Disclaimer: Godzilla and One Piece are the sole properties of Toho Co. LTD and Eiichiro Oda respectively. KP360 claims no ownership of anything save for any OCs, abilities, and locations.

Sunken Kingdom Arc opening: Netsujou no Spectrum (Nanatsu no Taizai Op 1)

Drip… Drip…

It was nothing but darkness around, she didn't know what's going on or even where she was. Her mind was fuzzy, her head, as well as her whole body, pounding with pain as she struggled to comprehend her situation.

"Chopper, how is she doing right now?" a young man's voice. Who could this be? Kubo-kun? One of the palace doctors?

"The medicine I made should be helping, she'll probably sleep for a while but her condition is now stable at least." Another child-like voice, much younger than the first. Just what is going on here?

"You're doing great Chopper, just make sure her condition's stable!" it's a young woman's voice now. She's starting to feel suspicious about her current situation; it's clear she's no longer within the walls of her palace.

She wanted to wake up, but her entire body wracked with pain as she tried to move any part of her. She could only slowly open her eyes and finally get a view of her surroundings.

The area around her was dark and damp, though in the distance she could see a speck of light streaming in. She concluded she's in a cave at the moment, the dripping of water and cool temperature confirms that.

The pain she felt in her body went unexplained until she looked down and gasped. Her stomach was covered with what appears to be damp cloth and moss, but she could see what appears to be stitches on a very large cut wound. How did she get that?

She tried to speak again, but in her parched state she could hardly get out a weak croak. The sound was enough to alert one of the three figures, who turned back to her.

"Oh! You're up faster than I thought you'd be! Try not want to move around though, the stitches might come loose and we wouldn't want that!"

It was the youngest voice she heard, but she never expected it to be from a talking animal.

"Usopp, go get water." It was the young woman this time. She had a smile on her face as the third person, the young man who has a long nose, came with a gourd. She still has so many question, but the yearning for water was too much and she devoted most of her time to drinking.

"So, Your Majesty, how are ya feelin'?" the long nose boy, she heard the name Usopp being dropped earlier, said with a smile.

"W-Where am I? This does not look like the palace…?"

"Don't worry too much about that now, we'll explain soon." The small furry animal said again "Just focus on rest for now!"

"Are you feeling ok? Chopper said that the medicine he made might take a while to soothe the pain." The girl spoke.

"Pain…" she mumbled "It feels like fire within my body… how did I get here?"

"We don't know either, we found you by the river, bleeding out and we brought you to this cave!" Chopper smiled, she thought that's what they called the small animal.

"Do you remember who you are?" Usopp asked.

She crossed her arms "Of course… I am the Empress Mulines of Mu, chosen by Empress Danatae to continue leading our people." She narrowed her eyes "Your clothing… they do not look like ours in origin."

"That's because we come from the Great Beyonnnnnd~!" Usopp moaned, waving his arms back and forth "We've come to judge your actions like the gods we arrrrreeee, wooooooo~!"

He was met with two pairs of flat stares and one rather confused empress.

"Ehehe… one sec…" the girl named Nami smiled sheepishly before she and Chopper dragged Usopp a few distances away. Mulines could hear the sound of skin striking skin, as the long nosed boy let out a shout of pain.

"Usopp what the hell was that?!" Nami snapped "We're trying to be coax her, not trying to freak her out!"

"You heard her answer! She knows who she is, but she seemed to have forgotten who we are!" the sniper protested "That'll make things easier!"

"Usopp… we have to be serious…" Chopper facepalmed "Besides, she'll never believe it."

"G-Gods? Are you saying you're one of Lord Manda's custodians?" the Empress whispered fearfully.

"SHE ACTUALLY BELIEVES IT?!" the reindeer fell backwards.

"No, no, please listen! We're regular people, and not… whatever he just said." Nami sighed "We're just like you! Except we're not from here, there's been a misunderstanding."

"Not from around here?" The empress tilted her head "But Mu is all that's around here."

"No, we're from the surface." Chopper explained, to her shock "You invited us down here because one of our nakama could help you with history things but we've kind of made a mistake."

"The surface? That's impossible! Mu is thousands of feet beneath the sea! There shouldn't be anyway anyone could reach us!"

"But here we are! You had a few people come and retrieve us!" Usopp stated "Don't you remember that?"

The Empress' brows creased "I gave no such orders, if this is a trick then I must apologize but you aren't doing a very good job."

"Huh? But you said you needed Robin's help! We stayed in the palace for one night!" Nami protested "You don't remember any of that?"

"I don't recall any of the events you claim! The last thing I remember was giving audience to High Priest Axor at the break of dawn. After that I… I don't know."

The three pirates' eyes widened at the news.

"You don't know or you don't remember?" Usopp asked hesitantly.

"It means I don't have memories of the events that happened afterwards!" The Empress snapped "I'm trying to think back onto it now but when I reach that point everything just became blank, like nothing ever happened! Yet you're claiming you've spent almost 2 days in my kingdom?"

The three remaining Straw Hats shared another look with each other. From what they can gather, the Empress remembers everything up to the past 2 days, but nothing up to them discovering her body by the river. In between all this, there is quite a question that needed to be answered.

"Please give us a minute." Chopper told her before dragging the other two away.

"Guys, this is more serious than I thought." The doctor explained "The Empress, she might have short term memory loss. And yet…"

"What's wrong Chopper?" Nami asked.

"It's just that for the most part her memory is perfectly fine! She knows who she is and where she is, in fact she remembers everything up until that one meaning with the High Priest!"

"Gian's attack must've made her forget! Then again, he did look like he wanted to kill her…" Usopp pondered.

"And that's what it looks like, except there's one problem: The Empress said that Axor met with her at the break of dawn, but we didn't arrive here until evening that day! While it's possible the trauma could have affected her short term memory, she's still remembering too much for this to be classified as short term memory loss this easily."

"So, what does that mean for us?" Nami pondered.

"I'm not sure, and maybe it won't matter at all. But if the Empress isn't suffering from short term memory loss, then you could be right; there is something complicated in this whole business!"

"What are you all talking about?" and the three let out a startled yell as the Empress crept up to them, apparently able to walk by herself now.

"AH! Y-Your Highness! We were, uh, just thinking about, um, what to have for dinner!" Usopp gave a shaky grin.

"Yes, that's right! Food is very useful for recovering, especially for someone who's as hurt as you!" Chopper gave an awkward laugh.

Mulines gave them a weird look "I see… well I appreciate the offer greatly, but I think it's time I be returned to the palace. If the guards realize I'm gone, they'd for sure be worried." She got up and tried to hobble towards the entrance, but soon found herself blocked by two of the supposed surface dwellers, their faces alit with worry.

"W-wait… it's getting quite late, maybe we should wait until daytime to go back when it's safer?" Nami urged.

"Yeah! It's gonna be dark out there! Don't want you tripping over anything now don't we?" Usopp tried to convince her.

The Empress's eyes narrowed as the two of them gulped. She definitely isn't the kind of person to just believe in everything they say.

"You are hiding something, that much I can see." she took another step towards them as they in turn took one back.

"Hiding? W-We have no idea where you got that idea!" Chopper stammered while giving a shaky laugh.

"It's not like we have ulterior motives that may or may not have anything to do with us wanting to get out of here or something!" Usopp stuttered out, before his eyes widened and he hastily clamped his mouth shut.

"I don't know what's going on here, but just because I appear to be a ruler confined to her throne room does not mean you can trifle with me!" steam began to billow from her body as the Empress raised her internal temperatures to astounding levels, the rocks below her beginning to glow red hot.

"All of Mu is able to do this, pray I don't have to demonstrate what happens when I touch you under these circumstances." She took another step forward "Now, tell me what are you three up to and who are you?

Nami's eyes shied away from the heat, they know all too well what can happen. Their plan just hit a snag; and even as its 3 against one, fighting against the Empress will not bode any favors towards them. The navigator gave a look to the other two members; they'll have to think up something else now.

"Maybe… we should just tell her." She asked.

"But then our entire plan will be blown!" Usopp protested "What if things go wrong and she'll manage to find the guards and have us arrested too?"

"We'll have to take that risk, it's pretty clear she won't listen to us unless we do." Nami explained before sighing and turning back to Mu's ruler.

"Ok, we'll tell you everything. You might want to sit down though, this is going to be a lot to take in"

And that's how the group came to gather around as they explained the chain of events that perspired since they got here. Though really it was Nami giving most of the descriptions as the 2 children, particularly Usopp, decided to exaggerate some of the story. The Empress was thoroughly confused about how in the world that ghosts and goblins got into Mu city when the sniper decided to bring up their part of the day's activities.

"What? I wanted to fluff us up a little so she'll be a bit more understanding!" was the excuse.

Needless to say, by the time they are done, Mulines' eyes were downcast as she processed all that supposedly transpired from the moment the surface dwellers arrived to the moment her attacker supposedly struck her down.

"It's strange… all this should be memories I should easily be able to recall. Yet my mind is a complete blank when I think of them…" she muttered as she stood up before addressing the trio.

"Supposed dwellers of the surface, this is all very new to me. I do not think it's something I can process quickly."

"We get it, but you have to believe us! What our friend Gian did was very wrong and nothing we say can change that fact, but we can't believe he'd do something so brazen as to commit regicide!" Nami pleaded "There has to be something at work here!"

The Empress' gaze did not falter "In most cases, a claim as audacious as that would result in imprisonment at best, and execution at worst." She drawled, much to the horror of the three pirates. Mulines then sighed "However, right now my memory is not in its place. I cannot simply adhere to or dismiss any claims that may be true."

"You have to forgive me, but I do not know how much I can trust you." Nami's eyes became slightly downcast; she expected this but they still needed to save their friends, and now their one potential opportunity for their release may not be possible.

What followed afterwards made her lips curl upwards:

"That aside, if those crewmates of yours are as genuine of heart and feelings as you three, perhaps their innocence may not be misplaced?" the Empress smiled "I'm sure I can get the reasoning behind this, even from the friends that supposedly struck me down."

"R-really?" Chopper smiled "So you'll let us go?"

"In due time, and perhaps with a suitable explanation." Mulines nodded "For now we must return back to the city as soon as possible. I'm sure everyone would be surprised to see me still living."

"OK! Usopp and Chopper make sure Her Grace is as comfortable as possible! We're-" Nami began to move towards the mouth of the cave, until a shadow cast over them.

"Sara!"

The priestess' lips were pursed tightly as she took in the scene.

"Sara, you have to see this! The Empress, Gian didn't kill her, she's alive!" Chopper waved.

"…So it seems." Sara nodded slightly.

"Priestess Sara," Mulines addressed "It is a blessing to see a familiar face, lots have transpired in the past few days and we must be on our way now."

"E-Empress… I-"

"Sara?" It was then Nami realized something is amiss, like how the priestess' eyes were unfocused, not meeting the empress' gaze. How she continues to back up despite there still being some distance between them "Sara, what's the matter?" but the girl did not respond.

"Please, Sara! We need to get back to the palace and explain everything!" Usopp requested.

Sara gritted her teeth and shut her eyes; she was hoping she didn't have to do this, she'd hoped that the Empress had passed once she'd disposed her body through the Palace's aqueducts. But it seemed that the ruler of Mu was tougher than she looked, after all why would High Priest Axor sent her to make sure she's truly finished the job?

And now it looks like her hands actually do need to get dirty, unwilling as she is.

Like all other citizens of Mu, Sara held her Empress in the utmost regard and adoration. Since the dawn of the Empire, the Ruler of Mu is the symbol of their strength. Any Emperor or Empress chosen are not only to lead the people, but act as a connection to Lord Manda Himself; the child of Mu destined to lead the Empire supposedly is able to communicate directly with the dragon deity.

To think of assassination is unimaginable.

But the Empress was not perfect, she continues a tradition set down by those before her, traditions that some now believe are no longer viable in the face of a new age.

And if she was unwilling to change, the dreams of many cannot be realized so as long as those ancient traditions still stand.

As much as Sara is devoted, she's still a person. A person that has goals and desires, and a person who has vice.

And sometimes that desire can override reasoning.

"Your Highness… I'm- I'm sorry."

"Sara? What are you-" Nami whispered, before her eyes widened to see that the girl unveiled a silver colored staff from her robes, pointed directly at the Ruler of Mu.

"Know that, in my heart, you are always the sun that rises with the Empire."

"EMPRESS, GET DOWN!"

And a bright spark of light illuminated briefly before an explosion rocked the area.

Elsewhere:

Jinguji Island got visitors from time to time, traders would come to its docks bringing goods from other parts of the world. Occasionally sailors and pirates would come to restock and take a breather in the taverns around the port town and market, and even the World Government officials sometimes drop by to enjoy the lush forests. In fact, just about a day ago a group of pirates came to town! Who knows where they are now?

Today however, it became a battleground.

The island was no stranger to raids by pirates in the past, but these are no pirates. No one in the small town could ever fathom the thought of a phalanx of armed soldiers marching in unison, weapons drawn while unseen submersibles razed the shoreline with red hot beams of destruction.

"Fire! Hold them back!" cried the captain of this particular Marine unit responding to the attack. They'd arrived to witness the town already on fire with civilians running in fear, but they would never expect who their opposition were to be. As of this moment, the group of 300 marines were doing their best efforts to wall up the path into the forest where the people of Jinguji Island fled to hide from the attackers, but they soon found themselves increasingly outmatched.

Rifles shots sounded across the air as the Marines fired in unison, the bullets merely bouncing off the Mu's soldier's combat armor. These warriors were not the same ornate troops that made up the Fangs of Manda; their armory consisted of a multitude of Zenith Metal weaponry ranging from axes, swords and maces, along with a large black kite shield. But these troops were diverse, and the marines who tried to hold off the sword wielding unit were forced back when more soldiers sprang up behind them, hoisting up black rifles that sent a searing shots of heat at the Marines. Although laser weaponry has been in development by the World Government, the average run of the mill marine has never seen such advanced weaponry before.

"Captain! A lot of men are hurt!" a solider shouted to the marines as the Mu continued to advance "We can't last much longer!"

The captain gritted his teeth; they've been battling for hours now and many of them have already perished under the cold steel of their unknown foe. The 300 still standing are the all that remained from a much larger unit, while their enemy suffered seemingly little losses. Their ship has already been razed, it's cannons no match for the compact Zenith Metal hull sported by the 3 submarines currently circling the harbor of Jinguji Island, firing lasers all the while.

"Dammit, is this the end of us?" he growled as the soldiers continued to fire, they were slowly being pushed back and the Mu soldiers will surely break through eventually.

"Captain! We should retreat! I don't want to die here!" another soldier begged.

"NO! We are the upholders of Justice and the only ones standing between those fiends and the annihilation of this island! We will stay put and fight!"

But they can't last much longer, and with a gasp the captain soon realized that Mu's army has reached them. The battlefield erupted into a wave of clashing steel as the marine soldiers pushed against them with sabres drawn. Even with combat experience, the soldiers of the sea soon found themselves being cut down. The captain himself finally realized the futility of his struggles as he raised his sword and bellowed one last challenge.

He was met by the screeching of unknown projectiles, followed by a fireball erupting in the distance. The captain was knocked back in surprise, but less so than the Mu, who's eyes widened as they saw one of their prized submarines light up in flames before rupturing and sinking to the depths.

"W-Who struck against us?!" the lead Mu soldier shouted.

The marine captain was at a loss of words, and because of that he was not aware of a growing clamor behind him. His soldiers reacted with surprise as they pointed towards the sky, he himself not even realizing the Mu soldiers began to back away slowly in confusion.

It wasn't until a shadow casted him into darkness did he finally look up, and his eyes almost left his skull. Only then did the sound of roaring engines and the spinning of a drill hit his eardrums.

"W-What is that vessel?" he could hear one of the armored soldiers exclaim.

"It… It can fly!" the Mu were now disorientated. Their Intel received over the years has shown them some of the Surface's technology, and for the most part it was inferior to theirs. While the surface still relied on gunpowder and wood, the Mu were already constructing submersibles capable of traversing unreachable depths and weapons capable of vaporizing any matter. A clash between the two worlds should clearly decide on who comes out on top.

Nowhere did they find any trace of a battleship that advanced, let alone one able to be airborne.

But that's just what the Gotengo is capable of. Supported by massive jet engines at the base of the ship, its sleek design cuts through air just as easy as water. The drill at its bow still spun; it's a truly hefty piece of machinery that allows the Gotengo to drill even through the toughest rock.

So shell-shocked were the Mu that they didn't even realize a coming threat until it was too late. A glowing ball of light slammed into the ground inches away from the lead soldier, knocking them all off their feet and falling onto their backs. On the opposite side, the captain was forced to shield his eyes and brace himself in the sudden gust of wind, nearly ripped off of his feet himself.

"Well, the Intel we got never specified this." The voice, smooth as silk yet filled with confidence. This was a man the Captain has only seen a handful of times, but one whose reputation was known through all echelons of the organization.

"G-Gideon-Chujo…" the captain could hardly let out a croak.

The golden blonde looked back and gave a salute, to which the captain shakenly returned.

"It seemed like we arrived just in time, what is it that we're up against?"

"We received the distress signal from Jinguji Island about 4 hours ago, and when we arrived these… soldiers were upon us instantly!" the captain regained his composure "We were hit hard, and are now held up within the town. Their numbers are greater than ours, and we've hardly made a dent thus far. We have no idea where they came from, or how they got here!"

"Well, it looks like we can even the odds a little bit." Gideon smiled as gold bolts of energy began to arc from his hands. He then faced the recovered group of Mu soldiers and gave out his own greeting.

"Hold! Unknown assailants!" Gideon spread his arms out "What reason is it that you rain fire down upon this quaint seaside town?"

The lead soldier stepped out "We are Warriors of the Mu Empire. For ages you live unaware of our influence, living over us! It is time we reclaim our heritage!" the lead soldier drew his sword "All resistance against us is futile! Bow to the Empire or face annihilation!"

"Yeesh, straight to the point are we?" Gideon grimaced "Though I guess that's something to be respected. Unfortunately, clear as your goals are I just don't think they're doable for us. Especially considering I really have no idea what you just said!"

"Who are you? Who do you think you are to address us so brazenly?"

Gideon grinned "Oh, me? I'm no one important, you can say I'm just passing by! I am, however, obligated as a bastion of Justice in the world to defend those in need! And in the face of oncoming evil and wickedness the golden light of Gideon the Golden Dragon will light the skies as I smite you down because I'm a huge idiot and-" he then blinked "Wait… THAT ISN'T PART OF MY SCRIPT!"

"BOO GET OFF THE STAGE!" the Vice-Admiral, along with everyone else at the scene, had to cover his ears as the flying battleship above them blasted out a scathing heckle through loudspeakers followed by some laughter.

"Goddammit Ozaki!" Gideon snapped "You and Kazama wrote that last part in didn't you?!"

"HAH! WE GOT HIM REAL GOOD!" another young man's voice chortled over the intercom.

"WHY WOULD YOU RIGHT A SCRIPT IN THE FIRST PLACE?" the voice from before snickered "WE'RE HERE TO PACIFY THE SITUATION NOT TURN THIS INTO A PLAY!"

"I've told you, making an entrance is important when we're dealing with the unknown! Besides, I hardly get the chance to get out here much so I'm making the most of it!" Gideon shrugged.

"HOW DOES TASHIGI NOT KNOW ABOUT ANY OF THIS?"

"Breathe a word about this to her and I will-"

"IF YOU CHILDREN ARE FINISHED WITH THAT," the argument was suddenly interrupted by a more gruff voice "PERHAPS YOU SHOULD DO YOUR JOB, GIDEON?"

"Hold on, I'm getting to it." Gideon then cleared his throat "Anyways, what I mean to say is that your terms of stepping aside simply aren't something we can accept. So maybe, we can come up with a compromise?"

"We do not take orders from people of the surface, least of all a raving fool like yourself." The lead Mu soldier dismissed "The Empire shall see no hindrance in its conquest!"

"Empire huh? You mentioned something about a place called Mu?" Gideon noted "Never heard of it before, where is that?"

"I do not think explanations are in order, particularly for someone who's about to die." The captain pointed his sword at Gideon "Now, I will ask once again: Bow to the Empire or face annihilation."

Gideon shook his head "You know, negotiations are supposed to be two sided, I haven't even offered up my suggestions yet." The Vice-Admiral took a few steps forwards "How about this? You leave this town alone, go back to whatever cave you crawled out of, never bother people again, and I'll slide this under with the higher ups. Do we have a deal?"

"You wish to defy the Empire of Mu? It will be your death sentence!" the lead soldier charged.

Gideon sighed "War it is, then." And he wasn't able to speak much more as the soldier rushed at him and delivered a battle thrust. Neither of them moved once they reached each other.

Until the soldier let out a choked gasp as blood dribbled out of his mouth. The armies of Mu gasped as they saw the blade of a three-pointed lance, surrounded by crackling light, jutting out of their leader's back.

And with a rough wrench, Gideon then kicked the soldier off of his weapon as his face remained stoic. The soldier fell, dead before he even touched the ground.

"It's a shame it had to lead to this. I tried being reasonable, but you've made your bed." The Mu soldiers hesitated as his eyes began tinting a bright red "And now… you've got to lay in it."

"C-CHAAAARGE!" every infantry of the foreign army, their fear replaced by anger at the slaying of their leader, rushed with weapons drawn towards the newcomer, blades glowing red as heat began to emit from the Mu. Gideon only scoffed before swinging his weapon in a wide arch, knocking back his attackers in a shocking display of strength. The advancing soldiers attacked again, but they would soon find that they are completely outmatched.

The Mu have more advanced weaponry and technology, and although they've been isolated from the world for over 12 000 years they managed to maintain peak physical condition. In spite of this, it was their lack of knowledge for some of the surface's powers that set them back, especially since they've never know what the Vice-Admiral now cutting through their ranks is capable of.

Gideon's lance punches even through the Zenith Metal plates, no mercy was shown. The easy-going Vice-Admiral now had a stern look in his eyes as he wordlessly downed every soldier that rushed at him. Unknown to the soldiers, Gideon had more abilities they weren't aware of, and soon they were witness to some of them.

"H-he's able to shatter a Zenith Metal helmet with his bare hands…?!" the shocked soldiers witness as Gideon did exactly that, with one hand to be exact as he hoisted one of the infantry up with a single arm and crushed the helmet with little effort. If they had watched closely, they would've seen that the Vice-Admiral's hands were crackling with golden energy. The exact reason for that will be revealed soon enough.

"FIRE! ALL LASER INFANTY FIRE AT WILL!"

But even as the heated beams launched out of their gun barrels, Gideon didn't even attempt to dodge: the beast within him granted him multiple powers and one of them just so happen to be used here.

"N-No way… H-he's- the lasers AREN'T AFFECTING HIM AT ALL."

"I had originally thought you guys would be a challenge, for unknown warriors from an unknown land this is frankly disappointing." Gideon yawned as the lasers practically dissipated when they reached him. Inwardly he smiled; the monster whose powers he possessed had one peculiar ability that came in handy quite a few times. The beast's golden scales reacts with light, forming an invisible barrier of refracted light itself. Any light based weaponry simply refract themselves when they strike him, weaponry like the laser guns as it just so happens.

"Sorry, guys. While I would much love to have you all to myself, there are people in my crew that would much prefer it if I shared. So, how about we give them a nice welcome!"

The Mu soldiers suddenly found themselves bombarded by multiple rapid fire rounds. Bullets much more different than the ones the marine soldiers used earlier, enough to actually penetrate the Zenith Metal armor. Two young men then grappled down from the still airborne Gotengo, each wielding what appears to be a spinning Gatling guns, each firing searing bullets that dispersed the remaining soldiers below. The funding for the Gotengo resulted in the highest degree of technology the World Government had to offer, and that included the weapons for some of its crew members. These two in particular, Ensigns Shinichi Ozaki and Shinichi Kazama, were two of the Gotengo's best soldiers.

"It's a shame Gideon-san can't use his full power here, this would probably be finished earlier." Ozaki smirked as he landed.

"It would, and it'll probably take the entire island with it." Kazama shrugged, drawing out duel pistols as he landed as well. A few sophisticated shots, straight to the point, managed to dispatch any soldier that came at him. Meanwhile, Ozaki seemed to be more welcoming towards physical combat, two steel eskrima sticks wielded with precision were all it took to hold his own, the force of his blows and his agility made the more cumbersome soldiers struggling to keep up.

"Ok, you boys have had enough fun I think. Time for me to clean this up." The remainders of the division were wide-eyed as they saw Gideon literally float up into the air, his arms sparking with golden light. The three pointed lance had dissipated into a golden sparkle of light as the energy in his hands gathered.

"Gravito" was the only word he uttered as twin bolts of jagged light crackled from his hands, striking the remaining Mu infantry. They were struck where they stood, practically fried alive by the high volts of energy from the attack. Gideon landed wordlessly as the attack ended before dusting his golden outfit off.

"Kazama, go check on the remaining battalion members, check for injuries." Gideon's voice was still smooth, but now full of authority. The young man saluted before returning to the cowering marines behind the three, still all staring in disbelief at what had just transpired.

"G-Gideon-chujo…"

"Keep your guard up, we still don't know much about the enemy, but they might strike again." Gideon told the Marine captain.

"The villagers are safe in the forest. We helped as many as we could." The captain explained "Perhaps we can begin to return them to their homes."

The Vice-Admiral was about to reply when the sound of laughter alerted them. He turned to see a dishevelled old man, wild eyed but otherwise seemingly unaffected by the carnage around them.

"Heeheehee! The Ancient Empire returns to the world! All will see them come!"

Gideon turned to the captain "Who is that?"

"One of the villagers. They call him Moki, the town's crazy loon." The captain replied.

"Forgive us, Gideon-Chujo! We took our eyes off of him and he snuck back here!" a soldier apologized. Gideon merely waved him off before approaching the old man.

"Oji-san, you speak of an Ancient Kingdom… care to elaborate?"

"Vice-Admiral, he's obviously just a confused old man. Why bother-"

"Let him speak his piece." Gideon ordered.

"Heeheehee! The Old Kingdom lost to history! It disappeared from the world, but now it's coming back!"

"You mean the soldiers? We took care of that."

Moki grinned "Take care, don't take care, it won't matter! The world knows of them now! They are engrained in history once again! The bottom of the sea, where they lay low! Above the waves, they shall rise again!"

"Bottom of the sea? Now that just took an unexpected turn."

Before Gideon could ask of anything else, the searing sound of a laser beam striking the shoreline diverted his attention towards the sea. Looking out he saw a pod of 8 submarines surfacing in unison. It seems that the soldiers from earlier got word for backup to come. Kazama and Ozaki signalled to the flying battleship overhead, and once again two cords dropped down to secure them back up.

"Gordon-taisa! Activate the Gotengo's weapons'!" Gideon commanded. The minute that sounded, the flying ship launched a volley of shots from the side of its hull. Missiles streaked towards the sea, causing water to fly up and striking multiple submarines.

"Alright, Big Daddy, do your thing!"

"NEVER CALL ME THAT!" a voice growled over the intercom, but Gordon obliged. Moments later, the Gotengo's massive deck cannons all fired in unison, as the submarines returned fire, the opposing vessels were locked in a fire fight.

Down below the surviving marines were all in awe of the scene. They've only heard of tales of the super battleship Gotengo; to most marine's its existence was practically a myth! But this showed it was more than real.

"Captain! What are we to do now?" a soldier asked as the captain merely saluted.

"Go and tend to the villagers, rest assured. We won't lose now."

Lasers streaked across the sky, some striking the flying ship's hull. Normally this would be devastating, but the Gotengo's armored exterior was designed for the toughest environments. Not only is it capable of diving to astonishing depths while taking to the air, its hull was designed to withstand temperatures akin to that of the core of the world.

It was no surprise why a second ship was never made. Its construction had bankrupted 4 countries during its development phase, a phase that took almost a century. Even so, once completed it had only seen actual combat a handful of times, whilst most of its time was spend in an underground bunker located near Marineford. Douglas Gordon was only the current captain of the ship to come into possession of it, of which before him there had only been 2.

"Divert energy into the bow drill! Let's hit them hard!" said captain ordered, and the spinning piece of metal before the ship began to shimmer with blue energy.

"Energy charge at 100 percent, ready to fire at any time!" a female operator informed him moments later.

"Fire Maser!"

A coarse beam of azure light launched from the drill, sending seawater frothing up before cutting a path through 2 of the submarines. The main Maser cannon was a weapon that practically fried atoms between their bonds, breaking down even the toughest material. Even the Zenith Metal hulls of the submarines stood little chance as they ruptured in a fiery ball.

"Energy charging, next Maser cannon shot ready in 2 minutes!"

The holographic screen of the Gotengo suddenly revealed Gideon, still on the shore.

"Gordon, I think I may have a lead on where our unknown enemy is from. Dispatch 5 of the submarines, we'll need one alive."

"Gideon…" the captain warned "There's 6 of them left, they're going to get away and I can't shoot them down fast enough."

"Then let me take care of that."

"Denied! The Gensui's orders are still standing, you are not to use your Kaiju-Zoan powers and-"

"Just belay that." Gordon turned to see the ship's second benefactor. Commodore Horace merely stroked his metal arm.

"We have the world to save after all." He only shrugged.

"…Very well, don't go overboard."

"Excellent, I knew you'd come around!" Gideon grinned as his eyes turned red again. Those on the shore were shocked to see a ball of light surround the Vice-Admiral as he began to rise up into the air.

"Those warriors of Mu have seen a lot." He grinned as two horns formed onto his head began to curve backwards "But they haven't seen this…!"

The crew of the Gotengo only watched as the destruction unfolded outside.

"This is going to be a lot of paperwork…" Douglas Gordon grumbled, thumb dragging over his katana.

"You can't blame him. After all," Horace mumbled with a small smile "We should be glad a power like his is on our side, and not anywhere else…" he looked back at the screen as only a dark shadow of a winged hybrid passed over the sea as golden bolts of lightning rained down.

Within moments, 5 of the ships were demolished, and the sixth had its main engine severely damaged, now dead in the water.

Gideon landed upon the deck of the submarine with a loud thud, his little display of power more than enough to do what he set out to do. Ripping the door off the hinges, he could see most of the Mu were sprawled around the control room of the submarine with varying degrees of injury, some dazed, others have already left the world.

"It's strange… you look like us, talk like us, but you come from a place where we do not know." Gideon mumbled, delivering a hard stomp to a soldier that struggled in vain to point a gun at the Vice-Admiral.

"Now, answer me!" he growled, slamming one of the submarine's operators by the neck down onto the floor hard, the man letting out a pained yell.

"WHERE ARE YOU FROM?! WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING US?"

"G-Go to h-hell, surface s-scum!" the operator rasped before shouting again as the Vice-Admiral hand crackled with golden energy again, some coursing into his body.

"Look, I don't like to be sadistic, I'll leave that to the more uncultured people of our organization." His face hardened "But when I expect answers, you can be sure I'll get them! So talk!"

"Know this… the time of your reckoning has come again! Mu will return as the Kingdom fit to rule all! Just as it has millennia ago!" before Gideon could do anything else, he saw that the operator has begun to froth at the mouth. Cursing he pried his lips open, but it was too late. The deadly poison had already taken its toll.

"Shit… I should've expected that…" he muttered. Their only lead was lost with the poison seppuku of all the other operators as well.

Unless…

It was a crazy idea to base a conclusion only after someone mentioning it, more so when the person is already labeled as a madman. Gideon was smarter than that, being in a position where his command could either save or spell doom for those under him forced him to be rational in every circumstance.

But they have no other option now, and to stop the source of the attacks, risks will have to be taken. It will have to do.

"So, what did you find?" Horace asked once Gideon returned to the ship. The Gotengo was now partially submerged in the water, pulling up beside the downed submarine.

"I may have an idea where our mysterious aggressors are." He smiled and pointed down.

"Gideon, we've already known that!" Gordon sighed "It's where they're coming from we need to know!"

"Not just below the surface," Gideon corrected "But the bottom of the sea."

"You're saying there's a group of people with highly advanced weaponry living all the way at the bottom of the Grand Line?" Gordon drawled.

"See? Now you know the answer too."

"Quit playing games here brat!" Gordon snapped "You've gone off the deep end now!"

"Or, I might just be right." Gideon stated "The name of the place where these people are from is stated to be Mu, a name that doesn't appear in any book or log we've seen before. If it's so well hidden, then the bottom of the ocean is the perfect place to find it."

"Listen to yourself right now!" the rugged captain growled "Saying a civilization of people like us lives at the bottom of the ocean? It's utterly ridiculous!"

"And in a situation like this, you have to consider every aspect." Gideon narrowed his eyes "We can stay up here as long as we'd like, fight off waves after waves of submersible attackers and their armies who, let me remind you, are launching attacks everywhere. We can do that until we've exhausted all the fuel and energy of this ship and get no closer to solving the problem, or we can take a gamble, find their home base, destroy it, and end the problem at the source."

"Besides, if the Fishmen at Fishmen Island have lived down there for that long, what's stopping another civilization from doing the same?"

"This is crazy… I think you know that!" Gordon muttered.

"But it may be the only option we got." Horace stated "The Gotengo is perfectly capable of diving down, and as of right now, we need to end it as soon as possible."

"Sorry captain," Ozaki shrugged "But I'm with Gideon-san here."

The rest of the crew all voiced similar agreements. Gordon looked around before scowling.

"Might as well spend the rest of my days down there, at least I don't have to listen to anymore bullshit from the higher ups."

Gideon grinned "Trust me, I think what we'll find will be bigger than we think it is."

The Gotengo whirled to life once again, its engines firing up as it began to submerge beneath the waves. Soon it had disappeared from sight. Diving down, it effortlessly cut through the water, making its way into the unknown.

"Alright! I want to make this clear right now! We're an elite force, the best of the best! And because of that our clients expect the best! I wanna get to the home base of these strangers, take care of things, and then make it back home before sundown so I can see my girlfriend! I have faith in-"

"Will someone please shut him up?!" Gordon snapped. Gideon had control of the Gotengo through circumstances in his past, and although he respected the young Vice-Admiral plenty and even at time see him like a son, he was way too much at times.

The cabin erupted in snickers. Commodore Horace only smiled and leaned back into his command chair. He'd known the Vice-Admiral much longer, and was much to desensitize to his quirks to be bothered by it now.

Gideon only grinned as the Gotengo dove deeper and deeper into the dark water. The surface, now armed with a weapon capable of striking back, will waste no time in showing that they aren't just going to be pushed around. And on this day, secrets long buried finally showed themselves, for better or for worse.

A/N: And that's this chapter! Really this is mostly a bridge for the next part. Originally it was going to go a lot more differently, with the conflict Nami and co. faced earlier taking the highlight and resolving by the end of the chapter while the scene with the Gotengo was only minor. Then, I realized that while Gideon and the Gotengo have been shown in the past, not much has been done about them. Considering how I'm building him to eventually be Gian's main opposite, I haven't quite been showing him off too much.

With that, I decided to make the latter half of the chapter more Gideon focused. Thus, the main faceoff between Nami and Sara will be shown next chapter, followed by the remaining battles with everyone else. By that point, Gideon will be more of a third-party so I feel I should build him a little bit beforehand.

GD: Hey, it seems like I can finally show up in the post-story comments!

G: Welcome, future player!

Oh great…

Other than that, please give me more opinions on whether or not I should write a guide to this story so people can get more information on it or not! Nothing more to say other than keep on trucking!

Responses to reviews:

To HAVEABOY:

Yeah, I agree.

G: Wait, what did he say?

Look it up.

G: You know if it isn't any-oh…OH….

G: Yeah, I can't argue with that.

To The Storm Master 567:

G: IT'S JUST A PRANK BRO!

Mind control is no joke, we'll be seeing how it works later.

To Karsap:

You can expect something.

To SolanaLeonhart:

G: All the buildup is taking longer than I thought!

Well, I kind of underestimated how much I'm planning to add, but I hope it pays off! For now, the Empress has to get out of trouble first!

To Chance Green G. King:

Gideon's role in this arc is not as complicated as you think, and despite everything, not much of a conflict will come up between him and the Straw Hats at first.

Gi: I'm a lover, not a fighter.

G: You just like done in a bunch of people though…

To Matt:

G: That's right! Down with organized religion!

Also, you're celibate.

G: Ok, that will not work.

To JayH120:

G: See, I always see myself of more of a Black Panther person but the author keeps lumping me with the Hulk, I wonder why that is?

ISN'T IT OBVIOUS?

G: Nope, don't see it.

Yeah, the three not caught right now have a lot of work to do, especially what happens next! But the Empress will definitely play a bigger role later!

To Kristopher b:

Zilla may be around Saobody with how I planned it out, while Gamera is a secret.

G: I like my clothes, they're Gucci.

Did you go shopping recklessly again I'd- never mind. Just like how other Zoans work, his clothes are still around when he transforms. They disappear when he Fully Transforms though.

To TsundereCharuru18:

G: Stahhp ya makin' me blush!

Well, that's one for the guidebook. We'll need a few more votes people, get on it!

To Zoofan:

I'm glad you think so

G: At least he's honest.

They might be a girl.

To Vergil Leonidas:

G: I am very crazy, other people say so.

Figures…

A few of the other characters could've probably reacted better yes. I'm saving Sanji's part for when he actually has to fight Wuhelm later on (if you didn't know from the opening, well ya do now!)

G: Usopp is fearful, fear is a natural feeling. He's just Bewaring his fears made into light. Burn like my Power Sinsestro's-

THAT'A SO UNRELATED, WHY ARE WE GOING THERE?

I mostly want Usopp to feel that way because, this time around, he's thrust into a position where he's more out of his element than ever before. He's already really wary of his strength compared to the rest of the crew, and now add in elements like an unknown civilization and a few monsters, Usopp really has no idea what to do, and he's letting his emotions get the better of him at times. All this will be made further on once Water 7 comes around and the impending events happen, though afterwards, he'll be made into something braver. And don't worry, Gian's actions will be further explained by the end of the arc, it'll be a catalyst for events to come. And good notes on how Robin reacted. I'm trying to make it so Water 7 gets even more personal for them and I hope it's going well.

G: Meanwhile most of this chapter was about BANG BANG LASERS! PEW PEW PEW FUCK YOU UNDERSEA KINGDOM!

That's… actually pretty accurate.

To Legacyspellsword:

G: I'm sorry.

Stop, I don't want to cry anymore my tears have dried up.

To Guest:

Franky and Jet Jaguar won't be meeting for a while. This is mostly due to a plan for him, and by that extent the entire family. Thus they won't meet for some time, but you can expect it to go well when they do! Also I don't want to give away too much for Gigan at the moment, because he's actually closer along than you might think.

And that's all for this time, we'll see you again!

G: K, I've done enough tasks, let Gideon do something since he's new here!

Good idea, leave a review and we'll think of something!

Gi: I am starting to regret coming here…