Hi guys Azza here!
You guys ever reach that point in life where you just work and sleep and don't ever get to do what you want? That's me right now.
I've been trying for two months to write this yet I simply haven't had the chance thanks to life. My apologies to all who have waited patiently for this I hope you enjoy it.
This arc will end in the next few chapters with the way I've written this chapter so hopefully that means I can get a few of the easy chapters out. No promises though.
Also, in other news.
Many longtime readers may have noticed that Volume I has received some updates so now every arc up to the Battle Of Fairy Tail Arc is rewritten. Additionally, an editing codex has been created so you can all see what changes I've made and how far the changes have reached in the story. Feedback on that is appreciated.
I do not own Fairy Tail, One Piece or the Nasuverse.
A Grand Situation Peaks
/Marineford – Decimated Half/
Natsu felt the power of the Grand Servant wash over him like a tidal wave, his raw reserves easily surpassing Sut-Typhon in scale. He knew there was nothing that could be done, not a chance he could fight back against the monstrous entity before him. And yet ...
"I won't back down," Natsu muttered to Mordred as he spared an idle glance toward his Servant. "He might be stronger than me, might be able to obliterate me with any number of abilities, but I won't shy away from him."
"Natsu …"
"You hear me, Grand Avenger," Natsu asked in a much louder tone. "I won't submit to you!"
"Nor did I expect you to," Grand Avenger chuckled in response as he drew a basic handgun from his trench coat, eyeing it curiously. "By all means, do what you must."
"Oi, are you insane," Mordred hissed as she placed a firm grip on his shoulder. "You can't hope to match him as you are now-!?"
"Stay out of this Mordred," Natsu replied firmly as he shrugged off her grip, much to the King's confusion. "My gut is telling me that this is the right thing to do."
"Hold on, you expect me to let you fight him alone!?"
Natsu simply nodded in response, Mordred's shock now on full display as her Master marched closer to Grand Avenger's position. She knew that when he was like this there was no dissuading him from his chosen path, it would be an utterly futile effort.
"Damn fool," Mordred hissed as Natsu stopped several metres before Grand Avenger, still in his Demiurge Form.
"I won't let up just because I know a future version of you," Grand Avenger noted as he ceased examining the gun and pointed it in Natsu's direction. "Who you are, who you were, who you will ultimately become. Time cares not for specifics, only that one travels from Point A to B."
"And? What's your point citing the guidelines for Time Traveller Interference," Natsu asked in response to the strange quote. "I'm already well aware of the specifics of meddling, it has no bearing here."
"On the contrary, it bears far more weight than you could ever possibly know," Grand Avenger muttered in response. "Who you are now, who you were, who you will ultimately become. Within these three points, countless actions have been taken that have changed a multitude of realities. If you die here, everything that would have been beyond this day changes."
"What do you care, you're siding with Tiberius," Natsu snapped with Grand Avenger merely smirking in response. "You side with the being that threatens Time itself, the Mage King! Why would you care about what my death brings!?"
At this statement, Grand Avenger lowered his gun slightly as he chuckled lightly. Natsu could only frown as the man found humour in betraying Existence to aid the enemy, seemingly unapologetic.
"You might be smarter than almost every Human in this reality thanks to your age, Natsu Dragneel, but I assure you that compared to some, your knowledge is but a fleeting footnote," Grand Avenger replied as he vanished.
It happened so quickly that Natsu hadn't even managed to detect he'd been grabbed by the throat and held up in the air, two gunshots having blown out his kneecaps as Grand Avenger's vice grip squeezed his throat tightly.
"The weight of the world is a far too laborious burden for one to bear alone, Natsu Dragneel, yet there are those who were forced to face it all the same," Grand Avenger whispered as Natsu struggled against his entire neck being crushed by a grip unlike any other. "Do not think to stand there and attempt to assert superiority over me in any capacity when you are but a fledgling existence, a speck upon Life."
No one even saw Grand Avenger throw him, the ground now sporting a massive scar across its length as Natsu lay propped up against some debris, gasping for breath. No one else saw Grand Avenger reappear in front of Natsu and fire off another shot into his right shoulder that surprisingly wounded the man on a more permanent basis as he clutched his shoulder.
"You are the future King Of Balance," Grand Avenger continued as he shot Natsu in the left shoulder, eliciting a pained wince. "You of all people should know better than to judge the actions of another without first knowing all the facts, no?"
"I know that you're working for the Mage King," Natsu ground out through grit teeth. "I know that you've found amusement in the suffering of the mortals of this realm and I know that you've willingly done so as a Grand Servant who can't be tied down by normal means!"
"Astute observations," Grand Avenger agreed before shooting him in the left thigh. "But, still lacking in vital information regardless."
"And what vital information would that be!?"
"If I am truly as nefarious as you claim, a being hell bent on destroying Existence, why have I not taken action until this very moment?"
The retort was on the tip of his tongue, the sheer level of disbelief at the question posed toward him swelling his rage. Clenching his fists, he was about to snap back at the man, throwing dozens of reasons into his face … only for nothing to emerge once his mouth opened.
The corners of Grand Avenger's lips twitched in amusement, Natsu's stunned state far funnier than anything that had occurred here thus far in his eyes. After all, it wasn't every day someone managed to utterly stump the Lord High Arbiter, after all.
"I see you have come to realize the truth behind my words, no?"
His mouth closed slowly, a cautious gaze boring into Grand Avenger's own as he waited for the man to continue. He wouldn't outright admit it, but the man was certainly on the mark with his question.
Just why didn't he act before now? What was his purpose being here if not to aid Tiberius?
Wincing as he slowly rose back to his feet, his wounds sealing themselves shut as the bullet slipped out of his skin and onto the ground, Natsu locked eyes with Grand Avenger. He had no reply, he had no plan, he definitely didn't have any kind of trump card lying in wait for the man.
And yet, for the first time since they'd begun speaking, Natsu felt like he understood Grand Avenger. It wasn't an understanding of why Grand Avenger stood on the side of the enemy, but instead he simply understood what Grand Avenger was implying.
"All that talk, all that bluster about killing me," Natsu chuckled softly so that none save for the Servant himself could hear his words. "You can't do it, can you?"
"Don't know what you're talking about, King Of Balance," Grand Avenger smirked as he lazily twirled his gun around his index finger before aiming square at Natsu's chest. "Last I checked, Tiberius wanted you dead, did he not?"
"He might've," Natsu smirked even as Grand Avenger shot him in the chest before kicking him into the ruined hull of a nearby Man O War. "But …!"
Inside the husk of the Man O War it was just Natsu and Grand Avenger. None could see within the shell of the ship and therefore, couldn't hear what was spoken within either. And, as the dust cleared within the confines of the ship, Natsu couldn't help but match Grand Avenger's smirk.
"So that's how it is, huh?"
"Oh yes, let it not be said that my words are anything but the one truth," Grand Avenger smirked in reply as Natsu again rose to his feet. "Trust in Tim's words Natsu, have faith and you'll soon learn the truth."
"You're right, that's all I have to do," Natsu replied with his drive fully reignited as he entered an offensive stance. "I'm gonna give you everything I've got!"
Vanishing from where he'd risen, Grand Avenger was sent skidding out of the wreck of the Man O War, leaving two solid scars in the earth as his feet refused to so much as budge from their place.
A massive pillar of flame erupted from the wreck and engulfed Grand Avenger mere moments after he'd been sent skidding backward, eclipsing him instantly yet the Servant could only laugh in response.
Natsu appeared in a flash atop the half-shattered mast of the Man O War with another attack at his fingertips. Red sparks danced atop his index finger as he pointed toward Grand Avenger's position, a thundering roar shaking the area as the black clouds high above Marineford flashed red for a moment.
"Hybrid's Aura: Lightning Dragon Monarch's Voltage Strike!"
In a flash of white, a massive bolt of red lightning smashed into Grand Avenger's position, blasting a massive hole through the island as everyone on both sides of Marineford found themselves staggered or outright knocked over from the sudden shockwave generated upon impact.
Several more quickly followed, stepladders from the lightning arcs scarring the skies as bolt after bolt smashed into the earth. Those not weathered in combat found their eardrums to have long since burst, others having been knocked out from the consecutive shockwaves.
And yet, despite the power on display, Grand Avenger strolled out of the inferno without so much as a scratch and a cocky smirk on his face.
"Please tell me you didn't think that was gonna be enough," Mordred asked as she appeared next to her Master who was sweating heavily, visibly fatigued.
Down on one knee, his eyes kept flickering from his Hybrid's Aura and back, a sign that he truly was almost completely dry on power now. Mordred knew that now was about the time for Natsu to make an exit. And yet …
Impressive display of power, Lord High Arbiter," Grand Avenger laughed as he dusted himself off. "Not quite on the level of one such as Zeus or Odin, but still admirable nonetheless!"
"Heh! Figures you'd be that way," Natsu puffed as he struggled to rise to his feet again. "You Grands are tough pieces of work …"
"Comes with the territory," Grand Avenger replied as he inched closer and closer. "So, now that we've got that out of the way, why don't we end this?"
Appearing right in front of Natsu, Grand Avenger used his free hand to grab Natsu by the throat, lifting him up into the air slowly whilst simultaneously blocking a sword strike from Mordred with his arm.
"This matter does not concern you, King."
Mordred was shocked as she found herself blasted back into the earth, the mere pushback from Grand Avenger's forearm possessing such raw strength she couldn't have even comprehended its use.
"Natsu!"
"Quite the predicament, isn't it," Grand Avenger mused cheekily as he applied more pressure to Natsu's throat. "No power left in your core, a sliver of Aura left and no allies powerful enough to step in and stop me. I do wonder, how WILL you get out of this one?"
Meeting Grand Avenger's gaze, Natsu smirked at the man who merely raised an eyebrow in response whilst letting up enough on his chokehold so that Natsu could speak.
"Same way … I always do," Natsu gasped as he grabbed onto Grand Avenger's arm with both hands. "By not … losing faith!"
"Noble Phantasm Release: Zabaniya – Starlight Actuation!"
In the span of less than half a second, Grand Avenger's head was severed clean from his shoulders, a blade slicing cleanly through held by none other than Shining Star Hassan, her entire body tensed up to the point that every vein in her body bulged from the sheer strain of utilizing her Noble Phantasm at max power.
The grip on Natsu was relinquished as his body went through the motions of beginning to drop. His Aura laced eyes, straining to remain active, observed as he slowly began to fall downward, time still barely moving as Grand Avenger's now free arm began to twist.
To his shock, Grand Avenger's body started moving, his now free arm moving around to seemingly take a swing at Shining Star Hassan. It was obvious to anyone capable of witnessing this near instantaneous event that she wasn't going to avoid it either.
With one swing, Shining Star's head was also severed by Grand Avenger's now extended fingers whilst he tossed his handgun away. With his other hand now freed up, he arched his body and grabbed his head, placing it back onto his neck without it even having had the chance to truly part.
And then, time resumed.
Both Natsu and Grand Avenger were covered in a sea of blood as it sprayed out of Shining Star's body, said body sailing past and crashing into the side of the husk of the Man O War as her head was expertly nabbed out of the air by Grand Avenger himself.
Natsu finally dropped to the ground, landing on his back as he quickly scrambled back and away from the still technically decapitated Servant before him. His eyes were wide as the man began to speak using his severed head.
"Ah, I forgot about her."
The head exploded into golden particles right as Grand Avenger placed his head back into place, the skin knitting itself together almost instantly without so much as a sign of anything having been out of place.
"To think I forgot that, should the right conditions be met, her Noble Phantasm gains the maximum possible parameters a Servant can get. A Noble Phantasm worthy of a Grand!"
And yet, in the end, despite Grand Avenger's praise, it didn't matter. Grand Avenger was perfectly fine, Shining Star Hassan was now dead.
"Do you see now, Natsu? Do you understand why it is I ally against existence," Grand Avenger asked as he turned his full focus back to the downed Hybrid before him. "I am Kane, I am the final salvation cursed to be forever undying …"
The Entity Of Genesis
He Who Was Rejected By God
A Man Cursed By Eternal Suffering
King Of Sin
Leader Of The Brotherhood Of Nod
Kane (Grand Avenger)
"So that's your name," Natsu muttered even as Grand Avenger slowly advanced toward him. "Kane …"
"My name has gone through many iterations over the millennium. Cain was the first and arguably the most well known … and feared," the Servant replied as he crouched down next to Natsu, a maddened gleam in his eyes which flashed an almost greenish hue momentarily. "History that has likely been forgotten a thousand generations over resides within my mind even as a reality is brought to completion and collapsed. Countless years I have been cursed to wander only to discover more pain … no longer."
"Thy unending torment was brought about through thine own transgressions," a spectral voice boomed, Kane's eyes widening for a fraction of a second before realization dawned upon him. "Be there any but thyself to blame, Cain?"
"So, that's how it is," Kane chuckled as he rose to his full height and looked over to the Man O War where the headless body of Shining Star Hassan now stood rigid, blackish blue fire roaring around her. "You would deny me a chance of finally escaping eternal suffering for a sin committed so long ago I barely even remember it!?"
"Thy sin alone bears no weight upon thy punishment, Cain," the voice replied as the headless body of Shining Star started marching forward, a dull clanking sound echoing across the battlefield. "The weight of thy sin lay within the transgression itself, an irreparable scar upon that which thou knew not to meddle with."
Grand Avenger didn't respond, instead choosing to merely smirk as another figure overtook that of Shining Star. To the Allied Forces, it might as well have been Christmas with even the usually stoic Artoria grinning ear to ear at the arrival of this new figure.
"Shining Star, thou art truly worthy of thy head which hath been taken illicitly," the voice began as Shining Star's form vanished and in its place another, completely terrifying one took its place. "From where I wander, a tower of corpses looms ever taller … Cain, what purpose did killing thy Brother ultimately serve in thy goal for power? Pray tell, what force propels thy will forward to fight rather than submit? Hearken, for the Evening Bell doth toll thy name once again, Cain!"
Standing tall amidst the ruined battlefield was the heavily armoured figure of King Hassan, his sword and shield already fully manifested as blue and black flames spewed forth from his eyes and shield like a tidal wave.
"G-Grand Assassin," Natsu gasped as the intimidating Servant turned his gaze toward him.
"Thy form is weak, yet the bell hast yet to toll thy name, King Of Balance," King Hassan's voice rumbled before he twisted his neck a full one-eighty degrees and over toward where the rapidly retreating Allied Forces were. "Thy charge on the other hand, a dull chime doth linger still …"
Natsu was confused by what King Hassan meant, his semi-conscious brain struggling to process everything that had happened. Looking over toward the battles going on in the distance he quickly realized what the man was referring to.
"Luffy!?"
"Thy place within this conflict draws to a defined close, King Of Balance. Fate hearkens thy strings back to thy higher duties, but thy charge's soul dims … shudders … burns."
"What," Natsu muttered as he was helped to his feet by Mordred who clearly didn't want to be anywhere near King Hassan or Kane. "What do you mean!?"
Natsu's question went unanswered however as King Hassan turned his full attention back to Kane who was still grinning away, despite the literal entity of Death looming before him.
"Thou hast abandoned thy duty as a Grand, yet retains thy title," King Hassan muttered as Mordred dragged Natsu out of the firing line. "Worst, thy aid to those of Anti demands recompense."
"You might be the Grand Assassin, First Hassan, but not even you have what it takes to kill me."
"Death smothers even the greenest of fields, Cain," King Hassan replied as both vanished with a burst of speed as the entire ocean was sliced clean in two by a slash of blackish blue fire. "Bare thy neck!"
"Kinda lucked out on that one, didn't we," Mordred huffed as she sprinted away from the area with Natsu in her arms. "You don't look so good Natsu …"
"N've mind … me," came the barely legible response from her weakened Master. "Luffy!"
"Huh? What are you on about!?"
Snapping her gaze upward, Mordred was about to retort only to gape as she saw Jinbei sprinting as fast as he could with the unconscious Luffy in his arms, Admiral Akainu hot on his heels as he left a trail of magma in his wake.
"Shit …"
"We've … gotta save him, Mordred," Natsu groaned as he tried to access his empty core but failed. "Damn … it-!"
"There is one option, but it ruins one of your plans," Mordred said slowly as Natsu stopped trying to access his empty core and met her somewhat stern gaze. "Toss up which plan matters more."
"I'd say its pretty obvious, isn't it!?"
"Tch! Don't get snappy with me, I'm the one lugging your sorry ass out of here," Mordred snapped back in response as they both turned their attention back to Akainu. "Guess that's that decided …"
/Other Half Of Marineford – Same Time/
"Quick, attack Akainu!"
"Don't let him get to Ace's Brother and Jimbei!"
A swarm of Whitebeard Pirates and Eden troops opened fire on Akainu, the Admiral not even bothering to dodge as the bullets blasted holes through his magma body. The Admiral was on a mission, his searing hot form zoning in on an enemy of Justice itself.
"Jimbei! Hand Dragon's Son over to me," Akainu roared as the former Warlord reached the last obstacle before the open seas. "Hand him over and I'll make your death painless!"
"Once I get to the sea … I'll outrun him," Jimbei panted as he sprinted to the edge of the slightly elevated land and launched himself off of it, soaring high into the air.
Looking back, he saw Akainu had likewise launched himself into the air and was now charging up a magma blast in his right fist. Looking back toward the sea, Jimbei could only gape in shock.
"WHAT-!?"
The ice generated by Aokiji and Esdeath earlier in the battle had frozen much of the sea surrounding Marineford. Unlike the side Natsu was on, this side was given little to thaw it and thus, Jimbei found himself with nowhere else to go.
"No … He's coming!"
"Looks like you've got nowhere else to run, Jimbei," Akainu shouted as he cocked his right fist back with Jimbei spinning around and clutching Luffy tightly to his chest.
'If I can at least endure the blow … Luffy will be-!'
"Straw Hat Luffy," Akainu roared as he came right up to Jimbei, fist exploding as he threw a powerful punch. "YOU'RE MINE!"
Striking Jimbei directly in the back, the Fishman roared in pain as Akainu tore a massive hole through his back and straight out the front of his chest. In that moment, Jimbei lost consciousness and was unaware that some droplets of magma had struck Luffy, burning an X mark across his chest.
But, in the end, he had ultimately succeeded in preventing Akainu from killing Luffy in that moment.
Jimbei quickly regained consciousness, the pain flaring up immediately as he struggled to look down to his much smaller charge. Blood poured through the gaps of Jimbei's teeth yet there was but one thought on his mind.
'I can't let him get hurt any more than he already is …'
Looking back down toward their current trajectory, the Fishman grit his teeth and spun mid-air so that his back took the full impact of the icy seas below. Striking it hard, Jimbei coughed up more blood as he slid for over thirty metres before striking a jagged shard of ice and flipping, accidently dropping Luffy in the process where the pair tumbled to a final stop.
"D-damn-!"
Akainu landed on his feet a decent distance from the pair, watching as Jimbei moved to kneel over Luffy's grievously wounded and unconscious form. Slowly advancing toward the pair with another magma fist prepared, the Marine Admiral grit his teeth.
"You're in my way Jimbei, step aside!"
Jimbei panted as his vision flickered, the young teen before him battered and beaten far beyond what anyone else his age could possibly have endured. Coughing up more blood, the Fishman looked down at the grotesque burns on Luffy's chest and felt naught but rage and shame.
"Luffy … I-I'm sorry … I-I'm sorry I couldn't save you!"
"Fool," Akainu sniffed as he inched closer and closer. "You're worrying about Straw Hat when clearly you should be worrying about yourself right now!"
"Tch-!"
"My first shot was off because you were in the way, Jimbei. Think about it, if it had've hit his heart, wouldn't he have been better off?"
Jimbei didn't respond, instead, choosing to use every last scrap of strength he had to try and rise up and confront Akainu. Even as blood poured from his wound, he was determined to save Luffy.
"You think you can protect him, even with that hole in your chest? You favour yourself as some kind of Whitebeard, Jimbei?"
Turning around to face Akainu, the smirk on the Admiral's face only further enraged him as he tried to rise from his knees. The smirk only grew as his legs faltered and Jimbei dropped once again to the icy floor.
"He's gonna die soon, Jimbei, so why bother?"
Instead of a verbal response, Jimbei simply roared at him, blood and spit flying from his mouth as his bloodshot eyes took in one last sight of Akainu before the Fishman finally reached his limit.
Collapsing onto his stomach, Jimbei fell unconscious once again with a hand still on Luffy's body, gripping it as tight as he could.
"Foolish," Akainu sniffed as he gazed down disdainfully at Jimbei. "Nothing will stand in the way of Justice."
Kicking Jimbei out of the way, Akainu's eyes locked onto his real prize. Looking down at Luffy's form, Akainu snarled as the magma bursting forth from his arm exploded, a sense of rage beginning to take over the Admiral as he cocked back to strike the killing blow on the boy.
"This is it for you and your defiance of Justice … STRAW HAT!"
Moving to strike Luffy, Akainu suddenly found his attack veering violently off course as his surroundings began to shift.
"WHAT-!?"
Looking around, he was shocked to see his upper body had been severed and sent flying upward with his attack flying off into the bay where it exploded. Gritting his teeth, he willed his Logia ability to regenerate his lower half and swiftly landed on solid ground.
"Who did that!? Show yourself!?"
"You really thought you were going to win, didn't you? I've grown rather fond of the boy so I'd rather not see another hair on his little head by singed by an upstart like you."
Akainu's eyes widened in shock as Lieutenant General Ryker flashed in front of Luffy's position, facing him down. Gone was the sickly, gaunt looking appearance and in its place was the Ryker they all knew.
"Ryker? What's the meaning of this!?"
"You were so very quick to accept another success of the great Thaddeus Ryker, you didn't even consider checking to see if he came out unscathed. Such lax security measures from a totalitarian Government are rather amusing, yet was completely within the expectations of our plans."
"What are you on about … WHO ARE YOU," Akainu roared as the form of Ryker laughed cruelly.
"Poor Akainu, so hot-headed when he doesn't get his way," Ryker cooed even as the skin on his body began to ripple in a rather unnerving way. "Don't worry … it'll all be over soon."
"What …"
Akainu, and many others in the World Government's top brass, watched in horror as Ryker's skin began to twist and contort. Strange, worm-like entities wriggling beneath the surface of his skin engorged and shrunk it at impossibly strange proportions until the voice of Ryker began to screech in pain.
Even Akainu, a hardened and brutal enforcer of Justice, could barely watch and listen to the desperate pleas of the man. Clearly, whatever had possessed him was allowing him control again in his final moments, even as his body was being torn apart on a level none of them could even fathom.
The screeching became so loud that Akainu actually started stepping backward, his eardrums ringing right as a disgusting black liquid started pouring from the man's eyes, nose, ears and mouth.
The screeching was replaced with a disturbing gurgle as the black substance quickly coated his entire shambling form. Strange tendrils shooting out of his now unrecognizable body to form some kind of strange cocoon which ultimately silence the screams.
Ordinarily, Akainu would have immediately attacked the cocoon, not allowing whatever lay dormant within the chance to emerge. However, today was no ordinary day for him and after what he'd just seen, he found himself rooted to the spot.
He finally gained some mobility once a cracking sound pierced the deafening silence, though he dared not move regardless. Crack after crack, the cocoon began to crumble away into an ashy substance that swiftly blinded all present from being able to see what was going on.
Akainu coughed as the ash blew all around him. He knew this ash, it was Ryker's own ash, the ash of his Devil Fruit.
"But how …?"
"Quite simple really."
All at once, the ash was sucked into a single focal point to reform a single being that looked nothing like Lieutenant General Thaddeus Ryker. No, instead, they got someone far worse.
Body reformed, dark skin tinged with flecks of ash that were still entering her body, and larger horns that know had begun to gnarl backward to slip seamlessly into her pitch-black hair …
Seilah had returned.
"Y-you're …"
"Alive," came the swift response as Seilah snapped her fingers, the bodies of both Luffy and Jimbei dropping through portals. "Alive … and really … really cross."
"Where did you send Straw Hat and Jimbei," Akainu growled as he slipped into a defensive stance. "Bring them back!"
"No."
"What-!?"
"Those two are now safe, far from your maniacal hands," Seilah sniffed as she turned to look out toward the sea. "Let's just say that I've got some help on standby somewhere out there and leave it at that."
"Damn you," Akainu snarled as magma exploded from both his arms, the rage of the Admiral growing to new heights. "HOW DARE YOU STAND IN THE WAY OF JUSTICE!"
"You really only have yourselves to blame," came the dry response as she caught sight of Mordred carrying the beat down form of her Master. "Speaking of blame, did I mention that I'm rather cross right now? I hope so, because the condition of my Master has me feeling … rather unpleasant."
Vanishing from view, Akainu's gaze snapped over toward where Mordred and Natsu were, only now Seilah had joined them and was running a hand through Natsu's hair.
"OI! GET BACK HERE," Akainu roared with Mordred and Seilah sneering in the man's direction.
"Seilah," Natsu huffed as Mordred reluctantly let him down. "Glad to see you whole again …"
"Glad to be whole again," came the soft reply as the pair gently pressed their foreheads together. "I'll give you the full rundown later, for now we still have things to do."
"Yeah," Natsu nodded as he felt some of Seilah's power slide into him, allowing him to regenerate. "Ahh … I feel much better!"
"I'm glad," Seilah smiled as Natsu ruffled her hair playfully.
"You played your part expertly Seilah, well done."
"What part," Akainu snapped as he shot up onto Marineford, landing several metres away from the pair. "What has she done!?"
"Nothing that need concern you, dog," Natsu replied calmly as both Seilah and Mordred moved to stand before him, knowing full well he wasn't at even a tenth of his power.
"So, you get a bit of power back and suddenly think you're worth a damn again!?"
"I'm not foolish enough to try fight you as I am now," Natsu replied evenly as he examined his battered form. "No, my fighting here is done."
"But that doesn't include us," Mordred replied as she summoned Clarent and pointed it at Akainu with Seilah activating her Elder Devil's Aura.
"At his command, we will kill you where you stand … Sakazuki."
"You … What did you do to Ryker," Akainu asked through grit teeth. "Where is his body!?"
"Not that it really matters at this point, but the man known as Thaddeus Ryker is actually still alive."
"What!?"
"Alive … through me," Seilah replied with a sadistic smirk as she stepped up toward Akainu, her body shimmering into that of Ryker himself. "Come on Sakazuki, let's go have a drink and discuss all of this stuff, eh!?"
"What is this …"
"Aren't we friends Sakazuki!? I know you like to be a bit of a stiff but surely you've got time for me!?"
"Stop this!"
Another shimmer later and Seilah had reappeared, sadistic smirk still plastered on her face as she stood less than a metre from the enraged Admiral.
"He's mine, forever … I'm keeping his power for myself," Seilah whispered cruelly before cackling madly as she allowed her right arm to turn to ash which fell to the ground in a messy pile. "Such is the fate of those who dare oppose my Master's will!"
Akainu was seething with rage at Seilah's words. The cruel smirks on both Natsu and Mordred's faces didn't help either as the Admiral finally hit his peak.
"In the name of Justice … I'm going to kill all three of you … HERE AND NOW!"
Seilah vanished and appeared at Natsu's side with both her and Mordred assuming defensive stances. Natsu however, clearly had no such inclination to do so and instead looked up at the sky.
"Master?"
"What's wrong?"
Natsu closed his eyes, feeling the wind upon his fatigue riddled form with even Akainu narrowing his eyes as if expecting him to suddenly attack. Yet, no attack ever came.
"Can't you feel it?"
Mordred and Seilah exchanged glances, unsure as to what Natsu was referring to until a monstrous Aura emerged over on the other half of Marineford where Natsu had been fighting earlier.
"What have you done, Dragneel," Akainu muttered darkly only for Natsu to shake his head.
"This isn't my doing," came the immediate response as the sounds of battle ceased entirely around them. "No, this is HIS work."
"His," Mordred asked as she cocked her head to the side whilst getting a feel for the newcomers Aura.
"Yeah," Natsu muttered as he turned his back to Akainu and started walking away toward the source of the Aura. "He's arrived."
"Who has," Akainu growled, not daring to move a muscle until he knew this wasn't some kind of trap.
"The Devil of this world, of course," Natsu scoffed in response with both Mordred and Seilah's eyes widening in surprise. "Red Hair Shanks has entered the battlefield."
Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!