Still no beta, and the One Piece is real!
Izuku felt as though he were about to throw up everything he had eaten in the past year, and it had nothing to do with the rocking of the waves.
"Looking a bit green around the gills," a pirate said as they rowed towards shore. "Though that could just be the hair."
"Y-yeah, maybe."
Shanks elbowed Izuku in the ribs. "Relax. Just stick with us and punch anyone you don't recognize."
"Yeah," Buggy added, "Don't worry! You're probably not going to die."
Izuku looked forlornly back at the Oro Jackson as it weighed anchor within sight of the wintry shores. The boat he currently rode in, a rickety wooden rowboat that leaked a bit in the front, pitched and heaved as they broke through the ocean's waves. As they approached the snowy beach of the Drum Islands, Izuku calculated his odds of making it back to the Oro Jackson and compared them to his odds of surviving a D-Day Normandy Invasion, isekai pirate style.
Halfway into the water, Izuku felt a rubbery hand grab him by the collar. Luffy pulled him back in, now dripping wet and still facing impending doom.
"Do you jump off every boat you get into?" Luffy asked. "Silly Izuku, you're supposed to stay inside."
The pirate rowing chuckled and said, "Lad's so eager to get in his first real fight he tried to swim for shore!"
Izuku shivered and tried not to stare at the pirate flag looming over him. Whitebeard's jolly roger, a skull with a crescent mustache, fluttered high and proud over the Moby Dick. The whale-shaped vessel looked large enough to swallow their dinky rowboat and pick its teeth with an anchor.
The boat lurched as it rammed into the shoreline. Dozens of boats made landfall around them, and the pirates leaping from them brandished swords, knives and axes. Izuku hesitated, but Luffy dragged him along, forcing him to run or get dragged through the snow.
As the Roger pirates grouped up, Izuku asked, "What's the plan? Are we going to sneak up on them somehow? Set their boat on fire while they're distracted? Use aerokinesis to siphon the oxygen out of their air until they pass out?"
The pirates ignored him. As one, they raised their weapons and shouted, "Whitebeard! Are you going to cower in your hidey-hole all day, or are you going to face us like a real pirate?"
Izuku looked upon the cheering pirate horde with a sense of dawning horror. Why did they sneak in on rowboats when they were going to shout out where they were?
The Whitebeard Pirates emerged from taverns and bars, smirking as they hefted weapons of their own. Their commanders stepped forward, leaving a gap at the center. Izuku gulped and shrank behind Luffy as he saw their captain emerge. As grand and imposing as All Might, but with none of his friendly veneer, Whitebeard strode to the front of his crew with a massive naginata leaning over his shoulder. He gave the Roger Pirates a dismissive glance and asked, "Did Roger get lost again?"
A pirate shouted back, "Wouldn't be much of a fight if Roger mopped the floor with you all! Thought we'd make things a bit more even."
Whitebeard raised an eyebrow. "You lot? I've scraped tougher stuff off my toenails this morning. Well, if it's a fight you want, who am I to deny you?" He pointed his naginata forward and shouted, "Give them hell, my sons!"
The Whitebeard Pirates ran forward with a triumphant shout. Not to be outdone, the Roger Pirates raised their own battle-cry and rushed to meet them. Swept up in the masses, Izuku rushed forward with the rest of them and braced for impact.
The two forces collided with a sickening thud of fist on face and the clang of steel against steel, rippling along the battle line as pirates struck and fell. Izuku had a few extra merciful seconds to write a will in his head before the pirates in front of him got flung away by a steel club the size of his leg.
Izuku yelped and ducked as the slab of metal crashed through the air above him. The shockwave knocked Izuku off his feet, winding him as he rolled across the churned snow.
"Well, look at you," the pirate drawled as he hefted the impossibly large mace in one hand. "All skin and bones, this one! Are you really a member of Roger's crew, or did you get lost on your way back from school, little kid?"
Before Izuku could tell the pirate that, yes, he had gotten very lost after leaving school, and could he please not splatter him like a house fly, a fist stretched out of nowhere and slammed the man in the face. The pirate didn't even budge as he brushed the hand off his jaw.
"Oi!" Luffy shouted. "I'm going to kick your ass!"
"A Devil Fruit? Now that's more like it!"
As Luffy flung himself at the other pirate, Izuku took the opportunity to sprint away from the fighting. He found a clearing off to the side, with a couple dozen pirates either groaning or unconscious. Shanks and Buggy stood back to back, weapons raised, as three Whitebeard pirates closed in around them.
"Hey Izuku!" Shanks shouted and waved. "Just in time! Why don't we make this an even fight?"
Izuku froze, torn between running away and trying to help. Before he could make up his mind, a plume of blue flame shot in front of him. A grinning face with tufts of yellow hair emerged from the fire.
"Oh, you're new!" the fiery pirate said. "I'm Marco, and you are?"
Izuku yelped as a fiery fist leapt at his face. Ducking sideways on instinct, Izuku sprinted away, only to see blue light flickering in his peripheral vision. He dove, and blue fire rushed overhead.
"Hey, come on, no running now! Aren't you a pirate?"
Izuku tried to tell him no, but the words tumbled out in an incomprehensible jumble like a collapsed jenga tower. His mind raced as he clumsily rose to his feet. Thoughts of running crossed his mind, but the ocean waves were a hundred feet back. He wouldn't make it a tenth of the way. He looked around, but the other pirates had left the area, leaving him and Marco with an empty clearing. Heart pounding, Izuku raised his fists and watched his opponent warily.
"Strong and silent type?" Marco asked. "Cool, I get it. Alright then, here I come!"
Fiery feathers sprouted from Marco's arms, and his feet grew avian talons. With a rush of hot air, melting the snow around them, Marco leapt, wings flapping and talons aimed at Izuku's chest. Izuku twirled sideways. Fire stung his cheeks as Marco's wings passed by.
Steadying himself, Izuku searched for an opening, but as he stared at his opponent, Izuku had a grim realization. Marco's entire body was wreathed in blue flame. Even if he could punch him, Izuku would only burn his hands.
Searching the sands around them, Izuku saw the glint of metal. Fallen swords, axes, and pistols lay half-buried in the mushy sand. On Marco's second charge, Izuku rolled, grabbed a pistol, and brought it up. The gunshot hurt his ears, and the knockback made his wrist twinge painfully.
Marco stared down at the neat, round hole in his chest. "Right through the heart," he said. "Nice shot."
Swallowing down his nerves, Izuku tossed the pistol aside. Marco's face shifted, sprouting a long, slender beak and blue feathers. Even as Izuku frantically scavenged for another weapon, he marveled at the utility and diversity of Marco's Quirk. Flight, fires, shapeshifting, and impermeability? That would give All Might a run for his money.
Izuku's fingers closed around a hilt. He heaved and pulled a notched sword out of the muck. Holding it unsteadily in front of him, Izuku panted and waited for Marco to make his move.
"You don't know how to use that, do you?" Marco asked, his avian face tilted sideways. "Guess we'll make this quick then."
Marco vanished. Izuku yelped as a blue blur raced in front of him and kicked the sword out of his hands. A second foot struck him across the cheek. Izuku tasted blood as he crouched in the sand.
Marco stood over him. Heat washed over Izuku as he looked up at him. Marco smiled sadly down at him, fist raised, and said, "You better get stronger for our rematch, alright?"
Izuku felt the fire stir within him as he looked up at his imminent defeat. The moment Marco's fist fell, Izuku sprang with a snarl. His own fist darted forward and slammed into Marco's chest.
The fires parted around Izuku's wrist. His skin turned red and twinged painfully as it burned, but Izuku held his fist there.
"No Haki?" Marco asked. "Shame. You would've gotten me with that."
Izuku tried to back away, but Marco's chest closed around his fist. Izuku yanked, then punched at Marco's face. His features blurred into fire as Izuku's hand passed harmlessly through him.
"Night night, Greenie." Marco cocked a fist back, then swore and ducked aside. A shining black knife dug into Marco's side, drawing a long, bloody gash.
Buggy's hand, clutching the bloody dagger, sailed back to its owner. Shanks sauntered up with him, brandishing two swords and grinning despite the gash bleeding down his thigh.
"Hey, no fair!" Marco shouted. "We were just wrapping up!"
"We're pirates!" Shanks shot back. "When do we ever play fair?"
Buggy gulped at the sight of Marco's flames and whispered back, "Are you sure about this? He's a Logia!"
"Mythical Zoan, actually," Marco said with a grin. "But fine? You two want to play? Let's play."
Before Izuku could even understand what was happening, Marco disappeared, practically teleporting in front of Shanks with how fast he moved. A black sheen coated Shanks' blade as he parried, while Buggy darted in with his knives.
For a moment, Izuku watched the whirling blades and darting flames with awe and wonder. His hand itched for his hero notes. But then, he remembered he was in a different world, surrounded by hordes of pirates out for blood, and decided that now wasn't the time to write a ten page thesis on the possible composition of the blue flames. Glancing back and forth, Izuku saw swords clashing and pirates pummeling one another with their fists. Izuku raced past them all, staying low so he wouldn't be noticed, towards a spot where the fighting thinned out.
As Izuku entered the calm area, he immediately decided that he'd rather be anywhere else. Whitebeard stood tall over a pile of Roger Pirates. The butt of his naginata nudged a limp body off to the side, and his scarred chest stood bare. Izuku tried to backtrack, but a rowdy mob threw punches and slashed out around him.
Whitebeard hauled one pirate up by the collar and gave him a gentle shake. "Come on, you didn't even bring Rayleigh?"
The pirate wheezed and chuckled. "Someone had to keep Roger from spoiling the fight."
Whitebeard grunted in irritation and tossed him aside. He took a flagon from an attending pirate, drained it in one gulp, and wiped the froth off his face. "Anyone else brave enough to fight me?" he roared.
Izuku made himself very small, praying that Whitebeard wouldn't take his general existence as an excuse to add him to the pile. Luckily for him, Whitebeard had his attention drawn elsewhere.
"Right here, old geezer!" Luffy shouted. He hurled the bruised, unconscious body of the pirate with the mace at Whitebeard's feet and waited with arms crossed.
"You've got balls, boy, I'll give you that." Whitebeard jammed his naginata into the sand, leaving it upright, and cracked his knuckles. "Too bad you don't have much else."
"I have this! Gum gum pistol!"
Luffy's fist shot forward. Whitebeard caught his wrist with contemptible ease. As Luffy pulled and struggled, Whitebeard shook his head and said, "You're twenty years too young to think you can challenge me."
"Screw you! I'm going to be the King of the Pirates!"
"A king?" Whitebeard's voice dripped with contempt. "No one rules us, boy."
Whitebeard yanked. Luffy flew forward, pulled by his own rubbery arm. With his free hand, Whitebeard wound up a punch. His fist turned black as he slammed it into Luffy's jaw. A resounding crack echoed across the beach. Blood sprayed into the air as Luffy's head reeled back. Whitebeard gave him a gentle shake, watching him for signs of life, before dropping him into the sand.
The fighting slowed, then stopped, as the pirates turned to stare at Whitebeard. The wind howled across the beach, carrying the scent of blood, sweat, and the salty tang of sea spray. Izuku felt his stomach drop as he beheld Luffy's unmoving body, and he asked himself, was that his nose he heard cracking, or his skull?
Luffy's hand clenched. Sand ran off his fingers as he rolled onto his feet. Wiping a dribble of blood off his mouth, Luffy tottered and raised his fists.
"Hoh?" Whitebeard crossed his arms and stared down at Luffy. "You're not giving up?"
"Neffer!" Luffy spat the word through swollen lips.
"Then what are you waiting for? I'm right here."
With a roar, Luffy rushed forward. His arms stretched backwards, nearly crossing the beach, before he shouted, "Gum gum bazooka!"
Whitebeard took both palm strikes on the chest. Despite the mighty slap and rush of air, the pirate captain didn't twitch.
Whitebeard's knee came up, catching Luffy in the gut. As Luffy doubled over, crying out in pain, Whitebeard grabbed Luffy by the scruff of the neck. He hauled him up and planted another fist in Luffy's chest. Again and again, Whitebeard hammered Luffy. A shoulder popped as Whitebeard dislocated it, and every inch of exposed skin turned black and purple as Whitebeard systematically beat down every inch of his opponent. Teeth went flying, and the blood turned red beneath Luffy's feet.
Once Luffy more closely resembled a lump of hamburger than a human being, Whitebeard dropped him to the ground. Izuku stood, rooted to the spot, staring at the person who, by all rights, should be dead. He died, and Izuku just stood there watching. Shame and regret filled him.
As Whitebeard turned away, the sand rustled. The captain stopped short and turned as Luffy rose slowly to his feet. Even with both eyes swollen shut, Luffy stared down Whitebeard and raised his fists.
"Are you truly that determined to rule over everyone?" Whitebeard asked scornfully.
"Rule? Screw that. I'll be the freeist pirate of them all! And everyone will be free! Free to follow whatever dreams they have and eat all the meat they want!"
Whitebeard's expression softened. "I see. But if you're going to make that happen, you'll need to get a lot stronger."
"I will! Just you wait old man, I'll kick your ass!"
"I'll hold you to that."
Whitebeard pulled his naginata out of the sand. Izuku's eyes widened in horror as Whitebeard raised his blade at Luffy.
"Always remember this, kid. Remember, and grow stronger."
Luffy looked up, gazing fuzzily at the glinting weapon overhead, and grinned a gap-toothed smile. Izuku, heart hammering in his chest, acted on impulse. He sprinted forward with all the speed he could muster and leapt at Luffy. As they crashed towards the sand, Izuku felt a searing hot line draw itself across his shoulder and down his back.
"Watch it, twerp!" Whitebeard shouted. "I could've sliced your head off!"
Heart drumming in his ears, Izuku scrambled to his feet and hauled Luffy over one shoulder. Adrenaline surging through his veins like lightning, the world shrank to a pinprick of light as Izuku ran blindly forward. Every step sent a fresh surge of agony across his back, but Izuku gritted his teeth and churned through the soggy sand.
A shape loomed in Izuku's blurry vision. A man, a sword, blocking the path. Izuku screamed and threw a punch. The man let out a pained yelp and shrank to his knees. Izuku rammed his head straight into the man's. He stepped over the unconscious pirate and kept running.
Blood dripped into Izuku's eyes. He couldn't tell if it was Luffy's or his own. Running blind, he only stopped when he ran head-first into a man's chest. Blinking his eyes clear, Izuku looked up. Roger knelt down and patted him on his good shoulder.
"Get some rest, kiddo. I'll be having a few words with Whitebeard."
Panting as he flopped into the dirt, Izuku struggled to keep his eyes open. He blearily saw Roger, striding forward, sword writhing with purple light, while Whitebeard twirled his naginata. The clash of the two blades unleashed a Haki shockwave that made Izuku black out.
It's Time to Ship out Bink's Brew.
Sea wing blows, to where who knows
The waves will be our Guide
O're across the ocean's tide
The strange song twirled in Izuku's left ear. His right was buried in the sand, along with half his face. Izuku groaned and tried to get up, but a hand forcibly shoved him back into the sand.
"Oh no you don't," an old woman snapped at him. "I did not sew you up just so you could run around and tear those stitches. Now hold still, I have a few left."
Izuku tried to speak, but sand rushed in when he opened his mouth. Coughing and sputtering, Izuku didn't even feel the needle pierce his skin. With one last tug, the crone said, "There! Do something that stupid again and I'll charge you an arm and a leg for it. Literally!"
As the old doctor guffawed, Izuku cautiously rose to his knees. His head swam, but he pushed through his vertigo and rose to his feet. His shoulder felt taut like a drum and frustratingly itchy, and tingly cold from a salve rubbed into it.
"What happened?" Izuku asked blearily.
"Hell if I know. That captain of yours dragged me over here and told me to fix everyone up. That cut on your back will leave quite a scar, but don't stress it too much, and you should have no problem moving your shoulder and back.
Izuku craned his neck. He could just barely make out the twisted line of pink, inflamed flesh, knitted together with a thick black thread.
"Thank you, doctor."
"Don't sweat it. Now run along, I better make sure Hirluk doesn't kill idiot number two over there, and you better talk to your lady friend over there before she thinks you're not good enough for you. Had to beat her off you with a stick before I could get the stitches in."
As the doctor left, Izuku looked frantically around for Mei. He saw her off to the side, taking apart her cell phone. She had her shirt off, laying it on the sand to keep the grit off the discarded components. Izuku walked over and gingerly took a seat.
"I can't do anything," Mei said glumly.
Izuku balked at her gloomy attitude. "I can't either. I nearly died out there."
"You knocked out a pirate. I heard them talking about it. You saved that rubber boy and knocked someone out. I can't even make a slingshot."
"Sure you can! You're amazing, Mei! You've always been able to make what you put your mind to."
"There's no circuit boards, Izuku! No soldering guns, no prefabricated parts, they don't even have electricity! How can I make babies without any of my tools?"
"If the tools you need don't exist yet, invent them."
"I need materials. Lots of them."
"Then we'll get them. Whatever you need, we'll find it."
Mei looked up. Her eyes were red and puffy, and tears dampened her cheeks. She wiped away her tears and said, "Thanks, Izuku. We'll make the best babies the world has ever seen!"
"See, I told you they were together." Izuku whirled and saw Shanks grinning at them as he elbowed Buggy in the side.
Buggy's face twisted, and he said in a disgusted voice, "Please tell me they're not going to do it here."
Shanks shrugged. "I hear it's best right after a battle, while you still got your blood pumping." Wiggling his eyebrows, he said, "All that blood goes to a different place, if you know what I mean."
"Ooh, I should try that!" Mei said. "Sounds perfect for baby-making."
As Buggy fake-vomited off to the side, Shanks laughed and said, "Maybe after the next battle." Shanks offered Izuku a hand and said, "You're missing out on the party! There's tons of guys that wanna meet the crazy bastard that took a cut from Whitebeard for his friend."
"Uh, what about-"
"Oh, don't worry Izuku," Mei said. She gestured at her disassembled phone and said, "I need to put this together anyways."
Hauling him up by his good arm, Shanks wrapped an arm carefully behind his back and turned him towards the sounds of drunken singing. "Saw you get a guy good while getting Luffy out of there. Nice headbutt!"
Shanks leaned up against him, and his face was flushed. He plopped Izuku next to a campfire and grabbed each of them a flagon of frothing beer.
"Cheers!" Shanks shouted as he sat next to Buggy. "To the kid with balls big enough to challenge Whitebeard, and the kid brave enough to bail him out!"
"Quit cheering already, you're giving me a headache." Buggy groused as he drained his tankard. His eyelids were half-closed, and he hiccuped.
Izuku took a cautious drink. The brew tasted too bitter for his liking, but parched as he was, Izuku drained every last drop.
'Cross the Gold and silver seas,
The Salty spray puts us at ease
Day and night, to our delight,
The Voyage never ends
Izuku nodded along with the song drifting through the camp. Someone elbowed him in the arm and asked, "You heard this one before?"
"No, I haven't. What's it-" Izuku turned and dropped his mug. Marco grinned and downed his own mug.
"Bink's Sake. Best shanty on the Grand Line. Why don't you sing along? Lyrics aren't hard to pick up."
Izuku looked around. At every campfire, the Roger Pirates drank, sang, and swapped stories with Whitebeard's crew.
Seeing Izuku's lost look, Shanks topped off Izuku's mug and said, "Bit of a tradition between our crews. Have a good fight, have a good drink afterwards. Decent pirates, though they got nothing on us."
Marco snorted. "Please, we got you good this time."
"Oh?" Shanks shot back. "I must've imagined all of you running in terror, with piss stains on your pants, the moment Roger hit the beach."
"That was beer! I sloshed some on my pants when I stopped for a drink!"
"Must've been some shitty beer you were drinking if it smells like piss."
"Do you make a habit of smelling other people's pants? I could get you some of Gurt's underwear."
"That tall hairy guy? I like having a nose, thanks."
Izuku felt the world spin around him. But that wasn't new, was it? The world was always spinning. That's how days work. Shanks was also spinning, and there were two of him. Was that his Quirk? Wait, there were two Marcos too. Was that his Quirk? Did he just double the world?"
"Uh, Izuku, I think you had a bit much." Buggy's face danced around Izuku like a psychedelic circus.
Izuku looked down. He tipped the mug over his face and watched a couple drops plop onto his cheek.
"Oh. I'm drunk." Izuku dropped the mug like it stung him.
"No shit you're drunk. How much did you have?"
Under Buggy's glare, Shanks hastily said, "Whoa, I only gave him a couple mugs. Not my fault he's a lightweight."
"I need to be not drunk," Izuku slurred. "How do I-"
Vomit leapt up his throat and splashed all over Buggy. As the cabin boy cursed and ran for his knives, Shanks said sagely, "Exactly like that."
A/N: just got off a week of vacation and made enough food for at least three more. Meatloaf, pizza, split pea soup, pancakes, and a metric ton of thumbprint cookies with strawberry & blackberry jam.
My beta mirxae's still on vacation, and I might look for a second beta to get more eyeballs on this thing. In the meantime, I'll keep writing. See ya in two weeks!