Foreshadows...?
And BlueRyuu, WoW is only boring if you HAVE NO IMAGINATION!
I garner the highest levels of amusement by running around and wiping out groups of indigenous species, clefthoof, murlocs, gnolls and trolls being my all-time favorites and Frenzyheart wolvar a close second. It's just so much fun to plow through and then look back at the trail of bodies. Makes me wanna... Dance! And then there's the sheer world itself... Woof. Better put this up before I drop everything and fade away into WoWness.
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A gathering of the highest import.
That was what word on the street called the gathering of the top brass of the World Government; this one was said to be extra-special, involving the fates of both an up-and-coming new pirate group and a sinister new force of 'dark justice' within the more shadowy ranks of the Navy.
To the men gathered around the large, circular table within the deepest recesses of their most secure building, however, it was a tad more important than that; it was the assignment of a group to ensure the eradication of the Straw Hat Pirates before the latter could gain too much momentum to be stopped.
The captain at the head of the room waited until all the admirals and governors had seated themselves, then he cleared his throat to get all attention on him before turning to a massive easel behind him; gesturing with a pointer, he signaled the men standing atop it to turn the first page, revealing a pair of symbols: the four circles of the World Government to the left, a skull-and-crossbones with a straw hat atop it on the right.
"Gentlemen and ladies, you all know why we are gathered here today. The Straw Hat Pirates have, in the course of a very short period of time, gone from a bunch of nobodies to one of the most powerful pirate crews in existence, possibly in history." The page turned to reveal a series of pictures showing the group, all eight of them, in various poses; it seemed they didn't mind being photographed in the slightest. "These are the faces featured on their wanted posters."
He nodded as a hand went up. "Yes?"
"I notice one of them is hand-drawn and another is a raccoon-man with a funny hat. Are you sure this information is accurate in relation to their appearances."
"Unfortunately, we have not been able to get a picture of Sanji, the ship's cook, as he is less of a showman than most of the others; the raccoon-man, as you called him, is actually a reindeer who ate the Human-Human fruit and gained the ability to think and speak as a human." Gesturing again, he waited until the next page had turned to reveal a broadly-grinning boy with black hair and a straw hat before speaking again. "This is their captain, Monkey D. Luffy, age seventeen. He has eaten the Gum-Gum fruit, making him a rubber man, and he is something of a genius in the realm of tactics and short-term fighting techniques. Combining his ability to stretch and his intuition for battle, he has managed to overcome every opponent he has faced within one, maximum two battles, often fighting while injuries from the previous face-off are still present. What makes him most remarkable is that he has proven himself, time and again, able to push beyond even his considerable limits in defense of his crew; he is not to be underestimated in any way, although the same can be said of his entire crew, especially this next man."
The page turned again to reveal an intimidating man with a green bandanna over his head that threw his eyes into shadow, letting only a demonic glint show from beneath them; in his mouth was clenched a sword, while two more were held in his hands.
"Roronoa Zoro, the ship's swordfighter, was once a freelance pirate hunter that we ourselves employed several times to our great satisfaction; a master of santoryu, three-sword style, fighting, he has been steadily gaining in strength and skill, even beyond his captain. In fact, if he had some sort of Devil Fruit power to counteract Straw Hat Luffy's, he would undoubtedly be the stronger of the two; as it is, he is still a match for anyone who has met him. In every battle that the Straw Hats have engaged in, he has always sought out the swordfighter, seeking always to prove himself better than any other swordsman; according to intelligence we've received, in fact, it's said that he's even fought Hawkeye Mihawk and lived, although mostly due to Mihawk's taking an interest in him. As with his captain, his drive has pushed him far beyond what most people would consider their limits; it is known of at least two cases in which he actually entered battle with nearly life-threatening injuries and still came out the victor; his record of wins-to-losses is actually better than his captain's, who will lose a battle and then come back to beat his opponent later. Zoro just does not lose. He is also known to drink excessively and to always back his captain up in whatever decision he may make; he, along with Sanji, are considered the most dangerous fighters in the crew due to their combination of power and smarts and second only to their captain in terms of physical power."
The page turned again to reveal a red-haired beauty with her tongue stuck out teasingly at whoever had taken the picture. "This is Nami, the ship's navigator and second-in-command most of the time, making most of the decisions as to where to go next and many of the day-to-day command decisions. She is not much when it comes to sheer power, but her mind is as sharp as a razor and the weapon she bears, crafted by their maniac inventor Usopp, has the ability to change the weather and call down lightning strikes at her command. This has made her a force to be reckoned with, although not nearly as dangerous as Zoro or Sanji and not nearly as powerful as Straw Hat; in fact, she and Usopp are the weakest of the crew in terms of sheer strength, although they more than make up for it in mental ability. She is said to be able to navigate by her nose and is more than capable of dealing with any normal soldier."
"Then there's Usopp, the ship's marksman and inventor. He is an all-out coward, liar, egotist and weakling, but he has shown himself to be sneaky, underhanded, accurate at over a mile and a brilliant inventor, given what he has to work with most of the time. In the most recent case, that of Straw Hats versus CP9, he was able to pick off single soldiers at a range of almost a mile without even drawing an extra breath; the safest way to deal with him is to intimidate him into running."
"Sanji is the ship's cook and an expert fighter with his feet and, it's rumored, with knives. As you can see from the picture here, we haven't been able to get a decent picture of him; that is mostly due to the fact that he is smart, streetwise, powerful and fast. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that he falls for any girl prettier than my mother, he could be considered the most dangerous man on the ship; as it is, however, he refuses to fight women and has a hard time fighting with them around without getting distracted. He is also a world-class cook; if we ever manage to capture him, I plan on transferring him to my personal staff immediately."
A chuckle went around the room, then the page turned to reveal the 'raccoon man'. "Tony-Tony Chopper, the ship's doctor. He is a deer-man, a deer that's eaten the Human-Human fruit, with numerous forms that he controls via a medical product of his own development called the 'rumble ball' that allows him to enhance certain parts of his system, turning him invulnerable or swift or strong. In the most recent incident, it's rumored that he also has a monster form, which causes him to become completely invulnerable and insanely strong as well as fast, although it is said that the form seems to injure him in some way. Details are sketchy, but it's best not to take him lightly. He's also got a brain in his head and, in many ways, is similar to Usopp in personality and temperament."
"This is Nico Robin. I haven't said much about her up until this point, but that's because she's in a class of her own, almost apart from the Straw Hats themselves. You all know the details about her from the numerous meetings we've conducted on her, but suffice to say right now we don't know why she's traveling with the Straw Hats, although Admiral Aokiji believes it is because she feels at home with them."
Every eye in the room turned to the man in question, who woke up briefly and looked boredly at the picture. "Yes, she's found herself a place. She is quite happy with them." With that, his eyes closed again.
The captain shrugged and flipped the page again to reveal a blue-haired weirdo in a speedo posing atop an iron beam. "And this is Franky, AKA Cutty Flam, the crew's shipwright and student of the great ship designer Tom, of Tom's Workers. He is a cyborg and a blowhard; there isn't much else to say about him. Various parts of his body are weaponized, including but not limited to an air cannon, chain-linked fist, cannon arm, rifle fingers and fire-breathing capabilities. It is said that he's powered by cola, but this is still under review. He is also the one who designed and built the crew's current ship, the Thousand Sunny. He is powerful and smart, but has personality quirks like the rest of the crew that prevent him from being invulnerable completely."
A picture of a ship with a lion's head at the fore came into view. "The Thousand Sunny's exact specifications are under review, but since it was designed by Cutty Flam, we can assume it's heavily armed and armored." Looking up as the insignia of the World Government was brought into view, the captain eyed every man in the room. "In conclusion, it can be assumed that, given a mere year or two, this crew could quite possibly be an even match for any of our Seven Warlords or the Four Emperors. It is recommended by the Navy Intelligence branch and by Operations that we eradicate them as quickly as possible."
A huge man at the far end of the table leaned forward, a dark glint in his eyes. "And Ah assume y'all have a plan alreadeh en mahnd fer that contengenceh, Captain?"
The captain nodded once as the page was turned to reveal another picture; a skull-and-crossbones, but with the crossbones replaced by the insignia of the World Government turned sideways. "We do, in fact; Deadbone."
Almost every eyebrow in the room went up as an amused chuckle went around the room. One voice came from the side, "And what the heck is Deadbone?"
The page turned to reveal another set of pictures; most of these, however, were decidedly less friendly to look at. "Deadbone is the code name for a group of pirates that we turned to our side; based around the original three Pirates of Doom from the incident of the same name a few months ago, we've developed a group of killers almost equal to the now-deactivated CP9. In fact, it was suggested among some circles to replace the dead members of that organization with Deadbone, but it was rejected on the basis that they have not been fully battle-tested."
"And you suggest we send this group of turncoat pirates against a crew that wiped out CP9 wholesale?" A captain near the door snorted. "What kinda talk is that?"
The captain smiled gently. "I'm about to explain my reasoning."
The page turned to reveal a girl of about twelve or thirteen staring out from the paper; the dead quality of her gaze caused a few to shift uncomfortably in their seats. Red-and-white streaks through her hair, done up in a severe ponytail, gave the impression of a candy cane, an incongruous note against the black cloak and clothing beneath she was wearing. "This is the captain, Aliza Alicia Alamonium. Since coming over to our side, she has proven herself a genius in utilizing her Devil Fruit powers; incidentally, that power is the ability to create and mold sugar into any sort of object she wishes. We would class it as Logia-type except that she has yet to reveal the ability to turn herself into sugar, although it is speculated this may be simply because she has yet to have a need to. Admittedly, this is not enough to put her in charge of any group by itself; however, due to the blind loyalty of her two subordinate Pirates of Doom and their enforcement of her directives on the rest, as well as their own differing loyalties to her, she has never relinquished command, in spite of our placing an officer of the Marines among them in an attempt to at least retain a mote of control over their day-to-day operations."
The page turned again to show what was clearly a woman of incredible body wrapped in dark cloth that clung to her curves like skin; her face was concealed almost completely save for the eyes, which had an Oriental slant to them and shone brightly from beneath her black hair, which was done up in a ponytail far looser than Alamonium's. A pair of sais were in her hands, while a long sword in its sheath was strapped to her back. "This is Cairo, a ninja from one of our Black Ops: South branches. She is an expert in killing quietly and moving without detection in any environment; despite that, however, she is a hyperactive, temperamental pain in the butt when not on a mission, meaning she has destroyed a few Navy bases in arguments with other Navy officials over trivial matters. In fact, the only reason she hasn't been liquidated yet is because of Alamonium's interference and the discipline Raven and Nicone have often beaten into her. In spite of the beatings, however, she is fiercely loyal to the crew, often taking punishment rather than let them protect her at cost to themselves."
The next face was of a white-haired beauty dressed in browns and greens; her tanned skin reflected her beauty, as did the clothing she wore, which, while not as skin-tight as Cairo's, was definitely not hiding much. She was staring reflectively at her hand, which was half-human, half-bird; feathers were strewn across her skin, while glints of brown feather could be glimpsed in her hair if one squinted. "This is Cassandra L'falc, a woman with the power of the Bird-Bird Fruit, Sparrow-Style. She may not look it, but she is not only a skilled doctor, she also has four knives hidden on her person that she has been known to use in taking out a Sea King, two mermen in a brawl over possession of her and even a small town of pirates. She is one of the less loyal of the crew to Alamonium, but she still refuses to work directly for us or take command of the crew. Our estimation is that this is due to a reclusive independence she developed from childhood, when her mother and father were killed by a Marine barrage."
Another picture; this time of an old, decrepit-looking man staring down the sight of a rifle. "This is Daniel Williams, also known as Smilin' Dan for the way he squints when performing a difficult shot. He is an expert sniper and a master of gauging all factors involved with shooting. He's been known to hit a mouse that had been nibbling at his tobacco from two miles away through a sandstorm; incidentally, he is also the grandfather of Alamonium. He hates the World Government for what he views as our blackmail of his granddaughter into joining us; we used his and his wife's diseases to our advantage in our recruitment of Alamonium, which we later healed completely. In spite of that, however, he has never forgiven the World Government. Fortunately, due to his loyalty to his granddaughter, he has not taken a single action against us outside of verbally abusing anyone we send down there. For some reason, he no longer insults our man inside, which we believe may be a sign of his acceptance in the crew."
The page turned again, revealing a tall, broad-shouldered man with chiseled features, muscular body, blonde hair and piercing blue eyes saluting in front of a World Government flag. He was dressed sharply in a Marine Lieutenant's uniform, a sword at his waist and a rifle on his back. "This is Lieutenant Chisholm Darik, our liaison with Deadbone. An expert fighter with both sword and rifle, he is most decidedly disloyal to Alamonium, although his attempts to gain control of the crew were met each time with passive resistance on the part of the others. He has been ordered to stand down as of four weeks ago, when we received a message through him from Raven informing us that he would not appreciate any further intrusion into his captain's authority."
"What, and you're just gonna take that? We're the World Government, for crying out loud!"
The captain looked across the table at the governor that had spoken, his expression blank. "You'll understand a little more once I profile him."
The page turned, revealing a massive woman of about seventy glaring from over a griddle of waffles, a rolling pin in her hand as she rears back to smack whoever was taking the picture. "This is Larissa Williams, wife of Smilin' Dan and the ship's cook. In spite of her expression in this picture, she is a generally friendly woman, highly hospitable to anyone who comes to her kitchen and willing to give anyone a hot meal and some baked goods of one form or another. She seems to be the emotional central pillar of the crew, often hearing out their inner problems while feeding them cookies; because of this, not even Lieutenant Darik will do anything that might endanger her. Unlike her husband, she harbors no hatred of us because of what we may or may not have done; she simply cooks and listens. On the two occasions that we actually heard of her losing her temper, however, she is known to have sunk a ship and wiped out a Marine base using a skillet and ladle. She has incredible power in her limbs, while all that fat is actually muscle fully capable of absorbing and insane amount of blows."
The captain smiled darkly as the page turned. "And now we come to the two most dangerous members of the crew; 'Bladeheel' Nicone and Raven. They are considered to be threats due to a combination of intelligence, power and disloyalty to the World Government as well as a fierce loyalty to Alamonium."
The first picture was of a girl staring murderously out from the paper, the sheer intent to kill as well as the cunning to find a way to do it causing most of the room to unconsciously lean away from her. "This is Nicone, nicknamed 'Bladeheel' after she used her feet to cut an iron pillar in half in a fight against three pirate crews. She has the power of the Stomp-Stomp fruit, which turns everything below her knees into weapons impervious to pain and other weapons and enhances the power of the musculature there to beyond-imaginable possibilities. Along with Raven and Alamonium, she was one of the original Pirates of Doom and is Deadbone's navigator, giving her intelligence to back up her power. She is fiercely loyal to Alamonium, but doesn't have the sheer brainpower to quite know what to do with it. Not like the final member."
As the page began turning, the captain looked up at the group. "All that you have heard is to be considered for your consideration only. What I am about to say is to be considered Top-Secret and treason against the World Government if it is leaked."
As the picture came into view, the room seemed to inhale collectively; staring out from beneath an oddly-pointed helmet was a pair of glowing red eyes that seemed to reach for their very souls even through paper. That was all that could be seen of the man labeled on the picture as Raven.
"This is the man once known as Argyle Finch and Gargoyle; he has since abandoned those names save for use within his crew and simply goes by the title Raven. He was once a Sea Devil of incalculable power and the man who defeated both of the Sea Titans and their underlings, the Sea Gods, and killed vast numbers of Sea Devils and semidevils out in the Sea Devil Battlefields, but abandoned his powers for reasons unknown, although we believe his loyalty to Alamonium may have had something to do with it. Despite his loss of power, however, he is still a force to be reckoned with. With his deific powers gone, he has reverted to his original fighting skills and powers that he had before he turned into a Sea Devil and has honed them to such a length that he can easily be considered the match of almost any member of the Navy, up to and including the Vice-Admirals. His techniques have not been seen by any of our spies, as he moves too fast for them to follow, but Lieutenant Darik reports that his speed is part of the technique, called Death Raven, and that it employs every muscle in his body. The helmet you see on his head is part of a larger set of armor that he found somewhere yet to be determined; the entire thing is constructed of Sea Stone, which is used to weaken Devil Fruit users in confinement, and weighs roughly five hundred pounds."
"That's impossible."
"Impossible or not, the facts remain that he is extraordinarily dangerous physically. As to his mind, he has the experiences of centuries of combat as a Sea Devil in the Gorgon Armies; this has honed his strategic and tactical prowess to incredible heights. He is the one who plans out the missions most of the time, along with Nicone, and he has been known to even pull missions that call for a full fleet of ships on his own when he believed his team needs a rest. All ingoing and outgoing communications for Deadbone go through him, allowing him to decide what the team can or cannot do; beyond that, he has essentially taken the task of safeguarding the crew while they're resting on himself, meaning all of the spies we've sent and all the assassins other groups have sent have been returned in pieces and with warning notes attached to them."
"He was known to lose his temper as a Sea Devil, but that has since been declared a by-product of his powers; since losing them, he has shown incredible discipline in this regard, never letting his emotions get in the way of his rational mind. Every decision he makes, however, has two basis which everything else is worked from: the effect on his group and the effect on his captain. Everything else is subsidiary, even the effect the decision might make on his own body. His loyalty to Alamonium is still under review, as there is nothing in their history together that suggests why he would remain under her in spite of his clear superiority to her in almost every regard, but it is not to be questioned; he has mercilessly killed everyone we've sent to try and lure him away from her."
"The final point that should be noted is that he also has some sort of power involving shadows. We have yet to confirm it, but that red glow you see in his eyes is a sign of that power being used, according to our sources. It has been said that he simply erased a Marine fleet that accidentally started shooting at him using that power, while every other incident has revealed nothing further save that prolonged usage seems to slow down his speed by a minute fraction."
As he looked up, Aokiji opened his eyes. "And you plan on sending these against the Straw Hats?"
"Yes. We believe that they stand the best chance of dealing with the pirates. Granted, they aren't anywhere near as effective a team as the Straw Hats, but they are individually equal to or superior to their counterparts on the Thousand Sunny." The page turned to show a matchup of the two crews. "Alamonium, while not as experienced as Luffy, is perfectly capable of holding her own against him. Nicone should be able to defeat Sanji quickly, while Raven will be the perfect match against Zoro. Smilin' Dan will be able to shoot further than Usopp, giving him the advantage, while Lieutenant Darik will be able to deal with Chopper and Larissa Williams is more than a match for Nami. The closest fight will be between Cairo and Nico Robin; whether the ninja can hit the woman before the other does her in or if she fails will determine the course of battle, as Nico Robin would be able to turn any one of the previously-mentioned fights. In essence, the entire battle could be decided by a single fight."
"Not really."
The room turned to the aide that had been standing behind Aokiji quietly up to that point; smiling, the man took off his hat and brushed it off as he spoke.
"You're all too old-fashioned; all we hafta do is have Smilin' Dan shoot as many as he can before they strike back, then we separate them and hit them with everything we got. If it comes down to a one-on-one fight, well..." He put his hat back on. "Heck, I think even the good Lieutenant will find them an easy challenge. They're just a buncha kids, after all."
The captain was sweating as spoke, causing several people to raise their eyebrows at his reaction. "Don't underestimate them; every one that's done that has died."
"You misunderstand." The man raised his head enough for his eyes to stare down the captain's. "I didn't say they'd be weak; it's just that we're so much stronger."
Turning, he walked slowly around the table, every man he passed feeling a chill crawl down his spine for no particular reason. As he reached the door, the two captains standing there barred his way and one reached to push him away. "Hey, you, you've disrespected the-"
Before he could finish, he found himself staring in shock at the hand plunged through his chest and out the other side, his heart held in its grip. As the man retracted his hand, holding the heart in his grip as he regarded it thoughtfully, the captain sank to the floor and died. The other one attempted to step back, then the man's other hand was through his chest.
Turning as the captain sank to join his comrade in death, the man smiled as he fingered the hearts in his hands. "Would it make you feel better if I told you that I could kill the entire crew in their sleep before they even knew what hit them?"
"Raven! Stand down!"
The entire room jerked as the captain who had been briefing them slammed his hands down on the table in front of him, his expression panicked. "Return to your quarters and await your next orders!"
"You mean assignment." The man's eyes were cold as he reached down and placed the hearts on the table and then straightened back up. "I take no orders from anyone but my captain."
The entire room held its breath as he calmly stepped over the bodies and out the door, where the guards there challenged him and his blood-stained arms. They all winced as two more bodies hit the ground, then exhaled slowly as the outer door was opened and the slow footsteps meandered away. Turning to Aokiji, the captain stared at him. "Sir, what possessed you to bring him to this meeting?! Are you insane?!"
Aokiji picked his nose. "He promised he wouldn't do anything unless challenged. As you can see, he was true to his word. He simply wanted to see who he should begin training the crew for next, something, as you well know, he's done since the beginning." His dark eyes came up with a glint of anger. "And now, captain, you may conclude this briefing. Preferably now, because I'm bored."
The captain swallowed at the inherent threat behind the words and nodded. "Unless anyone has any objections, I will assign Deadbone to the Straw Hat issue and we will adjourn for the day."
There were no objections. As he ordered two of his subalterns to come down from the easel's top and clean up the mess as the room cleared out, he mopped at his forehead.
Another day, another life-threatening moment in the life of the Black Ops Division.