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, 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
2000Reviewer
Congratulations to you, and loving that someone made a point of being #2000! And as requested, here is "The Savage Time!" Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D
Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D
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Evil Reviewer:
If by "MG-verse" you mean "Metal Gear," then definitely no. I have not even seen that series myself :-P
Here is the latest chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D
Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D
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Austin
I am pretty sure ladies cannot provide breast milk so conveniently. But no plans with a baby regardless right now.
For Sanji with abusive women, he would probably just whisk the kid away to someplace safe.
I appreciate your explanation for tokusatsu! :-D Not planning on writing that myself, but after your description and suggestions, definitely hoping someone does an omake on that!
Here is the latest chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D
Thank you for your Review and Support! You keep Safe and Healthy too! :-D
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Josh b
LOL yeah, the interview omake was very popular for good reason!
Here is the latest chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D
Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D
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Astartes
Sorry, you are going to have to clarify that.
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The viking 04
Ah, so you want a big Zoro scene do you . . . ? Looking forward to what you think of this chapter ;-)
Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D
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Anoneme
LOL yeah, I had a good laugh at that part of the interview omake as well! Make sure you check out what else those authors have written! :-D
Here is the latest chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D
Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D
.
FoolishFool
Oh for sure, there is a LOT Superman does to be Clark Kent. Slouching, bigger, rumpled clothes, how Superman has such a larger-than-life presence, while Clark has none of that, etc. Here though there is no way to hide his 'haki signature' from Luffy. Plus the Straw Hats already figured out who he is way back in chapter 2.
Here is the latest chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D
Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D
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Justice
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Chapter 22: The Savage Time, Part 1
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This chapter is an AU of a DCAU episode by the same name.
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Contains spoilers for manga chapter 1,021.
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FYI, this is not a happy chapter.
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November 15
It had been a long week in the fight for Justice.
Flying through hyperspace, John Stewart, Green Lantern, enjoyed the opportunity to let his mind relax with the simple task.
First they had dealt with the chaos of le Fay, and then just the other day his old friend Rex Mason being turned into Metamorpho by a combination of corporate greed and illegal chemicals. The battles involved with both events were starting to wear on the heroes, and truthfully it was a bitter irony that it was mainly thanks to Cherry Blossom Medical's products that everyone was so healthy right now.
And then the Justice League had received an emergency call from another planet they had had to rush off to. They had done well, but that was not the point.
As much as he wanted to recommend to everyone that they do more joint training exercises together, some properly scheduled R&R beforehand seemed like the way to go. Give everyone a break before they actually broke.
Fortunately for that, Batman and Shining Knight should be already aboard their orbital HQ, being the ones left behind to watch over Earth, and the rest were already with him. Easy to share his opinion with everyone. Maybe a quiet word with Batman beforehand to make sure he had his support.
In a flash of light, they re-entered real-space as he used his Green Lantern Ring to tow the Javelin behind him with the rest of his team aboard.
Now that they could talk again, Superman said over the com, "You think we'll make it?"
"I should have enough juice to get us home. But my Ring's gonna need some serious recharging after towing you clowns halfway across the galaxy."
"Hey," said Flash lightly. "At least we won the battle."
"Javelin 7 to Watchtower, come in," signaled Superman as the station rose up before them.
"Watchtower here," answered Batman.
"Prepare the landing bay, we're coming in."
"Just when I was starting to enjoy the peace and quiet," was the reply, and for the life of him, Green Lantern could not tell if the man was serious or not.
They were meters from entering the hanger, when a flash of light lit up space, emanating from Earth.
Waves of distortion followed, and it was like trying to stand straight during an earthquake. Green Lantern fought to maintain his construct around the Javelin, and hold the ship steady while his teammates were being thrown about.
Grunting and straining, he threw all his Will into it, until suddenly it just stopped.
Shaking his head briefly, Green Lantern saw the jet was alright, and through the viewport everybody seemed fine. He turned to look to see how the Watchtower handled whatever that was, except it had vanished!
"Batman! Come in, do you read me?" said Superman urgently over the com. "Batman! Shining Knight!"
"They're gone," was the slightly faint voice of Martian Manhunter, doubtless using his telepathy. "And so's the Watchtower."
There were no loud denials, or loud reactions to this. By this point they were all used to the 'impossible,' and got down to work. Yes, even Flash. There was a time and place for chattering, and right now what they needed was to calmly search for answers.
After a quick consultation, Green Lantern directed them down to Earth. The others had gotten a good look at where those distortions had started from, and after Martian Manhunter reviewed the sensor logs they narrowed it down to Metropolis.
Of course it was. It was either there or Gotham.
While he flew the rest of the League, the others discussed the situation further.
"I don't get it, there was no wreckage, no debris, zippo," said Flash, stating the obvious. Except they had to start somewhere.
"How could the entire Watchtower disappear without a trace?" said Wonder Woman.
"Perhaps we'll find the answer when we locate the source of that mysterious pulse," offered Martian Manhunter.
Painfully aware of how low his power reserves were, Green Lantern focused on finding someplace safe to land, and checking the integrity of his construct.
In a minute he would come to sorely regret his negligence by failing to keep a better eye on his surroundings.
The Javelin was safely landed, the ramp lowered for the others to exit, with Flash the first to dash out. He came to a flat stop to gape at the sight the others were only now taking in.
"Where the heck are we? And what happened here?" he asked in disbelief.
It was a small park they were in, surrounded by towering buildings, much larger than usual, but something was wrong with their designs. Black and red flags were all over the place.
It was also in ruins.
Here and there a mostly-intact skyscraper could be seen, yet the rest of the place was a warzone.
Hollowed out towers, some collapsed to the ground. A trail of holes through walls spanning multiple blocks to showcase either a powerful weapon firing through them, or someone actually flying a straight line in and out of them all.
Signs of fires which had gotten out of control, and even parts of the park had been scorched. Litter and debris everywhere.
Thick dark clouds covered the sky, with a taste to the air several recognized as a brewing storm.
Superman's attention though, was fixated on one particular object, lying half-broken on the ground.
It was a large, bronze ball held in a grasping hand, with the words "Daily Planet" emblazoned upon it.
"Looks like we're home," said Superman quietly and gravely, fists tightening.
!JUSTICE!
Silently the heroes set off to explore, finding themselves atop of a bridge looking down upon a broken subway system, and more of the city spread out before them.
If he looked carefully, Superman could see the similarities to his city, if more advanced. Like what the Metropolis he remembered could become in a few decades as technology advanced, and the population increased.
Was this the future?
Unfortunately, whatever violence had hit this place, had spread across nearly the whole horizon. Only a quarter of the city looked intact, and even from here he could see some sorts of flying vehicles moving around in formation. Patrols?
"Metropolis," whispered Wonder Woman, as she too accepted where they were.
"But how?" said Hawkgirl. They had only been gone a few days.
"Either the city fathers did some high-speed urban renewal while we were away," said Flash, "and then we had an alien invasion Batman didn't warn us about when we arrived, or . . ."
"Or what?" demanded Green Lantern as his friend trailed off.
"I don't know. Wait." In a red blur he ran to a pile of debris, and brought back a torn and dirty poster. "This dude's picture is everywhere. Even with all this destruction. Who is he?"
The man was a stranger, although with his intense, aristocratic features, Superman was sure he would recall him if he had seen him before. The bold words "Leader," beneath the image were concerning though. As were all the other symbols littered about. Red background for a white circle, with crooked, black lines in the center, making it look like an 'S.' Something about it was tugging at his memory.
"You there!"
Privately, Superman was a little embarrassed he had been too distracted to notice the obvious-soldiers approaching. Their uniforms were crisp grey, no decorations, and not a style he recognized. Nor were their guns, which both soldiers had drawn and aimed at the heroes. He was familiar however with the looks of barely restrained fear and violence in their eyes. These were men who were so anxious and afraid they were on the very edge of shooting first, and probably asking questions never.
"Show me your papers!" demanded the spokesman.
"What?" said Green Lantern.
"Unit 2-9-5, we've got some suspicious looking people," he said into his radio, before addressing the confused Justice League. "You heard me. Let's see your identity papers. Now!"
"Sorry, but my identity's a secret," said Flash, obviously trying to lighten the mood. "Chicks dig that whole man of mystery thing." Given the slightly startled reactions by Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl, this was news to them.
"Hands in the air!" he barked. He waited a brief second to see if the heroes would comply, and then opened fire.
The good news was that he shot Superman first, obviously taking his visibly large muscles to be the greater threat.
The bad news was it hurt! Whatever was in that laser packed a surprising punch, the sort of thing he expected from much larger armaments, making Superman drop to one knee in pain.
A green bubble surrounded the Justice League, defending them from further shots as Green Lantern was quick on the uptake.
Even as his partner opened fire, the soldier who had remained silent so far, fired three things like purple flares into the air before switching his rifle to fire lasers too.
Green Lantern's shield was holding, only for three strange flying vehicles to appear, strafing them with more guns. As they passed over, the space cop dissolved his construct. "Scatter!"
While most of them did so, Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman held their ground to draw fire. He just let the shots phase through him, while she deflected them with her bracers.
It was the work of a moment for Superman to punch out the turret in one craft, while Hawkgirl's mace damaged another. The original two soldiers shot at her, only for a speeding Flash to shoulder check them. Looking up though, he called to their attention more enemy reinforcements. "Uh oh."
"Over here."
Turning around at the familiar voice, Flash saw a figure in the shadows of an alleyway.
"Bats!?"
Everyone else turned to look in surprise, and the man stepped forward into the light.
It was Batman . . . but not. Same general profile, and what they could see of his face seemed the same, yet no bat-symbol. No superhero suit. It was black armour over some sort over a grey uniform.
Except they knew it was still him when he barked "Hurry!" just like he always did, before turning to dash out of sight.
With more aircraft incoming, the heroes had no choice but to follow, jumping down into a sewer drain.
They all landed right into what seemed to be a subway car, although the rest of the station appeared collapsed. It was a minor miracle the damage had not hit this too.
"Nice wheels," complimented Flash.
"Hang on," was all Batman said before hitting the ignition, sending everyone stumbling back with the acceleration.
In the pile of heroes, everyone just lay there until Hawkgirl asked with knowing accusation, "Whose hand is that?"
Embarrassed, Flash pulled his hand back. "Sorry."
For a moment it looked like they would run into a dead-end, only for the wall and various obstructions to move aside for a secret door. After braking to a stop, Batman stalked out without saying a word.
The others followed, and only Superman could appreciate the similarities to the Batcave . . . and the many more ways it was different. More like an underground basement which had gone forgotten. What looked like a tank sat to the side, along with various crates covered by sheets.
Batman continued deeper into the hidden base, while the heroes stared after him.
"This is too weird. Even for him," said Flash. In a blur he was beside their friend, grabbing his shoulder. "Hey, wait up! I've got some questions."
From out of concealment appeared a small army of men and women pointing advanced rifles at the Justice League from all sides. Their outfits were obviously similar to Batman's, although they had plainer helmets, while his resembled more the cowl they were used to.
Sharp, disciplined, and obviously ready to fire.
"No," said Batman darkly. "I'll ask the questions." Leaning in close to Flash so the red-clad man to bend over, "Who are you?"
"Bats, you're starting to scare me."
"I scare a lot of people. The resistance might be able to use you, but you're going to have to prove we can trust you."
"Are you kidding?" said Green Lantern in disbelief. "You've known us for ages!"
Without a flicker of expression, Batman grabbed a gun from one of his soldiers, and pointed it straight at Lantern's stony face.
"You must have me confused with someone else."
Wide-eyed, Flash said, "I don't think he's kidding."
In an instant Superman went from the rear of the band of heroes, to right in his friend's face to snatch away the offending weapon. "Listen!" he said, matching the other man's glare. "If we wanted to hurt you, we would have."
Despite all of these impossible changes, Clark Kent knew deep down this was still his friend. A man who at his core was Bruce Wayne, and everything that entailed.
This was for his own good.
A half dozen of the soldiers moved in close, some barrels inches away from Superman's chest to box him in as he matched wills with their leader.
The future hung in the balance for a moment.
With a gesture, Batman had his people step back, and at ease.
Apologetically, and a touch surprised, Superman held up the gun he had been holding, now crumpled in half. Apparently he had been tenser than he thought.
"Let's talk," said Batman.
!JUSTICE!
The Justice League were led to Batman's supercomputer a floor above, looking down on everybody else as they went about their business. There, Batman started to tell his story.
"The stormtroopers came to our house. I was eight years old."
"And they murdered your parents," said Superman, hiding a twinge of pain. It was tragic that it almost seemed like an inevitably for Thomas and Martha Wayne, that their son would be forged in suffering like that. However there was no need to blurt out the man's true name in front of the others. "Why?"
"For speaking out against the regime."
"Incredible."
"Not really. It happens every day." In fact, it was apparently so 'normal,' that Superman belatedly realized the man had not reacted to the accuracy of his guess about the Waynes.
Turning away from the computer screen, Batman got up so he could look down on his people. "That's why I started the resistance. Or this part of it. We're all orphans and outsiders, fighting the good fight."
Below, they could see all those people having fun, sparring, and being together.
. . . Superman was fairly sure that was Dick and Barbra sharing a passionate kiss.
Oh, and Tim running past them.
Breaking away from the sight, Green Lantern asked, "How long has this regime been in power?"
"Since World War Two."
"But we won that war, didn't we?" asked a confused Flash.
"No." Batman returned to the computer screen, and pulled up historical records. "They did."
Everyone was shocked at the sight of lines of soldiers wearing archaic uniforms beneath more of those strangely-familiar symbols. Given the new context, it had a concerning resemblance to the Nazis swastika, yet for some reason something different.
Why?
How!?
After staring in shock, their eyes narrowed at Batman in disbelief. Even Hawkgirl knew her history better than that.
"You're telling us we lost World War Two!?" said Green Lantern. "That's insane! The Allies invaded Europe on D-Day, and—"
"It was a disaster. D-Day was the beginning of the end for the Allies."
"I can't believe I'm hearing this."
"Something's obviously happened to the time-space continuum," said Martian Manhunter, his superior knowledge of the sciences adding weight to his words.
"Probably caused by the disturbance we saw," said Superman, giving voice to what those who knew the Allies had won, were all thinking.
"Why weren't we affected?" asked Wonder Woman.
"Perhaps the aura from Green Lantern's Ring protected us," offered Martian Manhunter. It was, after all, forged by the Guardians of the Universe.
"But that doesn't explain why the city looks like a warzone!" interjected Hawkgirl. "If the Nazis won, then why's there still fighting?"
"You're joking," said Batman. "It's part of their war with the Straw Hat Pirates."
The Justice League stiffened, and Flash rubbed his forehead in dismay. "Aw crud."
!JUSTICE!
Moving through the sewer tunnels was a little cramped for Jinbe, yet despite his bulk he managed.
After a few twists and turns, he found Nami, where she was doing maintenance to some unfamiliar equipment.
When they hard parted ways at Cacao Island all those months ago, even with the entire fury of an Emperor and her military after them, the navigator had been like the wind given flesh; always moving, alive, and bringing change wherever she went, whether it was comfort or destruction on behalf of those she loved. Her outer beauty making people overlook the true magnificence within her.
As he had swum to Wano to meet his new crew there, he had been looking forward to seeing her just as much as the rest of the Straw Hats.
Now it was hard to meet her eyes.
Her once perfect appearance was marred by old blood and dirt. A gauntness to her smudged features like she had not been eating, with her bust shrinking in turn. When her long tresses had become too uncomfortable from how tangled and oily they were, she had just grabbed a big handful to cut off with a knife, and gotten back to work.
Deep down, Jinbe knew he had failed her. Failed them all.
Unfortunately, as much as he knew this was wrong, he could not bring himself to stop them. Stop himself.
What Queen Otohime and Brother Ti had feared had come to pass, and the devil was no longer only dwelling inside of him.
He had already become the devil.
!JUSTICE!
"What!?" demanded Green Lantern. "How's that even possible!?"
"There's just a few of them!" Hawkgirl said.
"Only the nine of them," agreed Batman bitterly. "Although some resistance groups have joined them. Those ones are too much like butchers for our tastes though."
"But that doesn't make any sense," insisted Superman. "Why would they do this?"
Luffy and the others had thus far seemed to be trying, with mixed results, for a more low-key approach.
In response, Batman went back to his computer. "There's no audio," he said. "The cameras that did were too close and got destroyed. This is something the regime recovered from a more distant one."
A few more clicks of the keypad, and he pulled up a coloured, if slightly blurry, video.
It was obviously a military base, and showed various soldiers present on parade. Also tall figures like robots twice the size of a man, until you saw human heads sticking out of cockpits in them.
An important looking dignitary appeared to be going around, but the angle did not show his face, only the absolute deference and reverence everyone showed him. A box was wheeled towards the man, and an obvious scientist was obviously excited to present it.
A flash of light, and a hole seemed to open in the sky, and ten figures dropped through. Several of them instantly recognizable as the Straw Hat Pirates.
The guards all looked at them in surprise, and pointed guns at them. Except the intruders all appeared disoriented, and struggling to stand.
"So they didn't crash land here," said Superman.
"They're here like me," said Hawkgirl. "Although something about it seemed to have weakened them coming through."
Green Lantern leaned over to point. "They're also surprised to see the big blue one. Even if they're happy about it."
They were aware though they were not in a safe place, and Nami was showing raising placating hands. While it was too blurry to read her mouth, she was clearly looking to calm the situation down.
The official nodded, and seemed to be considering her words. Only to in one smooth motion reach into that box brought to him, pulled out a large, intimidating rifle, and fired it.
Zoro had his swords in hand since arrival, but he was too weak to raise them—
—Monkey D. Luffy jumped in front of the shot.
The Justice League grimaced and gasped as his heart was visibly burnt out, and he collapsed.
Dead.
!JUSTICE!
Nami had been the wind . . . and Luffy the sun.
Jinbe could survive losing one Captain without losing himself, but not another.
Like the others, he had hollowed out a place in his soul for a man full of laughter and warmth, feeling him heal age-old wounds which had once threatened to consume him.
For the sake of his dream, the Straw Hats would have paid any price to see it come true.
Now with his pointless, senseless, bloodthirsty MURDER THEY HAD NO ONE ELSE BUT THEMSELVES AND THEIR OWN PAIN AND THEY—
He took a deep breath.
Not yet.
Lock it up until it was time to be unleashed once more.
Nami looked at him with a touch of concern. From the part of her heart which still knew 'love.'
"I'm alright," he managed. "The others are here, and Napier's verified what you found, and he says it's big."
The kindness died, and the red wolf howled behind her bloodshot eyes. Her lean frame shifting from something pitiable, to that of a starving predator.
"Good," she said. "I'll just check on the girls before joining. We need a proper storm after all, if this is what we think it is."
A twitch in his chest, as he remembered a tattoo of the sun on his older brother's chest.
"Don't be too harsh on them," he asked. A touch of a plea. Even in his present state, Fisher Tiger's wishes were burnt into his soul.
She coughed something which could have been mistaken for a chuckle. "Don't you worry, Jinbe. Besides, it doesn't matter anyways. We're all stuck here in hell together."
If she were anyone else, he would have thought her last line was proof she was caught up in melodrama, if not delusions.
Instead, he could only agree.
No Hawkeye to beat, no All Blue, no Laboon, nothing to really explore, no . . . One Piece, and nothing else important.
No.
Luffy.
For Dreams were mere stardust when the sun died.
Leaving behind only a barren land devoid of hope.
Hell.
This world was truly hell.
!JUSTICE!
Resistance HQ
"Wait," managed Flash. "Play that again. Supes, look carefully."
Everyone looked at him in surprise, and he grimaced. "Trust me." Batman did, and Flash frowned further. "Weird."
"Very weird," Superman nodded in confusion.
"What is?" Green Lantern said a little testily.
"Luffy, he was moving in front of Zoro even before the guy grabbed the gun."
"He's right," agreed Superman. "He might've been able to do something too, if his legs weren't too unstable. They collapsed at the last moment and threw him off."
There was a pause, and Batman adjusted the video to re-play at far slower speeds, and confirmed it.
"Did he somehow already know?" offered Martian Manhunter.
"Doesn't matter now," Batman brusquely said, continuing to play the footage.
The Straw Hats screamed in horror, faces twisted in agony as if they were the ones shot.
The dignitary gestured with his gun, and seemed to be saying something.
The heroes did not even need to hear what was being said.
"I just shot one of your people to show I'm serious," ground out Wonder Woman. "So you'd better do what I say."
The dignitary and the men behind him exploded into a shower of blood and body parts.
"Wha—!?"
Standing in the epicenter was Zoro, wielding three swords, one in his mouth. A simmering aura surrounded him, and the scene seemed frozen until a burst of wind erupted from around him to scatter the pieces of the corpse, and the ground caved in beneath his feet. But the avenger was not finished as he threw himself at the rest of the soldiers.
The rest of the Straw Hats were right behind, faces contorted into fury and madness as they proceeded to slaughter everyone in the base.
Nami turned on the guard behind her before he could blink, pulping his head with his own gun which she snatched from his hands. Then she caved in the face of another with her fist.
Bodies crumpled and fell wherever Robin looked, the video too blurry to see what was happening, even for Flash.
The big, blue-haired one and Usopp fired exotic weaponry.
Chopper swelled and grew into a massive beast.
By the dozens and then hundreds the Nazis threw themselves at the pirates. Only soldiers with guns at first, but then tanks, men in powered-armour. Planes flew overhead to drop bombs headless of friendly fire.
The Justice League paled at the slaughter they witnessed.
"Merciful Hera," whispered Wonder Woman into the palm of her hand.
"No mercy to be found there," gritted out John. He was a marine (there are no ex-marines) and had seen wars with the Green Lantern Corps, but had never witnessed such one-sided savagery in his life. This was not 'history,' but something recent which had been the prelude to the destruction they had seen outside.
Even Hawkgirl, with all her own secret experiences with war, and the atrocities she had witnessed committed by the Gordanians, was shaken.
Eventually there was too much fire and smoke to see anything else, and the screen became blurry . . .
Except for one soldier's face pressed up close to the camera, frozen in a rictus of terror.
When it clicked off, you could not tell if it was because that was all there was left to see, or if the power had gone out.
Nevertheless, they knew that behind it all, were berserkers, painting themselves in the blood of their friend and leader's killers. Turning the entire army into a funeral pyre for him.
"Ever since then," Batman heavily said, "they've been at war with the entire Nazi regime, which is basically the whole world. They've done more than anyone else has to hurt them, but," and his fists visibly tightened, "they're not too concerned with who or what gets in the way of their vengeance."
"Against the entire world!?" Wonder Woman repeated in dismay.
"Yes. The fighting was originally heaviest in Europe. I don't know yet why they shifted back here, but they left Germany a wasteland."
"That's not, they, how!?" snapped Flash, refusing to believe this. "It's only nine of them!"
"They're very powerful, and very resourceful. Strike hard, and then disappear. From what my sources have told me, for Berlin they made what appeared to be a massive attack before being forced to retreat. Most of the remaining war wheels and their strongest powered warriors were brought in to hound them to death. When in reality it was all a diversion for some of their number to raid what was supposed to be a highly classified, high-security vault of Nazi doomsday weapons. They set them on a timer, and then detonated them to take out most of the country once they were safely out of it."
"What!?" gasped Superman, unable to reconcile this with the happy-go-lucky man he had met at the mall. While their leader had been ready for violence, he could never imagine him condoning such extremes. Especially not if Volcana trusted herself and Maureen with them.
"You weren't there, Superman."
Puzzled, he turned to Wonder Woman, only to note Hawkgirl standing beside her and nodding. "You weren't there," the Amazon repeated, "to see how they threatened Aresia for what she did to their comrades. How they reacted to my warnings about them killing people." She grimaced. "I just never imagined this."
"Like her mom said," Hawkgirl jerked a thumb at the princess, "they place caring about each other above everyone else."
"That's not exactly—" started Green Lantern.
"It's close enough!" she snapped over him.
"Want to share?" Batman 'asked.'
!JUSTICE!
Slowly and methodically, Roronoa Zoro, acting Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, tended to his swords. The familiarity of it all letting him relax minutely.
Helped him forget a little.
But if Nami was right, he only had to be patient a little while longer.
Soon they would have it all.
Their vengeance.
Because Luffy was DEAD.
Because of him.
Because he had been so weak. If only he had been—
With unfortunately familiar practice, he leashed his bloodlust and regrets, straining with the need to dampen the pain with death and violence.
Soon, he crooned to himself, feeling a flicker of hope.
Because judging by Nami's earlier expression, this time they would have Savage for good.
Zoro thought he had killed him the first time they met, when they had come to this world disoriented and weakened, and Savage had ordered them butchered on a whim. Murdered . . .
In answer the Straw Hats had dealt with everyone responsible, and thrown Savage's head into a sewer.
Pity it took more than that to finish him.
"Awww, why so serious?"
Hiding a grimace, Zoro ignored their principle ally since coming to this world.
Not that he doubted the man's own commitment to hurting the Nazis. Nor could a pirate claim any moral high grounds, including who they associated with. Their crew had worked with plenty of unpleasant people in the past. Indeed, unlike . . . a certain rubber-brained moron . . . had . . . Zoro actually read the newspapers, and knew just what sort of people had sworn themselves and their crews to him as their 'parent.'
However, that was not to say he was ever in the mood for the flamboyance of one Jack Napier.
"Ah, c'mon, share a smile," the pyromaniac said, giving a demonstration of his own. "Why at this rate, you'll have Vandal Savage stretched out for you lot to have your fun with. I'm rather hoping the lovely Miss Nico Robin's read my little suggestions!"
"Jinbe said you had the intel," Zoro flatly said as he put down his sword, hoping to maybe get down to business.
The man's body seemed to collapse within itself as he dropped the irritating displays, and got down to business. "Yeah, just like she said from those files she stole. Got to give her credit for that one. Although, while they don't know what we know, they know we know there's something to know there. Y'know?"
Wado Ichimonji twitched in Zoro's hand with the urge to cut him.
"Obviously," grunted Usopp, as he ambled over. "They pulled back most of what they've got left here in North America to Metropolis, and got it covering that whole area. But are you sure it's the right building?"
"Yep. Tracked the electromagnetic disturbances to it. Whatever's going on there, it's big."
Standing beside the sniper, Brook tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement.
They had not heard him make a sound in days. Maybe weeks.
"Might be a trap, or a big bomb," pointed out Curlybrow, lighting a hand-made cigarette. They had been declared amoral by the regime, although the popular rumour was that Savage just disliked the smell.
The chef was planning to kill Savage a few times by smoke inhalation for the nicotine cravings he had suffered until they had made contact with the right elements of the black market. And then kill him for all the other reasons.
A few months ago, you would never have convinced him that Curlybrow would be so willing to accept Zoro taking the lead. Although truthfully, it was less 'accept,' and more that their mutual loathing had been redirected and enhanced towards someone more deserving of it.
"Who cares?" shrugged Napier. "I doubt it'd kill you lot, and if it is a bomb of some sorts, they'll still lose too much of their military. Not to mention all the collaborators."
Like many things with the resistance fighter, Zoro chose to ignore what he said. Although this time it was an obvious attempt to goad them into another argument over whether or not someone's refusal to actively oppose the regime made them both a collaborator and a traitor.
"Here is what we have," Robin said, walking out of the shadows to place down several dossiers, and dove right into planning out what to do while waiting for Jinbe to bring back Nami. Unlike Nami, she had taken the time to trim her hair shorter, in the short, severe fashion of ladies here. Except of course it was necessary for the infiltrations she still carried out.
"The distraction will be key," pointed out Sanji. "Especially since we have to hit them so hard they'll have to commit even if they figure out what we're doing. Franky, you up for this?"
The massive man turned to look at them, half the skin of his face burned away by a 'meta' from a few weeks ago. "Yeah, don't worry, I've got this," he flatly said.
"You sure?" asked Napier cheerily. "They've got all those new prototypes rushed out of that lab in Japan."
"Don't you worry!" snapped Franky with a flicker of his old spirit. His arms twitched as if to raise them. "This'll be . . . easy."
Zoro's sneer twisted into a hungry, wolfish smile. "Okay then," he said, feeling the painfully familiar tingle of Luffy's blood on his palms. "Let's do it."
!JUSTICE!
A few hours later found Nami riding in her repurposed military transport to a place Napier had cleared out for her and her equipment.
Once they arrived, she ignored the driver, and headed to the back.
Only after she checked some equipment which was the bastardized child of some native tech and warped Weatheria designs, did she look at her guests.
Claire Selton and Crystal Frost just stared at the ground, as if that would make Nami overlook them as well. Selton's long, fiery red hair had been cropped short, robbing her of her beauty, while Frost's naturally pale skin made it harder to tell what condition she was in. Regardless, a mild tingle from their shock collars got their attention.
Such methods of restraint and control would obviously not work for Leslie Willis, as her entire body could become pure electricity, but she made do with a collar with rubber-coated spikes pressed into her skin, and the mechanical pressure behind them to crush rock. Fortunately for her, she was generally more cooperative, so Nami withheld a warning.
All three ladies had been loyal soldiers of the regime before Nami had found them. Their torn, tattered, and dirty uniforms still managed to look bright and colourful despite everything. As was necessary for proper 'Heroes of the People.' Now though, they were eager and willing to dedicate their lives to a new and greater cause.
"Now then!" she snapped, and wide-eyed they flinched back as much as they could with their chains. "This is going to be a big one, so I want you to put your all into it, got it!?
"Yes ma'am!" they cried.
Without another word, Nami pressed a button to open up openings in the roof right above each of them. They were all secured so their arms were pointed straight up, and dutifully they unleashed their powers.
Fire. Lightning. Ice.
The perfect start for her latest work of art.
Leaving them to it, she left them behind.
Digging under her shirt, she pulled out her baton, and out popped a cheery cloud with a hat. "Ready, Zeus?" she said a little more kindly.
"Y'know it, Nami! I can't wait! Not even Mama let me do something this big!"
With that he shot up into the skies to join the rising heat, coolness, and electricity, to channel it all together into a storm out of myths and legends.
The type of stories where the gods cleansed the world.
!JUSTICE!
It was under those dark clouds that the nine Straw Hats marched down the main road right towards Vandal Savage's most secretive research center. One which for some reason was carefully kept away from Berlin, which had been the capital of the world since their dogma had swollen out of Germany.
They did not flinch. They did not falter. They just set their own pace as they walked before the barrels of all those countless guns trained on them.
No. Not just guns.
Powered armour bristling with cannons, blades, and other instruments of death. Flying craft able to hover or strafe; whichever was best to bombard. The remainder of the super-soldiers; horrors and heroes to bring order and peace to the world however necessary. While only a fraction the size of those who had repelled the degenerate scum from Berlin weeks ago, they were still enough to pacify any rebellious province with casual ease, and had learned from their previous encounters.
And yet, no orders were given, and the soldiers could only stare in gnawing horror at those who had come for them.
Even for these terrorists this had to be suicide! So what were they doing!?
On some unspoken signal, they came to a stop except for the towering blue one, who took one extra step forward.
Facing the army before him, Jinbe the Sea Knight bent his knees to the side as he crouched down slightly. Resting his left hand upon his thigh, he reached forward with the other, palm up as he boomed for all to hear.
"LET FUHRER VANDAL SAVAGE COME FORTH! LET JUSTICE BE DONE UPON HIM!"
.
.
.
Silence, and stunned disbelief from the soldiers. Yet their discipline held.
Until . . .
One of the colonels came running out of the closest command post. "Communications are down! Communications are down!"
Upon his first syllable the Straw Hats were already moving.
Invisible to even Nazis sensors, Soba Mask struck first.
Livid beneath his sunglasses and mask, Sanji knocked out one particularly troublesome metahuman beneath his foot from behind. From Robin's intel, the girl's powers let her warp minds, and maybe even reality, so best to start with her, even if he couldn't bring himself to kill a kid.
The good news was that they must be getting desperate if they were resorting to teenagers. The shock collar around her throat also meant they were running short on true believers.
Jets under his heels roaring now for all to hear, he lashed out at the powered-suit right beside, aiming for the neck. The instant before connection, he saw electrified spikes snap out as a trap.
Smart.
But subpar against the Empire of Evil which had created his own gear.
The steel points were crushed under the weight of his haki and the outfit's own protections, and he crushed the spine beneath his shin without issue.
Spinning with the recoil he took the next.
Whirling, he snapped off a shot of fire at a team with missile launchers, detonating them and their munitions for further chaos.
Bolts of lightning crackled all around him, blowing holes in the ground as they fried everyone who came too close, and he knew it was only the beginning of the storm. The prelude to a symphony of destruction.
Bucketing rain cut visuals, and gear put together by Franky, Usopp, and Napier were throwing out electromagnetic pulses to disrupt sensors.
Meanwhile the Straw Hats were right at home in the madness.
With inhuman speed, the real pirates bolted forward and threw themselves into the fray.
Meanwhile, 'Sanji' threw off his wig and opened fire with a submachine gun. But the real point of this was to keep the Nazis from realizing which other pirates were actually missing from this fight.
Bombers screeched overhead, trying to brave the storm, while the pirates and their allies charged and opened fire themselves.
With a roar, the heavy fighters made their move.
Mechs fifty meters tall stood up from behind buildings to advance.
Windows of the research building broke as officers threw themselves out while they shifted. Bodies expanded and deformed, tearing their uniforms as they became purplish and grotesque. Eyes all black except for the iris, hair falling out, and short, useless tusks growing out of their mouths.
More and more metas fought back.
Captain Olafsdotter unleashed a wall of ice at Brook to block and crush him, only to discover he was already behind her and cutting her down—
—Only it was a trap as her 'allies' had planted quick-trigger mines right behind her.
The skeleton escaped the explosion, only for the blast to still send him right into the meaty hands of one of the super-soldiers, pinning him in place.
Opening his jaw, Brook expelled his soul right into the man's face, freezing his brain solid, and pushed his way out of the limp fingers.
Flyers came at the skeleton next, strafing him with energy bolts.
That was the point the frothing anger and dead energies within him overflowed. Before he had expressed his power through song, except he was Luffy's musician, and Luffy was no more, and when would the others leave him and—
No more lullabies, only pain and death.
His wailing scream made the heroes jerk back, clutching their ears in agony before shattering into frozen shards to clatter against the pavement.
This was why he dared not speak to the others. Not only because of the chance he might sing again, but that he might kill them. So he adjusted his hat and set off to find who was next. He would not let his crew down.
As for Franky, he was not here as himself. Oh no, he was the Iron Franky.
Crude, almost toy-like compared to the dreadnoughts which stomped towards him, bristling with weapons. Artillery shells rained down upon him, however to the same degree its creator handled life himself, the Iron Franky shrugged them off, advancing implacably as he drew their fire.
Usopp and some of Napier's people got right behind him for just that reason.
Of course, the cyborg was hardly being passive about it as he charged to meet them.
Cola-powered laser cannons grafted onto his right arm burned holes into the larger figures, aiming tactically as he took out knee-joints to bring them down and unable to fire properly.
It was a distraction from his left arm though, which had finished sucking up air.
"Gaon Cannon!" he shouted as he fired at one particularly spiky mech, the concussive force liquidating the pilots, and knocking it backwards into another.
The growing discord threw the rest off enough for him to finish closing with the oversized metal monstrosities, and to draw out a massive hilt, which ignited with Nazi science to create a blade of plasma. "Burning Franken Sword!" he roared as he started to chop them down.
There was no spotting Nami, and she was coordinating her thunderstorm to support them as best as she could. Usopp did the same, not only unleashing plant or chemical horrors, but also firing smokescreens at the few areas which still had visibility.
"Five Thousand Tile True Punch!"
Jinbe sidestepped a haymaker from one of the super-soldiers, and crushed the man's heart beneath the shockwave of his own fist. Grabbing the now slack arm, he twirled to bring the dense body around in a judo throw to crush the head of the one trying to come up behind him.
Turning to three more coming at him, "Shark Tile True Punch!"
His blow through the moisture in the air staggered them long enough for him to hold out his palms to catch the heavy rain, which almost instantly filled them up.
"Water Shots!" he said as he snapped his wrists, and the liquid projectiles tore through the eye sockets and brain matter of the ones on the left and right. A single second of dawning realization was all the final soldier achieved.
With that settled, Jinbe took the final half-step he needed, and stomped down to break through the cement.
Unsurprisingly, the Nazis had learned from previous fights. Including the necessity of there never being any water source available for Jinbe.
In a single wet day, he had destroyed three fleets of the Kriegsmarine.
So wisely they had cut the water flow to the entire area, no matter how much it would inconvenience their troops, or the citizens they were ostensibly providing for.
Also wisely, Napier's folks had restarted the flow, and upped the pressure, so bursting out of the now broken pipe was gallons of water for the Knight of the Sea to weaponize.
"Spear Wave!"
Javelins of water shredded their way through the enemy ranks.
A meta riding a piece of metal flew at Jinbe, dragging behind him some downed and fried jet-planes. With his powers he tore them into razor-sharp shrapnel to throw at the Fishman.
He did not even bother to dodge, holding his position beside the artificial spring as he unleashed his own version of artillery. The improvised projectiles bounced off of his toughened skin, and Usopp shot the young man out of the air with carnivorous vines.
A familiar bellow shook the remaining windows around them, as Chopper entered his Monster Point.
Blood soaked his hooves still from when he had been crushing armour and bone beneath them, but now he was moving to finish the fight for good.
Despite this, Jinbe grimaced as he knew his friend's emotions had gotten the better of him. He was supposed to hold off on that form in case they needed him to help explore the lab.
Well, they were committed for now as Chopper grabbed a battered mech to knock down one of the few remaining, and charged another. It raised a flamethrower large enough to consume an entire forest, only for an invisible figure to kick it aside so it took out what remained of one flank.
Unhindered, Chopper leapt thirty meters into the air to latch onto the massive figure. Black hoof-fingers burrowed into a meter of steel like it was dry dirt, tearing it open and apart as a good doctor screeched his fury and pain.
He wept in grief for the loss of Luffy by the very hands of the man these people were fighting to protect.
And Jinbe would not turn away.
He grabbed for another handful of water.
!JUSTICE!
A few minutes ago
Fuhrer Vandal Savage was no fool.
If he had another choice he would have stalled his special research project, or even relocated it to somewhere else more secure. Unfortunately, he was under several time constraints even he could not ignore.
So he had defended his critical research facility with everything he could manage. Even at the expense of his own personal security.
As he was aware the sewers were one favoured approach by the terrorists (he had lost Paris that way), rather than try and secure them, fresh concrete had been poured down every manhole in the area to entirely seal them off.
A logistical nightmare for the officials in charge of Metropolis, but they merely had to buy forty-eight hours, and that honestly was not the Fuhrer's problem.
In addition, entire teams were dedicated towards looking over sensors for threats from below.
The remnants of Europe and North America's Luftwaffe patrolled the skies, along with the few remaining flying meta-powered individuals.
None of them were truly prepared for the storm though. The pirates had been deliberately hiding how large they could make it, and some recently acquired technology allowed them to go even further than they had thought possible.
Nor were the Nazis looking up high enough.
Their final mistake was how despite the example of Nami's power, Savage's military and science divisions had failed to appoint a meteorologist to their exalted ranks.
High above in the storm, two figures with wings made of arms rode the winds as they moved through the center.
Special outfits inspired by Luffy's body, and worked on by Nami, allowed them to survive the electrical charge all around them, while they maneuvered through the air currents as Nami had carefully instructed them.
Right until they were dead center of the storm and arrowing down.
A swing of swords, and they tore through the very top of the roof and through several levels which were all administrative, while the very force of the attack cancelled their momentum.
Landing in a circle of destruction, Roronoa Zoro and Nico Robin had infiltrated the facility.
Flicking Sandai Kitetsu, Zoro killed the guards down the hall, while his one eye was fixed downwards. "Something's going haywire for my Observation Haki below," he said. "Figure it's as good a place to look as any."
Without another word he cut through the floor, figuring they were high enough up still from the labs to be safe. Afterwards he started running down the halls, and using the stairs.
Only he lost Robin again.
Honestly, she kept getting lost these days. He was getting worried about her.
Turning a hallway, he came across more guards in front of a big, important looking door. Perfect.
Sneering, he surged forward before they fully registered his presence.
Honestly, a part of him almost felt like letting them go. These goons were about as tough as the people you found in the East Blue. Even the rabble with the Beast Pirates could be a threat. But for these Humans, without any sort of special abilities, or the cybernetic implants some of them had had in other fights, the best any of them could amount to was being on par with Baroque Works' high level foot soldiers.
Unfortunately for these people though, even if he were inclined to let these little fish go, he could not afford them raising the alarm for whatever final surprises were in store.
The colonel in charge scrambled back from him, clutching his gut wound. "P-please!" he begged.
"What's behind those doors?" asked a remorseless Zoro.
"I-I d-don't know! Ple—"
Zoro swung to silence him, only to twist at the last moment to dodge the fist aimed at the back of his head.
A red and blue-clad man was now between him and the Nazi. "Stop it!" ordered the muscular figure. "There's no need for you to do this!"
"Really?" grinned Zoro. "I'd say there's every reason."
It appeared they had missed one of Savage's specials. Although you would have thought they had already learnt that false attempts at 'diplomacy' and 'understanding' no longer worked.
With a swing he unleashed a flying slash to cut them down and open the doors behind—
—the colourfully dressed Nazi 'hero' ducked with wide-eyes, taking the officer with him.
Rolling up he threw another punch which Zoro blocked with his hilt, assessing the man's flesh with his Observation Haki to get a feel for the 'breath' of it.
Ah, there.
Further enhanced with Armament Haki, Shusui bit into the man's flesh—
Fast, thought Zoro with a touch of surprise as the man flew back before it could do more than break the skin.
"RAAARH!" cried a woman behind.
Turning he saw a winged woman flying at him with metal mace crackling with energy. A surviving valkyrie? Whatever, she was as slow as the rest.
Easily reading her movements, he sidestepped and moved to decapitate her, when he sensed another threat and barely brought his arm up to block the red blur which slammed him into a wall.
Fists as fast as bullets hammered at him, before he shrugged the fast man off, the gesture throwing his attacker across the increasingly crowded corridor.
A wall of green filled Zoro's vision, but this time he was ready and cleaved it apart.
This was getting annoying.
"Alright, playtime's over," snapped the blue-clad man.
"360-Pound Phoenix!" spat out Zoro in turn, firing the slash at the dazed, red-clad man, only for a new woman to get in the way to block it with her bracelets. The impact still sent her stumbling back.
Good, some breathing room for him to deal with the guy in blue. Zoro turned just in time to see his eyes turn red, and his Observation Haki screamed. Raising Shusui, he blocked what appeared to be lasers upon the blade, and used Sandai Kitetsu for another "360-Pound Phoenix!"
A shield of green deflected the pirate's attack, and suddenly the intensity of the heat on his sword skyrocketed.
Shusui glowed red at the epicenter just before it was burned right through.
Only Zoro's reflexes saved his shoulder from burns as he dodged, gaping in horror at his most powerful blade.
Okay. Yes, playtime was definitely over.
Snarling, he sheathed the hilt of his dead blade, and drew Wado Ichimonji.
Just in time to block a much stronger punch from the blue-clad man.
Why was he holding back so much the first time!?
Too close for a proper swing, so he hit the man in the jaw with Sandai Kitetsu's hilt, staggering him. Before Zoro could step back, the Nazi grabbed both wrists.
Viciously the Pirate Hunter head-butted the man, who rose into the air so smack hit his chest instead.
Fortunately Zoro had reinforced his forehead with Armament Haki, or that would have hurt.
It was still the necessary distraction, as he wrenched his arms so he managed a cut to one of the hero's biceps, making him let go.
The guy had not been idle though, sucking in a deep breath and yanking hard with the hand still gripping tight, and released a breath which froze a layer of ice over Zoro.
Flexing, he broke free, but too late to stop a hook which sent him smashing into a wall meters thick of whatever metal this was. It did not seem like he was too badly hurt, but his limbs were pinned to his side.
Grimacing, he swung his wrists and elbows enough for a weaker "720 Pound Phoenix!" as two air compressed projectiles spiraled towards his main target and the ones beside him.
In blurs, Blue and Red yanked the others to safety, even as that side of the hallway was shredded up, opening them to the rest of the complex. It was enough for him to get himself free of the indent.
"You guys are a real pain," he griped, even as his smile widened at the prospect of a good fight for once. "Guess Savage really was saving the best for last."
!JUSTICE!
A full-body impact sent Wonder Woman slamming into a wall, buckling the solid steel.
Shaking her head, she hefted herself up and looked for whoever had attacked her.
No one.
Trusting the others to handle the rabid Zoro, she concentrated on this newest threat, gambling that her lack of damage would draw them to her.
From what Batman, or this version of him, had uncovered, this building was the most likely source of whatever had changed history. The sheer scope of the security, and the ensuing firefight outside, had been taken as proof this was the place where they had the best chance to fix everything. To save the world.
They had been fortunate in their timing, arriving just as the pirate assault had begun. With all of the madness and violence, they had been able to slip inside with minimal attention or danger. It had cried out to them to try and intervene, but they knew they had to prioritize. Once inside though, she could not fault Superman for acting as he did. The man believed in trying to save everyone. Giving everyone a chance to do better.
Right now though, they had to figure out how the changes to the timeline had happened, and if they could get the pirates to listen for a moment, they would have a better chance at that. Or beat them unconscious, and explain when they woke up.
The latter option was her preference.
J'onn had gone to scout ahead while both invisible and intangible, but the others had this version of Batman, as well as his two top lieutenants, Grayson and Gordon, so they should be fine, while she dealt with this.
Wonder Woman flew up to look around, only to be smashed down to the ground. This time she rolled with the impact to look up, only to get a glimpse of . . . pink petals?
Warily she stood up, body loose as she waited for the next attack.
Nothing.
Scowling, she looked back at the other fighting, knowing that keeping her occupied might be enough for whoever was behind this. Plus, going to help would provoke whoever this was into showing herself. Before she moved, she caught someone entering the room. Someone she knew.
Nico Robin.
Even from here though, it was clear she had seen better days. There was an air of weariness to her, and the effortless, cultured beauty she had worn before was lost. Shorter hair. A touch of what could be wrinkles, robbing her of the seeming ageless beauty she had before. Despite this, she remained composed as she strolled in, arms crossed before her for some reason, palms raised upwards.
The last time they had met, it had been as allies to stop the madness of Aresia, yet the first time was as enemies at the 'Soul King's' music concert. Wonder Woman had had a lot of time to think about that fight, and she had some theories about what the other could do. Now it was time to put them to the test.
Maybe in another life she would have tried to talk things out. Be the diplomat. But this Princess Diana of Themyscira was a warrior through and through.
With a roar she flew like a bullet at her foe, only to come to a wrenching halt in a vise.
Out of the ground, massive hands had bloomed out to either side of her to grab her. Oversized fingers wrapped around her lower torso even as the thumbs pressed into Wonder Woman's gut. While she could not see them, she felt multiple regular sized arms pinning her own behind her back, even as two more applied a choke around her neck.
For anyone else this would be serious, but while the armour she wore looked like a bathing suit, it had been forged by the god Hephaestus. Moreover, both her lung capacity was inhuman, as was how little oxygen she really needed. As surprised as she had been, Wonder Woman had plenty of air to work with. That was not the real threat though, as the limbs were not just restraining her; they were trying to wrench her back to snap her spine.
Fortunately she was not completely off-guard thanks to her speculations, and was able to resist it.
What caught her most though, was how she was stopped only two meters away from Robin, and able to look at her directly.
In that moment, Wonder Woman felt a chill go down her spine which had nothing to do with the current threat she was under, and everything to do with finally seeing and experiencing something she had only heard and read tales of.
Darkness.
Where there had once been light and joy in those eyes, dwelled now a hollow consuming darkness. One which fed upon itself and everything around it until nothing remained.
And she remembered Robin's words only a scant few weeks ago to Aresia.
"You are willing to slaughter half the world for your beliefs. While I don't have the right to speak for the others, I would burn everything to save that handful of men."
Now one of them was dead. She had known Monkey D. Luffy was special to the others, but only now she was coming to realize just how much he mattered to them.
With his death, something precious had been hollowed out of this woman, and all that was left behind . . .
. . . was a Demon.
!JUSTICE!
Nico Robin let a slight frown slip out as the colourfully-clad Nazis struggled against the pressure she was under.
There was something disconcerting in that look. Recognition which seemed deeper than expected, and another emotion she had trouble identifying. Pity?
She squeezed tighter.
With a roar though, the strange woman broke free, fists reaching for Robin.
Alright then.
"Spank!" A giant arm grew from a wall to slap the irritant across the room, without Robin so much as blinking.
Once more the attack was shaken off, and her attacker took flight.
Calculatingly, Robin noted signs of minimal bruising, yet no indications this Nazi would start conveniently choking to death on her own blood. How unfortunate.
"Freesia!" This time the hand and arm sprouted out from the ground just blow the Nazi, palm hitting her in the chin, and smashing headfirst into the ceiling before falling down into:
"Dos Slap!"
The two massive hands collided in a grisly clap with the woman between them.
Only there was no gore, as surprisingly strong muscles pushed them apart to escape.
She's strong, conceded Robin. Not in any of their files either, and more like her might be coming. I can't play around.
"Gigante Fleur!"
Out of the ground arose a cloned copy of Robin's head and naked torso which was over twice her full height, along with seven additional large arms and hands at the ready. While not as massive as the full size she could manage, the size of the limbs still suited the name of this attack.
I wonder if she'll scream before dying.
Predictably the Nazi flew right at her again, although this time swinging a lasso. Useless.
Using two limbs as bait, Robin let her opponent wrap them up, only to disperse them into petals as a distraction, while another arm slapped her again.
There would be no mercy in waiting for her to stand.
Limbs extending as if they were made of rubber, Robin unleashed pummeling palms again and again at the downed figure, trying to beat her into paste.
Again and again the woman kept fighting to get up.
Enough of this.
One arm swelled with size for greater strength, before coming down in a palm strike.
"Mil Fleur: Fishman Karate Giganteum!"
Sensing the change, the colourful Nazi desperately rolled away at the last instant before Robin brought the massive hand down.
Solid steel meters thick was crunched beneath the blow, and while she missed, the shockwaves of air still sent the woman flying aside. Likely with her insides shaken up too.
"Hmm, instead of being crushed to death," said the demon idly, "I wonder if you'll choke out on your own blood after all?"
"You've become sick and deranged!" hissed the other woman, before indeed heaving a quick cough. Not fatal though.
"Oh?" said Robin, titling her head to the side as if in confusion, while projecting her icy confidence. "Are those it? Your last words?"
To her credit, this slave of the regime did not even flinch. Only attack.
Luffy might have liked her even.
But of course, he could not. He was dead. And people like her had helped make it happen.
Speaking of which . . .
Another slap sent the Nazi into a pile of rubble, hoping there was something sharp there, while she grew a pair of eyes on the back of her head to check how Zoro's fight was going.
No one was seriously injured yet, except it was only a matter of time. While the doors to the lab were broken open, she could not properly see what was inside.
Enemy reinforcements would be on their way though, and with all the holes Zoro had torn open into the walls, it opened more avenues for attack. She definitely had to end this fast.
With a cry, the valkyrie leapt out of one particular hole, and Robin's eyes widened a fraction as she realized it now connected to a neighbouring armoury as she hefted a big gun to fire at Zoro.
Still, another blaster was not—
—it was not a blaster.
The rocket-propelled grenade impacted right on Zoro's sword, centimeters from his face in a flash of light.
Flash bomb! Robin realized as she left her giant form behind while she raced over with inhuman speed. One of their models for taking people alive. Except she thought it was a normal weapon, and because she was so sure, Zoro thought the same because of his haki!
The man bleeding lightly over his blue costume tried to take advantage of this, only to nearly lose a limb, as even a deaf and blind Roronoa Zoro was a dangerous, dangerous predator. The problem was that the entire area was strewn with rubble now, and his haki would not warn him of the tripping hazards. Stalemate.
"Everyone in here!" called a newcomer, hairless, green, and glowing red eyes.
"We'll cover you!" yelled the man she recognized as Bruce Wayne from her sources. His two lackies opened fire at Zoro, forcing him to deflect them, while their foolish leader charged at Robin herself.
"We can't—!" started the man in red.
"Go!" barked the man in green and black. "We've got to keep moving or this is all for nothing!"
The woman Robin had been fighting shot overhead to rejoin the others. "John! We can't—!
"Now!
Frowning, the archeologist considered pursuing, but with Zoro like this she was willing to give them a few extra seconds. With her own superior speed she crossed dozens of meters in seconds, completely by-passing the black-armoured man so she was beside Zoro. "Sanji," she said into her ear-radio. "How is it outside?"
"We are nearly finished, Robin~swaaaan!" he crooned with something resembling his old enthusiasm. "How are you and Mosshead doing?"
"We're doing well," she said as she regarded the rival resistance fighters. Or traitors as it now appeared. As intended, her voice carried so they could hear her easy confidence. "No sign of Savage yet, but we've found whatever it is they're protecting here, including a surprise squad of metas. We'll know what this is about shortly."
With that, she stepped around her nakama to handle these pests who did not know when to stop.
Six arms sprouted, and three bodies fell.
She wrapped an arm around Zoro, and leapt them both over the rubble and entered the lab, even as he kept blinking to clear his eye.
The last thing she saw was all their prey leaping into some . . . hole which seemed to just hover in a man-made pit which dominated the room.
Black clouds twirled around it like a whirlpool, but she could not tell where they came from, and lightning crackled along the edges.
Something shifted in the air and the hairs on her neck went wild as the last thing she registered was the screams of the Nazis' rising from within it.
!JUSTICE!
Author Notes:
One of the omake writers from the previous chapter went and wrote one so long, they decided to make their own story on it! "Justice - Of Fairies, Pirates, and Heroes," by Denied love494. Go check it out!
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To clarify a detail, in chapter 10 Zoro was hoping the Deckhands could learn haki, but at that point he was still unaware they could not.
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Yes, the episode "Metamorphosis" happened off-screen. I honestly could not think of anything I would do to change that one. The characters will be returning for later chapters though.
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Yes, Jinbe's little speech before the Nazis army was based off of Aragorn's from Return of the King. Also not a proper yakuza speech from him with that stance, but he was just going for a dramatic distraction here.
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Next Chapter: 'The Savage Time, 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. No non-DCAU characters from the DC-verse will be here, except for one spoiler character. Or for any concerns about another Omake chapter coming out so soon. 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!