Zack's story episode. 3: Danganronpa, the curse of despair.
Back on the ships, Zack and his family are sitting on the deck of the Ocean Tornado.
Sonic: Well I'm waiting!
Ruby: Zack, we are only going to ask you once: what is that "the assassins of Hope´s Pick"?
Zack: I...
Yang: Well?
Zack: I, uh, I...
Zoro: If you don't tell us...
Sanji: So in the end, you're a coward...
Suddenly, Pekoyama and another woman stand between them and Zack. The woman who accompanies Pekoyama looks very attractive as she has a huge fan base for boys and girls. She wears eyeliner and blush, suggesting she wears makeup to help maintain this look. She has long, dark blue hair, which she holds in place with various clips. His eyes are also dark blue. His school uniform is a traditional Japanese seifuku style school uniform consisting of a white long-sleeved shirt with a blue sailor collar and a pink bow tie with ribbons, a blue plaid skirt, black thigh-high stockings, and brown shoes with buckle. The Dragon King Pirates crest appears on his shirt and sleeve.
"The Killing Idol." Sayaka Maizono, former Ultimate Pop Sensation and singer of the 7th Division of the Dragon King Pirates. Reward: 831,000,000
Maizono: If you dare touch Zack-chan...
Pekoyama: ...You will face them against us.
Sanji: L-Ladies... I-It's not what...
Zoro: Idiot. I do not have any problem. Let's go.
Zack: Stop it! I know all of you wondering in your mind and wanted to know. "How there alive, why there my crewmate after all the messed up, horrible, insane and beyond horrible they did in the past…" right?
?: Easy, boy. It´s isn't your fault, after all.
Everyone heads to where the voice is and sees a humanoid and mechanical phoenix. As for the clothing, it is a style between biker and pilot.
?: Hey.
Nami: But what...
Naegi: Junior-san!
"The fire artist." Rapidfire (Alias: Junior.) Captain of the 5th Dragon King Pirates Division. Reward: 2,550,000,000
Rapidfire: Hey Zack! I found out that you have a girlfriend. Haha.
Then almost all the members of the 7th Division start throwing things at him.
Rapidfire: Hey, hey, hey, hey! Holy crap, where does this come from?
Nidai: YOU TOLD SONIA WE SPY ON ZACK, RIGHT ?!
Rapidfire: Oh, come on! You also wanted to know what was happening, I just gave a push and warned Sonia. But back to the important...
He says while Oogami kept the rest in check.
Rapidfire: ... Zack was found by the Chief and the Vice-Chief two years after we saved these guys, although we told him everything, yes, in a way that scared him as little as possible.
Ruby: So what do you mean "save them"?
Rapidfire: Well, I guess I'd better tell you.
Rapidfire sits looking at everyone, with Zack by his side.
One Piece OST - Uunan and the Stone Storage Room
Rapidfire: Well where do I start? These boys, in their world, were already pro in their fields.
Yang: Wow, really?
Rapidfire: And so much, honey. Such was the thing that an institution created to teach them how to take advantage of their talent. It was called Hope's Peak Academy. In order to enter you need two essential requirements. Number 1: To be a Secondary student, or rather, to be one year younger than that required to enter one of the Remnant Academies.
And Number 2: stand out in what you practice.
Luffy: Like the one who can eat the most meat?
Nami punches Luffy in the head, leaving him KO.
Nami: Ignore it. Please continue.
Rapidfire: Remind me never to make you mad. In short, it turns out that there were two classes that aroused a certain interest: classes 77 and 78. All because unpleasant rumors circulated around them, about murders.
Our heroes were amazed, although a certain captain was with his arms crossed and his eyes shadowed.
Rapidfire: All for something called "The Tragedy," the code name for the Student Council mass murder, which was used by the Mastermind behind it, Junko Enoshima. Soon after, she used several "Reserve" courses to turn that tragedy into something global. Those poor devils never realized they went for that monster and broke into the school building, destroying much of it, and killed all the remaining Main Course students except Class 78 (and unknowingly) any other class 77-B that faked their deaths with an explosion). Soon after, Junko Enoshima hypnotized all the protesting students, causing all to commit suicide simultaneously. This led to The Tragedy and the closure of Hope's Peak.
Sonic: It doesn't end there, does it?
Rapidfire: Not much less, boy. And believe me: I wish you had never told.
Rapidfire lights a cigar and continues his macabre tale.
Rapidfire: The academy director Jin Kirigiri (Kyoko's father) and class 78 turned the old school building into a shelter, and lived there peacefully for a year until Junko forced class 78 to participate in the game of killing "Killing School Life."
Ruby: Wait... Zack has a lot more in his crew... How...
Rapidfire: Everything in its time, kid. Despite the "success" of The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy and its proliferation among Reserve Course students, Enoshima felt that forced mutual murder was too psychotic and too rigid, so she lacked enthusiasm. Furthermore, she determined that a pet is also necessary, not even a host dressed in some sort of cartoon character outfit. Lastly, she realized that an execution that uses things that the victim is familiar with and that comforts her in her daily life will cause the greatest despair, especially if the victim's execution was passed on to those who know her.
When Rapidfire finished, the Straw Hats were shocked, though their captain's eyes were in shadow. Ruby had her hands over her mouth as her friends tried to assimilate everything.
Yang: Wow...
Blake: And I thought that Fauns' discrimination was a bad thing...
Rapidfire: Well, things like this are horrible in more worlds than you think. Anyway, going back to my story... Nae and five other survivors were rescued by the Future Foundation, which they joined to fight...
Ruby: Sorry, but you said five survivors, right?
Rapidfire: Yes ma'am. You already know the majority: Byakuya, Asahina, Naegi and Kirigiri.
Sonic: So how come there are SO many more of them?
Rapidfire smiles and gets into a noir movie detective stance.
Rapidfire: So you have noticed. I thought so, my ability to tell stories is incredible.
Nami: Focus, you have left us in a very important part!
Rapidfire: Seriously, you need to relax - wrinkles will come out if you're still so grumpy.
Nami: It's over, I killed him!
Sanji: Nami-san, calm down, please!
Rapidfire: "It's scary. Mental note: don't take pictures of her when she's in her underwear, even if it's for the calendar." Anyway, shortly after Hope's Pick, they got involved in a new mission; save the Remnants of Desperacion.
Weiss: The Remnants of Desperation?
Yang: I don't like the sound of it...
Rapidfire: You'd less like to hear it: it was a terrorist organization that Enoshima created to unleash despair for the world. The worst thing is that its fifteen main members are Hinata's group, they were brainwashed and turned into crazy and bloodthirsty monsters.
Hinata: (You know we're here, right?
Nanami: (I really doubt it.)
Rapidfire: The Foundation of the Future considers them enemies of humanity and, as I suppose you already imagine, they decided to end their lives... Well, that was the plan until a certain Ultimate Lucky decided to be an idiot and not only save them, but instead wanted to reverse brainwashing.
Rapidfire points to Naegi, who is embarrassed as Kirigiri takes her hand.
Sonic: So you are a hero, like me! I like you!
Naegi: I-I just did what I thought was right, nothing more.
Ruby: Don't be so modest!
Rapidfire: However, for reasons I'm still investigating, a kind of Enoshima ghost made them illusion and led them to kill each other.
All: What?!
Hinata: (He must refer to the Neo World Program. I guess he said it like that so that they understand it a little better.)
Rapidfire: But we managed to save them, yes, their memories did not change, so Naegi and the Boss decided that it was best for them to come with us. In the end, we managed to save them all.
Luffy: Hey, I have a question.
Zoro: Let's see what he's asking now...
Nami: Luffy, don't screw it up...
Luffy: From what you said, in Nae's group, he and five others are the only ones who came out alive. So how come there are so many more friends of yours?
Brook: Oh dear...
Usopp: Is it my doing or did Luffy just ask a meaningful question for once?
Nami: What worries me about all this is... Luffy has been attending to everything, without falling asleep?!
Yang: The matter is serious.
Blake: Do you really think they were just going to invent it?
Rapidfire: He, he, he... The time has come...
Maizono: He won't go to...
Togami: It will. Do you not remember who he is or what?
Rapidfire: You see, plan A was to make Naegi receive this.
Shows them a remote control.
Rapidfire: This is the Escape Button from Hope´s Pick. The plan was simple: give it to Nae at the beginning of Killing School Life and thus recover her memories little by little. However, I couldn't get in on time, that is, before the start of that "game", so I had to go to plan B: Operation Deadly Rescue.
Luffy: Cool name!
Rapidfire: Thanks, buddy. The plan was to recover the bodies of the dead and then resuscitate them.
Ruby: Can it be done?!
Sonic: You're kidding...
Luffy: So...
The Straw Hat members were starting to get excited and ask Rapidfire to do it with certain people, but...
Rapidfire: However! Certain conditions need to be met in order to be done. 1st: That the body is in a state that can be manipulated, that is, that it is not too decomposed. 2nd: Death has a time limit of one year; if that time passes there is nothing to do. So if you're going to ask me, I'm sorry.
Luffy: I see... Well, how did you do it without being seen?
Rapidfire: Easy: School Trials. I had the time to pick them up and take them to the upper floors, where there were no cameras. There I managed to "repair" their wounds and give them a Breath of Life.
Nami: A Breath of Life?
Rapidfire shows them a green jewel, removing it in time before Nami took it.
Rapidfire: This is a Breath of Life; this gem has magic power and my blood.
Nora: Your blood? Gross!
Rapidfire: I am a phoenix, after all. Only with my tears, can I heal all wounds and damages in general.
Ruby: Cool...
Rapidfire: After the resurrection was done, I brought them up to date. The victims were the easy ones, the murderers ... There the thing was more difficult, I only had a fraction of a second to exchange for a copy that I made.
Weiss: THAT WAS YOUR PLAN?!
Weiss faces him furiously.
Weiss: Do you even know the chances of failure?! At any moment, you would have been caught!
Rapidfire: I knew it.
Weiss: What?
Rapidfire: But it was a winning bet: to save fifteen kids who were not bad at all with a constant risk of dying or allow that crazy woman to make a macabre show? The choice was clear, at least for me.
Zack, then, approaches and kneels before Ruby and company.
Zack: You can say that my Father is the reason. I know this in the past, as they die executed, killed, commit suicide, and worse. Because the reason he brought them back was that everyone, regardless of what they did, deserves a second chance, No one could heal them... No one could not fix them since they had passed. Blindly not knowing their suffering themselves, they even have the old habit of their previous life, but at least they show their sins. That they see my father a true beyond with hope, Father and the other captains help them and teach them. But above all, Father loves them as if they were his own children. Also, they found me in a capsule when I was little, I was badly injured, I lost a lot of blood and I was burned. If they were wrong as they are, they would have left me to rot and die. It may be difficult for them, but the past is the past and they really wanted to redeem themselves seeking and my father, my family helps them ... You should understand it. But if someone is going to judge and give up it still means taking time but you must understand your shoes. You did the same to me, but now you finally use your head to think and see it, now please ... All I ask is that you observe and know in confidence, not just because of rumors.
Luffy approaches Zack's crew and is left standing with his serious face.
Owada: What's wrong with you?
Saionji: If you dare to...
Luffy: Do you regret what you did?
Celestia: What are you talking about?
Luffy: I'm asking you if you regret what you did.
Owada: Of course I do motherfucker! Who the hell are you taking us for?
Pekoyama: What we did was wrong and we want to redeem ourselves.
Luffy brings out his typical smile.
Luffy: So we're friends now!
Everyone: WHAT?!
Celestia: Heavens, just like that?
Luffy: Yup!
Maizono: But we could betray you...
Luffy: Nope, I know you wouldn't.
Zack: Huh?
Luffy: You are all amazing! And you saved Zack without thinking twice! If you had been as bad as you said, you would have left him to his own devices. So I know you will never be bad again! Shishishishishi!
Zack and everyone else are amazed at Luffy's simplicity.
Ruby: My brother is right! Sorry I thought badly of you without knowing it!
Koizumi: Ruby-chan...
Rapidfire: Hahahahhahahahahahhahahhahahahahaha!
Yang: What are you laughing at?
Rapidfire: How cool your sister is. If she and Luffy had been in Hope's Pick, the one about things that would have changed!
Zack: So ...
Robin: The truth is that I told all my comrades, except Luffy.
Luffy: What ?! Robin, why did you do it?
Weiss: The truth is that Robn told me the first time.
Yang: And did you shut it up?
Weiss: Yang, how do you expect me to tell you something like that?
Robin: Sorry Luffy.
Nami: But knowing you, surely you would have gone to beat everyone up.
Luffy: Ah, it's true!
Asahina: Can he be the same as Hagakure-san?
Zoro: No, our captain is more stupid than anyone.
Sonic: Come on, let's forget this bad time. We are friends, right?
Zack: Hey, Franky, is something wrong?
Franky: Buuuuaaaaaaaahh! Sorry guys, you are the best! You suffered hell and still found a family and helped Zack! You are real men, I love you guys!
Sanji: Shut up, Franky!
Naegi: Thank you, Franky-san ...
Rapidfire pulled out a machine gun as Zack's crew prepared for the attack.
Oogami: It's time for you to page ...
Nidai: For making us spy on Zack!
Rapidfire: One: I was concerned about our golden rookie. Two: you were looking forward to it, I know! And three: I am armed and I am dangerous! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Then they started fighting.
Blake: Uh ... shouldn't you stop them?
Zack: Oh, don't worry; this happens every day.
Ruby: They are unique.
Zack: Better: They are my family... and I would never exchange it for anything in the world.
To be continue...