Hi guys Azza here!
Ok so we're almost at the part where the true breakout begins, possibly next chapter though I may leave it for Chapter 94 since I'm trying to expand on the Mordred side of things since there's quite a significant role both she and Eden have to play in the war so getting her and them from A to B needs fleshing out as you'll come to see.
But, as I said earlier, new concepts such as Natsu's True Form still to come though upon reflection its not necessarily quote 'NEW' more as it's a throwback to how he was during the Alvarez/Ishgar War in terms of appearance now with some new additions thanks to his age and tenants.
Other than that though not much else to report, hope you guys are enjoying all the teasing for the moment and I'm keen to get out of Impel Down and into the thick of it!
Anyway on with the story!
I do not own Fairy Tail, One Piece or the Nasuverse.
The Freezing Hell
/Impel Down – Level Five Freezing Hell/
"Come on Straw Hat, stay with me," Bon Clay panted as he ran down the stairs leading to Level Five. "We didn't come this far just for you to go and die!"
Bon Clay was bleeding profusely from a wound on his right side, a knife still stuck in there with several other wounds also littering his body. Having taken advantage of what Fou had done to Magellan and the forces that were stationed at the stairs, Bon Clay grabbed both Luffy and Fou, making a mad dash toward the stairs whilst Magellan was unconscious.
Unfortunately, Magellan's impact didn't knock out all the guards as he found himself quickly outnumbered as they shot and slashed at him. The gunfire he could use Luffy to shield himself from since the man was made of rubber and the bullets wouldn't do anything to him. The sword, lance, knife and pitchforks however he had to actively avoid and there were far too many.
Not wanting to risk Luffy's condition any further, Bon Clay took the attacks himself, suffering crippling wounds as he somehow managed to take out the guards that were left before hobbling down toward Level Five where he currently found himself.
Panting, Bon Clay shook his head and continued to push on. There wasn't any point thinking about what he'd just gone through, not when a friend he'd abandoned in cowardice needed his help!
"Don't worry Straw Hat, I won't let you die so just hang on!"
Reaching the bottom of the stairs he was annoyed to find the doors closed. Gently placing Luffy on the ground he staggered over to the doors and started pushing the left one open. The moment it budged however he instinctively shied away as a powerful gust of freezing wind blew through, sending shivers up his spine.
"S-so cold! But I guess that's the Freezing Hell for you," the Okama sighed as he moved to push the door open just enough so that they could squeeze through. "Come on Luffy, you've just gotta hold on until we find Ivankov then everything'll be alright!"
Picking Luffy back up, Bon Clay squeezed through the door and emerged into a frozen wasteland. The area looked like an artic region with dozens of thick trees and snowed over structures.
The temperature was something Bon Clay struggled with though, his upper body completely exposed to the elements since the guard sliced his shirt to ribbons. His wounds also ached terribly and he initially stumbled forward, nearly dropping Luffy in the process.
"This really is a hell," Bon Clay panted as he slowly trudged through knee deep snow off in the direction of the nearest building. "But … I can't complain, not when you're suffering a far greater hell!"
Luffy simply groaned in response, Magellan's poison ripping through his body and attacking his vital organs. Bon Clay knew he had to hurry. He knew exactly how lethal Magellan's poison was and the odds of surviving it.
Zero percent without a cure.
"Come on, someone here has to know something," Bon Clay panted as he continued walking.
He spent the next ten minutes trudging through the thick snow, trying to ignore the chill creeping into his very bones as he arrived at what appeared to be a cell complex. Looking around, he saw several prisoners huddled in the back corner of a cell that were still alive and slowly made his way over to them.
"O-oi! Are you guys alive!?"
"What's that, someone out there," a quiet voice asked as Bon Clay moved right up against the bars. "Well I'll be damned …"
"Hey, do you know where I can find Emporio Ivankov!?"
"Ivankov? The Okama? He was down here once, a long time ago," the prisoner said as he slowly shuffled closer to the bars. "But he disappeared, some say he's dead."
"There's no way, no way in hell he's dead!"
"Settle down, I'm not trying to tell you he is," the prisoner sighed tiredly. "I don't know for sure, but there's a chance he's in the forest."
"The forest? Why do you think he's in there?"
"There's talk of a weird looking fella who lurks near the old jailer's quarters. Place has been abandoned for years because the guards posted there kept dying of hypothermia or getting frostbite so if there's anywhere he'd be hiding, that'd be the best bet I reckon."
"Why are you being so helpful?"
"Why not?"
"…"
"You don't have to believe me but what reason do I have to lie to you? I've got nothing better to do anyway, I'm just glad for the conversation really."
"So, you're sure there's someone in that forest there?"
"Yeah. You'd think it'd have to have some truth to it if everyone here believes it, right?"
"Hmm, I suppose. Thank you for the info."
"No problem, just don't die out there," the man replied tiredly. "If you find Ivankov in there and he's actually doing alright … Give him my congratulations, and ask if he can bust us out too?"
"I will, I promise," Bon Clay replied with a firm nod as he readjusted Luffy's weight and started trudging off toward the forest, determined to find Ivankov.
He could only hope he'd find him before Luffy succumb to his wounds, otherwise he'd never forgive himself.
/The Servant State Of Eden – Same Time/
"… said the brave Knight as he knelt down to one knee, taking the fair maiden's hand within his grasp. The maiden smiled down at her rescuer, naught but adoration in her eyes for her saviour as her captor bled out on the floor beside her. In that moment did dear Lady Elesif know that her beloved protector would become her beloved husband."
As she slowly regained consciousness, Mordred struggled to tell if what she was hearing was reality. Slowly opening her eyes, she was shocked to see her Father, Arthuria, at her bedside reading her a story of all things.
It was obvious that she hadn't noticed Mordred's conscious state, eyes still glued to the book in what she could tell was intrigue. However, she knew her Father would get mad if she didn't let her know right away that she was awake, Arthuria always hated people keeping silent when they ought not to.
"F-Father …"
What Mordred received was something she certainly hadn't expected. Instead of seeing her regal and powerful Father gently put the book aside and address her, the powerful King instead squeaked and dropped the book as she leapt shakily to her feet.
"S-Sir M-Mordred! You've woken!"
"Yeah …"
"…"
"…"
"How much of that did you hear?"
"The last part about the maiden knowing she fell in love with the Knight."
"I see …"
"…"
"…"
"Father, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Why are you here?"
Arthuria winced at the look on Mordred's face. This wasn't an annoyed look, nor was it one of rage. This was Mordred at her most vulnerable, a face she hadn't seen since she'd first been brought to the castle to be trained as a Knight.
"I believe that there are things that must be discussed … Mordred, and I'm not sure if this is the appropriate time-."
"If you don't want to talk then that's fine, but I think there's clearly something different about you. The older you I know wouldn't have sat by my bedside reading to me whilst I was unconscious."
"No, no I certainly wouldn't have," Arthuria agreed as she slowly receded back into her seat. "Truthfully Mordred, something within me changed upon your arrival … nay, before that."
"How long ago?"
"I believe it was upon first hearing word of your deeds within this world at Natsu's side, at how loyally you appear to serve the King Of Balance."
"Y-you aren't mad about that, are you," Mordred asked worriedly only to receive a calming smile in response.
"No. To the contrary, I feel a strange emotion within me knowing that you have grown alongside him on his journey. I only had to take one look at you to see the physical aspect, but word of your deeds and even your politeness toward me now demonstrate you have grown far more mature than any form of yourself I ever bore witness to."
"Father …"
"Mordred," Arthuria sighed as she extended her right hand out and took Mordred's hand into her own. "I believe that I must say this, not as King Arthur, but as simply …"
"Simply," Mordred repeated, her eyes as wide as they could possibly go as her heart began to race.
"I am proud of you Mordred, my-."
"Don't you dare finish that sentence!"
Both snapped their gazes off one another and over to the doorway where Artoria stood, a scowl on her face as she eyed both of them in disgust.
"How dare you even consider uttering such a ludicrous statement! I am beginning to question just who actually is the more mature of us here!"
"Excuse me," was Arthuria's response as she let go of Mordred's hand and slowly rose to her feet. "But what right do you have to interrupt my private conversation with Mordred?"
"That's 'Sir' Mordred, Knight Of Treachery," Artoria spat in response as her cold gaze came down upon the clearly devastated and still confused Mordred. "Or have you forgotten just WHO destroyed our entire kingdom!?"
"F-Father, I-!"
"Be silent Sir Mordred, I have no desire to converse with you at this time," Artoria snapped as she moved to stand before her much older counterpart. "How dare you forgive her for destroying all that we fought to build!"
"I have had much time to think on the matter my younger counterpart and have come to the conclusion that the betrayal of Mordred wasn't solely to blame on her. Indeed, the blame does indeed lie with me as I was the one who turned away the one thing she sought!"
"She was never going to inherit the throne, there is no circumstance where she would ever be suitable to bear our beloved crown!"
"If you can claim such a thing after reading about Mordred's growth and seeing her here firsthand, you are clearly blind to reality."
"There is only one reality, one that is burnt into my very core and that is Sir Mordred is our destined KILLER! She is the one who destroys our existence and I will not have her here any longer than necessary!"
"I have already discussed this matter with many of the other Kings and have their support for Mordred's stay with us until she deigns to leave of her own accord. You are overruled in this matter."
"Tch-!"
"I would suggest you leave us before you do something you shall most certainly regret," Arthuria continued as the pressure in the room seemed to increase drastically. Mordred simply looked between the two incarnations of her Father with a dismal gaze.
Artoria quickly spun on her heel and stormed out of the room, leaving the duo alone. Arthuria turned around to face Mordred and apologize but was shocked to see her doing something she'd never done in her life to her own knowledge.
She was crying.
"M-Mordred! What's wrong!?"
"I-I'm so sorry Father, I just cause trouble for you even by simply existing," Mordred sobbed as the King Of Knights realized what was happening.
The pressure of whatever she'd gone through before her arrival, combined with the stress of everything that had happened just now was far too much for even her to handle and she had broken down.
In a move that felt almost completely foreign to her, Arthuria moved to Mordred's bedside and sat down next to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder and pulled her into her side. Mordred stiffened almost immediately at the action, clearly not prepared for it but quickly melted into her side though the sobs continued.
"Mordred, you haven't caused me any trouble just by being here," Arthuria whispered softly as she tightened her grip around the Knight. "Truth be told, I've only been worried about your wellbeing upon your arrival and nothing else. What else could top the news that you have recovered from such ghastly wounds?"
"I-I just wanted to change Father, to be a better person," Mordred sniffed in response as she looked up at her Father though not daring to leave her embrace. "I had hoped that all my hard work and determination to become more worthy in your eyes would have paid off … I was foolish to ever hope such a thing could ever occur though."
"Mordred," Arthuria muttered as she gently pried the girl off of her and pushed her back down onto the bed properly, still maintain the hand contact. "I can sense that Clarent has accepted you."
"Y-yes …"
"Do you understand just how significant that actually is?"
"I-I know, it was why I stole it to begin with …"
"Then you know what it means if Clarent has accepted you, don't you?"
"…"
"You, are truly worthy now Mordred to pursue the goal of becoming a King in your own right. Will you succeed or fail, that is entirely up to your actions going forward however there is one thing I can say for certain?"
"And what's that," Mordred sniffed as Arthuria placed a hand on her chest.
"My other self knows the significance of Clarent accepting someone however she is young compared to me. In life, she was but a foolish girl who Merlin had just handed the reigns of a Kingdom to and had little to no idea how to function as a proper Human being. Right now, she cannot accept you because she cannot look past her final Fate."
"And you have?"
"Like I said earlier, I believe that I played a significant role in my own downfall by turning you away when I did. Morgana was always crafty, always quick to exploit any form of weakness and she used you, despite being her own child, to reach her ultimate goal."
"So … what does this mean for us now?"
"I-I'm not entirely certain just yet," Arthuria admitted quietly. "I shall not however turn you away like my Saber counterpart Mordred, make no mistake about that. I simply require time to decide just how to pursue this new connection between us. Is that agreeable to you?"
"Of course," Mordred replied quickly as she tried to sit up only for Arthuria to push her back down again.
"You will stay in bed until I have Florence look you over, I will not risk losing you now after all you've been through to get this far!"
"O-ok Father!"
"Now then, there are matters to discuss that I think you must know regarding world events," Arthuria continued. "Eden is currently on a full-scale war footing and even as we speak, our ships are being loaded with enough firepower to take over a nation. This war will take place in mere hours and will be a conflict far larger than any we took part in during our own time."
"What's going on?"
"The World Government has captured the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates and are set to execute him today as an example to the Pirates. Whitebeard however will not stand for this and has declared his intention to challenge the Armed Forces with every crew under his command. As allies, we agreed to aid him in the coming conflict."
"What!? You mean there's going to be a massive war going down in just a few hours!?"
"Oh yes, they will not hesitate to execute Ace-."
"Ace!? You just said Ace, right!?"
"Indeed I did, why?"
"Oh no," Mordred responded as her mind ran a million miles a second. "There's no way Luffy won't try and save his sworn Brother and if Luffy goes then Natsu will surely end up going in there too and-!"
"You believe Natsu will end up taking part in the battle?"
"To save Luffy's Brother, yeah," Mordred replied firmly. "He's always doing his best to help the others and although we got split up on Sabaody, I know he'd still have eyes on them at all times regardless. He's not one to just let people either he, or the people he cares about, get hurt."
"Then this is most fortuitous," Arthuria nodded slowly. "With Natsu on our side that is a major asset since Servants cannot output their full power unless there are extenuating circumstances. Plus, that means you will no doubt need to take part in the battle as well."
"Me!?"
"You want to reunite with your Master, don't you?"
'W-well yeah, but-!"
"Then going with the Servants allocated to aid Whitebeard is your best bet to do such," Arthuria continued quickly. "If he will show up there you will want to fight by his side to watch his back, no?"
"Of course I would!"
"Then its settled," Arthuria nodded as she slowly rose to her feet. "It appears our conversation will need to wait until after all this is said and done. I shall go and retrieve Florence so that she may examine you, then we shall ensure you are combat ready before our forces depart for Marineford."
Mordred barely had a second to respond as Arthuria entered 'Commander Mode' and started planning everything out for her. Too tired to respond, she instead found herself slowly beginning to doze off as the stress finally caught up with her again.
Just as her eyes started to gently close, a loud bang startled her awake once again. Her attention snapped to the door and to her complete shock, many of her fellow Knights Of The Round were trying to force their way inside but had become stuck.
"Get out of the way Lancelot!"
"Shut up Gawain, I was here first!"
"This is so sad; I was here before all of you and yet here I am being trod upon …"
"SHUT UP TRISTAN!"
"I think all of you should get out of the way, family first!"
"Shut up Kay, you always try to pull that one with the King and it never works!"
"I would like to take this moment to inform you all that my name is in fact Carados and not Caradoc!"
"SHUT UP CARADOC!"
"IT'S CARADOS, KING OF-!"
"What is all this racket!?"
"Stop acting all high and mighty Percival, you're pushing just as hard as the rest of us!"
Mordred watched completely gobsmacked as the line behind the few Knights stuck in the doorway grew and grew as more of the Knights Of The Round started trying to barge their way in. Inwardly, she couldn't believe they'd all actually want to come see her to begin with and yet here they all were, behaving just as they did back during the old days …
Looking back to Arthuria, the King had a completely blank expression on her face as she watched her Knights argue and bicker amongst themselves. Mordred knew though that she probably did find it funny however, she'd have already broken them up and given them a scolding by now if she didn't find it funny.
"What is the meaning of this!?"
"Here comes trouble," Mordred muttered as the massive dogpile of Knights all froze in place. "They'll be in for it now …"
"How dare you all act so disgracefully, in front of our liege no less!"
The Knights seemed to try and split themselves apart however they had wedged themselves in tight thanks to their constant struggling and were now seemingly flailing about in an attempt to get free.
"Honestly, you are all … so … STUPID!"
The entire room shook as the Knights were struck by a powerful blast of light, sent flying across her room and through the nearby wall leading them to fall several stories down into the city proper.
The dust slowly cleared as the attacker huffed an annoyed sigh, dusting his hands as he made his entrance. The man stopped several metres before Arthuria and kneeled respectfully.
"My apologies my King, I did attempt to stop them from charging up here the moment word came down that Sir Mordred had woken. Unfortunately, Sir Gawain was rather insistent as he knocked over the guard I ordered to respectfully block his path.
"That is quite alright, I did not expect you to restrain the majority of the Round Table by yourself, Bedivere."
Sir Bedivere slowly rose to his feet and shot Arthuria a tired smile, one that was reciprocated in kind. Both knew just how much work went into managing the boisterous Round and even at their best it was quite the feat.
But neither would honestly have it any other way.
"Now then, that rather unpleasant mess aside," Bedivere sighed as he turned to face Mordred properly. "You, Mordred, are one lucky Knight."
"Tch, tell me about it."
"I have managed to track down the origin of many of the wounds you have sustained, including the significant burns, however there are some that seem to have originated from the Elemental Nations Singularity that I simply had no means of tracking down …"
"To be more specific, we needed to identify how you received such grievous wounds in order to ensure Florence Nightingale could stabilize your rapidly deteriorating Saint Graph, Mordred."
"You did well to track down much of the information necessary, Agravain," Arthuria commented as the Black Armor-clad Knight materialized next to Bedivere.
"It was touch and go, the fight Mordred had in Water Seven had few witnesses and we still have yet to identify just who her opponent actually was."
"You'd probably know who he was Father," Mordred sighed as she turned back to face Arthuria with a somewhat nervous gaze. "It was …"
"…"
"…"
"You can speak up Mordred."
"Okay," Mordred sighed as she rose into a better sitting position. "In Water Seven, I fought and lost against EMIYA Alter, the burns were caused by him using his Trace to copy Excalibur Galatine and fire it at me."
"EMIYA," Arthuria murmured as her mind brushed over the future her younger self had seen, one that had caused her to give up on her dream of wishing for herself to never become King. "Alter …"
"I did end up beating him in the rematch though," Mordred continued with a genuine smile as she summoned Clarent into her right hand. "It was at that moment that Clarent truly started working with me and we were able to strike him down."
"So, my suspicions were indeed correct," Arthuria murmured as she leant forward and ran a finger across Clarent's edge. "Hello there, old friend."
"I had always wondered if Clarent would ever deign to work alongside you," Agravain cut in as Arthuria seemed to stare into the flat of the blade, lost in memory. "Many of us had always suspected the chance but never dared openly discuss it in case it was merely fantasy and conjecture."
"Nevertheless, this explains King Artoria's rage," Bedivere muttered as he turned to look at the now half destroyed entrance. "That fire in her eyes, she was not pleased as she departed."
"I can't blame her, it would seem like a slap in the face if you think about it," Mordred sighed as she dismissed Clarent, snapping Arthuria back into reality. "I struck her down with the very blade that she pulled from the stone Merlin prophesised would reveal the greatest King. I struck down her entire legacy that day and now Clarent is working alongside me just as it once did for her."
"I can see that it will take far more than my mere words to relieve you of such a dark and heavy burden upon the heart Mordred," Arthuria sighed as she shook her head. "My younger self is rather naïve when it comes to matters of acceptance. As I grew older and wiser, I came to realize that there were grudges not worth sustaining and, in your case Mordred, grudges that never existed to begin with."
"We should probably go and deal with the others before they start charging back up here like a pack of feral dogs, my King," Bedivere said as he poked his head out of the window with a frown. "Yes, it appears we don't have long to get them back into order …"
"Send them to the front, that will straighten them all out," Agravain grumbled in response as he made his way toward the door. "I must go and speak with the other Kings who shall be embarking for Marineford, though … I am glad that you are still with us, Mordred."
Watching as the stern Agravain marched off out of sight, Mordred couldn't help but smile at the sincerity of his words. Looking back toward Arthuria, she too had risen and was clearly preparing to leave.
"I shall deal with the Round personally. Bedivere, I want Mordred cleared by Florence and out of this hospital within the hour."
"Y-yes my King," Bedivere muttered, clearly surprised since Mordred had only just woken. "I shall ensure Florence is aware of the timeframe."
"Good. I shall be waiting for you back at my castle Mordred, do not tarry."
"I assume Bedi is gonna show me the way?"
"Of course, Sir Bedivere shall remain with you until you are discharged and returned to me."
"As you command, my King," Bedivere huffed as he moved to kneel once again only this time Arthuria stopped him, placing two fingers beneath his chin which startled the man. "M-m-my King!?"
"Do not continue to grovel before me Bedivere, I do not question your devotion and loyalty. Simply perform the task I have assigned and I shall be more than satisfied."
"I-I understand," Bedivere muttered as Arthuria slowly exited the room, noticeably favouring her right leg which elicited a raised eyebrow from Mordred in response.
"Why's Father limping like that?"
"The King has remained by your side since you were brought here Mordred," Bedivere explained as he took a seat in Arthuria's former position. "You do realize what a chance this is, don't you?"
"Yes …"
"I can tell you clearly desire reconciliation with the King, Mordred, however let me say this."
Mordred froze as Bedivere put on 'THAT' face. The face that was reserved for battle, for the Royal Court, for disciplining traitors and tearing into the Round whenever they went too far.
"If I so much as sniff a single ounce of treachery coming from you, if I even suspect that you will try to strike our King down at any point during this mess … I doubt even Natsu himself would be able to save you from the wrath I would bring down upon you."
Meeting Bedivere's gaze, the two practically death stared one another for what felt like hours. Neither Knight dared to so much as blink as the tension in the room became absolutely suffocating.
Of course, Mordred knew why Bedivere was warning her. It was Sir Bedivere who sent her Father off to Avalon and tossed Excalibur back into the lake. It was Sir Bedivere who bore the burden of informing the kingdom that their beloved King had been slain and it was Bedivere who watched as Britannia was ripped apart by the infighting the massive power vacuum her death had left in its wake.
The sound of someone clearing their throat snapped the pair out of their glares as both quickly looked over to see Nightingale standing at the door with a clipboard, clearly not very impressed at the state of the room.
"Sir Mordred, I trust you no longer feel like joining the land of the deceased?"
"No …"
"Good. I must perform an examination to make sure you aren't crippled or worse, please stand by as I prepare. Sir Bedivere, I must ask that you please vacate the room temporarily."
"Of course Florence, I'll be waiting outside," the Knight sighed as he slowly rose and made his way toward the door. "Remember what I said Mordred, and remember well."
"Don't worry," Mordred muttered as he left the room. "I already started the torture for my crimes long ago …"
/Impel Down – Level Five Freezing Hell/
"Come on … where the hell is Ivankov," Bon Clay gasped as he dropped to one knee, struggling to continue carrying Luffy's weight as he began to succumb to his own wounds and the sub-zero temperatures striking at his exposed body.
Panting, Bon Clay's vision started to blur as he gently placed Luffy down in the snow next to him so he could try and catch his breath. Fully dropping to his knees, the Okama was still aware enough to hear the sound of footsteps in the snow and realized someone or something was approaching their position.
"Ah … crap."
Standing before him was a pack of vicious wolves, all of them clearly half starved and eager for their next meal. He idly wondered why the hell Impel Down kept things like this inside it but quickly dismissed the silly question he already knew the obvious answer to.
The World Government were real assholes to those who crossed them.
"Heh, you lot have caught us at a bit of a bad time," Bon Clay said through grit teeth as he shakily rose to his feet. "Now … I don't suppose you lot would go-?"
He didn't even get a chance to reply as the wolves charged at him, several of them veering off to either side of him in order to flank him. A classic hunting manoeuvre.
"Oh no you don't," Bon Clay growled as he swiftly jabbed one of the wolves in the neck with his Okama Kenpo, piercing through its neck with his right foot as he caught another with a jab to the side from his right hand.
Unfortunately, from there he was swiftly overwhelmed by the pack as seven others swiftly came down upon him, one of the centre ones tackling him to the ground and attempting to go right for the neck.
"Damn you, get off!"
The wolves started biting at his limbs in an attempt to incapacitate him, the half dead Okama slowly losing his ability to fight back as he struggled to save himself. Just as the lead one was about to bite him, it found itself with a sizeable chunk torn out of its neck as blood splattered all over Bon Clay's face.
Suddenly much more aware than before, Bon Clay was shocked to see Luffy on his knees next to him with the throat of the wolf still in his teeth. Even the wolves, who had been confident against Bon Clay, were staring at the sight in complete shock.
"Get away … from BON!"
There was a tense moment of silence as some unseen force seemed to blast back the snow. The wolves blinked several times however they made no move to look away from Luffy who was now shuddering uncontrollably.
And then, a miracle happened.
One by one, the wolves' eyes rolled into the back of their sockets as the beasts fell unconscious. Bon Clay stared in disbelief as they dropped like flies with Luffy falling after the last one finally succumb to whatever unseen force saved them.
"I-I don't … I can't-!?"
Bon Clay's vision shuddered once again as the sounds of footsteps drew closer. This time, as his eyes slowly closed, he could make out a figure approaching their position. Something about them, despite being only a silhouette to him, told him that they were in safe hands and so he allowed himself to drift into unconsciousness.
/Impel Down – Unknown Location, Several Minutes Later/
"So you found them then?"
"Yes."
"Well, are they alive?"
"Yes."
"Hmph, they don't look it to me! Straw Hat looks like he's got minutes at best thanks to Magellan's poison and this one has bite marks all over him!"
"Well, when one traipses through Impel Down then one must rightly expect to be stopped in their tracks. Straw Hat Luffy's attempts at reaching the darkest depths of the prison were foolish, and this one just as so for aiding him."
"But wasn't it rather fun watching them progress?"
"No."
"Party pooper! Perhaps I should change you back to a woman and bring the light back into your life, eh!?"
"You won't do that."
"Why not!?"
"You promised you'd only change me upon personal request and you loathe those who break promises."
"Tch-!"
"Now then, do you have the antidote?"
"Of course I do, for what little good it'll do at this point!"
"The Healing Hormones in conjunction with the antidote should be enough to-."
"I was already going to do that! You seem rather cheeky today, don't push it!"
"I was merely offering my own perspective on the situation."
"Is that right? You seem to be staring at Straw Hat quite a bit, any particular reason?"
"No."
"Tell me right now!"
"… Fine."
"Okay …"
"The boy, Straw Hat Luffy … I see a resemblance to the Commander in him."
The second figure seemed shocked by the words of the first as he picked up Luffy's unconscious form with ease, lifting him up to examine him closely. Moving him around like a doll, the man eyed him sceptically before gently placing him back down on the bed.
"Perhaps you saw something I can't? Either way, we don't have much time."
"What do you mean? Have the guards discovered our location?"
"No, Newkama Land is safe from them for the moment."
"Then what is the issue?"
"Down below, surely you've felt the occasional tremors?"
"I have, but I gave them little thought."
"Something is about to go down and I think it might be our time to blow this joint and get back to 'His' side!"
"Truly? If that is what you wish then I shall as always be right there with you."
"Of course you would, we're a team!"
"I will have the private room prepared for Straw Hat to begin the Healing Hormone process," the shorter man said curtly as he turned to leave only for the larger man to grab him by the shoulder.
"Don't forget the stuff for this one," the larger man snapped as he pointed toward Bon Clay. "He isn't even close to Straw Hat's condition but he still needs looking after! Besides, I think he might actually be one of us …"
"Of course, I shall fetch everything we need at once," the shorter man replied as he gracefully exited the small room to leave the much larger man alone with the unconscious duo.
"The resemblance between him and Dragon …"
The man shook his head and turned to look out of a small stone window which overlooked a large dining area. Grinning, he slowly rose from his seat and made his way toward said window and jumped out of it and into the arms of the eagerly waiting crowd, wiping the thought from his mind for the moment as he moved to placate his subjects.
Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!