A/N:
Guest-
Little mermaid XD And oh dear, seems Atlantica is unaware of all the news of the surface world XD i wonder how theyll act to the news that Argent isn't Jaune's only kid XD
Well, I know for a fact that Jim would laugh his ass off, Marina would be disappointed, and Trident would probably be impressed at his old friend's exploits.
SilentKnightFan-
Cool chapter btw. This is gonna be an interesting ARC XD sorry cant help it, sets itself up everytime XD Regardless if you gave them fuel, you made Raven likable imo XD
Oh, hey! You made it your username! Nice! I know it does. Don't apologize. If the fruit is hanging low, no one would blame you for taking it. I'd do it, too. I'm actually glad you think that. Raven's my personal favorite member of Team SKRW. Yeah, I'm a Raven simp. I regret nothing.
Argent was looking nervous while Jaune had his face in his hands. Nimueh was resting her head on her fist, rolling her eyes.
Marina stared at Jaune in shock. "Jaune, what does your son mean by you being the Grimm King?"
"You know what? Screw it," Jaune said as he stood up. "You're going to find out anyway." Jaune then pressed the button. When his hologram lowered, the nobles and officers were horrified. Only the royal family was unafraid.
"GUARDS," a noble called.
"TRAITOR! HOW DARE A BEAST ENTER THESE SACRED HALLS," an officer yelled.
"PROTECT THE KING," another noble yelled.
Guards then ran in, pointing their guns at Jaune. Jaune shrugged before he looked ready to fight.
"ENOUGH," Trident roared, making every stop as he stood tall, a furious look in his eyes. "HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME IN SUCH A WAY?!"
The nobles and soldiers looked confused.
"S-Sire, your safety is in jeopardy. Please allow us to-" a soldier began.
"SILENCE!" The soldier shivered before standing at attention. "Never before have I been more disgusted by my own soldiers. By my own people. This man is not only an honored guest but a close friend of mine. He is also the one responsible for the creation of this magnificent kingdom, AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY HIM?!"
The nobles looked terrified. Trident was by far the most powerful figure in the entire kingdom, his popularity and influence legions above any of theirs. He could take away their power, their status, their very lives, and no one would bat an eye. The soldiers were also afraid since Trident was undoubtedly the most powerful warrior in the entire kingdom. Everyone could try to attack him, and he'd still win. He's shown off his legendary strength by personally defending the kingdom from Grimm, including landing the finishing blow on Megalos, Mobii, and even a Kraken.
"Get out of my sight, BEFORE I PERSONALLY EXECUTE YOU HERE AND NOW!" Trident then slammed his trident with enough force to make the entire room tremble.
The nobles and soldiers all ran away, too terrified of Trident to think of anything else.
"Wow. You haven't lost your touch at all," Jaune said as he smiled at Trident.
The king sighed before sitting back down. "I am truly sorry, dear friend. I will make sure they are punished severely for such disrespect."
Jaune shrugged. "Honestly, I'm surprised most people I've shown this to haven't reacted like that. I mean, I'm a freakin' Grimm."
"Is it that bad," Melody asked. "I mean, you look really cool," she said with a genuine smile.
"So you got white skin and red eyes. Big deal. You don't seem any different from before," Jim said.
"Yup. You're still the same big brother that left without so much as a goodbye," Marina said.
Jaune shuttered. "You'll never forgive me for that, will you."
"Not even if Melody asked me to," she said with a smile as she placed her chin on her hands.
"Mommy, will you forgive Uncle Jaune?"
"No."
"I tried, Uncle Jaune," she said with a shrug.
"Thanks, pearl," Jaune sighed.
"Still, I must ask, how did this happen," Trident asked.
"Well, I have a lot of enemies. . . A LOT of enemies."
"Don't brag, hero," Jim deadpanned.
Jaune shrugged. "Apparently, one of my enemies... found out I was a descended of Salem herself. That was crazy to learn, founding out I pretty much killed my grandma."
"That sounds really messed up when said out loud," Jim said.
"Right," Jaune asked as he sat down. "That same enemy sent a mercenary to inject me with pure Grimm Pool water. If I wasn't related to Salem, that would have killed me. But, since I'm her great-great-a-lotta-great grandson, I ended up... becoming like her instead," he said as he held up his hands.
"Is there any way we can help change you back," Trident asked.
Jaune shook his head. "Tried. Even asked Jinn. I'm stuck like this. The only solace I have is that I'm still technically human beneath this. I've still got Aura and I can still use my Semblance. That's proof enough that I'm not a total monster."
"You're not a monster at all, Jaune," Marina said with a sweet smile.
"Yeah. You're just an old man who can make tiny black puppies whenever he wants," Jim joked.
"Wait, CAN YOU," Melody asked with starry eyes.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, kiddo. My powers don't work like that. . . I think."
"You don't know what all you can do, do you," Marina asked.
Jaune sighed. "No. No, I do not. I'm learning. I know for sure that I can Conquer Grimm. Overpower their wills to make them work for me. Oh, and copy their abilities," Jaune said as he held up his hand, turning it into a Death Stalker pincer, snapping them shut about three times to show off.
"Ooh, not bad. But mine are better, if I do say so myself," Sebas bragged as he snapped his claws.
"You're taking me being a Grimm better than I thought, Seb," Jaune said to the butler.
"Hah! Do you think I would be surprised by anything you do, Vale Knight? Don't forget that I was there when you had that spirit CREATE Atlantica! Nothing you can do can surprise me anymore," he said while puffing his chest out proudly.
Jaune then held up his hand creating a fireball with lightning crackling around it.
"MAGIC," Sebas yelled in surprise as he fell onto his back. He then shot back up to his feet. "I thought only the Four Maidens could use magic!"
"Perks of technically being a being created by the God of Darkness. Besides, I said I can copy the abilities of Grimm now, and those suckers use magic plenty of times."
"So, is Argent like you," Melody asked.
"No. Thank goodness, no," Jaune sighed in relief. "I was the only one injected with Grimm Pool Water. I'm the only one who has this curse, and I intend to keep it that way."
"This is quite the revelation, my dear friend," Trident said.
"Yeah. I was hoping to tell you in private, but someone couldn't keep a secret," he said as he glanced at his son.
Argent chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, dad."
"Well, if there is anything you need from us, we will gladly help," Trident said with the smile of a friend.
"I'm glad to hear that. So, could you do me a favor?"
"Anything."
"Can you tell me where you're keeping the Staff of Creation?"
"Hm? Why?"
"I need his help."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Trident, I need to use Ambrosius's power."
"You need the Staff of Creation," Trident asked.
"Jaune, you yourself told us that Ambrosius can only make one thing at a time," Jim said as he stood up. "We've been trying to build over the kingdom like you suggested, but we're nowhere near finished. If you use the Staff now, Atlantica would be destroyed!"
"Not necessarily," Jaune said. "Like I said, I can still use my Semblance."
"Your Amplification? How would that help us? Do you want Melody to summon the entire ocean to hasten Atlantica's reconstruction," Marina asked.
"No. No Mermaid's Call today, Mar. It turns out I can Amplify the Relics."
"You can what," Trident went.
Jaune nodded. "I should have figured it out the moment I held Nimueh, but in my defense, since she was powered by Aura anyway, I didn't think of it. We found out when I amplified Jinn's powers. It's thanks to her that I know I can't turn back into a full human, just like she was the one who told me to get armor made by Ambrosius."
Trident looked serious. "Why do you need armor created by the Spirit of Creation himself?"
Jaune jolted. "Uh..."
"Jaune? . . . What are you up against?"
Marina's eyes then widened. "You're fighting something, aren't you." Jaune looked down. She then stood up. "Jaune, what could you possibly be fighting that you need armor made by Ambrosius himself?"
Jaune sighed. "You're going to freak out. I absolutely know you're going to freak out."
"Well, you're not making things easier, old man," Jim said sternly.
Jaune sighed. "The God of Darkness."
"WHAT," Trident roared as he shot up, scaring Melody and making Argent fall back in his chair. "YOU ARE FIGHTING A GOD?! NOT SOME NEW SALEM, OR A FALSE WITCH LIKE THAT WOMAN, OR SOME MAD CULT, BUT ONE OF THE BROTHERS WHO CREATED REMNANT?! ARE YOU MAD?!"
"Trust me, Trident, we didn't want this either," Nimueh said. "My father... he hates what Jaune has done."
"What? What did the old idiot do to piss off a literal god," Jim went.
"I made the Grimm protect innocent people." The room became silent. "The moment I turned into this I immediately went to look for Jinn. On the way, I took down some bandits using Beowolves. Left some behind to keep the village safe after I was gone. Eventually, the news of my actions spread, as well as my influence amongst certain Grimm. People began to respect, worship, and even love certain Grimm, like Beowolves and Ursa." Jaune took out his scroll and looked up a video. "Hell, some people are comfortable enough around them to nap on them, even treat them as pets," he said as he showed a video of children napping on a sleeping Ursa, a video of a boy riding a patrolling Beowolf, and a video of an old lady gently petting a Beowolf as its head was resting in her lap.
"This... This is beautiful," Marina said.
"For centuries, humanity and Faunus have been in fear of Grimm, but you're making them be at peace with one another," Jim said in awe.
"This is truly a beautiful sight," Trident said. "But for what reason could this bring about a battle between you and a god?"
"Because I'm the one being praised for this."
Trident then gripped his weapon in anger. "Envy."
"Yeah. These were his creations. His creatures. So, he believes that all the praise and worship I'm getting should be his. Funny enough, he could have gotten all this if he-"
"If he made the Grimm good instead of bad," Melody asked.
"Yeah. Still, he thinks that I'm the one stealing his 'glory' and wants me to either bow down and become his puppet or just die."
"So basically, give me everything you've ever done and give me the credit for your work or die and let me take over," Jim summarized.
"Bingo."
"Well, I now hate this guy."
"How do you think I feel," Nimueh asked. "I was CREATED by the God of Darkness, and he's after my husband. I'm not taking this lying down."
"I would think not," Trident said. "Well, I would do anything within my power to help you, Jaune, and this is certainly one of those situations. Come," he said as he walked away.
"Well, you heard the king," Jaune said as he and everyone else stood up.
"Wait," Sebas called. "What about the feast?!"
"We will dine at a later time," Trident said.
"As you wish, sire," Sebas said with a bow.
As the group walked through the halls, Jaune already reactivating the hologram, a thought came to him. "Hey, Jimbo?"
"Hm?"
"Where's Ol' Silver?" Marina and Jim stopped, getting everyone's attention. "Uh, was it something I said?"
Jim sighed.
"He's not... is he," Jaune asked.
"No. At least, we don't think so," Marina said. "At least he's slightly better than you. He actually said goodbye. To Jim, at least. Melody was devastated when she found out her Uncle Silver left without so much as a hug." Jaune looked at Melody, the little girl looking down sadly as she grabbed her mother's hand.
"Who's Silver," Argent asked.
"Well, if you ask me... he was pretty much Jim's dad," Jaune said.
"Hey," Jim went.
"But he's not wrong," Marina giggled.
"At least he was a father figure to him. When I first met Jim, he was a real ass. Wasn't really my biggest fan, what with me basically being a super cop. I even almost arrested him, and on Trident's orders, no less. But Jim had a map to a legendary treasure and the leverage to make sure he came with us. The expedition was made up of me, him, one of Trident's most trusted commanders, a few random crewmen, and Ol' John Silver the cook. I left your mom behind because I thought I was overusing her. When the island was in sight, the crew mutinied, Silver turning out to be a pirate captain. Turned out to be a pretty skilled fighter, despite his size. Though, it took his entire crew to take me out."
"Still can't believe that you monster," Jim laughed.
"Hey, you were there, being tied up by just one pirate."
"Screw you," he laughed.
"Anyway, turned out Jim and Silver bonded quite a bit, enough for Silver to try and save him when it turned out the island was booby trapped. Long story short, Jim and Silver stopped us from dying that day, saving just a little bit of the treasure." Jaune then looked at Jim, who looked back at him. "But just a little," he said as he held up a pinch.
Jim rolled his eyes before covering Melody's eyes and playfully flipping Jaune off.
"Hey, dad?"
"Hm?"
"This Silver guy is a pirate, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Which is pretty much a bandit at sea, right?"
"Uh-huh."
"How does he compare to Aunt Raven?"
Jaune laughed. "Kiddo, NO ONE can compare to her. It might be wrong of me to praise the woman literally called the Bandit Queen, given that I'm called the World's Greatest Huntsman, but Raven is the absolute greatest of all bandits. Even I could never bring her in since she's either beaten me in a fight or found a way to escape before I could land the final blow. Hell of a woman, that Branwen."
Meanwhile.
A bandit screamed in pain before falling onto his face, Raven standing before the defeated enemy. "You call yourself a bandit chief? Alright, grab everything of value! Weapons, food, lien, and anything that can be sold! Take the rags off their ass for all I care! Take everything of value!"
"Yes, chief!"
"Hey, chief!" Raven looked towards her son's voice and caught something thrown at her. She looked into the small sack. "Ooh, nice aroma. Good quality with a hint of freshness still lingering on the leaves."
"Who would have thought that these idiots would have had quality tea," Sparrow asked as he walked up.
"Lady Raven!" She looked up to see Quamar run up to her, holding mapping charts. "It seems these men were about to receive a generous donation from the Schnee Dust Company," she said as she handed the charts to Raven.
Raven read the charts and smiled. "Well, we shouldn't let Winter's kindness go to waste."
"There's just one problem, ma'am," Quamar began.
"Hm?"
"Um, Winter Schnee herself is said to be guarding the donations."
"Mm. . . Then this just became even more interesting. It's about time I had some fun," she said as she crumbled up and burned the charts. "Get ready, tribesmen! The Schnees will be sending a train near the Beringel Hideout in less than a day! On that train is a lot of pretty, shiny Dust just waiting for us to take! As well a lot of big toys ready for the taking! Are you maggots excited?!"
The tribe cheered.
Raven smirked. "Thought as much."
"Chief?" She looked at Sparrow. "Think those two will be with her?"
Raven smirked at her son. "Which do you prefer?"
"I already fought the old man, but YOU interrupted that fight."
"Tut-tut-tut," Raven went mockingly.
Sparrow rolled his eyes before he smirked. "But I don't mind. I wanna see if my cousin is worth fighting this time," Sparrow said with an excited smirk.
"Fine. But don't forget, Winter's mine," Raven said as she opened a portal, Dove jumped when it appeared behind her.
"I'm fine with that," Sparrow shrugged. "I don't really want to meet my aunt yet anyway," he said as he lifted a bag full of tea powder he stole from the defeated bandits and walked through the portal, followed by the rest of the tribe.
Raven was about to walk through it last when she shivered. She then blinked before looking up with a raised eyebrow. "Why do I feel like I was just praised by Jaune?"
"Oh, yeah. Raven's a real catch," Nimueh said sarcastically.
"What's that supposed to mean," Jaune asked.
"Please. You're only praising her because you enjoy being in bed with her."
"Whoa! I heard that," Jim went with an overexcited smile as he ran back and dragged Jaune down by putting an arm over his shoulder. "Did your wife just say that you, the big bad Huntsman, one of Remnant's greatest heroes, the guy who's pretty much the face of the law, slept with the world's most powerful criminal?"
"You were hoping for this, weren't you," Jaune asked Nimueh in a monotone voice.
"I hold grudges, babe. You know this," she said as she walked off.
"So come on, hero. Start talking. How was she?"
"Ahem."
Jim looked up and went blue in the face. "M-Marina."
"And why exactly do you want to know what it's like to be in bed with the Bandit Queen?"
"Um, no. That's not what I meant. I meant how was she as a girlfriend."
"And WHY would YOU need to know that?"
"No-no-no! I mean, I'm asking Jaune how it was for HIM to have HER as a girlfriend, because it's funny how a hero like him got together with a villain like her, ya know?"
"Technically, Raven's more of an anti-villain, given how she's actually saved my life here and there and is pretty protective of her tribe, so I wouldn't call her a full-on villain."
"But she's still a bad girl, and you still got with her," Jim said.
"And he made my older brother with her," Argent popped in.
"WHAT?!" Jim laughed his head off before falling to the ground. "THAT'S FREAKING AWESOME! THE WORLD'S GREATEST HERO HAS A KID WITH THE WORLD'S GREATEST BANDIT! OH! OH, GODS, I'M DYING! HAHAHAHA! OW," He went after Jaune dropped a chunk of ice on his head. "Worth it."
Jaune sighed before looking at Marina. "How disappointed are you," he asked as he slumped down.
"The man I looked up to like a brother had an affair with a criminal. I must say I am quite disappointed." Jaune sighed sadly. "Are you at least a good father to your oldest son?"
Jaune shook his head. "I didn't even know he existed until about a month ago when I went to ask for Raven's help. But at least I can say I'm proud to see how amazing of a young man he's grown up to be. Kid's incredibly skilled."
Sparrow accidentally sent his arm-wrestling opponent flying out of the tent, making his comrades cheer and laugh, none of them noticing his blush and embarrassed look. 'Why do I feel like I was just praised by my old man?'
Marina sighed. "Well, at least I can be proud that you accept your children. If you ask me, there is nothing worse than someone who would abandon their child." She then noticed how Jim stopped laughing. She looked at the man, still on the ground, but looking towards the ceiling with a more serious expression. "No matter what the reason," she said as she walked over to her husband, holding out her hand. Jim accepted it, letting his wife help him back to his feet, the two kissing each other before walking back towards their daughter and Trident.
"What was that about," Argent asked.
Jaune sighed. "Jim's father left him when he was no older than you." Argent's eyes widened. "The man was a soldier. Wanted to make a name for himself after more Grimm and pirates appeared... after your mom and I beat Salem. When Jim first met me, he actually blamed me for his dad leaving. 'Why did you have to be the big hero? You were just a kid when you and the rest of you losers beat that witch.' Obviously, we weren't exactly friends when we met. It took Silver, Marina, and Trident himself to give Jim what he wanted."
"What," Argent asked.
Jaune looked down and rubbed his son's head, smiling down at the boy. "A family."
Jaune's eyebrow twitched. "Aw, crap," he said as he looked at the pool of water before him.
"What were you expecting, old man," Jim snickered out.
"You have to admit, it's the best place to hide it. How many of the Maidens are Sea Faunus," Marina asked.
"Wait, so the staff is underwater," Argent asked.
"Yeah," Jaune sighed.
"Have you not been practicing your breathing techniques, old friend," Trident asked.
"I mean, I can hold my breath for an hour," Jaune said as he scratched the back of his head. "At least that's a record no human has broken yet."
Jim snickered.
Jaune looked at him with wide eyes. "Noooo."
"Two hours," he said as he held two fingers.
"Aw, screw you," Jaune laughed.
"Finally beat cha at somethin', old man!" Jim laughed triumphantly.
"You've been training him, haven't you," Jaune asked Marina.
"Of course. He's my husband. We like to have dates in the ocean every once in a while, you know," Marina shrugged, not noticing Nimueh shimmy up next to her. Nimueh then whispered into her ear, making Marina's face turn as red as her hair. She then grabbed Nimueh and huddled with her, the two whispering and giggling. When they were done, they shook each other's hands, a big smile on both of their faces with Nimueh nodding gratefully. She then walked towards Jaune with a hum.
"What did you two talk about," Jaune asked warily.
"Oh, just some potential... PRIVATE date spots you and I could take." Jaune's eyes widened before he shuttered... in eroticism. "Keep it calm, babe."
Jaune cleared his throat. "Uh, Arie, you're going to have to stay here while we go talk to your Uncle Ambrosius."
Argent sighed as he shrugged. "Not much of a swimmer anyway."
"WHAT?!" Everyone looked towards the halls, hearing what sounded like a racecar rushing towards them before Sebas appeared in front of Argent, shaking back and forth like something from an old-timey cartoon. "Not much of a swimmer?! You came to Atlantica with no knowledge of swimming?!"
"I wouldn't say no knowledge. I just, you know, suck?"
"What are they teaching you in school, boy?!"
"Weapon maintenance, Huntsman History, weapon's crafting. Though, I was exempt from that class when I told my teacher I was inheriting Crocea Mors."
"Well, what has your father been teaching you?!"
"Weapon techniques, Crocea Mors's functions, how awesome it is to be an Arc, showing me all the different pretty women who could have been my mom."
"Hey," Jaune went.
"And he did not teach you how to swim!?"
"He... taught me to fish?"
"Disgraceful. Your Majesty, Lord Arc, I request permission to teach this boy how to swim properly. He needs to experience the beauty of life under the sea."
"I do not mind," Trident said.
Jaune shrugged. "I don't mind the kid learning new things. Just make sure he's careful when you get to the Breathing techniques. Holding your breath is harder than you'd think, kiddo."
"About that, dad, why do you have to worry about that?"
"Huh?"
"You Conquered some Hammerheads in that fight against that White Mobius, right?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Doesn't that mean you can make gills for yourself now?"
Everyone was quiet for a bit before they all looked at Jaune. He then facepalmed. "Why do people call me a Strategic Genius again?"
Everyone laughed.
"You don't think ahead, dad."
