Hi guys Azza here!
Oh boy, finally at the conclusion of the Thriller Bark Arc! Honestly this went for ages didn't it! Over twenty chapters of the story are based here that's pretty insane isn't it? Still, One Piece itself was huge and I said to myself going in I wasn't going to half ass it so that meant the story was going to be like that from the get go.
Also, I hate that every time I do my own custom formatting this site is just like nah fam we'll just jumble these paragraphs into a wall of text. It happened with the Song back when Brook was introduced and its happening here so I've had to shove this horizontal lines through to keep them separate. Never done that before so I'm hoping they dont look ugly or anything. If they don't I'll likely go back and put them into that other chapter too just because that song being a wall of text ruins it!
Anyway hope you guys are keen for what's to come, this chapter is a bit like the last but as the title suggests we're rolling out after this chapter so hope you all enjoy!
Anyway onto the reviews
Erasenpai946 – I mean I did say he was gonna die haha! As for the second part I can't say much on that due to story reasons. As for Kuma though he's not weak at all in fact I'd argue if he had Observation Haki on the level of Katakuri or Enel he'd be one of the most powerful in the verse easily. Remember his power means he can reflect literally anything so he could appear behind Natsu and reflect out his will to fight and bam easy win. Because of the way Kuma has been portrayed post time skip a lot of people downplay him but Kuma with his own mind in control is easily Yonkou Commander or higher level, easily one of the strongest Warlords and leagues stronger than anything the Straw Hats or anyone else save for the Yonkou have done post time skip.
I could write an essay on how much potential Kuma has but it's the same as what I did with Moria, written to their full potential their power becomes unfathomably stronger than what was displayed in canon.
ThomasMCF – Ok before I hit the first half of your review I MUST say I'm an absolute idiot for not remembering what Code Geass actually was! How could I forget my boy Lelouch!? Disgraceful! I mixed up Code Geass with this other show I watched but found out was rushed when its source material had so much more to give and for some reason thought it was that because now you've gone and shown me I don't even remember that series' name! I'm gonna be looking around to figure that out and let you know what it was but damn … my boy Lelouch tho that's just criminal!
Anyway my stupidity aside haha, that's exactly what I've been wanting to convey throughout the arcs we've had so far. Currently, everyone is strong but not fully understanding of the powers that Natsu and the others possess, Brook being a notable exception.
The post time skip Straw Hats in this story will, for the most part, be able to fight against Servants with the stronger members capable of helping out better against threats like what Sut-Typhon was. Granted Sut-Typhon was beyond even Natsu but they won't be burdens to the team so to speak and will be more than capable of holding their own.
Honestly I think everyone is going to like how I've got the post time skip planned out as well as how I'm going to be buffing everyone in either small or big ways. Can't say anything more but let's just say you'll all be surprised which member of the crew gets the first W against a Servant.
Anyway on with the story before I go and blab about the more hype stuff to come!
I do not own Fairy Tail, One Piece or the Nasuverse.
Departure From The Nightmare Island
/Ruins Of Thriller Bark/
"Are you sure he's alright?"
"He will live, thankfully. To endure a blast such as the one Kuma produced when his power was already pushed beyond its limit however … will certainly have its price."
Seilah sighed as she gently stroked her Master's head, his body fully reformed despite his still unconscious state. Seilah herself had managed to slowly regenerate from her own wounds however the blast that struck her through the chest needed to be cauterized, leaving a rather sightly burn around her abdomen and lower back.
Sitting across from her was Mordred who was also in a rather banged up state, sporting several bandages as well as several new scars of her own. To her however, scars meant little in comparison to the blow her pride had received at the beating Kuma had given not only her, but the entire crew as a whole.
"What about Robin," Mordred sighed as she looked over at the unconscious Demoness next to them. "She copped it about as bad as you did?"
"Robin will be fine so long as she rests. The key to the regenerative properties of an Etherious is not overexerting oneself when injured. It was a lesson none of Tartaros could even comprehend."
Mordred simply nodded slightly as her eyes moved over the rest of the crew who all seemed to bear similarly depressed visages. Despite the victory against such overwhelming odds as Gecko Moria and his Servants, no one considered it as such.
Indeed, today everyone had just been brought back down to reality on just brutal fights could in fact become. To Seilah and Mordred however, such a lesson wasn't one either could truly accept since they had already spent a great deal of time fighting against countless beings of considerable power only to be crushed on such an absurd level.
"Tch-! This fucking sucks," Mordred growled as she crushed a rock with her right hand. "Something definitely isn't right about this damn world!"
"I agree. Gecko Moria's rather strange ability to gain the use of other's power merely by possessing their Shadow is something I could never have conceived before coming to this place. The Shadows are capable of much however a person's Shadow is just that, a mere Shadow."
"Yet that bastard ended up bringing a Beast into this world through Abigail's Shadow," Mordred grunted in agreement as the pair looked out over the destroyed island. "If we didn't stop Sut-Typhon here … I don't even want to think of how strong that bastard would've become."
"Which also brings into question Carter," Seilah replied with slightly narrowed eyes. "It is definitely interesting how he's vanished from the moment Kuma's Ursus Shock was unleashed, not even a trace of him to be found."
"Yeah, even Avenger hasn't gone and disappeared yet," Mordred agreed as the pair looked over at Kaze who sat silently next to Kupo, his visible eye closed as if he were asleep. "That Carter guy is definitely suspicious for sure."
"I know the others want to take some time to recover after all this however I think we should leave this place as soon as possible-."
"Quite the idea, but before you do I believe it is important to allow the younger ones to come to terms with what happened here."
"Brook," Seilah responded bluntly as the skeleton appeared seemingly from thin air. "You believe they need time to process this?"
"Of course. What happened here today was something that will shake their entire worldview Miss Seilah. Think about it from their perspective," Brook said as he twirled his walking stick over his bony fingers. "They not only were ravaged, beaten to near death and had their Shadows taken but also shown that even their strongest friends are in fact not infallible."
"That's a fair point," Mordred conceded as she slowly rose to her feet. "But even still, we aren't safe here. This island isn't even a natural land mass but instead a massive ship that could collapse at any moment. I get where you're coming from but we just don't have the time to sit around here and mope Brook."
"Yohohohoho. Mope? My, you really are cold," Brook chuckled as he began to stroll over toward Luffy who was sitting atop a pile of rubble overlooking the area. "Then again, perhaps that is the price of losing one's humanity, no?"
"What the hell's up with you," Mordred growled as she took a threatening step forward. "Trying to insult me!?"
"Of course not," Brook replied, stopping just before the rubble and turning to face her. "But answer me this one simple question."
"What question?"
"When was the last time you thought twice about death?"
Mordred was unable to respond as Brook leant on his cane, eagerly awaiting her reply as Luffy's gaze moved down toward the pair after having heard the topic being mentioned.
"Wh-what the hell are you on about!?"
"I thought you wouldn't be able to answer," Brook sighed as he motioned toward the rest of the crew. "How many of them do you think could kill as the three of you do? Do you believe someone like Chopper could slaughter his way through an army? Or Nami?"
"…"
"Perhaps for those of us who are older, those of us who possess more life experience, the concept of death is something that weighs less on our minds however to them … they came close to losing their only chance at life today."
"I understand what he's talking about," Seilah chimed in as Brook tapped his bony fingers against his cane eagerly. "I possess immortality and the ability to regenerate myself from the brink of death, as does Master Natsu. You, Mordred, are a Servant who already lived her life and was rewarded with what also equates to immortality as a Servant who can be summoned into various times and places. The rest of the crew however are mere mortals, rather weak ones at that as well who almost died without the ability to do anything about it."
"Yohohohoho! I was wondering if any of you three would have been able to come up with such an answer, and it seems you do understand."
"Wait … so what exactly is your point?"
"They are shaken, down to their very souls," Brook replied as his eyes flashed Crimson Red for a brief moment. "The concept of mortality for anyone without infinite life is easily pushed to the back of the mind however to the rest of them, those who still possess dreams and desires … they must have time to absorb the events that would have all but shattered their worldview here."
"Brook's right," Luffy said as he jumped down to join the group, clutching his hat tightly to his chest as he did. "When I almost died years ago to a vicious Sea King and Shanks lost his arm to save me, I learnt just how valuable the time we've got in the world truly is. I wanna become the Pirate King as quick as I can but I know if I rush too fast I'll be setting myself up to fail."
"How so Luffy," Brook asked curiously as Luffy looked up to the blue sky thoughtfully.
"Shanks is strong, stronger than just about anybody I know," Luffy began as he clutched his hat tighter. "He taught me that there are fights that just aren't worth it, that there isn't any need to prove myself to anyone … but most importantly, that we only have one chance to get it right."
Luffy sighed as he placed his hat back onto his head, stretching as he looked over to the stunned group with a grin.
"If the others need a bit to come to terms with what just went down then we'll wait until they're good to go. Besides," Luffy grinned as he began walking over toward the other survivors where Sanji had prepared a modest serving of food. "I don't think I can make it back to the ship without something to eat anyway!"
As the stunned group watched him walk away, Brook couldn't help but laugh softly at his back.
"How the hell is that kid able to speak like that," Mordred muttered softly prompting Seilah to narrow her eyes, not specifically at Luffy but the sky beyond him.
"Perhaps this is the work of Lady Fate? For a mere teen, Luffy clearly possesses something 'more' within him than most."
"Yeah," Mordred agreed as she watched Luffy devour an entire ham in one go. "Even Naruto didn't seem to have this natural gift of being able to make someone like me want to agree with him."
"Yohohohoho. Perhaps the two of you should get in on the food Mister Sanji has prepared before your Captain consumes it all?"
"Mordred simply grunted in response though the grin on her face told a different story as she walked over toward the table and took another ham right from out of Luffy's hand and took a sizeable bite out of it, enraging the rubber man as the pair broke out into a mock fight.
Seilah simply sighed and shook her head, opting to stay by Natsu's side as both she and Brook watched over events with keen eyes.
/Elsewhere/
Standing atop a mountaintop that overlooked an abandoned city, a skeletal figure stood stoically. His bright blue eyes swept across far more than the city however almost as if he were eyeing the very world itself all at once. The figure didn't even so much as react when another figure dressed in black appeared by his side in a kneeling position, demonstrating the familiarity between the two.
"Great Founder …"
"And so, another answers the call," the standing figure replied without directly looking at the kneeling one. "I trust thou has sought my counsel concerning the most recent addition to the game?"
"Indeed I have, Great Founder …"
"A wise decision," the figure replied as lightning struck somewhere in the city, setting a portion of it on fire. "However, whilst thy courage to approach was admirable … thou art still one who bears the title of Old Man Of The Mountain such as I and must be judged accordingly."
"If my failures are far too great then my head you may indeed reclaim, Great Founder."
The larger figure finally turned to look at the kneeling figure who, to their credit, didn't even so much as flinch under the gaze of the formidable Founder as a mixture of Midnight Blue and Pitch Black flames erupted from his one arm.
Summoning a black blade, the figure impaled it into the dirt right next to the smaller figures head, prompting the second figure to look up at the skeletal being who now was cloaked in Midnight Blue and Pitch Black fire.
"I am the First Old Man Of The Mountain, the First Hassan … and I judge you to be worthy of thy head."
"Understood, Great Founder," the figure replied as the now identified King Hassan placed his hand on his blade and withdrew it from the dirt. "Where would you have my blade strike within this world, Great Founder?"
King Hassan hummed as the bolts of lightning that rained down upon the city drew closer, a giant thunderous entity beginning to descend from the clouds above.
"This World Government, as thou likely hath surmised, possesses this newest key player amidst the Realis Grail War. Considering such a variable, combined with the latest revelation regarding their move against one of the Yonkou …"
The figure from the clouds had fully descended by this point, a massive beast made from pure lightning that loudly roared before locking eyes with King Hassan as countless lightning strikes struck the city beneath its colossal form.
"My task for you is thus," King Hassan's voice boomed as his entire form began to radiate the power of Death itself. "Seek out and infiltrate the ranks of this corrupt organization, waiting for the precise moment to do significant damage to their rank all the while sabotaging their efforts to harm the interests of our allies."
"Infiltrate the World Government …"
"A great war approaches, one that will involve a great deal of calamity by its closure," King Hassan replied as he raised his sword and effortlessly slapped away a powerful blast of lightning. "Rise and prove thyself worthy of the title of Hassan-i-Sabbah!"
The figure rose to their feet, their black coat being blown back by the wind to reveal a woman wearing a form fitting black bodysuit that exposed only her midriff. Said midriff had a rather defining tattoo of dots linked together by lines that travelled all around her stomach and lower back like a chain of sorts.
To the keen-eyed observer however, these dots clearly served a higher purpose as each one possessed what appeared to be some kind of stone fragment within them though what they were was anyone's guess.
The woman was rather slender and had long purple hair that flowed down her back freely, bangs at the front that went over the eye sockets of the skull mask, obscuring the colouration of the eyes beneath.
One Of The Hassan-i-Sabbah
Former Legendary Assassin Closest To The Mantle
Hassan Of The Shining Star (Assassin)
"I will not fail in my task, Great Founder," Star responded as Hassan turned and sliced the air in front of him, rending the colossal entity before him clean in two with little effort. "However, what if I encounter the one who has joined the side of the World Government?"
"Pray," King Hassan replied as he dismissed his blade, his attack now slicing the entire city below clean in half as it continued out toward the ocean. "Pray that thy head is taken swiftly."
/Ruins Of Thriller Bark – Several Hours Later/
His eyes slowly began to open and with it the pain he'd managed to avoid struck full force. Having forced himself into a semi-comatose state just to regenerate quicker, Natsu was now feeling the effects of the battle firsthand as he moved a hand to his head.
"I told you it was going to hurt."
"Sh-shut up Ahnk!"
"Yeah, shut up you old geezer!"
"You know I liked it better when you were asleep brat," Ahnk snapped back as he flicked Aava in the forehead.
"I'm not a brat!"
"Hmm, aren't you? Let's do the math on that one," Ahnk scoffed as he rather roughly gave her a pat on the head. "Midget stature, mid teen appearance and annoying and crackly teen voice … yep, hundred percent a bona fide brat!"
"I'll rip you apart you stupid old bastard!"
"Go ahead," Ahnk laughed as he held her flailing arms back by simply placing several fingers on her forehead. "But unless Natsu dies then I'm not going anywhere so I'll be back sooner than you can say … BRAT!"
"How about both of you SHUT THE HELL UP," Natsu's voice boomed through his mindscape as both the other occupants were blasted onto their backs. "Killer headaches aren't cured by loud arguments over pointless shit inside my head!"
The sound of grumbling could be heard as Natsu tried to rise into a sitting position only to find he wasn't able to move freely. Taking a moment to get his bearings he quickly realized he was being held up against someone and began to sniff in order to discern who it was.
"Seilah …?"
After some slight wriggling he managed to free himself a little and came to the realization that his head was positioned between her two luscious mounds, the Demoness herself being sound asleep no doubt having been watching over him.
After taking note of where he was, he suddenly found his eyes roving over Seilah herself, her new form to be precise and smiled. He knew Seilah had managed to evolve to a new stage of power and her form had shifted to accommodate it. Being of the male population he naturally found her new form pleasing, her slightly larger bust and darker skin giving her an appearance more closely resembling a true Demon Queen or Succubus.
"We are gonna have a lot of fun once we've recovered from this," Natsu chuckled before feeling a sudden pain in his chest due to his wounds still not being fully healed. "D-damn it!"
Getting to his feet he took one last look at Seilah's sleeping form before walking off toward the rather pleasing smell of food. His lack of food over the last few days really hit home the closer he got toward what was obviously the end of a massive feast with very few of the survivors still in attendance.
"Damn … I'm so damn hungry," Natsu groaned as he shambled right into the centre of the group and pulled an entire roast straight out of the fire, consuming it whole.
The entire group, most of which were comprised of the Straw Hats and the surviving Servants, simply blinked before the more excitable Straw Hats shouted his name and charged toward him.
"O-oi," Natsu snapped as he was crash tackled by Usopp, Nami, Chopper and Luffy. "I'm an injured man here, get off!"
"I can't believe you survived all that," a familiar sniffling voice cried from behind him as two firm hands literally picked him up. "I'm SUPER glad you aren't dead!"
"GAH!"
Franky began to squeeze the stuffing out of him as everyone began to cheer, Natsu himself nearly passing out again from how sore he was in the process.
"I knew he'd live," Zoro said coolly as he refilled his mug from a nearby barrel. "No way would a Warlord take him down so easily."
"Not as easy as he took you down, eh moss?"
"The hell did you say to me you shitty cook," Zoro snapped, swords already in hand as he and Sanji began a furious exchange of attack with neither managing to hit the other.
After being put down by Franky, Natsu stumbled over toward a seat and sat down. His eyes still spinning, he wasn't able to react in time as a blonde missile smacked into him, knocking him onto the ground.
"OUCH! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ALL BEING SO DAMN ROUGH!"
"Shut up, you aren't getting out of this!"
Natsu rolled his eyes as Mordred latched herself onto him, boldly nuzzling under his chin with her head as her legs wrapped around his waist.
"Mordred …"
"You were a real dumbass back there," Mordred sighed as Natsu gently ran a hand through her hair. "Going and letting yourself get blown up like that …"
"You'd be surprised how powerful that attack actually was," Natsu replied as he sat up, pulling Mordred up and repositioning her so that she was now sitting on his lap facing the rest of the group and resting his head atop her own. "You all probably think what I did was reckless but the fact is that if I didn't do that you'd have all been blasted apart."
"That's what I've been trying to tell these idiots all day," Nami sighed tiredly, shaking her head. "I doubt half of these idiots can even count to ten let alone comprehend the scientific properties behind condensing air the way Kuma did."
"OI! I CAN READ PLENTY GOOD," Luffy snapped between mouthfuls of food. "MAKINO TAUGHT ME AND ACE HOW TO DO IT!"
"Yeah, well its obvious who got all the brains between the two of you then isn't it," Nami sniped back as Luffy began to go off about the differences between himself and Ace.
"You know," Natsu whispered as he snaked his arms around Mordred's waist, hugging her from behind gently as the Saber leaned back into his embrace. "Despite how this all turned into an absolute shitshow … I'm proud of what you and Seilah achieved."
"Really?"
"You've clearly gotten closer to Clarent than ever before, the God's Aura has eclipsed what was once that of a Devil. You're getting closer to being on par with Artoria now Mordred, how does that feel?"
"It feels good," Mordred grinned as she watched Luffy perform a trick involving sticking chopsticks up his nose. "But until I stand before Father and show all I've accomplished with you … I don't think I'll be satisfied."
"Even if you get Artoria's approval I don't think you will be," Natsu laughed as Mordred repositioned herself on his lap so that the pair's faces were now mere inches from one another, quickly wrapping her legs around his waist as he continued to laugh.
"Why do you think that?"
"You won't settle for simply being as good as Artoria, Mordred," Natsu grinned as he moved in and swiftly stole a chaste kiss from her before pulling back. "You'll want to surpass her and build a legacy all your own."
"Tch, was that kiss really necessary though right in the middle of that?"
"Maybe? Either way it kept you focused solely on what I was saying and not what I was doing, didn't it?"
"Wait wha-!"
Looking downward, Mordred blushed furiously as Natsu has slid two fingers within her at some point during his kiss. Retracting them just as quickly she shuddered and blushed again as he licked them clean, his gaze never once breaking from her own.
"I'll admit this right now that I'm a little bit pent up from not getting to finish with Liz Caster and Liz Saber so I'm being a bit of a deviant right now."
"A bit of a deviant he says," Mordred whispers as Natsu pulls her in for a hug. "Huh-!?"
"But I also know that there isn't much time for fun, even when we get back on the ship."
"Why not," Mordred asked curiously as Natsu locked eyes with a stunned Nami who appeared to have been the only one to fully witness the rather intimate moment between the pair, and smirked whilst licking his lips.
"Even when I was unconscious, I felt a shift in the world and it definitely wasn't in our favour, Mordred. I need to focus on regaining my strength faster than ever before otherwise that danger could very well overcome us all."
"It's that serious!?"
"The presence I felt was monstrous," Natsu replied in a much darker tone as his eyes seemed to harden. "A feeling of silently burning rage and hatred against the world mixed with sadistic amusement … and a power on par with King Hassan himself."
"What-!?"
"Shh! We can't let the others know yet," Natsu hissed into her ear as Mordred tensed up against him. "I'll be letting Seilah know but no one else! Whoever was summoned in was as powerful as King Hassan which means their power exceeds even mine at its maximum so we need to tread carefully from this point forward."
"This lines up with what Brook was talking about before about taking things a bit slower," Mordred gasped as she looked over at the skeleton who simply sat in the background with a cup of tea observing the hijinks. "Could he have sensed it too!?"
"He has Aura as well as a power tying him to Souls so he certainly would've felt something," Natsu replied with a stiff nod as his own gaze moved toward the skeleton who simply raised his cup toward him before standing and moving off toward another section of ruins.
"Where's he going?"
"I think he wants to speak to me," Natsu replied as Mordred got off of him. "Go and wake Seilah up and let her know I'm mobile but not to come charging at me like she usually does. I think all of you have smacked this wounded hero around enough."
"Hero? You? Pfft!"
"Better watch yourself Mordred," Natsu grinned as he ruffled her hair affectionately.
"Oh, I'm so scared!"
Natsu chuckled as he slowly followed after Brook, tracking him to another section of the ruined area where he sat amidst the ruins of a destroyed ballroom playing a piano. Instead of simply speaking, he decided instead to sit down nearby and listen.
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
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 salty sea
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
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 hold on, The morning sun will rise!
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
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 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, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
As Brook played, Natsu felt the music resonate with him as the area began to shift. To his shock, reality seemed to fade away as Brook stood up from his place at the piano, replaced by an enormously green spectre version of himself that continued to play the notes of the song perfectly.
The area they were in now was familiar, the ship they'd found Brook on at the beginning of their journey to Thriller Bark. However, the key difference here was that Brook was still alive along with the rest of their crew as they sailed along playing the same song Brook had been playing earlier.
"What … is this feeling?"
"I ate the Yomi Yomi Fruit, thus turning me into a soul human," Brook said as the scene shifted to the moment he'd eaten the fruit. "For my entire mortal life I had seen the fruit as worthless, not understanding its true value until after my untimely death."
"When you were revived?"
"Yes," Brook replied as he motioned toward a tiny tuft of spectral green entering the mouth of the skeletal Brook he knew. "For decades I wandered these cursed seas and could only lament the loss of my dear friends … until I arrived at Thriller Bark.
The scene flashed to Brook encountering a much younger Gecko Moria who was much more muscular and wielded a massive Dai-Katana.
"It was a rather one-sided fight due to Moria's experience in the New World and as a result I lost my Shadow to him. For years I trained, fought tooth and nail to grow stronger so that I could get my Shadow back and perhaps even dare to dream of finding a better tomorrow."
"The scene shifted to Brook standing on the deck with his eyes glowing Crimson Red, a look of utter confusion on his face as he clearly tried to understand what he'd just done.
"It was a strange power. A power I knew put me well above anyone I'd met before save for Moria himself. To my dismay however, I could not understand how to properly channel this power for quite a long time until one day I discovered the true strength of my Devil Fruit abilities."
The scene shifted to Brook and his ruined ship being attacked by what appeared to be some sort of sea fiend based on anemones. The creatures seemed to have Brook backed into a corner since he no longer hand his sword.
Resigning himself, Brook picked up a nearby violin as the spectre on the piano began to hit the keys louder than before. All the creatures froze as Brook played a much darker theme of the song he'd been playing thus far which caused the creatures to turn on one another, ripping themselves apart.
"Music is considered by many to be an art at its apex," Brook continued as the scenes flashed through Brook honing his newfound skills. "To many it is considered a thing to be enjoyed, capable of either raising or lowering one's spirit at the absolute most."
The scene shifted to Brook playing a haunting melody that caused a Sea King to coil in on itself and bite out chunks of its body, screeching in horror as it did so.
"Music does not just reach the heart Natsu," Brook said as he turned to face him properly, eyes glowing Crimson Red. "It can reach the very souls of all those who hear it and with my power of the Yomi Yomi Fruit combined with this strange other power I can make any living being dance like a marionette!"
Brook then lunged forward and grabbed the shocked Natsu by the coat as the scene shifted to Brook's crew dying one by one.
"But why … WHY DO I HAVE THIS POWER!? WHY WAS I GIVEN SUCH A CORRUPTIVE POWER OVER MORTALS," Brook cried as he shook Natsu back and forth. "WHY AM I STILL HERE WHEN THEY'RE ALL …"
The scene shifted again to a small lighthouse, a loud squeaking sound alerting the pair to the fact that everyone was waving in the direction of said lighthouse. A man was waving back however next to him was what appeared to be a baby whale that looked rather sad at the ship's departure.
"Of course," Brook muttered as he let go of Natsu and staggered away by several steps. "We made a promise to him that we'd return one day … didn't we?"
The scene seemed to shift but was apparently stuck as the entire space seemed to cut back and forth between several different scenes as the spectre at the piano began to play even faster than before.
"How many years was I stuck aboard that ship … alone? How long has he waited for us to return to him? Would he have given up hope of our return?"
The spectre seemed to freeze in place as the entire space shattered, turning back into the ruined ballroom where Brook sat in its place. Lifting his bony head he looked over at Natsu with a desperate look and clenched his bony fists.
"I want to join you all and leave this place behind," Brook said as he shakily rose to his feet. "I want to travel the seas with friends once more! Learn new things, meet new people and take in more sights than ever before!"
As he walked toward Natsu he took his right hand whilst dropping to his knees as Natsu knelt down and placed a hand comfortingly on his shoulder.
"But most of all … I want to one day go back to the Twin Capes … and see my old friend Laboon! I want him to know what happened to us, to apologize for making him wait for so long!"
"Brook," Natsu said softly as the skeletal musician looked up at him with a heart-wrenching gaze. "Luffy already invited you to join us once and after everything that happened here and how you helped us out … you're practically part of the crew as it is."
Brook's jaw dropped to almost comical proportions, forcing him to slap it shut again as he quickly scrambled to his feet.
"A-are you sure!? Some of the others seemed rather afraid of me?"
"Nami, Usopp and Chopper are scared of most things at first," Natsu laughed as he grabbed Brook by the hand and began dragging him back toward the group. "After all this shit I don't think seeing your ugly mug is gonna scare them!"
Brook could only gape as Natsu dragged him back over to the group that now included a rather frantically pacing Seilah who no doubt wanted to run off and find him at any moment. As he arrived however her pacing ceased, along with the actions of everyone else as Natsu cleared his throat.
"Alright guys listen up because this is really important! Brook here wants to take Luffy up on his offer of joining the crew for real, any objections!?"
Everyone present shook their heads making Brook's jaw practically fall off, an action which seemed to set Chopper off as he began running around in shock. Everyone's attention quickly turned to laughing at him as Luffy rocketed over toward Brook and wrapped an arm around his slender form.
"ALRIGHT! I'VE FINALLY GOT MY MUSICIAN!"
"S-so you don't mind me actually joining?"
"You joined earlier though right; this is just you letting everyone else know for real isn't it?"
Brook had no response as Luffy began to laugh, dragging him toward the centre of the group whilst ripping off a sizeable chunk from a piece of meat.
"Oi Brook! Play us something, something to celebrate you joining the crew!"
"Play you something …"
"Here," Natsu said as he passed Brook a violin he'd picked up from the ruined ballroom. "Might need a bit of tuning but it's still useable, right?"
Brook inspected the violin for a moment before nodding and beginning to play.
"This song is rather special to me. It was the song that my old crew loved to hear so … I hope you all enjoy it much the same."
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Natsu slowly moved himself out from the centre and faded toward the back of the group, allowing Brook his time in the limelight. It was clear the skeleton had some serious mental issues he needed to sort out, no doubt spurned on by his own death and subsequent immortality.
In addition, the musician had a rather unique gift with his Devil's Aura that needed to be honed. In time under his instruction, Brook could no doubt Master Aura further than what he already had however today was a time of reflection and new beginnings.
The real trouble could wait.
/Chaldea Command Room – Year 2020/
ALERT … ALERT
SINGULARITY DETECTED
SINGULARITY DETECTED
SINGULARITY DETECTED
This was the cacophony the last Master of Humanity had awoken to when his doors had been opened by his ever faithful Kouhai. The teen had practically thrown himself out of bed the moment the sound hit his ears as Mash practically dragged him down the hallway.
"Mash! What the hell's going on!?"
"A new Singularity has appeared Senpai," Mash replied in a panicked tone. "But I've never heard the Chaldea Emergency Response Network go off like this even when one was discovered before!"
Barging into the Command Room the entire place was flashing red as Chaldea's Staff darted around the place. Looking around they saw Romani and Da Vinci at the head command console typing furiously and ran toward them.
"Doctor, Da Vinci!"
"Ah, Fujimaru, Mash! Perfect timing," Romani replied in a slightly shocked tone. "As you can see this one kind of blindsided us …"
"Do we have any idea about what the Singularity is or where it came from?"
"I'm afraid we don't," Da Vinci sighed though a scowl emerged on her face as she turned around and looked up at the Director's chair and the lazy good for nothing who sat in it. "But HE apparently does!"
"Natsu," Mash and Fujimaru called out simultaneously as the Servant rose from his seat and looked down upon the chaos in the Command Room.
"Romani, get the staff in order!"
"R-right," Romani stuttered as he began barking orders with the staff quickly falling into line. "Sorry about that, you know how it is sometimes!"
"I'm aware that this has blindsided the lot of you but that's no reason to panic like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off! As the Director it falls to you to maintain order under these trying times Romani, not me!"
Y-yeah …"
"Why don't you stop playing the big boss and just tell us what's going on already," Da Vinci snapped, clearly already fed up with the lack of information available. "You clearly know what's going on so spill it!"
"Yikes. Such a pretty face making such a fierce scowl … my poor blackened heart."
"No flirting today!"
"Fine," Natsu rolled his eyes as he vanished and appeared at the Command Console. "SHEBA! Authorization code three twenty seven O five nine!"
Override Code Accepted
Awaiting Voice Confirmation
"By the authority of Second Director Dragneel I hereby declassify the observation for all clearance levels. Full access across the board SHEBA."
Voice Confirmation Accepted
Observational Lens Refocusing
Strategical Alignment With CHALDEAS … Established
Strategical Alignment With LAPLACE … Established
Strategical Alignment With TRISMEGISTUS … Established
Strategical Alignment With FATE … FAILED
"FAILED! WHAT DO YOU MEAN FAILED," Romani shouted as Natsu raised a hand to silence him.
"SHEBA! Reroute power from FATE to Project MNEMOSYNE."
"You can't do that, it isn't finished yet," Da Vinci snapped only for Natsu to cover her mouth.
"Register TWO beings for Rayshift, ID FUJIMARU RITSUKA and MATTHEW KYRIELIGHT. One way."
"Uh … I'm lost," Fujimaru laughed awkwardly as SHEBA began to spin rapidly until the Earth was no longer visible, instead replaced by a much different one that possessed entirely different land masses.
"Strategical Alignment With MNEMOSYNE … Established
Awaiting Rayshift coordinates …
"Ok," Natsu sighed as he ran his hands through his hair before placing one on each of the two teens before him. "Right you two this is basically what the deal is. The place you're going is the second half of the Realis Holy Grail War."
"WHAT!"
"I know it's a bit surprising but listen, I couldn't send you kids there without some extra protection this time."
"Because of what happened in the Elemental Nations toward the end …"
"Can we skip over this so you can explain why FATE just failed!?"
"It failed because there is a force over this Singularity so powerful that it naturally would prevent Ritsuka from summoning any Servants through our usual methods."
"And just what is this FORCE," Da Vinci asked with a clearly not happy look.
"That's the thing," Natsu replied with a frown as his eyes ran over the data before him. "I don't know?"
"…"
"…"
"What do you mean you don't know!?"
"It means exactly that," Natsu snapped back as Da Vinci seemed to lose some of her anger. "I've experienced this before but something doesn't feel right about it! Looking at the data its saying that a BEAST was only recently summoned into this Singularity but that can't be possible since-!"
Natsu's eyes darted to Romani and the duo shared a look before both turned and looked over at SHEBA."
"Natsu, you don't think-?"
"I wouldn't put it past the bastard …"
"What is it," Ritsuka asked confused as Natsu turned his attention back toward the pair.
"Look, I won't even lie to the two of you," Natsu sighed as he placed a hand on each of their heads, leaning down to better meet their gazes due to his abnormal height. "This is going to be by far the most dangerous situation I've sent you into and there is a good chance neither of you could make it back alive."
Mash and Ritsuka shared a look before looking back at Natsu with determined expressions.
"Even so-!"
"-We still must fix this Singularity even if it means our deaths!"
Natsu sighed and looked over at Da Vinci and Romani who simply shrugged before looking back at the two teens and smiling.
"Damn brats," he muttered as the pair grinned and hugged him from each side. "Oi oi! None of the mushy stuff before Nine AM!"
"Guess they're really going there then," Romani sighed. "Da Vinci, guess this means you'll be giving them their new gear then?"
"New gear," Ritsuka asked as Da Vinci opened a draw and pulled out a new set of clothes for Ritsuka who could only marvel at their design.
"This wasn't an easy Mystic Code to create you know, Cynthia and I toiled over this for weeks!"
"Wow," Ritsuka gasped as he unfurled the clothes. "I-I'm gonna go put these on right away!"
Rushing out of the room the attention turned toward Mash who was surprised when Natsu reached into his coat and handed over several strange capsule devices.
"What are these?"
"The place the two of you are going is rather unique in terms of its environments so within these I've packed several other Mystic Codes for yourself and Fujimaru as well as a little surprise for later."
"O-oh, thank you so much!"
"You won't be thanking me by the end of it all Mash, you'll be asking why I didn't give you the entire armory," Natsu replied grimly as Ritsuka re-entered the room wearing his new Mystic Code.
"S-Senpai looks so-!"
His regular Master attire was now replaced with a more durable set of clothes one would expect to see on a Pirate. His pants were now navy-blue jeans with a set of traditional brown combat boots. His undershirt was noticeably missing, much to the enjoyment of a certain Servant, leaving him with only a maroon overcoat that had the symbol of the Chaldea Organization on its shoulders. He also wore a red bandanna around his forehead that made his front hair stand up rather comically to complete the look.
"I know it looks rather corny but I did draw reference from the Pirates I've encountered during my time as well as from the ones you've met here so that you'll better fit in."
"That Mystic Code isn't just for show you know," Da Vinci chimed in with her mentor mode fully active. "Cynthia and I wanted to make sure you could actually survive down there so we've fitted that Mystic Code with several important abilities, one of which includes a less powerful version of the bulletproof properties on Natsu and Nobunaga's coats."
"Trust me, a lot of people down there use guns," Natsu replied with a slight grin. "So that'll be a godsend!"
"Also, we've also made sure that your Command Spells are amplified thanks to that Mystic Code so you and Mash will be able to better combat any foes you come across. That one wasn't easy to cram into one ability but we managed it in the end."
"And lastly, and likely one you've already noticed, is that the Mystic Code has slightly amplified your own strength," Natsu continued as Fujimaru held his hands out in front of himself curiously. "You'll likely need to fight for yourself at times so it'll help if you can strike as hard as some of the burliest of Pirates out there, eh?"
Sighing, he then turned toward the Command Console and began to type with the rest of the stunned staff quickly following suit.
"So, we're already going," Ritsuka said calmly as he looked toward Mash. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I can be, Senpai!"
"Good!"
"Alright you two," Natsu said as he led the pair down toward the coffins below. "This will likely feel a little different than usual because we're using MNEMOSYNE to actually land the pair of you in this place. Either way once you're there it should be business as usual just don't go around drawing attention to yourselves."
"So where are we going once we get down there?"
"Where I'm sending the two of you, I want you to wait."
"Huh?"
"I've learnt my lesson from sending the two of you into the Elemental Nations alone, this time you'll be joining up with the real me."
"R-really!?"
"B-but won't that affect the timeline or something," Mash asked only for Natsu to chuckle in response.
"Things have already been altered so I doubt this will make a huge difference. Besides, now you can see how much of a brat I used to be!"
"I wish I could do that," Da Vinci sighed wistfully. "I would test all sorts of horrific experiments on you …"
"This is why you died alone, hag."
"I'LL BURN YOU!"
"HAH! Go on and get in the coffin you two," Natsu laughed as he vanished and appeared next to the Command Console. "One more thing, communication is going to be difficult so have Mash check those capsules I gave her once you land and get a minute."
"We will," Fujimaru nodded as the pair stepped into the coffins and closed their eyes.
Standing By … … …
Commencing Rayshift In
5 …
4 …
3 …
2 …
1 …
Rayshift Has Commenced
Rayshift Has Commenced
…
…
Rayshift Successful
The second the Rayshift was deemed successful Natsu nearly collapsed, coughing up blood all over the monitor as Da Vinci caught him with her metallic arm.
"Natsu, what happened," Romani gasped only to see Natsu's almost sadistic smirk.
"Rayshift successful indeed …"
"And just what is that supposed to mean," Da Vinci asked suspiciously only for Natsu to cough up more blood.
"Director! Reports indicate that several others were Rayshifted in addition to Mash and Fujimaru," one of the staff called out as all eyes turned back toward the heavily panting Natsu.
"You idiot!"
"You can't keep straining yourself like this!"
"I have no choice … it had to be done!"
"Who did you send out!"
"Doesn't matter," Natsu coughed before looking over at the staff member. "Oi, did they make it!?"
"Can confirm that Ritsuka and Mash did indeed land at the correct coordinates you provided Sir!"
"And just what were those coordinates?"
"A little place," Natsu replied as his eyes locked onto the map. "By the name of Sabaody Archipelago."
Well I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!