Hi guys Azza here!
So first I just want to say because this has been mentioned by several people ... do not sleep on my version of Gekko Moria! Trust me I'm not going to be holding back like Oda did with this man and how broken his abilities could truly have been if Oda had of put him further along in the series.
To give you guys a bit of hype this arc is going to have really high stakes not just for the Straw Hats but for Natsu and his friends as well. I've set it up perfectly so it's up to those who know their Fate lore on certain Servants to figure it out as we go along.
Anyway that aside onto the reviews
Dragonborn2704 – Yeah that was my thought too put someone like Escanor who is Pride itself and a born fighter into a scenario where he literally can't use any of that to his advantage.
Erasenpai946 – Trust me the Servant he's going to face is one that is a long overdue matchup that still feets the theme of the arc. As for the second part I answered that above.
Susano'o Chaos – The Demon Gods by default are all evil since they all exist as part of ya boi but those who display higher awareness such as Flauros would be the closest thing to being quote 'Good' if you can even call them that.
As for my favourite design I'd have to say Amon-Ra's gold and aqua blue colour scheme or the one from the Salem Singularity's corrupted black and red one. You are right though most are recolours but I think that's because the main seven are the templates for those that serve as their workers ... I think, so that might be why they look the same? My Tiberius pillar is actually a Dark Blue colour with bright green eyes just to make him a little bit more unique.
As for the dialogue thing it's done mainly because you can't see what's happening in a written story or even in manga so they kind of have to do that all the time so people have some idea as to whats going on. There is also the idea of character intelligence and personality to consider where some feel the need to boast and others simply don't understand so they use that as a means of allowing the reader to know.
And yes Anti and the Hybrid's Aura do act that way because they are essentially the two most powerful forces of each respective existence clashing against one another.
Now for your next question the concept of a Universal Constant such as Time, Chaos or War being damaged will be felt by their respective God, Primordial and Titan. This is because they derive their very source of power from the fount that is the element itself, essentially having merged themselves with it in order to conduct it if that makes sense.
When I said Midnight the Chaos Goddess delights in it that was me just saying she truly does embody her element to the fullest however yes if it were to be damaged she would feel it for sure.
And none of the other Pantheon of Titans has been revealed aside from War so far so no Felicity is not the Time Titan however the Time Titan is a Lady Time and Tim is fully aware of her location and existence.
And yes trust me the consequences will be severe however I don't believe anyone will predict just how they will come about ...
Galacti – Same haha I really have wanted to include NGNL somewhere into the story however I haven't been able to quite find a place for it since it is essentially a no combat story where the MC punches and kicks stuff to solve problems. Granted down the line where he's much smarter its possible for him to compete but he's still young and learning so I figured I'd use this as an opportunity and include it as part of the Tale Verse Series for now.
Anyway on with the story!
I do not own Fairy Tail, One Piece or the Nasuverse.
The Humming Swordsman
/?/
"Oi oi come on now everyone, Captain Yorki wouldn't want us to go down like this! I know, what about one final hurrah eh?"
"What are you on about Captain?"
"We still have a promise to keep don't we? Remember our promise to our faithful friend who even now waits for us at the cape to return?"
Many of the people around the deck of the ship nodded quickly at their Captain's words as many of them began to shuffle about the deck despite their grievous injuries.
"I have this Tone Dial here so we could record his favourite song for him, a final farewell from all of us to our good friend! Come on everyone what do you say to one final round, the final send-off for the Rumbar Pirates!?"
"We'd say shut up and get on that piano Captain," one of the crew members shouted prompting the entire group to roar with laughter as said Captain sat down at the piano and began to play.
"Alright everyone let's do it!"
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Going to deliver Binks' Sake!
Following the sea breeze! Riding on the waves!
Far across the salty depths! The merry evening sun!
The birds sing as they draw circles in the sky!
Farewell to the harbor, to my old hometown
Let's all sing out with a Don! As the ship sets sail
Waves of gold and silver dissolve to salty spray
As we all set sail to the ends of the sea
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Going to deliver Binks' Sake
We are Pirates sailing through the sea!
The waves are our pillows, The ship our roost
Flying the proud skull on our flag and our sails!
Now comes a storm through the far-off sky
Now the waves are dancing, Beat upon the drums
If you lose your nerve this breath could be your last
But if you just hold on, The morning sun will rise!
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Going to deliver Binks' Sake
Today, and tomorrow, our dreams through the night!
Waving our goodbyes, we'll never meet again!
But don't look so down, For tomorrow night the moon will also rise!
Going to deliver Binks' Sake
Let's all sing it with a Don! A song of the waves
Doesn't matter who you are, Someday you'll just be bones
Never-Ending, Ever-Wandering, Our funny traveling tale!
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
As the music continued loud thuds could be heard as one by one the crew members began to drop to the ground, succumbing to their injuries however despite all of this the Captain continued to smile ...
"So what if a few drop out, we're still a quartet aren't we ..."
Thud
"Trio ..."
Thud
"Duet!"
Thud
"...Solo," the man said as his face scrunched up and tears began to stream past his sunglasses.
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yohohoho
Going to deliver Binks' Sake
Let's all sing it with a Don! A song of the waves
Doesn't matter who you are, Someday you'll just be bones
Never-Ending, Ever-Wandering, Our funny traveling tale ...
And then at that moment as the Captain's eyes closed for the final time the nonexistent eyes of a skeleton opened aboard an old, wandering ship that held no life signs whatsoever. Sitting up the skeleton looked out at the misty black sea and frowned.
"Ah ... I had that dream again," the skeleton sighed as he got up and walked over to the nearby wall that lead to the ship's interior and stabbed his blade into the damaged woodwork, carving a line into it before stepping back to reveal thousands more.
It seems the fifty year record of the same dream will be upheld for another day ...
/Natsu's POV/
It had been two days since the group had left Ardorton with Abigail and Elizabeth and to say tensions were running high would be an understatement. The day prior the ship had sailed into what could only be described as a sort of 'Permanent Night' with fog so thick that light simply failed to shine through.
The only one who didn't seem overly concerned about anything was Natsu himself with even Seilah and his Servants finding the entire scenario somewhat concerning and unsettling however he simply sat atop the figurehead of the Sunny seemingly meditating.
"Come on how long is he just gonna sit there like that," Mordred huffed as she tossed a card onto a rapidly growing pile. "What's he even doing?"
"I would wager he's trying to break through this strange fog to find any kind of danger that could potentially be approaching," Seilah replied before looking up at the misty black sky. "The fog itself is most certainly not natural and it seems to be affecting my ability to perceive the path ahead like normal. Natsu is far stronger than I so it is likely he is simply focusing all his energy into his sight so that we are not caught off guard like we were in Ardorton."
"We're in the Florian Triangle now you know so of course we're going to run into danger! Aside from Gekko Moria and his ship which calls these waters home there is also the wandering ghosts of those who have been killed within its dark depths," Elizabeth added with a feral grin. "I wonder if we will come across any of them?"
"Keep those g-ghosts as far away from me as possible," Usopp shivered as a cold chill washed over the group. "Damn its cold here!"
"Well of course it's cold," Nami sighed shaking her head. "No sunlight getting through combined with the fact that we're surrounded by mist means the temperature is going to be extremely low."
"Maybe if we ask nicely Natsu will turn up the heat," Usopp asked only to be hit over the head by Nami's Clima-Tact. "OW!"
"He's not a portable heater Usopp and if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be able to navigate this sea properly so leave him alone!"
"Well as long as he helps you navigate around the ghosts Elizabeth said are around here then I'll gladly take freezing."
"Haha, Usopp you're such a wimp sometimes," Luffy laughed as he joined the conversation.
"Shut up Luffy you do realize you can't punch ghosts right!?"
"Don't be silly Usopp you can punch anything if you hit it hard enough," Luffy replied with a grin prompting Usopp to openly gape in shock at the stupidity of the statement.
As he was about to retort he froze as another chill washed over the ship although this time it was accompanied by something else.
"Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho ..."
"Y-you guys ... did you hear that?"
"Hear what," Mordred asked confused. "Oh wait I get it you're just that scared you've started imagining stuff, haha!"
"No wait Mordred," Seilah said as she narrowed her eyes. "There is something ..."
"Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho ..."
The entire group froze as the words came in clearly, several heads snapping toward Natsu's location to find him now standing seemingly looking out across the sea.
"Natsu what is it," Seilah asked only for a broken ship to emerge from the mist. "Oh ..."
Everyone watched silently as the ship silently sailed past however all eyes were locked onto a single being leaning up against the half destroyed starboard railing.
"Hello."
"..."
The being then tipped its hat before walking out of sight as everyone, Natsu included, slowly began to reboot from what they had just seen.
"Th-th-that-!?"
"Oh it was just a skeleton," Mordred replied dismissively only for Usopp to comically slap her on the back of the head.
"ONLY A SKELETON MY ASS!"
"All of you just calm down," Natsu sighed as he appeared before the group causing Usopp to nearly collapse out of fright. "You all might be wondering why I didn't warn you about that I'm assuming?"
"Well I'd say that's the understatement of the year," Nami replied with narrowed eyes. "But since it's you I could argue you did that for fun."
"Come now Nami Natsu wouldn't have done that for his own self amusement," Seilah said firmly as she crossed her arms. "More than likely he sensed the intentions of the skeleton and deemed it to either not pose a threat or believes it too weak to do anything to us."
"How about we go over and find out instead of sitting around talking about it," Mordred said as she tossed her remaining cards into the pile and rose to her feet.
"HELL YEAH, I'm coming too," Luffy cheered as the pair shared a high five with the rest of the crew sighing and shaking their heads.
"I suppose I'll go too just to make sure these two don't do anything stupid," Natsu said which seemed to pacify most of the crew. "Though why half of you are so scared of one individual skeleton after we just dealt with a whole island of undead I'll never know?"
"To be fair skeletons are kind of scary," Abby chimed in prompting Natsu to grin and ruffle her hair affectionately.
"Maybe so but they're only scary to those who-!?"
"-Don't know how to destroy entire islands," Abby cheered before mimicking one of Natsu's signature attacks right up until the throwing portion. "BOOM goes the island and by by scary skeletons!"
"I feel like we should be concerned that a kid thinks blowing up an island is funny," Nami said with some concern only for Seilah to shake her head.
"It's likely that Abigail isn't entirely human to begin with so it isn't all that surprising really."
"Well that just makes it SO much better now doesn't it ..."
"Alright guys lets go meet the skeleton," Luffy cheered as he extended his arms and propelled himself over onto the ghost ship with Mordred simply jumping over after him.
"Guess I'd better go too. You stay here with Liz alright Abby and when I get back we'll have some snacks alright?"
"YAY!"
"Can I have some snacks too Natsu," Elizabeth asked with an adorable glance prompting Natsu to chuckle in response.
"Of course you can Liz, be back in a minute or two!"
Vanishing and reappearing on the deck of the ghost ship he was surprised to find the skeleton sitting so calmly on a half destroyed chair seemingly waiting for them.
"WHOA, you're actually real!"
"Yohohoho! Well I'd hope that I was real otherwise the strange itch I always get right where my pants would chafe would be rather confusing wouldn't it? Of course I don't actually have any flesh to chafe though since I'm all bones, YOHOHOHOHO!"
"Ha, he made a skeleton joke," Natsu chuckled as Mordred cocked her head to the side at his statement.
"I think that was kind of obvious ..."
"And? I thought it was pretty funny."
"So Mr Skeleton you wanna join my crew," Luffy asked as both Mordred and Natsu's neck snapped toward him in a mixture of shock, surprise or in Natsu's case mild amusement.
"Luffy are you actually retarded!"
"I accept."
"THE HELL!"
"Come on Mister Skeleton I'm sure my crew would love to meet you," Luffy grinned as he wrapped an arm around him and the two jumped back over to the Sunny prompting Natsu to place a hand on Mordred's shoulder and warp the pair back over, chuckling all the while in amusement.
The moment he arrived back he could see introductions went about as well as expected with only Seilah actually moving forward to shake his hand.
"Hello there my name is Seilah, nice to meet you."
"Oh, you aren't afraid of my appearance young lady? Well I'm flattered to meet you, my name is Brook and would you by any chance be willing to part with your panties?"
"..."
"BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"MASTER NATSU," Seilah screeched in a rare loss of composure as Natsu dropped to the ground roaring with laughter. "HOW DARE YOU LAUGH AFTER THIS-THIS SKELETON ASKED FOR SUCH A THING!"
"Oh man," Natsu grinned as he vanished and appeared at Brook's side. "You're really funny, I like you already! My name is Natsu!"
"Yohoho! Well it's nice to meet another man of culture such as yourself Natsu, indeed it is wonderful to meet such a lively crew in general!"
"Oi guys this is Brook and he's our new crew member so say hi," Luffy grinned seemingly full of pride as everyone's jaws dropped before eyes snapped to Natsu with Nami stomping over and gripping his coat, shaking him in the process.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THE RESPONSIBLE ONE HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN!?"
"Yohohoho! Well your Captain simply asked me to join so here I am," Brook said prompting the entire group to faceplant before Luffy suddenly got a bright idea.
"Alright everyone how about we all have something to eat, a feast in honour of our new crewmate eh!?"
And so everyone found themselves seated in the kitchen with Brook at the head with all eyes wondering just how he would eat or drink anything put before him. The tension from earlier seemed to have died down when Abby simply greeted Brook with her usual cheer and the tall skeleton responded with a rather kind moment reminiscent of the way Natsu treated her, giving him in essence brownie points.
"Alright here you go guys," Sanji said as he served up the food. "Make sure to eat it all up or I'll start kicking asses!"
"So now that we're all here and having a great time how about we get to know you a bit better Brook," Natsu suggested as the skeleton sipped on some tea.
"Oh? You all want to know a bit about me?"
"Yeah like how you became an undead for example?"
"Oh, well yes I suppose in that regard I am a bit out of the ordinary aren't I," Brook replied cheerfully. "You see I was a human once who ate the Soul Soul Fruit which at first simply meant I couldn't swim until myself and my crew were completely and utterly annihilated. From there I came back from the dead as a mere soul and after reuniting with my body became a Reviving Human. Unfortunately due to the fog in this region my body had decayed to leave me as nothing but mere bones so when I came back I returned as you all see me now, a mere skeleton!"
"Hmm ... something about that doesn't add up," Nami said as the rest of the group turned their attention toward her. "If you really are an undead then look into this mirror!"
Doing as instructed Brook looked into the mirror with no reflection staring back at him, much to most of the crew's shock however it was surprisingly Seilah who asked the next question.
"I've noticed that there is something else off about you Brook, something that despite lacking a reflection all things should possess. Tell me Brook what happened to your shadow?"
"Yohohoho ... I'm afraid that I'd rather not talk about that if that's alright-."
"Moria stole it didn't he," Natsu said casually prompting Brook to comically face plant into the plate before him before looking up at Natsu, food stuck in his large afro as the skeleton openly gaped at him.
"H-how do you know that!?"
"We've been to Ardorton Brook and seen what Moria has done and I for one won't be allowing his garbage to continue for even so much as another day! Mordred here defeated the Skeleton Lord and through the shadow held within it Moria spoke with us and more or less invited the challenge."
"Oh dear then it seems you all are in grave danger," Brook sighed as he slowly rose to his feet. "Gekko Moria is not a man any of you can truly comprehend, not even you Natsu."
"What do you mean by that Brook," Natsu asked as the skeleton's eyes glowed momentarily prompting Natsu to drop the tea he was half way through sipping as he began to choke.
"I can see your soul and it is by far the oldest one in this room aside from yours Miss Seilah. Miss Abigail, Miss Elizabeth and Miss Mordred's souls are ... rather strange to look at, almost as if they don't truly exist however both of yours I can read clear as day and I can get an idea as to your true selves."
"Brook do you realize that those eyes-!"
Before Natsu could finish a large ghost emerged through the table eliciting a loud screeching sound that sent Brook flying off of his feet in a rather comical fashion as the skeleton clung to the chandelier.
"W-w-was that a g-g-ghost," Usopp shivered as both he and Chopper clung to each other seemingly frightened.
"The ship," Robin said finally speaking for the first time as she moved to gaze out the window. "We're moving sideways ..."
"I'm afraid that I'll have to decline your invitation to join your crew Mister Luffy," Brook said as everyone gaped at the skeleton in shock.
"Wait why!?"
"I'm afraid that we're being pulled in by Thriller Bark," Brook said as the crew went through varying reactions to the news. "And in order to ensure you all remain safe I would ask that none of you fall into the clutches of Gekko Moria so please do everything in your power and escape."
Walking out of the room and onto the deck the crew followed him outside where the skeleton jumped onto the railing before turning around and tipping his top hat to them.
"It was wonderful to meet you all however this is where we must part, a shame I could not play a tune or two for you all however it appears Fate has finally answered my call after so long!"
And just like that he dropped off of the railing and began sprinting across the water in an unbelievable fashion that even had Natsu blinking twice.
"Hang on don't Devil Fruit Users lose their ability to do anything when they come into contact with water?"
"I agree that this whole scenario is rather strange Master Natsu," Seilah said before puffing her cheeks out and pinching his own. "I still cannot believe you let that perverted suit of bones ask for my specially selected underwear meant only for you, do you believe me to be that shameful!"
"Anyway back on topic," Natsu snorted in response, trying to stifle a giggle which seemed to only anger Seilah even more. "We've clearly arrived at Thriller Bark which means we're gonna be dealing with that bastard Moria so we all need to get ready for an absolute mess!"
"I vote we don't go at all," Usopp shouted quickly.
"Seconded," Chopper cried.
"Me too," Nami added quickly only for the group to realize that everyone else wasn't going to agree. "WHYYY!?"
"Well Nami to give you a legitimate reason how about the fact that the ship cannot physically leave the place we are docked now," Elizabeth said as she pointed to the strange crimson substance which had now coated the bottom of the ship seemingly sticking it to the wall. "The work of another Servant I'm afraid ..."
"Now that I think about it Liz you should have a fairly good idea as to what we're about to walk into since Moria was the one who dumped you here," Natsu said as Elizabeth avoided his gaze. "What is it?"
"I can't really tell you everything I'm afraid ..."
"Why not?"
"One of the Servants has the ability to mess with minds and he more or less locked my ability to speak of Moria's plans and his forces. If he hadn't done that I would have told you everything I know by now."
"That's a dangerous ability," Seilah murmured as she watched the Straw Hats begin to disembark. "For all our sakes Natsu I think it would be best if we didn't split up for the moment, who knows what kind of dark, foul things we'll encounter here. To manipulate the mind of a Servant ..."
"I agree Seilah," Natsu replied with a nod. "You go with Luffy's group, Mordred you go with Nami's group and I'll go with Zoro to make sure he doesn't get lost again."
"Before we leave Natsu do you sense that," Seilah asked as she motioned toward the barely visible castle in the distance.
"That malicious Aura ... yeah I can feel it, though I doubt that would be Moria. No matter how skilled he is I don't believe he's quite at that level."
"Alright guys I'm heading out before these guys get too far away," Mordred said with a wave and was about to jump off of the ship only for Natsu to pull her back and give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Wh-what the hell was that for!?"
"Come on Mordred you all need your good luck kisses from the generous God don't you?"
"Piss off!"
"Can I have mine on the lips," Seilah asked instantly prompting Natsu to chuckle and oblige the now content Demoness.
"Tch ... fine give me one too!"
"Of course Mordred," was the immediate reply as he captured the knight's lips with his own. "And one for you as well Robin?"
"I suppose one couldn't hurt," Robin giggled whilst shooting an amused look at the now thoroughly embarrassed Mordred. "After all some of us are more ... inclined to these kinds of things."
"And just what the hell is that supposed to mean!?"
"She means you look like a teenager so you're acting like one Mordred," Seilah replied, appearing behind the Servant and cupping her breasts with a seductive smirk. "I mean your body is a little on the smaller side so the insinuation isn't too far off is it?"
"Oi that's enough you two," Natsu said firmly as he pulled Mordred free from Seilah's grasp. "Don't bully her for something she has no control over, Mordred is fine the way she is."
"Thank you ... Natsu," Mordred sighed as she enjoyed the embrace she'd been pulled into. "I should get going."
"Be safe Mordred!"
With a nod the knight vanished with Seilah vanishing moments after leaving Natsu and Robin alone on the deck of the ship.
"That wasn't very nice Robin."
"I wasn't aware Mordred was so self conscious about her appearance, it won't happen again."
Natsu's eyes softened at her disappointed look prompting him to raise her head up to match her gaze and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
"You weren't aware so its fine, Mordred by nature is self conscious due to her Father so she's quick to anger as a result. However that being said if we're engaging in more ... intimate activities then praising her would definitely go a long way to making it up to her."
"Yes there hasn't been a chance for all four of us to bond yet has there?"
"Because of Abigail and Liz I know," Natsu sighed as he looked over toward said Servants who were jumping about with the others like children. "All this will work itself out I'm sure, Abigail in particular I want to help out before we do anything else."
"Is she truly a child Natsu? I didn't want to ask in front of her in fear of upsetting her but is Abigail truly as young as she appears?"
"That ... that is a complicated question," Natsu sighed as he leant up against the railing watching the group vanish off into the distance. "I think part of her actually is however that strange transformation of hers she showed me feels older than an average human's lifespan. Whatever that is it concerns me ..."
"Is that why you decided to forge a Master and Servant Contract with her?"
"Partially but you saw her for yourself Robin, Abigail for the most part is just an ordinary girl who looks at me with stars in her eyes. I refuse to be the one to shatter those stars and so I willingly formed a contract with her knowing that there may be some alternate force behind her."
"Well I know that if anything happens you'll be there to fix it like always," Robin smiled prompting Natsu to look away from her gaze.
Where Robin assumed he was embarrassed in reality he was inwardly cringing knowing full well that such a statement has often backfired numerous times in the past on him. To hear it again even after coming to peace with Yugao's passing and his exile from Earthland ...
"Enough."
"Sorry-."
"You have the right Natsu, more right than any other in this world, however you choose the most inopportune moments to dwell on such dark thoughts. Right now we have a mystery to solve, a Warlord with dark motives to defeat and friends to support. Push those thoughts to the back of your mind and generate ones that will be useful in ensuring they have no reason to emerge from their banishment whatsoever."
"Thank you Ahnk, I apologize for being like this so often."
"Like I said there is no need to apologize for having feelings Natsu however there is a time and a place. If necessary simply shut off all emotion just don't put the others at risk through incessant brooding!"
"Of course," Natsu smiled in response as he faced his fellow Hybrid inside his mindscape before hearing a low rumbling sound. "Oh ..."
"I think it's almost time for her to awaken once more, I've been doing what I can to redirect bits of power you don't need to her in order to speed it up. She's been out for quite some time now, poor thing."
"Whatever happened to infernal sparring partner," Natsu teased prompting Ahnkseram to crack his knuckles in response.
"Keep talking boy and we'll see who ends up with the title of infernal sparring partner ..."
"Keep up the good work Ahnk and let me know if she starts to wake," Natsu said as he placed a hand on her exposed belly giving it a gentle rub before vanishing from his mindscape and finding himself and Robin walking along a dimly lit road.
"Any sign of the undead yet Robin?"
"Not yet though I wouldn't expect that to last much longer," Robin replied as the sounds of howling grew louder. "By any chance have you been inside your head the whole time since we left the ship?"
"I was speaking with Ahnkseram about something, Hybrid stuff."
"I see ..."
"It's honestly not that important Robin so don't go worrying about it," Natsu said as the sound of loud footsteps began to echo all around them. "Ah ... here we go."
From the mist a massive beast emerged that had Robin taking several steps backward in shock however Natsu simply eyed it impassively.
"That's a-!"
"Cerberus, a Zombie Cerberus to be precise," Natsu said as the three headed dog howled before gnashing its teeth together in a feral manner. "Well then this ought to be amusing."
The Cerberus charged as Natsu assumed a defensive stance, the first engagement beginning in what would become one of the biggest struggles the Straw Hats and Natsu would experience in this world to date.
Tales From The Tale Verse
Pride Seeks The Ultimate Challenge VI
A Rather Steep Learning Curve
"Hand over all your valuables!"
"Excuse me," Feitan asked with a raised eyebrow. "And just what are you lot going to do to make us do anything? Without the ability to enact violence your threats and words are meaningless!"
"Oh really? Well I suppose then we should make things a little bit more interesting eh!?"
"Not interested."
"Wh-what the hell!"
"We don't care about any of the crap you people have to offer, let us continue on our way Escanor so we can be done with this farcical world."
Walking past the would be bandits Feitan was surprised to see Escanor hadn't moved so much as an inch, his eyes boring into the bandits before him as his fingers seemed to twitch in an almost erratic manner.
"Oi Escanor-?"
"I hate this ..."
"Huh?"
"I hate that I cannot simply dispose of this trash who would try to rob mere travellers! I hate that even in a world that is supposedly without conflict bandits can actually still exist!"
"Oi hold on a minute Escanor just settle down-!"
"I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE," Escanor's voice boomed prompting the bandits to openly gape at the man in shock before grinning like madmen.
"Hehe, well then I suppose we should get this underway then. If we win we get all of your stuff but if you win-!"
"You all must kill yourselves!"
The bandits jumped backward in shock however it was clearly far too late for them to back out now as a strange power seemed to settle over the group whilst Feitan shook his head sadly.
"You are such a hard headed idiot!"
"So what is this game I must partake in!?"
"Nothing too complex pal merely a contest of the mind," one of the bandits grinned as he pulled out a square board with several slots for cards on it. "All you have to do is draw a card from a pile on your side and whoever guesses the closest number gets a point. The first person to reach ten points is the winner!"
"What kind of game is that," Feitan hissed as his eyes narrowed toward the board itself. "Sure it might leave a fifty-fifty chance for either side to win but these guys are bandits so there's no way they'd use something so ..."
Feitan ceased his thoughts as the cards materialized on the board with the lead bandit drawing the first one and placing it face down before him.
"I think this is a Three Of Clubs!"
"A game of chance is it? Very well then here I go," Escanor cried as he drew a card and placed it down before him. "I believe this is a Seven Of Diamonds!"
Both flipped their cards over and to the shock of both Escanor and Feitan the bandit's card was indeed the Three Of Clubs whilst Escanor's was a Two Of Spades.
"Oh dear I probably should've mentioned that an exact guess was worth THREE POINTS, my mistake," the bandits laughed prompting Feitan to narrow his eyes in suspicion.
'These bastards are definitely cheating, but how exactly? Is the entire board rigged to their favour ...?'
The bandit laughed as he drew another card and placed it down on the table before him, predicting it to be the Queen Of Spades. Escanor meanwhile slowly drew his card and predicted the Ace Of Hearts.
"And now we flip and ... oh dear well would you look at that, Queen Of Spades!"
"Th-this cannot be," Escanor growled as he flipped over his to reveal the Four Of Clubs.
"Guess I'm on a roll today huh," the bandit grinned. "Come on now buddy its your turn!"
The bandit leader had drawn and predicted the King Of Clubs and right as Escanor moved to draw his card Feitan's sword stabbed the entire deck, shocking the bandits who all jumped backward in response.
"Wh-what the hell do you think you're doing!?"
"I just figured out how you've done it."
"Done what!?"
"Cheated," Feitan replied as the bandits paled considerably.
"N-no way we'd cheat!"
"Yeah man cheating is against the rules!"
"Oh really? Then please explain why this deck let off a signature the moment Escanor went to draw from it," Feitan asked as his eyes began to glow Crimson Red. "You lot made it so that the deck would shift to any card aside from the one being predicted whilst your own deck possessed the reverse effect making it so that you could win in but four turns and play off any kind of cheating as mere luck!"
"N-no way ..."
"Because you've been caught cheating you all know what happens now don't you?"
The bandits all cried out in horror before their hearts suddenly gave out and they died on the spot, dropping to the ground as Feitan turned to face Escanor whose eyes were covered by his hair.
"I cannot believe it ..."
"You should have expected bandits to cheat in a game Escanor, they are BANDITS after all."
"All I wanted was to do the right thing and eliminate them for stealing from others yet I couldn't even see the trap laid before me."
"Yeah well ..."
"This world and its rules are almost designed to break me," Escanor sighed as he looked at his hands contemplatively. "I am a warrior, Pride itself, and fighting is all I'm truly good for. How can I be of use here if I cannot even predict something as basic as a few bandits cheating?"
"You really want to know how," Feitan asked as Escanor looked up at the man. "Stop whining and start practicing!"
"What?"
"You can sit there and whinge about how you can't do anything else or you can start practicing to better yourself at the art of these games! As you are now yes you are useless however no one would belittle you for at least trying to improve yourself!"
"I-I shall try," Escanor said prompting Feitan to huff and look toward the King Chess Piece which was barely a day away now.
"We don't have long so make sure you work hard every minute so I don't have to carry this whole mess by myself," Feitan huffed in response as the pair began walking off once more.
Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!