I do not own One Piece.
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Beta read by the wonderful rose7anne101, who has written some pretty amazing stuff for One Piece.
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Rise from the Ashes
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Chapter 10: Stand Up
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The prize for my 100th review goes to chelsss1, but seriously I am just so stoked about getting over one hundred reviews for this story. This was only originally meant to be a one-shot, you know? You guys and your support has just been the best!
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Chapter for events yet to happen...
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"So you're names' Oars too?" Luffy called up to the massive figure.
"Yeah, I'm a descendent of Oars the 'Continent Puller'."
"Cool! We fought him two years ago. His zombie I mean. With my shadow animating it."
"Really!? That is cool!" 'Little' Oars Jr. gasped.
"Glad he's not upset about his ancestor being desecrated," Usopp sweatdropped, standing half behind Zoro in case this giant of giants had yet to make that connection.
"I like your hat by the way," Luffy added, pointing at the straw hat on Oars' head. It must be the most gigantic hat ever! Which was awesome! Few people seemed to respect how important hats were. How precious they could be!
Surprisingly, the ultra-sized giant burst into tears at that, and Luffy could not make out what he was trying to say between sobs. Still, he did not intrude because it was clear it was serious for his new friend. After a few moments, Marco stepped in to explain.
"Your brother Ace personally made Oars that hat, and he says it's the best gift anyone ever got him, even more than that giant sword," he gestured at oversized cleaver, "that Pops fixed up for him. He was so determined to save Ace, but he ended up being thrashed by three of the Warlords before you showed up. Thanks again for taking out Doflamingo by the way. It really made Oars smile when he heard about that."
Bending down, Oars was about to thank his new little friend for that, when something made him stop. Luffy's titular hat was shading his eyes, while one hand grasped it protectively.
"Oh, I understand," he said, only his crew really hearing the emotions that Luffy was trying to choke off. "That hat is your most important treasure, it reminds of your friend, his love and care to you and yours to him."
Solemnly Oars nodded in agreement, glad to see Straw Had understood.
Instantly Luffy switched gears with his customary and deplorable lack of tack. "Was Mingo the one to cut off your leg?" he asked, while pointing at the stump.
"Yes," Marco answered, despite his twitching eyebrow and need to translate 'Mingo.'
"And now I can't help my brothers fight!" cried Oars. "I'm useless now!"
"Hey, don't worry!" Luffy cheerfully yelled back. "I've met two guys who could still fight despite one leg, and they're still awesome!"
"But I've tried!" Little Oars Jr. wailed. "I wanted to still fight for my brothers against Blackbeard, especially against Sanjuan Wolf the 'Colossal Battleship,' but I'm just too clumsy! I'd just get in the way!"
"Ah don't worry," Luffy repeated, his grin somehow stretching even further, "if that won't work, I've got another idea!"
"Do you really?"
Then Luffy's expression hardened, showing a hint of that which he usually kept buried deep within him, away from the light of day. "You went to Marineford to save my brother Ace, and you were willing to lay down your life doing so, but it only cost you your leg."
For anyone else, such cavalier disregard for amputation would have been a mortal insult.
Yet somehow, the way that Luffy said it made it alright. Instead Oars found himself thinking of how much he had to offer and experience because he was still alive.
"So I'm going to do all I can to make sure you can enjoy yourself to the fullest, just like you wanted Ace to do when you went to get him back from the marines."
With that Luffy held up his fist to Oars, and with only the barest hesitation the massive being held out his own hand.
The sheer size of that fist blocked out everything before Luffy, but he did not waver as Oars brought down his own fist to make Luffy's, knocking them together.
A symbol of respect between two men who had lost a beloved brother, and would do anything to protect the rest of their makeshift family.
And two men who understood the importance of straw hats.
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The Navy had finally assembled a task force to finish off Straw Hat Luffy once and for all, along with his ever-growing alliance. Previous attempts to nip the troublemaker in the bud had failed, and no one wanted to know what madness would be inflected upon the world if he kept breathing any longer.
Elite marines had been assembled for this, but the commanding officer had decided a little shock and awe was required to soften them up. Thus, the first to land upon the island and advance were all of the Navy's Giants, ready to crush the criminal scum. Yet all of them tensed at a familiar voice roaring a challenge at them, and beads of sweat appeared as they remembered the beating they had endured from their even larger counterpart.
"Don't worry," Vice-Admiral Lacroix reassured them, resisting the urge to rub the scar tissue underneath his brown suit. "Remember, he's a cripple now."
Remembering this, they all smiled as their self-confidence returned and waited with anticipation for payback as their nemesis came into view.
Then the Giants blinked as they realized that Oars Jr. was energetically striding towards them. As in on two feet.
One of his legs was now an absurdly large prosthetic limb, far outstretching what anyone should have been capable of building. "I'm glad you guys are here!" Oars bellowed. "You're perfect to test this on!"
With a little of bit of difficulty maintaining his balance, he lifted his new leg so that his foot was pointed at the stupefied marine Giants, who belatedly realized what the little "decorations" studding the prosthesis really were: machine guns with barrels that were wider than most cannons.
Oars opened fire.
A frenetic orgy of kinetic doom hammered into the Navy's shock troopers, making the earth tremble as they collapsed in agony. Unfinished, Oars' overwhelming barage then thundered into the warships, sinking most them while he ignored the futile attempts by their own artillery.
With the battleships destroyed, the marines had lost their main support, but as soon as the guns stopped firing, the undaunted survivors moved to storm the beach still.
Unconcerned, Oars raised his massive fists above his head, locked together the tops of his forearms, and with deep frown on his face of someone determined to get it perfect, he cried out to the world:
"SUUUUUPPPEEER!"
Down below on the ground, a proud "Cyborg" Franky was also doing the Pose, ever so proud of his patient and disciple.
All along the giant leg, Oars' crew gleefully reloaded more cannonballs so that their Captain could fire again, and checking that the weapons were functioning safely, "This is too sweet!" one called to a crewmate.
"You mean SUPER!"
"YAAAAH! SUUUUUPER" everyone else yelled, mirroring their Captain's pose.
"No air cannons?" Duke Dogstorm asked, eyeing the chaos with a critical eye as the dog mink walked forward on his own prosthetic leg.
"Naaah, too dangerous that someone else might figure it out," Franky dismissed. "The machine guns are pushing it as it is. Trust me, nothing good comes from letting SUPER weapons get out of your personal sight."
"Well, whatever you say," Master Cat Viper grinned with all his fangs shown, ready to test out his new metal arm. Being able to hold his double-sided spear with both 'hands' again was nice –no fantastic!— of course, but he really, really wanted to test out what else his friend had built into the limb. Something Franky had called it a 'chainsaw.' According to him, Viper might even find more SUPER than his spear.
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Author Notes:
"Frenetic orgy of kinetic doom" is quoted from Howard Tayler's webcomic: "Schlock Mercenary." Read it.
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Okay, yeah, totally AU now, but I can Dream, can't I!?
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Recommended fics:
"Shanks's Choice" by rose7anne101
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Next chapter: 'Punk Hazard'
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Please Review, and I will get back to you!
