The sight of Kingdom Hearts brought on a sense of wonder and comfort. It was a power meant to keep the hearts of all safe. But as a pitch black plague began to crawl along the edge, a sense of dread made those present on the island shudder. They didn't need to know about Kingdom Hearts to know this was extremely bad. The appearance of a massive horde of Heartless wasn't good either, the creatures swarming to the pure light, eager to claim its power in an instinctual attempt to obtain salvation, but only able to cause it harm.
The darkness seemed to emanate from Toshiro himself, the light once surrounding him to summon the moon now pitch black. He was trapped where he was in the star pattern at his feet, feeding into Kingdom Hearts a terrible darkness, another source drawing in all the Heartless. Several giant Heartless rose from the shadow of the peak, enormous heart shaped holes through their bodies. Darksides, the most powerful of the pure Heartless, their forms muscular and pitch black, hair a tangled mess of shadow-like tendrils, tiny dark wings at their shoulders. Their appearance generally marked the end of a world as they dug through it to the heart. If they weren't taken out quickly, this battle would end with the death of the planet, the souls living on it scattered or left to be swallowed by Kingdom Hearts.
Fortunately, this world was not to be taken lightly. With the more annoying lesser Nobodies and Heartless out of the way, Zoro and Sanji saw fit to target the big ones, their respective forms of combat dealing heavy damage to these monstrous Heartless. Jimbei kept to crowd control with powerful water-based martial arts, allowing his allies to focus on staying grouped up to go after Xehanort. Dextra took to the air, attempting a preemptive strike on the old master since her wings could take her to the peak. Smirking, Xehanort made a signal with his hands.
With a snarl, Hyorinmaru leapt forth to block her way. The harpy was quick enough to dodge a fatal snap of teeth, but she was still quite surprised to find him attacking. Her mind quickly adjusted, removing him from her circle of people to defend and going on the offensive, though her talons did little against the enormous icy body, a body that recovered quicker than she could damage it. The two fliers continued to battle in the air as time went on, Toshiro still left to continue corrupting Kingdom Hearts.
Law approached Garp and Coby, hoping their relations to Luffy would earn him a bit of time to come up with a plan. He would never willingly work with Marines if he could avoid it, but this was a nightmare scenario that needed cooperation from all sides. Seeing the Supernova approach, Garp was about to punch the younger man into next week, but Coby stepped between them, silently asking his mentor hold back.
"The Hell you want?" Garp asked of the surgeon instead.
"That man fighting Admiral Kizaru has something that's going to make him impossible to defeat, but I have a way to get it away from him. I just need to get close enough."
Curious, Garp glanced at where Aizen and Kizaru exchanged projectile attacks. At the moment both of them seemed to be putting minimal effort into their fight, but the old Vice-Admiral noticed a strain that was not usually present on the light user's face. A moment more of watching and he could see that Kizaru was actually on the defensive despite being the one using the more offensive abilities. Aizen was throwing out powerful Kido with little effort, the magic used by spirits easily capable of harming even a Logia. In terms of energy and flexibility, Aizen had the other beat.
"He's from the same place as Hitsugaya Toshiro, Vice-Admiral, so his magic doesn't have a weakness like Kairoseki." Coby added on.
"And the item I mentioned is making him immortal, that's why he doesn't have a problem throwing out those spells of his without any regard to stamina." Law continued.
"So you remove this item and we can win?" Garp questioned just to be sure he understood.
"I have no doubts about it; remove his immortality, and the powers of this world can beat him, even if he thinks himself a god."
"What about his friend?" Garp motioned with a grunt to the aged Keyblade Wielder still standing with a smug next to Toshiro.
"We'll come up with something." That was all Law could promise. Toshiro explained everything he could about Aizen, knowing that enemy well enough as they were from the same world. But Xehanort was someone even Toshiro couldn't figure out, so he had nothing to offer his allies either, leaving everyone in the dark. All they could do was keep fighting, as they always did.
"If one of us can get close, you can switch places, can't you?" Coby asked.
"Yes, but he needs to be off guard or distracted, he's too fast for me to just switch in."
"Oh he'll have plenty to be distracted about." Cracking his knuckles, Garp started coming up with an idea.
Law was more concerned about if it would work than for Garp's safety. Everything banked on getting it first try or Aizen would find out there was someone who could take the Hogyoku and they would never get another chance. They only had one chance while the mastermind was still ignorant of the powers around him, satisfied with being strong enough to kill any potential threat. They had to outsmart him… and from what they'd learned that was not an easy task.
Smoker and Tashigi were doing their best to protect the remaining Marines from the horde of Heartless constantly spawning from the darkness. In a lull between waves, Jimbei and Robin found themselves near the pair.
"Why is it always your crew that seems to be in the middle of things like this?" Smoker grumbled at them, turning their way as if to fight them.
"That boy only wanted help, he never wanted to be used like this." Robin argued back firmly.
"Even his attempt to take his own life to prevent this was thwarted." Jimbei added on sadly. Smoker gave a slight twitch, the two cigars in his mouth shifting as he bit down on them a little harder.
"A witch appeared in a meeting with the Admirals and Vice Admirals and said he has some kind of unique status and power; did you know of this?" Smoker questioned, Tashigi behind him still looking a little startled at hearing the Nobody had been so harshly forced into servitude.
"Bits and pieces as we traveled, that elderly man controlling him knows more than Toshiro himself does. Toshiro doesn't want to bring harm to anyone, so please, we must save him." Robin answered, pleading.
"Orders from above want us to capture him." Tashigi warned, and while she knew she had to follow those orders, seeing who it was, what was happening, and hearing just a small bit of what he went through made her question if it was okay to save the Nobody from one master only to force him onto another. So far, the only thing this Kingdom Hearts had brought was more trouble. Was this a power that this world could handle?
"If you want to fight us afterwards we will do so gladly, he deserves to be free." Robin, knowing more about the child than they, left no doubt about her words. Jimbei's expression made it clear he would follow her example, and no doubt the rest of the Straw Hats would as well.
Smoker and Tashigi shared a glance. They weren't strangers to working alongside the Straw Hats, but this time they had little room to do so again, even if they agreed that the best result of this fight was for Toshiro to leave it, that way this power of his would no longer draw so much attention and chaos.
"Don't expect help, but don't expect us to be getting close to that nonsense either." Smoker scowled, motioning to the well of darkness still circling Toshiro and bleeding into Kingdom Hearts. Though still hostile, he made his point that he wouldn't have a hand in continuing to enslave a child, even if he also wouldn't help free him.
A knowing smile on her face, Robin nodded before crossing her arms to help fight off the Heartless with her powers, Jimbei following suit with a blast of water.
Aizen glanced away from Kizaru for a moment when he sensed something barreling right for him. A Flash Step got him out of the way, but he stared curiously at the cannon ball that had lodged itself into the snow covered ground where he had been standing. He had not seen any cannons brought onto the island, and he definitely would have destroyed them in his earlier attack… perhaps they had a back row of soldiers bringing one in that just hadn't arrived yet?
Looking to the side revealed that to not be the case. A wagon of cannon balls had indeed been led through the snow by a willing Coby… but it was not a gun that fired them. With a smug grin on his face, the old Marine tossed one up easily in his hands before sending it flying with a very accurate punch. It was easy enough to dodge, but Aizen was a bit intrigued by the human's strength, and Coby's as well for being able to run off and drag back such an arsenal in such a short amount of time. Unlike his current opponent, who was taking a momentary breather as he, too, tried to understand what Garp was doing, these men didn't have any powers. Just pure strength.
Figuring it best to get rid of this annoyance so as to continue his goal of holding back the stronger Marine, Aizen turned to approach Garp. Coby gulped nervously, not sure if they could hold off such an intense power, the screaming voices of the Hogyoku still muddling his thoughts. Fortunately, a blade of light made Aizen pause to defend. Kizaru wasn't completely sure what was going on, but he couldn't let Aizen go after any other target. From their fight, the Admiral knew he couldn't let this being go after any of his men. He had to find a weakness, unaware that the group of Marines around him were already working on it, willing to use Law's powers if it meant they could take down this monstrous magician.
Several more cannon balls came flying at Aizen as he kept up the battle with Kizaru, each one dodged with a brief Flash Step. Kizaru was able to keep up with the speed at least, which kept Aizen from moving his attention elsewhere, the Reaper frowning in annoyance at the Marine pair for bothering him.
"Enough playing then." He sighed, prepared to use a much stronger Kido to end the light user.
His gaze flicked upwards as he noticed a sphere engulf the area around him. This was the power of that spot-wearing pirate. If he recalled correctly from earlier observations, the sphere gave the pirate impressive range, as well as the ability to switch the places of things. A power like that on top of Kizaru's power and Garp's barrage would be a hassle. After all, fighting when your body was in separate pieces, alive or not, was a bit difficult, and having your position changed without consent could be disorienting.
Keeping in mind the sphere, Aizen continued the Kido he was using on Kizaru.
"Kurohitsugi." A haze of black and purple began to form around Kizaru, the Admiral looking around in surprise. What was this?
As the black box began to form, Aizen looking smug, another name was called out.
"Shambles!"
Suddenly it was Aizen that was surrounded in the enclosing black box, Kizaru turning back, still confused but willing to accept it. Mentally cursing for using a Kido that worked slowly and allowed for places to be switched, Aizen raised his Spiritual Pressure. The lower ranking Marines fell to the ground as if gravity had tripled above them, the stronger ones looking tense. The Kido shattered before it finished forming.
Aizen turned to glare at Law, the pirate simply smirking back. It would seem this man's power would be more irritating than he first thought, as he could switch the places of the Kido caster and their target, basically rendering most Kido pointless as he would have to defend himself from his own attacks.
He also didn't really like how smug Kizaru looked once the Admiral realized what Law was up to. Well, mostly what he was up to, since Kizaru didn't know about the immortality item.
"I suppose that means I need to deal with your power first." Aizen spoke, brow furrowed as he thought quickly. This wasn't the same as fighting the new Squad Five Captain Hirako Shinji, who's ability made everything in one's vision opposite of what it was, this was physically changing places at a moment's notice, even with Flash Step. As long as he was in this sphere, Law was the orchestrator of everyone's movements.
"Normally I wouldn't interfere in a pirate being killed, but I've got a feeling I shouldn't let you do that." Kizaru held up his sword of light in a stance of challenge. He would be the other problem; if Aizen left the sphere, Law wouldn't be a problem, but Kizaru was fast enough to keep him inside if he wanted. These were all powers working against him too well, and without the ability to trap them in illusions – and not even his zanpaktou to fight with – he was quickly finding himself at a disadvantage. All he had above them now was the Hogyoku. He would just have to wear them out and then kill them, they were only human after all.
His plan now was to go on the defensive. If he didn't throw out any Kido or dash in for hand-to-hand, he couldn't have his place switched against his will, at least not in a position he couldn't get out of. If he kept his guard up, even being moved around he could still react to anything, and neglecting Kido meant he saved energy. Kizaru and Garp returned to their barrage, trying to pin him down. Aizen kept aware of his surroundings as he evaded the double offensive, all the while trying to figure out how to get close to Law to kill him quickly, knowing the surgeon was on alert same as he. This human was a natural strategist as well, and no doubt had information from Hitsugaya while Aizen had nothing on Law but observations. A battle of wits was not something he had expected, but the challenge… he grinned. Nothing was more entertaining than ruthlessly defeating an opponent at strategy, watching their hope fall apart. It had been his favorite part in leading along young Toshiro to his doom. The look on the Nobody's face when everything failed, when he couldn't even take his own life to save those around him, doomed to be nothing but a puppet, it was the ultimate victory for Aizen.
Aizen made an attempt to get close to Law, poised to run his hand through the human's chest, but in a flash the pirate was replaced with a Heartless that had wondered into the Room. It was destroyed on impact, Aizen looking annoyed as he located Law's new position. He wasn't able to chase just yet, his attention back on Kizaru as a volley of light rained down on the field, taking all of his focus to avoid. A defensive Kido was useful to keep any of the lasers from hitting him directly.
"Whoo, you're good at darting around and making this hard." Kizaru drawled, standing at ease for a moment.
"I would never allow the likes of humans to defeat me." Aizen scowled back. At this point he was just annoyed, as it was never this difficult to kill anyone other than Kurosaki Ichigo, and letting that Substitute Soul Reaper get as strong as he did was his own fault, his own curiosity allowing someone to gain more power than him. These humans didn't have that kind of power, but their adaptability was exceeding his assumptions about the human race.
"How about some steel!?" Garp launched another deadly cannon ball, more accurate than any cannon could be.
A quick Kido eliminated the oncoming projectile, Law not bothering to switch their places since a different plan was being set up. This helped to make Aizen assume he didn't need to worry about being switched anymore, as Law was likely out of stamina. Instead, Law was using a different skill. Scan would allow him to find where to strike…
"Your strength is impressive, but I have defeated far stronger attacks." Aizen scoffed at the pathetic attempt to catch him by surprise.
"Fending off a cannon ball isn't too impressive, you might want to check your arrogance." Kizaru darted in from the other side, getting in close to Aizen with his sword of light. Without Haki like others of this world or a sword of his own, Aizen had to avoid the blade of pure light energy, ducking under the swing. A small Kido barrier blocked the next strike like a shield.
"I could say the same to you." Aizen smirked. "Power over light is nothing to laugh at, but I have outlasted the flames of the sun and years immobilized in prison, you will eventually tire while I can keep on going."
Kizaru gave a simple grunt in response, leaning back for another strike.
Sensing another cannon ball, Aizen turned to be rid of it, planning to prove a point about his strength by batting it away with a hand before turning back to finish off Kizaru. Garp was already holding another to fire, his grin never fading even as his attacks were constantly bested.
There was a shift in the air behind him and Aizen noticed the strong light Spirit Energy of Kizaru had been replaced by someone else.
"Mes!"
The cannon ball knocked away, Aizen turned to deal with Law as quickly as he could, but Law had already taken advantage of the distraction and confusion. His hand struck against Aizen's chest. The impact itself barely bothered Aizen, and had that been all he would have laughed and slaughtered the pirate where he stood… but an ability had been activated that Aizen could not have foreseen, because Law did not use it at all in his fights before this, avoiding it just for this purpose.
A transparent blue cube was pushed out of Aizen's body, and inside it was not a heart this time, but a small orb of a bluish-purple color. It looked like a glowing marble, but the immense power it gave off left no doubt that this was no ordinary item. It almost seemed to have its own will, seeking to engulf and erase the presence of all those around it.
To be exact, the Hogyoku WAS trying to do just that. Normally Mes allowed whatever organ was removed to still be connected to the original body, but due to its spiritual nature, and not having an original body, once the Hogyoku was no longer in contact with Aizen, it began to immediately seek a new master. Trapped in a cube, it could not seek out such a being, controlled by Law's will for now without being able to leech away at his Spirit Energy, essentially saving the pirate's life from becoming another victim of the cursed item.
"Impossible!" This was a scenario Aizen never would have thought possible. The Hogyoku had been separated briefly before, but having already fused with it, he had been able to basically reform his body around the item, chosen by it. This time, however, the pirate's ability had basically severed any connection, a perfect surgery that left Aizen without its power. His experiments with the Heartless and the battle with the Hollows had given Law what he needed to separate the spiritual and physical.
In a bit of a panic now, Aizen turned quickly to grab the falling box containing the source of his regenerative abilities and inexhaustible power. He soon learned that the humans of this world had a high speed movement as well, if not as fast as Flash Step, fast enough that Coby, someone who had learned to master it, was able to dart in, grab the item, and escape before Aizen could respond.
Though the box kept him safe from physical contact with the item, it's intense will latched onto the pink-haired Marine as the closest soul, and Coby's sensitive Observation Haki went haywire, exploding into a massive migraine that put him on his knees. Concerned, Garp abandoned the cannon balls and went to check on his student.
"You fools have no concept of what you have just taken." Aizen turned to Law with a fierce scowl. His casual, passive attitude had completely shattered, revealing the monster for what he was, and the pressure in the air was still intense. Having used his abilities in such quick succession, the Hogyoku itself taking a lot of energy to remove, Law was doing the best he could just to remain standing, his Room gone.
"I knew enough." Law managed to smirk in response, angering the Soul Reaper more. If someone didn't come to help, Aizen would kill him for sure.
Somewhere above them all, movement stirred, a streak across the sky like a shooting star.
I guess I should have mentioned going back to the Monday/Thursday schedule on this chapter, since it's that "start" of the week haha. Back to studying for me.
Actually, I might have to skip Thursday's, since that's one of my finals, so I suppose expect the next one... let's say Saturday once I finish all my tests.