Chapter 1: Clash and Sword.
In the exact middle of a deformed island, on a small cliff sticking out of a perfectly round lake stand two men with the weight of the world on their shoulders. They are both tired and near mortally damaged from the many days of fighting, covered in burn wounds and frostbite that will take many months to heal.
The air was strange. From the west came a freezing, sub-zero storm, and from the east came a boiling heat that made the air tremble. The two men had used the power of the polar cold and volcanic heat to destroy and misshapen their environment, so half of the once normal island was a melting hellscape and half a harsh mountain chain of ice.
World government hot air balloons circled around them with huge camera snails sending the nail biting action to all the five seas. An announcer gasped as he realized the gravity of the event that had just taken place. "They… They both seemed to have awakened!"
-How interesting… We have both awakened our Devil Fruits, Kuzani noted.
-I'm getting tired of your refusal to bow down, Kuzan. Let's finish this! Magma started to pour out of Sakazuki's body. Kuzan did not say a word, instead holding up his arms and waiting in.
With a massive pillar of magma, Sakazuki sent himself into the air above in preparation for his special move. A white gas started to form around Kuzan's arm as he produced ice at temperatures far below -100 degrees celsius.
-Volcanic Spear!
Sakazuki's arm erupted into a gargantuan cloud of lava that boiled the sea water many miles around him. His arm shone white from all of that terrifying heat being concentrated into it.
-Ice Mountain!
Kuzan flash froze the very air around him, creating an impenetrable ragged mountain of ice stretching well into the sky. Miles in at the very center, Kuzan was encased.
The volcanic spear clashed into the ice mountain like a planet-destroying meteorite and tried to drill through. A sea of steam blossomed out, laying so thick in the air that the world couldn't possibly see what was going on.
Marine Headquarters, New World
Koby performed a flying kick towards Garp's head, but his mentor dodged effortlessly. Koby's brother-in-arms and training partner, Helmeppo, came in from the other side with his kukri knives held high but was kicked to the ground. Koby was quickly sent after him.
-Hah! I win again, but do continue trying! Garp laughed. He was an old but mighty man, his hair grayed and his face wrinkles but his body still strong enough to move mountains and split seas. Koby was a young man, eighteen years old, tall and slender, wearing a marine uniform with the iconic Navy captain's "Justice"-coat, pink bushy hair, a cross-shaped scar under his eyes. a flower headband and thick round glasses. Helmeppo was tall and had long, slim limbs. He sported a deep, voluptuous butt chin, blonde, silky hair and an odd black visor, as well as a white jacket and a mint-green vest.
Garp turned to look out from the giant window in their dojo at the top of the New Marineford base. The sea stretched out to the horizon, looked over by a round silver moon. It was quite beautiful.
-Master Garp! Shouldn't we continue to train? Koby did a salute.
-Hey, don't expose me to even more torture! Helmeppo held up his hand in front of Koby's mouth.
-You don't need to worry, Helmeppo. I only returned here to take farewell.
-What!? Koby and Helmeppo shout in unison.
-No, you can't! You're the fist of the Navy! With Sakazuki's rise to power, you're the only one that can change the navy back to it's glory! And we still haven't finished our training! Koby protested.
- I leave those tasks to you two. After what I did to Ace, I couldn't continue to call myself a man of justice. I'm tired, and in need of retirement. But, before I go… Garp handed over a small letter to Koby.
-What is this? Were the last words Koby said to his mentor before he disappeared into the shadows.
-W-what are we supposed to do now? Koby turned to Helmeppo.
-Well, no matter what happens, I'll stay by your side! Personally, I feel like leaving headquarters!
-You're right! We need to go out there and fight against this unjust navy!
-W-what? No, I thought it would be more like a vacatio…
-Epic adventures in the name of justice! True warriors of hope in a corrupt world!
-W-well, that's a bit extreme, I mean…
Somewhere else at New Marineford.
Tashigi and Smoker watched with dreadful anticipation as the fight raged on, hidden by the smoke. The screen began to flicker as an orange-red light emerged, and Tashigi gasped. Wounded and tired, but victorious, Sakazuki emerged as the new Fleet Admiral.
-No! It can't be! A monster like him, with Navy soldier blood on his hands! His warmongering… Tashigi started to paint up worst case scenarios in her head.
-Shhh! Smoker pointed towards the other Vice Admirals observing the screen.
-We can't afford to make enemies. The situation in the navy is going to get real hairy from now on, so screaming out at the upper management is more trouble than it's worth.
-But, if everyone is busy saving their own skin, what will happen to justice?
-That's up to each person in this room to decide for themselves. We'll stick to protecting civilians no matter what orders we get from headquarters.
Smoker was tall, broad-shouldered with muscles like an action star. His hair was slicked-back gray and he always had two lit cigars in his mouth. He wore an open coat and black jeans, no matter the weather. Tashigi was a relatively tall woman with shoulder-length black hair. She wore glasses, a blue fur coat over a coat with flower-motif, plain blue jeans. The thing one noticed first was the sword always hanging by her side.
Suddenly, the woman next to Smoker stood up and rushed out of the room. She was Smoker's long time friend, Hina, a tall woman with long blonde hair with a pair of sunglasses pushed up on her forehead. Smoker and Tashigi followed after.
-What's the rush? I thought you weren't leaving until next month, Smoker's gruff voice wasn't the best comfort.
-I-I got another letter from mom, Hina was obviously struggling to not cry.
–The Cassho family have been targeting Valentina, and I just can't let her die, so I'm going to West Blue.. If you haven't heard from me in six months, come and find me. But trust me, I won't let those bastards escape my grasp.
Hina spoke with absolute resolution, she knew that if she didn't act she could never forgive herself. With those last words she ran down towards headquarters port to find her crew and set sail.
-Hina is a great Navy woman. If she were lost to her own rage, it would be a great tragedy, Smoker sighed.
-Of course! Let's travel with her!
-No. This is Hina's personal mission. I will only interfere if her life is in danger. We're going back to G-5 for now.
New Marineford, Sengoku's office.
The room was so quiet that one could hear a feather land. The light of the monitor reflected off of previous Fleet Admiral Sengokus glasses, hiding his eyes. He was tall and muscular for his age, with a braided beard and large round hair.
With a deep sigh he reached for his transponder snail. The man on the other side responded immediately.
-Yes?
-Meet me at the base. I can no longer sit and wait for the Navy to pillage these seas…
A Sky Island, New World, Six months later.
Koby and Helmeppo stepped out of the small zeppelin. Koby had been very suspicious of the sudden call to an unknown sky island, and to find that it consisted of a massive giant jungle and nothing else didn't help that. With some Observation Haki he scanned the nearest area and sensed only the presence of jungle animals.
-You kids sure you want to stop here? The aeronaut asked.
-We've got our transponder snail, so we will be fine, Koby responded.
-My will is in the second highest cabinet in my night stand! Helmeppo hastily added.
Koby and Helmeppo set off towards the jungle, but a loud scream made them stop in their tracks. Koby tied his flower-headband around his neck and put on his glasses, entering his Observation Haki-stance. He sensed that an aura filled with despair was close.
-Helmeppo, grab on! With Helmeppo around his arm, Koby jumped to the top of a tree as tall as a small skyscraper.
-Moon Walk!
While he was in midair, he kicked again, and the sheer pressure solidified the air, allowing him to kick off of it and fly.
In just a few seconds he found where the auras were coming from. To his shock, it was a Navy zeppelin. Loud voices and gunshots could be heard, so Koby nosedived as quickly as he could. Helmeppo felt nauseous.
From up in the air, Koby could see the scene clearly. Some navy people were tied up and surrounded by their former shipmates threatening them with guns. One of the auras felt strangely familiar. Koby landed on the ship a bit away from the action, so he could observe clearly.
-Tell me who you are meeting! I'm not afraid to shoot! A man who seemed to lead the mutiny shouted at the captain. Only now did Koby realize who it was.
-Commodore Smoker! He whispered to Helmeppo.
-They've got him up in seastone shackles! Smoker was known around HQ to be intimidating and aggressive, but there was a real look of concern on his face. His right hand-woman, Tashigi, was very upset.
-How could you? She screamed at the man holding the gun.
-Smoker has been going against direct orders from headquarters for many months now! Someone had to step in and stop this from continuing! Those words sent chills down Koby's spine. He had been stationed at headquarters since the Paramount War, mostly because he was recovering from his wounds, but during that time there had always been paranoid thoughts running around in his head.
What if I'm being kept here because they don't trust me? What if going against Sakazuki was my one-way ticket to never becoming an admiral? That if I stepped out of line, I would have reason to fear for my life? The scene before him was a chilling showcase of what could be happening to him.
Eventually his anger and fear boiled over and he moon-walked over the heads of the mutineers, landing next to Smoker and raising his finger to the air. All of the mutineers were stunned by his sudden appearance, so they didn't have time to stop him.
-Finger Pistol!
His hand moved so fast his finger pierced through Smoker's lock like a bullet. The mutineers had gained a loose grip of what was happening, and rushed towards Koby.
With a sharp sound Helmeppo pulled out his pair of bent kukri knives and jumped towards the mast. He kicked off of it with such strength he launched himself up to one of the ropes suspended over the ship, using his bent knives to glide along them.
While he was over Koby's attackers, he dropped down. Just before they stabbed Koby in the back, Hemeppo wildly spun around in the air holding his knives, cutting them all down in the blink of an eye like an iron tornado.
Smoker and Tashigi were now free, and the tides of the battle turned in an instant.
-White Spark!
Smoker transformed his body into a cloud dense smoke and rushed towards the opponents with enough speed to send them flying off the ship. One of the attackers came up towards Helmeppo, but Smoker launched himself through the air and pinned them down with his jite-staff.
-Elegance Blade!
With gracious, fast motions Tashigi danced around her former crewmates, the movements of her sword Shigure being so elegant and beautiful that her former shipmates didn't realize they had been cut down before they were unconscious on the floor.
A few minutes later when all of the mutineers had been tied up Koby, Helmeppo, Smoker and Tashigi were discussing their current predicament.
-I'm guessing you kids were called here for the same reason as us? Received a letter with a Navy seal asking you to come here? Smoker asked.
-Y-yes, exactly! Koby had heard stories of the G-5, even during his youth in East Blue. Rumors about them being ruthless towards pirates and a wild card in the navy were commonplace among the Navy recruits, and during a childhood visit to Loguetown he had heard people be afraid of the ruthless Captain "White Hunter" Smoker, who never let a pirate leave in one piece.
But the man in front of him, even though he had a grizzled appearance, seemed like a kind and proud leader. His Observation Haki allowed Koby to observe people's emotions, so he was seeing beyond the shell.
-But, in our case, it was a little different. Our mentor personally left us the letter.
At the mention of the letter, Tashigi's eyes lit up.
- Your mentor, Monkey D. Garp? If the Navy's greatest fighter sent you here, then this has to be trustworthy! Tashigi said. Smoker shook his head.
- Garp left the Navy after the Paramount War, and he's got connections to both The Revolutionary Dragon and Straw Hat Luffy. All that tells us is that whatever this is, it's got something greater behind it.
Koby and Helmeppo would probably respond defending the great Garp and specifically the man who saved them from Morgan's oppression, Straw Hat Luffy, but they were too terrified of the giant dinosaur walking out of the jungle towards the ship.
-Ahh–ah-ehmmm, ehhhh…
Tashigi sensed the dinosaur and turned around with her sword held high.
-Wait! Koby interfered. He recognized the aura coming from the dinosaur as human.
To everyone 's surprise, the dinosaur started to shrink and transform into it's true form.
-Goddamn. That's X Drake of the Drake Pirates, Smoker noted. The member of the Worst Generation confidently swaggered up the plank onto the ship, observing the scattered body of knocked-out Navy men around him.
X Drake was a tall, muscular man with intense, lizard-like eyes. He wore an open heavy black leather coat, giant boots and white-plumed cocked hat. A large "X" went across his torso. His face was scarily serious, like it had been chopped out of stone.
-What is a member of the Worst Generation doing here? Smoker shouted.
-I've got business with the Navy. There is someone who wants to meet you in the jungle. I'll allow you to ride on my back, but none of your men are allowed to follow.
Smoker wasn't having any of what Drake was saying.
-Got business? Tashigi, draw your sword.
-Wait, commodore! I don't think this is a trap. It's way too planned out! How would X Drake even approach Garp, let alone team up with him. I say we follow!
Koby and Helmeppo both agreed.
-Of course! If Garp has something to do with this, it must be trustworthy! I'm going! Helmeppo declared.
A few minutes later, they rode on X Drake's allosaurus form through the jungle. The air was damp and suffocating; no sunlight could reach them from trees the size of buildings.
-We will be there soon. X Drake's voice was very deep and booming in his human form, but in his dinosaur form it was downright terrifying.
-Y-yes, sir! X Drake's demeanor reminded Koby of a serious Garp, and he instinctively did a salute.
They finally reached the absolute center of the jungle which consisted of an unnaturally perfectly round grove. X Drake put them down and walked into the center in his human form. He bowed down, dug through the thick layer of leaves and pulled something.
The ground started to shake. Everyone except Drake were shocked when a massive metal hatch opened in the middle of the grove. A spiral staircase went down into a chilling darkness.
-Let's get going! We don't have time to waste around here! X Drake went down into the darkness and the rest of the group were forced to follow.
Tashigi held tightly around her sword and scanned the area with her Haki, but somehow it was blocked out. They reached the end of the staircase and were met by a gigantic vault door. X Drake quickly tapped in a code on a small display on the door. The rumbling sound of it creaking open made Helmeppo instinctively draw his knives.
-Ah, you've arrived! Welcome! A voice echoed out from the shadows. Koby felt that it was familiar, but couldn't quite place it.
X Drake flicked a light switch, revealing former Fleet Admiral Sengoku sitting hunched over in a sofa, the light reflecting off his glasses in an eerie manner. Spread out before him were maps, letters, notes, an whole table chronicling different developments within the Navy.
-A former Fleet Admiral. What is going on here? Tashigi commented.
- I've called you here to give you a proposal, Sengoku answered in a booming voice.
-A proposal to join me, and right the wrongs of the Navy!
The light was cut off and a giant projection appeared on the wall behind Sengoku, depicting Kuzan and Sakazuki's struggle.
-For the past decade, the Navy has been spiraling out of control. We've become nothing more than the dogs of the World Government! Corruption and cowardice has spread through our ranks! All of which culminated in Sakazuki becoming Fleet Admiral.
A new image appeared on the screen, showing Sakazuki becoming Fleet Admiral in a strange ritual. Everyone in the room knew that Sengoku was speaking the truth.
-Ever since he came to power six months ago, the slimy Navy has become downright evil! We pillage and plunder, all while claiming to be the enemy of pirates! Greed and cowardice has spread through our ranks, at the cost of thousands upon thousands of innocent lives!
Images of war and corruption flashed across the wall. Childen crying in the street, soldiers looting bombed-out houses, pirates bribing their way to power. Koby felt a deep despair; Tashigi a frustration and shame to be part of an organization so keen on using unnecessary violence; Helmeppo was scared of what he was being pulled into; Smoker was glad to find that a higher-up shared his thoughts, though he was still skeptical.
-And what do we have to do with this? And how are you, someone retired from the navy, going to do anything about this? He pointed towards Sengoku.
-Those questions have the same answer. In order to change the Navy from within, I am putting together a team! A special organization to oppose the World Government! To oppose the Cipher Pol, their shield, this organization shall be named SWORD!
Everyone in the room was silenced by the power behind Sengoku's words. He awaited a response.
-A-and we're s-supposed to help? Koby stammered out.
-Yes! Smoker and Tashigi hold power over the G-5, a notoriously rebellious Navy base, as well as having incredible swordsmanship and the power of a Logia.
Tashigi blushed at the compliment to her ability.
-And Koby! Garp's student, and famous for standing up to Sakazuki during the Paramount War! And Helmeppo, Garp's other student, who also is present!
-Hey, I have things going on! Helmeppo shouted.
-Okay, but what's with the pirate? Smoker pointed towards X Drake.
-I've got my own business with the Navy, X Drake responded, brooding broodily.
-Well, will you join me? Sengoku answered.
Koby struggled to answer, but hardened his resolve.
-Yes, sir! This is not the Navy I dreamed of joining as a child! I will join you! Koby declared to the sky
-This is the Navy my father desired! I cannot continue as a soldier within it if it doesn't change! Helmeppo screamed.
-You're right, old man. This Navy needs actual justice for once, Smoker answered.
-These soldiers have no right to pick up weapons! Tashigi held her sword to the air.
And with those words, the organization of SWORD was formed.
-Okay, what is our first mission? For the first time in so many months, Koby felt a real excitement and purpose as a Navy soldier.
-Well… I don't know, Sengoku scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
There was a moment of silence.
-HUH!? Tashigi shouted.
-Relax, relax. As the captain of SWORD, I decide where we shall go, X Drake interrupted.
-What? I am not working for a former pirate! I can't trust you, Tashigi objected.
-Well, too bad, you joined. Our first mission is in West Blue! The Five Families have through bribes and threats gained control of the Navy bases! X Drake declared, having no interest in quarreling with Tashigi.
At the mention of the Five Families of the West Tashigi turned to Smoker.
-Hina…
-Well, what do you know? It seems like everythings coming together over there…
The Navy Zeppelin landed safely back on the water after a turbulent voyage downwards. After the entire crew worked together on taking down the huge balloon, the zeppelin worked well enough as a ship to take them to the nearest Navy base and get a ship to travel the Calm Belts.
In the large hall of the lower decks a hectic game of poker was being played. Helmeppo had boldly bet all of his rations on a mediocre hand, and his terrible poker face allowed X Drake and Smoker to call his every bluff. Tashigi sat by the side, attempting to be disgusted at honorable marines entertaining themselves with games, while also being amazed and invested in her captains every move. Koby tried giving his friend some hints but backed down when faced with X Drake's stare.
It was a peaceful night.
New Marineford.
Sakazuki put out a cigarette on his desk and looked out through his window before turning his attention to the pictures of the sky island his spies had sent him.
-Old man Sengoku, eh? And Kuzan joining the Blackbeard Pirates? Whatever's happening to the world, I ain't gonna let it go on.
AN: Information!
Chapter length: Depending on the story I want to tell with the chapter. If it's a big, climactic fight, it might be around as long as this one , but if it's just dialogue and build-up, it might be much shorter.
Updates: Whenever I'm finished with a chapter. 2-3 weeks, depending on the chapter.
Hope you like the first chapter! I've got a lot of stuff planned out for this fic that I'm very excited to share.
I'm not that good a writer, and to be frank, I dislike how I wrote a lot of the characters. But, since it's going to be a long one, you can count on me to grow better the more I make! That's the writer's way of life!
