LW: And we're back to partial OC's time skip adventures. This time, the straw hat Artist/mage Nico D. Artemis! Also, 3rd upload this month, weird that XD
Drop in the Ocean - Blossoming of a Mystic!
Amazon Lily
"So, you want to learn the mystic arts the correct way, or at least a less roughshod method than the one you've been using since figuring out your paints aren't hypnosis?"Tharja asks Artemis who nods eagerly, meanwhile, Hancock worries in the corner, concern for the child who was not only her beloved's adopted daughter but was quickly beginning to worm her way into the Empress' own jaded heart.
"Yes! Grima said you were one of the best, that's why Pops and Luffy let you come back with them" Artemis grins widely
Tharja chuckles, then rolls her eyes "I highly doubt that, but I suppose when it comes to mages Grima-sama can trust, that list I would rank highly on without being one of her crewmates and therefore being drafted to help your daddy" the sorceress muses "So, you said you've got elemental harmony according to your ninja friend, that may come in handy later as while I will teach you magical discharge, rituals, potions, and curses, as an artist the things that would suit you the most, in the long run, are runes, glyphs, and seals"
"Valentina had me try out seals, apparently my calligraphy is good enough that the bombs were even more powerful than we expected" Artemis chuckles
The sorceress blinks "Hm, well that at least means I don't have to teach you to write, that would be annoying…. And dull. Instead, I have to teach you the actual runes to direct the magic and how to channel and focus it to a point so you can draw it on surfaces or even the air later down the line. You'll probably have to ask your ninja friend for actual jutsus as while some of the things I'm going to teach you are comparable, it's a completely different system, drawing from the energy of the universe rather than your internal store, just channeling it through our pathways, which actually means we can go larger with the power ceiling than most of those shinobi"
"Neat" Artemis giggles "I'm ready whenever you are Tharja Sensei!" she salutes, getting a near-silent 'Aww' from Hancock and a cackle from Tharja
"Oh you're going to be a fun pupil kid, I just know it"
"Bored. So bored. Have I mentioned I'm bored yet?"
"17 times this past hour" Tharja chuckles as she sifts through her books as well as the ones Shaula had squirreled away for ones that would be on her student's level
"How do Mom and Pops do it, reading so many reference books without falling asleep?" Artemis whines, faceplanting into the still-open book on elemental manipulation exercises.
"Probably because they're actually looking for answers to problems, or they're stepping stones to what they're actually looking for and trying to understand, meanwhile you're trying to cram the theory into your head before we can start the practical lessons with less of a risk of you blowing yourself up or overloading the wrong curses. Nobody alive can throw around S-rank techniques casually, but I can tell you'd at least get one off before putting yourself in a coma in your current condition"
Artemis sighs deeply before nodding "I get it, just a pain in the ass to get there"
Tharja laughs "That it is, brat, but you'll get there soon enough"
"I know being a G-cup at 15 isn't common…. But given the size of your mom's assets, you had to have at least considered the possibility" Belladona hums as Artemis frowns, cupping and squeezing her heaving bosom
"Shame Big Sis is off the island for Warlord stuff, she at least would be able to help with good advice" Sonia chirps "I mean yeah I'm top heavy too, but I'm also bigger than most normal people so it almost evens out, or at least did in my mid and late teens" the Anaconda woman adds
"Yeah, I expected as much" Artemis sighs "I'm going to need new outfits though, as this shirt is getting too tight for me to do anything more than stand, walk and paint"
"SHOPPING! Or we could raid Hancock's wardrobe as well as ask her to get you some new clothes" Sonia suggests with a wide grin, which actually causes Artemis to giggle… so mission accomplished!
"Hey sensei, is this a new spell?" Artemis asks as she pours through one of the many tomes on the desk
"Which one?"
"Beluga sevruga,Come winds of the Caspian Sea, Larynx Glossitis, et max laryngitis, La voce to me"
"No, that's a very old spell, one that went out of style almost as long ago" Tharja admits, to which Artemis frowns
"Shame, a lot of mermaids probably wouldn't mind being mute if it meant getting to walk around without being attacked by slavers" Artemis hums
"In theory, but there's also the fine print. The mage can only have it active on one person at a time, and the mermaid needs to have a good enough voice that losing it is seen as a price by magic. Very few actually make the cut and the ones that do…. Kind of want to keep it, go figure" the older mage chuckles "Hence, not a popular ritual art, and therefore it now gathers dust in that 700-year-old curse book. Good news though, there are plenty of other curses I can teach you instead of the mermaid to human transformation"
"I'm listening" Artemis grins widely
"Are you sure I'll find a familiar on Amazon Lily, Grandma, and Aunty Shaula found there's in the New World?" Artemis asks as she follows Sandersonia into the depths of the forest, the Anaconda woman wants to help her with training however she could, in this case trying to find her a familiar like her Pops and his side of the family, as well as Big Sis Hancock with Salome.
"Positive, Shaula said so herself, or she left a note saying you'd find a familiar befitting you if you remained on Amazon Lily for over a year" Sonia admits, getting a sigh and eye roll from the young mage before her observation haki flares and she ducks before a snake lunges from the brush and slams into the nearby tree, it's head about ¾ the size of Artemis' own, the artist swallows before defensively gathering magic at her fingertips "Artemis!" Sonia shouts about to rush over…
"§Do not interfere!§" A voice hisses from the undergrowth, another serpent head rising threateningly
"I got this, I hope. King's Shield!" Artemis calls back, forming a few symbols in the air which rippled into an echo of a shield…
CLANG
…just as another serpent tries to tear out her throat, the impact sounds like striking metal, which told both ladies how much damage had been avoided
"And now for the main event" Artemis grins, her fingertips igniting with a snap before drawing in air and blowing on them, unleashing a gout of flames through the shield as if it wasn't even there, the serpent shrieks in pain as it writhes, slamming its head into the dirt to extinguish the flame.
"§Oh I like this one, doesn't freeze or flee like prey, but lashes out like a true fighter§", the 1st snake seemed to purr, now it had managed to free itself from the tree
"§Easy for you to say, you didn't get firebombed in the face§", The 2nd scowls
"§So it's a mage that's been calling us, interesting§" the 3rd, and oddly the only female-sounding one hums
"Um, Artemis, you thinking what I am?" Sonia asks, scooting over to the redhead as the shield starts to flicker
"That this is going to hurt, especially given I missed Papa's bonding with Nagini?" Artemis responds half-jokingly "Also that Aunt Shaula was right, so thanks I guess" she shrugs "Are one of you my familiar?"
"§Close§"
"§But not quite right§"
"§Have another go little one§"
The green-haired Kuja's eyes widen "It's not 3 snakes, it's one" she gasps
Artemis gasps "A Runespoor? Well shit Amazon Lily really does have everything, so long as it's snake related" she giggles "So, how do we do this then? The bonding I mean?"
"§Resonance is already in progress, hence how we found you§" the 1st head states
"§You have the right kind of spirit to be our partner§" the 2nd head admits begrudgingly
"§And lastly, we need to bond to you physically, using the minor glands in our lower jaw and then merge with you§" the 3rd head finishes, getting understanding nods from the 2 ladies
"Oh, like how Nagini is part of Pop's flesh as much as her own being. Is this going to hurt?"
"§Only if it fails, Trixie has the strongest venom of the 3 of us§" the 1st head chuckles, getting a headbutt from the 3rd
"§Ignore him, and hold out your arms, this won't take long§" the 3rd head sighs
Artemis rolls her eyes but nods, then winces as flash as lightning the outer heads snap their jaws on her shoulders and the central head dives for her throat, though much like Nagini, the beast is drawn into the young mage who manages to hold herself steady and not collapse, though her breathing is much heavier than previous
"Are you ok kiddo?" Sonia asks cautiously and full of concern
"I'm ok, just, getting used to the new arrivals," she says half-jokingly as she moves her sleeves to show off what looked like coiled serpent tattoos running down her arms, stopping just before her wrist
"That's 2 heads, where's the 3rd?" Sonia asks, getting a chuckle from Sonia before she moves her blood-red ponytail to show the 3rd sat at the base of her neck, almost guarding the delicate vertebrae "Ah, there he is"
"I can't wait to show Papa, Miss Hancock, and even Sensei them, I got a familiar and it's a magical serpent!" Artemis cheers, hugging the older woman and giggling loudly as she'd cuddled by a similarly giddy Sandersonia
"Avada Kedavra!"
Thump
"Well, that ruins all the fun in hunting" Apholondra pouts as the boar drops like a rock, while Artemis shakes her arm to restore feeling in the limb
"Yeah, sorry about that, I had a poor history with boars on this island" Artemis admits with a sigh
"By the way, is it even safe to eat that, after you did your weird magical stuff to it?" Sweet Pea asks, she and Margaret poking the body with their bows
"It's fine, the curse was actually originally made for this purpose, clean kills of livestock. It was actually known as the Abattoir hex until 300 years ago when some mage realized it was actually rather good at killing humans too… Also, it stings like a bitch when used bare-handed rather than through a focus, which I sadly lack at the moment" she admits "Do you think I should ask Sensei if she can make me a ring or a wand? I could disguise it as a paintbrush, and a lot of pirates wear rings, even Pops does sometimes" the busty artist muses semi-rhetorically before helping Apholandra heave the animal onto her shoulder to take back to the village
"By the way, congrats on being made an official Kuja pirate, lucky bitch!" Aphalondra teases
"Please don't start this again, I hear enough from Kikyoene about the outsider being granted the honor" Margarate groans "forgetting Artemis is a pirate anyway, a Straw Hat at that, so if nothing else it's not like she didn't already have the skills to be one, the Empress just wanted her to get proper experience and outside training so she's officially one of us as they say"
"Papa!"
"Beloved!"
"Sexy!"
Marigold groans as Kaos slips out of the mirror to the fanfare of his child and her 2 idiot siblings, hugging the teen as well as Hancock (who will claim to have not squeed at the affection) before being tackle-hugged by a giddy Sonia "Hello everyone, especially you Artemis. I hear you're burning through materials in your quest to be ready for the New World" he grins, getting a soft blush from the redhead before pushing her hat over her face
"Not only magical, but she's taking to your mother's style like a duck to water" Hancock nods
"Oh, and that ninja stuff Valentina sent over, she says she's probably around a level 5 seal master" Sonia chirps
"She also seems to be bonding well with her familiar, a more difficult task given the runespoor's multiple heads" Marigold chuckles
"So I've heard" Kaos nods "However, I'm here to see everyone…. And give the kid some gifts" he grins widely, which was matched by Artemis
"Really, what you get me Pops?" Artemis asks, bouncing on the balls of her feet
"First, an artist beret" the researcher produced with a flourish, the assembled pirates noting a Straw Hat Roger shaped charm was connected to the central point
"Awesome! Now all I need is a mustache" Artemis smirks as she swaps her sunhat for her new Straw Hat beret
"While the next gift isn't a mustache, it is something that will help you in the future," Kaos says before pulling a very long container from his cloak, meaning it was obviously hidden within the mirror dimension, and setting it down in front of her
"So, how worried should we be about this new gift?" Marigold mutters to Hancock
"Depending on what it is, but I get the feeling we'll only need to worry about Artemis injuring herself for a couple of months" the Empress replies
What it was…. Was a long reddish-brown staff with a 'speartip' end that was more of a paint or calligraphy brush. Placing a hand on the wood Artemis hisses and recoils, turning over her hand reveals a myriad of small nicks and cuts across her palm
"Well that's one aspect confirmed. What you see before you, is a Blood Oak Atrisan's Glaive, very rare, only one that I know of given I made it" Kaos says with a click of his tongue, at which point what he actually just said registered
"BLOOD OAK!" all 4 of them scream
"Yeah, 0/10 wouldn't recommend, even with a logia or 2 in the hunting party" he hums "Now one reason I made it for you kiddo, is because the blood oak absorbs blood from all that touch it, repairing and regenerating similar to the Kubikiribocho, as you saw just a moment ago even in this form. The thing is, if my research, Grima's assurances, and Tharja's assessment of your skills are all accurate, we believe you could bond the weapon to yourself as well as make it into a very useful weapon for the New World, an attack healer"
"Is that possible?" Sonia asks curiously
"I think I know the potion and stabilizing runes Sensei would have recommended, and if I use a decent portion of my blood to link us together….. Maybe" Artemis hums. This was going to be a difficult, but rewarding project, but if it worked out….. "I presume the brush is a mix of wood and metallic fibers?" she muses
"Correct, can't drain blood unless the blood oak wood touches flesh, but from what I can tell it could be used as much as a brush…. As a magical focus" Kaos hums
"I had considered that, given the ritual I'd need to perform, as well as the level of bonding required for this to work. It would become as much a mage's staff as a spear or glaive, which would actually be quite, fun. Give me a reason to have Sensei teach me the big magic too, otherwise, I'd have to stick to Val's Jutsus and that's cheating" she winks, blowing a raspberry
"Regretting asking for a real fight right about now!" Artemis groans as she dodged the beast whose fist smashes the wall behind her, spinning her brush before drawing the sigil in the air and slamming it onto the ground "Color Trap: Bullfight Red!" she cries, the hooting as it slams into the target and wails on it, just the distraction she needed to pull out something big and dangerous
"Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy! Boil forth and deny! Grow numb and flicker! Disrupt sleep! Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Unite! Repulse! Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness! Kurohitsugi" the mage chants, black smoke forming around the beast before solidifying into an antiblack cube which was quickly pincushioned by multiple energy blades. As she pants heavily, the cube shatters like glass, and the enemy was reduced to a pile of steaming meat
"So, even an SIQ-roided up Bluegori couldn't stand up to the strongest Hado…. You continue to impress me" Tharja cackles
"I need a break sensei" Artemis groans deeply, hands gripping her knees tightly
"Not surprised, that move is a Low S rank curse, though it is one of the smallest for that level of power" Tharja muses, ruffling the girl's hair "Relax kiddo, you're doing fine"
"I'm happy to inform you that the elixir was a complete success" Artemis grins as the woman in front of her checks herself out in the mirror, her face frozen in shock as she continues to poke and prod at her smooth skin, large and bouncy assets and firm muscles "How does it feel, Gloriosa?"
"Like I've returned to my prime, in terms of look, and power" the former Empress purrs, even her voice stronger and sultry "You really made a miracle drug kiddo"
"The crazy lady had a good base product, I just used arcane methods to overhaul and upgrade the procedure. I couldn't actually REVERSE the aging process though, so it's more a medication or elixir sustained fountain of youth. But, if the arithmancy calculations are accurate, you'd only need a dose every few months to remain around your mid to late 30's…. Well I presume that's what you are, no offense"
"Nah, it's been a while since someone thought I was in my 30's, at least 40 years by now" she waves off with a giddy chuckle "But I believe it's time to make use of this newfound energy and invigoration" she coos, her smile twisting into a familiar smirk.
'Maybe I should have tested it on someone more stable than an elderly Kuja. Rayleigh and Shakky might have had fun with even one dose of this compound that's for sure' Artemis thinks, having a bad feeling about what was about to happen
She was half right as she sat between Sonia and Marigold at the Kuja's main arena, while Hancock and Gloriosa are about to face off, a fight that was probably always going to happen, the elixir just accelerating the confrontation.
Gloriosa herself was dressed in a burgundy, long-sleeved but midriff-exposing blouse with frilly cuffs, reminding the artist of how Hancock looked when they first met her, a long skirt with the Kuja Roger on it in a pale pink, and fittingly a gloriosa lily in her hair on the left side. Her hair fell in waves to mid back, unlike Hancock's which lay straight and flat, ironically as despite her restored youth her hair still looked to be the color of seafoam. Lastly, she held a bo staff close to her hip, Artemis already knowing the woman was a master of it
Boa Hancock stood in a blue/green version of the battle dress she wore in Marineford and a scowl, until she kicked off her high heels and Gloriosa twitches
"I've never hated that woman before now…. And I still might not if you managed to break both of your feet attempting to use her techniques" Gloriosa sighs deeply
"Like I'd help train Artemis in Medusa's variant of Kuja Kenpo without learning it myself" Hancock scoffs "Besides, it helped Artemis improve her healing techniques, and it helped me add masseuse to the list of reasons my beloved is perfect to me" she purrs, then with a smirk, armament haki flares from her toes to mid-calf, coloring it an oily black
"Arrogant to a fault as always, and even now you spit on our traditions" Gloriosa scowls, spinning her bo staff before making the first move, her younger body more capable of using the Kuja's standard combat style with her enhanced flexibility, though Armament haki mixed with Medusa's variant means Hancock still had a slight advantage when it came to the bounciness and agility at least with her legs.
Probably why most of her strikes were aimed at the younger woman's ribs or sides, as while she couldn't take her legs out, it would still make her weaker overall, and probably give her breathing difficulties
"This is getting tedious. Slave Arrows" Hancock cries, biting her thumb and forming a heart-shaped bubble, before pulling back on it and unleashing a barrage of pink energy arrows as the bubble pops, unfortunately, Gloriosa is able to block the attack with the rapid spinning of her armament haki coated staff, before driving the tip into Hancock's gut just below her ribcage, probably at least bruising her liver and other internal organs, as the empress bunny hops backward, wheezing heavily
"You treat this like a game but you have the weight of our entire people on your back Snake Princess. As Empress, the Kuja depend on and rely on your judgment and actions, but your refusal to compromise and cooperate unless someone else forces your hand continues to weaken us to the point the Government will burn this island to the ground the moment you finally step too far out of line and lose your title" Gloriosa yells, looking down on the young Empress before going for another swing with her staff, only for it to be blocked by a heel and stopped dead.
"Perfume Femur" Hancock snarls, swapping legs and breaking the staff in half with the Devil fruit powers, then forces Gloriosa into a forward roll to avoid an axe kick to the skull
'Come on big sis'
'You can do this'
'What are you planning Gloriosa?'
"You've been out of the game for too long Gloriosa" Hancock pants "It doesn't work that way anymore, an Empress can't bend her knee to the World Government, and §I NEVER WILL AGAIN!§" Hancock screams before blitzing the regenerated former Empress, dodging a strike from her broken staff and leaping at her, nails digging into Glorisa's shoulders as she almost performs a handstand, her pupils shimmering hearts and hair flowing into snake-like tendrils, before, with black lightning flowing off her….
CLANG
…she slams her skull against Gloriosa's, flooring the elder Kuja with a headbutt, as well as sending a small shockwave through the arena
"The Victor…. Snake Princess Boa Hancock!" Tharja announces, practically giddy as it had been years since she'd seen a Conqueror clash on that scale "Everyone is dismissed!"
"I am beautiful because I am strong, I am Empress because no one has been able to even hold a candle to my power. That is something you forgot when you made this stupid challenge" Hancock sighs, then winces as she heaves herself up using Gloriosa's breasts as hand holds "Um, a little help over here girls, I may have, possibly broken my ankle with that last kick" she mutters with a pout
Her sisters roll their eyes but chuckle Sandersonia lifts her big sis up into a princess carry (To Hancock's embarrassment and the others' amusement) and heads to see Belladonna to see what the damages were, while Artemis stood over Gloriosa
"You know she wasn't going to just hand over her title to you, and the others wouldn't have accepted you even if she had" Artemis states
"Is that what she thought? Stupid girl" Gloriosa chuckles then coughs, her eyes still unfocused "I didn't want the title, I wanted her to grow up, and show me she was actually worthy of the title of Kuja Empress"
"And your decision?" Artemis asks
"She'll do, but I've got a good few more years in me, so I'll have to keep her on her toes and beat some more lessons into her to ensure they stick" Gloriosa smirks, at which point Artemis rolls her eyes, getting the feeling she'll never understand the relationship/dynamic between the 2 empresses.
TBC
LW: And so the Straw Hat Sorceress has begun to properly form, and she's doing quite well if I do say so myself XD
The last 2 parts of this chapter, actually take place after the next one, but they are here because they're Artemis' fault, the 1st more than the 2nd, and because I thought they'd flow better here than tacked on the end of the next one, where even with Ace still breathing we're doing 3d2y, or the RKMM equivalent of it, after all, World still managed to escape Level 6, so why shouldn't he have to fight our boys
Gloriosa's rejuvenated form is based on Nectp's drawing of her for their own works. FF readers can slip over to RoamHomeForGlory, while AO3 readers will hopefully see the image below. Both sites however can simply head over to Deviantart and look at all of Nectp's drawings directly.