I do not own either One Piece or Justice League Unlimited.

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Beta read by the wonderful rose7anne101 and MasterQwertster. Make sure to check out their own stories! Also thanks to other readers who have given incredible help, like Kolomte'49, lincoln time, mellra, scl04, King of Fans, Anycents, Crossovernaru, TheWhiteTitan, coalface, Creation Teller, Bellduke (formerly Blackwizard71), Bkaa19, and VixenRose1996. I know several of you will see your contributions here, even if they will be a surprise ;-)

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Guest Review answers :-D

Nobody Stlyes

Yes, a lot in store for the Royal Flush Gang, particularly Ace! Although DCAU!Ace is not trying to live up to OP!Ace, as she is her own person, and Luffy knows it. Besides, Sabo is already doing that :-P

Hmm, I had not considered Queen/Luffy pairing. Care to expand upon that? Nothing concrete for the rest of the training.

Like Doflamingo and Akainu, it is always nice to see Waller have a bad day ;-)

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Ravens

Great to hear you enjoyed it! Nami does indeed have Zeus, but she prefers to keep him stored away. Hmm, I will have to keep that in mind though for Maximilian Zeus.

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SargentEpsilon

LOL that sums up Zoro very nicely! And yeah, the diaper business is booming thanks to him! The SHP should buy stock! X-P

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YCG

Oh yes, I am very much looking forward to what you think of the Shining Knight, Etrigan/Blood interactions here! That part about Mordred though was a lot later in the series.

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Evil Reviewer

In response, and I quote: "Ahem, to the poisonous apple of my evil eye; the laws and rules of fanfiction apply here (as written by yours truly ahem ME! I! and MYSELF!). As the one and only Queen of the Night (or Day, depending on the time) and the first and offical archnemesis (it's put on hold cause of my beta statue and our joint story), I can declare or refute such claims by the power bestowed on my by the OH MY ACE Gods and Goddesses. I just give you my approval, don't push it. (even though such an attitude is befitting of an archnemesis. so, lowkey approval), do continue in your quest. "

But yes, "Deckhand" was well accepted. Will briefly discuss how readily it happened in chapter 20. If the cheque does not reach you in the mail, I blame Covid.

LOL My favourite quote for diplomacy is Wes Janson from Star Wars (Legends): "Diplomacy means saying something soothing as you squeeze the trigger, right?"

The Royal Flush Gang was an interesting choice for me as well, but honestly it is more that they have been dragged along because the SHP are more interested in Ace, but they could not really leave them there either. It was a rescue mission, not a recruitment mission, and they kinda felt bad for the teens. As for the names…yeah, I needed to give them ones, so I went for a selection that I felt was easy to keep track of. :-P Wait and see for what happens with them as they arrive! ;-D

I have honestly changed my mind at multiple times while writing this whole story. Classic example being this episode, which I frankly was going to skip until someone gave me some convincing arguments.

For Etrigan's speech pattern, I chose the way the DCAU does it, which admittedly was vastly easier.

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Moi

Haki training will be addressed here. An interesting request for non-canon Haki abilities. Do you have any suggestions?

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Makurayami

Daniel Jackson is from "Stargate Sg-1."

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

Yes, Jinbe did indeed come up with the name "Operation: Alcatraz."

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

LOL that would be fun for Luffy to punch Luthor like he did that Celestial Dragon. Although frankly it would probably kill Luthor if he did so…

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

You: "Have you given some thought to the episode of 'the savage time'?"

Me: "…MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *Cough* Ahem, yes. A little." ;-D

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Deadrose

I really want to do that reaction, but I am honestly still unsure of when the Justice League will find out about the transformers. Waller is covering up what happened as best as possible for instance.

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

The Straw Hats will stop at nothing to get back home. The real question is if Earth will be left intact…

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

Half right for where the names come from.

Daniel Jackson – Stargate Sg-1

Emma Frost – X-men, as the 'White Queen'

Kingsely Shackelbolt – Harry Potter

Ben Tennyson – Ben 10

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

For the birthdates of the Royal Flush Gang, I would probably use their voice actors. As for their ages…16 all..?

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

Well at the very least Ace has been taken away from the experiments which would have killed her.

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

Oh yes, people are going to have a very hard time accepting they have been repeatedly duped by an idiot with a gift for chaos and incredible luck :-P

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DEF

Yes, Zoro is trying to learn more about his blades for sure.

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Symbol

I am not sure who "shedget" is. More on Luffy's relationship with Maureen in this chapter. No Terra though, since she is from Teen Titans, not the DCAU.

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doraemax

Glad you liked the chapter, and enjoyed the name! For the powers though, those were straight from the DCAU with the Royal Flush Gang. I only invented the names for them.

Well who else would I bring in as an information broker? ;-D

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

Even if the supervillains did come to Gaia without being members of the Straw Hat crew, they would be emerging deep into the New World during the Wano arc, which is very much NOT a safe place to be. Plus in all likelihood the World Government would learn about them, which is even worse since they would not have strong protectors.

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Constantine

Ah yes, I am very much looking forward to how Shining Knight's inclusion affects this 'episode.'

Truthfully, Law with the SHP would probably make the One Piece cast too powerful for the JL to have even the slightest chance of stopping them. Although I admit I do hope someone will write an Omake about it, since it could be funny ;-)

:After rematch in a knight of shadows, I am pretty excited for how it will play out with the inclusion of shining knight and the straw hat chaos factor Side note during a rewatch of punk hazard I wondered how different this story would be if law was there with the straw hats (could be an interesting omake)

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

Glad to see you love your "baby girl" so much, and looking forward to what you think here! I hope it was worth the wait! :-D

Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D

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Dotty

Great to hear that you are enjoying this so much! You might like my other stories as well given your enthusiasm.

Here is the latest chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

Wait and see for Luffy and Etrigan ;-)

I have some plans for Tala worked out. Originally she was supposed to be a Deckhand actually, but I decided that would make the SHP too overpowered. Katana, or Tsukuri as she is called here, is firmly with Aresia. Bizarro is never going to be a Deckhand though, because his way of speech is too confusing for me :-P

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Zorosavage21

Hmm, I will have to think about a day-out with Zoro and Ace. Although if Batman saw Zoro, he would be calling for reinforcements. Dude curbstomped Shining Knight, and Batman has already gotten his ribs busted up once for underestimating one of the pirates.

Oh, I have PLANS for the Annihilator! :-D

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VioSephy

Great to know this is doing so well as One Piece/Justice League crossover! And yeah I confess I hope others write ones like this as well. You are right that there is so much potential. It really pains me when I have to skip over potential ideas because they do not mesh with my own plot.

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

Hmm, that would be interesting to have Luffy spell out he has no real special skills; he depends on everyone else for that. In complete defiance of what people would expect of a leader. All he is good at, in his mind, is fighting.

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XY Z

Chopper's assistants in chapter 5 were Poison Ivy and Cheetah, both brilliant chemists themselves.

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Anon

Yeah, that is why I have the big Author Note about cutting it down.

Sorry to hear that. Personally I found it easier to figure them out.

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Ared

Awesome to hear you enjoyed it so much! Here is the latest chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

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Door to Nowhere

Loving all the Reviews you have sent!

Glad you liked it with the Royal Flush Gang. Curious to see what you think of the further interactions.

Grundy's fate, and how it will effect things with Shayera, Luffy, etc., is still up in the air.

Got plans for all those DCAU characters. Some of them are pretty underappreciated. ;-)

Oh yes, Condiment King would fit in surprisingly well in One Piece, but not sure what I would do with him.

That is a good opener for sure, and here is hoping!

OP episode 957 was good, but not the best for me. Granted, while good quality, the surprise factor was lost since I had read the manga chapter.

LOL yeah I can see 'Big News' Morgan working for the Daily Planet. Although he still accepts bribes.

Shayera just joining the SHP would be a big personality change for her I feel.

LOL honestly not that experienced about video games to comment on the SHP preferences. Except for "Tomb Raider," as you are correct Robin will never accept an archeologist based game which is not 100% factually accurate.

I do believe Amazo could realistically copy haki. But wait and see on my plans for him ;-)

All those Justice League episodes will be touched on, albeit in different ways than you suggested. Well, most of them. You will see that some will become impossible as the ripple effect grows. Also, I am not planning to go past the Cadmus arc for episodes. Cadmus added the layer of moral conflict, that the Legion of Doom very much lacked, being back to traditional fights with supervillains; albeit ones who took a level up. For Static Shock them, while characters will be used from there, the SHP will not be getting involved with those episodes. I suspect you will be intrigued by my plans there though.

"Maid of Honour" though is where I start REALLY going off the rails. While cackling!

Hmm, will see if those references are feasible.

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

Joker and Luthor definitely have an uphill battle against the SHP. They recognize this, but are still learning just HOW uphill it really is.

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

I am honestly unsure still of which DCAU characters will be going back to Gaia with the SHP. Including possibly some vigilante members.

Hopefully Etrigan comes off alright here!

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

I have not seen My Hero Academia, so a crossover with it is unlikely at this moment in time.

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

Lady Shiva is in the DC Animated Film Universe, not the DC Animated Universe. A key distinction that I am trying to stay with.

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

"The Savage Time" is the next arc ;-)

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

Discussions on the abilities of the Deckhands in terms of using One Piece abilities are discussed here.

Hmm, will see how Rocks D. Xebec is portrayed in canon first, to get a feel for his character.

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

Some of the SHP are learning Six Paths techniques, but they are working a lot off of the theory and observations, and not training by those who have mastered them. Plus the necessary physical condition.

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Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)

The Justice League will indeed be becoming aware of Sanji's rather unusual honour code. The female heroes are going to be a bit insulted by it, but quite willing to take advantage of it.

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Justice

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Chapter 19: A Knight of Shadows, Part 1

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Previously:

The Straw Hats admitted to the Deckhands that they were from another world, and are planning to return there. Some of the Deckhands can come with them, except the pirates are sincerely concerned they may not be strong enough to survive the brewing war in the New World, and tell the supervillains to think on it.

Later, a part of the Straw Hats liberate five teenagers held captive by the US government to turn them into Human weapons. While four of them reluctantly come along, the fifth and most powerful, Ace, asks to become a full member of the Straw Hats herself. Despite being absent, over the phone Luffy agrees to have her as a member of the crowd.

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This chapter is an AU of a DCAU episode by the same name.

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*Author realizes that in the DCAU, Etrigan does not rhyme.*

*Author considers how bad at rhyming they are.*

*Author rolls with it.*

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November 10

"I have something of interest," grinned Talon Karrde, sliding over a folder. They were enjoying a pleasant lunch in an upscale restaurant that valued discretion and privacy. Well, he was eating a nice lunch, she was too cautious to even sip a glass of water.

"Why thank you," smiled 'Dr. Nami Mikan,' opening it up. As usual, the information broker and his people had a new and surprising tidbit for them. Justifying the time and expense Robin had put into their business arrangement with him. After all, it would have been incredibly difficult even for her to set up their own major intelligence network, particularly when also trying to lay low.

Oh, they had a small one of their own, especially thanks to their newfound friends on Earth, but it was a small organization overall. Hardly up to catching the sort of details she was reading now.

Harv Hickman. A former archaeologist who had suddenly left that line of work to publish those magazines Sanji had enjoyed until she had banned them. Not that she was one to take issue with how women chose to use their bodies, or for Hickman engaging in such an obviously profitable enterprise, or for boys to be boys. No, it had been because the excessive drool from the chef had gotten too much.

That said, Robin would probably break Hickman's bones on principle for abandoning his previous career like that. Or at least scare the life out of him.

Karrde had been less interested in the man throwing away his previous, professional career, and more into Hickman's sudden and meteoric rise to wealth, despite lacking the apparent talent, background experience, or, of special interest, the previous financing. Recently one of his agents had made a breakthrough, apparently getting close to him by acting as a high-class 'escort.' Or maybe she really was one, and regularly sold tidbits to interested parties. Either way, through the man's drunken boasting, she had learnt the truth:

A magical stone.

By making wishes upon it, Hickman had amassed his fortune.

"I'm guessing that something like this is a bit too big for you, yes?" she asked.

"Correct," he nodded, popping in another piece of juicy steak. After swallowing, he elaborated. "Hickman's gotten by for years with it, yet sooner or later someone who actually knows how to use magic will come after him. Or any other interested parties. I don't want to draw attention to me or my organization. However your group is rather struggling at being discrete as it is, while also being talented enough to successfully use this information."

Noting the subtle warning, Nami's eyes twinkled. "Robin and I am the only one who knows the specifics of our meetings, and we value our relationship with you. Here is a token of it." Gently she passed over a briefcase full of cash, which Karrde did not even bother to count. He was aware the Straw Hat's needed his expertise too badly to shortchange him. Even if at the last moment it seemed physically painful for the redhead to let go of the case. And of course he would have it counted later to be absolutely sure.

She finished reading through the notes on Hickman, memorizing everything. "We will look into this," she promised, and got up to make her way out.

"Give my best to 'Miss All-Sunday,'" he called after her. "I do miss our little games."

Once outside, Nami drew her Clima-Tact from her cleavage faster than the regular Human eye could perceive, and performed a Mirage Tempo to make her invisible, while leaving an illusion of herself walking down the street. Karrde's people had placed other forms of surveillance up beforehand as well, yet she had already subtly sabotaged all four layers of it. Partially, thanks to Cheetah's training, her own ingenuity, and a little device Harley had provided. Something Joker had invented, and in turn taught his 'girlfriend' how to make, who then gave the designs to Franky to improve upon, which would scramble any cameras or gadgets trying to scan her. So when 'she' disappeared, the info broker's operatives were stumped once more.

Good, Robin would hate to think her absence meant the psychological warfare going on between her and Karrde was on hold.

Back in the restaurant, the man in question chuckled to himself as one of his people came back with the disappointing report, and raised his wine glass in a silent toast. Ah, mysteries like this made life interesting.

!JUSTICE!

November 11

He very nearly does not go in.

Even at a glimpse it seems to be an open-shut case of thugs breaking into the rare book shop, and hurting the elderly owner in the process. The sort of thing the police can handle with ease, while he has been running on too little sleep after dealing with the Injustice League and the follow-up investigations, maintaining Bruce Wayne's public appearances so he would not be connected to a certain vigilante, keeping up with Wayne Enterprises, and hunting down leads on the Straw Hats, and most of all trying to find where the Joker is. All on top of keeping the peace here in Gotham.

He was willing to, reluctantly admit that Wonder Woman had been . . . not unhelpful in suppressing the city-wide gang war which had sprung up. Except she was on enforced medical leave right now, and someone had to keep up the pressure.

So yes, he very nearly passed on by to head back home.

Only to remember his oath. What Batman was supposed to mean. To represent. Not to the superstitious criminals, but to himself.

So with that, Batman forced himself to go about with his usual professionalism.

A convenient skylight let him slip in, and with a flashlight started to look around. While most of the inventory was still here, books were strewn around in a manner to suggest someone was searching for something. Moreover, from the corner of his eye he saw the cash register was untouched. So it was for something specific then, and clearly not your usual break-in after all.

There was also a sensation that made him think he was not alone. Still surveying the area, he came to decision, and went to one book in particular which was laid open on a table, with a page visibly torn out. "The Philosopher's Stone," he read out from the preceding page.

"According to legend, it was a gem from the hilt of Excalibur," a voice spoke up. A familiar man slipped in through the front door, his short hair a distinctive shade of dark-red, with a white streak down the center. "And the true source of the sword's fabled power."

"Hello, Jason," greeted Batman. It had been a while since he had seen the occultist, and old friend. The last time had been when he and Tim had helped free Jason Blood's inner demon, Etrigan, from enslavement, and returned him to his host, although they had kept in contact since. It was always good to have a source available on the supernatural.

Although Bruce did not trust the man like he did Zatanna.

Or rather, he trusted Jason, but not Etrigan. Even if it was prudent to stay on good terms with the demon.

"I assume you're not here to browse."

"I'm a friend of the owner."

"You mean that old man?"

"He's thirty-two years old," Jason calmly said, and Batman could not keep his eyes from widening at that revelation. Someone or something had aged the man at least fifty years then. "He's also an expert in Arthurian lore."

Hefting the book, Batman said, "What's this all about."

"Morgaine le Fay," grimaced Jason. He turned aside to lean against the table. "When Camelot fell, Merlin was able to hide the Philosopher's Stone from her. Now she's returned to track it down again."

"Impossible."

Jason just turned to give him a look that was both heavy, pointed, but above all resigned. Clearly there was a story involved there. "You of all people should know better."

Accepting that point, given his association with aliens, immortal women, etc., Batman got back on track. "Why does she want the gem?"

"With it, she can resurrect Camelot, and place her son Mordred on the throne."

"Okay," said Batman, unable to hold back a touch of skepticism. It was like he had stepped into a medieval fairytale. Or a piece of history over 1,500 years old. "How close is she to finding this Philosopher's Stone?"

"Too close."

"And this book gave her the last clue," concluded Batman. Decisively, "We'd better get going then. The Batplane's nearby."

"Thank you," nodded Jason. "Ah, just one other thing," Jason said with a grimace. "Sir Justin."

"Also from Camelot," nodded Batman. "I'm guessing you two know each other?"

The ancient man eyed the Dark Knight for a long moment, clearly wondering what he knew. While the man had told his tale to Tim about how Merlin had summoned a demon to defend Camelot, and after the kingdom fell, bound Etrigan to one of King Arthur's noblemen in service of humanity, Bruce had noted how carefully he had worded that story. Not as if telling what had happened, but what others believed happened.

Reaching a decision, Jason said, "Yes. Centuries ago. Morgaine le Fay deceived me, allowing her to destroy Camelot, and kill King Arthur. Sir Justin knows this, and will be honour bound to kill me. While he will want the witch dead as well, I would rather he did not go after me and Etrigan first."

"And you have the most experience fighting her," nodded Batman. "Alright, I'll keep him from being involved."

Hopefully his companion was not emotionally compromised over this. Later he would have to do a fact-check with Shining Knight though.

!JUSTICE!

Watchtower

There was a special part of the Watchtower which seemed ironically alien on the space station.

Near the highly advanced landing bay, was an actual stable. Full of hay, a water trough, and finally a horse with wings.

Winged Victory, the white stallion was appropriately named.

His owner, Sir Justin, also known as Shining Knight, was giving his faithful steed a nice rub-down. It always served to relax him, while also showing his appreciation. Especially since he knew living here was hard on the horse. Unfortunately, it was impractical to have his partner living down on the planet, when the Justice League could be deployed anywhere on Earth. Far better for them to travel with the team in a javelin until they reached their target.

At least Winged Victory had a lot of room to walk and fly in the landing bay, and Superman and Wonder Woman regularly stopped by to help out as well. Apparently they were both familiar with horses, and liked them too. Flash of course kept wanting a ride, no matter how many times he was told "no."

His loyal companion was not for the entertainment of others.

While his sword, Gearradh, never left his side, Justin was wearing jeans, and a loose if hardy shirt, perfect for working on a farm or with a horse. He continued his work, until Winged Victory huffed, and walked over to his big bucket of oats.

"Ah, you want to eat now then," smiled Justin. "Very well. I admit, I'm glad of the chance to just sit here."

Resting on a stool he kept there, and which Winged Victory respected and stayed away from, he sat down and closed his eyes. He embraced the quietness, and while the station was unfamiliar, the sound and smell of his most loyal companion balanced that out. The knight's heart settled along with his breathing, and he let his mind drift back to that fateful day.

To Roronoa Zoro.

"'Duty,'" the word was sneered back. "Don't you mean 'Justice'?"

"Your sword is heavy with conviction," the villain conceded to the hero. "Except mine's greater."

A message left behind, written in the hero's own blood.

"A true swordsman carries no wounds on his back. Also, a true swordsman is one who has learned how to not cut anything."

Sir Justin had thought of this often of course. Almost every day since his life had been spared. Which made sense, given how it had been less than two weeks ago. He was only even up and about because of, irony of ironies, products from Cherry Blossom Medical.

Now when he trained and sparred, he tried to imagine being back in that fight again, visualizing the pirate as his opponent.

He particularly enjoyed trading blows with Diana. While she had no interest in using one in battle, she was trained in the way of the sword, and her superior speed and strength made her an able substitute for Zoro. It was very good of Batman to recommend they do that.

Now though, he hoped to settle his thoughts more, to re-examine those words once again.

The first part was straightforward, and fit with theories the League had already discussed.

The second . . . was interesting. Realistically, while 'conviction' in a fight was indeed essential, strength, speed, skill, luck, and many more factors contributed to victory. Indeed, it was undeniable Zoro had held all those traits squarely in hand. So why did he so genuinely seem to believe that the strength of one's feelings were more important? Was it something like Green Lantern's Ring?

He would have to discuss that more with the others.

For how a swordsman should have no scars on his back, spoke more of the code of conduct Zoro had. As well as how he acted out of a sense of pride.

The last part though . . .

He honestly could still not figure out. The closest he could manage, was that Zoro was goading him to reach a level where he had complete control over his blade, and what it could and could not touch.

The pirate wanted another sword fight. Moreover, he wanted a challenging one. Which fit with both that vulgar bloodlust he excluded, as well as the aforementioned pride.

With a sigh, he broke his concentration, and ran his hand through his hair. Unfortunately he feared he would be meeting the Straw Hats again in the not too distant future, and while he was making progress in further honing his talent, he knew he still had a long way to go to reach such a level.

Oh King Arthur, what would you do in my place?

!JUSTICE!

Straw Hat Base

Being responsible adults, Robin and the others had called ahead about their new companions, not entirely sure Luffy had passed on the word.

Which was understandable, if unnecessary, as Luffy had been quite happy to tell everyone that there were four new Deckhands (yes, that term had also been introduced by Robin and Co.), including a new Straw Hat pirate.

What.

Just. What.

It was a genuine toss-up over who was more shocked by the news. The Straw Hats themselves (besides Luffy), who had never gotten a crewmember before with such relatively low drama — 'relatively' being the key term to describe the destruction of a government facility— or the senior Deckhands at learning a teenage girl had in a single day crossed that invisible line none of them had ever managed.

Harley had broken the glass she was holding, before pretending nothing had happened.

Volcana had been upset as well, except in her case it was more at hearing about more kids being used as human weapons. In her case though, Maureen mattered more than her employers.

Finally they were home though, breaking a few speeding laws to be back just in time for Zoro's birthday. Not that Sanji would really eat the cake himself if 'Mosshead' did not show up for it.

The massive, transforming truck pulled into a concealed entrance, and then through a tunnel which was also hidden, for the long ride to the pirate base. There were also some decoy passageways for added concealment of where exactly they lived.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for them upon arrival, and they all ambled out to meet them.

"Hey, Red," said Harley to her friend, striving for nonchalance. "How was your trip?"

". . . Peaceful," Ivy answered, fighting against the tension in her brows.

Harley eyed the five new kids. ". . . Right . . ."

Any chance of decorum was promptly ruined by Luffy leaping over, sweeping up Ace in his hands to heft her up, and look her in the eye. "So you're Ace, huh?"

She flinched a little in surprise, even if she recognized his voice. He just seemed so . . . ordinary, that she had overlooked him at first, trying to figure out who could possibly lead someone as awesome as Zoro, Robin, Jinbe, or Brook. In fact, he, and a bunch of the others, looked no older than her! Maybe even younger than Tennyson and the others?

However, now that he was in her face, she was starting to understand.

"Idiot!" snapped Zoro, whacking his Captain on the head with a sheathed sword. "Don't startle her like that!"

"But I wanted to meet her!" he whined.

"Then do it nicely!"

"Captain," Robin gently scolded, "please don't upset her."

Nami kneaded her forehead into the palm of her hand, except her going over there as well to take the idiot rubberbrain to task would only further crowd the younger girl. She straightened with surprise though when Maureen hurried over.

Ace tensed at the sight of the girl her own age coming towards her. Knowing she was intruding on her space, and her people—

"Hi!" chirped the cryokinetic, holding out one hand. "I'm Maureen! It's great to have someone my age around here!"

Blankly Ace stared at the proffered offering for a moment, before accepting the handshake with a small smile. "Uhm, thanks. I'm Ace."

"Nice to meet you. Oh, that over there is Volcana, the best big sister in the whole wide world. You know Luffy already. That's Nami, she'll want to get to know you more later. Sanji here is the bestest chef ever. Usopp's the best shot with his slingshot, but it's not like any slingshot you've ever seen before. Harley Quin's the blonde there, and she's got the best jokes."

The brunette seemed to miss the hard look Harley was giving Ace.

"Clayface there, he does the best impressions, and uh, that's everybody."

"So they're all the best?" Ace weakly joked.

"Yep!"

"Uhm," Ace fiddled with her hands, before pointing at her fellow former prisoners. "That's Kingsely Shacklebolt, Ben Tennyson, Emma Frost, and Daniel Jackson."

"Hi!"

Sensing the mood in the room, Maureen started to drag Ace away. "C'mon, we got a room for you all settled up already. New clothes too if you want them, but Nami's already planning to take us shopping later. Anyways, let's let the older guys chat."

They left the room, and went through a few hallways, before Maureen gave Ace a concerned look. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure? You seem all stiff."

"I, wait," Ace stopped, and gave Maureen a wary if befuddled look. "You really want to be my friend?"

A shrug. "Like I said, everyone else is a few years older than us. They're still fun, except they don't always have time for us. So I'm hoping we'll get along"

"So you don't mind having me around? I mean, some of the stuff I heard on the ride when they didn't think I could hear, you're not upset I'm joining you all? Being an actual Straw Hat?"

"Well," Maureen scratched her chin, and admitted, "a little bit. Just a little though. They warned us how dangerous it would be going home with them, and I don't think Volcana wants to take me there given that. And, Luffy might be the best big brother ever, except I've still got Volcana, the best big sister ever, and that's more important.

"So yeah, I'm fine with it." She grinned. "So what are you the best at?"

The older teens and adults had all watched the girls leave, and Robin held up one finger while she eavesdropped. Ben, Emma, Kingsely, and Daniel all shifted awkwardly.

"Well," Robin finally said. "I must confess that went better than I feared. I was a little worried Maureen might be a little jealous." They had honestly not considered that about her little adoptive niece, until they were already on the road from the rubble that was once a prison. "She—"

"Well, we're the 'jealous' ones!" cried out Harley, making sarcastic finger-quote gestures. "What gives!?"

"What do you mean?" asked Luffy quizzically.

"Wait," broke in Usopp, palms raised. He gestured at Poison Ivy, Cheetah, and Grundy. "Did you guys not ask about this whole sudden new Straw Hat issue, during the trip back?"

Grundy looked sheepish and awkward, while Cheetah's tail twitched about. "I didn't want to be the one to raise a fuss. Seemed better to just wait until we got back after we learnt what was planned for Ace."

"I didn't care," said Ivy, yet they could all see how stiffly she was holding herself. Even Chopper was barely fooled.

"Well you should!" shouted Harley. "Luffy, why're you makin' her, what was it, a cabin girl, and you've only just met her!?"

"Pirate Apprentice," he said neutrally, as if it were no big deal.

Except of course to him, it probably was, which only fueled Harley's growing rage and pain.

"Why!?"

"Why what?" Luffy said, maintaining that attitude.

"Why her and not us!?"

"You didn't ask."

The sheer bluntness and unfairness of his statement made her recoil, and the other 'senior' Deckhands flinch.

Because he was right. Even if they were still adjusting to the sheer scale of the information dumped on them, it had been a few days. More importantly, deep down something kept them from immediately saying "We want to go."

"We—" Harley paused, and Robin gently intervened.

"You don't know yet, and that's fine. However, hesitation will get you killed where we're going, and she showed none of it. The world is so very different there, and a lot of things you take for granted are not there. No cities or technology like you are used to, for one. Completely alien governments and cultures.

"The closer you travel towards the ongoing struggle for the throne of the Pirate King, the less things like common sense, or natural laws, are applied.

"Seas where the weather can turn upon you in a blink of an eye as tornadoes tear apart your ship, savage sea monsters to devour you whole as you burn within their stomach acids. Impossible creatures out of myth and legend which cannot die. Once lush islands which are now only scorching fire, or frigid ice, with poisonous air.

"The worst of course are the people, where the weak serve only to be prey for whatever the strong desire. Many of whom have abilities beyond your imagination. You think you are freaks and monsters here? That you are powerful? Giants, beastmen, dwarves, fairies, fish-people, all of that and more. Your fairy tales don't even begin to scratch the surface, and you'd be swallowed up without mercy if you don't become stronger than you are now.

"All of that before we can even speak of our enemies, and the terrible prices we have already paid in our ongoing battles with them."

Throughout that entire speech, Robin's voice never lost its kindness nor warmth.

The 'Demon Child' had no trouble walking right back into such a nightmare. Smiling.

Meanwhile, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper were huddled together in a corner, sobbing and hugging their knees.

"She's right!" wailed Usopp. "It's all of that and worse! I mean, think of what Kaidou's people want to do to us!"

"I've been turned into artwork before," moaned Nami. "And that was just by a lackey of his lackey!"

"So many horrible things!" cried out Chopper.

The Deckhands were horribly disturbed now.

"Wh-why do you want to go back then!?" blurted out Kingsley. "Why not stay here!? You guys are like, top dogs! You could take this planet and rule it you're so strong! Or even just a part of it if you want!"

A hand like iron gripped his throat, and as Nami crossed the room in an eye-blink and dragged his face down so he was gazing right into her pitiless, burning eyes. "What. Did. You. Say?"

Terror seized him up, and he knew here and now was where and when he died, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Usopp threw in. "That's the only thing worse!"

"Yeah!" snapped Chopper, equally angry.

A distant part of Dr. Harley Quinn's mind was deeply concerned about such emotional whiplash.

"You don't want to be here," realized Clayface with dawning comprehension.

"Obviously," said Luffy, eyebrows knitted together. "We told you we're going back home. Our Dreams are there."

"No, no," the former actor waved his hands. "It's more than just that. You hate it here. More than what's waiting for you back home."

"Not hate," said Sanji, lighting a cigarette. "More like completely and utterly loathe this place. Well," he took a breath of nicotine, and blew it out, before appearing kneeling at the feet of Emma with a rose held out to her, "not everything."

"Tch, quit freaking her out," ordered Zoro.

"Can it Mosshead!" raged Sanji, kicking at him.

Jinbe however shouldered his way in between them. "This is not our world. We do not belong here, and neither do our Dreams.

"Without our Dreams," hummed Brook, "what is the point of living?"

"And we've got friends back home too, who are counting on us!" added Luffy, still uncharacteristically serious.

"Family," added Nami. She then gave a huff, "And even if I did stay here to rule Earth as your empress—"

"And all shall love her and despair," Usopp muttered aside to Chopper, who had to stifle his giggles. Cheetah's sharp ears caught it too, and it helped shake her out of her shock.

"—but how long do you think these idiots would last without their voice of sanity?"

The new Deckhands just kept quiet, while Emma resisted the urge to step back behind the others to make some space from Sanji. It was not like she really trusted her fellow ex-prisoners to really help her after all.

For the more senior members, they were only slowly shaking off how stunned they felt.

"I'm sorry," said Cheetah, trying to keep any pity from her tone. "I didn't realize how . . . painful it was for all of you."

"Doesn't matter," said Luffy with a shrug.

"But knowing all that, is it really alright to bring Ace along with you into such a mess!?" protested Volcana, choosing to ignore that little remark.

"Eh, she'll be alright."

"She's just a scrawny kid!" protested Harley, still feeling some jealousy.

"Oy!" said Zoro with a touch of warning. "Yeah, she's pretty slow right now, and definitely scrawny, but what you seemed to miss before when we called, is that she was winning against me." His grin was an unfamiliar one to the Deckhands, being more proud than bloodthirsty. "That's no small thing. There are a lot of people back home she'd be very dangerous to."

That put the Deckhands off guard, and even the other Straw Hats were surprised. Sure they had heard the report, yet even after so much time had passed, they had not really internalized it. Especially since Zoro was addressing Ace as an equal in this, not as someone who had been caught off guard by a trick.

Taken aback, Harley tried to rally some other point, only for Ivy to coolly get her piece in. "She didn't fight back though," she said, arms tightly crossed across her chest. "That was your reason for why you didn't want Harley to join originally. What'd Zoro call her again? That's right, a weak crybaby because she didn't fight back against Joker."

A gesture at the new teens, "None of them did. Including Ace!

"So don't tell me it's all about her power, and her asking to come along!"

Ivy fought not to fidget as Luffy continued to stare at her with a blank face which did not belong where it was supposed to be sunny smiles, and yet seemed to be piercing the entirety of her soul. Seeing what she refused to voice aloud.

Zoro broke her gaze away from the Captain with a resigned sigh which somehow was heard across the room. He bowed his head in thought for a few moments, before frowning in frustration, and turning to Robin. "How would you word it?" he irritably asked.

Instead though, it was Nami who spoke up.

"Because she never lost sight of Dreaming for something else, as bad as it got," the redhead answered neutrally. "She could still believe in something." Nami's shoulders shrugged. "And Robin, Brook, and Zoro want her to come along. What else matters? Lot less screaming than when we got Chopper—"

"I was terrified of you!"

"—Or Franky's nonsense—"

The man in question hunched over with a whimper.

"—And we got lucky with Jinbe showing up with us like this. Or any other silliness—"

The others recalled an assortment of blackmail, harassment, and outright declarations of war, and had to reluctantly agree.

So yeah, if anything this is all better."

"Just like that?" Ivy said challengingly, ignoring Luffy now.

Nami's level gaze never flickered. "I wasn't much better off when Luffy found me, and he and the others saved me pretty much from what happened to Ace. And these guys."

". . . Every time I think I've got you guys figured out," said Harley awkwardly, "you throw in a bomb like that." The rest of the Earthlings were equally disturbed by the implications of the fiery, independent woman being in such straits.

"Not all of us had happy lives before we found each other," was Nami's cryptic response, with a faint, and decidedly not nice, smile.

Once more the Straw Hats were quiet in an unnervingly tense manner.

With a groan, Luffy stretched his arms back. "Talk, talk, talk, again! Sanji! Is Zoro's party food ready!?"

"Just about, Captain," Sanji dutifully said.

"Great! Chopper, Usopp, we've got to finish the decorations!"

"Tch!" hissed Zoro. "Don't go overboard, idiots!" he said, pacing off after the giggling trio.

Coughing into his fist, Jinbe said, "We really should get settled in, and ready for the party. That way we can all get to know each other better."

"Ugh, fine, whatever," groaned Harley into the palm of her hand. "I'll drop it. I'll even find some time for therapy for them later."

With a snort, Tennyson spat on the ground. "We don't need no therapy!"

"Anyone who says that, definitely needs therapy," Harley declared, not at all offended by his attitude. Honestly, she did not even blink if Joker went around leaving bleeding corpses all over the furniture. "Yep, extra special treatment!"

"Just don't tie them down," said Volcana, not wanting to give a bad first impression to some kids who she figured were in a bit of denial.

Honestly though, some counseling would probably do them a world of good. Goodness knows, having the chance to relax, talk, and work out some issues had done miracles for her and the rest of the Deckhands. A home where they could be themselves, and not suffer for it. To say nothing of basking in Luffy's (mostly) unconscious kindness.

Although right now the recently escaped ex-Human weapons and lab rats were looking a tad concerned.

"Only if they don't show up for their sessions. Or if I have to do a surprise one."

"No surprise sessions."

"It's for their own good!"

"Ambushing people and tying them up, before demanding they talk about their feelings, is not healthy!"

As this exchange continued, Usopp blandly told the wide-eyed newcomers, "Last chance to run while you can."

!JUSTICE!

Fortunately, Jason Blood knew where to go.

With his directions, Batman flew his Batplane to a scenic, medieval castle in England, which had since been turned into a museum.

"The Stone was concealed within Merlin's ark within Castle Branek," explained the occultist. "Magic hid the whole place for centuries, only to be recently found and excavated after World War Two. At a guess, when the Germans were bombing the nearby city, they accidentally destroyed parts of the array, and dispersed the glamour."

"And you never looked yourself?" asked Batman.

"I completely missed it," he admitted. "During the war, I was busy keeping Nazis occultists from summoning demons, and did not hear about it until a few years after. The possibility of magic was dismissed by more 'enlightened' minds, and various explanations were brought up. While it was interesting from a historical perspective, nothing noteworthy was reported found either. I only just recently put the clues together."

He shared a few more details about the properties of the artifact, so Batman would know what to look for. Afterwards, there was no further conversation even when they arrived, and Jason directed them. Batman appreciated the silence, even as he picked the various locks, and disabled the alarms.

Unerringly, he led them to a long hall, with empty suits of armour lining the sides. At the far end, Batman's flashlight illuminated what looked like a large, stone coffin. Or perhaps a vault of some kind. Regardless, it was openly displayed for whoever entered the room, and Jason's aim.

They lifted the lid, only to their dismay to find it completely empty. Jason placed his palm down on the bottom, and moved it around a little until it lit up in a bright yellow light beneath his fingertips.

Magic.

"She's been here," he reported, "but she doesn't have the Stone. Yet."

"How can you be sure?"

As if in answer, the door to the room slammed shut, and the weapons on display along the walls lit up with the same coloured glow as before. They flew up into the air, and then fast at the two men.

"Get down!" barked Batman, shoving Jason aside, before jumping himself. He grabbed a sword from a suit of armour, and ordered, "Jason! The door!"

He shielded Jason with his body, while once more the weapons flung themselves at them. With his own though, he deflected them so they harmlessly impaled the floor.

Unfortunately they kept coming, and he could feel the strain to his muscles, even as Jason called back, "It's sealed shut!"

To make matters worse, the suits of armour were also now silhouetted in yellow, and began to advance, weapons raised to kill.

Ducking aside, Batman parried more strikes, kicked one down, and wrapped up another in a wire.

He turned to see Jason backed up helplessly against a wall by two suits, and dashed over to kick one down. A leap into the air before the second could strike him, and he came down to grab its head for him to use his own momentum to throw it into a pack of others.

Grabbing an axe, Jason struck at the one at his feet until it could no longer move.

The rest were back up and on the move, and despite how light all that exertion had been, Batman fought to keep his breath even.

The door crashed open, sending Jason flying to the ground.

Shaking his head, he looked back up to see what had happened—

—and his eyes met those of an old friend.

Sir Justin.

Shining Knight took in the fight before him in a glance, before catching sight of how he had unfortunately knocked someone down in his entrance. While Gearradh remained drawn and ready, he looked down to offer his apology before joining the fray, when he felt a spark of recognition.

No.

Impossible.

It had been centuries, it could not be.

Especially not with Batman.

Except he could see that familiar face go pale. How the person knew him in turn, and was afraid. Which they should be, if it was—

"YOU!" roared the Last Knight of Camelot. "JASON BLOOD YOU TRAITOR!"

Uncharacteristically hungry for violence, his blade rose and fell like lightning.

Desperately Jason used his axe to deflect a blow and stood, only for a shoulder to send him sprawling to the ground a few meters away. With a groan of pain, he knew he could not win.

Of all the Knights of the Round Table, only Lancelot and Arthur had surpassed Justin in combat and tourneys. With that armour enhancing his strength, and his mystical sword able to cleave anything before him, there was no hope.

Not like this.

It was bitter irony that it was the very woman who had destroyed him, who now saved him.

Morgaine's animated suits of armour were too simplistic to wait for Shining Knight to finish off Jason, and attacked him too. Only one was left to fight Batman, but he was still on the other side of the room.

With a cry of rage, the newest member of the Justice League cleaved them down, carved them into too many pieces to rise again, yet that was all the time needed.

"Gone, gone the form of man. Rise the demon, Etrigan!"

With those words intoned in greater haste than in years, a familiar hellfire roiled out of Jason Blood, and his form shifted and changed.

His body was hunched and muscular, with a skintight red suit which covered his torso and upper legs. A black belt, and white and black bracelets, and a purple cape. Most striking was his bright yellow skin, the inhuman features, red eyes, short horns on his now-bald head, and ears like fins.

With a growl he bared his fangs, and snarled at the pretentious oaf.

"I see," said Shining Knight with false dispassion. "So you sold your soul to a demon. Yes, this explains much." He hefted his blade. "Now today, you pay for your uncountable sins."

"Justin, wait—" said Batman, only for his words to be lost in the wordless cry from the knight as he leapt with a thrust.

Only for Etrigan to casually leap away several meters with a standing jump.

Again Shining Knight gave chase, and Etrigan just growled his displeasure as he evaded.

Having fought the demon before while under the control of Klarion, Batman knew how significantly out of character this behaviour was. Which made him stop and watch instead of intervene. So far.

"Coward!" raged Shining Knight, which finally snapped the other out of his silence.

"So self-righteous!" snarled Etrigan. "But where were you when Camelot fell!? You could have stopped it!"

"None of your concern," glared Sir Justin. "Only that it was by order of my king that I left for an important mission."

"I see," nodded Etrigan with narrowed eyes. "So he had you hide it."

The Philosopher's Stone? wondered Batman. But he said Merlin hid it.

Barring his teeth, Justin raised Gearradh once more.

"This is pointless! The witch Morgaine le Fay is after the Philosopher's Stone!"

"So I will kill her lackey and be done with it!"

"Wait," said Batman in a harder tone this time, stepping between them. "Jason Blood is an old friend, and has led me to find le Fay."

"A deception!"

"Then who cast the magic on these suits of armour to try and kill us?" Batman asked in a reasonable tone of voice. "She is responsible for this, and we can't risk her getting her hands on something so powerful."

He craned his head to look back at the demon. "Etrigan, could you let Jason back? We need to work together, and Shining Knight won't hurt me."

The man in question was so stunned by this shift, it gave the demon time to think it over. He spat on the ground before pronouncing, "Gone, Gone, oh Etrigan! Return once more the form of man!"

In a flash of magic and fire, a slightly winded Jason Blood was standing there. "It was not Morgaine le Fay, or any choice of mine, which left me this way," he harshly addressed first. "This is my punishment by Merlin himself. I cannot die until I have atoned for my crimes against Camelot, and right now that includes dealing with her." The last word dripped with venom.

"So we work together until the Stone is safe, and she's no longer a threat," continued Batman, hoping to drive home the necessity of it all.

Shining Knight gave them both a heated glare, and it was obvious he was struggling internally with this. A conflict over whom he hated more.

Until with a release of tension, he lowered his blade. "Only because of you, Batman. I'm listening."

"First though, I have to ask, how did you—the book store owner," realized Batman. "A specialist in Arthurian lore. Of course you would be in contact." It was so obvious. Why had he not seen it sooner?

Sir Justin gave a grim nod. "The hospital realized something was wrong when they checked his age, and he managed to communicate his need to get a hold of me, and where I was needed. Now, what else do you have to tell me?"

He was quickly filled in by Batman. His eyes shifted to Jason for a moment, before back to his teammate. "Do you know how she has sustained herself for so long? Is she an immortal, or did she sleep through the long years like the spell Merlin cast upon me?"

Refusing to be ignored, Jason said, "She has obviously been sustaining her life by stealing it from others. Mordred is different. From what I have learnt, he is eternally a child, both physically and mentally."

"If the Stone's as powerful as you say," offered Batman, "we're going to need help. Is that alright with you, Sir Justin?"

With another look of pointed loathing at Jason, the knight nodded. Clearly wanting some support in dealing with the traitor and demon.

!JUSTICE!

Straw Hat Base

Final preparations for Zoro's birthday party were in full swing. At least one silver lining for being stranded on Earth was they could do bigger bashes than they usually could manage back in the New World.

Discreetly, Robin pulled Nami aside, with Jinbe and Brook following as they figured out what was happening. After a quick check the Deckhands were all occupied, their spymaster asked, "So Nami, how did your meeting with Karrde go?" Brook and Jinbe also looked towards the ladies with interest.

"Oh, it was that information broker we've been working with. He had some information he thought was valuable, except unfortunately it was a bust." She frowned a little. "And I had to pay him for it too."

"Oh?"

"He had a lead on a magical artifact that warped reality. Which of course is worthless to us."

Wincing, Jinbe understood. Early on, Cheetah had gotten lucky finding a few minor magical trinkets to show her new employers, upon which they had learnt a valuable lesson.

By some quirk, likely due to being from another dimension altogether, the Straw Hats could not use magic. At all. Nor magical artifacts, as nothing happened when holding them. They simply had none within them, while even Cheetah or the others, had enough, however miniscule, to do so.

It was an understandable trade-off of being from another world, and for that same reason he suspected none of the Deckhands could ever use Haki. No matter how similar the two tribes of mankind were.

"Why not try giving it to one of the others to use then?" Brook asked. "They might not be able to get us home, due to being unfamiliar with where they'd be trying to take us—"

As little as he knew about science, he did not relish the idea of trying to make a hole through reality without an educated understanding on how to do so. He was a musician, not a mad scientist.

"— but what about their own Dreams? Or making things easier for us here on Earth to get the necessary materials?"

With a grimace, Nami rubbed her forehead. "I know. I talked to the others about it before you guys got back. Obviously Luffy's not a fan of shortcuts, and it's gotta have limits, but even then it should have a lot of potential. Except if Hickman's held onto this rock for years, then he's got to have some wicked defenses for it. As for Volcana and the others, they're . . ." she trailed off as she tried to find the right words.

"Dreamers who have lost their way," Brook kindly answered. "As we have been in the past ourselves. Sometimes not always understanding what it is we are doing."

"Exactly. It's just that I'm not sure I trust them enough to give them a reality warping artifact."

The others shared conflicted looks at that. Because unfortunately there was a good point there. Cheetah and Clayface were making progress in accepting they were not monsters, yet still had a ways to go, and learning to accept themselves seemed healthier to the pirates than just providing a magical 'cure-all.' While Poison Ivy appeared to have moved past considering mass-ecoterrorism, with a proportional loss of life, what if she had a brief relapse when the potential was literally placed in her hands? As for Harley . . . No, just no. She herself had admitted how she kept repetitively crawling back to the Joker. Even without Nami telling them earlier how emotionally conflicted she had been at hearing the Joker wanted her dead now.

Despite the logic here, Nami felt uncomfortable discussing how they did not trust their allies, and tacked on, "Especially since we all know there's no way it's that easy."

The others sagely nodded. Everything in life came with a price to be paid. Everything.

"So yeah, even if we got this magical rock, and waited for one of the Deckhands to be . . . stable enough, could we really trust it?"

With a sigh, Nami straightened her shirt with a mild nervous-tic. "Also, Luffy said he had a bad feeling about it."

With that, they dropped the matter.

If there was one thing the Straw Hats all respected —however grudgingly and painfully, with screaming and wailing as they dug their fingernails into the ground to prevent themselves from being dragged into accepting the truth— it was Luffy's instincts.

Whatever was up with Hickman, the Straw Hats wanted nothing to do with it.

Which, given their respective histories, was truly saying something.

!JUSTICE!

England

After receiving Batman's call, the Justice League assembled outside of Castle Branek.

Personally, J'onn found it a pleasant surprise that Batman had called for help.

Oh, the threat certainly warranted it, yet it showed he was learning to be less of a, what was the Earthling term? Ah, yes, a 'lone wolf.'

Unfortunately they were a little shorthanded right now.

Superman, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl were on a mission off-world, as brief as it should be, and Diana was still on medical leave from her brutal fight with Parasite.

Thankfully they still had himself, and Flash, to help. The sooner this mission was resolved, the better, lest things boil over with members of the League itself. It had been quite obvious something was wrong when a darkly brooding Shining Knight had flown the javelin back up to the Watchtower to pick him up. Flash had run over from Central City.

Batman filled them all in, and then to Shining Knight, "You've told us stories about how you've faced le Fay before—"

"Is he still telling that story about Blunderbore!?" snapped Jason, only to bite his lip at the scalding glare he received.

"Uh, it's a good story?" offered Flash, if not with his usual enthusiasm.

"Yes," ground out Shining Knight. "And I clashed with her a few more times. The worst was when she ensnared King Arthur's mind to order me to slaughter a village, to make us both suffer. Thanks to the Philosopher's Stone he freed himself, and I refused the order. She always had a new trick though."

With an effort, he pushed aside some of his anger to address his former friend. "On that note," he bit out, arms still tightly crossed across his chest. "You claim you've been hunting le Fay for centuries?"

Brow furrowing a little more, Jason nodded. "In an unending game of cat and mouse. Etrigan underestimated her the first few times, costing us the element of surprise. But the past generation she has hidden from me. But Etrigan and I shall never rest until she has been cast into hell."

If it had been the demon who had made that vow of killing her, the League would not have been surprised. However, hearing it from another Human . . .

"How has she eluded you for so long?" asked Batman.

"She has an amulet, which can sense when I'm drawing near her."

"Perhaps you should consider another approach," offered J'onn, stepping in now.

"And what do you suggest?" asked Jason with polite skepticism.

"I could try to locate her. Telepathically." Without another word, J'onn closed his eyes, and then opened them and his mind.

!JUSTICE!

Batman was a little surprised at how impulsively Martian Manhunter offered to use his powers like that. He had not used them on such a scale since the time he had first brought together the members of the Justice League.

His teammate's eyes glowed, and he was as impassive as ever. Until he wrenched back, grasping his forehead in pain before collapsing to the ground.

The heroes rushed to kneel beside him, calling his name, and trying to shake him awake.

"Let me to him!" barked Jason, pushing past Shining Knight.

In an instant there was a sword at the back of his neck. "Do nothing untoward," was the hissed warning.

"I will only check to see what is wrong."

Grimacing, Jason placed his hand to Martian Manhunter's forehead, and it glowed with the same light he had seen on those suits of armour. "She's got to him," he grimaced. "Put him in some sort of fantasy. It's like . . . It's a red planet. Mars?"

With a dark scowl, Batman knew le Fay had struck a vicious blow. For Martian Manhunter, Earth was the alien world, as the last survivor of his entire race. Even worse, unlike Superman who lost it as a baby, he had known it as an adult before it was all destroyed by war. Manhunter was a man who had lost everything but himself, and his sense of right and wrong.

Who knew what he was seeing now?

"Help me get him to the javelin," Batman ordered Shining Knight, who reluctantly sheathed his sword and lent his strength to do so. Once aboard the spacecraft, they put him in a chair.

"Time is of the essence," Jason informed Batman. "I'll need Etrigan if we are to do this before he's too lost."

"Do it."

Once more the former knight spoke the incantation, and there was a demon before them.

Growling, he placed his hands on either side of Martian Manhunter's head, and his red eyes glowed brighter.

After about half a minute, he let go, just before the Martian jolted upright crying "NO!" in a pained voice.

"We thought we lost you, buddy," said Flash with relief.

Hunched forward in his seat, Martian Manhunter was silent for a few heartbeats, before he said, "Then, it was all an illusion."

Silently he walked to the front of the cockpit to get some space.

"Perceptive, isn't he?" said Etrigan.

"Lay off, gruesome," snapped Flash. Frankly that was a relief to Batman. The speedster had been unnervingly quiet up until now. Oh, he was not acting depressed, but he suspected it was an act, and was definitely suspicious.

Unfortunately, none of them seemed to know what to do with the more immediate problem of how to help their fellow hero.

Finally, it was Shining Knight who approached the clearly grieving hero. "My friend, are you alright?"

Martian Manhunter raised his bowed head to stare at the stars briefly, before turning to face them as if nothing was wrong. The shapeshifter had an impressive poker face. "Yes, of course. I'll be fine."

"Did you locate le Fay?" asked Batman, preferring to keep this professional.

"No, but I sense she hasn't found the Stone yet. Before she lashed out at me, I heard the words, 'archeologists,' and 'castle.'"

"It's a start," said Batman. He reached for the front seat where he could access the control panels.

"Indeed," nodded Shining Knight. "And after all these centuries, there shall finally be Justice against le Fay."

"Hah!" jeered Etrigan. "And just what will your 'Justice' be?"

"Silence, demon!" said Shining Knight, Gearradh appearing in his hand once more. "What do you know of such things!?"

"I know that even a few centuries ago it would have been you striking her dead. Killing her. So I wonder, hero, what you'll do now in these . . . enlightened times," said Etrigan with dark humour. "We both know no prison can hold her for long, nor will she change after all this time. Or her son with his eternal youth.

"If anything, you'd only be getting people killed when they inevitably escape. She has to, or she'll die without more life force to drain."

The knight's face hardened, yet he remained silent.

Martian Manhunter said nothing, too lost to the very grief he denied, yet Batman knew they were treading on dangerous ground here. Fifteen hundred or so years ago, violence was a common occurrence, capital punishment fairly regular, and all without the protection of any proper legal system.

He hoped that Shining Knight was keeping his tongue because he refused to be baited. Especially given the unfortunate truth of how Aresia, another immortal, had just done the very same thing Etrigan was warning of. In a very short period of time at that.

Unfortunately, Batman was unsure of what he should say back.

He knew if Superman was here, he would manage some sort of inspiring speech about striving to save every individual. That they did not want to see anybody else die.

On a more pragmatic level, if the Justice League started deciding who should live or die, the public and governmental support they had would dry up quickly. They would be labeled vigilantes overnight. Except which court could they take a centuries old sorceress to? Would a 'court of her peers' be even possible?

. . . Maybe the Justice League could exile her to the Phantom Zone?

Thankfully Flash managed to intercede. "Hey, hey, hey!" he said loudly, waving his hands about. "No need to get all dark and broody, that's Bat's job! One thing at a time here! Once we get her, we'll have the whole League together to work something out!"

Before the demon could scoff and throw out something else demoralizing, Batman said, "Etrigan, can we have Jason, please? Things are tense enough as they are."

A scowl, but he glanced once more at Shining Knight, and relented to return control once more to his Human counterpart.

Good. Crisis averted. For now.

!JUSTICE!

Crisis delayed was more like it, it seemed.

The atmosphere of the javelin was tense as it headed towards England. Given Martian Manhunter's clue, it was probably best to remain local for now.

Batman was both flying, and trying to do the necessary research himself. All while trying to keep his attention on the others.

Shining Knight continued to glare with loathing at Jason, who in turn was staring suspiciously at Martian Manhunter. The alien was slumped over in his seat, while Shining Knight shot him the odd concerned look as well, and Flash continued to be mysteriously silent.

When he miss-clicked for an option for the fourth time in less than a minute, Batman was bitterly forced to concede he should delegate this. To someone he trusted at least.

A message was discreetly typed and sent, so he could behave as if this was his plan all along.

Sure enough, a few minutes later the console beeped with an incoming message, which he brought up on the main screen for all the others to see.

"Batman," said Batgirl with perfect professionalism. "Members of the Justice League."

Wanting to cut off any half-expected flirting from Flash, he said, "What did you find?"

"Okay, there are just two archeologists left of those who were in charge of excavating that castle: Henry Moss and Harv Hickman."

"And the sorceress believes one of them found it," said Shining Knight.

"Once you were actually inside, Merlin did hide it in a pretty obvious place," Jason said a touch acerbically.

Seeing Shining Knight grit his teeth, Batgirl continued before he could spit something out himself. "From what I've found so far, it could be either one of them. Hickman changed careers, and now runs a, ahem, publishing company."

"Wait," Flash perked up. "Harv Hickman, the magazine tycoon?"

Despite her cowl, Batgirl still managed to give him an unimpressed look. "Let me guess, you read them for the articles?"

Flash had the decency to look abashed.

"Definitely an interesting career change," said Batman, keeping them on track. "And Moss?"

"After Castle Branek, he made a bunch of high-profile, archeological discoveries, which also made him pretty rich. It's not clear though if he did it himself, or had a little magical assistance."

"We'll have to split up then," he said decisively. With perfect timing, the Batplane pulled up on autopilot right beside the javelin, surprising and impressing the others.

It had been following them the whole time, and he had discretely signaled for it the moment Batgirl said she had two possible suspects.

"What I don't understand," Batgirl continued, "is why they're still so obsessed with Camelot. If she's as powerful as you say she is, or what this magical artifact is supposed to be capable of, why not conquer somewhere else? Or for that matter, didn't she succeed way back when?"

Despite their animosity, Shining Knight and Jason exchanged a heavy glance, before the former answered. "There was a prophecy which claimed that if, if being the key word, Mordred was crowned king of Camelot, then he would rule the world from there for all time. Morgaine le Fay has bent herself to fulfilling this prophecy for her son. With the Philosopher's Stone, she can accomplish this and more."

"A prophecy?" Batman asked neutrally.

"Your skepticism is warranted," admitted Jason. "Most prophecies are false, or highly misleading. However this was one made by Merlin himself. He saw clearer than any other in history. But he only saw possible futures, without a guarantee it would be the one to occur."

"Including how Camelot could have led the world into an age of peace and justice instead!" snarled Shining Knight.

"Well am I aware," hissed back Jason, words dripping with venom.

"'Crowned king,'" quoted Batman, intervening before it got ugly again. He looked at his fellow Leaguer. "King Arthur had you hide the crown."

". . . Yes. In a box layered with powerful enchantments of concealment by Merlin, and then within another box of cold iron. Hidden beyond their reach. That is why even," once more he glared at Jason, "before, she did not succeed. While the kingdom fell to her, and Arthur was dead, Mordred was not king. With the Philosopher's Stone however, they could rebuild Camelot, and find the crown with ease."

"And then conquer the world," concluded Flash grimly. "Bummer."

He flinched at the glower Jason sent him, and Shining Knight's own patience appeared to be waning.

Taking a deep breath though, Shining Knight calmed himself to say, "The traitor and I will go together."

"And the Martian," threw in Jason, ignoring the insult.

"Ah, yes. That would be best."

Batman gave them both a warning look, but nodded. He took another glance at the files Batgirl had forwarded him, and then gave her a brisk nod. "Good work."

"Thanks," she said with a small smile. "Good luck you guys."

They might need it.

"Alright," he declared. "Flash and I will head to the US for Hickman, you three go after Moss."

Without waiting for their reactions, he stalked away from the controls to head for the back. It would be a little tricky getting him and the speedster from the javelin to the Batplane mid-air, they would probably have to jump, yet despite some twitches in his muscles, he was sure it would be fine.

!JUSTICE!

Author Notes:

This chapter was made possible thanks to help from Bkaa19. Otherwise I may have skipped over this episode. Also credit to Oceanlord2017 for that exchange between Ivy and Harley at the start.

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Technically this episode is supposed to be happening on Halloween, but frankly I wanted a full chapter for the Straw Hats to party more instead, so things got switched around.

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I know that some of you wanted Luffy to be the one to reject the offer of the Philosopher's Stone and destroy it, and honestly that was my original choice. There were a bunch of reasons for my decision to change it, some of which were not touched on here, but the main one is that I felt that this episode is too important to the members of the Justice League, to risk any outside interference. Particularly for J'onn.

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So yes, no magic for the pirates, and no haki for the heroes and villains. Also, Zoro was unaware of this when he was giving Sir Justin advice on how to use his sword, as after that chapter was written we later learn from Hyogoro of the Flower that cutting steel requires haki.

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In the DCAU, no motivation for why le Fay wanted to re-conquer Camelot was given. Truthfully, it was likely just an obsession born from how she had grown too old. Here though, I want to give her some more depth than just that, and raise the stakes.

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Next Chapter: 'A Knight of Shadows, Part 2'

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Please Review, and I will get back to you!

Mostly.

The sheer size of my responses for Guest Reviews means I need to start making some exceptions. I will not answer if you are asking when the next update will be, since honestly my answer tends to be, 'I do not know.' Also, for those asking for more One Piece characters, I say, 'Definitely not anytime soon. Maybe later though.' Or 'who would win' questions, since answering those basically counts as giving Spoilers. For those asking about the Justice Lords, I will simply say they are a popular arc request. While Haki is indeed similar in concept to the Will used by Green Lantern Rings, they are still different enough, on different 'frequencies' of willpower if you stretch the analogy, that they do not effect each other in any special way. The Straw Hats cannot use any form of magic, nor teach haki to others. Also no more responding to ones that are just "guest" without a penname, as frankly they cannot be kept track of anyways.

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EVERYONE STAY SAFE!