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Sunken Kingdom Arc opening: Netsujou no Spectrum (Nanatsu no Taizai Op 1)
"Nami-san, you weren't supposed to be involved in this."
The navigator cursed as she ducked, another explosion blasting apart the rocks behind her.
"I didn't want this to happen, it was supposed to be over quickly, I didn't want to come here." Sara seethed, eyes still not meeting the ginger girl's. The geothermal sun above is now a mere speck, light not enough to illuminate the river valley. Only the occasional spark of flames lit up the ground.
"If you had all cooperated, it wouldn't have to be this complicated."
"Chopper, Usopp, Protect the Empress…" Nami panted. Her grip tightened on her Clima-tact as she rose again.
"Just get out of the way! Pretend you don't see anything!" Sara shouted.
"Sara… think about what you're doing here…" Nami pleaded "You know something is going on behind the scenes, why are you doing this?"
"It's none of your business!" the priestess cried "Just step aside! Nothing that has happened here has anything to do with you!" her breathing is heavy, and she finally made full eye contact. Now Nami could see it all, how her eyes, though hard, is filled with uncertainty.
"You already know that isn't true, Sara." Nami sighed, cool and heat balls gathering around her "When Robin was taken from us it had something to do with us, and now we want to know just what exactly is going on here!"
Sara sighed and realized there wasn't an easy way out of this "You're really adamant about this then, aren't you Nami-san?" the silver snake headed staff in her hand began to glow again "Then I'm very sorry, I have to dispose of you now too."
And from the staff 3 silver orbs of light shot towards the navigator, forcing her to dive for cover. Now that they are all outside of the cave, Sara can let loose a lot more. Nami winced as debris landed around her; it was fortunate that Usopp and Chopper had brought the Empress far from the scene of destruction or they may be caught in the crossfire as well. She could still hear their shouts of concern.
"You may think I'm just a priestess that I only serve in the spiritual parts of the Empire." Sara strode forwards, the staff beginning to glow again "However, you will find that those who've pledge a life of priesthood are much more disciplined than those you call priests and priestess up at the surface." And with that Sara rushed at the navigator, a thin dagger slipping out of her sleeve as she brought her arm around in a slash, forcing Nami on the defensive with her own clima-tact to parry the incoming slices.
"While those up at the surface chant sermons and perform funeral rites, we priests of Mu are trained in combat just like any soldier." Sara's attacks were diverse, it seemed that the priestess has a multitude of weapons at her disposal. From her other sleeve she extended another dagger, this one fit for throwing as she pinpointed an area to strike, before hurling the blade. Nami had to react fast to swipe with her clima-tact, parrying the first one. However, the priestess revealed more up her sleeves, and soon Nami had to block a lot more. She didn't escape unscathed, a few of the blades had slit her skin, leaving a few cuts.
"Why are you not fighting back?" Sara demanded "You still don't know the situation? I won't hold anything back here!" her staff began to glow again, before firing out more silver orbs that exploded upon impact, the river valley rocked by their power. The force was enough to cause the navigator to stagger.
"Ok, what is the mechanics behind that thing?" Nami shouted. Sara simply gave it a twirl.
"Zenith Metal are all capable of interacting with heat, either by dispersing it or absorbing it. It all depends of the degree the metal is heated to as well as the duration." She pointed the snake staff towards her opponent once more "The more intense heat is applied while creating it, the better the quality, and the more it can do. Most of the buildings within the empire as well as gear for its military are bronze grade, able to disperse heat within its refinements well enough. But it's only the lowest grade, and there are four grades in all!"
The staff began to glow once again "When smelted for 3 days, Zenith Metal becomes silver grade, able to absorb more heat than bronze level quality metal and far more durable. On top of that, it's able to do this!" and the priestess fired another ball of light, and the same result happened. Nami cringed as rocks fell around her.
"Silver grade Zenith Metal is able to absorb and release heat in the form you've just seen, and the result is an unstable reaction upon impact!" she smirked "I shouldn't have to tell you the result when you get hit by that!"
Nami cursed, already she was doing the mental gymnastics on how to deal with such a weapon "Don't count me out just yet!" she shouted as she hoisted the clima-tact towards the priestess. Sara frowned as she saw dark clouds began to gather, a result of every cool and heat ball she's been gathering while the attacks have been going on "You said you wanted to see the weather of the surface? Well let me give you a demonstration!" before flicking a yellow ball of electricity at the mass of water vapors.
Sara barely managed to dive out of the way as a lightning bolt struck the ground. The Thunderbolt Tempo was a fast attack, and the heat from the lightning had singed her robes slightly.
"How creative… When you described how you can manipulate weather to a degree, I did not expect this!" the priestess complimented, before grinning "But in doing so, you just unveiled its weakness to me!"
Nami frowned, her staff was now once again split into three pieces, a feature Sara did not miss. She could make out the red and yellow balls coming out from the tips, and although she hasn't been familiar with the weapon for long, she already had a rough idea on how it works.
"The amount of time it takes for you to gather the needed amount to amass a storm that size again, I won't give that to you!" from her robes she flung more daggers, breaking Nami's concentration and forcing her to dodge. Once again, a few blades nicked her skin, causing blood to seep out. Sara then charged forwards, a dagger appearing in her hand as she swiped wildly at the navigator, who parried with her own staff.
"You really are out of your element here, Nami-san! You don't belong here, and you don't have a single clue of just exactly what's going on!" Sara shouted "You're a surface dweller and you've already seen too much!"
"In case you forgot, you were the one that brought us here!" Nami snapped "And now that I have an idea of there being more than it seems, there's no way in hell I'm running while my friends are being held captive!"
"Then perhaps the three of you will join them instead! I wanted to give you a chance to leave this all behind, now you'll only know death by the jaws of Lord Manda!" Sara shouted as her staff glowed once more, firing off more explosive orbs of light. The ground around Nami erupted in debris, but the navigator instead charged forwards rather than dodge this time, her clima-tact raised. Sara soon realized her intent and tried to block with her own staff, but what she made good in practice soon turned into a ruse, as Nami disconnected the joints of her weapon into parts once again, instead ducking under her raised staff and thrusting two of the pieces into her abdomen, causing Sara to double over.
Sara growled as she lashed out once more, another knife extending from her sleeve as Nami had to back up to avoid an upward slash. The navigator noted that the blade was steadily giving off steam; the priestess was now raising her body temperature in accordance with how much damage she now wishes to do. Sara through the weapon, which once again bounced off Nami's steel clima-tact; the blade now melting the stone it embedded itself in.
"Stop resisting!" the priestess shouted "I don't want to have to do this!"
"You're going to kill the Empress, aren't you?" Nami shook her head "Whatever plan you're involved in, whatever that creep Axor is filling your head with, you first have to take Empress Mulines out of the picture, don't you?"
A few steps away, the ruler of MuTh's lips were pursed, deep in thought. Chopper and Usopp moved in to comfort her, but even they were shaken by that revelation.
"Whatever this plan of yours did, it also framed Luffy and the others. And I'm willing to bet that Gian somehow got manipulated to do what he did!"
"…You don't know anything about what I'm doing!" Sara seethed.
"I don't, you're right, but I can see how you were taken in." Nami mumbled "Axor filled your head with promises of fulfillment, of reaching your dreams. You know how I know this? Back when we spoke earlier this morning, you mentioned how you wanted so much just to see the surface, to live on the surface. Yet your duties and the laws of this empire confines you down here, one that you desperately wishes to escape from…"
"It's the only thing driving you to do this, isn't it?" Nami shook her head "I can tell you're not a bad person, Sara. I can tell this isn't how you want to reach that dream. Even as strongly as you feel, you can't seem to agree with how Axor is handling everything!"
"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Sara shouted, staff beginning to glow "High Priest Axor is perhaps the only one that knows any ounce of how I feel! I will help him succeed in his mission, even if I have to harden my heart!" Nami only shook her head, noting the slight uncertainty in her eyes as the priestess's gaze shifted to where the Empress was hiding, just for a slight moment.
"If I have to resort to removing you from all this, then so be it!" and Sara's staff fired out more glowing orbs as the ground around Nami exploded once again, only this time Nami didn't make an effort to dodge. When the smoke cleared, Sara gasped as she saw that the navigator was completely unharmed, save for some debris covering her hair and clothing.
"You think hardening your heart is that easy, do you?" Nami sighed "Sara, you never actually attempted to take a person's life before have you?"
"W-What are you saying?" the priestess stuttered.
"Those shots just then, even the ones you've fired before, they're completely off the mark." The navigator deduced "Before I was so full of adrenaline I only acted how my body wished it to, but now I can see that you haven't deliberately tried to harm me once."
Nami then bent down and picked up a throwing knife "Even these that you've thrown at me have all been grazing shots, nothing lethal. How can you say you'll fulfill Axor's will if you are hesitant to even take a life?"
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Sara cried.
"Face it Sara, you don't want to side with Axor either. Whatever he promised you, in your heart you know you shouldn't go against the very kingdom you hold dear to your heart." Nami stated "You perhaps know more than anything about how potentially dangerous Axor's ultimate plan will be for both the surface and Mu. You don't have to keep doing this!"
"Like hell I will!" the Priestess snapped "We're two civilizations apart! You can never understand what we have to deal with to even think about offering your own views!"
"Maybe you just need to wake up!" Nami shouted, her eyes full of fire as she dashed up to the priestess and delivered a sweeping blow that knocked her on her back "I may not know anything about your politics or reasoning, but the one things I do know is that my friends have suffered because of the plans of your High Priest!"
"And what's so wrong with that?! If it's for the glory of Mu, then High Priest Axor will make any sacrifice deemed necessary!" Sara shouted, unveiling more knives as she threw them in tandem, causing Nami to hop backwards, more and more as the priestess pushed against her.
"Was the Empress one of those sacrifices?" Nami demanded, before her eyes grew more urgent "Sara, I know what it feels like when your dream is the only thing pushing you forwards! Believe it or not, I was once in the same position as you, willing to push others under a boat for success, Rob and lie for a goal I must reach. But the truth is, you're alone in this, and the more you push, the further your dream will become!" by now Nami was steadily being pushed back by the rain of steel, as she climbed an incline that lead upwards from the river valley they fought in, Sara pursuing her all the way.
"Do not say that!" the priestess shouted "We are from two different worlds, we don't share the same views at all!" her staff lit up once more before she fired the burning orbs behind the navigator, the explosions cutting her off once the two reached the top of the valley.
"You have your friends to support you, I have no one but High Priest Axor to rely on. He's the only one that can understand…" Sara's voice cracked slightly as tears lined her eyes "And if it means I have to do some things that goes against my ideals in order to fulfill my end of the bargain, then I have no other choice!"
Sara's staff lit up again, her body heat channeling the Zenith Metal's properties "And you, Nami-san, have nowhere left to go. Down in the Valley, you had places to evade me, but up here I get a clean shot."
Nami pursed her lips, all the while making sure Sara didn't notice her slipping her Clima-tact back into 3 pieces.
"After I dispose of you, Usopp-san and Chopper-Kun can't run far." She sighed "Then… the Empress… It has to be done."
The staff was now pointed directly at Nami now "Goodbye, Nami-san, for what it was worth, I really do believe that you are a wonderful person. Shame we couldn't have been better friends."
Nami closed her eyes, before staring hard at the priestess "Yes that is quite a shame." And only then did Sara noticed that the wind had begun to pick up around them. Her eyes began to widen: Nami hadn't been fleeing, she had been leading.
And Sara went right along with it.
"Then again, if this works out the way I planned I hope you learn your lesson!" Nami said as the mass of hot and cool balls her 3 sticks produced began to twirl and spin around, the air around them changing. This time, there was one added factor:
The base of one of the heavy turbines used to create artificial weather for Mu, spinning soundly and adding to the gale that was forming that moment.
"H-how…? How did you know?"
"It's simple," Nami explained "I'd took notice of these structures the moment we set foot in the river valley. It wasn't until the thick of our fight that I thought up this plan."
"I have to hand it to you, you were pretty intense and gave me little breathing room. To use my usual tactics, I had to improvise and enhance them. These wind turbines gave me exactly what I need for the next step. The heat and cool balls normally took a bit of time to mix, but with the added wind helping it, that shouldn't be a problem anymore!"
"Y-you won't get the chance!" Sara shouted as she thrust her staff forwards, firing an orb that Nami couldn't dodge in time and exploded instantly "All that, and you didn't even get to do anything!"
"You really are quick to pull the trigger, I wonder what made you like this?" Sara gasped and turned to see Nami shaking her head; it had been a ruse, she hit nothing more than another mirage.
"I hope whatever grasped your heart will blow away with this next attack." She mumbled as she swept the now reconstructed Clima-tact in a wide arch, causing all the heat and cool balls to swirl with her "Hurricane Tempo!"
And the wind, already at a high velocity, now soared to screeching speeds. Winds so high that the metal plates were clattering upon the wind turbine, the surrounding areas were littered with flying debris as the hurricane forced wind spun round and round. Only where the two women stood was it eerily calm; the eye of the storm.
"This-This is…!" And even then, Sara was panting hard, her mind racing at the trick her opponent just pulled. The wind was so volatile, both girls were straining to keep their footing. However eventually they had to give way, and Sara just happened to lose grip one second faster.
The result was her being gathered up immediately as she was carried by the wind, further and further upwards, the high velocity wind caused by the attack spinning her round and round. It was as if the entire world was turning and spinning at such high speeds that she couldn't even get a baring of herself, even as the wind rakes across her skin.
And then, with both girl suspended in the air, gasping for breath, the storm ended. The two girls gave one more look at once another, before they began to fall, faster and faster towards the bottom of the river valley.
The impact would've shattered their bones had Chopper and Usopp not sprang into action right then and there. Transforming into Jump Point, the reindeer managed to catch Nami in his arms as she fell. Usopp on the other hand used a much simpler tactic; Sara fell right on top of him before he had time to react.
"Owwww… why did you fall so hard?" the sniper groaned. The priestess didn't even have the energy to move, let alone respond.
"We saw the whole thing from down here," Chopper explained "Nami, that was incredible! I never knew you could do that!"
"It took a bit of planning," Nami admitted with a small smile "I had to make sure the conditions were able to create a windstorm that powerful. If it weren't for the turbine, I don't think I could've pulled it off." She herself was littered with cuts and scrapes from her own attack, though she managed to avoid the worst of it. Chopper immediately scampered off to find medicine for her.
"Yes, Nami-san. That was indeed very talented." The Empress smiled as she emerged from behind a rock.
"Well, I just hope it was enough to keep Sara off our backs..." The navigator sighed, before exhaling loudly "Wooow, I didn't think that would actually work…!"
The Empress nodded before her smile dropped, turning to her disgraced priestess. Sara was now bound by her wrists and heels, head down not even looking at the Empress.
"It seems that there is a lot going on behind the scenes of my own kingdom that I am not aware of." Mulines began sternly "Secrets that could threaten us, wouldn't you say so Priestess Sara?"
"Y-Your Majesty… I-" Sara's head was down, tears pricking her eyes as the full extent of her actions hit her, before she could continue though the Empress held up her hand, silencing her.
"To commit an act of violence against the ruler of Mu, such things would be unthinkable in every caste of our society." She narrowed her eyes "I do not know how you grew to be so bold, but I do know one thing."
Sara shut her eyes hard, waiting for condemnation that's about to happen.
Only it never came, as the next thing she saw was that her Empress leaning down, a face full of sorrow and regret.
"I, as Empress of Mu, have been blind to the needs and desires of my own citizens. While I continue the preservation of our society set by my predecessors, I have neglected the changing of ages, and the methods of ensuring our isolation have only cut off our people from finding out the truth. For this… I am sorry. To have pushed you to take such actions, to have shadowed the light from a righteous path you should be walking."
"Your Highness…!" Sara gasped "But I've-"
"What your actions wrought you will be discussed at a more appropriate time, it will take time to decide the right course of action. Now, there are more pressing matters." She turned her head towards her, eyes pleading "Tell me, what has my High Priest been plotting behind my back?"
"High Priest Axor? Your Highness must you really know?"
The Empress nodded "These past few days have resulted in some gaps in my memory, gaps that I now have reason to believe to have been caused by High Priest Axor." She then turned more serious "But if his plan goes further than that, then I fear it may affect all of Mu! I have to know the extent of his plans!"
"Sara…" the priestess turned to Nami as her eyes begged as well "Luffy and the others have been caught up in whatever plans your High Priest is involved in, they could be a casualty for whatever he's planning!"
"Please Sara!" Usopp pleaded "You have to tell us what you know!"
Sara paused as her loyalties were finally being tested. Two paths lay before her, one to her High Priest, and the other to her Empress and country. As a person, she has her vulnerabilities and it was because of that Axor had shared with her his own desires; desires that could not be realized with the isolationist rule that Mu had been under for millennia.
Axor was the one that taught her all that she know now. As the High Priest it is his duty to train future acolytes to further serve the Empire once his time is past. Through their mentorship, Sara saw not only a skilled High Priest, but a hopeful dreamer that has a vision of where Mu is to go in the future. Axor was the first person she admitted her inner thoughts to, how she wishes to one day see the surface and explore it rather than hide down here eternally under the sea. She had expected a rebuke, or even chastising from the High Priest dismissing her dreams as fruitless and foolish. So it was a complete surprise to her when Axor merely nodded in understanding and explained his own ideals.
Axor sees the Kingdom as incomplete, that it's missing something from times before. He claims all this from the sources he's discovered within Mu's great archives; the High Priest's privileges allowed him to access documents that were normally hidden from the public. He enthralled her with tales of old grandeur, of a time when the sun never set on the Mu Empire, a time when Mu existed on the surface world as a shining beacon of what a kingdom should be like. It made Sara see a history to be proud of, a history that she wanted to be a part of.
And when Axor announced his desire to return Mu to that state, as a powerful Empire that stretched from coast to coast, Sara did not question it. In a way both of them want to return to the surface, just in different ways.
Through their mutual ideals, the two seemed like the perfect partners. And even as Sara noticed that her mentor's ambitions became more extravagant and darker, her support for his endgame was still evident, despite her growing concern about the supposed sacrifices she had to make. It was only when Axor has reached the final steps of deciphering the secrets of their empire's past, did Sara finally begin to falter.
But to return Mu to glory, that was a noble goal, right?
Yet there was the Empress, the figure revered throughout Mu's history as second to only Lord Manda Himself. Only yesterday did the plan for her assassination and the framing of those pirates were complete. Sara wasn't sure why Empress Mulines needed to be removed from the equation, but her foolish mind did not question it; her dreams of eventually walking the surface without fear won out over reasoning. To give into Axor's demands and remove everything that stood in the way of their dream, of her dream.
Now, the repercussions of her actions were finally beginning to dawn on her. And she realized just how little she actually knows.
"Priestess Sara," it was then that Mulines leaned down once more "The future of Mu depends on what we find out here today. If you truly love this kingdom, then help us." She pleaded
"Help me."
Sara froze for a second, her mind becoming clear. It's clear what she has to do now. With all the promise of fulfillment, all the misplaced loyalty, it's her devotion to her kingdom that won out in the end.
"Very well, Your Majesty." Sara bowed "I will reveal all that I know."
As the night went by, the group retreated back to the damaged cave where the three pirates previously took shelter in. Amidst the circle Sara finally sat down and explained everything.
"In the beginning High Priest Axor's studied into the history of Mu and passed to me what he had known. I had just began my training with him mere months ago, and as that I was due to succeed him one day, I was required to understand our history." Sara mostly explained this to the three pirates who only have a basic understanding of how the inner workings of the kingdom works. The Empress during all this only remained silent.
"The stories I've heard since I was a child, about how Mu once shone under the sun, a real sun, was always entrancing to me." Sara gave a slight smile "High Priest Axor taught me those lessons in earnest, and I absorbed them without hesitation."
"That time I was still a trainee, eager to please with a wide eyed outlook of my future as a priestess. So when High Priest Axor unveiled his plan to reclaim Mu back to its rightful place amongst the surface Kingdoms, I naturally didn't think much of it. From that point on, our lessons became more entrenched on the history of Mu, and the more I discovered, the more I yearned for it."
Sara sighed "It's always been known to us that Mu and the surface world must remain separate. The Empress, and all before her, decrees it so. Even still, I wanted to one day walk under the sun that once shone down on our kingdom, and it was because of that I began to dream." The group around her all have a certain amount of sympathy towards her; they've all had desires they wanted, still wanted to, reach. During all this the Empress was deep in thought of the implications behind all this.
"It was around this time that High Priest Axor proclaimed that he's decided to return Mu back to its rightful place as the powerful Empire of old, and he supposedly found a way to do so." Sara revealed "With the pride of my kingdom as well as my duty, I agreed to assist him as much as possible when needed."
"I don't understand, how did Axor know anything about the surface when no one has ventured there in the past?" Usopp asked. It was the Empress that answered him this time.
"Ever since our tech became capable enough, Mu has sent scouting vessels around the world. We've seen many of the events that have taken place in the past, but never chose to partake in any of it." Mulines explained "It's a way to know what we're dealing with, and with how things are going it's led us to believe that separation is the only way. The people of the surface are still primitive by a long standard."
Sara looked slightly dejected at that, but carried on her story "Her Majesty is right. Though you've never seen us, we've been observing in plain sight. From this, a simple battle between two worlds will be decidedly one sided in our favor."
"So Axor wanted to invade the surface?!" Nami exclaimed "All so that-"
"How could he…?" The Empress breathed out "He know I will not stand for war!"
"That's where the next part of the plan comes in." Sara mumbled "High Priest Axor has the authority, but he knows there's still blocks in his way. There are still a few things he has to take care of. He first needed to sway you to his side." She then turned to Mulines.
"Your Majesty, do you recall visits from High Priest Axor in the previous weeks?"
Mulines pursed her brow, recalling events prior "Now that you mentioned it, there have been quite a few instances that High Priest Axor did indeed seek my audience. It's the events that followed that I do not recall."
"That's another thing, the Empress seems to have a slight loss of memory." Chopper mumbled "It could be due to taking quite a tumble from the palace all the way to here."
Sara, however, shook her head "No, Her Majesty is fine. There's a reason she hasn't recalled those memories: because they aren't supposed to be remembered."
This drew a gasp of surprise from everyone.
"Priestess Sara, what is that supposed to mean?!" The Empress asked sharply.
Sara closed her eyes, before revealing what had been going on behind the scenes "As I've said, Axor's plan needs you in order to be successful. He's mentioned this to you before, proposing a favor of leading Mu's army to conquer the surface. When our kingdom sank under the sea, so were many aspects of our culture and life. We, who've once inspired countless civilizations, are now nothing more than whispers in the wind. The surface has all but forgotten us, and disregarded all that we've brought them. Axor wishes to see the day come again where we rule over as an all-powerful kingdom the right way."
"Axor… how could he…?" the Empress stammered "I would never agree to it! To contact the surface is a crime enough, but to actively seek to wage war?!"
"Yes, and he knows that…" Sara sighed, guilt riddling her voice "The thing is, when High Priest Axor is denied something, that won't prevent him from obtaining it." Upon seeing the confused faces of the group, she continued.
"Within our archives there remained multiple artifacts taken from back when Mu remained on the surface. One of them was a fruit that granted its eater powers, powers that now belonged to High Priest Axor."
"A devil fruit!" Usopp gasped.
"Yes, those devil fruits that exist plenty on the surface didn't make it down here, at least we only found one." Sara explained "Axor's fruit granted him power, I don't know what it is but it grants him dominion over the minds of another." This made the 3 pirates look at each other.
"Dominion over the mind?" Chopper questioned "Does that mean-?"
"Mind control..." Nami felt her anger bubble "She means mind control."
"Nami-san is correct. I've seen him take control of multiple soldiers in the Kingdom, including some of the Fangs of Manda." Sara stated "From what I remember him telling me, it's called the Dorei Dorei no Mi and once the victim is under his control, he can redirect their every action with his mind alone as long as his Slave Rays enter through the eyes of those he want to control."
"That's so scary…" Usopp gulped "Who knows how many people he has under his thumb already?"
"High Priest Axor only needs to control those he deems necessary for his plans, such as few body guards. During this time, the victim exists as if they were asleep as their bodies does everything he tells them to. Once brought out of mind control, the victim will have no recollection of the events that occurred. If they try to remember, the memory simply does not exist."
"And the Empress is one of them?" Chopper gasped.
"Yes, Her Majesty is the next piece of the plan." Sara continued "With her psionically dominated, Axor now can order her to do what he needs to find out next. Through his studies he learned about the room hidden behind the Empress' throne. A room he could only access-"
"With the blood of an Empress…" Mulines by now has clenched her fists, anger and betrayal slowly rising in her chest "I dare not believe this… My own high priest, my most trusted advisor…"
Sara's eyes were downcast "Axor has mind controlled Her Majesty 5 times in total, each time to confirm his findings and find a potential way to unleash it."
"He never can!" The Empress stated with fire in her eyes "What lies within the chamber is a seal! A seal set down by an ancient clan that can only be deciphered by that clan alone! Even I, nor any of the previous Empresses, cannot hope to understand the words that unlock that seal, we were to only safeguard what it locks away."
"…Did she just say lock away?" Usopp gulped, this just took a dark turn.
Sara sadly shook her head "For a while, that was the case. With that in mind, Axor originally decided on a different course of action. He took control of a being much more powerful than the Army of Mu, deciding instead to first do some damage. For even the forces of the surface cannot hope to stand up to the might of Lord Manda."
The Empress' eyes widened in fear "No… he couldn't have… to exert power even over our guardian?"
"You're saying the reason that dragon attacked us was because that creep sent it to?!"
"High Priest Axor used Manda on multiple attacks, your ship was supposed to be just another tragedy up on the seas." Sara sighed at her mentor's heretical actions "Ever since he found out the truth about the Empress' secret chamber, his faith on Lord Manda had dissipated after he found out the truth about Mu's original deity.
"Original deity? You mean Manda isn't the only god you worship?" Nami asked.
"It's the past." The Empress cut her off quickly "It has no place in the present and should never be unleashed."
"Except it will be, now that the means to do so finally appeared." This comment made the Empress recoil in horror.
"WHAT?!" She shouted "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"
"It was something we've never anticipated. Our scouts in the past indicated that the home of those that can decipher the scripture had been all but wiped out. So perhaps it's a narrow stroke of luck that Robin-san and Gian-san took an interest in the ruins that day. Even more so that Robin-san is an Oharan." The Empress gasped at that information.
"Oharan?" the three pirates beside them looked at each other.
"Someone from the island of Ohara" Mulines explained "We've documented contact with them before, roughly 4000 years ago. They were perhaps the only group of people that actively know of our existence, due to our scholars sharing knowledge with one another." She then turned to Sara "But our last contact scout indicated they've all but disappeared!"
"Indeed, it seems that Robin-san is a sign that the people of Ohara still live somewhere. But because of that, she's able to read the scripture and incite them to release the force locked away. Thus High Priest Axor commanded me to bring you all down here. With these assets, he has all he needs to ready an invasion for the surface. But he needed one last thing: To convince the people that the surface is a threat."
"This is where Gian-san plays as an unwitting cog in the machine." Sara admitted with remorse "High Priest Axor… took control of his mind during along with the Empress' to stage a charade that managed to incite anger towards the surface, thus winning the people's favor." Realization dawned in the 3 Straw Hat's faces.
"So Gian got mind controlled! That's why he was so eager to attack the Empress!" Chopper smiled.
"I knew it! I knew Gian wasn't crazy like that!" Usopp sighed with relief.
"Usopp, you were the one screaming blue murder the most!" Nami pointed out, but a smiled adorned her face as tears of happiness began to flow, glad that her crewmate was innocent all along.
"Gian huh?" The Empress' hand trailed to her chest, where her freshly stitched wound still throbbed slighty "To think my High Priest would think this far ahead."
"To revenge the slaying of Mu's Empress by the surface dwellers, it was a perfect cover for an invasion. Now High Priest Axor has all he needs, as we speak our armies have already began their assault. And once Robin-san fully deciphers the seal, Mu will truly have enough power to conquer the surface." Sara stated before closing her eyes "This is the extent of High Priest Axor's plan, Majesty. Afterwards we had to dispose of the body in time. I was supposed to do it to ensure you're permanently out of the picture, but now I'm not so sure."
The Empress was silent on this before letting a bitter sigh "My High Priest… I can't believe this. Not only are you willing to spill our Kingdom's blood, but you also are willing to throw it away!"
The group looked at her cautiously.
"Majesty… what do you mean by that?" Sara asked. Mulines only sighed before giving a sad look.
"It's time I tell you, the secret within the Empress' chamber. Whatever High Priest Axor told you before, it's only a fraction of the real truth. Unleashing that dark power will allow Mu to sunder the surface, but afterwards it drives us to death!"
"W-What?!" Sara gasped as the Empress began her tale.
"These are legends passed down to me by previous Empresses, those who have ruled before me. It tells of a time, an ancient time when the Kingdom of Mu did not exist, when we were but a small tribe of warriors and farmers amongst many upon the land."
"The tribes were under constant warfare, often fighting over resources and land. Eventually, one tribe managed to grow more powerful and assimilated a number of other tribes, beginning to form the start of a nation that would one day be-"
"Mu…" Usopp whispered.
"The larger Kingdom as it grew more powerful, set out to conquer those that remained. But by now the remaining Kingdoms have banded together in hopes of overthrowing them, and the warfare, once small scale, began to escalate. The years went by, neither side came any closer to conquering the other, and as bodies began to stack higher they needed a solution fast."
"This doesn't sound good…" Chopper whimpered. The Empress only nodded sadly.
"Salvation came from an unlikely source. A shaman of the larger kingdom, tapping into secrets of the unknown in hopes of finding a way to destroy the enemy, and in doing so, he unleashed a primordial force, a force that offered him a way to relieve them of all this violence."
The three pirates gulped when hearing this; perhaps it was easier back then, but summoning spirits? That's not something they'd ever expect.
"The entity's terms were simple: 'Pay the blood price and you will be rewarded as demanded'. A seemingly simple enough task, just a simple human sacrifice, it asks." The Empress grew somber "Indeed, the Shaman offered his own life to bring the entity to this world, a small price to pay for a larger scale of success."
"And?" Nami breathed "Did they win?"
The Empress's expression was stoic "Victory was indeed achieved, as things were seemingly supposed to go." She paused before continuing "It was what happened afterwards that darkened the nation forever. For the entity existed in another plane, separate from this world. To bring it here requires one sacrifice, but the nation soon found that it was much more difficult to make it return to the other realm."
"The entity had gotten fond of this plane of existence, and was not about to return so easily. It soon asked for a new price, this one much more steeped in blood: To bring it here requires one sacrifice, but to let it back requires 99 more." Expressions of shock and horror soon dotted the groups faces.
"M-Majesty, what does this dreadful tale have to do with High Priest Axor?" Sara whimpered.
The Empress looked on "That part of the tale is coming up. As I mentioned, the entity managed to singlehandedly win the war for the larger kingdom, and soon every tribe was unified under one banner. It became a vast Kingdom that stretched from the horizons and saw no equals. That, is the beginning of Mu."
"I can't believe Mu's history is so… bloody!" Nami shivered.
"Empires are built on blood and war, it's the same for many kingdoms you've built on the surface I'm sure." The Empress dismissed "Though that is not the point here, for the day the entity was relinquished back to its plane of existence was recorded as a reminder on what to do in dire situations. For a while it had been forgotten, remaining in the archives. They thought they never had to require its services again, but soon they saw that was impossible."
"Another war?" Sara gasped.
"It was more than a war, it was a grand scale struggle for supremacy. I won't get into the full details here, it's simply much too long and this tale takes place for only a small portion of it. But yes, war did once again bring itself back to Mu's shores, this time it was much larger and Mu was up against forces of equal power. Weeks dragged into months, months to years, the war continued with no end in sight. It soon became apparent that in order to win, they needed something to turn the tides. And through the archives of Mu at the time, they rediscovered the secrets lost to time, and in sheer desperation called the entity back to this world."
"But it wasn't so simple this time, was it?" Chopper whispered.
The Empress shook her head "We never anticipated that the opposing forces against Mu would have something of similar power to the entity, and it only served as a further stalemate to the battles. It was then we found yet another unfathomable secret: the entity needed to maintain its corporeal form while it's in our plane of existence; every seven days it requires the same 99 sacrifices. In the beginning, driven on by the prospect of victory the ruler of Mu disregarded this. But even with the Entity's help it seemed victory drew no closer, and as the years grew, there were only so much people can take before they can stand no more."
"Too much have been lost, soldiers slaughtered on the battlefield while their loved ones were offered up to the entity back home." The Empress recalled "The people soon revolted against the ruler, an Empress like me at the time, overthrowing her. But when they tried to recall the Entity back to its plane of existence, they discovered the ghastly truth: the entity had gained much power during it's time here, and no longer wished to be sent back."
"No…" Sara's fear shone through.
"Any resistance against it was soon met with death and destruction. Mu was in a fragile state at the time, with enemies beseeching it from all sides and internal struggles, they couldn't afford to offer up any resistance. But fate would have it, a savior came in an unlikely form."
"This must be the clan she spoke about!" Usopp gasped.
"The stories told of a man who came from a distant island country, one that had been spared of all the warfare going around, yet never choosing a side." The Empress smiled "His name was Kozuki Izanagi, his clan is one who've crafted stones for a living. Entities such as the one Mu's faced at the time were not so unusual where he came from, and while he claims he can't physically help them, he has a way to aid us. This came in the forms of 3 carved black stone blocks, written in a language we've never seen. Even Izanagi-san himself stated only his family can pass it down to future generations."
"Regardless, the original dwellers of Mu were skeptical at first, but with few options left and the next date of sacrifice coming up shortly, they have no other option. The plan seemed simple enough, lure the entity to the stone blocks under pretense we were offering sacrifices. It seemed to work perfectly for once the spirit came into the vicinity, from the rock ethereal chains bound the entity as Izanagi-san chanted the written verses. However, the entity had grown too powerful during it's time here, and from what was documented it nearly broke from its chains as it wracked the land around it with its power. All would've have been lost, had it not been the arrival of another."
"Another? Who can possibly do anything now?" Chopper gasped, but Sara seemed to know the answer.
"Lord Manda… it was Lord Manda wasn't it?"
"You are correct" The Empress smiled back "As the stories told, Lord Manda rose from the sea, His length bringing the ocean waves with him. I should mention that the beast has been spotted numerous times around the nation that made up Mu's empire, yet he never seemed to attack us, mostly letting us to believe he'd rather be left alone. Now, however, he intervened at our direst moment of need, and if it hadn't been for him, Mu would've surely perished that day."
"Through the clashes of the two forces, the entity was slowly but surely overwhelmed, its corporeal body dissipated, forever trapped in the blocks that acted as its seal. Izanagi-san left shortly after that, yet his actions have never been forgotten by those that remembered him. Manda became our patron deity soon after, and Mu began to prosper once again, allowing us to defend ourselves from the ongoing war. And so it has been, until Mu's eventual submergence." The Empress concluded.
"And the seals?" Sara asked "Are they what's-"
"Yes, the palace was built over where the seals currently lay. All knowledge of it has been purged from the history books, in hopes of preventing the entity from ever seeing the light of day again. Only those destined to be Empress are meant to safeguard it. I am the current bearer of such a burden, as have others before me." She sighed bitterly "But now, it seems it's for naught. I never anticipated there would eventually be a member of a tribe that could actually decipher the ancient language set by Kozuki Izanagi, and that she'd be here right now under the control of my very own High Priest!" she then turned to Sara, who's only now realizing the true aspect of what she caused.
"So now do you see? Axor has uncovered something that nearly led Mu to its destruction! If he's found a way to unleash it back to the world, it will take both the surface and Mu and drag it to the depths of hell!"
"I… I never thought- I only wanted to-" Sara stammered.
"I cannot judge what you've wrought, for I know your intentions were innocent, if not misplaced." She then grew stern "But if you have any love for this country, we need to stop this! Now before it's too late!"
"O-Of course! Now that I know the truth it isn't what I wished for!" Sara stated "But, what can we do? We're just two people…"
A slight cough caught their attention as they turned to see the three Straw Hats still sitting on the sidelines.
"Uh… not that we'd like to put ourselves in danger like this, but-"
"Ehehehe, what Usopp is trying to say is that our friends got involved in all this unwillingly…" Nami shivered.
"We'd want to see them clear their name…" Chopper mumbled, the implications are clear enough. Sara shook her head.
"No, my foolish ideals have caused you all enough problems already. You are still being hunted, it's too dangerous for you here. I'll find a way to get you out of this, this is our business now."
But the three soon stood up straight, all hesitation beginning to leave them.
"Sorry Sara, but we're not leaving our nakama behind." Nami stated firmly.
"Luffy, Zoro, Sanji. They've all been captured, Gian and Robin are under the thrall of Axor. We won't just let them end up like that!" Chopper stood his ground as well.
"They've done so much for us all the time, it's time we helped them too." Usopp said, for once his voice is firm with determination, before his teeth began chattering "Even though this is really out of our element…"
"You guys…" Sara gasped. Beside her, the Empress only nodded.
"Know this, even as the Empress, I cannot guarantee your survival should you be a part of this."
"For our friends, we'd risk anything." Nami smiled, a smile that was returned by the Empress.
"Then, I speak on the behalf of Mu, of my predecessor, and of those to come, your bravery will be honored by us today and henceforth."
Sara also bowed "I will make up for my misdeeds, please accept me as your aide."
"Ok! Then we need a plan!" and the group immediately began to brainstorm their next plan of action; they've only a limited amount of time, but it was time to retake a kingdom.
Meanwhile:
As the ziggurat that is the palace loomed in the darkness, inside much activity is going on. The active war council making plans of attack, to the soldiers waiting to be deployed. But even deeper within a chamber hidden from all, a dark ritual was taking place.
Robin sat, her eyes blank as she mouthed the incantations written on 3 sets of stone blocks, the words which began to glow dark purple. Beside her, Gian stood with his weapon at his side, eyes similarly without identity.
Axor looked on with a grim composure; he takes no pleasure in any of this, only the thought of restoring Mu's power in his mind driving him on. He's sacrificed too much to turn back now, and he will see this till the end.
"From this moment onward, Mu will once again be remembered by the world." He uttered as a bright green flame began to flicker at the center of the 3 blocks placed in a triangular formation.
"For better, or for worse."
A/N: Ok, I've been gone for a while, I really don't have much of an excuse for that. But so much has been going on! All the trailers at Comic-con to news about Smash Bros, maybe my focus has shifted for a bit.
G: BUT WHAT ABOUT MEEEEE?!
You're doing fine, see? You're healthy!
G: I'm nothing but letters on a page!
THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE, DUMBASS
Anyway… this chapter also has been quite difficult. I originally planned for just Nami and Sara's fight, plus the revelation alongside of the rescue mission that will now be coming next chapter all to be in one chapter. But as I got to the halfway point, I soon realized what I planned for the big reveal of Axor's plan and the truth behind it soon took up way too much of the chapter. Thus, the arc just got lengthened again. Overall I don't have much to say here, the story ended up being a bit of history and what they'll do from this point.
Rest assured though, I'm going to work more on it now. The new Godzilla movie trailer dropped a couple of weeks ago and I'm hella hyped for it, considering 3 of our Kaiju-Zoan users just got their monsters featured!
G: EY WE FAMOUS
R: I have to say I'm rather excited!
GI: I LOOK BADASS AF!
Yup, 2019 can't come soon enough! But it gave me a quick morale boost and made me overcome some writers block. I'm also returning to my studies come September after a year off, and now I'm planning to put all that work ethic to good use! After all, we still have some of this arc left and I really want to make to at least the beginning of Water 7 before the New Year!
Along with that, it seems that the general consensus is that I should start making a guide for this story. Well, that will definitely be coming along with some of it being put up by the end of this Arc. It'll be updated every 5 chapters or so afterwards, at least that's the plan. I'll keep you all posted on that!
Other than that, thank you all for the continued support and I'll see you next time!
Responses to reviews:
To AnimeAverageJoe:
G: Look at us, here to brighten people's days!
Yeah, we got a lot to live up to huh? Don't worry, the action's just about to happen.
To Kristopher B:
G: my current state of mind is… less than adequate enough to make references.
You're just weak: P
G: eat my ass.
To C.S Skywalker:
G: You think you got it bad? KP here has rewatched the Venom trailer 3 times, the Aquaman trailer 5 times, the Shazam! Trailer 6 times, and the new Godzilla movie trailer 10 times. That's all he's doing.
Shut up, it's more important than you.
Anyway, thanks for the feedback. The line breaks were getting to be a bit over the top hasn't it? I'll try to tone it down from now on.
To Vergil Leonidas:
Gi: I would not mind an opponent at all
G: You've hardly been developed.
I'll admit, Gilgamesh was a partial influence for Gideon, so that's probably why. But don't you worry, there will be female Kaiju-Zoan users later in the story. It's a bit harder to do since most of the Kaiju in the Godzilla movies are given male personalities, but I plan to make some at least. I can tell you now that they'll play a rather important role in the story as it goes on as opposed to being a one off thing.
To Matt:
G: WELL HERE IT IS YA MOG
Gian don't be rude. I got a bit busy and haven't updated as much, not everyone is. But I got plans for Mechagodzilla already, and Franky won't be involved. There will be something for Gian though that he'll make.
To Animelord127:
I'm still trying to make sense of that trilogy in general to put anything for it in. I do have an awakened form in the works but it won't be that unfortunately.
To LucasMVP:
G: As are you!
You really are.
To nope:
G: Up yours then.
I… I ain't even going near that.
Gi: honestly though, no what? No new friends? No role models? No pomegranates?
G: One of them is not like the others
To JayH120:
Hopefully I did something for her. I'm not really the best at writing fight scenes for Nami so hopefully this is ok.
G: I think she did fine.
That or it just ended at a good time.
To Story Artist:
Honestly, that's not a bad idea.
G: We don't even know what the guy's doing right now.
We'll get there.
To Khaled5 Alwan:
It's here now!
G: At long last!
To JJsanoguel98:
Ebirah is not a kaiju unfortunately, it's just a large animal that Gian had to fight then. Throughout the story there will be some monsters that I deem don't have much to offer as Kaiju identities will be given the roles of just large animals they encounter. Megagirus was a similar case, though she's more involved with Kaiju lore.
To Karsap:
It's as big as a battleship.
G: He means whether or not it'll be in the story.
At this point? I have no idea where to put it in.
And that's all for now! We'll see you next time.
Leave a review or Gian gets fired from the new Godzilla movie!
G: I'M NOT IN IT IN THE FIRST PLACE, ONLY MY INSPIRATION IS