Hey guys! Thanks for the recent bump in review, although this week I simply forgot to update it by Friday, my bad! So anyways, the plot's going to thicken a lot by this point, Odd-Jobs will be soon heading to Alabasta, and Sougo will be heading to Drum Island. Also, I got several concerns about power differences (like Shanks vs. Takasugi), and here's how I've decided to handle it.
Takasugi and Gitnoki are not afraid to use whatever resource or trick necessary to win a fight, so to me, if major One Piece characters were concerned about something else during the fight (like Shanks with his child), it's not far out to consider a loss. It's not that I think One Piece characters are weak (definitely not!), but I try to take into account just how clever each character is compared to Gintoki and Takasugi, as well as the other Gintama characters being pitted against One Piece characters.
Anyways, if you have any other concerns, let me know! Read, review, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Gintama or One Piece
The wind blew, rustling the kimonos of the two men; the waves crashed against the dock, and the smell of sea water invaded their hair. Smoking his pipe, Takasugi smoked. "Somehow…I'm not surprised. You always were good at sticking that perm of yours into matters at their most delicate stages."
"Talking cliché lines isn't going to get you out of this. What the hell are you doing here, Takasugi?" Gintoki narrowed his eyes.
"I could easily ask you the same thing. We invited the Shinsengumi, not you." He smoked.
"The Shinsengumi? The tax robbers are here?" Gintoki repeated. "Great. That means I have to deal with Gorilla, Mayora, and perverted sadist bastard. Thought I had a few days away from them getting mushy."
"What are you even doing here, Shiroyasa?" He asked.
"Don't call me that, bastard." Gintoki growled. "Now tell me what you're doing here."
"Completing a business transaction, what about you?" The purple man answered.
"Same here actually. Got hired to find a One Piece treasure by the baka prince. You?" Gintoki demanded.
"Tch. You always were to follow legends, I assume you're here for the Pirate's Eye Diamond." Takasugi smirked at Gintoki's reaction. "It's on an island at the start of the Grand Line called Alabasta; the king of that land received it as a gift or another from the Skypians."
"Is that so?" Gintoki frowned when he remembered the two other familiar faces. "If I remember from Souji and Kagura's disgusting confessions of undying love, they said that her bastard bother joined up with you."
"Ah. You ran into him and you're still alive? I guess that means he doesn't consider you worthy to kill yet, not that I blame him." Takasugi puffed and smirked. "So tell me…was his new woman with him?"
Gitnoki pulled out his wooden sword, pointing it straight at Takasugi's throat. "You bastard. You aligned the Harusame and the White-coats with your damned fraction?!"
"Don't act so surprised. It's a recent venture. All three parties have decided that while our interests are in common, we need to do a test of loyalty which is where this universe comes in." Takasugi explained. "You see after the great Marineford war two years ago, as you no-doubt have heard by now, the Navy and World Government have declared Martial Law. The Harusame just landed here one day, the Navy and World Government was introduced to us, and the rest is…history."
"So what are you doing here?" Gintoki demanded. "On this island?!"
"Ah. To prove our loyalty, each party is doing a favor for the Navy to prove our alliance with them. The Mimiwarigumi chose to handle the Warlords, Kamui-san and his assistants are to handle the Yonko, and I am to handle the Revolutionary army." He explained. "Although, the Yonko part was slightly deviated I actually came looking for Monkey D. Dragon on this island, I had no idea the bounty I would come across."
"You made a man choose between his comrades and family. You know I don't put up with that shit Takasugi." Gintoki growled. "What would you idiots possibly have to gain by aligning yourselves with such a pathetic army?"
"Simple- money. In exchange for setting up a three-way purpose conjoined operation base here, we supply the Navy and World Government with weapons. Necessary to wipe out any pirate threat; this storm has been around for two years Gintoki, it's time it reached its climax." Takasugi explained. "The pirates and Revolutionaries will soon be wiped out; regardless if One Piece is real or not, the Pirate dream will be destroyed."
"Don't laugh manically now." Gintoki frowned. "So what do you hope to gain by staying on this island?"
"Oh. I'm just exploring for fun; I heard these nobles allowed a small child to die in a fishing boat in these waters. In this world, exists are people called 'Tenryubito', they're essentially the world's royalty and the facades the World government uses as cover. Due to their supreme 'authority' he shot the small fishing boat to hell with a bazooka. Seems as though this world is no different than the world Shouyo-sensei left behind." SWIPE! Takasugi landed behind Gintoki, a hand above his own sword.
"Shouyo-sensei left it to his students to preserve the world and allow to grow and learn from its own mistakes. I reuse to allow you to destroy that." Gintoki wasn't facing the other man, and he ignored the splintered remnants of the par to the dock Takasuig had stood on. "Now stop pussy-footing around, and tell me what you're here for."
"Well I can't come back empty-handed." Taksugi smirked, drawing his own sword. "While I couldn't bring back the Revolutionary head…how thrilled do you believe my new partners will be when I present Red-Haired's heir to them?"
FLASH! STRIKE! There was no rain, but the lightning was enough to signal Gintoki's rage. "Takasugi…don't make me destroy the entire island."
"Hehe…" Tapping his pipe, he put his sword away. "That's fine; I want Dragon's head, and bringing an infant, regardless of who it's related to, it won't be any personal merit. Besides…Red-Haired was never my target to begin with, and any more time here is a waste." Walking past his former comrade, he stepped into a dingy with a random marine, who seemed to be waiting for him. He was a pale boy, with pink hair with an x-shaped scar. "Take me to next post."
"Hai." The pink haired boy spared one look at Gintoki, before setting the speed boat and setting off.
Gintoki sighed, and turned back towards the twon, seeing Kagura and Shinpachi cut out whatever explosives Takasugi had setup. Looking to the sand on the beach, he frowned when he noticed the technology, they could only have come from one place. Technologically remote or not, he knew Harusame merchandise when he saw it. Running a hand through his perm, Gintoki sighed in agitation. "Damn it. Just how the hell am I supposed to ignore this?!"
With CP9
"So that's what's going on, huh?" Sougo sighed. "The Mimiwarigumi has combined with the Harusame, and what's more…that Takasugi-bastard is involved in this little party. Gotta say…I don't like it. When exactly was contact established?"
"About a month ago is to our best estimate. From what we understand, it was just a random encounter by the Harusame…their leader was looking to fight the world's strongest fighter, which in are case is Whitebeard." Kalifa explained.
"So what happened?" The officer asked.
"Whitebeard and the Strawhat crews have been careful to avoid the Navy and World Government forces ever since the war two years ago. Whitebeard had suffered a severe heart hemorrhage, and has been fairly inactive since. Fire Fist had a hole burned through his chest by Admiral Akainu, and Strawhat had received a nasty scar upon his frame. Essentially, Whitebeard is in the process of training his first mate, Marco the Phoenix, to take over his crew after he passes." Kalifa further explained.
"I see. But because neither pirate crew has been spotted in years, the government here was getting antsy and jumped when the opportunity presents itself. Amusing. So what does that have to do with bringing the cronies out of retirement?" Sougo asked.
"After it was determined that Trafalgar Law had had contact with Strawhat recently, he relinquished his status as a Shichbukai, and Crocodile was brought in. After Blackbeard relinquished his title, Gecko Moria had taken his place back. The Shichibukai are too important of roles to trust to amateurs or questionable allies, so the World government made the decision to return the Shichibukai to its former holders." Kalifa explained.
"And it make things clearer…why's this Fleet Admiral Sengoku, out of retirement?" The bishonunen asked.
"Simple. After the war was over, the Navy and World Government panicked and decided that it was best that Sengoku withheld his withdrawal from the Navy. He had wanted to resign due the shame of failure, but dire circumstances had won over morality. Although I'm more disappointed in the World Government's choice of Sengoku-san's successor." Kaku explained.
"Who's the successor?" Okita raised an eyebrow.
"Admiral Akainu…a ruthless upholder of Absolute Justice, the Navy's moral code and the philosophy of the World Government. Akainu believes in totalitarian control, no room for freedom in that mindset." Kaku explained.
"Huh? Sounds like he's compensating for bedroom issues." Sougo shrugged. "You saying there's someone better for the job?"
"Eh. Admiral Aokiji." Lucci spoke up from the corner. He eyed the Shinsngumi officer suspiciously. "You said there are two others who came with you for a conference with the World Government?"
"Yeah. We're supposed to do a merger with them or something." Sougo shrugged.
"Well you should know it's a trap. The plan was to lure you and your comrades here to be killed; then Isaboro-san would take over, and would force the Shinsengumi into a legitimate deal with the Harusame pirates you mentioned." Lucci explained. "The plan was to bump off the current hierarchy, nothing more."
"I see." Sougo frowned, it made sense considering. "So what does that have to do with the merging of worlds per say?"
"The World Government not only gets the weapons, but the Harusame and your other enemies get the Tenryubito's devil fruit stash in exchange, but…they plan to rule both worlds." Sougo's eyes widened at Lucci's words. "That's right, they plan to make Absolute Justice a way of life."
Frowning, Sougo stood up. "Sounds like you got some sort of plan…and I plan to live through this. What do you have in mind?"
"First we need to find tow things: this Odd-Jobs group that came separately from you." Jabra spoke up.
"Obviously." Sougo smirked, hiding his relief. "China would be a huge asset-"
"No. We need to find someone else first." Kalifa argued.
"Who?" Sougo sent a deadly glare at the blonde. Now that he knew the full gravity of the situation, he definitely didn't like the sound of his lover out in these waters without him.
"If this coup' is going to work, we need all the necessary pieces. We need to find the rightful successor, we need to find Admiral Aokiji."
At Dawn Island
Gintoki sighed, slurping his Strawberry milk up greedily, man it had been a long day. After finally dismantling all the traps, Odd-Jobs called it a day and went home. Not before pouring horse manure all over everyone's front porches…and perhaps balconies. The point was, the threat was evaded and he could slightly kick back. Now the only problem was…how was he going to deal with a problem as whole? Just what the hell was Takasugi doing here?!
"Hey." Turning around, he saw the infamous Red-Haired captain. The man was still on crutches, but he'd be fine. "The youngins told me what you did for me and my family…thank you."
"Don't mention it; no brat should become spoiled without the bad upbringing os his parents." Gintoki sighed. "I should be apologizing. Takasugi's a bastard, and he really would've done what he had said he'd do any more. You and your men acted quick enough, and for that you're alive."
"So…you know this man?" Shanks clarified. Frowning at the annoyed aura coming from the samurai, Shanks sat down beside him and took out a bottle. "Have a drink with me."
"Why not?" Gintoki shrugged. "Sounds like you and crazy-man Blarp know more than you told me. You can tell me the details after the repetition of the moment ends, but for now, just tell me what I need to do…who do I need to find to stop whatever plot's going on?
"Not that simple mate." Shanks sighed. "The World Government brought in other-wordlies like you. Some even had the nerve to call themselves pirates, I'm sure Garp-san told you that."
"Eh. So we have a bunch of white-coat officers, a terrorist group, and a giant hoard of space pirates. Anything else?" Gintoki sighed.
"None that I can think of. Garp-san said you…might be willing to help. He heard through the Navy network what you've been doing on the East Blue, and we figured you to be part of the resistence. Don't know who hired yah or why, but thanks none the less!" Shanks smiled.
"You don't need to sweet-talk me in a creepy manner, I've already decided to help." Gintoki took a swig of the bottle. "It's not my planet but…I'll be damned if I let Takasugi win."
"Not that simple mate, you have to dismantle the deal he's got with the World Government and Navy. And me and my crew formed a plan with Garp if you're up for it." Shanks offered hopefully.
"Fine. What'll I do?" Gintoki knew there was no getting out of this.
"Okay. First I need to tell you about the Navy itself, there are only several people to pay close attention to, and they're the Fleet Admiral and the two current admirals. The only one you need to worry about is Sengoku's successor." Shanks explained.
"If a guy's named after an era, I can't him seriously, so that won't be a problem. But shouldn't you focus on a way of destabilizing the World government system thingy? Why not aim for the Shichibukai?" Gintoki pointed out.
"Believe me, that comes later. But if you're going to help, we'll have to ask that you keep to our plans accordingly." Shanks frowned.
"And all I wanted to do was find that stinking One Piece treasure! Is that so hard?! Why can't I have simple, straight-forward mission for once?!" Gintoki groaned.
"One Piece?!" Shanks repeated. "You know about One Piece?!"
"Yeah the One Piece treasure; that's why we originally came here to find One Piece." Gintoki explained.
Smirking, Shanks continued. "If that's so…then you'll definitely want to hear this: there's one man you need to focus on, and one man only: Admiral Akainu. The Fleet Admiral's successor."
On a Cipher Pole Ship
Sougo sighed as he stared over the railing; Lucci walked over to join him. "We have deciphered the most likely island Aokiji were to be located on."
"And after this, we look for that permhead; my fiancé's with him." Sougo growled in annoyance at the divergence. "So what's the name of the island we're heading to?"
"Drum Island. Conveniently, the nearest winter island on the Grand Line." Lucci answered.
A Day Later- Dawn Island
The Odd-Jobs crew woke up bright and early, only wonder if they had all been suffering from hangovers; there was no way that what they were seeing was real. They had slept on the floors of Makino's bar, and had woken up before everyone else, so it was only natural to assume they had drank poisoned liquor somehow. In front of them, was what looked a group of about ten mariachi men, plus a masked wrestler. A pirate ship was behind them with a Mexican Jolly-Roger.
"Gin-san, I think we should go back inside, the beach is scary in this world." Shinpachi whispered.
"Don't be ridiculous, Shinpachi what we're seeing is obviously a head-ache induced illusion. Besides, we're on islands, there's no way what we're seeing is real. Geographically speaking there's no way they could be here or know how to drive a ship.
"Gin-chan, their smiles are creeping me out, let me shoot em' dead, uh-huh!" CLICK! Kagura readied her rifle.
"Don't waste your bullets on illusions, Kagura-chan." Gintoki wlaked up to them. "Oi, who are you?"
"Helllllllllllooooooooooooo!" They sang, making the Odd-Jobs group jump back. "Welcome! We are the Amigo Pirates!"
Gintoki stared at them for a minute before turning back to Kagura. "Nevermind Kagura-chan, shoot them dead. Whatever they are, they have obviously risen from hell to make us commit suicide to escape the bad singing."
"Sounds good, uh-huh!" Kagura pointed her umbrella.
"WAIT!" The tallest and most distinguished of the group came out. He was wearing a typical Mexican hat dancer outfit, and wore an obnoxiously large sumbaro. "Please! Allow me to introduce myself, I am Largo, captain of the Amigo pirates. This is my first mate, Corto, and the rest of my crew." He introduced. "We were in the neighborhood, when Vice Admiral Gap gave us a call, he asked if we were heading out towards the Grand Line and we said yes."
"Gin-san, I don't like where this is going." Shinpachi murmured.
"OH YOU'RE HERE!" Garp walked up to the confused group. "Since me or Red-Haired are unable to give you a ride, we diced to arrange something else for your travels! Isn't that right, pirates?"
"YES SIR!" They saluted.
Kagura stared apathetically. "Some pirates; you've been forced to take in some stowaways, at the hands of an insane marine."
"Yeah. Uh Blarp-san…just how far is our destination?" Gintoki had a horrible feeling about this.
"It should take you about a week or two's journey! Don't worry! These guys will keep you plenty entertained!" Garp slapped Gintoki's shoulder.
"Yes! So where to, kind sir?" Largo asked.
"A desert island called Alabasta; you better have sugar on your damned ship." Gintoki twitched.
Review please! For fair warning, the next two chapters are going to be about Sougo, just because I thought it'd be easier to manage that way. An awesome fight between Sougo and Kamui is coming up, so don't miss it! Again, review or PM me for questions, comments, or concerns!