawson was incredulous. "What do you mean, gone!?"
"Gone, sir." Wiggins was shaking. "I…you'd better come and see."
They followed Wiggins up the stairs, and into the observatory. The stairwell opened out onto an external gantry, which ran around the foot of the dome. The observatory's telescope loomed above them; an enormous metal cylinder standing level, like an enormous pistol aimed out of the dome.
Yamato followed the other around the gantry, and to a platform under the telescope's rear end. On it was what looked like a set of binoculars, but set into the end of the telescope; with a pair of handlebars below. Wiggins stood aside, and Lawson strode onto the platform. He stopped, and leaned forward; staring into the eyepiece. He twisted the handlebars, one way, then another, staring all the while.
He stepped back, his eyes grim and taking a deep breath. The King stepped forward, and looked in turn.
"What is it?" Yamato asked. She would have gladly spent all night just looking at the telescope, but she wanted to know what was going on, what the old man had meant. Bach growled, then walked off, hands on his hips as he looked to the ground.
The King and Lawson looked at one another, something unreadable passing between their eyes.
"See for yourself," Lawson said in a solemn tone, standing aside. Yamato glanced at Izuku, who nodded. The white haired woman stepped forward and looked into the eyepiece.
At first, all she could see was fog; the very fog she and Izuku had flown over a few hours earlier. She tried twisting the handlebars, and found that the view shifted; up, down, left, right, in, out. She played with them a little, until she had got the measure of them, then looked again.
Then she saw something, brief lights in the gloom, flickering on and off.
"What do you see?" Izuku asked.
"Lights," she replied. "In a zig-zag pattern…coming and going."
"Those are the lighthouses," explained Lawson. "They guide ships into Adlerport via the only channel between the shoals. Think of the shoals surrounding Doyle as the letter C, the opening of the letter being that same opening for Adlerport. Follow them, and you will see."
Yamato did as she was bidden, following the pattern of the lights.
Then the fog lifted, just a little. She could see what looked like an enormous port, with stone buildings and long piers reaching out into the sea.
And in the harbor, not far from the piers, four bright flames leaping into the night sky, smoke billowing. Yamato shuddered as she focussed on them. After a lifetime on Onigashima, she knew what a burning ship looked like.
"I see the ships," she said. "And…there's something else."
There was another light, not far away. She followed it, and found herself staring at the beach just next to the harbor. There was a fire burning on it, a fire that formed letters, a word.
ONE WEEK LEFT. TICK TOCK.
Yamato pulled back, blinking as her eyes ached. What had she just seen?
"Look again at the harbor," Lawson said mournfully. The King had wandered away, back onto the gantry, his face out of sight. Yamato looked again, moving the view back towards the harbor, and further in.
There was a ship docked in the harbor. It was quite large, as big as any ship she had seen on Onigashima. From its main mast flew a Jolly Roger; its skull showing Silver and Gold teeth, and two swords behind it. She could see lights on the docks, and figures moving back and forth, hurrying up and down the ship's gangplanks.
"Pirates!" she called out. "There are pirates in Adlerport!"
"Look further in," Lawson replied. Yamato did so, moving the view further up the port, until she saw a slab-sided bastion on the landward side, an enormous Marine emblem embossed on its outer side, easily visible from the sea.
Then she looked closer. There were figures on the anchor emblem, beating at it with picks and hammers. And above them, the flagpole showed not that same emblem, but the Jolly Roger; the same as the ship below.
"Who are they!?" she demanded, stepping back to let Izuku look. "They've taken the port!"
"The Finalem Pirates," said Wiggins. He looked very, very old. "I saw them do it. Scotyard sailed in, the pirates attacked…. There was…there was no stopping them. Especially those two…"
"Who?" Izuku asked, sending the mood in the room as Bach was off to the side, hand over his mouth in stunned contemplation, shoulders slumped.
"The Twin Pirate Captains who have Doyle hostage, choking us at our only port, denying us imports and our ability to export for the last three weeks…" Bach replied, sighing resentfully. "The Finalem Brothers." He turned towards Wiggins. "Wiggins… what happened to Scotyard's fleet?" The old man took a deep breath, taking a cigarette and lighting it as he leaned against the stone wall.
"Alright… I'll do my best to explain what I saw from up here…"
And there you have it. The problem plaguing Doyle, and the introduction to our core characters of the arc. How did these pirates kill a Vice Admiral and his fleet? Well, stay tuned to find out next time. Complete with meeting our Sherlock and his Watson. Bach and Lawson, in this case. If any of you can figure out where Bach is inspired from in terms of design, you'll get a cookie. Oh, and more Sherlock homages too.
Gonna see on getting some fun images comm'd as well. One done by the Yamato-Izuku reading fellow, and another by a new fella. Something nice and easy mind you.
A big thanks again to Juubi-K and the polishing and edits by IKnowNothing and WildJoker000
Also I got the right OP for Resurrection Dawn too. Just gotta sit down and write it out. Complete with an ED too, so keep an eye out for that. Also come join spacebattles. Good stuff over there including fanart, memes and tons of omakes(which I need to continue publishing).
