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Chapter 18 Union and Separation
-Luffy's POV-
I was floating. Floating higher and higher in the sky. I saw the stars fly past me, and the only thing I could think about was Caeruleus. I remember seeing him badly hurt, and then a large explosion caused by two glowing animals. After what seemed like hours, or minutes, I was on my feet in a field of clouds. I looked around and saw I was wearing white versions of my clothes.
"Where am I?" I asked to myself. I started walking around and began to see see-through rocks. I bent down and touched it, and it started to glow. The light covered a whole area, and then I saw me. I had an angry face, like I was about to kill someone. The clouds changed into an arena, and I recognized it.
It was the Auction House at Sabaody Archipelago where me and the crew saved Keimi. I saw I was being restrained by Hatchi. I heard a gun shot and saw Hachi fall. Then the other me became even more angry and punched the Noble.
The area changed again to the Battle of Marineford. I saw that I was on the ground, reaching for Ace's Vivre Card. Then the magma Marine, Akainu I think his name was, ran at me and tried to punch me. But Ace stood in front of him and got impaled by the fist of lava.
"STOOOOOPPPP!" I yelled. I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted this hell to end. I then felt a hand on my shoulder and the images faded away.
"I'm sorry Luffy." said an unknown figure. I turned around and saw the mysterious person. He had spiky white hair and sea blue eyes. He was slightly tanned, and looked like he was my age. He was wearing pure white robes that made me think he was an angel. "I was hoping that you would have seen happier memories than those."
"Memories?" I asked.
"The crystals…" said the white being. He walked over to the crystal and treated it like a flower. "They replay the memories of whoever touches them. Usually they play your happiest memories, but you must have been thinking about you negative memories."
"Oh, so they are mystery crystals." I said, not really understanding. The being smiled and nodded.
"Yes, Luffy, they are mystery crystals." said the being dressed in white with a chuckle. "Now, tell me where you think you are."
"Don't you know where we are?" I asked.
"Yes and no." said the being. "I have my theories, but I also might be seeing a place completely different from what you're seeing."
"Well, It looks like we're surrounded by clouds, and there are stars above us." I asked, after actually looking around. "Wait, is this Heaven? Am I dead?"
"Well, for your first question, Heaven is a place where the souls of good people go to be rewarded." said the white being. "I believe that 'Heaven' is a place where a person relives their happiest memories."
"But am I dead?" I asked, getting a bit irritated.
"That's… a bit harder to explain." said the being. "You are having… oh, how can I describe this so you can understand… let's just say you are having a near death experience Luffy, and so is your crew."
"My crew is here?" I screamed. I tried to go look for them, but the mysterious person stopped him.
"Yes Luffy, they are here." said the being. "But they are safe. Like I said, they are experiencing the same thing as you are. If it makes you feel better, I am talking to them right now as well."
"How?" I asked.
"Well, that's even harder to explain." he said. "But trust me they're safe. Now Luffy, you and your crew are not meant to die today."
"We're not?" I asked.
"No, your not." said the being. "You have a destiny. You're destiny intertwines with many people, but none more than Caeruleus… and my reincarnation."
"Caeruleus didn't die in that explosion?" I asked.
"No he did not. " said the being. "But right now, in his current condition, he might as well be. You see, his powers are fully awakened, and so are Kyle and Brett's powers. There for, the entities have took over their bodies and are killing each other for supremacy."
"Wait, doesn't reincarnation mean-" I started.
"I was reborn into another life." he said. "Actually, in my new life, I am fighting a very powerful source of Darkness, and winning. Although, going through the teenage lovey-dovey 'I finally found you, I've been looking every where for you two' stuff is a bit annoying, but I am not really in control. You see, reincarnations have their own personality and memories, their own Heart if you will."
"…Okay." I said, cocking my head to the side.
"Too complicated?" he asked. I just stared at him with wide eyes, and chewing on my bottom lip. "Right. But Luffy, you need to go back soon. Caeruleus needs you. You must help him complete his destiny."
"What is his destiny?" I asked.
"Spoilers." he said.
"What?" I asked.
"I am not allowed to tell you the destinies of yourself or others." he said. "Sorry. Now Luffy, do you see a door?"
"Door?" I asked. "Why would there be a door around-" I turned around and saw a tall, white door. The handles that would let me open the door were made of gold and had areas made of colored glass, as if they were windows. In the center of the door, there was a black Keyhole. "When did that-!"
"It appeared faster than I thought." he said. "You must really want to help Caeruleus."
"He's my brother. I need to help him." I said. I walked over to the door and pushed it open. However, it didn't open. It didn't even budge an inch. "What-!"
"It's locked." said the white being. "It seems like my reincarnation has been busy since he accepted his destiny with that blade."
"If I can't get through, how can I help Caeruleus?" I asked. The white haired teen stared at me and took a breath.
"Opening Her Gate from this side is difficult." he said. "However, if you have the right Key…" He swung his arm to the right and in flurry of feathers appeared a large key.
This key looked like it was once a regular sword. I could actually see the sword that made up this Key. It was a white blade with a dark blue handle. The handle guards were a light, silvery-blue in the shape of a heart, and covering the katana blade was a gold and silver lacing pattern that made the weapon a bit thicker. The Keys' teeth was in the shape of a heart, which was light blue, and the top of the heart was a gold halo. Extending from the handle was a small chain of clear crystals. At the end of the chain there was a light blue crystal heart with a gold halo at the top of the heart and white wings extending from the back of the heart, which had a strange symbol in it.
"What is that?" I asked. The white being just smiled.
"You'll find out in time, Luffy." he said, as he raised the Key and pointed at the Keyhole. Several colored beams of energy surrounded the tip of the Key and made a vague shape of a heart. Then one white beam of Light fired from the Key and hit the Keyhole. The door started glowing and opened up. Inside the door was a bright swirling light.
"What-?" I began to ask.
"You need to step through the Door, Luffy." he said. "Caeruleus needs you."
"What?" I screamed. The white haired teen smiled and put his hand on my shoulder. He led my closer to the door. "Wait! Tell me who you are!"
"I am the brother of True Evil." he said with a calm face. He then pushed me through the door and I fell.
-Site of the Entity Battle, Luffy's POV-
I opened my eyes and jumped to my feet. I looked myself over and found that I had no injuries. I heard someone groaning and I went over to help. I saw that it was Robin. She was on the ground, but she wasn't hurt.
"Are you okay?" I asked her.
"Yes I am. Thank you Luffy." she said. "Where are the others?"
"I'll go look." I said. I heard several loud bangs. We looked up and saw a red Tiger, a blue bird that looked like Marco's Phoenix form, and a black Dragon. They were fighting fiercely. "You stay here."
I left her leaning on a tree stump as I worked to find the others. As I was calling their names, they woke up. They crawled themselves out of the dirt and looked at each other to be sure they weren't hurt. As I led them over to Robin, Chopper was asking everyone if they were okay over and over again. The battle between the entities was getting fiercer.
After repeating to the doctor that they were okay, he finally calmed down. They discussed what happened to them. They all swore that they were dead and in Heaven. Luffy asked them if they talked to a white haired, white robed teenager and the crew was shocked, because they did. They didn't know what to think.
"What did he tell you guys?" I asked.
"He said we all have a destiny." said Brooke.
"He said that we needed to help Caeruleus fulfill his destiny." said Usopp.
"He told me that too!" yelled Chopper.
"Me too!" yelled Franky.
"We all did!" said Sanji.
"Then that door appeared, and he used that strange sword to 'unlock' the door." said Zoro. "Too bad he pushed me through that door. I wanted to fight him. I could feel that he was a powerful swordsman."
"Of course you would Moss Head!" yelled Sanji.
"Bring it, you perverted cook!" yelled Zoro, swords drawn. There was a loud roar that shook the island. I looked up and saw the Dragon with red gouges on its front, from tail to jaw.
"Caeruleus!" I yelled. Sanji and Zoro restrained me from attempting anything stupid.
I screamed again as the Dragon was it with energy attacks by the Tiger and the Phoenix at the same time. As the Dragon fell, the Tiger flew next to the Phoenix and the two of them fired another energy attack. The two beams of energy connected and spiraled around each other and hit the Dragon. The Dragon fell to the island, creating a small earthquake.
"We need to get to Caeruleus!" I yelled.
"Luffy, what can we do against these Titans?" asked Nami.
"I need to know if he's okay." I said. I broke free of Zoro and Sanji's grip and ran to the area where the Dragon landed. I heard the others screaming my name, so I figured that they were following me.
We got the Dragon in a very short amount of time. It was on its back with its mouth slightly open. The Dragon's eyes were completely white. Chopper said that was because it was unconscious. I heard more loud bangs and saw the Tiger and Phoenix fighting each other. They were using energy attacks. The Tiger, when not using energy attacks was clawing and biting at the Phoenix, while the Phoenix was pecking and trying to rip the Tiger to sheds with its talons.
"We need to wake Caeruleus up!" I said.
"WHAT!" said the entire crew at once.
"You can't be serious!" said Franky.
"It will look at us once and kill us!" said Brooke.
"Brooke, you already have died twice and came back!" I said.
"That's not the point Luffy!" said Sanji.
"You see those to thing up their, right?" asked Usopp. "They are Caeruleus's blood family, and they are brothers! They are killing each other and nearly killed Caeruleus! When they are like this, they will kill anyone!"
"Usopp, Caeruleus never wanted to kill anyone! Especially his cousins!" I said. "If we wake him up, maybe he'll stop the fighting!"
"Luffy-" started Robin.
"Caeruleus! Wake up!" I cried out as loud as I could. "Caeruleus!" The crew looked a bit sad, but they saw the Dragon stir, but only slightly. They then helped Luffy.
"Wake up!" yelled Nami. "Wake up, wake up!"
"Caeruleus!" yelled Chopper.
"Caeruleus!" sung Brooke. "Caeruleus!"
"Please wake up!" cried out Robin, with tears in her eyes.
"Wake up Damn it!" yelled Sanji and Zoro at the same time.
"Wake up!" yelled Usopp.
"Wake up and be SUPER!" yelled Franky.
"Caeruleus!" I cried.
"Caeruleus!" We all yelled at the same time. "Caeruleus! Caeruleus! Caeruleus!"
Up above us, the Tiger and Phoenix were still fighting. Attack after attack, they were seriously injuring each other. If it wasn't for their need to be the supreme mind when they become one, they would have died ages ago. But after a bit, they heard an annoying sound, like a mite jumping around. They looked down at the Dragon, they saw the us, the humans they killed earlier. Acting out on primal instinct, they attacked. The Phoenix swirled around and released razor sharp feathers at the us, while the Tiger swiped its claws, sending red energy blades along with the feathers. I saw the light their attacks made, and screamed one last time.
"CAERULEUS!" I screamed.
The Dragon's eyes regained its pupils and it looked at me and the crew. It then glanced at the attacks and growled. It jumped up and shielded us with its body. The attacks hit it, causing the Dragon to roar in intense pain. It made a look of intense anger and spun around to fire off a beam of pure Darkness at the other two entities. The attack was avoided, but the Dragon flew really fast and wrapped around the Tiger and Phoenix.
-Third Person POV-
The Dragon roared again and squeezed them tighter. The Tiger and Phoenix screamed in pain. The Tiger dug its claws into the Dragon and bit at it repeatedly. The Phoenix rapidly pecked at the Dragon. The Dragon then released a form of energy that badly injured the other two entities. The screamed in pain and let go of the Dragon. The Dragon then spun around and threw the Tiger and Phoenix away.
They steadied themselves and to glow in their auras again. Their auras formed spheres and they rammed at the Dragon. The Dragon did the same and when the three of them collided, the sound shook the entire island. After a while of this, they weren't really getting anywhere. They dropped their auras. The Dragon then sped towards them and slashed at them with its claws. It then whirled around and hit both its tail.
The Phoenix disappeared again. The Tiger rushed to the Dragon, but the Dragon wrapped its tail around the Tigers throat. The Phoenix reappeared, so the Dragon threw the Tiger at the Phoenix. They crashed into each other, and the Dragon charged up an attack.
The Dragon fired a powerful blast of Dark energy, and the Tiger and Phoenix were greatly damaged. The Dragon didn't give them a chance to recover, so it fired a barrage of Dark energy spheres. The attack hit, causing a massive explosion. After the smoke cleared, the Tiger and Phoenix were physically devastated. The Tiger was missing a leg, a chunk of its side, and half of its tail. The Phoenix was missing both legs, a large piece of its wing, a cracked beak, and missing half of its face.
They then started glowing again, far more brighter than ever. They opened their mouths and large seals, with sigils of the same language as the one in Mothra's shrine appeared. Then, the middle sigils opened up and spheres of pure energy started to form. The Dragon did the same, glowing in a dark aura, much darker than the sky currently is. A black sphere appeared near its mouth, growing blacker than black. Then, at the same time, the entities telepathically spoke to each other.
"Spatium Burst!" yelled the Tiger of Time, firing off it ultimate attack.
"Temporal Buster!" screeched the Phoenix of Time, releasing its ultimate attack.
"Destiny Destroyer!" cried out the Dragon of Darkness, blasting out its ultimate attack.
The three attacks collided, and were fighting against each other. They were pushing at each other. The attacks were of the same strength. Then, the attacks combine. The absorbed each other and made a sphere. The sphere was a swirling mass of the red energy of Space, the blue energy of Time, and the black energy of Darkness.
As the energies swirled around each other, the sphere grew bigger. As the size grew, the entities were draw in into it. Unable to stop their energy attacks, the entities tried fighting against the pull, but were unable to, as they were finally pulled into the sphere. The Sphere's size increased even more, the colors swirling even faster. But then, Darkness began to envelop the sphere. As the sphere condensed in size, it began to harden.
When it was nearly a quarter of its size, the sphere started to crack. More cracks appeared, as if it was breaking apart. A white light leaked from the sphere. The sphere then started shaking and exploded. The smoke covered the entire sky above the island. From the smoke fell three shapes. They landed near each other in a place not to far from the Straw Hat Pirates.
-Luffy's POV-
I saw the explosion and only thought about Caeruleus. The entire crew joined me in running to see if Caeruleus was even alive. We screamed for him to tell us where he is, but he didn't respond. I saw some dirt moving and I went over to help dig it out, thinking it was Caeruleus. However it wasn't.
"Ow…" said the blond teenager. Brett I think his name was. While he didn't have the massive injuries that the Phoenix had, he was still badly hurt. Parts of his body were still half transformed. Parts of his body was expelling blue energy.
"Are you okay?" asked Chopper, his doctoral instinct kicking in. He grabbed some medicine and bandages, but Brett threw him off.
"Get away from me!" Brett cried. He stood up and jumped back. "I don't need your help!"
"Calm down!" said Luffy, raising his hands in the air. "All we want is to help you."
"Why aren't you all dead?" said Brett.
"What?" asked Nami.
"Oh those idiots…" said Brett. "They can't handle a single assassination attempt."
"That's it!" said Sanji. "Venison Shoot!" Sanji jumped into the air and spun horizontally. He then rapidly kicked at Brett. However, Brett grabbed Sanji's leg and tossed him to the ground.
"Vivos Canus!" yelled Brett. He started glowing blue, and Sanji started growing really old. Before Sanji was turned to dust, Franky punched Brett.
Brett regained his footing and fired several Tempest Arrows. Since he was injured, he was missing quite a bit. I told the crew to try and knock him out. They said they would attempt, but Brett wasn't making it easy. He wasn't letting anyone near him. Usopp tried shooting some Pop greens at him to tie him up, but he kept them from growing.
Due to his injuries, Brett was getting more and more tired. Soon, he fell to his knees, unable to attack. Luffy signaled to Usopp to try tying up Brett again, so he fired another round of Pop Greens. Before they could hit Brett, they disintegrated.
"Stay away from him!" yelled Kyle, barely holding himself up. He was just as damaged as Brett. Red energy was spilling from his body, like they were flames. He walked closer to Brett and helped him up. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. Just a bit exhausted." said Brett.
"So Momonga and the others weren't able to kill the Straw Hats?" asked Kyle.
"Obviously." said Brett. "Where's Caeruleus?"
"Don't know." Kyle said. "Hope he's dead though."
"How can you say that?" I asked, with both anger and sadness in my voice. "He's your blood."
"Blood isn't the only thing that makes family." said Brett.
"You should know that." said Kyle. "Ace and your crew, and even Caeruleus aren't your blood, but your as much as a family as anyone."
"Do you know what Caeruleus has been wanting for the past two years?" I asked.
"Like we care." said Brett.
"Shut up!" I yelled. The crew was shocked by how mad I was getting. "For the past two years, Caeruleus has told me of how he remembers you two being like his brothers. How you two would help him cheer up when he was sad. You two helped take care of him when he was sick, and when his mother was really sick."
"That was a long time ago, Straw Hat." said Brett.
"But he had a wish. He told all of us what it was." I said.
"And it was what?" asked Kyle.
"He said that he wants to take the two of you home, safely." I said, starting to tear up.
"How sentimental." said Kyle. He snapped his fingers and the crew and I were locked up in stone stockades.
"What the-" cried Zoro.
"Your life will be ended now." said Brett. Me and the crew were surrounded by blue energy. "Vivos Canus." We started aging. In the end, we all had long white hair, and felt like we are about to die any second. "I just aged you all by a hundred years.. I'm surprised your all alive."
"Quit playing with them Brett." said Kyle. "Let's just kill them and find Caeruleus."
"Aright, fine." said Brett. "Shall we?" His hand started glowing blue again, while Kyle's hand started glowing red. "Time-"
"Space-" said Kyle.
"Vortex!" the both yelled. The shot out two energy beams that swirled around each other. No one screamed though, because were had already died once, and knew where we are going. However, before the attack hit me, it disappeared. I looked ahead and saw Caeruleus. He was on his knees, with strange looking knives in his hands. These knives were impaled in Kyle and Brett's stomachs.
-Caeruleus POV, a few minutes ago-
I woke up in immense pain. I stood up and held my ribs. They were broken. I looked at my hand and saw that it was covered in Darkness. I tried to shut my powers down, but I couldn't. The Dark Energy was coming out of me nearly every where. It was on my right shoulder, covered my entire left arm, and the right half of my face. I was really scared.
I walked around and couldn't hear or see anyone. I could tell the Kyle and Brett was alive. I could feel it in my Heart. As I continued walking, I saw something in the ground. I bent down and realized that it was my two Dacras. I smiled. I thought they were destroyed. I held onto them as I continued walking.
I heard people talking and walked towards the voices. I then heard Luffy and the others scream, so I ran. When I was able to see them, they looked drastically aged. This was Brett's doing. The crew was also locked into stone stockades. Kyle and Brett were in front of them, their backs to me. I was far enough away that the crew couldn't see me, but close enough that I could hear them.
"Time-" yelled Brett. His right hand started glowing in blue energy.
"Space-" screamed Kyle, his left hand glowing in red energy.
"Vortex!" they yelled at the same time.
They fired off their energy attacks that swirled around each other. The attack was heading for the crew. I couldn't let the crew die, so I ran as fast as I possibly could. I felt the Darkness grow within me, and it gave me a boost of speed. Actually, everything seemed like it was going in slow motion to me. I took out my Dacras and readied them in my hands. I appeared in-between Kyle and Brett, and they gave me a frightened look.
"I'm sorry." I told them, as I stabbed the both of them in the stomach.
Their attack disappeared, and I could feel like was being stared at by the aged crew. Kyle and Brett tried to grab my wrists, but I pushed the Dacras deeper into their bodies. Sparks appeared as I pushed the ancient weapons into them. The two off them screamed in pain.
The Dacras then started glowing. The one impaled in Kyle was glowing red, while the one impaled in Brett was glowing blue. The light from each traversed up my arm and towards my Heart. The energies that were billowing out from Kyle and Brett were quickly diminishing, until they were gone. Their eyes started glowing and see through auras of the Tiger and Phoenix were pulled from my cousins and entered me.
"AHH!" I screamed. A burst of energy came from me, blasting everyone away. The crew's stockades disintegrated as they were blasted away. I dropped the Dacras, as they were melting. My body became surrounded by the three auras. It wrapped around me and I felt my body convulsing.
I fought back against the powers. I willed them under my control. Once under my control, another pulse of energy came from me. My eyes were glowing, and I was floating. I landed on my feet, fully healed, and I walked to the crew. I raised my hand and reverted them back to their original ages.
"Caer-Caerulues?" asked Luffy.
"Yes Luffy, it is I." I said. "I have the powers under my control. And now, I shall rectify the damage done to this island."
I snapped my fingers, and the island began to turn back into its original form. The trees and grass started to come back to life. The lake in the clearing began to refill. After mere moment, it was back to normal. I levitated Kyle and Brett next to us and healed their injuries. I then teleported all of us to the Thousand Sunny.
"Why did you bring them along?" asked Zoro. I ignored him while I went to the three Vice-Admirals and healed them. "Why did you do that?" He drew his swords out of caution.
"'I'm sending them back to their ship." I said. I snapped my fingers and they disappeared in a flash of light. I then teleported us to another part of the sea.
"Where are we?" asked Nami.
"If you sail North West from here for three says, you'll arrive at Infant Island." I said. I was starting to breath heavy.
"Why not take us there now?" asked Luffy. He had concern in his voice.
"Because I'm not going to make it." I said. As I looked at Luffy, my face cracked. The crack stretched from my chin up to my forehead, splitting my left eye in half. I kneeled in pain.
"Caeruleus!" the crew cried.
"Stay back!" I said, lifting my hand. My arm started to crack as well. Realizing my end, I decided to hurry. "I don't have much time." I focused my new powers and created a crystal. This crystal was a rainbow colored tear. I levitated it at Luffy, and he gave me a questioning look. "The Shobijin will know what to do with that. Take it to them, get Kyle and Brett home, please! ARGH!" My body began to crack even more.
"What's going on?" asked Luffy.
"The entities!" I said. "Their fighting each other from within me! I have to leave!" I raised my hand and slammed it into the air, creating a crack, a tear in the fabric of Space-Time. "Tell them that I forgive them Luffy! Good bye!" I had tears in my eyes as I jumped through, ready to meet death.
-Infant Island, three days later, Luffy's POV-
"Luffy, we finally arrived." said Nami. After Caeruleus left, we did what he told us to do and sailed straight for Infant Island.
"Thank you." I said. I have been clutching the rainbow crystal that Caeruleus gave me for the entire three days since he left. I couldn't let myself lose it. Chopper emerged from his office. "How are they doing?"
"Their still unconscious." said our reindeer doctor. "I can't believe it. I mean, Caeruleus healed their injuries before he…" He stopped himself from finishing his sentence.
"Do you know when they will wake up?" I asked.
"I can't say." said Chopper. "It could be any minute now, or in a few days."
"Okay." I said. "Everyone, get the boat ready to dock." They all ran for their positions and the ship was docked safely near the beach. We all got out of the ship and headed for the village.
Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Franky were carrying Kyle and Brett on stretchers. When we finally arrived at the village, they all cheered. They were happy to see us. All the lady cooks rushed over to Sanji, but when they saw Kyle and Brett, the backed away. I was leading the crew towards the Holy Shrine. At the entrance to the Shrine, there was the village chief, the new Shaman, and two guards.
"We are hear to see the Shobijin." I said.
"Of course. They have been expecting you." said the chief. He motioned everyone to get out of the way and we were allowed access into the Shrine
We descended deeper and deeper into the cave. We walked into the shrine and saw the cocoon. I remembered how Caeruleus sacrificed himself to protect it, and how the Shobijin healed him. Beyond the cocoon, there was a multi-colored light shining. The Shobijin were even singing.
"Na intidihan mo ba
Mairoun doan maganda baron
Punta ka lang dito
Harika, at marupo
Harkia, at marupo
Rururu…
Rururu…"
Every time I heard the Shobijin sing, I felt a warm feeling in my Heart. We put Kyle and Brett on the ground, and at that time, the Shobijin came flying around a corner.
"Everyone!" they said in unison. "We're happy to see you again, but we wish it was due to better circumstances."
"So you know about Caeruleus?" I asked. They nodded.
"Caeruleus did what he had to do to save all of you." said Moll.
"And what did Caeruleus do, exactly?" asked Kyle, finally regaining consciousness. He was rubbing his head and kicking Brett awake. "Never mind, I don't care. Get up you lazy bastard!" He kicked Brett harder this time. Brett finally woke up and looked around. Realizing that he was in an unknown location, he jumped to his feet.
"Where are we?" asked Brett.
"You are in the Holy Shrine of Mothra." said the Shobijin.
"Who are you?" asked Kyle.
"We are the Shobijin, the priestesses of Mothra. " said Moll.
"You're the once who unlocked Caeruleus's powers?" asked Brett. The Shobijin nodded.
"Good, now, unlock our powers!" demanded Kyle.
"No." said the Shobijin. Kyle then got angry.
"Then die!" he raised his hand and attempted to fire an energy attack. But nothing happened. "Huh?"
"Why aren't you doing anything?" asked Brett.
"I'm trying." said Kyle, He tried firing off another energy attack, but the result was the same.
"Your powers were stolen." said the Shobijin.
"WHAT?" cried Kyle and Brett. "How?"
"The Dacras." said the Shobijin. "When Caeruleus stabbed you, he took the entities that gave you your powers into himself. He became the most powerful being in the world."
"If he became so powerful, why didn't he kill us when he had a chance?" asked Brett.
"Because he wanted to get you two back to your world safely!" I screamed
"What?" asked Kyle.
"No matter what happened between the three of you, all he ever wished for was to send you back home, to your world." I said. "I told you all of this back at the island. He has expressed nothing but concern over you two. The only reason he fought you was because he wanted to protect the crew and himself."
"Really?" asked Brett. It appeared like my words were reaching him. I nodded. "I can't believe we did all that terrible stuff to him." Kyle stood there, with a sad look on his face.
"Do you think he'll ever forgive us?" asked Kyle.
"His last words was that he forgave you completely." said Robin. She was the only one who spoke up.
"Kyle, Brett, are you ready to go home?" asked the Shobijin. They nodded. "Luffy, give us the crystal."
I reached out to give them the crystal, but I withdrew my arm. I couldn't let it go. Robin wrapped her hand around mine and helped me give the Shobijin the crystal. It took the both of them to hold the crystal. They started to glow gold, and the crystal levitated. It went to the ground and started growing. It became a crystal arch. Within the arch, there was a light.
"This will take us home?" asked Kyle. The Shobijin nodded and said yes.
"Uh, Straw Hat…" said Brett. I looked at him angrily. "I just want you to know, that I'm sorry."
"Shut up. I won't ever forgive you or your brother." I said. "If it wasn't for Caeruleus asking me to get you home, I would have just given you back to the Marines."
"I understand." said Brett. He and Kyle then walked over to the arch.
"Wait." I said. They stopped and turned around. "Caeruleus said that you two know his real name. Can you tell me what it is?" They stood their thinking hard.
"I… I can't remember." said Kyle. He started crying. "How could I forget his name?"
"Your memories of him are fading." said the Shobijin. "He wasn't meant to exist at all. He only existed as the Dragon's vessel. I am truly sorry." Kyle and Brett then started crying even harder. After a few minutes, the stood up and walked through the doorway.
After they walked through the arch, it started glowing and reverted back into its tear shape. Luffy went and picked it up, only for it to turn to dust in his hand. Robin tore off some of her dress and made a small bag to hold the crystal powder. Once she tied the bag close, she gave it to me, and I broke down crying. The entire crew then started crying. Actually, they all mourned in their own ways. Seeing that we were in no condition to travel, the Shobijin insisted we stay on the island until they deem us travel worthy. The entire crew agreed. Even I was too sad to even think about the One Piece.
The End
Thanks to all who have read and stuck with the story. It was really fun writing it and I hope you all enjoyed it. If you liked what you read, please review. I have many more stories swimming around in my head, so If you liked this story, I hope you'll like those. To listen to the music in this chapter, go to my profile and follow the link under Chapter 18.
As of March 29, 2012, a new story has been posted, entitled The Darkness Saga: Lamia Mystica. If you enjoyed this story, I recommend (as the author) that you read it and tell m e what you think. Please?