Chapter 14: VOID
Laugh Tale
"Void as in the VOID Century?" asked Robin as the crew recovered from their nasty experience.
Mary nodded in response.
"So does it have something to do with those weird monsters?," asked Sanji.
"Let's try and ask them...," said Nami before seeing the men vanishing.
"What happened?," asked Usopp.
"Those who let their Ambitions consume them tend to not be the best kind of people. Morally grey at best.," Mary explained.
"So where'd they go?," asked Chopper.
"You were in a sea with skeletons? That's the Undying Line. That's the best-case scenario for them. The more rational one would be the Abyssal Line...in other words.," said the purple-haired woman.
Chopper gulped.
"How do you cure those affected?," asked Chopper.
The witch finally spoke up.
"Put them out of their misery.," she told bluntly.
"That's too extreme.," said Chopper.
"Who are you?," Luffy asked.
"I'm Geoise D. Minerva. I was at Elbaf trying to stop some internal corruption within the royalty but this is far more important. Getting rid of VOID once and for all takes priority over everything," she replied. It wasn't obvious if it was sarcasm or honesty.
Vivi saw a strong resemblance between the witch and Mary in terms of hair and facial features. She even looked a little like Olympia, though her eyes had sharper features.
"Minerva...that sounds like an obscure Pirate name from the old records.," said Jinbe.
"Yeah, I was with Linlin, Newgate, Shiki, and Kaido back in the day. It was more of a necessary alliance of inconvenience. Some liked some more than others.," she replied bluntly.
"You don't mean THAT crew.," said Jinbe.
"And what's wrong with that?," asked Muffy.
"Wait, Rocks...does that mean...you're...?" asked the Fishman as she nodded.
"We're getting off-topic. So Muffy, Eugene, Polly, and Anne. That's your names. We're going to need a bigger ship.," Nami complained.
Ok, what are Nobodies? And how does VOID relate to them?," asked Nami to Mary.
"Ambition can be good in healthy amounts but taking it too far can be an addiction. You lose sight of yourself and lose what you were in the process until all you are is pure Ambition that seeks to dominate for the sake of domination.," said Olympia.
"In other words, Nobodies are the physical form of those who overdosed on Haki and become monsters of the primordial sea created by the entity- Mother Sea, seeking out Ambition to consume and even turn on each other if a strong leader isn't forcing them to get along- in order to convert life into dreamless, chaotic drones.," explained Mary.
"They went after members of the crew that didn't eat a Devil Fruit. Does that have anything to do with it?" asked Robin.
"Devil is a word invited by THEM. They're actually called Daimons. It's more like what you've consumed are antibodies to prevent you from ever getting turned into Nobodies. And no, eating a contract of a Daimon after you become a Nobody doesn't cure it- it just gives the Nobody sapience- making it that much more dangerous.," replied Mary.
"What's a Daimon?," asked Brook.
"Wait, Luffy's gramps, Rayleigh, and Shanks don't have them. They seem to be alright.," Sanji noted.
"Well, that's only because there's something special keeping the Grand Line isolated from the rest of the world and protecting from the side effects. A pocket of restrictions and lies. And it's not a thing done out of altruism- it's keep the populace ignorant and defenseless when the Nobodies do strike and to turn powerful fighters into powerful Nobody servants. Once that protection's gone or if a certain individual uses his means to speed up the process- then the populace is doomed.," explained the woman.
"What does that mean?," asked Sanji.
"You'll find out eventually. As for VOID, he's the current leader of the Nobodies and the leader of the Void Pirates- he's technically both dead and in the process of being reborn- he's the biggest threat outside of Imu and Umi, the owner of those "World Noble Elders". And he's the reason why the World Government is trying so hard to hide everything about him- including the destruction of anything in the Grand Line that studies the Void Century...The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. He and his kind lurk within the Red Line itself as those fish bowls offer sacrifices to fully restore him after what Joyboy did to him in exchange for their continued rule as false rulers, being their last line of defense. Protecting him from being found out and targeted by enemies who want him dead until he's ready to do another Great Cleansing- unleashing Nobodies on the populace and sparing the pockets of survivors who will grow up ignorant of their situation. He was badly damaged 400 years ago after doing it during a fight with a certain man. And 38 years ago at God's Valley, he was prevented from doing it a 2nd time by the aid of a certain Pirate but that just prolonged the inevitable.," Mary said.
"What? Ohara died for that?," asked Robin.
"The Red Line's hiding what?," asked Brook.
Mary Geoise
Kuma, badly beaten, managed to teleport into the lower levels of Pangaea Castle.
He blitzed past the cold corridors to reach a room with a massive Straw Hat, frozen in place.
He was about to grab it when a shadowed silhouette of a crowned figure enter the room.
"Even if you were a former Warlord, this is overstepping your boundaries. That hat belongs to me.," said the figure in a distorted voice.
"It belongs to the one who will bring a dusk to this daymare of a world and bring the dawn of the new era...," Kuma said before noticing he couldn't use his powers.
"I've taken several measures not to allow this to happen...," said the figure as a smaller shadowed figure appeared behind him.
Suddenly, phasing from the wall, was a shadowed serpentine figure and a winged warrior made of pure light.
The serpent shrunk down against its will as it revealed itself to be Monkey D. Dragon.
"I'm not sure why Kuma is here. But it must be important for him to show up.," he noted.
That hat..., Dragon thought as he looked at the Straw Hat next to Kuma.
He and the figure faced each other before suddenly, a sudden flash occurred in their minds.
"That accursed woman... They remember her again.," cursed the shadowed, crowned figure.
Dragon suddenly wept against his will as did Kuma.
"How dare you do that to her...," Dragon said coldly.
Suddenly, one of the doors at the farthest end opened as a black hand with red outlines peeked out of the door with red eyes glaring through.
"You weren't supposed to see that.," said the crowned figure.
Out from the door, emerged a dark humanoid silhouette- a pitch-black figure with red outlines covered in Haki sparks. Its facial features were red and looked like they have been "crudely painted" on the face with scribbled, frenzied chalk. It seemed to glitch and its form distort at times, mutating into incomprehensible forms mid-steps.
"I see...So you're the secret Ohara was sacrificed for...VOID wasn't an empty period of time...it was named after a person...you must be VOID...and you're working with a Nobody. If the public finds out you're allying with this kind of monster, they'd turn on you.," Dragon noted.
"Dead men tell no tales.," said the crowned figure.
The eyes of the silhouette glared with one eye narrowed with the other widening began to generate a black spiral void that started to suck in everything.
"Seeing what I'm seeing is all that I need. I have no desire to continue a pointless fight.," said the black-haired man.
Dragon generated a powerful Haki field surrounded by lightning as he regained his powers as did Kuma, who teleported the Straw Hat away along with Dragon.
The crowned and red-outlined silhouette figures looked on in frustration.
Laugh Tale
"So he's a big chicken like Captain Kuro?," Luffy noted as Usopp gave an "I see" expression.
"They hurt Robin just to cover up they're working for a pirate and his man-eating flunkies? Unforgiveable!," Sanji shouted.
"So that's why the whales hate the Red Line. Because it's hiding something that unnatural?," asked Brook.
"So Joyboy and VOID are connected and the entire W.G. nobility is a thrall of these Nobodies?," asked Jinbe.
"An ancient conspiracy going back 800 years isn't the same as some scaredy cat that hides in a village to avoid the Marines. Oh crap, we're really getting into deep shit.," Nami complained.
"I saw IT when I was a captive in their base until they let me out to...destroy islands...they had a weird way of conquering my mind and making me do what they wanting.," said Polly.
"We already made peace with them being our enemies a while back. This just gives an another excuse to take them down.," Zoro noted.
"People are gonna panic if they find out about this...Wait, Morgans took the Punk Records and it showed how Roger died. He's gonna reveal it to the entire world-," Franky noted.
"People are going to panic regardless. I overheard Saturn with the others playing to do it in the next 3 months. He and I never saw eye to eye. So screw placating to them.," said Vega 40.
"Eek. This is all what the research was pointing to.," said York.
"This is going to lead to a huge war. Can't we just point them out and force them to be arrested?," Vivi suggested but Minerva shook her head.
"The World Nobles are working with monsters?," asked Anne- more to herself than anyone else.
"How do we stop this Cleansing?," Yamato inquired.
"This is getting out of hand.," said Eugene.
"Don't worry. This crew can accomplish anything.," Carrot replied to the Pixie.
"They seem to be weak on land. Maybe, we get some help from people who can manipulate the ground?," Nami noted.
"Anyone with a Stone-Stone, Earth-Earth, Push-Push, or Island-Island power can be useful.," Muffy noted.
"VOID...," said
"What happened 900-800 years ago then?," asked Robin.
"You'll learn more at Lodestar once you find the Road Poneglyphs at Vira and Elbaf. But right now, it's time to rethink everything you know about those powers you call Devils.," said Mary.
"First of all they're called Daimons and secondly, they're as alive as you and me.," she added.
"Huh?," asked Luffy.
"Come out. Don't be shy, Gummy.," Mary called out.
Suddenly, a white light glowed from Luffy's chest as something came out. A transparent Gum-Gum Fruit.
"Hey, didn't I eat that?," asked Luffy before it began to change its form. Only Eugene, Minerva, Anne, Muffy, and Olympia weren't shocked at what happened next.
It was a white monkey covered in spiral markings.
"Gumu-Gumu.," it said.
The rest of the crew was dumbfounded.
"They appear as Fruits, Vegetables, Tomatoes or whatever kind of food, but they're actually beings of dreams that require a consumption of a "contract" to form a bond. And you have more than one already.," Mary explained.
Next Chapter: Daimons
Author Notes: I've theorized for a long time that VOID was a person during the Void Century and I decided to connect this idea to the W.G's big secret- that they work with monsters that help them commit genocide and ones that are born of Ambition that can be created under the worst circumstances- justifying the need for Devil powers.
While the manga itself hints at their wills, I take it a step further to imply they're actually sapient creatures.
The Straw Hat in Mary Geoise is going to play a big role going forward.