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)
"Gian! Please! You have to wake up!" Chopper cried as he ducked under another flaming blade "We're your friends! Don't you remember us?"
The only response the doctor got was another swift punch that he had to avoid. Gian's eyes were completely blank, his eyes devoid of pupils due to his mind control. Axor gave him every command he had to do, a fact that he relished.
"Quite sweet irony isn't it?" The High Priest sneered "Being the target from someone you consider so close to you."
"You're sick!" Nami shouted as she tried to divert the Kaiju-Zoan user's attention, only to be met with equally vicious attacks "You can't face us on your own so you hide behind people you've warped against their will?!"
"The power of the mind has always been the key in deciding victory, as it's always been." Axor dismissed "Just as my mind allowed me to plan all this." As he said so, the mind controlled Gian charged again, this time his blade ignited with the familiar blue fire Nami and Chopper had seen so many times. Never would they have expected to one day be on the receiving end of such attacks, and they were vicious indeed.
Chopper ducked once again, his pink hat slightly singed as the heavy glaive threatened to behead him. Under Axor's control, Gian's actions were as precise as it would be had he been in his own mindset. Axor smiled at this development, the Dorei Dorei no Mi's powers are something even he had only a small amount of opportunities to experiment. From the few opportunities he could he can tell that those under his thrall are capable of doing every action they would be able normally. The only exception is that, under the spell, those he possess become relentless, never tiring and will carry out the commands he give no matter what even to the point of their own bodies' destruction. All in all, it was a great way to carry out plans that involved a bit of blood.
All this forced the 3 defenders completely on the defensive as Gian's hazed mind only knew one thing: Attack with every inch of his strength. The strikes of his blade became so ferocious that the Zenith Metal structures within the palace were beginning to show dents as he swung his Guandao in a crescent, narrowly avoiding his former allies.
"How do we break him out of it?" Nami grunted as Sara was kicked to the floor once Gian closed in on her "We can't just keep fighting like this!"
"I… I've only seen Axor dispel the mind control when he wants to… I'm sorry Nami-san but even I don't know how to snap him out of his haze." The priestess panted from the ground. That last kick she was sure had shattered a few ribs.
Nami and Chopper only gulped as they braced themselves once again as Gian charged, his weapon sending up a shower of sparks as he ripped it across the ground in an upward slash.
"Such power…" Axor marveled "To think the surface is able to produce something like him! With such ancient power embedded within him as well…!" Every bit of Gian, though controlled, were just as he was normally. The minuscule amount of damage he received healed in no time, not that Nami and Chopper wanted to do him any harm to begin with.
The two Straw Hats are panting with exertion, whatever blows they threw were not serious, seeking only to stun and momentarily incapacitate their nakama as to find a way to break him out of his state. For the entirety of the skirmish, Nami and Chopper have been on the defensive, a fact that Axor picked up almost immediately and sent his puppet going all out against them.
"Such a pitiful display." Axor sniffed as he witnessed the state of affairs beneath him "To think they can play a hand in Mu's destiny? Those on the surface are far too arrogant for their own good."
"Axor… just how far are you planning on letting this go?" Mulines panted, spears lined up around her as the mind controlled soldiers held her hostage "You must've known what the sealed entity could bring to Mu! Are you that willing to forsaken your own kingdom?"
Axor glared at the Empress "You still don't see the bigger picture." He wave his arm around slowly "You've seen the texts, you know of the tales passed down by our ancestors. Mu was not meant to be hidden in the depths, it's to lead all of civilization as an example of a perfect society!"
"There will be fire in the process of getting there, there will be blood." Axor closed his eyes at that "And, inevitably, there will be sacrifices. But from the ashes of our endeavors, those who endure will be welcomed by a kingdom that will rule over all!"
"This is war we're talking about Axor!" Mulines shouted "Your own ambitions have led our own people into bloodshed that shouldn't have happened!"
"It's a war that will allow Mu to claim her destiny!" Axor shot back "This is where I will lead our people to their future!" he decided he's wasted enough time with the Empress; it was time to get rid of these pests.
"Now puppet, eliminate those three."
The order took place in Gian almost immediately, as his eyes narrowed and he charged once again. Chopper hastily changed into Heavy Point in order to even hope he could match up to his crewmate in terms of raw strength.
"Sorry, Gian…" he reared his fist back "But we need you to wake up!" the Kaiju-Zoan user said nothing as his own fist was cocked back, atomic energy ignited in his preparation to attack.
"HEAVY GONG!"
The two punches collided and pushed against one another, before Chopper yelled in pain as he was knocked back, slamming into the palace walls hard.
"Gian… he's so powerful! Even Heavy Point's strength is overpowered by the strength his Devil Fruit passively gives him…" the reindeer wheezed as he tried to get up, warily noting his friend had already leapt into the air, glaive raised. He hastily rolled of the way just as the blade slammed down where he was a second ago, narrowly escaping being bisected.
"Gian, stop it!" a few bolts of electricity pricked his skin as Gian turned around to see Nami fire a few lightning bolts at him "We're your friends! Snap out of it!"
"It's useless." Axor dismissed from atop the throne "Those under my control only obey my command, their minds have been programmed to only serve me!"
Nami barely registered that before the Kaiju-Zoan user appeared in front of her and knocked her back with a hard backhand.
"Hmm, on that note, I just realized how this power of mine is able to further help my ambitions." Axor smirked under his mask before turning back to the restrained Empress "To think I needed you dead for this plan to succeed, but ultimately it can be even better now that you're alive…" Muline's eyes widened as she realized the implications of what's to come.
Axor's staff began to glow white, a sign of his Slave Rays powering up. Down below Sara gasped and attempted to intercept the mind-controlling light, but found herself being blocked by a few spears. Nami was struggling to get up, while Chopper yelled in pain as Gian grappled with him, forcing him back towards the wall.
"This is bad… In terms of strength the way I am right now Gian is simply too strong! If this keeps up, I might have to…" Chopper thought desperately. While it's true he's only one Rumble Ball away from potentially changing the tides of this battle, that form is far too destructive. He's only entered it once, and from what was told to him the end results were catastrophic. It's simply a risk he can't take; in such a small space and with so many people, he could seriously hurt his friends, or worse. This thought remained with Chopper, even as Gian's arm was pressing him harder and harder into the wall.
"In many ways, you were a good Empress Mulines, and you can still be that. I know we're past the time for talking, so consider this an invitation to the new Mu Empire as its de facto ruler." The Empress only glared defiantly, angry tears beginning to stream down her face as the staff began to glow brighter, and soon her mind would once again be under the chains of her high priest.
That is, until the entire palace was rocked by a violent tremor. Seconds later, the throne room was alit with red warning lights signaling an impending danger. All stopped whatever they were doing, if only briefly.
"What-?" Axor frowned under his mask "What is going on?"
No sooner did he say this did the holographic screen within the palace lit up and a Mu technician's worried face lit up.
"High Priest-sama! It's… It's unbelievable!"
"What?! Spit it out, what just happened?!"
"Parts of the kingdom… Parts of the kingdom was just bombarded by enemy fire!"
"…BY WHAT?!"
Meanwhile:
"I still can't believe any of this…" Douglas Gordon murmured as the Gotengo cut through the air. During their descent they've met more and more enemy crafts, indicating Gideon's hunch may have been correct after all. The Gotengo scrapped them all and left them to the water, but nothing could prepare the crew for what they've witnessed now. Even the normally gruff captain can't contain his awe, after all what they encountered here is was something none of them knew existed just mere hours ago.
"Well, to think even at a depth like this life is capable of carrying on…" Commodore Horace noted "I feel it's safe to say this is where the enemy originated?"
To be fair, they did find the hidden Kingdom partially due to chance. The field that kept the elements from reaching Mu was only hardly picked up by the sensors of the ship, but such a spike in the energy levels invoked them to go and investigate. Never would they expect that an entire lost continent was just situated within depths unreachable by most vessels.
Gideon smirked from the command chair "If they won't show up, those warning shots should be enough to force them from their holes." It was just like him to announce his arrival by launching an entire volley of missiles towards the center of the energy signatures. He was aware of any collateral damage he could've done, but there wasn't much time to consider, and his mission was to eliminate the threat anyway.
"Kazama, status report!" the golden Vice-Admiral requested.
"We've ran the atmospheric tests. Aside from its location, this place has all the properties of the surface. The air has the same quality, we'll be able to breathe if we exit the Gotengo."
Gideon pondered the implications, no doubt in his mind that this is the so-called Mu they've heard about. He expected something big, but he wasn't expecting this. It was a society where people lived for who knows how long all hidden from the eyes of those above them.
"What else do we know?" Gideon asked.
Ozaki looked up "Our scanners show that, in addition to that artificial sun they use, the main source of energy seemed to be about 3 hours east from our current location. In addition to that, there's a steady increase of energy signatures in that same direction. Gideon grinned at that.
"Then that must be where their military is based in." a spark of light shot from his fingertips "How about we go show them the surface isn't something to be messed with?"
The Gotengo's engines roared with renewed life as it continued to speed towards the city…
Back at the palace:
"High Priest-sama!" the operator shouted once again "What do we do?"
"I-Impossible… there's no way…" Axor was shocked "How can a vessel from the surface even reach the depths where we reside?!" looking at the footage of the Gotengo now cruising at high speeds towards the city, he was still caught in disbelief.
Away from him, Mulines was in a similar state of surprise. Mu has sent hundreds of scouting vessels to the surface to monitor and report, but this strange craft was never once mentioned. If the surface had technology this advanced, then what else could they be hiding?
"Nami-san… do you know anything about that?" Sara whimpered. The general atmosphere of the room is now in full panic, save for those who were mind-controlled and could not show their emotions.
Nami shook her head no "This is the first time I've even seen that ship. All I can tell is that it has the Marine insignia on its hull so it belongs to the World Government, but most Marine ships are not capable of diving under the sea, nor are they shaped like that to begin with!"
"Axor, this is what you've brought!" Mulines shouted in panic "The surface have measures to defend themselves, and you've just incurred their retribution!"
"So they've been keeping secrets… secrets that could destroy us…" Axor muttered, before regaining his dismissive air "But it matters little! Once the ritual is complete, the Dark Power of Mu will be stronger than any ship!"
"How can you still be so submerged in your tainted ambition?!" Mulines snarled "Your own Kingdom is under attack! We have an enemy craft bearing down on us and will arrive within hours!"
"The ritual will be completed in less time than that. And once what's hidden within is unleashed, I will subjugate the surface to ensure no such technology will be used against us again! If anything, this is even more reason to cleanse the surface by force."
Mulines closed her eyes "And during that time… how many lives will be lost?! Mu's military have been dispersed by you! We have little to defend the city!"
"ENOUGH!" Axor thundered "The sooner I'm finished here, the sooner I can deal with that other problem!" he waved his staff once more, and the previously still Gian woke from his stasis along with every other mind-controlled warrior.
"My puppets, dispose of everyone in this room!"
The soldiers formed a ring around the trio down below, while Gian stepped forwards, an azure colored flame surrounding his body. The three gulped as they braced themselves.
Further away, the Empress truly realized how despondent her High Priest truly was now. It's clear there can be no more reasoning with him and his supposed vision. The Empress sighed sadly, even as the ruler of this kingdom, in its greatest hour of need she could do nothing.
Traditionally, The Empress is represented as a figure revered by all and looked as a goddess to her people, gaining the favor of even Lord Manda. This is what she's been told since they've chosen her, what they've been telling her even as they groomed her. When the time has come a ritual is held where she, like many other young maidens before her, must leap into the swirling pool that heralds the entrance to Manda's domain and retrieve a pearl at the bottom of the mass of water. Should she survive, it's a sign that Manda himself shares his holy breath, and the young woman will then be crowned as the next Empress to watch over the Kindom, as it has been since their days of creation.
She was elated when the great dragon not only recognized her, but carried her back to the ritual grounds with her prize.
It may have meant something, but she knows now that she has no real power.
The Empress is a holy symbol, but they wield no weapons and are unversed in the art of alchemy that their priests and priestesses have. In the face of such a threat, there was little she could do.
Mulines gritted her teeth at that. Today, that was about to change.
It is time for the Empress to stop sitting around, it is time for the Empress to protect her people.
"I won't let you sacrifice the people of this kingdoms for your ambition!"
Axor's focus were elsewhere, he didn't even see the ceremonial dagger she slipped from her robes nor did he have time to retaliate. Using all her remaining strength, she leapt on his back, knocking them both over with a cry. Axor's next feelings were that of a white hot knife burying itself into his shoulder blade; in her haste the Empress never had the chance to aim, but that wasn't the goal to begin with.
Instead, during that time of confusion, Mulines staggered over to her throne and with one act of defiance slammed her palm into the side of it. Even as Axor shouted out in anger, a blink of blue light signified the activation of the very thing she came to do: Mu's continental wide broadcasting system, to which she shouted out her words loud and clear.
"CITIZENS OF MU, YOUR EMPRESS IS NOT DEAD!"
While all this is happening:
"GRRAAAARGH!" Luffy bellowed as he ran up Manda's coils, fists cocked back as the sea dragon attempted to dislodge him "Gomu Gomu no… Gatling!"
Rapid fire punches peppered the great beast's scaly hide, all in all serving nothing more than pissing Manda off even further. The dragon thrashed around; mind-controlled or not, his basic instincts were still intact and there's nothing more he'd like to do than to dislodge and crush this nuisance. Luffy soon found himself flailing as the dragon's bucking finally made him lose his footing. He fell with a thud before scrambling to get back up.
Manda was on him in a second, rearing his head back in an attempt to crunch down on him. The rubber captain narrowly avoided his legs getting bitten as he ran around the dragon, hoping to get another chance to attack. The serpentine head followed his every step however, and soon Luffy had to jump in order to avoid another lunge.
"Damn… that dragon's scales are too tough for my punches…" Luffy grumbled as he saw that Manda had recovered from his charge and was now shaking his head with irritation.
"In that case, try this on for size! Gomu Gomu no… Bazooka!"
The two palms slammed into Manda's slender body, the blow hard enough to slightly make the dragon flinch. But once again, no lasting damage could be done, and Luffy had to roll away to narrowly avoid a swipe of the dragon's claws.
"Blast! Even that didn't do anything…"
Around him, the soldiers have backed away, though still in sight with their weapons drawn. Their deity would need all the space he could get to punish this criminal, though if he does try to escape, he'll only find Zenith Metal waiting for him. Luffy gulped, still defiant but racking his simple mind in order to think of a plan quick.
"Gaaah! If only I had something big enough to make him actually feel my attacks!" Luffy growled in irritation. How he wishes he's able to grow to the size of Gian right about now, that would surely dent the sea dragon he's facing. Not that he didn't appreciate his own Devil Fruit Powers; he had plenty to be grateful of but considering now's the time when he needed to strike down a hundred meter long dragon he simply wishes he could hit harder.
He didn't have much more time to think, as Manda barreled towards him once again. Hastily he rolled away, causing the sea dragon to crash into one of the massive pillars surrounding the path leading to Manda's Domain. The structure toppled over instantly, some even collapsing onto the great dragon, the soldiers around it scrambling to avoid the falling debris. Luffy however, did not pay attention to that and rather at the dragon scrambling to free himself of the fallen structure, in his head a simple plan was weaving into place.
"Ah!" he smacked his palm with his fist "I think I got a way to beat that dragon now!"
Manda shook his head in irritation as he dislodged the last piece of debris from his body, only to be met with another elastic punch to the face. He narrowed his eyes at the rubber human, who seemed to be shouting at him.
"Hey!" Luffy hollered "Come catch me you big dumb idiot!"
It was enough to get a reaction out of the sea dragon, who promptly roared and charged, dragging his elongated body intending to crush the boy. Luffy smirked, before stretching his arms out to a nearby pillar, avoiding the hit and causing the beast to instead ram head first into the pillar he was standing in front of just moments ago. This only enraged the dragon further as he lunged again, only for Luffy to repeat the action and swing to another pillar instead.
All the while, the falling debris' weight were slowly but surely pinning him down. The weight steadily increased, making the dragon's movements slower and before he knew it, Manda was pinned down, unable to move save for swinging his head around in an attempt to bite the rubber boy. Luffy grinned, the plan had worked, and he can actually win this now!
"Sorry big guy, but this'll sting a bit!" Luffy's kick went skywards as his leg stretched out "Gomu Gomu no… ONO!"
The ax kick slammed into the dragon's head hard, enough to actually cause Manda to slam into the ground! A web of cracks appeared at the impact point, and once the dust settled, Manda only let out a low groan.
"L-Lord Manda..?"
"H-How can this be?" another soldier stammered
To the horror of the soldiers around them, the dragon did not raise his head. The shock of the scene was evident; a person from the surface – a person no older than a teenager for that matter, just brought down their guardian.
"Ahhh that should be enough!" Luffy grinned as he turned away, about to rejoin his nakama at the palace.
However he soon found that his efforts weren't enough, for the debris behind him erupted as Manda's eyes snapped open and he heaved his serpentine body upwards, dislodging all the fallen pillars and charged again. This time, Luffy wasn't able to dodge quickly enough, and he soon found himself pinned under a claw.
"AAARRRGGGGHHHH!" the captain shouted in frustration as he tried to free himself. He once again reminded himself of how helpful his rubber body has been sometimes. Even with the force of a massive dragon's claws pressing down upon him could not injure him, or at least couldn't do anything worthwhile. Still, this does not change the fact that he's now trapped.
"Damn it! Get off of me!" Luffy struggled, but to no avail. Around him, the soldiers seemed to have regained their composure, and now sneered at the downed captain.
"And he thought he could stand up to a God? Hah!"
"Know your place, surface dwelling scum!"
"This is the might of Mu!"
Luffy continued to struggle, but the serpent's weight was too great. He watched warily as Manda's jaws widened, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth ready to snap down!
"You're really going to do this?" Luffy growled "You're the guardian of a kingdom… yet your mind isn't your own?"
Manda only roared and prepared to lunge, ready to bite the human's body to pieces.
"I'M GOING TO KNOCK SOME SENSE INTO YOU!"
And then the unexpected happened, even Luffy himself didn't know what he just did. Manda's strike ceased mere inches away from him, but it was within his body did he feel something… off.
It was like something buried, something packed together being released in one massive wave. He couldn't explain it, but it felt… powerful, like the ocean surging forth in a tsunami of energy from within his body.
Whatever it was, it caused Manda to back off. Luffy even blinked in confusion as the dragon took his foot off of his body before looking at him wearily. This was unexpected, he didn't expect to the fight to end like this.
Even odder was what happened around him.
The soldiers were speechless, all can't even comprehend the display. It was only later did some of them realize their group had begun dropping one by one. The average foot soldier soon slumped over, completely unconscious; only the more heavily armored Fangs of Manda members still stood, though their shock only tripled.
"What… Just what are you?"
"Huh? What did I do?" Luffy quipped.
It would be much later when he finally realized what he could truly accomplish, but in the moment Luffy's mind was too preoccupied. The soldiers around him were hesitant to raise arms against him, and those who did had far too much hesitation in their eyes.
"Now if we're done here, I need to get to the palace." No one stood in his way, but Manda only leaned down further.
"What? What do you want dragon? Do you want another beating?" Luffy snapped.
Manda kept his gaze, for unbeknownst to the captain, he had just cleared the dragon of his haze. The beast's mind was still blank for the most part, and even he didn't understand why his foot was on top of a human when he did finally think again.
"Alright, whatever. I'm going to help my friends."
"Human… must hurry…" Luffy's eyes snapped open at that.
"HUH?!" his eyes widened "WHO SAID THAT?!"
He looked around, but the voice didn't come back. He then saw the dragon's head swaying, pointing in the direction of the palace. He doesn't know why, but he had to feeling he needed to get there quickly. Luffy nodded, understanding what he has to do. And it was in good timing too, because that was when he heard the broadcast.
Meanwhile:
Sparks flew as Zoro ducked under Tal'Shir's long blade, the massive sword actually cutting a few inches into the pillar he was backed against and cut cleanly through it like a knife through hot butter. It was truly a wonder how high of a temperature Zenith Metal can disperse, because Tal'Shir's own armor was steaming as he swung the sword around once more.
Meanwhile, Sanji was in just as tight of a spot. Wuhelm may not be wearing any form of armor, but his own physical prowess was just as ruthless. Every move was matched by an equally powerful retaliation, and with the guard own high body temperature, Sanji had to choose his strikes carefully.
Further away, Usopp and Kubo were also trading fire. The boy no longer seeing the sniper as a friend, each shot of his Zenith Metal composite bow carefully strung to pierce vitals. Usopp miraculously never got hit, but his own retaliations were sparse and easily avoided, knowing that the boy was too invested in his emotions to listen to him.
Back with Zoro, he and Tal'Shir were locked in a power struggle; the dueling blades each sending sparks flying. Zoro had to admit, for a rather lack of finesse, these Zenith Metal swords were quite durable. The two continued to push against each other, until they broke apart, panting with exhilaration.
"This struggle is pointless, it would be easier if you'd just surrender to us and face judgement." Tal'Shir growled, his sword beginning to glow with heat "It's ridiculous for a swordsman from the surface to even think of standing up to the might of Mu!" his sword then ignited in a red tint of heat.
"Naga: Infernal Spear!"
A swift thrust of the blade, almost too fast for the normal eye to track, streaked towards Zoro. The green haired swordsman hastily raised two of his blades to parry, causing another shower of sparks. The struggle continued before Zoro flipped out of the way and the blade easily embedded itself into the ground.
"Now, I don't think you see how problematic that idea is for me." Zoro grinned before getting into a familiar pose "Santoryu: Ushi Bari!"
Zoro was the one on the offensive now, blades held in the shape of charging ox, each piercing towards Tal'Shir and leaving marks on his armor whenever they hit. Zenith Metal could withstand blows far stronger than most armor, but against a skilled swordsman even that would be cut up eventually. And Tal'Shir knew well enough what Zenith Metal swords can do in the hands of a skilled warrior, and though his foe is a criminal, there's no denying it: Roronoa Zoro is well versed as a swordsman.
"Those stances… I've never seen it before…" Tal'Shir narrowed his eyes; it was quite a sight, a swordsman wielding two swords while clasping the third in his teeth "Are the swordsmen of the surface all keen on brandishing their weapons with such a unique flair?"
Zoro only gave a half smile.
"Santoryu is a style I've invented myself" His smiled dropped; the history behind how it came to be wasn't due to a desire to stand out amongst other wielder of the sword "It isn't something you will find amongst the surface."
"I will admit that it is impressive, it appears that the surface is capable of surprising me after all." A gust of wind suddenly billowed as Tal'Shir swung his sword in an arc.
"But do not believe that I, as the Captain of the Fangs of Manda will be intimidated by someone who wields more than one sword! Naga: Daitoppa!"
A single slam of his blade caused a massive slicing gale to cut towards Zoro, the ground itself being carved up in the process.
"Do not, for any one moment, think that this is as simple as wielding 3 swords…" The green haired swordsman stood his ground and got into his own stance.
"Santoryu: Hyakuhachi Pound Ho!"
The two blades of air slammed into each other, creating a gust of wind that both swordsmen braved as they charged at each other again. Tal'Shir's blade and armor were both steaming, while Zoro wasn't giving a single inch to his opponent.
"Naga: Black Mamba!"
"Santoryu: Tora Nagashi!"
The dance of blades continued, neither giving a single inch. Around them, the surrounding warriors all looked on in awe! Tal'Shir is the strongest soldier in Mu, to have some surface dweller face him on equal footing, just how strong was Zoro?
For every slash given, another was parried. For every slice dealt, another was countered. The two swordsmen were completely focused in their duel, eyes never leaving the other. Nobody could see it, but at this point, their duel had become more than just a fight for their side.
"Naga: 10000 tonne spear!"
"Gyuki: Yuzume!"
Two heavy piercing attacks slammed into each other in a climatic showdown. Zoro and Tal'Shir gritted against each other, both trying to overpower the other. Finally, in a shower of sparks, the two broke apart, panting with exhilaration.
"I am having surprising trouble with you…" Tal'Shir growled.
"You're one to talk. I thought some brute with a suit of armor is going to be slow, but it's clearly not slowing you down at all." Zoro retorted.
"All this resistance, what for?" Tal'Shir questioned "As a swordsman, it would be the honorable thing and owe up to what you've done."
Zoro looked at him "I take it defending myself isn't going to do much then." He shook his head "I can say that the truth is not what you were led to believe all I want, but I can see that your heart is making the decisions for you at the moment."
"What my heart tells me is none of your business!" Tal'Shir snarled "The fact is that my Empress was harmed when you surface people turned up, and for that I will cast all my judgement upon you!"
"So that's how it is." Zoro grunted "You're letting your feelings make all your judgements. It'll be the death of you some day."
Tal'Shir scowled "What do you know, pirate?! My feelings are for the Empress' vision! For her I will lay down my blade whenever I am needed to!" his bladed hefted upwards once more "That's what it means to be the captain of the Fangs of Manda! To both my God and my Empress, I will be the sword that cuts for their vision! I don't expect a criminal such as yourself to understand!"
Zoro's eyes narrowed when he said that "Is that so? Well, then my own vision is one that I fight for myself! Your blade drawn for your empress, mine for my own dream."
Zoro pointed a sword towards the warrior "Listen here Tal'Shir, until I become the World's Greatest Swordsman, I will not fall to anyone!"
"World's Greatest Swordsman? Is your reason for all this resistance nothing more than granting yourself a title?"
"To you it may seem that way, and I won't convince you otherwise." His grip tightened "But I wield these blades that carries with them the dreams of all those who wishes to get to the top!" Visions of a young blue haired girl, a duel in a grassy field, and a long, emotional conversation filled his mind, his journey wasn't going to be stopped by any undersea kingdom.
"Until I reach that goal, I will never stop fighting! To do so, is to let down all the promises I've made!"
The two glared at each other for a bit more, before Tal'Shir gave a half smile.
"You fight well for a criminal." He stated "It's almost a shame this has to be the outcome, you would've made a good member of the Fangs of Manda."
"Heh, I'll have to pass." Zoro grinned, slowly untying his bandanna from around his arm before tying it up again around his head "I've already pledged myself to some other idiot." Thoughts of a jolly pirate crew along with a straw hat captain passed through his head as he got into one more stance.
"All the more shame to put a good warrior down then." Tal'Shir stated before his blade ignited in flames. Zoro likewise spread his own swords out, and as he did so the observing soldiers were startled to see a shadowy aura of a cloaked demon began to materialize behind him.
"Naga:-"
"Santoryu:-"
The two dashed towards one another, faster than even the eye can track.
"- ENTEI TSUJIGIRI!"
"-ENBIMA YONEZU ONI GIRI!"
And the two slid to a halt after passing each other, before a fountain of blood sprayed from massive slashed across their chest, causing both swordsman to gasp and fall to their knees, though Tal'Shir hit the ground just a fraction sooner. The Captain of the Fangs of Manda bore a cross slash to his chest, while Zoro had another cut that was cauterized by the heat of his foe's zweihander; a cut that was identical to the one Mihawk gave him so long ago…
To say that the soldiers were shocked would be an understatement. To see their famed captain being wounded and fought to a stalemate, it was unthinkable! Neither made the move to arrest the now wounded Zoro, all were too shocked to do anything.
"I… I never would've believed that a swordsman from the surface… could best me… before this moment…!" Tal'Shir panted; Zoro slash had cut cleanly through his Zenith Metal armor, blood seeping from the cracks.
"Now… Give me back my swords…" Zoro gritted.
"It's clear… you are the superior swordsman… but that will change nothing!" Tal'Shir gritted as he tried to get up "We saw into each other's hearts just then, but my kingdom… comes first…! I will stop you criminals… in the name of Mu…!"
"You're just not going to stop are you…?" Zoro hissed "In that case, come at me! I'll gladly… go another 20 rounds with you!"
They tried to stand, before falling back down, neither had the strength to continue anymore.
Not a few moments later did two other fighters land beside the down swordsmen, both also panting and drenched in sweat. Sanji and Wuhelm initially didn't even noticed the two, but they soon found their comrades fallen.
"C-Captain Tal'Shir!"
"Marimo!"
"I…I apologize, Vice-Captain Wuhelm... I faced a rather formidable opponent…" Tal'Shir breathed.
"Geez… You couldn't be any louder? Stupid Cook…" Zoro grumbled with some irritation.
"Oh can it moss head, at least show some gratitude!"
"I disgraced myself… I was bested…" Tal'Shir muttered, Wuhelm put a comforting hand onto his shoulder.
"Rest now, I will make sure justice is delivered."
Wuhelm lifted the injured captain before a few soldiers came to give him medical attention. His eyes were closed, before widening in a glare towards the blond cook.
"Captain Tal'Shir is the strongest warrior of Mu. If your comrade had wounded him, it's clear that I can no longer pull my punches." Steam began to billow from his body as his muscles glowed a dull red; his body heat was now rising exponentially.
"Oi Marimo, stay back for now." Sanji warned as he braced himself.
"As another of Mu's defenders, I will fight in the name of Lord Manda!" Sanji gave a start as he saw that the steam behind him was shaping into the form of a roaring lion. Nothing else needed to be said as the Vice-Captain began his attack at once.
"Roaring Fist!" Sanji hastily flipped out of the way as Wuhelm's fist dug a crater into the ground, a burst of steam erupting in the form of a lion's mane. No sooner after that the Vice-Captain sprang up again, though this time Sanji was ready, flipping around as he delivered a crushing drop kick.
"Concasse!"
He was able to put enough power into his kick as it sent the muscular warrior crashing to the ground, though that did little as Wuhelm recovered almost immediately. Sanji cursed as he was forced to avoid another aerial strike, this time rolling to the side.
"Damn, that didn't even make him flinch?" the cook panted.
"A powerful move, pity it did not work against me." Wuhelm scoffed, rising again as the steam from his body billowed in the shape of a lion's roaring head "I've honed my skills in order to serve my kingdom, a simple kick is nothing."
Sanji growled "Just what are you made of?"
Wuhelm's gaze did not lower "This is the result of many things. I spent years upon grueling years testing my limit, honing my body to the point where I became the strongest Martial Artist of Mu. A simple chef cannot hope to match me."
"Don't get too cocky, this cook's gonna send your shitty boiling ass ten feet into the ground!" Sanji shouted as he dashed forward.
"Collier Shoot!"
The swift kick was blocked however, even as the force behind it carried Wuhelm with it a little. Sanji had to disengage due to the scalding temperature in the Vice-Captain's vicinity, but he was too late to realize that the fighter had seen his intentions. A quick flick of the wrist snatched the cook's shin, intent on burning his leg.
Sanji's eyes widened, too familiar with the outcome of that. With little time, he twisted his body and delivered another sweeping kick to the side of Wuhelm's head, this time sending him careening to the side and loosening his grip, enough for Sanji to escape.
"Not this time, asshole…"
"Seems like you are learning. This may not be so disappointing after all."
The two continued to trade blows, punches being blocked by kicks, legs being parried by a barrage of limbs, the two warriors moved almost too fast to track. Obviously this was shocking to the crowd of soldiers around them. Not only were the Fangs of Manda having problems with a group of pirates, but their two strongest were evenly matched against their seemingly lesser opponents! Nobody would've ever thought such a thing was possible before today!
"It seems we've underestimated the surface dwellers, they are far stronger than they seem." Tal'Shir thought as he observed the fight "But it won't matter, Wuhelm's discipline will be what makes him the superior warrior here. He's trained his ability to increase his body heat much further past the average limit for a normal citizen of Mu, even I haven't reached levels of heat such as that. That cook stands no chance in the long run."
That thought was slowly becoming reality, as the two continue to trade blows Sanji couldn't help but notice that the very air around him was getting hotter. He silently gulped as he saw the bare chested monk's body literally glowing red as even the stone that the ground made up was slowly beginning to melt.
"Shit, I have to end this! Veau Shot!" but that proved to be a mistake. The sweeping kick didn't even manage to get close to his target's body before the heat proved to be so hot that, had he continued his attack, he would've been badly burned. Instead, Sanji was forced to flip back, glaring at the warrior.
"Just what kind of a person are you?!"
Wuhelm snorted as he took a step forward, the very air around him distorted due to heat "This is the difference in strength between us. It's the accumulation through years of understanding my limits, controlling my body heat, and enhancing my body to the extent where the normal point for our body heat increase is no longer my cap. I am now currently rising to 5000% higher than what the rest of the kingdom is capable of!"
"So you've made yourself into a living furnace, I figured that much but shouldn't that be hurting you too?"
"Fool, the burning of my body is nothing in the face of my devotion! I pledged myself to the throne and the Empire, and I will use whatever means to defend it!" Wuhelm's body was near beet red by now, the steam billowed from him in curtains, forming the shape of a lion's head once more.
"This ability is possible due to my Empress! I will go beyond limits to defend her and the kingdom, I will ascend past my shackles to hold up the will of Lord Manda! All my pain, all my endurance, it is all for my Kingdom and Empress. Because of that, I will never fall to a man like you with no conviction! Mu will prevail today!"
"Here it comes! Wuhelm's most powerful attack! I've only seen him use this in a training exercise we held once" Tal'Shir noted "It's what truly cemented Wuhelm as our strongest martial artist. For the surface dwellers to push him to use this, they've really proven themselves."
"But it doesn't matter now! That cook is finished! Vice-Captain, end this fight!"
"Come on, Swirls…" Zoro muttered "Think of something fast…"
The steam was blanketing the ground, surrounding Sanji. The rising heat was becoming more and more uncomfortable. And that's when Wuhelm struck. His arms raised back, the steam took the form of a lion ready to pounce!
"With this last attack, I will show my devotion!" almost too fast to track, the monk bore down on Sanji, his two fists glowing with heat "Infernal Hunt!"
It seemed Sanji was about to be burned into the ground. His eyes were shadowed as his opponent closed the distance between them in a split second.
"Oi…" was all he said "What was that earlier about me lacking conviction?!"
Wuhelm did not expect what the cook was about to do next: Not only did Sanji not dodge, he actually hopped onto a foot and began spinning rapidly!
"What is he thinking?!" Tal'Shir shouted "Does he not see that this next attack will be fatal if it connects?"
"What kind of move is this?" Wuhelm mused as his attack closed in "A suicidal last ditch attempt? It won't work, my attack will burn him to cinders!"
It was this thought that made it so that nobody expected what happened next, as Sanji leapt and swept his leg out, his kick ignited into flames! Wuhelm hardly had any time to react as Sanji shouted out his defiance.
"DIABLE JAMBE:"
"Flambage Shot!"
The flaming kick was powerful, so powerful in fact that it smashed into Wuhelm's chest and struck him with enough force to send him flying into the walls of the palace, actually leaving a dent in the Zenith Metal structure to the shock of everyone around them. Of course, the heat itself also had adverse effects on Sanji, who gasped out and clutched the foot he used to kick. Wuhelm did manage to burn him with that last move, and even if it was a brief moment it still hurt like hell.
Wuhelm staggered up as he recovered glaring at Sanji "That was a bold move… But ultimately-"
"Look again."
Only then did Wuhelm feel that his own skin was being heated, a thought that initially perplexed him. He's trained himself not to feel the stress of increasing his body heat to such an exponential amount, so what could… no…
"H-How?! My body is on fire?!" it was then that he noticed the flames flickering off of his body. Worse still, the heat was steadily rising. If this continued then-!
"You told me yourself, you've trained your body to increase your own body heat much higher than the average citizen of Mu." Sanji stated "But what happens when that heat is increased even beyond the limit you are capable of?"
"Y-you- Were you saving that last trick for this whole time?" his vision was becoming distorted, Wuhelm has never felt that much heat before. Even if his body could handle the heat's damage, what it's doing to his mind was another story altogether.
"To be honest, it's something I've only developed in my spare time. Even I'm not sure what I can do with it yet." The cook admitted "But it's as you said, in the face of your devotion, you would use whatever it takes to defend it. Right now Nami-san and the others are in there to reveal what really happened yesterday. While they do that, I'm going to do whatever I can to protect them from you."
"W-What tricks are they planning…?"
"Don't worry, you'll understand everything once it's revealed."
Wuhelm only gasped; heat exhaustion was setting in, and his vision becoming blurry.
"It seems… that I've made a miscalculation… Black Leg Sanji…"
Then he fainted, to the horror of a group of soldiers as they immediately rushed forwards to put out the flames still flickering on his body. Sanji watched them for a second, before falling to his knees, exhausted. That last technique was a fighting style he's only briefly experimented with a few times; the Diable Jambe creates enough friction in his leg to set it ablaze in addition to increasing his already powerful kicks, but comes at the cost of potentially hurting him if he continued to use it for long. He was just glad that gamble paid off.
"J-Just who are you people…?" Tal'Shir stammered as he witnessed his Vice-Captain's defeat. They were wrong about the surface, it wasn't weak, but full of hidden powers like the two before him right now.
"If they're this powerful, then Kubo-kun… no! I can't allow something to happen to him!"
A yelp sounded, and all turned to see a rather unexpected sight:
"OH MY GOD! ARE THOSE FIRE ARROWS?!"
None other Usopp came running out from the buildings, a rain of arrows descending behind him. They lit into flames the moment they impacted with a surface, and leaping from rooftop to rooftop was none other than the young archer.
Usopp turned around and fired a smoke bomb, but the boy wasn't obscured at all. Reaching for another arrow, he aimed for a very specific target. The moment the arrow left it's notch, it snapped out a spinning bola that found itself tying around Usopp's legs. The sniper fell with a heavy thud and a yell. Before he could get up, Kubo was already standing over him, another arrow notched and ready to pierce his body should he make one wrong move.
"Usopp!" Zoro and Sanji gasped
"I've… got him…!" Kubo gasped with some surprise "I've-" he then looked up to see what the result of the battle back here is.
"C-Captain Tal'Shir, Vice-Captain Wuhelm!" He screamed "I-Impossible!"
"Kid, step away from Usopp!" Zoro warned.
"Y-You fiends! There's no way you could've bested them!
"Look kid, you don't know everything that's happening here!" Sanji snapped "Let our friend go so we might be able to stop all this together!"
"I-I won't listen to you! I saw what your lackey did to our Empress! What you're really planning!"
"Look, there's a lot that you've been left out of the loop for; all of you have been!" Zoro exclaimed again.
"Kubo-kun…! Don't fall for their lies!" Tal'Shir shouted "Exact Judgement upon that sniper, as a member of the Fangs of Manda!"
"K-Kubo-kun…" Kubo looked down to see Usopp looking back inspite of his restraints "I know what I say now won't make you believe me… But look into your heart. You want to prove yourself as a member of the Fangs of Manda… to protect the kingdom justly and fairly. If you think that by killing me will bring you closer to that…" In reality, the sniper is almost soiling himself, but he has to hope that the group inside the palace has managed to succeed by now.
"I won't listen to any more! I will avenge my Empress, starting from-!" And Kubo was indeed about to fire the arrow into Usopp's heart, if not for a bright glow and the image of the Empress materializing in front of everybody.
"That's the throne room's broadcast system…!" Kubo whispered.
"And… that's Empress Mulines…" a soldier shouted out.
"But how… We saw her death! That surface dweller killed her!" there was now widespread murmurs and whispers of confusion.
"YOU!" Tal'Shir snarled, believing the worst "Do you think us as fools? Putting up an illusion to further your agenda? Are you-?"
"Tal'Shir, you know your Empress better than anyone else." Zoro stated fearlessly "Even if we did kill her, why would we, a group of pirates that knew jack all about this kingdom until 2 days ago, waste this much effort in putting up such an elaborate doppelganger?"
Tal'Shir couldn't answer that, and whatever other doubt in his head soon vanished when the content of the broadcast was announced.
The shift in the faces of the soldiers were remarkable. Disbelief was the common theme, but as the message went on their expression shifted from surprise, to shock, to horror at what was revealed. They finally knew the true extent of the plans one of their own held for the kingdom, one that they all thought they could've trusted. As the details of everything had been revealed, their horror slowly morphed into rage.
"Captain Tal'Shir…" one of the soldiers came forwards "That really was the Empress. I don't know how or why, but there's no mistaking it. That's Empress Mulines on the broadcast!"
The atmosphere changed almost immediately. Soldiers who were tense and on the offensive were now on the verge of tears as they saw that their beloved Empress was indeed alive.
"The Empress… I'm so happy!" Kubo wept graciously.
Tal'Shir was solemn, his eyes shadowed by his helmet.
"…Did any of you know about this?" he directed this to the three Straw Hats.
"Ask, Usopp, we only just found out when we were about to be fed to a dragon." Zoro shrugged.
"Ehehe… this isn't a good time to brag, but I was the one that pulled her out of the river…" Usopp gulped sheepishly.
"Whatever the case, you need to let us pass. Our friends may be in there, but who knows what they're running into right now?" Sanji said.
"No… We're not letting you pass."
Tal'Shir glared at them, and his eyes were full of fire.
"We're going to storm the throne and KILL THAT TRAITOR OURSELVES!"
Zoro grinned "Could've done that without all that dancing from earlier, but I'll take it."
"U-Usopp-san!" Kubo gasped as he fumbled to undo the restraints of the sniper "I-I'm so sorry! I was-"
"It's ok, Kubo-kun. Had we been in the same position we would've done the same…"
"It's a shame Wuhelm is out of commission for the time being." Tal'Shir stated "He would've loved to be the first to get his hands on that wretch."
"In our defense, we were trying to protect ourselves." Sanji said.
Tal'Shir nodded "Indeed, there have been some past mistakes on our part. The time to make amends will come soon, right now we have a common enemy. I'll see to our mistakes only after I skewer that serpent."
Zoro smiled "You'll have to get in line."
"Captain Tal'Shir, the door is bolted shut." A soldier reported "It seems that it was put in place to prevent access to the throne room during the ritual, though Priestess Sara had managed to unlock it briefly before."
Tal'Shir turned to the soldiers before bellowing out a command "Break down that door! And rescue the Empress!"
With a roar of agreement, the soldiers began to ram against the heavy palace doors. As a battering ram was brought in to help, Tal'Shir's fist tightened around his massive blade, angry at how easily he had been deceived. He couldn't wait to storm in and bisect that cursed High Priest. Axor may have had them all fooled, but soon he'll find that the entire kingdom's rage will be crashing against him in a wave of retribution.
And it seems that it's not only them who've been awoken to this fact, for on the third hit of the battering ram, the entire palace quaked. Those who were paying attention could feel an aura of overwhelming power beginning to form, but only after the descent of a dominating sound:
"SKREEEEEEOOOOOONNNNNNKKKK!"
A/N: Oh… hey everyone… It's certainly been some time now, hasn't it?
G: …
…
G: ….
… I can explain.
G: YOU ALMOST LEFT ME BEHINDDDD-
No! I won't do that! It's just that I've been spending the last 2 months adjusting to my new school, and really like any post-secondary institution there's exams and projects. This year especially I'm no longer living with my parents so I also have to make plans for myself and have everyday life handled… I've still worked on this whenever I have time though!
G: Ugh, fine! I guess I need you alive.
So yeah, this chapter's a bit late. There's a few reveals that came later that I kind of teased here instead of where they'll be later on, it may not be the best decision I've made but I wanted to show a bit more development for later. I know everyone just want this arc to end already, and frankly so do I. Don't worry though, with this chapter complete the Sunken Kingdom Arc only has 2 chapters remaining! And the one after this will be starring our blessed Anti-hero once again!
G: That's me!
…That's what you call yourself?
G: Since about 2 hours ago, yeah.
Eh, I guess it works. So please sit tight and wait for the next chapter! I'm sure it won't take two months to complete this time! With that, thank you all for the continued support!
Responses to Reviews, and hoo, we have a lot:
To coduss:
Right now, the only movies for sure planned are Strong World and Film: Z. I will be mentioning some of the other ones though!
G: Wait, there's a plant.
There will be an even bigger plant than that later.
G: Why do I get the feeling you're alluding to something?
To SqueegeeWing:
Marineford, without getting into much, will have much more mayhem to it in this account.
G: And who's Franky? Why do I keep hearing about him?
The time is coming, trust me you'll love him.
To 64VanSull:
The real monster here is the one that needs blood.
G: That's a shitty riddle.
It is, but I mean it's pretty obvious who the opponent will be by now.
To Karsap:
G: Boy, there sure are a lot of shit in the Toho Universe for you to use…
Yeah, even I haven't even gone through all of them yet.
To Matt:
Kuzan is still going to show up, it's just that the bulk of the arc will be skipped for the sake of development. Also I just dislike that arc in general, so I'm only going to summarize it in a later chapter.
To Escanor:
G: That's a lot of information.
I might not even get around to all that, but it seems nice I think.
To Chance Green G King:
G: Bless up for music options!
I've never even seen Kamen Rider before (Shocker, I know) but I'll see!
To Klimlis:
G: Well I define physics and I am literally God.
No you're not…
Well, at least you've seen how much we've progressed since then I guess.
To Kristopher b:
We'll have more Robin and Gian moments in the coming chapters, and they'll have some pretty amusing times.
G: Great, now even I have one more woman than you do.
…You didn't have to bring that up
To Darkmaster10000000:
G: Damn, that's a lot of zeros.
I'm glad you caught up! Hope you stick around!
To Jrocker105:
Oh, there will be something similar to that! But canonically applicable!
G: …What?
You'll see
To Vergil Leonidas:
Well I'm glad it was an improvement! With how much I've been slacking lately I just realized that an original arc is more difficult than I thought!
G: And he's finishing this at 2 am in the morning, if he didn't have class until the afternoon the next day then we'd still be stuck here.
And it's not so much rewriting per se, but more like editing some earlier parts when my writing wasn't as good yet and making them a bit more natural and fluid. Point being chapter 3, where the pacing between it and chapter 4 as well as the general emotional range was a bit lacking in my opinion. I don't know, I'm still on the fence about that but for sure it's not a full blown rewrite.
To AnAddictedReader:
G: That's religion for ya.
These guys aren't religious at all though.
G: Well then that's just you being predictable then.
Yeah you're probably right.
To The One and Only Logan:
Thank you for the review! I'm glad the story is holding up!
G: Also he has a great friend named Logan as well, they did improv together a few times.
Yep, man I miss him. But anyway, the questions:
Minilla might be a bit difficult to do, considering that Gian isn't having any kids soon. But I do kind of have an idea of what I will do if I do include him.
If I do something like the NES Godzilla Creepypasta, it might be another original arc or a separate side story. Kind of want to hold that off for until everyone is here though.
I do like her pre-timeskip outfits a bit more, to be honest. Robin honestly didn't change a whole lot.
G: But the newest chapter though.
Yup, your girl's getting more emotional.
G: God I love her even more.
To Raphaim:
The amount of heat put into radiation therapy isn't enough to kill the spores, just momentarily halt their infection. As Gian stated, if he applies too much he runs the risk of killing the patient himself, so he has to be a bit liberal with its uses. Hope this clears things up!
G: Yeah, I'll leave the doctoring to Chopper.
To Patrica Louise A. Pena:
If all goes to plan, I'm planning on writing a Gideon side story sometimes down the road. Gideon will appear a few more times this arc too, and he'll be very important in the future.
But as for Justice, Gideon is a mix or both. Towards Pirates he's absolutely merciless and the crew of the Gotengo literally has to hold him back from razing entire pirate crews with his power. This is due to an incident when he first became a marine captain. On the other hand, the ideals of people like Fujitora and Garp more or less rubbed off on him, so he's kind of a maverick in the Marine organization.
Gi: ooh, I have a lot happening soon!
G: Go back to the waiting room, I'm handing things here!
Gi: glory hog…
To C.S Skywalker:
Trust me, she's one of the people here that's been giving me the most critique. I honestly appreciate that a lot, as I'm actually looking for that more often.
But as you'll see I might have jumped the shark with Luffy here. It does take some elements from things later on, and it might make sense if you think about it.
G: Aka he literally came up with it on the spot and even I'm pretty surprised.
Yeah, we'll see how it goes.
To Guest:
See, Gian? You're lower than garbage.
G: Oh wow, that really helps with my already declining self-esteem issues.
Wait, you have that?
G: Nope I'm perfect, everyone knows that.
…That's the first time I heard it.
To NonSignificant:
G: We stan our fans
We do indeed, we love you.
To JJsanoguel98:
As of right now, that's a bit much, but for things like Kong Skull Island maybe!
G: Are you just going to say maybe for everything?
Eh, it leaves doors open.
And that's all! We'll see you next time!
Leave-
G: LEAVE A REVIEW AND KP360 WILL ACTUALLY CONFESS HIS FEELINGS FOR A-
SHE LIVES IN ANOTHER PART OF THE COUNTRY GODDAMMIT I CAN'T PUT THAT STRESS ON HER.