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)
"-For so long, as Empress I've been oblivious to the thoughts of my beloved subjects. I believed that isolation was protection. But now the actions of someone we believed we could trust will thrust us all towards cataclysm!" Mulines shouted every word clearly "The Straw Hat Pirates are not our enemies, no! My attempted assassination was at the hands of none other than High Priest Axor!"
"So to all children of Mu who hear this message, now is the time to save your kingdom! We have been besieged not only within, but now a craft of the surface has responded to Axor's callous declaration of war! Mu needs you all more than ever, and even as I am surrounded by those who wish to kill me, your Empress will fight along with you!"
And then the broadcast was interrupted as Axor slammed a bolt of lightning near her, knocking her away. Underneath his snake mask, the High Priest was seething. He now commanded all the power, and yet this bitch still think she runs this place?
"You are testing my patience, Mulines!"
The Empress smiled through her pain "It's over for you, Axor! Now all of Mu knows what you have done! They'll give you the justice you deserve!"
She gasped in pain as Axor lifted her by her neck "If you think for one moment that this hinders me in the least, then you cannot be more wrong!" His eyes glowed white, his power coursed "Even if they know, I already have every piece on my board in place! The ritual is almost complete, and now I also control a man with the power of the Ancient Beasts! Those who do not see my vision will fall in line soon enough!"
"Fall in line?" Mulines demanded "You're willing to shackle your own people just so you can have this war?!"
"Those who do obey will pave the way for Mu's return with their own blood!" Axor snarled.
"Think of what you're implicating here!" Mulines shot back "Have you been so consumed by hubris that you would defy even your own kingdom?"
Axor narrowed his eyes at that "I grow tired of your hindrance. The ritual will soon be complete, and I will show the world above just how much power we have! But for now, there are loose ends to tie up." He beckoned with his hand, and Gian instantly stood at attention.
"Slave! Give them a taste of your power!"
"Oh no!" Nami gulped "Axor knows about-!"
A wave of blue energy circulated around the Kaiju-Zoan user, causing those who haven't seen it before to gasp.
"That's… It can't be! That's the power of-!" The Empress let out a shocked mutter.
"Correct! A being who had disappeared from history, only to now reappear in this form!" Axor cackled "To think, in millennia past, our ancestors had tried to control such a creature only to fail, but it is I who now possess this Great Beast!"
"Axor…" The Empress shook her head "Just how far have you fallen?"
Below the throne, Nami, Chopper and Sara were petrified as the blue flames enveloped the controlled Kaiju-Zoan user. While it's a sight they've seen quite a few times now, the two Straw Hats never would believe that they would one day be on the receiving end of it. Meanwhile, Sara has never known of such power at all! Though her studies have hinted to the existence of powerful beasts known as Kaiju, she never intensively studied the subject and passed it off for more important things.
Any study wouldn't have helped her know what to do in this situation as the flames began to subside, revealing the snarling Partial Transformation underneath. Gian's tail swished as slivers of smoke billowed out between his teeth. Nami hesitantly raised her Clima-Tact, knowing that in a confrontation that even her Weather Arts may not be enough.
"Chopper…" She warned "What do we do?"
The reindeer gulped as well, morphing back into Heavy Point. He doesn't have long left; perhaps less than a minute. Unconsciously his hand moved towards the third Rumble Ball he had on him, consequences be damned at this point, he might not have a choice anymore.
"Nami… Sara…" Chopper gulped as he slowly raised the yellow pill to his mouth "When I take the Rumble Ball, you two force the throne room gate open and go get the others."
"Chopper, what are you-?"
"Just please!" the doctor begged "I-I don't know if this will be enough, but it'll hold Gian here long enough for Luffy and the others to come and bring him back to his senses!"
"Chopper-kun, the others are all fighting themselves… What if they-?" Sara asked.
"They'll win, I know it!" Chopper smiled "Once you find them, tell them to come here. I don't know if I can make Gian come to his senses, but together we all probably could!"
And with that, he prepared to bite down only to not get the chance, for Gian at that moment chose to roar out a blast of heat, causing the reindeer to shield himself.
"Ohohoho! Such power from this one!" Axor cackled from atop the throne "I truly am blessed to have someone who possesses the soul of one of the Ancient Beasts!" he pointed his staff towards the three below.
"Now slave, kill them!"
Gian growled and took one heavy step forwards. Then another. The trio gulped and felt their backs press against the wall. There was nowhere else to go.
Another step.
Then he stopped.
The three blinked; Gian simply stood unmoving, his eyes veiled and unblinking. In his Partial Transformation he towered over the three of them, and from their point of view he seemed like an obelisk, looming out from the plains.
None however, was more perplexed than Axor, frowning under his mask as he channeled more of his power.
"What…? Why are you not heeding my orders?!" Nothing.
"My powers have never been dampened, so there should be no reason for this. Did my instructions not get received? I force you to kill them!"
But Gian continued to be motionless, even as Axor's eyes flashed his Slave Rays continuously. Every command was seemingly unheard as Axor grew increasingly unsettled.
"Obey me… OBEY ME!" the High Priest roared "You are under my thrall and you can do nothing to resist!" But still, nothing happened.
"Sara… What is going on?" Chopper whispered. The priestess only shook her head.
"I don't believe this… I've never seen Axor's mind control fail before…"
And Axor too could not comprehend what he's seeing.
"How… Why are my powers not working?!"
His eyes widened; vaguely he recalled the passage regarding the Ancient Beasts he's read within Mu's archives. If what was written is true, then wouldn't this boy also-?
"No...! it's nothing more than a coincidence…! Just because you possess the Spirit of one of the Ancient Beasts does not mean you are one!"
"YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A PUPPET I CONTROL!" The High Priest howled "I AM NOW THE HERALD OF MU, I STAND ABOVE THE KINGDOM! YOU ARE MY WEAPON, MY SLAVE, MY TOOL!"
And with that last word uttered, the entire room was rocked by a heavy quake. Axor and everyone else were knocked onto their backs, and it was the blue swirl of searing Atomic flame that enveloped Gian once more that caught everyone's eye. Not only did the fire billowed intensly, it formed a tight ball of energy, so thick that it completely hid the Kaiju-Zoan user from sight.
"W-What is this?!" the trio gasped from their hunched over form.
"I don't believe this…" Mulines whispered "Those legends… what was written down in history…"
Before Axor could conjure up another thought, the Voice was heard. Everyone in the room heard it, and it was not from who they expected it to be.
"Just who… do you think you are referring to as Slave, HUMAN?!"
"W-Who said that?!" Sara screamed.
"That Voice… it's coming from Gian, but…" Nami gasped.
"There's no way that could've been Gian!" Chopper shouted "Gian's voice, his emotions, it's nowhere near as overwhelming as that!"
"T-this is…?! Impossible… absolutely unthinkable!" Axor, still in shock, was even further disturbed by what he saw next. He didn't even see what happened, but for a split moment, it was just him in the room along with the surface dweller he thought he'd enslaved.
Only it was not him.
It was titanic, obsidian colored monster. A monster that currently glared down at him, its eyes glowing amber fire. The Beast was gigantic, it's frame blotting out the palace ceiling as the jagged spines on it's back began to illuminate. The High Priest was paralyzed with shock, he could do nothing as the beast roared in his face as azure light washed over him.
He barely snapped out of his stupor in time to see a wave of blue searing towards him. It struck him head on, his entire body ignited as his scream rang out. Axor was carried until he smashed into the stone above the chamber behind the throne, denting the rock and the High Priest fell in a smoking heap.
The sight was witnessed by the four in the room, all of them speechless and gasping at what they saw. It was only a groan that roused them, and they looked to see Gian down on his knees and rubbing his head. Still Partially Transformed, they didn't know what to expect until the words came out of his mouth.
"Hey, did we make it out alive?"
"G-Gian?" Nami whimpered. The navigator recoiled slightly when the Kaiju-Zoan user snapped his head back, his eyes widening.
"Nami? Chopper? How did-?" His gaze froze on Sara, who gasped in horror as the pirate began lumbering towards her.
"YOU!" his voice rose into a snarl "We know everything! I'll-"
"Gian wait!" Chopper held up his arms, causing him to pause "Are you able to think clearly?"
"Chopper, what are you talking about? Of course I'm thinking clearly! There's something seriously messed up about this Kingdom!"
"It could be…" Sara whispered "I don't know how… but the mind control could be dispelled…"
"I think I know a way to figure it out." Chopper gulped before turning back to him "If your mind really is yours, then tell me about the passing of your uncle."
"Chopper, now's not the time for-"
"TELL ME!"
"Ugh, fine! My uncle was a great man, he did many things. It's truly a shame he died of Ligma, rest in peace." Gian recited dryly "In case you haven't noticed, we're in the middle-" Even Partially Transformed, Gian almost had the air knocked out of him as the navigator and doctor jumped at him and wrapped him in a hug.
"IT IS GIAN! GIAN IS HIMSELF AGAIN!" Chopper wept.
"Y-You jerk… you almost killed us…!" Nami cried in relief. They had already heard that line once before, it's really stupid and only their Gian could think of something like that.
"…What did the death of his uncle have to do with this?" Sara tilted her head. Relief was felt for sure, but such a sad moment shouldn't warrant a reaction like this, no?
"Uhh… now I have several questions." Gian mumbled. The two released him and their looks became serious.
"Gian, there's a lot going on right now that you wouldn't believe. First off, how much do you remember?"
"I remember running, I was charging towards the Empress, reached her even." Gian recalled "Then I heard you 3 call out and now here we are. Quick question, when did I transform?"
"It seems that Axor's grasp over him has truly dissipated" Sara allowed herself a small smile.
"We have a lot of updating to do, Gian" Nami stated "You wouldn't believe how complicated everything is. First off-" whatever she was about to say was cut off by a sharp scream!
"You…You ruined everything…!" Axor rasped as he clutched the Empress by the neck. The High Priest look like he's been through hell, his skin red and blistered as his ceremonial garb was now grafted painfully onto his skin in certain places as a result of the searing heat he was subjected to earlier. The snake like mask he wore atop his head had even been partially melted, revealing half of his face. Underneath the sinister headpiece, Axor was rather plain looking with a normal face with hardly any blemishes. With his entire body was wracked with agony, it was only his hatred and will to see his plans succeed is all that drives him now.
"Your Majesty!" Chopper shouted.
"H-How did Axor survive that?!" Sara cried.
Gian frowned as he took this in "Well, there's a blank spot in my head right now… but I can bet 100 beri that I know why."
"YOU THINK THIS WILL CHANGE ANYTHING?! YOU THINK THIS IS A SETBACK?!" Axor howled "By the time the Ritual completes, nothing will stop me!" the High Priest staggered up, his grip iron cast as he dragged her towards the back room.
"Since you're already this far, I'm sure you know the requirements to complete the ritual do you?" Muline's eyes widened as Axor's mouth opened into a manic grin "I had originally planned to simply use one of the enslaved soldiers, but now that I think of it, the blood of an Empress is more than a reward for the Dark God!"
"He's going to sacrifice the Empress!" Sara shouted "We have to stop him!"
"Too late my bastard of an assistant!" Axor waved his arms, and the observing soliders, previously hanging around without orders, sprang into action as the command was given. Their glazed eyes showed no emotion as they surrounded the group with spears.
"Kill them one by one!" with that Axor began to leave, despite the thrashing of his hostage.
"We're surrounded!" Nami cursed "What are we going to do?"
A sudden slam jolted the three from their worries as Gian smacked his tail into the ground. Blue energy crackled around him as his eyes glowed like the afternoon sun. There were still a lot of lapses in his memory, gaps that he was sure Chopper could explain to him. Seeing the sight he sees now, however, made him realize just what might be happening.
"Don't worry, Nami. I'm not planning to let that scumbag get away with all this."
And the energy exploded outwards, causing the three rebels to shield their eyes. He doesn't know why, but ever since his consciousness returned he felt different, more aware, more powerful. It was as if something inside of him had just been unlocked, and newfound power flowed through him like a running spring.
"You got a lot to answer to me for, Axor!"
And the energy within him, swirling around with nowhere to go, was released all at once. What came after was a primordial sound that rang out of the entire palace.
"SKREEEEEEEEHOOOOOONNKKKKK!"
Nami, Chopper and Sara had to press themselves against the force; the soldiers were not so lucky. The moment the roar hit was when Gian struck, lashing out with a single sweep of his tail slamming heavily against them, knocking them all out with a one swing.
They almost didn't even see Gian dash towards the High Priest, only the crater he left behind as he launched himself forward. Even the High Priest in his focus only noticed too late that his former puppet was now barreling towards him with claws outstretched. He tried to raise his staff last minute to block, with the Kaiju-Zoan's user's fist slamming into the snake staff before breaking it with ease. With a choked gasp, Axor was subjected to a heavy punch as his grip loosened on the Empress. When the Empress opened her eyes again, she found herself at the base of the throne, her three companions quickly rushing there to make sure she's ok.
"S-So fast!" Chopper yelped.
"Gian, where did you learn how to do this?!" Nami whispered. They've all seen Gian fight before, but what he just displayed back there was faster than anything they've witnessed before!
"Don't know, don't care." even Gian's growl seemed different "I feel good now though, like something inside of me just unlocked and the floodgates are opened wide."
"Is that how you managed to overcome the mind control?" Mulines asked.
Before Gian could respond, a crack of electricity alerted them all as Axor rose up, rage in his eyes.
"Tch, he's still moving after that?" his legs bunching up to pounce again "Guess I haven't broke his bones hard enough."
With an enraged yell Axor unleashed a huge burst of lightning, the surging alchemy seeking to fry his fhated slave alive. Gian was on the move instantly, arms swirling with atomic energy as he smashed both fists into the incoming wave of lightning, dispersing the blast into a shower of sparks. Slowly, he began to push back, pounding his ignited strikes into the ongoing wave of power, until Axor added streams of fire into the mix, to which the energy wave ruptured with a massive explosion that rocked the room.
But no sooner when that ended was when Gian leapted out of the smoke, fists still illuminated blue. The High Priest gathered more energy in his grasp, but Gian was upon him too quickly, and Axor was forced to protect himself with his staff. Of course, with the monstrous strength opposing him at the other end, the outcome of that struggle could be of one thing.
The High Priest's staff was splintered by the powerful punches, and Gian gave him no respite. Axor tried one last attempt at alchemy, his left arm crackling with electricity, only to have the Kaiju-Zoan user close his own fist over his hand and squeezed down, hard. Axor let out a yell of agony, but more importantly, he only now saw that his plan was falling apart.
"I would've have no quarrel with you, Axor." Gian growled as he leaned in, his breath smoking as he took in the mounting dread in the High Priest's eyes "But you committed a crime that I cannot overlook, you hurt the people close to me."
Axor yelled in pain as Gian's fist collided with his face, causing him to skid across the floor and slam into the stone at the back of the throne, right in front of the vault doors. As he struggled to get up and blast his hated foe with more Alchemy, a sharp pain entered his shoulder, and his scream was barely croaked out as the strength left his body; Gian had thrown Atom Splitter like a javelin, the blade now penetrated through the High Priest's shoulder in a non-fatal area, embedded in the stone behind it.
"Or more specifically, you used me to hurt the people close to me. I don't know what your goals are here, or why you chose me to be a part of this, but the fact stands that you turned me against my friends, you made me almost kill them…" his eyes were glowing coals as he strode closer "And that, I cannot forgive."
"E-Everything I do, is for the glory of Mu… y-you're merely means to an end… be glad I chose you at all…; you would've been scoured by fire by our armies otherwise!" Axor choked out, blood now pouring out of his face.
Gian's response was to deliver another vicious stomp, further brutalizing the Priest. The wall behind Axor began to crack as the Kaiju-Zoan user repeatedly stomped into him.
"Bad choice of words." The words were cold.
The group down below watched with silent attention, with the two Straw Hats taking particular note of Gian. How the Kaiju-Zoan user seemed more vicious in his attacks here than before, and still wondering how his power was suddenly amplified so much. The three of them all looked in concern, confident that their friend still has his sanity, but can't help but wonder whether or not the power within him was something more cryptic than they thought. Meanwhile, the Empress had an expression that had a tint of sadness in her face, silently accepting the fate that her former High Priest brought upon himself. In her gaze however, she was fixated on Gian, as if she knew more than she let on.
"Gian… I've never seen him this mad before…" Chopper whimpered.
"I'm sure he's got a lot of pent up anger inside him…!" Nami assured him "After all, I'd be mad if I was mind controlled against my will!" but her voice was shaking as he said that.
The sound of shattering stone soon alerted everyone in the room. The door holding the ritual chamber was busted open by Gian's vicious blows causing the two of them to topple inside. In spite of the mauling he went through, Axor was miraculously still conscious through all that. With the seastone weapon now dislodged, he could barely lift his head. Not that he could do any more to resist even with his strength slowly returning to him anyway.
But Gian's attention was no longer on him. All he focused on were the contents within the room. The room had little in terms of materials, but what it did have drew attention for sure. A few neon flames lit wooden torches lined the room, but they did not compare to the now massive green fire roaring at the center of the room. 3 massive hooded stone snakes were reared up, the flames now towering even over those monoliths. The flame seemingly emerged from 3 particular stone blocks, which despite the roaring heat did not seem to be damaged in the least.
And kneeling in front of it all, eyes blank, was none other than Robin. Her lips moving as she continued to chant wordlessly. Gian gasped, his transformation fading away in a burst of blue fire as he scrambled over the archaeologist.
"Robin!" he gasped, shaking lightly "Robin it's me!" but the woman didn't react.
"This… this is the darkness of Mu." Anger rose in his chest once more as he whirled back towards the downed High Priest as Axor coughed out "That Oharan is the only one that can awaken it, which is why she's here."
Gian ran over and hoisted him up by the neck.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER? WHAT IS ALL THIS?!"
"She plays the same role as you did, an even greater one even! Soon, the moment those needed words are spoken by the Oharan, the dark power resting within Mu will finally be unleashed back to the world once more! I've waited far too long for this moment to arise, I won't allow you to stop me!"
"LET HER GO NOW!"
"Hehe… foolish boy. You think you're helping this wretched kingdom… by stopping this ritual you will have doomed it!"
"No more games, Axor!" Gian shouted "You've already lost this, don't make it any more difficult than it already is!"
"Ohoho, lost have I?" Axor cackled at the exact moment the flames billowed even further, now beginning to envelop the snake statues "Perhaps so, but I refuse to let it end! The ritual is now complete, and that woman completed her purpose! You can now all fall to the dark powers of Mu!"
And, faster than Gian could react, Axor revealed a thin blade hidden within his robes. It was meant to sacrifice a child of the Kingdom when this moment came, but that plan was no longer in motion. Now, all he cares about is one thing. Slicing upwards Gian had to lean back to avoid the swipe, in that moment which his grip loosened, allowing Axor to wriggle free as he then dashed towards the roaring fire.
"AXOR!"
"Witness this, surface dweller! For your intervention, you've doomed Mu to the Abyss!" Gian didn't have a chance to do anything as the High Priest leapt into the flames, consumed in a second.
Then the room began to rumble, shaking the foundation to its core.
"W-what the-" Gian looked around bewildered as the shaking grew more and more violent. Rocks were beginning to be dislodged which brought him out of his stupor. Gasping as he saw Robin now slumped over, her spell ended, he picked her up gently, nestling her in his arms before running out the room, just as one of the snake heads toppled to the ground.
The shaking was felt by all, outside Gian found the group all looking around in shock.
"What was that? Was that an earthquake?" Nami shouted.
"Gian-san, what happened in there?" Sara inquired "Where's Axor?"
"It's a lot to explain, there was this big room with a bunch of weird stuff in it. That creep said something about dark power then jumped into a big wave of fire! Can someone tell me just what the hell is going on in this kingdom?" Gian stated.
Mulines paled "From the blood of a Child of Mu… what had been hidden will resurface…" she recited silently. A Child of Mu, no matter the source, can awaken what was hidden. That can only mean-!
"We need to evacuate the palace!" the Empress shouted "The ritual ended!"
Sara's eyes widened "No...! Then that means-!"
"To think that his madness for his plan to succeed drove him so far, even at the cost of his own life…" the palace was then rocked by another violent quake. Wasting no more time the group hastily exited.
Outside the palace, storm clouds were beginning to gather over the palace. To the soldiers surrounding the palace gate, it had been one surprise after the other. The Primal Roar followed by a powerful aura was enough to alert them, and when the first quake hit, everyone present could've felt it. No sooner did Tal'Shir order the battering ram to stop did the door flung open, and multiple tacticians and operators fled out screaming. The people they were focused on however, were the ones they cared about.
"Gian!" Zoro, Sanji and Usopp broke out into a relieved smile "You're ok!"
"Yeah, and I don't want to leave again." The Kaiju-Zoan user grinned "There's so much still left out of my memory, it's like there's a big hole in my head."
"What happened to Robin?" Usopp noticed, and everyone turned to see the unconscious archaeologist now cradled bridal style by the Kaiju-Zoan pirate. Despite the situation, Sanji couldn't help but grumble to himself a little bit, until Zoro elbowed him.
"Let's just say she's out of it for now. Apparently she's been through a lot." A look of pain flashed across Gian's face; though he had no control of it, in a way all this was due to him. Slight guilt pricked his thoughts as he watched the peaceful face of the archaeologist.
For the Fangs of Manda and the rest of Mu's army, the red haired figure head of the kingdom was all they wanted to see. Mulines came out to a sight of her people kneeling before her.
"Everyone, please rise immediately!"
"Empress!" Tal'Shir gasped "We-"
The Empress raised an arm to silence him "There will be time for explanations later, Captain. We need to warn the citizens, something bad will happen soon! Move away from the palace, it's dangerous here!"
Tal'Shir nodded and ordered a retreat, soon they reached a fair distance from the palace.
"All of Mu will have heard your message. We now know the truth about Axor's misdeeds." His gaze lowered "I-I am ashamed to know I have lifted my blade for a false agent."
Mulines softly touched the armored captain's face "I know you, Tal'Shir. Your heart is always with Mu, no matter who leads it." She then faced the rest of the gathered army "Warn the citizens, have them evacuate outside of the city. The capital is no longer safe for them!"
"Kubo, Wuhelm! Take a third of the soldiers here each and escort as many civilians as you can find!" Tal'Shir ordered.
"Yes sir!" the young boy saluted.
"For the Kingdom!" the now recuperated Wuhelm nodded firmly, and the two began to divide up the soldiers gathered in order to help.
"Your majesty, if I may ask, what happened in there?" Sanji asked.
Before the Empress could answer, the palace roof began to crack, a neon green pillar of fire shooting out.
"That answer your question?" Zoro said.
"You're Majesty, you seemed to know what's happening here. What is the real reason why your High Priest invited us down here? I take that it has something to do with that?" Gian questioned.
Mulines never got the chance to answer as the flaming pillar began to expand, swallowing up the palace in the process. It was fortunate that the soldiers were now far enough from the palace, lest they be consumed by the flames as well.
"Well, I think we're about to find out…" Nami shivered. There was something off about this fire, a lingering unsettling feeling could be sensed in the air.
"Mmmph…" Gian gasped and knelt down as he felt Robin begin to stir in his arms. The archaeologist's eyes fluttered open, and their gaze met.
"G-Gian…?"
"Shhh~" the Kaiju-Zoan user eased her into a sitting position "You've been through a lot."
"I-I…" her eyes then widened as she saw the flaming pillar, now crackling with energy "Oh no! It's too late!"
"Robin, it wasn't you're doing, you had no control over-"
"It doesn't matter, the locks were still broken!" Robin gasped "We have to stop it! What those poneglyphs sealed is not meant to return to this world again!"
"Robin, what are you-?" Nami's question was interrupted suddenly by a scaled arm reaching out of the pillar and slamming onto the ground. The arm, grey and massive, soon dragged out the head of the abomination that it belonged to.
"W-WHAT IS THAT THING?!" Usopp screamed.
"That…" Mulines spoke with fear "Is the Darkness born from Mu's founding…"
The entity had the head of a cobra, its hooded head hissed as the rest of its body emerged. The creature was massive, easily towering over Mu's highest building. Its body was although that of a cobra, with the exception that it carried four muscular and powerful clawed, webbed limbs. A shining sapphire gleamed as the dark clouds above it finally crackled with lightning. The creature soon reared up on its hind legs, its tapered tail swished around before letting out an ear-splitting roar.
"T-The thing you spoke of in the cave…" Nami whimpered "Is that it?"
Mulines nodded sadly "It is, and it seems we can no longer hide it."
"Such an abomination, it was hidden within the palace this whole time?" Tal'Shir whispered with disbelief.
Said abomination reacted soon after, swirling its head around and seemingly on the lookout for things. Before long it opened its snake like jaws wide and sprayed out a torrent of water, the high velocity hydro attack was enough to crumble buildings in its way, along with any unfortunate soul who was caught at the wrong place at the wrong time.
And it seemed their problems were only just beginning. They were soon reminded of another threat, a missile barrage soaring into the city, which elicited explosions that peppered the outskirts of the capital. With dread the group remembered: the Gotengo was closing in on the city, and by now would only be mere miles away. This roused the being further, with it facing the eastern direction where the missiles came from and uttered another howl.
"How can this be happening?" Tal'Shir croaked out "Is this the end of Mu?"
"Empress, what do we do? We're besieged by enemies on all sides!" a few soldiers called out.
"I…I…" Mulines stammered in shock, for the first time in her life unsure of what action to take. On one side, an ancient force from the darkest hour of the Kingdom reawakens, and on the other a vicious assault from people living far above them. She was at a loss here, even as the city around her continued to shake.
"Empress!"
Tal'Shir walked up to her and placed a hand onto her shoulder "My Empress, I know this is a difficult decision to make. With most of our ground forces diverted to the evacuation effort, and the bulk of our armies still away, the amount of troops you see here will perhaps only be enough to defend one front." Mulines looked at him with a hint of desperation in her eyes "But know this, as our Empress, we will abide to any decision you make, even if it means heading towards death."
Mulines was still at a loss for words, until her another walk up to her.
"Your Highness, technically I don't really have much of a say in this. But I'm going to ask you to focus your defenses on that ship that'll be here soon. Leave the monster to me." Gian stated.
Tal'Shir shook his head "No, we have caused you enough problems already, we cannot drag you further into this mess. I'll have a soldier lead you to where we kept your ship, then we'll lead you out of Mu in a spare vessel. You need not to burden yourselves with us."
Gian shook his head "I'm gonna be honest with you, something about that monster doesn't seem right me. Your former High Priest sought the power that I have, let's just say he had a reason to."
"Besides, we are sort of responsible for that creature. If you aren't convinced, the crew can protect the Empress and help with the evacuation. I'll handle that snake."
"This is insanity. You are but one man, and that beast over there seems particularly vicious. How do you even have a hope of stopping it?"
The ground shook again, but this time from behind them and it was a much more welcoming sight. The group of soldiers along with Empress Mulines were bug eyed at the appearance of none of than Luffy waving to his crew as he rode atop the head of their deity, heck even the Straw Hats were shell-shocked to see their captain riding on the same dragon that tried to eat them. Manda stopped when he reached them, before lowering his head and allowing the rubber captain to dismount.
"T-That boy… he's able to…Just who are you?!" Tal'Shir sputtered.
"For Lord Manda to recognize your strength…" Mulines whispered, Gian grinned at that.
"Luffy has a way with things. But I think that'll even the odds a little bit."
"Yo, Gian! You're not acting crazy anymore!"
"Good to see you're still alive too!"
Luffy grinned before turning serious and setting his sights on the new cobra like beast "The dragon and I heard everything, and when we got here we already saw that thing stepping out of fire! I don't like it, it feels evil."
"That's what I feel too… which means it being here can't be good." Gian nodded before turning back to the Empress "We might've just evened the odds a little bit. The final call is still yours to make."
"I still can't agree with this, we do not know what these 2 are capable of and the task of ridding that monster is far too great for them!" the Captain of the Fangs of Manda protested.
"It's like Gian said, this kind of involves all of us." Nami said "We're already too deep into this, leaving now won't be right."
"Besides I beat you just fine, Luffy and Gian are both stronger than me they got more than it takes." Zoro scoffed.
"Our duel was a stalemate!" Tal'Shir barked indignantly.
"You fell first!"
"ENOUGH!"
Mulines' order was direct and authoritative, enough to silence both sides as she pursed her lips for a few brief seconds, before turning to her subjects.
"How long until that surface ship reaches the outer walls?"
"Highness, our last readings before the palace evacuations shows that the foreign vessel will reach our city within 30 minutes at the speed it's traveling." A technician reported urgently "Your broadcast message have reached the armies as well, they are pulling back as we speak to defend the kingdom and will be here within the hour."
"Captain Tal'Shir, take the remaining forces here and bring Mu's eastern border defenses online. They must be centuries old by now and may not be as effective, but they'll have to do if we are to hold the line until Mu's armies return."
"I won't leave you alone!" Tal'Shir argued. Mulines only shook her head and brought her hand towards his cheek again.
"When you joined the Fangs of Manda, you took an oath, to bear your sword for Empress and Kingdom." She smiled faintly "Your Kingdom needs you now, my paladin. You must not let that ship reach the city."
She smiled and gestured to Sara "Priestess Sara will be my guardian during your departure, and if that's not enough then perhaps some of the Straw Hats will do. I have grown accustomed to Nami-san's, Usopp-san's and Chopper-kun's company in the past day. They will keep me safe, not to mention we need to make sure Robin-san here is recuperated."
"Don't worry, big soldier guy! We'll make sure no harm comes to the Empress!" Chopper huffed.
Tal'Shir stared for a bit longer, before nodding and drawing his sword "I will trust in your abilities to protect her then," Before gesturing the soldiers to stand at attention "To me, Warriors of Mu! We must not allow that surface vessel any more space in our kingdom!"
Mulines watched him leave, mumbling a silent prayer to keep him safe before turning back to the Straw Hats "Zoro-san, Sanji-san, you've already fought hard, and it pains me to ask any more of you. But we still have some people left in the city that will be in the path of destruction unable to get out. Will you please look for them and escort them to the forces evacuating civilians to the north?"
"I can never say no to a lady." Sanji nodded.
"It'll keep the paths clear for Gian and Luffy to do their thing to I suppose." Zoro shrugged, and the two raced off.
The Empress then turned to Gian last "I still cannot believe what has transpired here today, but if that power within you really is what I believe it to be, then it can either save Mu today or further its destruction."
"I hear you, I only knew more about in the past couple of months. However, if my hunch is correct then I'm certain that it can help."
"Please, use it to save us today."
Gian only nodded before blue bolts of energy coursed around him "Hey, Luffy?" the next moment, Gian's Full Transformation towered before Mulines and the others, with Luffy perched on his head.
"Ready to wrangle a snake?"
"Go for it." The captain grinned.
Before those words even dropped, Manda roared and began slithering towards the other serpent like creature, who diverted his attention towards the charging sea dragon. The deity quickly wrapped his coils against the other beast, and the two began thrashing around on the ground. Gian also let out a bellow before stomping towards the palace, the flames from before having dissipated now, leaving surprisingly no damage towards the building itself.
The snake-like beast managed to shake the dragon off, tossing him into a row of buildings rather far away, only to see Gian stride up to him, claws outstretched. Roaring in rage, the cobra like creature also reared to its full height and locked arms around the Kaiju-Zoan user. Claws dug into each other as they began to throw their weight into the other, neither seemingly has any advantage. Luffy leapt up and delivered a few rapid fire punches to the gem atop its head, but it did little to deter it. The two giant monsters stayed in their locked grasps, before the serpent beast hissed and threw his weight forwards suddenly, causing Gian to topple into the ground.
As the 2 opposing monsters staggered up, the Snake-like entity regarded them with seething contempt. It observed them for a while longer, a growl building in its throat.
Then, out of nowhere, it spoke.
"You, You are not one of the Kaiju… You are a human, yet you wear the skin of that mistake, Gojira… how has this come to pass? " The snake like beast's voice was full of contempt, as if it views itself as superior to everything.
"W-What the… You can talk?"
"Time seems to have shifted since I last laid waste to this world. I remember that worm, Manda, yet I do not recall your presence back then." The beast's voice seemingly echoed from within Gian's head; he never would've expected that in the least.
"W-Who are you?" Gian wheezed. Throughout this entire conversation, the cobra-like beast's presence was giving off waves of energy unlike any other. Gian gasped as the air around the beast lit up in a dull shade of violet; it was the sensation that came afterwards that make him strain for his breath. Waves of crushing power radiated off the beast; had any other weaker willed being entered its presence they would be forced to their knees in a second. Above all, this power was growing, pulsing constantly as if calling out to something, or someone.
The monster sneered at him "I am the Progenitor of the Kaiju, my goals are not your concern." He glanced around the scene of destruction "This land, it is the same land that was desperate enough to summon me all those millennia ago. I never did collect the souls they owed me then."
The creature opened its mouth and spewed out yet another torrent of water, knocking Gian back and carving a trench throughout the city.
"Today, I take double!"
Before it could move any further, Manda lunged at the beast again, sinking its fangs into the other creature's shoulder and attempted to coil around it again. The Progenitor roared again, bucking its weight around and seizing the writhing dragon with its claws before slamming him down to the ground and planting its foot onto Manda's body.
"Ahhh, Manda… millennia later and you're still a pain in my backside." The sapphire atop its head lit up and Manda howled as an iridescent beam seared his scaly body "You were a lowly creature then, you are still nothing!"
"Mu will not fall to you, tyrant!" Gian's eyes widened to see hear another voice, no doubt from the Guardian of Mu himself. The dragon's voice was booming, regal even, and full of rage towards the Cobra shaped monster.
Said snake only laughed maliciously before hoisting the snake upwards and tossing him into the ground miles away.
"And how do you plan to stop me? Back then you were of no match for me, if it hadn't been for the meddling of those bindings I would've plunged this land into darkness millennia ago."
"You underestimate me, vile demon!" Manda snarled in pain "The might of Gojira has also graced Himself here! You are fractured, even you cannot stand against us!"
Gian's eyes widened "Wait… Gojira? I'm not-?
The Snake-like beast's face twisted into one of rage "That interloper is not Gojira! He is a Human, One wearing the skin of that mistake!"
"He may only be an imitation, but he has the heart of the King! We will not let you-" the sea dragon was silenced by a vicious blast of water.
"Then I'll let him watch as he bleeds into the dust while I burn this kingdom to the ground! But first…"
Gian was snapped out of his racing thoughts as the monster's sapphire gleamed again. Instinct ignited his dorsal fins and an Atom Ray slammed into the side of the creature, knocking the creature off balance.
"Look… I'm not this Gojira that you guys keep name dropping, I don't even know how I keep getting caught up with this whole Kaiju thing recently." He got into a fighting stance "But my role here is simple, prevent this kingdom from going to shit. If that means I have to take you out then have at it!"
"Is that so…?" the Progenitor sneered as he got back up, showing Gian that his attack did little to harm him.
"Gian…" Luffy said from atop his head "What's happening? I keep hearing voices in my head, but I don't know where they're coming from or what they're saying completely!"
Gian glanced up at his captain; that was something new. Right now they're too preoccupied however, and it'll have to be a discussion for later.
"I don't know Luffy, but brace yourself we're about to be hit hard…"
With that he charged, and the two colossal creatures slammed into each other with a force enough to shake the kingdom.
Meanwhile:
"FIRE!"
Multiple heavy shots rang out, the Gotengo's weapon batteries were all going off at once. With the walls of this Kingdom now in sight, it was full speed forwards. Below them, the roaring of a mighty river, one of many that led out of the city. The bow drill rotated, ready to bore a hole into the kingdom.
Then they were besieged by enemy fire. Gideon had expected defenses, but the whole way here they had encountered little resistance, aside from a few ships encountered on the way in which they blasted through with ease. Closing in on the city however, they were met with shots of plasma and explosive shells. Mu's defensive turret system have not been used in ages, not since the fall of the Kingdom all those years ago. The fact that they were still functional were a statement to their usefulness, and in addition to that, the Mu had back up automated drones as well. These small fighters zipped around the larger vessel, peppering it with laser fire. Alone these drones hardly posed a threat, but a swarm of them could do serious damage even to a warship like that.
The Gotengo's particle cannons sung to life, disintegrating multiple fighters. They continued their push, but now their foe were walled in with laser batteries to last them in this battle. Inside the ship, its command were staring stone faced at the screen displaying the view outside. Bolts of gold rained down, destroying multiple bunkers in front of them; Gideon had once again taken to the ground and were now engaging Mu's remaining guards in addition to softening up the defense.
The Vice-Admiral growled, his previous golden marine uniform was now crackling with light. Eyes glowing scarlet, horns curving on his head and fingernails lengthened to claws, Gideon's own Partial Transformation was far more elegant compared to some others. Aside from those superficial changes to his physique, the only other major change was the pair of golden wings that spanned across his back. A squad of soldiers charged at him, weapons raised, only to be blasted apart by bolts of gold. The twin drake heads that previously served as shoulder guards were now writhing together, long ethereal necks of golden light making them seem like actual dragons looking for prey.
Gordon and Horace both watched impassively, all the while the ship's crew analysed the situation.
"Shields at 40%, we're taking fire from all sides!" a young woman in a red suit shouted.
They were running out of time, and these defenses were proving harder to break than they previously thought.
"Gideon… what's taking so long?"
"These people are resourceful, they're defenses are proving to be a nuisance." Gideon's voice echoed from over the communication intercom.
"Perhaps we came a little too hasty." Horace noted "They were prepared. It won't be out of the question to pull back and report this situation."
"Probably, but they sure aren't making it easy…" Soldiers came at him from all sides, all swatted away by his golden spear.
It was then that new information came in, one that made the crew of the Gotengo alert from what it contained.
"Captain, the buildup of energy is now overflowing! We have visual on what is occurring within the city!"
And the image that popped up was one that made the two commanding officers tense.
"I don't believe this… Could that brat really have been-" Gordon grumbled.
"Otonashi-san, connect me to Gideon-chujo" Horace muttered "It seems pulling off the attack is out of the question now." The same girl from before obliged and pulled up communications once again.
Outside, Gideon had already seen what the Commodore was about to report, yet his expression was far different. The sight he saw before him, down below, made his eyes lit up. A grin slowly broke across his face.
"Change of plans, we push on until we've exhausted our weapons."
Gordon sighed; he knew this would happen once the young vice-admiral knew what's going on "If we can make it there that is."
"Right now, this kingdom contains a power that the world above should not see. We are the only defense against it, and I will not allow it to ever reach the surface." Gideon ordered as he dove towards more of Mu's defenses "Fire at will! Show them no mercy!"
"Sorry, Smoker-Senpai, but Beast-Warrior Gian is mine…"
Meanwhile:
"RRRAAAARGHHHHH!" Gian bellowed as his foe knocked him down yet again. The city was now being decimated, the impact of having three massive creatures taking its toll. Even Zenith Metal structures buckle against the combined force of all these attacks.
Manda was long gone, blown away by a pinpointed laser while attempting another assault. The snake-like creature had struck him with its forehead beam so hard that he was sent flying into the body of water he emerged from, not surfacing and leaving only a cloud of blood atop the water. They've all been battered by this Godlike creature; its power was immense and seemingly growing by the second! The creature's mocking laughter surrounded him. It knew it was stronger, and this fool made the mistake of thinking it could challenge him.
"Now I see it, you may not be Gojira in the flesh, but you have the same stubborn resilience…" the creature cackled "Oh Gojira… born a mistake, yet always trying to play God!" Gian screamed in pain as the Snake's claws sank into his temple.
"Gomu-Gomu no…. Bazooka!" Luffy's twin palms stuck the creature's jewel. Irritated, the monster hissed and roared towards the rubber boy, the gust that resulted from it causing him to tumble and land heavily on the ground.
"You… you are not even a Kaiju… You're a lesser being, one that should be cowering in the shadows!" the creature raised its foot, intending to squash the rubber captain. It was a wayward blow from the now recovering Kaiju-Zoan user that saved his life.
"Don't you dare touch him!" Gian roared.
"Oh? Sentiments for a fellow human? Guess that doesn't change, no matter what skin you wear!"
"Giant Atom Firestorm!" Gian bellowed and spewed out a wave of blue Atomic energy, this one not streamlined like his usual thermonuclear attacks roared towards the Progenitor in a sea of blue fire.
"A futile attempt; Hydro Scream!"
The same blast of water, crackling with electricity, collided with the wave of fire, erupting in a violent explosion of water and wind. The cloud didn't dissipate completely before another azure beam cut through it, slicing through Gian and causing him to fall to his knees yet again.
"What the hell is this creature?! It's so powerful!" was the thought on both Gian and Luffy's mind, the latter now once again atop the Full Transformation's head now clinging on with all he could.
As Gian was once again under assault, the viewers on the ground were left with worry as they saw the creature raining claws and teeth on their friend.
"Gian, come on! You can do it!" Usopp and Chopper shouted in an attempt to encourage.
"What can we do?" Sara gasped "Gian-san… I don't know how much more he can take!"
"This creature… it will only continue to grow stronger, until it-" The Empress croaked "Can the Kingdom even last that long?"
"There has to be a way to help! There has to be a way to stop it!" Nami cried.
"There is none… Our ancestors made the mistake bringing it out, nothing short of blood can cause it to go back…" Mulines wept "And even that may not be-"
"This abominable beast…" Robin narrowed her eyes in at the sight of Gian's Full Transformation getting pummeled into the ground; inside her heart was palpitating at the sound of each blow on the Kaiju-Zoan user. She needed to help him fast.
"It may be impossible for Gian to beat it the way he is right now…"
"Robin, have some faith!" Usopp chastised, though his own confidence is quite shaken "Gian's doing the best he can!"
"But perhaps we can subdue it back to where it was imprisoned." The archaeologist finished.
Mulines looked at her "Do you mean-"
"Before Axor brainwashed me, I managed to glimpse the history of that Poneglyph. It was a horrifying discovery, but one that gave me one respite. With its transcription on how to release it, it also gave me the same incantations needed to reseal it."
"Of course!" Sara beamed "Robin-san is from Ohara! She can decipher the seal and use it!"
"Yes… If what I do is correct, we should be able to imprison that monster, just like how the original creator of the poneglyph intended it to." Robin stated.
"If that's the case, then it may be the only way." Mulines nodded.
"Then we need to hurry, we just gotta tell Gian to keep it busy!" Nami sighed in relief.
Robin nodded before crossing her arms
Meanwhile, Gian was knocked back onto the ground when a pair of lips sprouted in the rubble next to him.
"Gian, we found a way to help you."
"Robin? Wait your devil fruit allows you to make more than arms?"
"Please stay focused. I am going to use the same Poneglyphs that unsealed this beast to reseal it again. The words are transcribed on it, I just need to recite it again. Can you keep it away from the palace? If it falls and we get crushed to a pulp the rest of this kingdom will also die a horrible flaming death."
"Wow, good to see that positive attitude shining in this situation. But yeah, if you got a plan then I'll be glad to follow through, just focus on what you have to do!"
"Of course, I will work fast to try and spare you from as much pain as possible." The mouth smiled before disappearing in a puff of petals.
"Alright Luffy… you heard her. Keep the viper on us…" Gian growled as he staggered back up.
Upon reaching the stone blocks, Robin immediately sat down. Despite the flaming pillar from before, the chamber suffered little damage; the palace in its entirety actually wasn't destroyed at all. Whatever those flames are, it didn't seem to eradicate what it engulfed.
"To think our ancestors had to sacrifice lives in order to relinquish a demon like that from imprisonment…" Sara breathed "How desperate we were."
"Fear and war bring out the worst in humanity." Robin stated "It's moments like that when we lose sight of who we are."
"Work fast, Robin-san." Mulines urged "Gian-san may not be able to hold it for much longer." The archaeologist nodded and began to wordlessly chant the inscriptions. While unlocking the prison still required a blood sacrifice from a Child of Mu, the Poneglyph designed by Kozuki Izanagi all those years ago worked differently. Only those who knew the ancient language are able to recite it, but those words are all they need to return the abomination back to its limbo.
The moment she said that, the ceiling of the chamber cracked open, causing all but Robin to yelp out. Luffy landed with a pained yelp and struggled to get up, his rubber body mitigating most of the damage. Despite that, it still hurt like hell falling from that far.
"Damn snake! It threw me all the way here!"
"Are you ok?" Nami shouted.
"I'm going to beat the-!"
"Perhaps it is better to stay here…" Sara sweatdropped at the captain's energy; even after being tossed around he still had the will to fight.
Meanwhile, Gian was being flung like a rag doll. As he collided with the ground yet again, he could hear the other beast laughing at him.
"Pitiful, truly pitiful." The snake denounced the downed Kaiju-Zoan user "Having the power of another does not a strong warrior make." The creature planted its foot down hard, stomping Gian's head into the ground.
"In the end you have only one use to me, your soul would be fit for my consumption-."
And with that Gian's body flashed blue once before an Atom Pulse razed through the ground, knocking the snake back with a furious hiss. Gian got up with a shaky grin.
"Chew on that…!"
"For all you are, your annoying tenacity is that of Gojira." the beast growled "I will enjoy causing you pain before I take your life!"
The beast charged at him again, grappling with Gian and pushing him back. Only this time, Gian was prepared as they locked arms. The beast's eyes widened as he saw the Kaiju-Zoan's mouth open, a blue ray of light pointed straight at the sapphire on its forehead.
"Atom Ray!"
Then a blinding flash of light enveloped them both, causing Gian to shield his eyes.
When he opened them, he was no longer in the Kingdom, he was standing in… emptiness.
There was nothing around him but white, pure white as far as the eye can see.
"What is…HUH?!"
No longer was he towering over the city, he was now back to human form. His body wasn't even injured.
"When did I transform back? What is going on here?"
"My my, I must admit, this is truly a surprise!"
Gian gasped at the sight in front of him. It was not the beast from before, no cobra-hooded abomination.
Rather, the leviathan that stood before him was even bigger, and what was once a snake was now the form of a towering demonic dragon. Its greyish brown skin concealed muscles larger than any he's seen before, covered in armor plates. The beast stood on two hind legs, each as thick as a the beast's head, a massive draconic visage with three horns jutting from it, glared with its blood red eyes in contempt down at the now human Gian. Two wing-like spurs jutted from its shouders, strumming with vast power. Its thick tail swished back and forth; this was a being from a far more ancient time.
"Now I see why you possess the form of Gojira, little human…"
"J-Just what the hell are you?!"
"This is my true form, one that belongs to me since a time that predated even this civilization. The form that you chose foolishly to get in the way of was one of the pieces they split me into, separated to far corners and locked away."
Underlying rage line the creature's speech, causing Gian to back up. This is a creature of immeasurable power, power more ancient than even he could believe. And the entire time he was fighting for his life, it turns out that was only a sliver of the beast's true strength.
"Y-You mean this whole time…!" he realized.
"That's correct, how does it feel? Knowing that your full power doesn't even measure up to a fraction of mine?"
And Gian realized, just how much more complicated this whole situation became. Within a web of deception and plans for conquest, there was now a third party involved, one with a destiny far greater than the rest.
"D-Did you influence the High Priest to release you?"
The dragon chuckled at that "Now you give me too much credit. No, the flames of ambition were burning within that human since the start. I simply fanned that flame further, assurances that I can help him in that goal." The mocking laughter echoed through the white plane of emptiness "Ah, he thought he was bringing his Kingdom glory, when in reality he only brought the world closer to its doom!"
The overpowering aura was increased thousand-fold; if only one form of the beast already had an overpowering aura, then this complete form would completely engulf any lesser being. It was so much that just looking at the dragon was enough to cause Gian's entire body to shake uncontrollably, a fact not missed by the great dragon.
"I will say that it is rather shocking that you are able to connect our auras, or for you to resist my will. The difference in our power cannot be any more apparent, but here you are, looking into my soul just as I am seeing into yours."
Gian shuddered as he felt as if his entire body and mind was being read like a book; the creature's eyes were full of malicious mirth, glancing at each emotion and memory.
"Ohoho, quite intriguing! For such a short lifespan, you've sure led a rather complicated life…!"
And in the process, Gian saw flashes of images as well, experiences from a different time, visions of another existence, it was all too much. And he soon collapsed, gasping for air.
"You see it, do you? My existence? What I am, and what I sought to do?"
"I-It's unfathomable…! What you-?"
"Yes, revel in it, see the destiny of which is to come!" the demon cackled "For Millennia I have been imprisoned, my body split into 3 pieces and scattered to the wind! They think they could've stopped me, they only delay the inevitable!"
"Y-You'll destroy everything….!"
"As what it was meant be. Now, one of my bodies is free from its prison! I will again bring about The End when the other two join me!"
Gian choked out as the dragon's gaze intensified, it felt as the air itself was weighing down on him like a 10 ton vice. Lifting his head weakly he could only stare in panic into the crimson gaze of the demon.
"You proved yourself lucky, you are the first in a long time to bear witness to it all. But now we must part ways; it's time I destroy your feeble soul from this plane before I scour the rest of this Kingdom as the first of many!"
The pressure was unbearable; Gian felt his ribs beginning to crack, his organs popping. The only thing drowning out all this was the bellowing laugh of the dragon, mocking him.
"No…"
Visions flashed before him, a red haired man, a smiling fellow with a Mohawk, 4 boys and a machine grinning at him. He wasn't even sure if this was all in his head, he could only feel the overwhelming power that was slowly crushing him.
"No…!"
Smiling faces everywhere, the Straw Hats. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Usopp, Chopper.
Friends he's met along the way.
A vision of two girls, one pink haired, the other black. Before they can turn, the image was replaced with another: a beautiful woman, her silky black hair streaming down past her shoulders. Robin smiled at him, and he could only feebly reach out.
"No…! NO…! NO...!"
And he felt different, his entire body seemed elevated. His eyes alit with amber, blue fire gathered around him before exploding out with a bright BANG.
And he knelt panting, the same blue energy swirling around him, molding together until it formed a very familiar sight:
"AHAHAHA! EVEN NOW, GOJIRA'S SPIRIT IS STILL SO DEFIANT!" the demon dragon laughed in the distance before charging with claws out stretched "Come! Keep on delaying the End of your existence!"
Gian's body, now back into its Full Transformation, moved with its own accord, his own claws bunched into a fist and his own punch flying. The two fists planted into one another, and another bright flash engulfed them both.
It was a screech that brought Gian back to his senses. His eyes shot open to see that he was kneeling on the stone ground of Mu, once again no longer transformed. Looking around hastily, his eyes froze on the sight in front of him.
"What was all that just now…?"
There was no more demonic dragon; it was the Cobra-shaped monster yet again. Only this time wrapped around its body were ethereal chains, violet and spiked, binding its body as it thrashed and strained against it. They seemingly came from within the palace, phasing through its walls and trapping their target.
"You were a distraction?!" the beast howled, the chains grew brighter and brighter with light.
"I can still hear him?"
Inside, Robin wiped a trail of sweat from her brow "It's done, the sealing will commence now!"
"You did it Robin!" Luffy cheered.
Robin let out a sigh, a smile beginning to form.
Outside, the beast roared, clawed feet digging into the ground, glaring hatefully at Gian all the while.
"So you have others that took the time to recite the words to imprison me yet again? Resourceful, but ultimately useless! I am now far too powerful for these chains to hold me!" Sure enough, a chain shattered into light, followed by another.
"I will not be stopped, The End will arrive all the same!"
And it would've continued, had an intervention come from the most unlikely source. Gian didn't even see it, he only just remembered that there was another problem that was being dealt with. But as the blow struck, it could've only come from there.
"GRAAAAAGH! W-WHAT IS THIS?"
The pale beam struck the bound creature, and in doing so an unexpected reaction took place. Its muscles slowed, it's thrashing weakened; the beam, originating from outside the Kingdom walls, was one that not only wounded, but froze it's targets cellular structure!
And despite its ancient identity, even this demon is no different. Its body slowly began to freeze, ice replacing flesh as its struggling began to cease.
Gian was speechless during this whole time. His mind racing, he could only watch as the monster slowly became an ice sculpture.
"I see, it seems that my release was only temporary… this is another setback…"
Gian hardly paid attention to the musing, his mind was still full of the images that filled his mind earlier. Despite what he can see now, he know that those visions that he saw were the same that the monster, a mere piece of a larger being, wishes to bring about to the world.
And it was all very real.
"But it's a temporary setback, nothing more… You've only managed to trap me for a little while longer! What you saw when our Auras connected will be the fate for this entire world!"
"Y-You… You are a scourge…!" Gian spat out the best he could.
"Oh, I am much worse than that, Gian!" The monster cackled as he took in the sight of the human, shocked to find that it knew his name "I am the End of All Things! Even as we speak, the other pieces of my form are growing restless, waiting to break free of their own prisons to forward this apocalypse! I may be trapped today, but my return is something that you cannot stop!"
"So take solace in your temporary victory, Holder of Gojira's Spirit. You've awoken a force unlike any other, a force that will drive this world to its End!" the creature's entire body was nearly frozen over now, but it had one more things to say.
"Until that day, Beast Warrior Gian, know that Bagan was the one that nearly brought cataclysm to your existence!"
Then the cobra beast froze over entirely, the chains immediately retracted and dissolving the creature into a shower of light.
Just like that, it was gone from the world.
And the only thing Gian could hear before he passed out was the distance sound of battle, and the ringing of the creature's name in his mind…
A/N: Well, the penultimate chapter for the Sunken Kingdom Arc is here! After an eventful couple of months, I bring you the biggest chapter I've ever written before! Honestly, I didn't expect for this to go on this long.
G: Where have you been? I'm growing very old.
Hey, some of us have a life outside of these words. The past few months was a mix of Finals, holiday plans and travelling, so overall plans for this chapter kept getting delayed.
G: Lame!
But more importantly, it was because my overall direction changed a bit for how this chapter will go down. What basically happened was this:
Originally the plan went as you'd see here, that much hasn't changed: Gian broke out of mind control, defeats Axor, but too late to prevent the summoning. The other beast was released, they fight, and with the help of Robin it was sealed up. Meanwhile, Gideon would have his hands full with Mu's defenses and returning army. Overall no different right?
Then I changed the identity of the monster.
While its overall form didn't change, the original creature was not who it turned out to be. In fact the name Axor was actually the name of another creature from a Hanna-Barbera Cartoon of Godzilla (Yes that was a thing). It looked about how it would here, with the ability to control wind and lightning and also fire lasers that, you guessed it, enslave people. The High Priest Axor here actually got his abilities taken from that very creature. The basis for this iteration of the monster however, was based off of a drawing made by user Kaijusamurai on DeviantArt (Check out his profile, Matt makes a ton of very good Godzilla and Kaiju related artwork, he's even doing it professionally for some comic books!) in his Godzilla Neo series. In fact, if you do follow it, I actually took some inspiration from it.
So, at this point, the plot went similarly to that. All would've gone the way it did, until I had second thoughts.
I didn't want a onetime monster that was just going to make an appearance here and never be heard from again.
And thus I went deeper, wanting to make the events here tie into the eventual story later on. And that's when Chance Green G King gave me the idea of a monster that was planned to be in multiple Godzilla movies, but ultimately became cancelled and nothing more than a concept and a small appearance as a video game boss.
Bagan.
However, by this point the story had been fleshed out, and the design of the creature no longer looked like Bagan. It seemed that I had to think of something else, until I remembered one thing:
In one draft of The Return of Godzilla, he was supposed to fight 3 separate monsters that ultimate combined into Bagan. It looks nothing like how it would look like in Super Godzilla, but the concept was enough! Thus, the final act of this chapter was rewritten, pitting one of the monsters that made up of Bagan against Gian and showing that he still has so much to learn about Kaiju. This results in the chapter being much longer, and actually a few scenes involving Gideon was cut. They'll be here in the next chapter, and you'll see how the freezing beam was fired then.
Of course, this all came super suddenly, and you can see it in the writing. So overall, I have mixed feeling about this chapter. However, as I hope to bring Bagan back later down the line, more complete and stronger than ever, I hope this can contribute to the story more than just a simple battle, one that would ultimately give this story its own focus in addition to One Piece. I guess this chapter is pretty hit or miss, you like it or you don't. It honestly was really draining to write and I'm just glad we can move on.
And with that out of the way, I have to say this: WRITING AN ORIGINAL ARC SUCKS!
It's so much harder to figure out material on your own, before I at the very least had Canon to back me up if I get lost, but here I have to make decisions that still tie the story to One Piece yet make I feel not out of place. It's a tough balance, but overall a good learning experience. Since I have a few other original arcs planned, I hope to use this as an example to improve next time.
G: Wow,that was long.
Yeah, and this chapter is long enough as it is. Let's just get to the reviews!
Responses to Reviews:
To Darkmaster100000:
G: I HAVEN'T EATEN IN SO LOONNNNGGG!
Starve
Oh, Spandam will get what's coming to him, for sure…
To Karsap:
That's a lot…
G: Ooooh, fillers.
To Vergil Leonidas:
Thank you! I will try to work on the fight scenes better, for real they're actually harder to write than I thought. Overall, you were pretty close to how Gian broke out of mind control! And I'm glad you like the part where I introduced Diable Jambe earlier, I did want Sanji's fight to be a bit more memorable. Besides, it wasn't really stated when he learned it to begin with, he just busted it out in Enies Lobby and I assumed he could've used it earlier.
G: And he thought he jumped the shark with that one!
Eh, I do that.
To Chance Green G King:
Well, I hope this chapter answers some questions! It honestly took the longest time of all!
To Matt:
G: Ok, when is this Franky gonna show up? I keep hearing him get name dropped and now I just want to see him.
Oh, you'll know.
And Biollante will for sure appear before the time-skip!
To Kristopher b:
G: Ugh, do we have to be reminded of Stan? We're going into Endgame and he's gonna cameo there and I'm gonna cry.
He cameoed in Spiderverse and I already cried.
As for Gian's facial features, expect a mix between Richter Belmont and Captain Erwin from AoT. He's pretty youthful looking, but he can scary when pissed off.
G: That's vague.
To mekyaku:
Haoshoku Haki for sure breaks the mind control, you can see it back when Luffy fought Manda and he subconsciously released it.
To Poseidon3000:
G: God of the Ocean blessed us, we're legit now.
Thank you, glad you like it!
To Patricia Louise A. Pena:
Gideon went through a lot, I'll you that much! I'm planning to write a spin off with Gideon as the star about his time before the events of this story took place. Maybe when this story gets more tractions or 1k reviews or something.
G: And just wait until Dressrosa and Punk Hazard! We got a lot to reveal!
To HAVEABOY:
G: Try me, but I must warn you, I'm already Tracer.
Stop…
G: *Blasts Crabrave in the background HAVEABOY IS GONE
What have you done…?
To The 1 and Only Logan:
I guess I should focus on scene shifts more, it's definitely becoming difficult to write long fight scenes, it'll definitely become a problem later when the fights get more frequent.
To Cormin12:
Thank you for reading this! It seems you have a lot of questions and concerns. I'll try to answer them all!
As stated by Gan Fall before, when Kaiju Zoan users begin to appear in more than 2, it's usually a sign changes will happen soon. With this chapter, one of those changes is on the horizon
This is incorrect. Kairoseki only affects the user, not the powers generated. Example being that Mr. 3 was able to use wax keys to free Ace from his cuffs without them becoming wax again. So the booger bomb made by Mr. 5 will still be explosive.
Gian wants to answer this one.
G: YOU PUT SOME RESPECK ON MY NAME.
That was too blunt.
Kaiju-Zoans have a few unique properties amongst Zoan Devil Fruits. It was stated chapter 2 that a Full Transformation, once ended, will result in the user becoming incapacitated for a set amount of time. Of course, this can be decreased with training, which we'll get to eventually, and eating and drinking is able to grant a temporary boost to energy, enabling the user to move again. Partial Transformations on the other hand, happens instantly as expected.
Yeah, Shin Godzilla is purposely meant to be ugly.
Baragon fit well for that part.
Oars is the size we gave him for now, Gian would be even bigger later.
Gojira and Ghidorah's fight is something to be seen. It ultimately isn't locked in fate. As you see it now, most of Kaiju history was erased by the World Government for reasons yet unknown. The few records that remain only document what people remember, and in the times they did fight, it definitely spelt disaster for people in the vicinity. The world's a big place, it's not like they can be everywhere at once.
Hope that addresses a few things!
To Raidentensho:
G: SHE WEARS A DRESS?! WE'RE GOING
I'll probably reference it later.
G: BUT I-
KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS.
To sundown923:
G: No, he's a 9 year old gamer like me
Gang Weed
To Boggie445:
Oh, Destoroyah will be playing a much bigger role than Mr. 0.5, and Zilla will make an appearance eventually.
Well, that's all now! Next chapter will conclude this arc with some more lore building, and then we're onto WATER 7!
G: Give me reviews and KP360 will go buy Smash Ultimate.
I'm supposed to say that…
G: HAH REVERSED.