Don't own One Piece, Rurouni Kenshin, Gintama or Samurai Jack

Night of the Phantom's Cry

"Boss! Boss!" One of the students of Bato's Dojo rushed into the main room. "Some of the guys said they saw someone heading this way, really fast!"

A man with a long black poynytail, dressed in gray armor with a zanbatō on his back sat up from his drink and discussion and stared at the man who interrupted. "Is it one of those punks from the ball-less dojo?" He smirked, earning a laugh for his pun from a few of his peers.

"No, it's someone new, although some of the guys recognized him from around town, I have no clue where this guy is from, they think he's some kind of pirate come to raid us and get the girl we took back." The man looked panicked as he whiped his brow.

The man with the horse-slayer narrowed his eyes at the panicked man. "Why are you so nervous? Do you have that little faith in your own dojo?"

"No sir, it's just that…" He was cut off as the other man wrapped a firm hand around his neck, lifting him clear off his feet with the single hand.

"If you are not confident in your own dojo, if you cannot give it your unquestioning respect… THEN GET OUT!" He threw the man clear across the room and through the next wall, letting him skid just outside the dojo walls, groaning, bruised and unmoving. The man who had thrown him looked around the room as the other students watched him in a stunned silence. "Well!? What are you all looking at!? When this guy comes, we'll handle him and teach him not to mess with our dojo!"

An older man dressed in a black kimono decorated with dead branches entered slowly, most likely curious as to all the noise. "We might not even need to." He chuckled.

"K-Kenichi-sensei…" The man with the zanbatō bowed to the newcomer.

The old man grinned wickedly. "From what that man you took care of said, I'd say this person was either a government elite, or a person who has eaten of the devil's fruit. Since I doubt the World Government has betrayed us, I'd go with the latter. Since he has eaten of the fruit which the sea curses, he will be unable to cross the Do Jong river that separates our dojo and the Bladeless Dojo without a boat, and once he tries to enter a boat, it will be cut down by our river guardian." He smirked and watched as his students laughed as well.

"Yes sensei." The zanbatō-wielding man lowered his head.

"If he should somehow make his way here, then you have my permission to use ever student of the dojo to deal with him, show pirates and our rival dojo alike that we are not to be trifled with." Kenichi turned and went back to his room.

"It will be done, sensei." The other grinned.

--

DJ crossed the vast plain between the Bladeless Dojo and Bato's Dojo much more quickly than would normally be possible thanks to his super-speed, but his will to save someone close to him also urged him on further. 'Don't worry Karen-dono, I won't let you die! I promised that I would never let another person die because of my weakness as long as I could help them, and I intend to keep that promise!' He thought to himself. He snapped out of his thoughts as he noted that he was heading to a stretch of water that appeared to be a river that lead right into the ocean. He knew this as the Do Jong river that went all the way across the island, normally he and Karen would ferry across it to get to town or go on errands on the other side of the island, but he didn't have that kind of luxury of time right now, so he urged his feet faster, increasing his speed and hoping to hit the water running.

"Haven't tried this trick yet… hope it works!" He muttered to himself as his feet hit the water, but because of the speed he was traveling at, he stayed on top of the water, not stopping for a second to sink.

"HALT! I am the river guardian of Bato's Dojo, Kawa Kouken!" A man stood on the other side of the river, a long spear-like sword in his arms.

"Sorry man, I can't stop now! I got places to go and people to see!" DJ grinned as he continued to run along the water, feeling himself sinking slowly. "Shit, this trick isn't going to last much longer, better hurry it up…" He said to himself, picking up his speed as he ran closer to the river guardian.

"I SAID STOP!" The man readied his sword and prepared to strike, thrusting it in DJ's direction as he approached.

"ROUGH DIVIDE!" DJ ran and jumped off the water just before he would have sunk, swinging his sword upward as he did, splitting the water and making a long column with the strike before falling down on his feet behind the river guardian, sighing. "I'm sorry, but like I said, I have more important things to do tonight." He whispered as a long red vertical cut appeared on the river guardian's torso from the uppercut attack.

"D-Damn you…" Kawa gasped before he fell over into the river, injured but still alive.

"Heh, if I had a hundred beli for every time I heard that…" DJ smirked and continued running across the plains, feeling the wind pick up.

--

"Bato-san! We have confirmation that the pirate has crossed the Do Jong!" One of the students shouted to the man with the zanbatō.

The man with the large sword growled and shouted. "Prepare every student and and arm everyone! We'll rip him apart as an example of those who oppose us!"

"Aye!" The other students nodded. One chuckling, "I feel sorry for this pirate, there are over one-hundred and fifty students currently employed here."

"Well then, that'll show him and any other pirates who dare try to cross us. That other dojo will fall tonight when we blackmail the old man with his grandaughter and force them to close down, then our control over the island will be absolute, and our alliance with the World Government will be strengthend." Another grinned.

--

"I issue a challenge!" DJ shouted, finding himself outside Bato's Dojo. He heard rustling inside and shouted louder. "I am issuing a challenge for the marquee of this dojo! Will you come out and face me, or are you cowards!?"

"That's a bold claim." The man with the zanbatō stepped out of the dojo, quickly followed by many other students until they formed a small army outside the dojo. "None of us at Bato's Dojo are cowards, allow me to introduce myself, I am Bato of the zanbatō, also known as the head student and namesake of Bato's Dojo! And you are?"

"Pissed off, I'm not here for formalities." DJ spat.

"I see, all you want is to challenge our marquee then?" Bato questioned, pulling his large zanbatō from his back and holding it one-haned out in front of him.

"Not only, but I figured while I'm here I might as well humiliate the cowards who are weak enough to shamelessly kidnap a woman by taking their symbol. The main reason I'm here is the woman you took earlier today, give her back! Give Karen-dono back!"

Bato laughed heartily at his claim. "I see, so you're coming to rescue the damsel eh? How pathetic, she's dead, we used her up then killed her." He laughed. "We were gonna let that old man pay us before telling him what we did and then killing him too!" The head student watched the pirate closely, spinning his heavy weapon in his hand.

"U-Used her?" DJ's eyes narrowed and he growled low in his throat. "What the hell is that supposed to mean!?" He roared.

"Oh, so you need a lesson little boy?" Bato laughed again, clearly enjoying egging the boy on. "It's one of the few things women are good for, she was really quite good at it, best I've had in a long time." He chuckled darkly to himself. "She broke mentally though, she wass quite weak."

DJ's hands shook as he clenched them till his knuckles turned white, his whole body shaking with rage as the wind continued to howl, sounding like a cry in the night. "You…"

Bato grinned, deciding to push the boy a little more before killing him. "That's right, and once she was all broken and useless, I ended her misery with this." He held up his zanbatō. "She was really pathe-"

"SHUT UP!" DJ roared, taking out his katana, the wind whipping through his hair. "Karen-dono is not weak! She braved the death of her parents and still dedicated her life to helping others, she was much stornger than you, than either of us!" He swung his sword, letting out an ear-piecrcing howl-like roar that seemed to boom across the entire island. The most surprising thing was that the wind that had blown violently until that moment seemed to stand still after the shout filled the air, a shockwave following it but a stillness coming soon after the noise.

"D-Did he just stop the wind… with a scream?" One of the students asked frightened.

"N-No, that's impossible… it's a coincidence…" Bato gripped his weapon tighter.

--

Gin blinked as he stood on top of the roof of the Bladless Dojo, surprised at what seemed to be going on. "What is this feeling I'm having… First a scream, then the wind mysteriously just stops like that… what the hell is he doing over there…?"

He heard the familiar clacking of Sakata's wooden sandals and turned around to see the dojo master standing behind him, looking in the same direction where the sound from before came from. "I haven't seen this power in a long time, it's quite rare. The air is entirely still, as if nature itself is silenced by the howl of determination that was let loose."

The bokuto user raised a brow to his sensei and looked outwards again. "What power Sakata-sensei?"

"Ki-hap…"

"Ki-hap?"

Sakata nodded. "It means a concentration of will, it's like a brother to the spiritual energy that I possess. While Spiritual Energy is concentrated in the eyes and an additional power based on prerequisites that one already has in strength and experience, Ki-hap by contrast is a supplementary power that amplifies what is given without adding anything special and is focused in the mouth."

"Huh?"

"Yelling makes him stronger."

"Ah, so his voice gives him super strength? That's fricken awesome Sakata-sensei." Gin laughed, watching the horizon still.

"Ki-hap is a very intriguing power, it gives super determination that cannot be learned nor can one be born with it, it just sort of… happens." Sakata continued his description. "The ability can subconciously allow the person to withstand inhuman amounts of pain and temporarily increase strength as long as the person is focused on a single goal, it's much harder to track than Spiritual Energy and doesn't really 'turn off' or 'turn on' but it is always there on some level and fluctuates, helping the user to gain strength and focus. But it's not without it's price."

"What's the price, sensei?" Gin asked, knowing almost nothing about the power he was talking about.

"Ki-hap takes all of the user's ki and transfers it into determination, meaning that all the kinds of ki for other uses would be inaccessible. In short, in exchange for this condition of super-determination, the user will never be able to use their ki as battle energy, or if they did it would be in very little amounts. This can be compensated for, but it's a kick in the shorts still." Sakata laughed softly. "DJ-kun won't be able to use his ki but he has gained something perhaps more valuable, a focus beyond that of normal humans and an ability to become stronger through failure and trail because of that, it's less flashy but quite admirable. Something must have happened in his past in order for him to subconsciously block off his ki and direct it towards one goal, I have a feeling the spiritual journey he just went on back here unlocked that dormant power from his determination. It rarely shows an outward appearance like the one of stopping the wind here, but like Spiritual Energy it does have a certain amount of effect on the outside world, although with more of an effect of defending the person and accomplishing their goals, forcing certain things to its will, such as the wind, but mostly it's just shown as a determination character trait. However, now that it's been unlocked on DJ-kun, I doubt I will be able to use my Spiritual Energy on him anymore, Ki-hap counters Haki very well because of the determination instilled of the user and the Ki-hap users can resist the use of Haki much better than most people and are less likely to fall under the influence of stronger Spiritual Energy. Many people who carry the letter D. in thier name use this power of Ki-hap on some level without knowing it, however with thier lineage they are able to use it without sacrificing thier battle ki."

Gin smirked and nodded. "Sounds like a good tool for him to be able to use."

Sakata nodded as well. "Yes, however in my opinion that's not the greatest attribute of his. Nor is his Devil Fruit. What surprises me is not the speed of his body, but the speed of his growth. He's learned things in days that took me weeks or even months to learn, that combined with his Ki-hap to make sure he never gives up on his training and trains extra hard… he could become an extremely powerful swordsman, greater than me even in a few years time. He's a rookie now but he has tremendous, almost scary potential power."

"How do you know so much about Ki-hap Sakata-sensei?" Gin yawned, already bored from his teacher's long speech.

"My own sensei from the New World, Mo Gong, had the power of Ki-hap and it ended up being his downfall." Sakata lowered his head. "He was so focused on protecting someone close to him, so determined to protect them because of that power, that he sacrificed his own life to ensure that that person would be safe…"

Gin looked at him for a second before nodding. "I understand Sakata-sensei, it's not your fault, at least his wish was fulfilled, you're still alive." The sugar-fiend smiled warmly.

"Yeah, come on, we've got something to do…" Sakata walked back downstairs.

--

DJ glared at Bato, still enraged from insults before. The latter looked frightened from the expression of power from the boy, but he still put on a sense of bravado. "That was quite a scream kid, reminds me of how that girl screamed…" He smirked. "Over and over again!" He laughed, watching DJ tighten his grip on his katana. "No sense in fighting over a dead useless woman, but if you want to take our marquee, then I suggest you come at me, that is if you can get through the rest of the students here!" He gestured to the crowd of people in front of him, all of who still looked unnerved.

"SHUT UP!" DJ disappeared from their sight, dashing through the crowd of students, moving too fast for them to even swing at him, eyes locked on the zanbatō user.

"That's it!" Bato gripped the handle of his weapon, swinging it as the speedy swordsman approached.

"NEVER SPEAK AGAIN!" DJ shouted, swinging his katana while passing harmlessly by Bato's zanbatō, standing behind him for a moment, suddenly calmer but no less fierece, cold eyes turned to the head student. "Someone with a slow heavy blade like that could never defeat me." He glared at the unmoving student.

"B-Bato-san, are you okay?" A nearby student asked, eyes wide.

Before anyone could say anything else, Bato's neck errupted in blood, the zanbatō wielder fell to his knees, eyes wide with surprise. He mouthed 'how?' but no sound came out other than the gurgling of his blood.

"I got tired of hearing his disgusting voice, so I cut his vocal cords." DJ stared coldly at him, his katana at his side, dripping with Bato's blood.

"B-Bato-san!" Another student called before Bato's head suddenly fell from his shoulders on it's own weight.

"I guess I cut too deep, not like he was thinking with that head to begin with." DJ stated cooly, scanning the frightened eyes of the rest of Bato's students.

"H-He killed Bato-san with one strike and didn't get a scratch on him!" One of the students shouted.

"Hey… we didn't touch the girl, the boss was just trying to piss you off, I swear! She's inside and unharmed, I promise!" Another student was cut of as a large gash appeared on his chest.

"You all have done something unforgiveable… I can't forgive any of you!" The speedy swordsman watched the student fall to the ground unmoving before speeding through the crowd again, swinging his sword and taking out person after person as soon as they grabbed their weapons. "I am not a coward like you, I will not attack an unarmed opponent, if you don't wish to die then lay down your weapons and…" He gasped, suddenly feeling weary as he cleared the other side of the crowd, ending where he started when he first arrived at the dojo, panting. "W-What's wrong with me… why did I do that just now… and why do I feel so worn out?" He panted.

"Swordsman!" An elderly voice called out, DJ turned to see an old man in a black kimono holding Karen with a katana at her throat. "You took out my best student and a handful of others, so how about I kill your little girlfriend here to make things even? One false move and she dies!"

"So you're Kenichi Suskohein, the dojo master for this dojo." DJ nodded, panting. The sudden burst of energy he had was gone and he felt exhausted, he couldn't get to Karen before Kenichi could kill her at the distance they were from each other, even with his speed.

"That's right, I am the dojo master. Now do the smart thing and lay down your sword…" Kenichi grinned, holding his weapon closer to Karen's neck, causing the girl to yelp lightly.

"Bato got what he deserved, I don't know where that power came from just now, but that focus was still against evil and trying to get Karen back. Fine… I surrender…" DJ knelt and stuck the tip of his sword into the ground, giving in to protect Karen.

"Send your sword over here." Kenichi commanded, watching DJ sheathe his katana and toss it away into the crowd. "Dumb move, now we can kill you and the girl!" He laughed wickedly, tightening his hold on Karen. Before he could do anything though, a cry went through the air.

"SUGAR RUSH SLAMMER!" A white blur sped through the crowd, hitting Kenichi square in the face and sending him flying into his own dojo. Next another blur came and struck the student holding DJ's katana, tossing it back to him, the two figures converged in front of DJ, weapons at the ready.

"What's wrong Macleod? Giving up already? You'll never become strong enough to fulfill that promise to your sister if you give up so easily." Gin grinned, holding Karen in one arm and his bokuto in the other.

Jack grinned, tightening his grip on his rectangular sword. "Sakata-sensei thought you might have trouble controlling that new power of yours, but luckily we're here now."

DJ's eyes widened. "Gin-sempai… Jack-sempai…"

The sound of wooden sandals clacking on dirt made DJ turn around to see Sakata standing behind him, hand on the sword at his hip. "Glad you're alright DJ-kun. Now… prepare to feel the wrath of the Bladeless Dojo you cowards!"

--

Well there's that folks! Hope I explained my idea for Ki-hap sufficiently, basically it's a super determination that manifests itself outwardly in a shockwave-like scream at its peak but is always in effect and counters Haki because of the resistance of determination. But if anyone has any questions on it or anything else or wants to use it, just let me know! The name is taken from the word used for the "yell" that martial artists do to empty thier diaphragms and make thier attacks stronger, that's why I based the technique a defensive version of Haki centered in the mouth. Hope I didn't dig myself into a hole or anything, next time we get to see the Bladeless Dojo Samurai in action against the remaining students of Bato's Dojo, tune in!

Gin: How many do you think there are?

Karen: I'm not a damsel anymore… now I can fight!

DJ: Jack can fly!?

Sakata: It's time we settle this Kenichi…

DJ: So that's Sakata-sensei's sword…

Wrath of the Samurai

??: You've caused quite a mess here, old friend…