Justice Across Space and Time
Chapter 71
Now for some fights against a handful of demons. As well as setting up for what will be the next story. I meant what I said about not doing the whole everything happens in one year bit. Aside from that though, I'll also be getting into the lead up to the next movie. I still can't believe those are canon after so many other anime movies are non canon. Anyway, on with the show.
(No POV)
After sailing away from Rovina, Jotaro got down to business explaining what the group would likely be facing. With Saphentite linking each ship via magic. "We're likely dealing with imps and a few released sinners that want to cause some kind of trouble. Luckily, we've got ammo and weapons to deal with them."
"So….. do we capture them or what?" Tetsutetsu asked while looking at some of the gear. But Jotaro shot down those ideas by saying, "this isn't hero work. Not really. Besides, death doesn't work the way we're all used to." He notes that entities that die in Hell from it, get absorbed into the spiritual energy and fed back into the world.
His completely straightforward face showed that there was no reason to be uneasy. "You'll all probably want to meet with Hound Dog after this." Jotaro says before asking Shoji to come to the wheel and steer the ship. "Uh right. On it," the former tentacle armed teen said.
Shoji gently felt his mask and how it fit strange now. As well as quietly questioning if he should see if he could keep the changes made. "Don't go there." Jotaro said with his back turned to Shoji. "What do you mean?"
"Oh I think you do. You're thinking about keeping the changes made by the demons. Even if it could cost you." Jotaro turned back slightly with a raised eyebrow. The white haired teen looked down slightly ashamed before asking what he knew and if he had been through something similar.
Jotaro looked out over the sea as the rest of the teens milled about the ship. "More than once. I've thought about trying to change what happened to me and what occurred more than a few times. But each time I thought I could change things or undo what happened, even with something like magic, sooner or later it would still happen. The results though were often….. disaterous."
He took a breath before reminding Shoji of part of why he was trying to be a hero. "I heard a few of your moments waking up from nightmares. You went through figurative Hell because of the world's perception of you. And that is why you fight." Jotaro pats him on the shoulder and notes he has other stories to share if he wanted to talk.
Before Shoji could though, Mineta called out from the crow's nest. "I think I see something! Left side or whatever it is in ship terms!" Izuku and Jotaro each pulled out spyglasses to get a better look.
What Mineta had spotted was a few ships being attacked by small group of ships. "Stay back for now. We'll go in first and deal with the ships." Jotaro said to Selkie and Saphentite. "Hold up. My ship is the one with the most firepower," the sea hero says while having Mick turn the ship to face the group.
"True. But that also means you're the slowest. You've got the power to get the job done, but not the speed. A few well placed shots and we can do some damage." Jotaro reasons before barking out his own orders to the others on the ship.
The lead of which being for Mineta and Aoyama to take up the two long guns at the front of the ship. "Why us?" Aoyama questioned while running to the position. "Because you two are used to ranged combat. Even if it's not perfect, you've have the best instincts and training for it."
The duo gulp before taking up their posts. With Tetsutetsu and Sato helping to adjust the position of the guns. "When do we jump in to fight them!?" Rumi asked while tapping her foot on the deck. And she already had a few weapons in hand.
Jotaro chuckled before saying, "not too long. These two can make the shots count once we get closer. Once in range, we'll give them a broadside. But keep one pirate ship afloat. I need something on it." The rest look at him with some confusion before shrugging and going along.
Mina working with a few to load up the cannons to be ready to fire and for what would come. But during the whole matter, she felt a frustrating twinge in her head at time. 'And I know it's not because of the lack of horns. It's something else,' she thinks before standing by with the others.
With the two ranged fighters though, they were both nervous about having to do this. Though Aoyama was less so. 'I may have had to do something like this at one point. If that monster hadn't been killed,' he thinks while taking aim with the gun and Sato's help.
"Ready to fire!" Mineta announces before an imp appears next to him and hands the short teen a torch. He gulps before looking back to the eldest among them. Who just nods before telling Shoji to be ready to turn.
With a nervous breath out, Aoyama and Mineta take their shots from the bow of the ship. And both cannonballs land on their targets. Aoyama's was a bit lower, but that was him taking aim at the waterline. Causing instant flooding to the lower decks.
Mineta's shot meanwhile landed in a more disastrous point. His shot struck home on the powder reserves of the ship he was aiming at. Causing the whole ship to explode and cause damage to the surrounding vessels. "Whoa," was all he had to while rubbing his eyes.
Jotaro and the others thought the same before telling Shoji to come about so they could make the most of the distraction Mineta provided. "Ready to fire?!" he called out as the others along the starboard side. With their affirmatives given, he tells everyone to fire the broadside.
The attack does enough damage that the remaining pirate vessels were either sunk or crippled. And while he felt an urge to send them all down, (something Mirko was a bit excited to try) he restrained it and had the ship get close to one of the few still floating. "We need something on that ship," he said before telling Mirko and Izuku to come with him.
"Normally I'd be more pissed about how you're talking to me. But given the difference in experience, I'll let it slide. Oh hang on you two." Mirko says before going back into the ship. And then forcing a pair of long coats onto Jotaro and Izuku. Before tossing them both swords and some pistols. "We'll probably need them!"
"Sadly you're probably right. Bring up the sails and take us in slow!" Jotaro says before affixing the blade to his hip. Once they were closer, the trio grabbed a few ropes and swung over to the ship.
There were a few pirates still groaning on the ship from the attack, so Jotaro pulled out a few of the guns and finished them off. "Whoa. Little dark there." Izuku said while following Jotaro into the ship. "It's better in the larger picture. When an entity dies in Heaven or Hell, their essence is "recycled" to help with new lives." Jotaro says before kicking in the door of the captain's quarters.
"I won't go down that easy!" the bloodied (possibly) captain of the ship shouted while charging the trio. Mirko stepped up first and kicked the demon in the head. "Okay, that's not as easy as it usually is. Guess that's to be expected," she said before dodging a bullet from the captain's gun.
Jotaro then steps in and draws the sword on his hip to finish the demon off. "You're gonna have to resist or reject your instincts. They could be used against you or cause more problems," he said before checking the body of the captain. Finding what he was looking for in the crevasses of his coat. "There we go."
He then checks under the desk and pulls out a chest. "Are you seriously going to raid a pirate's treasure?" Izuku asks incredulously. Jotaro gave him a flat look before saying, "no. I'm looking for something far more important."
"And that would be?" Mirko asks with a confused tilt of her head. Upon opening the chest, the two heroes again assumed that Jotaro was going after the treasure that was on the top. But he left that alone and dug deeper to find a smaller chest within.
He smiled before using the other key he took to open the smaller chest. And inside were a set of maps, logbooks, and charts. "Just what I was hoping for," he said with a smile. He then told the other two they were heading back and to sink the ship.
"So what the Hell was the point to attacking that group of pirates?" Selkie asked when the ship Jotaro was on returned to the rest. "We got the treasure we need most of all: information." Jotaro reports before swinging over and informing Saphentite that she should come as well.
Once the captains and other commanders were gathered, Jotaro showed the charts and logs he took from the pirate ship. "Now I get it. Good call on stealing these documents. With these, we'll be able to lock down where they are hiding out." Selkie commended while looking over a few of the maps.
Death Arms though was confused on why the demons wouldn't handle this themselves. "I mean, they are demons and devils right? I'd think they'd like a good fight. Especially those from the Wrath ring." Saphentite speaks up and notes that it wasn't that simple.
"Despite what most think, Hell is actually very rigid and structured in how they organize themselves. Anarchy really doesn't do anyone any good. And since these pirates are sticking to the Sea of Envy, most of the other princes won't or can't get involved."
Selkie and his crew note the likely area where they would find a larger number of their enemies. "They noted around the Wrath ring, but it seems like they've set themselves between the Wrath and Sloth rings especially." Sirius notes while looking over the logbooks.
Orca then acknowledges that it was probably the best situation given what was known about both rings. "The Sloth demons probably wouldn't want to fight, and Wrath they could get more weapons or crew."
"Yeah that's all very interesting but when do we get down to kicking their asses?!" Mirko announced while tapping her foot on the deck. Selkie notes it wouldn't be for a few days. "If these charts and maps are anything to go off of. After all, we're on the opposite side of Wrath ring from their main bases."
Jotaro sighed before saying they should catch a good wind soon and make up some time. "Let's get back to our ships. We've got a decent trip ahead." Before they left though, Melissa caught all of them. "I've been adjusting a lot of the gear and making it to where everyone can use it. Give these to the others."
She had crates full of her gadget gloves and other defensive gear to counter the likely dangers they would be facing. With Izuku hugging her as thanks before trying on the duo of gauntlets she had made for him. Though he was a bit embarrassed by what the gear looked like when retracted.
"I know you were working on various ways to minimized, but….. rings? Really?" Izuku asked with a blush as the gauntlets turned into a set of rings on his hands and some minor bangles. "Hey, we're dealing with pirates on old timey sailing ships. I figured they wouldn't look twice at one who has a bunch of jewelry."
Izuku still grumbles a bit since he had one very impressive ring on his left ring finger. Which just made Jotaro chuckle when they returned to the ship. "Glad to have the hardware, but I'm still a little nervous about not having powers or anything." Tetsutetsu noted while putting on a barrier belt.
Jotaro hums a bit before telling the group to keep themselves busy while they were sailing. A few groaning when it was mentioned that it would take at least two weeks to get remotely close. But they would have a few more attacks to disrupt and ships to save. Though not without complaint from Ibarra about saving demons and the damned.
During that time though, Shoji decided to ask about some of Jotaro or John's history. Especially in regard to the "mutants". "Why do you want to know so bad?" the large hero asked while on the night watch with Shoji.
"Because… because I need to know if it does get better in some worlds. Even if it takes time. You've got at least a century's worth of experience there and you know about all of those who fought or protested the reactions of others. I need to know if it does lead to peace and acceptance."
The look Shoji was giving him broke Jotaro down eventually. "Honestly; yes and no. The truth is that there will always be those who have a problem with one group or another. Doesn't matter how much time goes by. At the same time though, there will always be those who oppose the worst of those groups."
He tells the stories of Xing Ting, a mutant from Beijing who took his name from the mythic warrior. And who rallied many to his cause of taking their rights by force and pushing back or away the forces who would harm them. Even claiming themselves the true superior ones or inheritors of the world.
"And then there were ones such as the Pacificians who created their own homes deep within the ocean. Only fighting to truly protect their homes and to keep the possibility of pollution away." Jotaro said while thinking back on the group he accidentally created.
"So they were people like Gang Orca or Selkie?" Shoji asked with some fascination. Jotaro just shrugged and noted it was similar. "They started as humans from the sunken west coast. But thanks to the radiation and other energies I unleashed, they transformed in various ways."
He notes how they became a political power and respected entity in their own rights despite push back from the various other nations. Including those that became ruled by meta humans like himself or Izuku.
"There were always various other villains who popped up and others who tried to make some extreme cases. But by the time Sahiraah and I left, the world was in a pretty stable place and we could trust in the various heroes and other governments enough. But most who started it wouldn't see it. Because as you've probably accepted, it just takes time."
Shoji looks down before nodding slightly and agreeing. "How many other crazy stories do you have though?" the masked teen asks with a chuckle. Jotaro just smiles before saying, "it would take longer than most would ever believe to tell them all."
After two weeks of sailing, the small fleet came upon the island hiding place of the pirates. "Selkie, I think this time you should be the one to take the lead." Jotaro acquiesces. The old sea hero nods before saying his ship would attack first. "It's just now first light, so we should startle the rats. Maybe even sink a few of their ships. Take your ships and rapidly strike them as they move through."
A roger is given from both Saphentite and Jotaro as they have the rest bring the sails to full. "Get fully armed and armored everyone! Time to fight!" Mirko announces while tightening a bandana to hold her hair back. Brandishing two cutlasses before activating some special boots Melissa had made to boost her kicks and leaps.
Tetsutetsu strips out of his shirt while smirking with his sharp teeth and starting up the barrier belt atop his pants and carrying a heavier gun. Sato has his own shirt loose while carrying a big blunderbuss, with Aoyama and Mineta both wearing tricorns and aiming from the deck guns.
Mina and Reiko meanwhile had a few guns themselves and knives at their waists. With the former feeling more at ease thanks to something she had been working on during their trip to catch their foes. And the latter was ready to cover her friends with a long gun as well as pistols.
Izuku, Jotaro, and Shoji meanwhile had their long coats and guns at the ready. Izuku activating the gauntlets from the rings and bangles while also keeping a sword and gun on his hip. Shoji had more guns compared to them but was choosing to stay aboard and protect the ship.
Jotaro meanwhile was the least armored compared to the rest but was well armed. He'd taken the standard of multiple bandoliers of pistols and had two swords at his side. And his look was topped off with a hat, shadowing a focused glare toward the island. "Time to hunt some pirates," he says before drawing a sword.
The bits with Shoji might seem odd given what we know of his story, but there is a reason. Even though he's very resolute or set on who he is and not letting what happened to him define or drag him down, I wouldn't be surprised if he had moments where he wanted to change or forget what happened to him. We all have some of those moments. Some are just more damning than others.
Also I won't deny that this is a relatively dry chapter. Mostly thanks to setting more of the stage. But I wanted to play into the character page from Volume 35 and this seemed a fair way to do it. Please review.