Hi guys Azza here!
Reviews
Ouroborousdragon – The only reason Bellamy could do any of that was because Natsu let him do it. Like I've said in the story several times Natsu was willing to follow Luffy's lead and Luffy didn't want any of them to fight back so he didn't and let Bellamy do what he did. He's not being nerfed or anything he's just not really bothering to fight back in that one instance though I actually address it in the chapter anyway plus if you've seen or read One Piece then you know what's coming for Bellamy anyway.
Anyway on with the story!
I do not own Fairy Tail, One Piece or the Nasuverse.
Preparing For The Sky Island Journey
/Natsu's POV/
"You know when I damaged their ship I didn't think they wouldn't have been able to repair it, they're scavengers for fucks sake!"
"Normally I'd tell you to calm down but if I'm being quite honest this is a rather pathetic sight," Ahnkseram agreed shaking his head as the pair hovered above Masira's ship which was slowly sinking into the water not having moved so much as an inch from where Natsu had sliced it.
Masira stood atop the ship alone seemingly resigned to his fate as he gazed out toward the horizon with a blank look. Natsu couldn't help but snort in disgust at the sight which prompted the man to look up at him in surprise.
"Wha-it's YOU!"
"I thought you were a scavenger Masira so surely you could've fixed your ship?"
"I could've if my Brother were here," Masira snapped back as he shot Natsu a nasty glare. "Now leave me alone!"
"You mean Shoujou right?"
"You know my Brother, wait no you didn't hurt him did you!?"
"Haven't met him personally but Cricket told me he was your Brother," Natsu replied as Masira's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"C-Cricket told you …"
"I promised him I'd come and bring you back in exchange for his help and it seems I couldn't have arrived at a better time."
"Well if Cricket is willing to help you then I'll gladly accept your help but don't expect me to forgive you for sinking my ship!"
"If I could save your ship would that at least somewhat help in making amends?"
"W-well yeah I suppose it would," Masira replied only to begin shaking as the ship began slowly rising out of the water lifting him higher and higher as Natsu pulled it out of the water letting it hover several metres above its surface.
"There."
"H-how …"
"I'm a veritable genius," Natsu replied with a grin as he lowered himself onto the deck of the ship. "Now then let us return to Jaya, you can show me a good spot to put the ship down when we get there."
"Sure," Masira replied still stunned at how casual Natsu was acting as he began shifting the entire ship in the air as if they were in the water.
"Again I do apologize I didn't really want to do what I did but you were being an asshole by acting as if the open sea was your turf. So what happened to the rest of your crew anyway?"
"Oh well I sent them all off in the rowboats of course, wasn't about to let them go down with the ship!"
"That's rather admirable," Natsu replied with a stiff nod when he noticed Masira was shaking. "Are you alright?"
"C-can't you feel that," Masira gasped through chattering teeth. "I-it's so d-damn cold all of a s-sudden!"
Looking around the deck he noticed it was beginning to freeze over which put Natsu on edge, the weather up until this point had been humid yet now ice was beginning to form all around the pair.
"Oi Masira hold out your hands and take this," Natsu said as he summoned a ball of blue flames and placed them within the confines of the man's cupped hands as he heard him sigh in content relief.
"Oh man … thanks for that buddy, thought I was gonna freeze to death just now!"
"You still might," Natsu said as he turned around to face several heavily clad figures spawning in through scattered snowflakes in the air.
The figures were dressed in winterized gear but covered their faces in black helmet like masks with the lead one wearing a white Plague Doctor's mask. Natsu took a step forward and began gently lowering the ship until it crashed against something with an audible thud.
"So you lot froze the lake too?"
"You are the King of Balance," the Plague Doctor asked as Natsu nodded. "You will come with us."
"And if I refuse?"
"You will come with us, by force if necessary."
"Masira, find cover somewhere and don't try to fight these things," Natsu whispered to the man who nodded frantically. "I'll try to make this quick but something feels off …"
"You will come with us King of Balance."
"On whose order?"
"Orders from the Imperial Princess," the Plague Doctor said as he began to walk forward extending an arm out toward him. "You will come with us King of Balance."
"Just who is this Imperial Princess," Natsu asked taking a step back as the arm of the Plague Doctor began to convert to snow.
"Irrelevant, you will come with us King of Balance."
"No … no I don't think I will, not until I know who this Imperial Princess truly is and what she wants with me," Natsu said firmly as the Plague Doctor halted in his tracks.
"You will come with us King of Balance; your state of consciousness was deemed irrelevant."
"Yeah well irrelevant this," Natsu snapped as he swiftly waved his arm out in front of him releasing a wall of flame that incinerated all the masked men and the Plague Doctor as he felt the cold begin to recede.
"That was strange," Ahnkseram said as the ice around the ship began to rapidly melt forcing Natsu to pick it up again and levitate it into the air.
"So do you know any Imperial Princesses or what that title even is for?"
"No idea though it's obvious that she's a ruler of some kind who has taken an interest in us."
"Aren't you just so funny," Natsu snapped in response. "See I'm not really a fan of catching the attention of others so quickly but it seems Serenity was right and I did it just by showing up in this world."
"We can focus on figuring out what those things were later but for now keep working on that other thing whilst we return to Cricket and the island of Jaya."
Natsu simply huffed in response as he and Masira silently made their way back toward the island, neither one willing to speak about the strange encounter they'd just had.
/Seilah's POV/
'Alright Seilah you can do this …'
Standing on the outskirts of a Marine base Seilah allowed herself to slowly sink into the earth becoming one with the shadows as she set out toward the base.
'Security here is pretty lax, probably a direct result of them being inferior humans no doubt.'
With practiced ease Seilah moved past the two Marines guarding the entrance to the base and quickly darted to the darkest corner in the courtyard before slinking her shadowy form underneath a door to gain entrance to the facility.
The moment she entered Seilah found herself wondering where she should go first since there appeared to be multiple paths she could take. Deciding on taking the right path Seilah found herself quickly coming across a stairwell and was about to ascend it when the sound of footsteps gave her pause.
"And I'm telling ya the Vice Admiral isn't a pushover, sure he's old but he could beat any one of us with a single punch!"
"But didn't you see he took on those two scrubs as apprentices, the two cleaning kids that looked as pathetic as Barton after he beat his ass in that card game last Friday! A man who thinks the future of the Navy belongs to trash like them is not someone mentally sane!"
The two Marines passed allowing Seilah to zip up the stairs as she quickly found herself in a meeting room that appeared to have only just been recently abandoned. Rising from the shadows she began to look around as she began scanning any document she could get her hands on.
Eventually her eyes fell to a filing cabinet and began sifting through the files coming across a shelf full of bounties, through her sifting she found several of note and took the three out however she froze as one all too familiar smirk stared back at her from the face of a specific poster.
"No … it cannot be!"
Gently withdrawing the bounty with shaking hands Seilah looked out of the window with pained expression marring her features.
"Oh Master, why can you never catch a break," Seilah sighed as she pocketed the bounty with the rest. "I can only hope you do not find yourself losing control over this …"
Shaking her head knowing that she still had work to do Seilah moved toward the next set of filing cabinets and began to rummage through them, pausing only to withdraw several official looking documents which quickly found their way onto the floor as she deemed them unimportant.
Moving toward the large table Seilah noticed a stack of papers at the head and decided to take a look, eyes widening at the title of a small set of documents around fifty pages thick.
Recent Servant Influx Report
Detailed Report On The Servant State Of Eden
Seilah ran the idea of a Servant State, how was such a thing possible? Was this perhaps where King Hassan was located or perhaps this was just a rogue group of Servants banding together to form some semblance of a society within the mess that was the Realis Holy Grail War?
Either way Seilah knew this report was key to finding the location of their allies and quickly pocketed it before quickly sinking into the floor as an official looking group entered the room.
"Have the invites been sent?"
"Of course they have Sengoku you know I'm not like Garp, it simply would not do to be tardy on such a critical matter!"
Head Of The World Government's Navy
Fleet Admiral Of The Marines
Sengoku The Budda
"Settle down Tsuru I didn't mean anything by it," the man named Sengoku sighed raising his hands slightly in a calming matter. "I doubt many of them, if any at all, will even bother to show up."
Advisor To The Marines
Vice Admiral Of The Marines
Tsuru The Great Advisor
"The Warlord system is nothing short of a joke however it is critical to maintaining the balance of power in the world Sengoku, any strategist worth his salt could see that much."
"Speaking of strategy …"
Seilah narrowed her eyes at the newcomer feeling the familiar signature of a Servant however this one felt exceedingly powerful, much more powerful than Mordred, Nobu and even Jeanne were though it also felt twisted, perhaps even distorted.
The man appeared to be bordering on middle age and wore a militaristic suit similar to the Marines however his was a grey colour rather than the Navy's traditional white. She noted that the man appeared to hold a similar rank to the other man in the room, Sengoku since the two stood as equals rather than treating each other in a Superior/Subordinate fashion.
"I was wondering where you'd been, how goes things on the main front?"
"Slow going at the moment Sengoku," the man replied casually. "The Navy still has yet to adjust to the changes I have implemented into the forces however I am well aware that there will be growing pains more so when dealing with a military of such a size as ours."
"Indeed," Sengoku replied with a smile as Seilah noticed the Command Seals on Sengoku's hand realizing he'd been chosen as a Master by this Servant, surprising considering most Servants they had encountered outright refused if given the choice.
"I must say your restructuring of our forces has been nothing short of impressive," Tsuru added quietly. "I believe even the Five Elders have been impressed by your efforts."
"I am merely doing what is necessary to ensure that the grip of the World Government tightens upon this world and that these … Pirates and rebels no longer run rampant terrorizing this world."
"And what of your newly appointed Generals," Sengoku asked curiously. "How are they adjusting to their new positions?"
"Quite well actually, General Degurechaff in particular has relished her recent promotion to the position of General."
"Wasn't she formerly a Lieutenant Colonel though," Tsuru asked as the man nodded. "I thought that one had several ranks to go before achieving the rank of a Four Star General?"
"I did indeed state that however as you both no doubt know she is a Servant like me and although she is not as physically powerful as even the three Admirals she is a veritable genius on the battlefield much like myself and has passed all the necessary exams for the promotion with flying colours."
"Yes I am aware which is why I never said I was opposed, just merely curious," Sengoku replied. "What of the other two Generals?"
"Settling in," the man replied with a shrug. "Like everyone else they too must endure the growth period so that the military of the World Government can operate as an effective fighting force."
"You really are quite knowledgeable about how to restructure a military; did you have to do something similar during your life?"
"I personally didn't have to however the leader of my nation at the time did; I was merely close enough to where I could watch which clearly was a boon for us."
"Indeed," Sengoku said as the trio fell silent for several moments before Tsuru spoke up.
"Well then enough sitting around I'm sure Rider didn't come here to partake in idle chatter, no doubt you wished to go over the most recent reports regarding the Revolutionary Army no?"
"As sharp as ever I see Vice Admiral Tsuru," Rider replied with a small smile. "Indeed I was hoping for input from the both of you since my newly created Army of the World Government will need to coordinate with the Navy extensively."
"Of course we can go over the details in my office," Sengoku replied as he picked up the stack of papers Seilah had been going over earlier. "Let's get this over with; I'm not looking forward to this afternoon."
"Like you said Sengoku how many will actually show up," Tsuru replied with a shake of her head. "Honestly you need to stop worrying so much and just take things as they come!"
"She's right you know, the stress will kill you in the end if you let it get bad enough."
"How did this turn into a conversation about my health," was the last thing Seilah heard as they left the room and vanished off into another part of the building.
'I think Master needs to hear about some of this,' Seilah though to herself as she rose from the ground before opening a portal and vanishing.
/Natsu's POV/
After having arrived back at Cricket's house he found the man unconscious in bed with the Straw Hats and Shoujou gathered around the place taking care of him. Upon his arrival he received the customary punch to the head from Mordred for running off and another from Nami for running off whilst being injured prompting him to burst into a fit of laughter.
"What's so funny," Nami snapped. "Bellamy stabbed you multiple times!"
"Do you honestly think a brat like him could do anything to me," Natsu said between giggles. "I doubt that brat could even beat Luffy or Zoro let alone me!"
"B-but he stabbed you, I saw it!"
"Yeah and it felt about as bad as getting a needle for a shot, if I wanted to I could've shattered his knife before it even had a chance to touch me."
"Then why didn't you!"
"Because Luffy didn't want me to fight back."
"He never said that-!"
"He didn't have to say it Nami," Natsu replied softly. "Some requests don't require words and can be exchanged with nothing more than a mere glance."
"That makes no sense!"
"Probably because you have yet to experience such an exchange," Natsu replied casually. "But that aside trust me if I wanted to I could've killed him in like two seconds flat but Luffy decided that the fight wasn't worth the effort."
"But you guys got hurt, how can you just dismiss what that bastard did!"
"Because he's less than an ant to me, most humans are Nami," Natsu replied as she recoiled back in shock. "Yeah he stabbed me, big deal I can regenerate. Sure he punched me a few times, probably nearly broke his hand too. Sure he glassed me but he missed out on the sweet contents inside."
"That's-!"
"Nami I'm going to break down how much I care about what Bellamy did and I want you to pay very close attention to my next sentence alright," Natsu said as he placed both hands on her shoulders and locked eyes with her. "I. Don't. Care. One. Fucking. Bit."
"Just leave him be Nami," Sanji sighed. "No one died so who cares about it?"
"What the hell is wrong with you guys!"
"Look I'll put it to you like this Nami," Sanji said as he took a drag from his cigarette. "Luffy and the moss head knew Natsu could regenerate already but if they didn't and Natsu had been stabbed its highly likely that the port of Jaya would be trashed beyond repair and its occupants slain to the last."
"Huh …?"
"Luffy didn't want to fight back and although personally I would've he is the Captain and I am the crew member so I follow his orders, not blindly mind you but follow them nonetheless," Natsu sighed. "If Luffy had of asked me to just kill Bellamy back there I would've done it without a second thought but the fact is he didn't, he saw no reason to needlessly spill blood."
"So he let yours get spilt instead?"
"Better mine than someone who can't regenerate," Natsu shot back before shaking his head and walking over toward Sanji. "So what's going on here anyway, what happened to Cricket?"
"Well I was outside at the time but Chopper said he's got some kind of illness from diving underwater too much and he collapsed unconscious, though he did mention a bunch of stuff on how to get to the Sky Island before he did and said you and him had some kind of deal going."
"Oh yeah I came here earlier and met him, we talked for a bit and agreed that I'd bring him back the gold from up there in exchange for his help. Oh and I had to save the monkey guy over there since they're friends."
"Well at least you managed to secure us a path up there, as suicidal as it sounds."
"Suicidal?"
"You mean he didn't tell you, oh man Usopp almost lost it when he heard about how we're supposed to get up there," Sanji snickered in amusement. "So get this apparently in order to reach the Sky Island we have to take this thing called the Knock Up Stream, basically it's just a strong water spout that will propel us up into the clouds."
"I can already see why it sounds suicidal," Natsu sighed shaking his head. "Don't worry I'll make sure no one dies alright."
"Yeah I kind of figured you would," Sanji grinned in response. "Anyway Cricket said we've got to find this bird called a South Bird so we were about to go look for it when Cricket collapsed and all and then you showed up."
"So that's the full story eh, well guess we'd better get everyone except Chopper ready to find this bird," Natsu said as he looked toward the house. "Did Cricket say when the next spout was due?"
"Dawn."
"Then I suppose we'd better get going and try to find this damn bird but what does it even look like?"
"Apparently they kind of look like toucans but are a purple and green colour with a bit of yellow on their head," Sanji replied as he began to walk over toward the house to gather up the rest of the crew. "Oh and apparently they let out a distinct cry, sounds like its saying jyooooooh or something."
"Guess I'll get a head start on finding this thing then and you can tell me what it's for when we find it."
"You got it," Sanji replied with a wave as he vanished inside the house leaving Natsu to begin walking toward the forest.
"Oi Master wait up!"
"As if you couldn't catch up Mordred," Natsu scoffed as she leapt up onto his back making him stumble slightly before regaining his footing.
"You went and ran off after letting that piece of shit lay into you Natsu," Mordred whined as the grip around his neck tightened. "You have no idea how hard it was for me not to slay every last piece of scum in that place Natsu, the level of disrespect they showed toward you …"
"Like I explained to Nami ordinarily the scrub wouldn't have even touched me but Luffy wanted to prove a point."
"Does it really matter if the brat wants to prove a point though?"
"Considering we joined his crew he's the one in charge, we're just along for the ride."
"Yeah well don't make a habit of letting trash like that get away with acting like that alright Natsu, you're far greater than they are and deserve better."
"You know it's crazy how sometimes you say such heart-warming things yet other times you curse the very ground I tread," Natsu said as he hopped over a fallen log. "But I know at heart you really are just a big kid Mordred, a person who never got the chance to act like one yet found herself slain before her life could gain any real meaning."
"My life had meaning though it wasn't clear until my last few dying moments," Mordred said quietly as the silence of the forest created a tense atmosphere around the pair. "I have to ask if this knock up stream thing fails are you just gonna lift the ship up to this Skypeia place?"
"Most likely yes," Natsu replied not commenting on Mordred's sudden change in conversation topic. "But I believe that we'll make the knock up stream and reach the island."
"You believe it or you can 'feel' it?"
"Bit of both really, it isn't one of those events that are set in stone so it's hard to tell sometimes. To put it simply I don't feel any consequences for forcibly lifting the ship myself."
"But you'd rather let things play out as they were intended to?"
"My reasoning is the same as it was in the Elemental Nations Mordred, this is not my world so I'd rather not interfere with its events unless I can help it."
"Yeah yeah I remember so don't go giving me the whole history lesson," Mordred groaned. "I was just curious is all."
"I understand so don't worry about it, now have you spotted that bird by any chance?"
"Oh yeah because your description gave me a really good idea as to what it looked like," Mordred snorted in response. "So no I haven't seen it!"
"The other Straw Hats have moved to find the bird as well so that should cover more ground."
"GAH-SERENTIY WHAT THE FUCK," Mordred snapped as she launched herself off of Natsu's back right into a tree.
"Hello again Mordred."
"Don't 'hello' me Serenity," Mordred sneered from the tree branch she was wrapped around. "Ever heard of declaring yourself before joining a fucking conversation!"
"No."
"Give it a rest you two," Natsu sighed as he used a sliver of his Gravity Magic to snap the base of the branch Mordred was hanging onto. "Serenity do you happen to know where we'll find one of these South Bird things?"
"I think I might have an idea where a small flock of them reside, follow me."
"Thanks Serenity," Natsu said with a smile before turning to Mordred. "Well come on then don't lie on your butt all day, future Kings don't have time to do that you know?"
"How about you shut up you jerk I know you did that on purpose!"
"Perhaps but I thought it was funny."
"So you admit it," Mordred shouted as she summoned Clarent to her side. "Oh you are so going to get it!"
"Hold on a second," Natsu said backing away slightly. "It was just a joke!"
"Yeah well wait till you're on the receiving end of this punch line!"
Serenity sighed as Natsu was chased around the forest by an annoyed Servant knowing full well that neither of them would be getting anything productive done for the next hour or so.
As Natsu and his friends prepared for their journey into the clouds word began to spread of his arrival into the world as eyes began to shift, minds began to turn and alliances began to come together in an effort to either recruit or eliminate them.
/Elsewhere In The Grand Line – Floating Island Of Eden/
"And so after you have spoken with the citizens on the Kingdom's next location you are required to go over the biyearly budget for the Knights my King."
"How are the citizens, are they settling in to their new lives well?"
"As well as could be expected given their … former occupation."
"I see."
"The ones that were willing to become Knights of our new Kingdom are undergoing training at a rate that will not cause them relapse within their recovery schedules, the ones that chose not to have found work tending to our agricultural or industrial sectors."
"Excellent, and what of the Round, what do you all believe about all of this?"
"My King I believe that after the attack on that hovel those brutish Celestial Dragons kept their slave stock we should expect a modest retaliation against us by the World Government and their forces."
Knight Of The Round Table
Sir Kay (Saber)
Bounty – 194,000,000 Berries
"I agree with the assessment from Sir Kay my King; the World Government does not tolerate slights against the Celestial Dragons and usually responds with force. With that in mind given the current state of Eden I believe it would be prudent to shore up our defences and prepare for a potential assault."
Knight Of The Round Table
Sir Palamedes (Saber)
Bounty – 272,000,000 Berries
"So you both believe that the World Government will attempt to strike back at us in an effort to retrieve their lost slaves Sir Kay, Sir Palamedes?"
"We do my King," Sir Kay replied as the King tilted her head to her right.
"What say you Sir Agravain?"
Knight Of The Round Table
Sir Agravain (Assassin)
Bounty – 94,000,000 Berries
"I must agree with their assessment my King, the Celestial Dragons believe themselves to be the Gods of this world and would sooner see us all put into chains or killed rather than oppose them. It is likely that they have thrown a tantrum of some sort and forced the World Government to send at least several Vice Admirals against us."
"How sad, to think that all we have done is show these people humanity and yet they deem us the villains in this ballad. If there were an open window I would hurl myself to the depths of the abyss just to save these poor souls from a fate with those Celestial Dragons."
Knight Of The Round Table
Sir Tristan (Archer)
Bounty – 440,000,000 Berries
"What is with you and throwing yourself out of windows Tristan, because of you our King wouldn't let us have any in the higher parts of the castle!"
Knight Of The Round Table
Sir Gawain (Saber)
Bounty – 652,000,000 Berries
"I must apologize Sir Gawain, if you would like I shall ascend to the roof and-!"
"Enough Sir Tristan," the King said sharply. "There will be no roof hurling for you this day for we all still have need of you!"
"Would it really be such a bad thing if he hurled himself off of the castle ramparts though?"
"That is quite enough out of you Sir Lancelot, Sir Tristan is merely a bit eccentric and does not deserve such a fate."
Knight Of The Round Table
Sir Lancelot (Saber)
Bounty – 340,000,000 Berries
"In any event my King returning to the topic at hand if you would permit it I would lead the effort to bolster the defences of Eden, I could not bear to see those monsters get their hands on these people once more so soon after they were freed."
"I can feel the passion within your words Sir Galahad; very well I shall permit it. I want you and Sir Lancelot to oversee the preparations."
Knight Of The Round Table
Sir Galahad (Shielder)
Bounty – 150,000,000 Berries
"Thank you my King, Sir Tristan and I will not fail in our task!"
"I know you won't," the King replied with a small smile. "The rest of the Round are currently out on their own missions however I expect you to fill them in on all the necessary information from our current meeting-."
"My King!"
The doors to the throne room slammed open as a thin looking Knight burst in practically sprinting toward the Round Table and tossing several papers into its centre.
"Sir Bedivere," the King said with a raised eyebrow. "I was not expecting you back so soon? Has there been an incident?"
"The News Coos brought in the latest Bounties issued by the World Government my King and there are three on here I knew you would wish to see immediately!"
Knight Of The Round Table
Sir Bedivere (Saber)
Bounty – 120,000,000 Berries
"Is that so," the King said as she rose from her throne and walked over toward the Round Table and picked up the three bounty posters.
The room was silent as the Knights watched their King's face for any sign of a reaction and were shocked as a bright smile lit up her beautiful face.
"So you've come at last …"
"According to the news these were issued because of crimes they committed in the Desert Kingdom of Alabasta."
"Is that so," the King replied as she returned to her throne and sat down, still holding the Bounties in her hand. "And pray tell what these supposed crimes were?"
"Lady Seilah's crimes included the destruction of military property, murder of over three hundred Marines and mercenaries under a Warlord of the Sea as well as destruction of military intel regarding all the Pirates in the Grand Line held on their ship."
"Considering that we are at war with this World Government those are not crimes here so she is innocent. What of … Mordred?"
"Sir Mordred's crimes include the murder of over three hundred mercenaries under a Warlord of the Sea, murder of over eighty Marines and serving as Natsu Dragneel's accomplice."
"Again those are not crimes within our Kingdom so she too is innocent. Now what of Natsu?"
"Natsu Dragneel is charged with assault and torture of Marine Captain Smoker, murder of countless Marine and mercenaries as well as aiding in the defeat of Sir Crocodile one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"Again none of those are crimes so they shall be welcome here with open arms once they reach our portion of the Grand Line."
"I also did some digging and found out that the reason why King Natsu's bounty is so high is because this Captain Smoker is a Logia Devil Fruit User as is Sir Crocodile and it is their belief that he is one of these Haki Users who has remained under the radar."
"So they believe him to be from the latter half of the Grand Line bordering on the New World do they?"
"That is my belief yes my King."
"I can see why the World Government is panicking, Logia Users are virtually unbeatable in the first half of the Grand Line since none have the ability to so much as touch them yet Natsu came in and supposedly defeated two with no effort, one being a respected member of the Marines."
"Actually my King I don't believe King Natsu actually had anything to do with the defeat of the Warlord Crocodile for you see King Natsu seems to be travelling with the Straw Hat Pirates."
"The ones that Yonkou Shanks spoke of the last time he was here?"
"The very same."
"This has that red haired bastard's work written all over it," the King replied in amusement. "As usual he can't help but rile up the World Government, this may prove to work in our favour."
"How so?"
"What our King means is that King Natsu's arrival and almost instantaneous assault on them will draw some of the Government's attention off of us and onto him. Under normal circumstances as Knights of Camelot we would not stand for such a thing but we are speaking about King Natsu so he likely finds their efforts to capture or subdue him laughable at best," Agravain replied with a small smile.
"It is as Sir Agravain says," the King's voice boomed as the Knight snapped to full attention. "Sir Bedivere, I shall have a letter for you to send very soon that will be addressed to King Natsu so remain outside this hall once this meeting is over and wait for me."
"Understood my King."
"Sir Galahad, Sir Lancelot, the two of you are to bolster Eden's wards to the best of your ability. Confer with the Egyptian Caster or even the King of Kings if you must but ensure the wards are bolstered within a week!"
"We shall not fail you my King," both Lancelot and Galahad said as the bowed before her.
"Sir Tristan, Sir Gawain, Sir Palamedes, Sir Kay! You are all aware that our forces need work, petition the Egyptian King for beasts suitable for training and get these new recruits up to scratch and show them how a true Knight acts!"
"Of course my King," Sir Gawain said with a bow.
"Sir Agravain I want you to dig into what the World Government has on Natsu and his allies."
"Do you want me to sabotage it as usual?"
"If possible."
"It shall be done my King."
"All of you are dismissed, go now and perform your duties to the level I have come to expect from you all!"
A series of quick bows or nods of the head later and the King was left alone in the throne room where she turned her attention back toward the posters in her hand.
"Aren't you proud of Mordred yet, sticking the finger to the World Government and all?"
"Sir Mordred is simply doing her duty as King Natsu's Knight, nothing more."
"Come on I know you don't believe that!"
Rising from her throne the King moved toward the edge of the room where a young boy no older than ten stood grinning from ear to ear completely unaffected by the glare he was receiving from the King.
"Hold your tongue boy; do not dare to presume the thoughts that run through my own mind!"
"Now you and I both know I'm no boy so let us not delude ourselves into using such petty insults."
"Very well then," the King sighed. "How about shut your mouth before I strike you with Rhongomyniad … Merlin."
Fledgling Mage Of Flowers
Court Wizard Of The King
Merlin Lily (Caster)
Bounty – 812,000,000 Berries
"Come now we both know you won't do that, you can't afford to lose me at your side."
"I could if I could permanently use the adult version of yourself," the King growled only prompting Merlin's grin to widen.
"Be grateful that I can even assume my adult form at all otherwise none of this would have even been possible."
"I will concede that point, as annoying as it is. How were you even summoned as a child anyway?"
"How should I know I'm just a kid?"
"…"
"Ok fine I have an idea but it probably isn't the actual truth but you see I think the Realis Grail War did try to summon me as an adult but it couldn't handle the strain of my power so it summoned the me from my childhood to fulfil its desire."
"So you being able to revert to your adult form for a limited amount of time is basically slivers of your power leaking through then?"
"Hypothetically speaking yes that is my theory. Anyway talking about me aside where is the other you at?"
"Off leading the assault against a Marine base alongside Sir Percival I believe."
"And why are you not taking to the battlefield then?"
"You know why I'm not," the King snapped as she stomped back to her throne and sat down. "It's the same reason you aren't out there doing your part!"
"Hey we make a pretty killer team on the battlefield, not my fault the World Government got scared of us!"
The King smiled in fond remembrance as she thought back to the battle where she fought alongside Merlin again after what seemed like an eternity. The way that they fought was reminiscent of the old days back when they were alive and she couldn't help but smile fondly at the memories.
"Are you planning on inviting him here?"
"Natsu?"
"Yes."
"Of course I will, he is someone who I have no doubt will be a staunch supporter of our efforts."
"Is that your head talking or your heart?"
"Both I think."
"I cannot say he will join us or not however I can say he will at the very least sympathize with our cause. As for you though I would suggest watching your emotions a little more closely Arthuria, the signs are becoming more and more prevalent with each passing month."
Former King Of Arthurian Britain
Wielder Of The Sacred Holy Lance Rhongomyniad
King Of Knights
Arthuria Pendragon (Lancer)
Bounty – 920,000,000 Berries
"I am still well in control Merlin you have nothing to fear," Arthuria replied with a frown. "Whilst I am grateful for your concern I shall not succumb to Rhongomyniad's influence, I shall not!"
"It isn't simply a matter of choice Arthuria you and I both know that. You have been using the Holy Lance in battle often and the more you use it the more chances there are of you finally succumbing to its influence."
"I will not falter Merlin not when so much is at stake with the Realis Holy Grail War and the Incineration of Humanity!"
"I am simply giving you a friendly warning to be more careful, a Lancer you may be but you really should find something other than the Holy Lance to use. During battle you bring naught but destruction, the Round might not be willing to address it but I will."
"So you believe me to be falling to its influence?"
"Not yet," Merlin replied shaking his head. "Your will is strong Arthuria however it is not infallible. If your usage of the lance is managed properly then you indeed shall not lose yourself and subconsciously you know this too."
Arthuria sighed as she leant back in her throne tiredly, the stress of the day beginning to get to her as Merlin placed a hand onto hers.
"We are all here for you Arthuria, even your other self is aware of the burden you bear and is more than willing to step up to ensure you do not lose yourself however you must allow yourself these quiet moments of rest."
"I understand Merlin," Arthuria sighed. "I shall do my best as always."
"That is all anyone can ask of you Arthuria," Merlin said with a small smile. "Perhaps Natsu and Mordred coming here will do you some good, give you something to be cheerful about for once."
"This world is full of sin and I find it repulsive Merlin, these Celestial Dragons treating their fellow man as if they were common dogs, the Government that is meant to serve the people aiding such filth and many of these Pirates rampaging across the seas terrorizing the world. All of these things and more irk me Merlin, I cannot sit idly by as the innocent suffer."
"And this is why I knew you were best suited to be King Arthuria, you care for all rather than the select few. Indeed we shall fix things but as you know baby steps must be taken lest we get a repeat of Camlann."
"I understand," Arthuria sighed as she looked at the picture of Natsu and smiled once more. "Perhaps change will come sooner than we think?"
Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!