I'm With you, Forever, The End

by Katsuki-1x

In the world of quirks 90% of the population has a quirk. Scientists believe that soulmates and quirks are somehow linked. Izuku and Katsuki are training at the beach when Izuku finds a fruit. Izuku eats the fruit and gains a power. On the beach the boys save a group of strangers that have washed up on shore. Izuku finds out what is power is and what it is called when the stranger

59. Chapter 59 In Sickness

Katsuki waits on the shore for his nerd to return, the Baratie is all set to sail. Nami and Shoto are preparing their ship to set sail as soon as the captain comes back. A growl is heard overhead and Katsuki sighs relieved, "SET SAIL!" He shouts to the crew. The anchor raises and the sails lower, the wind catches the sails of the ship forcing it to speed away from the Harbor. Izuku lands onshore for a moment so Katsuki can leap onto Izuku's back.

Sitting in his normal spot, Katsuki observes the other teen. The other teen has white-blond hair with a red streak on his right side. The teen has a short ponytail hanging slightly over the right shoulder. His eyes are red like Katsuki's own, but softer somehow. The teen wears a traditional Samurai haori jacket and hakama leggings decorated with maple leaf designs. The colors remind Katsuki of autumn and the changing colors of the seasons. It's a little eerie the way the teen looks like he could be related to Katsuki. The teen's face and eye shape are similar enough to his own it is uncanny. The teen looks softer than Katsuki though, his eyes expressive and intelligent. His smile is small and soft, grateful, and accepting.

"Katsuki Bakugo," Katsuki grunts.

The teen looks at Katsuki with a curious look in his eye.

"My name," Katsuki sighs.

"Oh," The teen sounds, and his voice is melodic like a gentle breeze, soft but not weak. "Kaedehara Kazuha, it's a pleasure to meet you, Katsuki."

Katsuki observes the teen running his fingers through the fur of Izuku's back, Kazuha hums in contentment. The short flight to the ship is completed mostly in silence, Kazuha hums a tune that Katsuki has never heard but finds soothing, like a lullaby.

Izuku yips as he makes his descent to the ship, Katsuki hums, "We will be landing soon, Kazuha."

The teen nods and Katsuki finds it equally comforting as he does confusing that there are no signs of fear or wariness coming from the teen. Kazuha seems relaxed like he has been around Izuku and Katsuki as long as Ace and Luffy have. Kazuha still has his small smile, his eyes are still soft and accepting, even though he was about to be executed and is now being taken to an unknown place.

Kazuha must sense Katsuki's confusion because he chuckles slightly, "The wind said to trust you."

If Katsuki was confused before, he is downright bewildered now, "The wind?"

Kazuha nods, and looks to the sky, "those in tune with the wind, can hear its whispers. I have always been able to feel the wind, to listen to the stories and secrets that travel with it."

"I see," Katsuki states. He doesn't really understand what Kazuha means, but he finds himself intrigued nonetheless. Izuku reaches their ship and hovers above the deck. Katsuki goes to help the teen off Izuku's back but stops as a gentle breeze seems to carry Kazuha and deposits the teen on deck. Katsuki smirks, ok that was pretty cool. He leaps off his Nerd's back and lands next to the teen silently.

Izuku shifts back into his human form does a quick scan of the ship and his pack. He slumps relieved as everyone is accounted for and uninjured. He turns to the teen he rescued and bows, "My name is Izuku Midoriya, sorry I kidnapped you."

The teen chuckles, "I am Kaedehara Kazuha, don't apologize for that."

Izuku smiles bashfully, "ok, is there anywhere you want me to take you? It is not my intention to keep you here against your will."

Kazuha hums, "I am little more than a wanderer, I have no place to call home. For as long as I can remember I have followed the whispers of the wind."

Izuku tilts his head intrigued, "whispers of the wind?"

Kazuha nods, "they tell a tale of encroaching darkness, of unavoidable destruction and death. But there's still hope, the wind whispers of two bright shining stars that stave off the darkness, bringing life and a sense of renewal. I left home to follow the wind in search of the stars."

"The darkness… could it be the Calamity?" Izuku ponders.

Kazuha shrugs, "When I was on the execution platform when I made eye contact with you, I felt at peace. The wind told me to trust you, so I put my faith in you and accepted whatever fate may bring. There is something about you two… not only the essence of wind and earth but also of… yes…the stars…"

Confusion spikes in Izuku and Katsuki, and Izuku wonders if maybe Kazuha senses Fuji and Fenrir in them. Maybe that is the reason they give off the feeling of stars?

Kazuha chuckles, "pay my ramblings no heed… I only mean to say I am certain… that it is by fate, not chance alone, that we should meet… and that gives our encounter meaning."

The presence of a new arrival brings the attention of the rest of the crew. Eri barrels out of the bridge and collides with Izuku's legs, "Fuji, Kacchan, you're back!" The sound of a soft chuckle forces Eri to observe the new arrival. For a moment she hesitates and hides slightly behind Izuku's legs.

Kazuha chuckles and kneels down to Eri's eye level, "and who might this little star be?"

Eri shifts slightly, "You talk funny." Then she gasps at her rude tone and hides farther behind Izuku's legs.

Kazuha chuckles, "with this fine ship and the soft sea breeze… would it not be romantically irresponsible of me not to acknowledge it with a line or two of poetry?"

Izuku chuckles at the girl, "Chimichan this is Kaedehara Kazuha, he is going to be traveling with us for the time being."

Eri flashes her red eyes between Izuku and the newly introduced Kazuha, "like pack?"

Izuku nods, "if he wants to be."

Eri smiles and pries herself away from Izuku's legs, "Fuji says to give our special people nicknames…" she tilts her head to the side and hums, "I'm going to call you Melody."

"In that case," Kazuha smiles fondly, "I shall call you Little Star."

Bashfully Eri tugs on Katsuki's pants, "Kacchan did you hear? Melody gave me a nickname. Does this mean I'm his special person too?"

Katsuki plops one of his hands on Eri's head, "I'm sure you are, Squirt."

Izuku crouches to a knee, "Chimichan?" The girl looks at Izuku, "Can you go make sure all of Fuji's precious people are safe, Kacchan and I need to speak with Kazuha in private for a moment."

Eri pouts and looks like she wants to argue, Izuku chuckles, "When we are done, I'll let you show Melody around and introduce him to the others." Eri pouts, but nods and scampers into the bridge to find Shoto. Izuku smiles fondly at the happy spike in Shoto's aura when Eri sits with him.

Izuku turns to Kazuha, "Let's go somewhere a little more private." The teen nods and follows Izuku to the Captain's cabin.

Once seated with a nice hot cup of tea in his hands Kazuha sighs pleased, "She's a cute kid."

Izuku nods, "I hope you don't mind the nickname. She was abused by her previous family and sold to the Mafia. When we rescued her, she believed everyone was like her abusers. I had to teach her that not all families needed blood to be family, so I gave her the nickname Chimichan. I told her nicknames are what we give people who are precious to us. So she has taken to giving everyone nicknames. She can inherently tell if a person has ill intent towards her or people she cares about. Her giving you the nickname Melody is her way of deeming you safe."

"I don't mind the nickname," Kazuha states. "Children are a soft spot of mine. Their innocence and curiosity is something to be nurtured and cherished."

Katsuki grunts, "so what now?"

Izuku hums, "It seems like you know about the Calamity, and if I understand you correctly you have been searching for the light, or the stars to help fight off the darkness. Is that right?"

Kazuha nods, "Since a young age, I have been attuned to the tidings of nature. I heard the breath of the wind and the whispers of the leaves. The ground beats a pulse of feelings that reflect the current happenings of an area. It is things of this nature that I also hear from within you, nothing more."

Izuku hums, "That sounds like the voice of all things."

Kazuha shakes his head and looks to the ground, "My humble abilities are negligible compared to your incredible feats. To think a human could travel to multiple worlds, and wield powers native to those worlds, without the natural ability to do so…Not to mention your incredibly complex scent, like that of some mysterious being…"

Izuku hums and tells Kazuha the origins of Fuji, how Izuku consumed his fruit, and how Fuji bonded to his soul. He explained his dreams and what he has seen in his visions to the wanderer. When he is finished Kazuha hums, "hum, extraordinary." He pauses and pinches his chin in thought, "It is as Nature tells, yes I am certain that you are the ones I have been looking for."

Katsuki hums, "now that your search has led you here, what are you planning to do?"

Something sad fills Kazuha's eyes, "I have recently lost a friend to this darkness. Not too long ago the darkness started to encroach on the desires of my shogun. She started to enact her vision of "eternity" meaning the fleeting skills and power bestowed by the Devils were to be purged and confiscated. My friend heard about the purge and felt it was his duty to stand against the Shogun. One day he asked me about a sword art which he heard, The Musou no Hitotachi. I told him, it could only be witnessed when divine punishment is administered, it is the pinnacle of the Raiden Shogun's skill, a symbol of ultimate power. But he replied, "There must be someone who can withstand it." "There will always be those who dare to brave the lightning's glow." He challenged the Shogun to a duel, the defeated faced divine punishment, while the victors gained a second chance. Perhaps he thought he of all people should make a stand. Coming face to face with the Musou No Hitotachi was all that he truly desired, after all. When I arrived at Tenshukaku, the duel was over. I heard his sentence of divine punishment, his severed blade hitting the ground, perhaps that was the glory he yearned to witness. In his last moments, what expression was on his face? Before I knew it, I had stepped forward and snatched his dying form, and was running from the scene. All I knew was that I mustn't let his hope which burned so brightly, become buried among the ice-cold statue of a god." A tear escapes his eyes, "perhaps one day I may come to find that all I have done is meaningless. But as a wandering samurai, I find meaning in traveling and the sprawling beauty of Nature that lies along the way, while still retaining the "Warrior Way" in my heart."

"Kazuha…" Izuku whimpers feeling the teen's sadness.

Kazuha turns and smiles, "It's just another way of saying I do as I please. The wind led me to you, and I believe you can stop the darkness. And maybe it is selfish of me…but I want to ensure my friend's death was not in vain."

Izuku hums, "Well then, allow me to welcome you to the pack."

"Pack? Because of your wolf forms?" Kazuha deduces.

"For the most part, but while we may be portraying ourselves as Pirates we are not. We did not come to this world with the goal of being pirates, but it was necessary given what we accomplished in Marine Ford." Izuku explains. Then a blush spreads on his cheeks, "everyone on this ship has been claimed by my wolf and Kacchan's wolf. It is only a matter of time before we claim you too."

"I see," Kazuha chuckles. "If I may be so bold to ask, how deep do your wolf instincts go?"

"In a way I am Fuji, and Fuji is me; we share the same soul. When I ate Fuji's fruit he bound himself to me for eternity, when I die he will not reform, instead, he will follow my soul wherever it ends up." Izuku tries to explain. "In my world, there is such thing as soulmates, and a few months ago Fuji manipulated the soulmate ability to awaken my soulmate's spirit animal."

A gleam of interest sparks in bright red eyes, "soulmates huh? How does one know if they have a soulmate?"

"In my world, we have our own power systems, most of the world's population is born with abilities called quirks. The quirks manifest themselves around the age of 5, when both partners receive their quirks, a mark will appear on their skin that matches them to their Fated. What we know of quirks and soulmates is very limited, since we found out our matches can be from different worlds. I was born quirkless, but when I consumed Fuji's fruit my mark appeared," Izuku briefs. "Quirkless people are always markless, and it is extremely rare for someone with a quirk to be markless. But somehow eating Fuji's Devil Fruit not only gave me a chance to be a hero but also gave me a soulmate."

"Fascinating," Kazuha gleams. "It seems like Devil Fruit's abilities are very similar to these quirks," he hums to himself, then he seems to realize he spoke his thoughts out loud, "oh, pay no attention to me, I was just talking to myself."

Katsuki smiles to himself, as he realizes why he was so intrigued with Kazuha. The teen reminds Katsuki of Izuku, the way his eyes spark with interest when he wants to learn about a new concept or power. How Kazuha and Izuku share the same trait of thinking out loud. As he glances at Izuku, his nerd has the same gleam in his eyes that Kazuha has. And Katsuki knows if he doesn't pull them away from this topic his nerd could keep them here for hours breaking down the similarities of Devil fruits and quirks. "Nerd?"

Izuku blinks owlishly at Katsuki, "Kacchan?"

Katsuki smiles softly at the Nerd, "we can nerd about the differences and similarities of quirks and Devil Fruits some other time, but I think we should let Kazuha settle in first."

Understanding flashes in Izuku's gaze, "you're right Kacchan." He turns his gaze towards Kazuha, "shall we introduce you to the pack?"

Kazuha nods, "I believe Little Star wanted to show me around."

Izuku nods and stands up, he leads Kazuha to the bridge. As soon as he opens the door, Eri barrels into him, "Fuji, is Melody staying with us?!" Izuku smiles down at the excitement and happiness radiating off the girl in waves.

Izuku nods, "yes, he has agreed to join the pack."

Getting confirmation from Izuku, Eri detaches herself from the teen and makes her way to the new arrival. She latches onto his pants leg and starts to babble excitedly about their adventures so far. Izuku smiles as he heads to the intercom, "everyone please come to the bridge." He only has to wait a few moments before his packmates start to trickle in. Soon enough everyone is accounted for, some of the more protective members of the pack (Aizawa, Ace, Luffy, and Kato) flash curious and protective glances toward the new arrival.

Once everyone settles in, it is a little cramped as this room is not suited for major meetings, he decides to make this quick. "Today we have cleared the last Island of the East Blue. Tomorrow we should be in the Grandline to start the next part of our journey. I know some of you are wondering what took me so long to get back to the ship when we departed from Louge Town." He pauses and takes in everyone's facial expressions, "today, we accept another person into our pack, into our family." He gestures to the new teen, "This is Kaedehara Kazuha, he is a wandering samurai, and he has agreed to help us in our mission."

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Kazuha bows politely.

The pack members cheer their greetings happily. Mindful of the protective stances from Izuku and Katsuki, (this is something the pack is used to, seeing as every new member of the pack gets the same treatment until they are more comfortable with everyone else.) they introduce themselves and their powers. Kazuha gets an interested spark in his eyes, "Hum, Devil Fruits, Quirks, and Chakra… how intriguing. Not to mention the presence of Gods and spiritual wills." He hums again, "I know not what it is called, but it is almost as if a few of your auras, while unbendable, can bend even fate to your will."

"What you are sensing is called Haki," Izuku informs. "More specifically you are sensing the conquerors in this group. Ace, Luffy, Kacchan, and I are the only conquerors on this ship."

"I see," Kazuha ponders intrigued.

"If you are interested, I can start teaching you the basics of Observation Haki, and Armament Haki," Izuku offers. "Though I am pretty sure you already use it, even if subconsciously."

"Wait, Wha? Guys! The storm suddenly stopped!" Usopp points out.

"Hey, you're right." Denki points outs.

"What?!" Nami snaps her head in the direction of the window, "that can't be…"

"That storm should have led us directly to the entrance…" Shoto hums.

"Wow, such a nice day!" Luffy exclaims.

"I wonder what happened to the storm?" Kirishima ponders.

"OH NO!" Nami gasps, "We've entered the calm belt…!"

"Calm belt?" Denki asks, "What's that?"

"This is no time to be just standing about! Go grab the oars and start rowing as fast as you can!" Nami panics. "We have to get to the storm immediately!"

"Why would we even want to go back into the storm?" Usopp questions.

"Shut up and do as I say!" Nami rages.

"But the weather is so nice here…" Denki points out.

"Listen! The Grandline is surrounded by two ocean belts." Nami begins, "and those two windless belts known as the calm belt are exactly where we're stuck right now!"

"Calm, eh? Sure seems that way with no wind and all," Zoro points out, "So? What's your point?"

"THE POINT IS THAT…" before Nami can finish raging at Zoro, the ship starts to shake. The more excitable pack mates start to panic.

"AHH! Is this an earthquake?!" Usopp panics.

"But we are out in the open seas!" Denki responds shakily.

Everyone leaves the bridge to find out what is going on, only to see what looks to be massive monsters surrounding the ship. The water churns violently, waves crashing harshly into the ship. Nami hugs the Mizzenmast, "This place is a den… For sea kings!"

Izuku, Katsuki, and Kazuha stand calmly at the bow of the ship. Izuku watches the Sea Kings intently, a Sea King that looks like a frog looks down at their ship. It seems like it is trying to figure out what they are. It comes to a decision as a webbed foot lashes out, aiming to crush their ship. "Kazuha, use your wind on the sails. Get us back to the storm. Kacchan, blind the Sea King." Both teens nod at Izuku's orders.

With Kazuha's and Izuku's blast, the ship launches away from the Sea Kings. Another massive frog-like Sea King leaps after them, its tongue hitting the helm of the Ship. The ninja use their chakra to stay attached to the ship. Luffy wraps an arm around the Mizzenmast, his other arm wraps around the Packmates closest to him. Izuku transforms into Fuji's form to catch Kaminari and Usopp from falling overboard. Katsuki launches himself to catch Ashido from falling into the ocean. Gaara uses his sand to form a wall to prevent anyone else from falling off the ship. Kakashi has a grip on Aizawa and Eri as he uses his chakra to stay on the ship. Kazuha uses another burst of wind to straighten out the ship's landing, Fuji swoops under him to give Kazuha a safe landing.

The ship crashes back into the ocean, away from the calm belt. The storm rages over their heads and the pack lay in crumpled heaps of tangled limbs and groans.

"Oh thank god… we're back in the storm…" Usopp breaths heavily.

"Now do you understand why we have to use the entrance?" Nami groans.

"Yeah… I get it." Zoro deadpans.

"Ah, I got it…!" Nami sits up frantically.

"What is it, Nami?" Shoto asks.

"We really are going to climb up the Mountain!" Nami exclaims, "It must be due to the sea currents. If strong currents from each of the four seas, were to all head towards that mountain…then they would drive up the waterway. And at the very top, the currents will merge and come out to the Grandline! Since we are already riding the currents, all we have to worry about is steering properly." Shoto nods along with Nami, absorbing all the new information the Navigator divulges. Nami puts her finger to her chin, "reverse mountain is a winter island so the currents that hit its edge will travel down to the bottom of the sea."

"So if we fail to enter the waterway, we'll crash and get dragged down to the bottom of the sea?" Shoto inquires.

"Yes, exactly." Nami smiles at the Hot and Cold teen.

"I SEE THE MOUNTAIN!" Luffy exclaims.

"WAIT!" Usopp screeches, "What's that huge shadow?!"

"IT'S HUGE!" Denki panics as he hugs Usopp fearfully.

"So that's the red line?" Shoto hums.

"I can't even see the top because of the clouds!" Kaminari screams.

"Get a good grip of the wheel so we don't get dragged under!" Izuku orders.

"Just leave it to us!" Kirishima and Luffy respond.

"Amazing." Nami gasps.

"I can't believe it…" Yoimiya gasps in awe.

"The ocean is… really going up a mountain…" Gaara states almost monotoned.

"We're veering off course! Turn a little to the right!" Luffy shouts.

"Right?! Turn Starboard!" Usopp corrects.

Kirishima and Luffy turn the helm towards the right, fighting against the power of the ocean.

Izuku observes the turn of the ship, "we are not going to make it." Asui uses her manipulation of the water to try and direct the ship to the right, but with her limited training and being new to her Devil fruit, it is not enough. Luffy jumps overboard and uses his balloon to stop the ship from crashing into the wall of the Red Line. Izuku transforms and catches Luffy, depositing him safely on board.

"WE'RE SAVED!" Usopp cheers still gripping onto Kaminari like his life depends on him.

Izuku smiles softly as the fear and unease change rapidly to excitement as the ship climbs the mountain. The cheering of his packmates settles his own unease. Excitement bubbles in him and he laughs brilliantly.

"Yahoo!" Luffy cheers.

"Now all we have to do is go down!" Nami shouts.

"Whoa…" Izuku states awed. Words alone can't begin to describe the view from the figurehead. But the water crashing at the top of the mountain releases little droplets of water that look more like rainbowed gems. The still crystal blue waters below him look like the most expensive sapphires and remind him of freedom. "We made it."

"BUOOOOH!" A noise reverberates around the ship.

"Hm?" Izuku's ears perk up.

"Did you hear something just now?" Zoro asks.

"It's probably the wind, the terrain here is quite odd after all," Nami suggests.

"It's not the wind," Kazuha states.

Izuku stretches his senses out, "there is something on the edge of my senses."

At the same time, "Nami!" Neji calls from the crow's nest, "there appears to be a mountain ahead of us!"

"A mountain?" Nami hums, "That can't be! Once we pass the twin capes up ahead, we will reach the open ocean."

"BUOOHHHH!" the sound gets louder as the ship speeds down the waterway.

Izuku notices the whale before anyone else, so he unleashes his conquerors on the whale. The massive whale freezes in its spot, Izuku makes eye contact with the giant whale, "DIVE!"

The whale seems to stall for a moment, but with Izuku's relentless Haki the whale does as told and dives. The ship slows to a stop with the crashing waves at the bow of the ship. Izuku uses his Haki to make sure the whale is safe and didn't get hit by them.

There is a man standing off to the side next to a lighthouse. Izuku feels nostalgia bubble up in him. "Shoto, take us to that lighthouse." Izuku orders, Shoto takes the helm and steers the ship to the lighthouse.

Izuku hops off the side of the ship and studies the man. The man is staring at the spot the Whale dived under the ocean. "I've never felt such a pure Conqueror before." The man tears his gaze from the ocean to the teen standing in front of him. "You, who are you?"

"I'm Izuku," Izuku greets.

The man nods, "I am Crocus, the lighthouse keeper of the twin capes."

Izuku hums, "Did you happen to sail on the King's ship?"

The man frowns and glares at the teen, he tries to get a reading from the boy. There is something slightly familiar but different, honed, more powerful. And it's been so long since he sailed with Roger that he is unable to pinpoint it. But he doesn't sense anything negative within the boy, not to mention his Pure Conqueror's Haki, not even that Red-Haired brats Haki is that pure. So Crocus nods, "For a time yes, I did sail as the ship's doctor on the Oro Jackson. But how do you know that?!"

"Fuji recognizes you," Izuku offers. The man stares at him in disbelief. Izuku smirks as he starts to shift, the man startles and falls over on his butt.

"Fuji?" Crocus asks shakily, "you can use Fuji's full power? Not even Roger could."

"It's a long story," Izuku says after he shifts back. He talks about Shanks and how the man raised him, Ace, Luffy, and Kacchan. How Shanks had the fruit before he saved Luffy and Ace, and how he capsized. How Izuku found the fruit at the beach and ate it not knowing what it was. Then used the power of Fuji to heal Shanks and two kids.

"Of course, that red-haired brat would take the fruit," Crocus grumbles.

"BHOOOUOOO!" the whale cries forlornly. He swims backward and speeds up and crashes his head against the mountain. Crocus looks down at the ground sadly. Izuku feels unimaginable sadness, despair, hopelessness, and betrayal coming from the whale.

"Laboon…" Crocus whispers. At the group's confused faces, Crocus tells them the story of Laboon. Where he came from, how he followed a crew into the Grandline 50 years ago. And the broken promise Laboon refuses to believe has been broken.

Izuku watches sadly as Laboon continuously rams his scared head into the unrelenting wall of the Red Line. He wishes he could do something to help the whale, nothing really comes to mind. He is not so cruel as to offer the whale a promise he cannot fulfill. They will never make it back here to tell the Whale stories of their travels. And it would be too cruel to take the whale with them knowing they would have to leave the whale behind when they go back to Japan.

But perhaps Izuku thinks, if he could heal the whale's betrayal, maybe Laboon can coexist with Crocus. So he flares his flames over the whale. He keeps them active until the whale stops thrashing and eventually calms down. His flames latch onto the remnants of betrayal fueled rage and hot flashed anger, his flames consume the negative emotions of abandonment until there is nothing left.

Izuku sighs as his flames dissipate, the whale docile once more. Crocus makes a sort of wounded relieved sound, "it has been too long since I felt something so pure."

Izuku nods, because he understands, Shanks and Rayleigh had the same softly fond expressions on their faces when they were reminded of their captain. He saw the fond look of nostalgia from Rayleigh when in Izuku's moment of vulnerability he wrapped his tails around Katsuki seeking comfort. When he first displayed the protectiveness of a wolf over Ace and Luffy's past, the same spark of recognition was in Shanks' eyes.

Crocus makes use of the time the crew is docked to explain the intricacies of the Grandline. He begins giving Nami and Shoto a rundown of navigation and the unpredictable nature of the Grandline. While Izuku already explained some of the norms of the Grandline, they still listen to every word Crocus spews.

By the time the sun is reaching its peak in the sky, Izuku is baring farewell to the twin capes keeper and setting off to his next island. The log pose has locked onto its first island, according to the maps Shanks left them, they are heading to Little Garden. Izuku wonders what secrets the island will part with. What types of people are on that Island? Izuku feels the thrill of unknown excitement filling him, he hopes he can finally be challenged here. From the look on Katsuki's face, he is hoping to blow off some steam as well.

On the deck of the ship the pack waits for him, Izuku smiles, "now that we are in the Grandline, we need to design our Jolly Roger." He flits through his notebook, "what do you think of this?" He hands his sketch over to the pack. It's a simple drawing, a snarling wolf that looks like Fuji, and replacing the bones of the crossbones, are two of Izuku's own feathers.

Shoto hums, "I feel protected standing near this image."

Luffy smiles, "you have captured Fuji's protective snarl perfectly."

The pack nod and vocally sound their approvals, Izuku nods. "Alright, who wants to draw it on the sails?"

Usopp puffs his chest out, "I have honed my artistic talents by drawing on the walls of people's homes for years." Usopp boasts, "I'm quite the master artist, you know."

Izuku smiles fondly at the teen, "then I will leave it in your capable hands, Usopp."

Usopp nods determinedly and gets started on painting the image onto the Mizzenmast's sail. After an hour Usopp calls, "Alright, it's done!"

Izuku smiles and praises Usopp, "great job, Usopp!"

Luffy hums, "Shanks said all great Pirate ships need a name!"

"I suppose you are right," Izuku beams. "Anyone have ideas?"

"The Howling Protector!" Kaminari exclaims.

"The Vicious Wolf!" Ashido shouts excitedly.

Shoto hums, "What about The Loyal Protector?"

"Oh, I like that Sho," Izuku beams.

The others nod their agreement, "It fits perfectly with the dynamics of the pack." Ace states sagely.

"It's simple but effective," Kato hums.

Izuku beams as the rest of the pack voice their opinions, "then it is settled. The ship's name is The Loyal Protector. With our ship named and our Jolly Roger completed… We are now establishing ourselves as Pirates."

To celebrate the naming of the ship and the completion of the Jolly Roger Sanji prepares a feast. Izuku notices most of the dishes are inspired by each individual's favorite dish. There is Katsudon, spicy curry, even Sanji's first attempt at making Ramen. Plenty of prepared meats for Luffy, Kirishima, and Ace. Zoro cracks open the Sake, and Aizawa grumbles about the majority of them being underage. Kakashi laughs at the grumpy man and offers a distraction Aizawa can't refuse.

A soft tune is carried by the wind, it's a lovely sound filled with notes of peace and love. But the way the softer notes linger also speaks of unimaginable loneliness and longing. Kazuha sits on the boom of the Mizzenmast playing an instrument while looking longingly to the sky. The music is almost too soft for most of the pack to hear above the sounds of their chaos, but Izuku tunes in to softly played notes. And he doesn't know Kazuha well, but the notes of the song prove he has been lonely for so long, and he wishes to find someone to take the loneliness away. And for a moment there is a silhouette of someone standing with Kazuha almost making the music echo.

Even though the music has a certain sadness to it, it is peaceful in a way that causes a small smile to spread on Izuku's face. He watches his pack, he takes in their laughter and ease with each other, and something feels light in the air. So far, their journey has been easy, and in a short few days, Izuku has managed to add 6 new packmates.

So it continues throughout the night, the changing songs blend together into a beautiful symphony filled with emotion. The Laughter of the pack starts to slowly die down as fatigue forces pairs of packmates to retreat to their rooms. It doesn't take long for Izuku, Katsuki, and Kazuha to be the last remaining packmates on deck. Kazuha offers the pair a small nod and smile before he retreats below deck.

Izuku whines slightly, even though Kazuha appears calm on the outside, inside the teen is a raging storm of emotions, only half of which Izuku can make out. Fear, Loneliness, grief, sadness, longing, and Izuku wants to help him so badly it almost hurts. Katsuki squeezes him slightly, offering his own brand of comfort before Izuku is dragged into their room.

Morning comes a little too quickly for Izuku, but as he makes his way on deck, he notices him and Kacchan are the last to wake. Izuku heads to the bridge to check their course.

Nami and Shoto are bent over the table of maps with studious gazes on their faces. Izuku approaches them, "Good Morning Shoto, Nami."

Both teens startle slightly but manage to cover their surprise quickly, "Good Morning Izuku" Shoto mumbles out tiredly.

Nami nods her greeting, "Captain."

Izuku hums, "Any issues with our course?"

Nami's brow furrows, "It seems the Log pose couldn't lock onto anything for part of the night. Maybe too many islands at the start of the Grandline?"

Izuku frowns, "There are seven routes through the Grandline. The first Island the Log pose locks onto decides which route we take. The only way to break out of that route is with the upgraded log pose, which is capable of tracking three different islands, or an eternal log pose."

Nami sighs relieved, "It seems the Log pose stabilized sometime last night. Our course is stable so we should see our destination soon."

Shoto makes a noise, "Izuku?" Izuku hums to show he is listening, "the Island we are heading to has a number on the side."

Izuku looks at the map and studies the map, "hum Marco mentioned each Island has a certain time lock that it takes the Log pose to reset. If that is true, on Little Garden it takes 1 year for the log pose to reset."

"1 YEAR?!" Nami shouts.

Izuku nods, "don't worry about that. I have no intentions of staying on an island for a year. Once we get there and explore a little bit, we can always use the upgraded Log pose to get to another Island."

Nami relaxes, sometimes she forgets exactly how prepared Izuku is for his trip through the Grandline. Izuku smiles at the girl warmly, "send Asui up here and go get some breakfast and rest. You both deserve it."

Shoto looks like he wants to argue, but he relents at Izuku's glare. He nods and follows the orders as he was told. To be honest, Shoto is pretty tired. He told Nami he would take the night shift, but halfway through the night the log pose started spinning erratically and Shoto didn't know what to do. So he called for Nami to come to help him. The girl came right away and has stayed with him the rest of the night to make sure their course was stable.

Izuku watches the two leave the bridge, deep in thought he considers who else he can train as navigators. Izuku forced Katsuki to come to every sailing lesson Yasopp or Marco held for them, so he is just as proficient in navigation as Izuku is. Asui attended each sailing lesson, even before she became pack. She wanted to be an ocean rescue hero, so she soaked up the pirates' knowledge of sailing to help her reach that goal. It doesn't take long before Asui is reporting to the bridge.

Izuku gets her set on the course and Asui takes over making sure the ship stays true. Katsuki and Kazuha enter the bridge not long after Asui. Izuku raises an eyebrow at the two teens, Katsuki grumbles something that makes Izuku chuckle softly as he goes to sit on the couch and observe.

Kazuha approaches Izuku, "I couldn't help but notice both Navigators are on break."

Izuku sighs, "yes that is true. In the east blue having two Navigators was sufficient enough, because of the calmer ocean. Nami and Shoto could alternate when they were on shift. But Shoto is still learning how to Navigate so when issues arise, they both tend to be here."

Kazuha smiles softly, "I may just be a wanderer, but I had to teach myself to travel. While I might not be the greatest Navigator, I can offer my assistance where ever I can."

Izuku brightens, "you would do that?"

Kazuha shrugs, "it's a worthwhile use of my time."

Izuku smiles blindingly, "Thank you, Kazuha. With 6 moderately skilled Navigators, the workload won't be so heavy on one person."

Kazuha nods, "where are we heading?"

"Little Garden," Izuku states.

A thoughtful expression blooms on Kazuha's face, "That Island is a prehistoric Island. Dinosaurs roam freely, and it takes a year for the Log pose to set."

Izuku shows him the upgraded Log Pose, "don't worry about the time constraints."

Kazuha studies the large three-sectioned Log Pose, "I see."

"We are going to that Island to explore, find anything useful. If it is a prehistoric Island, there could be plants with Medicinal properties that have been long lost to time. If there is, I would like to cultivate a garden to make sure I have those herbs in stock. Also if there are Dinosaurs on that Island, there might also be devil fruits," Izuku theorizes.

Kazuha tilts his head in confusion not understanding Izuku's thought process, "I don't understand, why are devil fruits so important to you?"

Izuku hums, "It's not just that they are important to me… but the fewer the Calamity has the weaker they will be. Besides, if this is one of the first Islands of the Grandline, unsuspecting crews have probably fallen due to the harsh conditions, or the time restriction."

"I see," Kazuha nods following along with Izuku's logic.

Soon enough Sasuke is calling Izuku, "There is an Island on the horizon."

"Thank you, Sasuke," Izuku responds.

Luffy shouts from the deck, "Woohoo! Our first Island on the Grandline!"

Kirishima laughs with him excitedly as the Island gets closer.

"But man, just look at this place," Denki begins. "It's like a land yet to be explored by people. The entire Island is a thick jungle."

Ace hums, "I've never seen plants like this before. Even in all the encyclopedias, I've looked at."

Sasuke smirks, "You can read?"

"Of course, I can, Asshole!" Ace's shoulders ignite threateningly, "Izuku and Blasty forced us to forage with them when we were younger. They were constantly looking for wild plants that would have medical uses."

Luffy chuckles at Ace's pout, "Izuku is going to have a blast here!"

A loud screech rips through the air, "GYAAAA! GYAAA!"

Several loud girlish screams sound from the pack, mostly from Usopp and Denki. Ashido cowers slightly, "What the hell was that just now?!"

"Don't worry, it's just a normal bird." Sanji tries to calm the terrified girls, "and even this Island, is nothing more than your average jungle!"

Luffy looks curiously at the flying creature, "A lizard…?"

Suddenly multiple terrifying sounds come from the Island, a volcano erupting in the distance, growls of massive animals. The shaking signifies something huge is coming towards them before a wounded tiger close to the size of Fujin crashes through the trees.

Ashido and Nami panic, "That doesn't sound like an average Jungle!"

Usopp screeches and holds tightly onto Denki, "That sounded like a volcano exploding!"

Luffy cheers excitedly, Kirishima hold the back of his shirt before the excitable teen can launch himself into the Jungle. "Lu, lets wait for Izuku."

Almost as if he was summoned, Izuku strolls on deck with a grin on his face. "Before I let you all loose on the Island… there are a few things to keep a lookout for." He holds up his fingers to number each item off, "treasure from other crews that have fallen to this Island. Any strange fruits bring them here, we will look at the Devil Fruit encyclopedia to determine if they are devil fruits. And lastly, this Island is a prehistoric Island, so I don't anticipate anyone on the Island. However, there are things that have been extinct in the natural world that call this island their home. Bugs, plants, and Dinosaurs to name a few."

So after Izuku's speech everyone that is brave enough to leave the ship, takes off with massive grins on their faces. Zoro and Sanji decide to have a competition to find out who can hunt the most meat. Luffy and Kirishima take off to explore the Jungle. Ace and Shoto follow them, not because they don't trust Luffy or Kirishima, but because Ace and Shoto know Luffy attracts chaos where ever he goes. So it is bound to be fun. TenTen, Yoimiya, and an excited Lee group explore the area to work on their target practice. The spirit holders let loose so they can let their God's frolic around. Izuku and Katsuki shift as well. Neji, Sasuke, and Shinso travel on Katsuki's back. And Kazuha, Itachi, Aizawa, Kakashi, and Eri travel on Izuku's back.

Iruka, Shoji, Tokoyami, and Law stay on board to watch over the ship. They spend a few hours exploring the island. Izuku and Katsuki have found multiple herbs Fuji decided were safe and had medicinal properties. And after they stopped a petty criminal organization from interrupting a fight between giants, Izuku decides to head back to the ship.

It only takes a couple of hours for the rest of the exploring packmates to come back. Zoro and Sanji have massive hauls of meat, Luffy and Kirishima salivate at the excessive pile. Zoro and Sanji argue about who brought more, Izuku chuckles as he tells the two, they tied. Kazuha, Izuku, and Zoro cut the meat into smaller sections. So they can be stored on the ship.

With Kato's help, Izuku has managed to turn one of the empty cabins into a walk-in freezer. Shoto helps keep it cold by summoning Ice on really hot days. Everyone helps load the ship with the meat. Other than some interesting-looking fruits, nothing else of value is brought back to the ship.

Izuku spends some time examining the fruits to see if they are Devil Fruits or just ordinary Fruit. Only one of the fruits matches what is in the Devil Fruit encyclopedia, it appears they found a Zoan fruit. From the description, it looks like the Stegosaurus Fruit. Izuku hums this fruit has powerful defense capabilities. The previous user probably decided to blend in with the other dinosaurs on the island until he either died of starvation or was killed by a predator.

The only person he has in mind to eat this fruit would be Kirishima, he believes it would compliment his hardening Quirk perfectly. He doesn't know if the other fruits are safe to eat, he will have to test them out on himself later when Fuji can heal him.

It doesn't take much longer to set sail following the upgraded Log Pose. Izuku retires to the captain's cabin to store the Devil Fruit. He meditates for a little bit, wanting to check up on Fuji. The Wolf seems content that he got to hunt and be out for longer than a few moments. Since they have been in the Grandline they have not been able to have a puppy pile, and Fuji is starting to get lonely. Izuku promises that he will see if the ship is large enough to have a puppy pile tonight.

Time seems to fly by while he is meditating, it only feels like 10 minutes have passed before he is abruptly shaken out of his subconscious by a loud scream, "IZUKU!" Izuku jolts out of his meditative state just to hear someone scream, "IT'S AN EMERGENCY!"

Izuku runs out of his room in a panicked frenzy, "What is it, Sabo?"

Sabo stares at Izuku shakily, "I-I don't know…. We were sitting here… he just collapsed… Izuku…"

Izuku's eyes harden, "Who? Sabo."

"Gaara," Katsuki informs coming from below deck, "brought him down to Law to see what is wrong."

Another thump sounds from the other end of the deck, "ERI" Aizawa's panicked voice rings out.

Before Izuku can stop himself, he is activating Full Cowling and sprinting to his little sister. "Chimichan," he reaches out shakily to wake her. He pulls his hand back with a shocked expression on his face, "she has an extremely high fever…!"

He wraps the girl in his flames and sprints to the med-bay, "Law!"

Law looks up at the sound of his door slamming open, he takes a moment to access the girl in Izuku's arms. Eri looks like Gaara did after he became too weak to keep his Sand Armor up. "Lay her down," Law orders.

Izuku immediately follows the orders, laying Eri on the bed next to Gaara. Making her as comfortable as possible he turns to Law, "do you know what is wrong with them?"

Law hums, "there is a bite mark on Gaara's stomach that looks like a bug bite. It doesn't look like any bug bites I know of. However, it is not too crazy to assume they were bitten by a bug on Little Garden."

"Is there anything I can do?" Izuku whines.

"If we had the bug that bit them, it would be possible to isolate what is making them sick and find a cure. But since that is not possible even if we did head back to Little Garden, there is not much I can do except treat symptoms. I have drawn blood from Gaara to see if I can find it in his blood. Their temperatures continue to rise." Law sighs as he looks at Izuku seriously, "if we can't cure this, I estimate they have 5-7 days before the illness kills them."

"There has to be something we can do, right?" Izuku asks desperately.

Law shakes his head, "we might be able to stall the illness for a few extra days, but without real treatment, the body will start to attack itself. I'm sorry, Izuku. My skillset resides in surgery, and you can't heal illnesses. We need a doctor that can cure this."

Izuku nods, his head bowed, millions of plans running through his head. "Kacchan, bring Shoto and Nami down here with a map."

Katsuki stomps out of the room and finds the two Navigators on the bridge. He grabs the map and grunts at the two to follow him. His hair shadows his eyes, he feels helpless. How could something as small as a prehistoric bug kill two of his most important people? What can he do to help? He's worthless in this situation, Law and Izuku can at least delay their deaths for a couple of extra days, but what can he do? Sabo is being held by Ace and Luffy, Katsuki can tell the teen wants nothing more than to be with Gaara right now. Kakashi is holding down Aizawa, while the man loses control of his quirk, his eyes flash on and off.

Others try to ask him questions, he ignores them. How is he supposed to remain calm and explain that they might lose two packmates? He doesn't have the answers to the questions they are asking. What now? That is a great question. But Katsuki doesn't know, so he keeps silent flashing cold glaring eyes toward the more persistent pack members.

He finally reaches the med-bay leading Shoto and Nami to the room. He sits on one of the beds, waiting patiently for Izuku to come to a decision. Izuku takes the map and unrolls it. "What island are we headed to?"

"We have two choices, Kyuka Island or Drum Island," Nami states as she looks back and forth between her log pose and the map.

Izuku hums, "set the course for Drum Island, I remember that island from my visions."

Katsuki gets a gleam in his eyes, "That is where Chopper is, right?"

Izuku nods, "how far are we from Drum Island?"

"3 maybe 4 days," Nami states professionally.

Izuku releases a shaky sigh, "is it possible to get there sooner? Eri and Gaara might be dead by then."

Nami gasps, "I will see if there are any currents in the area."

Shoto hums, "I'll get Asui to help increase the speed."

Izuku nods, "Have her switch out with Isobu. He can pull the ship when she rests." He turns his eyes to Nami, "try to get us there no later than 2 days." He bows to the woman, "Please, use any means necessary."

Nami nods but doesn't waste her breath with promises she can't fulfill. But Izuku accepts that she will at least try her best. He turns to Shoto, "Shoto, you and Shikamaru are in charge. I will not be leaving the med-bay until they are healed, or we dock."

Shoto nods sadly his eyes linger on the still forms of Gaara and Eri. While he is not entirely close to Gaara, he is still pack, and he knows how much Katsuki cares about the red-haired teen. And he can't help but feel sad for Izuku and Katsuki. They both have soft spots for Gaara that run deeper than anyone else in the Pack. And little Eri, Izuku's Chimichan, can see both Izuku and Katsuki shaking in fear. Shoto has seen Izuku face down threats that would terrify the most battle-hardened individuals with confidence and ease. Nothing seems to scare the two powerhouses of the pack, well except when the lives of the pack are in danger.

Shoto can see Izuku is holding himself back, it's not like the time Ace almost died. There is nothing Izuku's flames can do to guarantee survival, there is nothing Izuku can fight to ensure the survival of his packmates. And that thought strikes fear into the hearts of everyone on the ship. So with one last sympathetic look, Shoto leads Nami back to the bridge. He relays the news to the pack; tells them they are going to find a doctor Izuku remembers from his visions. He begs for everyone's help, to ensure they get there in the fastest time possible.

In the med-bay, it is silent, Izuku shifts into his smallest wolf form and lays between the two sick packmates. His flames are continuous in this form, his healing capabilities rely on Fuji's strength and stamina rather than his own. So he lays his head on his paws and concentrates on spreading his flames over Eri and Gaara. Law flits around both beds checking the progression of the illness. He takes frantic notes for their vitals, results of blood tests, and even places IV bags and Catheters. He sighs frustratedly when none of the tests he runs provide any results, and Gaara and Eri are getting worse by the second day.

On the second day, the ship shakes violently, Izuku ignores it. He trusts his pack to be able to deal with it. When Gaara and Eri recover he will assess the situation. On the second night, Katsuki fetches Ace to keep the Med-bay warm as the temperature keeps dropping. Ace doesn't need any convincing to sit with Katsuki and offer his silent support. Katsuki is grateful for it. He knows Ace won't tease him for his vulnerability, he knows Ace won't think any less of him for showing his weakness.

On the third day, Nami runs to the Med-bay to notify Izuku that they are approaching Drum Island. Izuku shifts for the first time in two days, eyes heavy and bloodshot, proof of his restlessness. He tells Katsuki and Law to watch over them while he makes sure they are docked safely.

Izuku watches carefully as the ship pulls into an inlet. He ignores the chatter of his crew. He feels the villagers before he sees them.

"STOP RIGHT THERE," a voice shouts out from the shore, "PIRATES!"

"Hey, there's people," Luffy observes.

"Uhhh… Judging from the mood, this doesn't look so good…" Usopp mutters.

Izuku stays silent as he stands there with his eyes shadowed. The man on shore shouts again, "You will turn around immediately, and leave this Island alone."

"Wait! We've come here for a doctor!" Luffy pleads.

"We have a sick child on board!" Kaminari shouts.

"Those lies won't work on us, Pirate-Scum!" A villager shouts.

"This is our country, and we won't let stinking pirates run amok on it!"

"Now pull your anchor back up and beat it!"

"Or else we will make you leave!"

"Whoo… talk about a bad first impression…" Sanji sighs.

One of the villagers opens fire, "Don't talk back to us!"

Sanji dodges the bullet, as Usopp shouts shocked, "they opened fire on us!" Sanji's hair covers his eyes, "Now you've done it…"

The villager in fear of the man gearing up to attack fires his weapon again. At the same time Izuku steps in front of Sanji to prevent him from attacking the civilians, "Sanji, enough."

Izuku slumps forward with the impact of being shot, Sanji catches him, "Izuku!"

Izuku can feel the pack gearing to attack, "How Dare You!" Luffy shouts.

The villagers raise their weapons, "prepare to shoot!"

Izuku spreads his wings out to stop his pack from interfering, "Enough," he unleashes his presence stopping everyone for a moment, "this isn't a problem we can solve by fighting!" He breathes heavily for a moment, "I will be fine soon enough!"

With the pack settled Izuku prostrates himself in front of the villagers, "I beg of you! We do not need to set foot on this Island… I have a sick child and a sick friend both of them are going to die soon. All I ask for is a chance to see a doctor, I will pay whatever you ask." He lifts his head, makes eye contact with the villager that seems to be like the leader. His eyes bloodshot, teary, exhausted, he whispers brokenly, "please, help me save them."

The pack watches confused and awed at seeing someone so strong begging someone else to save his pack, "if we start a fight right now, what will become of Gaara or Eri?"

Sanji shadows his eyes and bows next to Izuku. Soon the rest of the pack bow and apologize to the villagers. Sabo sniffles, "please, help us."

The leader studies them for a few moments, then he sighs, "…we'll lead you to our town. Follow me."

Izuku nods and retreats to the med-bay. He has Kacchan carry Eri while he picks up Gaara. He makes his way back to the deck. He starts to shift into the smallest form so he can carry Gaara, Eri, and Kacchan on his back. The leader looks at the group suspiciously. But noticing the teen is only carrying his sick he lets it slide.

Katsuki huffs, "stay here. We will be back as soon as we can."

Shoto nods, "take care of them."

Katsuki grunts and pops an explosion onto Izuku's back to signal him to follow the leader. The leader watches the wolf for a couple of intense moments, "Let me give you one warning beforehand… there is only one doctor in our country… she happens to be a witch."

After a short walk, the leader brings them into a village, "This is our town, Big Horn." He turns to the villagers, "Good work, everyone. Those that aren't on guard duty can return to their normal jobs."

"You sure you can handle them by yourself, Dalton?" A villager glares suspiciously at Izuku.

"They should pose no harm." Dalton states, "or at least, that is what my reliable gut instinct tells me…"

"This country doesn't have any professional soldiers, does it?" Katsuki observes.

"No, they are all normal civilians." Dalton sighs and turns to walk away, "For the time being, come to my house." Katsuki ignores the civilians talking to Dalton as they walk to the man's house. "You can use the bed over there. I'll go heat up the room." Katsuki lays Gaara and Eri down on the bed, Izuku curls up on the floor still letting his flames blanket the two sick packmates.

Dalton enters the room again, "My apologies for the belated introduction… My name is Dalton, and it is my job to guard this island… Please forgive our hostile welcome. I'd like to ask you something."

Katsuki grunts an acknowledging sound, "hm?"

"I get the feeling," Dalton stares hard at the wolf curled on the floor, "That I have seen you before somewhere…"

Katsuki shrugs, "it's possible. We do have bounties after all. Can you tell us more about this doctor? Where can we find her?"

"A fever of 107.6!"

Katsuki grunts, "Their fevers have been rising for three days…"

Concern flashes in Dalton's eyes, "if it rises any higher, they'll die…"

Katsuki looks down at Gaara and Eri and clenches his fists in his lap, "yes, but while my Nerd can heal, he can't heal illnesses. We don't know what the cause of the disease is, nor how to treat it… we need a doctor so can you please just tell us where she is?"

Dalton points out the window, "from the window, you should be able to see mountains… those mountains are called the Drum Rockies. Perhaps you can see a castle at the top of the tallest mountain in the middle?"

Katsuki nods, "Yea I see it."

"Dr. Kureha, the only doctor in this entire country whom the people call a witch, lives in that very castle situated on the mountain top."

"Of all places, she could be, she just has to be there…" Katsuki growls, "Well, we should go call her right away. This is an emergency."

"As much as I'd like to, there is no way to contact her. She comes down the mountain whenever she wants, finds patients to treat, and afterward… she takes anything she wants from their homes as payment."

"How does she even get down that mountain?" Katsuki hums.

"According to certain eyewitnesses, she supposedly rides down a sleigh on moonlit nights… that is why the people call her a witch… others have reported seeing a most bizarre creature traveling along with her…in any case, I'm afraid the only thing you can do is wait until she comes down…"

Katsuki sighs, "it looks like we have no choice."

Izuku perks his head up and growls lowly in his throat, Katsuki nods, "We'll be climbing up. We can't wait here for a doctor that only comes down when she feels like it."

Izuku nods and stands up, ignoring the protesting coming from Dalton. He waits for Katsuki to place his precious burdens on his back. Dalton sighs, "If you are serious about this, I won't stop you, but you should climb up from the other side… the route to the top from here is full of Lapins…! They're extremely violent and carnivorous rabbits… if you come across a pack of them, there will be slim chances of survival!"

Izuku and Katsuki make their way up the mountain, the snow is not too hard to trek through, but Izuku grumbles annoyed. Katsuki chuckles, "I know nerd, it would be much faster if we could fly."

Izuku grumbles his response. He dodges a pesky animal that keeps trying to attack him. Katsuki gets annoyed at the relentless creature and lashes out with a small explosion. Izuku growls out something panicked, Katsuki grumbles, "I get it, Nerd. No more explosions."

Izuku notices that it doesn't seem to matter if Katsuki doesn't use any more explosions as the giant rabbits start jumping up and down. While it wouldn't be too concerning if it was only a couple of rabbits jumping, Izuku can count something close to 50 large bear-sized rabbits jumping and stomping. Izuku hears it before he sees the beginnings of an avalanche. He quickly searches the area for higher ground. He finds a cliff that might be high enough to escape the avalanche. He powers a small amount of OFA through his legs and jumps to reach it. He yips at Katsuki fearfully.

Katsuki leaps off Izuku's back with Gaara and Eri to place them in the snow. Izuku crouches over them to protect them from the snow. The Lapins decide to keep attacking, Izuku growls and uses his tails to try and defend his back. Katsuki leaps to blast them away, causing more snow to roll down the hill.

Izuku growls out a warning, but it's too late for Katsuki to react as he gets speared by a Lapin into the still rampaging avalanche. Izuku howls as he uses his senses to scan for Katsuki. He growls panickily as Katsuki is continuously crashed through trees and debris as he gets pushed farther down the mountainside. Izuku has to wait for the avalanche to settle down before he can move. He can't risk further injury to Eri or Gaara. It feels like it takes forever before the snow stops pounding into his back, he shivers as he realizes one of his wings is completely frozen, he wants to increase the heat of his fire to thaw the uncomfortable numbness, but with two sick and feverish packmates on his back, he won't risk it. He settles for trying to shake out the snow and ice from his feathers, it at least accomplishes getting the loose snow and ice to break off and fall. He gently uses his mouth to get Gaara and Eri back on his back before he starts the trek of retrieving his soulmate.

Finding Katsuki and digging him out of the snow takes a long time, but Izuku manages to get his soulmate placed gently on his back. He starts the trek back up the mountain, he uses the limited mobility of his wings and tails to provide his injured cargo a little shelter from the icy wind. The trek back up the mountain is exhausting, the snow much deeper and increasingly harder to walk through. Broken trees buried under the snow prevented him from moving too quickly less he loses his footing. On the path, a small Lapin desperately tries to dig its parent out of the snow. The smell of blood comes from the little Lapin and his cries reach Izuku's ears.

Izuku ignores the growls he receives as he walks closer to the scared rabbit. He contemplates ignoring the rabbit, after all, it is their fault, they're in this mess. But he reconsiders and uses one of his tails to pull the giant adult out of the snow. He ignores the grateful yips of the Lapin and continues his trek up the mountain.

An hour later a fat over-entitled man tries to stop him, Izuku ignores the annoyance and continues to walk. The man who is apparently the king of this island, Izuku could care less, but the man makes a new law that anyone who turns their back on him will be sentenced to death, regardless of reasons. So his lackeys jump to attack and all Izuku can do is dodge and evade.

Suddenly, the Lapin he pulled out of the snow attacks the king's Lackeys and refuses to allow the king to pursue Izuku any further. Izuku growls his thanks and continues on his way. He reaches the pillar-like mountain, unsure exactly how he is going to climb it with three unconscious packmates on him. He transforms into his half-wolf form, positions Eri on his chest. Gaara is braced to his back with his wings, and he wraps Katsuki in his tails and fortifies his wings and tails with Armament Haki. He starts to crawl up the mountain, slowly mapping his way up the nearly vertical slope. The wind whips around the mountain, threatening to pull him away from the slope. The rock face is mostly smooth ice, and the few secure holds Izuku can find are sharp and jagged. He has already sliced most of his fingers open trying to scale the wall. The blood on his hands makes climbing significantly harder, he has to focus his flames on his precious cargo, he can risk directing his flames to heal his hands. About halfway up the mountain, his hands slip, and he slides 1000 meters down before his hand grips a ledge. His hands and feet are bloody, painfully numb, and frozen, but he continues, "almost there!"

Fueled by determination and will, he continues his snail's pace climb up the mountain, his skin is freezing, a thin layer of ice building on his face from the Icy wind. "I won't give up!" the top of the mountain is so close; he can see the snow that layers the sides. "I will reach the top soon!" He hopes he will have enough energy to find the doctor before he collapses. He shakes the thought away, there is no use in thinking such things. He grits his teeth one hand reaches above his head to latch onto another handhold. His leg replaces his original handhold before his other hand reaches above his head. This continues until he is reaching the overhanging snow and ice.

Finally, his hands grip the top of the mountain, and he pulls himself up. He drags his charges away from the ledge closer to the magnificent castle in front of him. His control on Fuji slips and his half form disperses in his exhaustion.

His vision blacks out and he could swear he can hear someone next to him.

"Who are these people, Chopper, Albedo?"

"They climbed this mountain with their own hands?" someone screeches, "Are you kidding? Drum Rock is more than 5000 meters high."

"This guy suffered from severe frostbite, what was he thinking?"

"This one is seriously injured; he broke 6 ribs, and his spine is fractured."

"These two are in the worst condition, Albedo can you make me some antibiotics?"

"Infection?"

"Yes, but it is not a disease native to this island."

Izuku reaches a bloodied hand to the person, "Pl…pl..se…" he tries to get out.

"Don't worry, Kid. I will help them as soon as possible."

"They…" Izuku shakes, "…my pack."

The animal-like doctor freezes as he watches the teen. The doctor reassures Izuku, "I know. I will help them now." Izuku's grip slips and he lets darkness take him under. "Chopper, Albedo, let's go."

The first one to wake up is Gaara, he feels warming green flames pulsating around him. It takes him a moment to observe his surroundings, he is not on their ship, and not in their infirmary, so where is he? A laugh breaks him out of his thoughts. He turns to the source to find a rather old but youthfully dressed woman standing by the door.

"HAHA, you are waking up?" The old lady smirks down at Gaara, "are you feeling better, Kid?"

"Who are you?" Gaara's voice is raspier than it usually is.

The lady makes her way to Gaara's bed and puts a finger on his forehead. "100.76 degrees. You're getting better." She smiles at his dumbfounded look, "I am Doctor Kureha. You can call me Doctrine."

Gaara looks around, "Doctor? Then this place must be…"

"You want to know the secret of my youthfulness?" Kureha asks.

"No. I don't want to know about that." Gaara blows off.

The crazy old lady laughs again, "you are in the castle at the top of the mountain."

Gaara sighs, "Where are the others?"

Kureha points to the ground, Gaara follows her finger and notices Izuku's smaller wolf form curled up on the floor next to his bed. He looks around the room and notices Katsuki is sharing a bed with Eri next to him. Izuku's flames pulsate around them in random intervals. Kureha sighs, "we tried to put him in a bed, but even unconscious he growled and shifted. Almost bit off my hand, so I left him on the floor. Don't know what the green fire is, but it doesn't seem like it is harming you."

Gaara smiles softly at the wolf on the floor, "his fire heals injuries. He can't heal sicknesses though."

"I see," Kureha hums. Quicker than Gaara can react in his recovering state, Kureha lifts up his shirt, "Let's see…"

"EH?" Gaara almost panics and forces his sand not to react to the invasion of his personal space.

"This is the problem." Kureha points out a mark on Gaara's belly, "you were bitten by an insect called Casha. It's a poisonous insect that lives in tropical forests. When it bites someone, it will spread bacteria into that person's body. Within 5 days, that person will suffer from a high fever. Later, it will affect the heart, brain, and every part of the body. Based on your wound, I guess this is the third day after you were bitten. Its poison is very powerful. If you leave it without any medical treatment for 5 days, you will die!" Kureha smirks, "If you didn't come here within two days, you would have died for sure."

The woman paces the room looking for something, "it used to be known as 5-day fever. However, Casha has been extinct for 100 years. You are lucky that I still have some antibiotics." She starts to mumble to herself and Gaara doesn't have the capabilities to follow along. She seems to sense this and pushes him over, so he is laying down again, "anyway, just go back to sleep. You are not completely cured. It usually takes 10 days to cure this sickness, but with my wonderful medicine, it will take three days."

Gaara nods, it is not like he can go anywhere at the moment. Besides, Izuku, Katsuki, and Eri are still sleeping. He feels guilty though, because of him they are stuck here. And it looks like Izuku and Katsuki got injured to bring him to a doctor that could help him. As sleep creeps on him again, lulled by the warmth of Izuku's flames, he wonders why Eri is also with them. Did she get sick too?

The next time he wakes up, the crazy lady is gone and a small blue-nosed animal is tending to something in the room. The clacking of hooves forces Gaara to sit up and study the creature. "Who's that?"

The creature squeaks a distressed, "AHH!" The creature hides on the wrong side of the door.

Gaara chuckles slightly, "Did you know you're hiding on the wrong side?" the creature quickly corrects his hiding place. Gaara smiles, "It's too late. You can't hide anymore." He wonders if the creature can understand him, "What are you doing anyway?"

"Sh…shut up, Human!" The creature stutters. "By the way, are you feeling better?"

Gaara stares at the creature, "you can talk?"

The creature apparently gets scared, screams, and runs away. Another stranger enters the room to take his vitals and administer some medicine. Gaara watches the teen intently, he doesn't want to interrupt this teen's work as he flits between the group. The teen bends over to check on Izuku, the wolf doesn't move, even when an unknown presence is around his injured pack. And Gaara doesn't think he has ever worried about Izuku before this moment. Izuku always seems so strong and alert, he must be completely drained to not react to a possible threat.

The teen clears his throat as he jots something down, "Incredible. His fire seems to accelerate his healing…" he flits over to Katsuki next. The teen pushes the blanket down to inspect, what Gaara can see were serious injuries judging by the dark discoloration on Katsuki's fair skin. The teen hums as he gently pokes and prods the bruises, "Fascinating. He has recovered so quickly. His injuries should have taken months to heal. Could the flames be responsible for the acceleration?"

The teen makes his way to where Eri is curled up to Katsuki. Gaara makes a warning sound in his throat. The teen turns to look at the sound, "ah sorry."

Gaara stares at the teen, "Who are you?" he doesn't mean for it to come out so rudely, but Eri can't defend herself even when she is mostly healthy.

The teen hums, "I'm Albedo, I am an alchemist."

Gaara looks at Albedo intrigued, "you're an Alchemist?"

Albedo nods, "yes particularly the art of Khemia."

Gaara stares confused, "Khemia? What's that?"

Albedo sighs, "it's an advanced type of Alchemy developed in Khaenri'ah, which allows for the creation of life itself, to a certain extent." Sensing Gaara is still confused he picks up a handful of ash, "the universe is heaven reversed, and the earth is a dream lost to time. This is dust, the most basic form of complex life." He closes his eyes in concentration and allows the power to flow through him. The ash glows a beautiful golden color before the flower sprouts from it. "And this… is new birth." With a gentle hand, he places the flower in Gaara's hand.

Gaara breathes out a breath of awe, his eyes spark with a sense of child-like wonderment, "this is beautiful."

Albedo brushes off the praise with a nod and continues his work checking up on the patients. The fact that one of the teens is reacting well to the medicine proves its merit, and he is confident the little girl would wake up soon as well. Checking over each patient once more, he nods to himself and with a wave, he heads back out of the room. He has questions he needs to be answered, and he has hypotheses he wants to experiment with.

Gaara carefully places the flower in an empty cup used for water. He spends a few moments lightly tracing the delicate petals, it's amazing that something so beautiful can be created through destruction. He can feel himself getting sleepy again, and he doesn't want to risk crushing the flower in case he lays on it, so he gently places the flower and the cup on the bedside table. He lays on his side still admiring the beauty of the flower as he lets darkness take over his mind.

*** Dreamworld, Izuku's POV***

Izuku feels like he is in the void again, but it is different than the last two times. The first time he was in the void he was drowning. The second time he was floating. This time he is standing, nothing is around him but a whisper he can't fully make out.

He walks for a while, not sure exactly where he is going and while the whispers are louder, they are no less understandable than they were before. There is a strange sort of echo surrounding the distorted whispers that make it seem like a different language. He continues on his dark path, ears perked and alert to the minute changes of the sounds around him. He has been traveling for what seems like an eternity, the whispers morph into agonized screams. Haunting him with their hopelessness and despair, Izuku feels dread settle around him, thick and cold, seeping into his body and making every step harder to take.

He finds, after a while, that he is no longer able to move, so he looks around. There is a shadow of something in front of him, and it seems like the screaming is coming from the shadow's location.

"Is someone there?" He calls out.

There is no answer, the shadow doesn't seem to notice him. Izuku uses as much energy as he can to move forward, and it seems like he is traversing through sludge. A few steps closer, Izuku breathes heavily, it hits him then, the metallic smell of new and old blood, so strong and thick he can taste it. The shadow is wounded, so Izuku tries to summon his flames to help the hurting figure, only to notice he can't access his flames.

"Hello?" He calls out again, "do you need help?"

The Shadow seems to have heard him, as the whisper takes a frantic edge to its screaming. "Go Away!" The Shadow screams panicked, and the smell of fear permeates the air.

Izuku pushes forward again, "Please, let me help you." Izuku's voice is taking a desperate edge to it. He is not sure why he feels the need to help this shadow. But there is something about it that feels familiar if long lost and forgotten. He feels like he knows this Shadow, feels like he knows the scent below the blood and fear.

The screams are louder almost deafening in volume, Izuku closes his eyes to try and filter out the excess noise. He feels the screams clawing at his skin in their intensity, he is not sure when the screams gained a physical form. He falls to his knees as the screams wrap around him, almost suffocating him. It is only his willpower and determination alone that allow him to continue to crawl forward towards the source of the shadows and screaming. The agony in the screams threatens to take all his remaining energy away, but he fights back. Ignoring the agony, pain, and suffering he can almost hear the sounds of someone pleading for help. Someone is begging him to make it stop. So he reaches out again, not sure how close he has made it to the shadow but still he tries.

His hands grasp onto something, slimy, but smokey, and strong, solid, even if it does give way. Whatever it is, does not want to let go of its prisoner. Izuku realizes his eyes are closed, so he opens them hoping to see what he is holding onto.

When he opens his eyes, the area is blood red, the shadow is bound by inky black chains made of miasma. Izuku calls on Fuji's strength to banish the shadows binding the being, he glows an almost too bright golden white. It doesn't banish the miasmic binds, but it accomplishes the task of ridding the form of shadows. The glow fades with Izuku's shock at the revealed being. The being is a boy he looks to be the same age as Izuku, maybe a couple of years older. The resemblance he has towards this teen is like looking at a sort of distorted mirror. The teen has greenish-black hair, straighter than Izuku's own curly hair. His eyes are dull golden but shaped like his mother's eyes. Izuku reaches to wipe some of the blood off the teen's cheek, causing the boy to snap his gaze at him.

The boy's golden eyes brighten in fear, shock, and disbelief. The boy seems to recognize Izuku as he takes a few shuttering breaths, "Zuzu?" The boy whispers as if he can't believe his eyes.

Izuku ponders the name, it sounds familiar, but no one has ever called him "Zuzu." Not since he was younger, not since his family was whole. And while that time of his life is fragmented at best, there are still parts that are clear. There used to be four members of the Midoriya Household, his mother, himself, his dad… who was the other person? 'Zuzu' a kind voice, filled with awe and worry. 'Zuzu' called out to him in the middle of the night to calm his nightmares.

A flashback of sorts, a memory deep within his subconscious. 'Zuzu' a young boy calls out to him. A couple of years older than Izuku. A little boy with bright golden eyes, playing with him, pretending to be heroes with him. A birthday, someone is turning 5, It's not Izuku. The candles blow out with a powerful gust of wind. The little boy can't control his quirk, the wind is powerful as a storm. Pride swirls around the figure Izuku recognized as his father.

After that day he barely saw the boy, always training. Too tired to play with Izuku, excuses, 'Sorry, Zuzu…'

One day his father told him of an accident, his Aniki would not be coming home. The distance grew between Izuku and his father, until the day he was suspected to be quirkless. His father left, only mom stayed, his Aniki gone. He forgot about his Aniki over time, now just a distant memory.

"Aniki?" Izuku shakily calls.

"Zuzu, you need to get out of here!" his brother screams in fear. "I can't… please… please Zuzu." His brother cries. Izuku is pounded with the scent of salt.

Izuku shakes his head, it doesn't matter what happens to him. Izuku calls upon his healing flames and engulfs his brother. "I can heal you, Aniki."

He doesn't know how his brother ended up in the void with him, but he assumes where ever this place is, they are connected to it somehow. His brother sags in Izuku's hold, as he pushes his flames to heal the bound teen. "What happened to you?"

Izuku feels wetness bloom on his shoulder, "I'm afraid it is too late for me. This is the punishment I must face for my sins." He reaches a hand to cup Izuku's cheek, "I'm just glad to know you are alive." There is a small, relieved smile on his face that Izuku feels pressed into the side of his neck. More tears soak his shoulder, "my only regret is that we didn't have enough time. I'm sorry Zuzu."

"Please, Aniki…" Izuku holds on to his brother desperately, afraid if he lets him go, his brother will fall apart. "Please, don't leave me!" Izuku begs, "where are you, let me save you!"

His brother chuckles brokenly, "unless you can save my soul… there is nothing you can do for me."

Izuku calls on Fuji's power desperately, "I can, Aniki. I have the power to save you." Fuji grants him his power, making him glow a misty green. The mist travels into his brother healing the corruption and purifying his soul. While Izuku knows this much isn't going to fully save him, it will buy him some time. His brother slumps bonelessly in his arms, and if Izuku didn't know any better he would think his brother was already gone. But as Izuku holds the teen in front of him, he can feel the gentle rise and fall of his brother's chest. He can hear the gentle puffs of air escaping his brother's lungs. Izuku settles to hold his long-lost- not dead- brother, tracing mindless circles and shapes on his brother's back to give him comfort. His healing follows his fingers, healing the tension from his brother's frame.

A distorted voice rings out in the void, "Fuji is that you?"

Izuku's flames recede in his confusion, "Who's there?"

"I knew I recognized your presence, Fuji." The voice sounds fond, nostalgic. "It has been a while, my old friend. I am Alatus, The Golden Winged King."

Izuku feels recognition swirling in him, "you know my brother, Alatus?"

Alatus hums, "one is bound, just as Fuji is bound." Alatus materializes next to Izuku's brother, but Izuku notices there is something wrong. The Majestic creature is chained, its wings are broken and disfigured. "A being of darkness enslaved One's host forcing him to commit violent acts against humanity, all in an attempt to taint the young boy's soul. To make it easier to corrupt him. But the young boy fights hard every day and wishes for nothing more than to be free, sprout wings and fly away from the pain and suffering. One day, he stumbled upon One's prison, the kindest most gentle soul One has ever seen. One called out to the precious child, offered the boy a chance for freedom, and bound Oneself to the boy. One misjudged the being of darkness, it shredded one's wings, and sealed away One's guidance."

Izuku's breath hitches, "Alatus, please tell me where you are so I can help. Please don't take my brother away." Izuku holds his brother's limp form in his arms, one of his free hands strokes the teen's hair out of his face. His flames work to heal the torment, suffering, and pain of his brother's soul. And something must be working because while the Miasma is still wrapped around his brother's form like a grotesque present, the chains are thinner, and not as suffocating.

Alatus studies the teen in front of him, his gentle hands soothing the ache in his host. The care in the teen's face is genuine, there is hope shining in bright green eyes that cannot be faked. And Alatus realizes if he wants to free his host, he needs to put his trust in this impossibly selfless boy. He nods to himself, "we are on an Island called Nanimonai, in the city of Liyue. He is for the most part physically safe. Morax banished the being of darkness and took my host under his wing. What you are seeing here is the corruption trying to completely taint him. When Morax saved him, he gave the boy a new name to protect him from the being of Darkness. His new name is Xiao."

"Xiao…" Izuku smiles softly, "I don't really remember his birth name, I called him Aniki sometimes Aki…" Izuku shakes his head, "Xiao, or Aki… it doesn't matter he is my brother, and I will find him." He holds Xiao tightly to his chest, "Thank you Alatus, I will save you too." he considers something Alatus said, "you said the Darkness sealed you," Alatus nods, "How?"

Alatus hums, "a metal, strong enough that One's power cannot seem to destroy. This metal cuts One off from my host, forbids One from purifying Xiao's soul. One recalls the name Sea Stone. The stone is embedded in Xiao, and One is uncertain of its location."

Izuku hums in thought, "That means you were sealed into a Fruit by the Calamity, right? Just like Fuji… I'm sorry Alatus, but I cannot remove the Sea Stone right now. But Kacchan can, and then I can heal both of you."

Alatus makes a sound of confusion, "Kacchan?"

Izuku blushes, "my mate. My partner. My most precious person."

Alatus nods, reading the air and sensing the undying trust this little human has in his mate. "One shall put one's trust in your hands."

Izuku blinks before a blinding smile etches onto his face, "Thank you, Alatus." The place they are in starts to break apart, confused Izuku starts to panic, "Alatus, what is happening?!"

"Worry not, Little One. Xiao has gained enough strength to fight against the shadows in the physical realm." Alatus bows slightly, "you have bought One's host time, but I fear it might not be enough. If you wish to save Xiao, Little One needs to hurry. The Sea stone weakens him every day, the Shadows, and corruption grow stronger still. One fears, if nothing is done, Xiao will be lost."

Izuku nods determination flaring in him, "how long do I have?"

Alatus seems to consider his answer carefully but he sighs, "One believes, Xiao is strong enough to continue fighting for a week, two at the very most."

Izuku growls protectively, "I will make it Alatus, I promise."

As the rest of the realm falls away, Alatus whispers, "Be Swift, Little One."

*** Location change***

Izuku blinks as a bright white light invades his vision, blinding him momentarily. As his vision clears, he is surrounded by a familiar forest. Fuji is waiting for him under a large Oak tree, Izuku runs to him with a choked, "Fuji," escaping his lips.

Fuji wraps him in a tight hold with his tails, "I will lend you my strength when you save him, Pup."

Izuku smiles softly into Fuji's tail, "I know, Fuji. Together we will save him." Izuku soaks in the comfort his wolf gives him, as much as he wants to wake up and storm to Liyue to save his brother, he knows he has not recouped enough energy yet. And even while he is in his subconscious, he can feel Kacchan, Gaara, and Eri next to him, safe. The best thing he can do for his brother and Alatus is to heal himself, make sure he is in peak condition before he goes to find his brother. His mind goes through everything Alatus said to him. "Who is Alatus? And Morax?"

Fuji whines longingly in his throat, "Before the Calamity attacked, there were multiple worlds ancient gods lived on. One of these worlds was Teyvat, this was the home of the Seven Archons. The Geo Archon, Morax is the oldest of the Archons. He is the God of Contracts. The Anemo Archon, Barbatos is the God of Freedom. And the Electro Archon, Baal is the God of Eternity. I have not met the other Archons, but Barbatos died 900 years ago, and Baal vanished without a trace. During the Archon War, Morax assembled a group of lesser Gods called the Adepti to help defend his people from the corrupt Gods of the Calamity. Over time, Morax discovered, the corruption from the tainted deceased Gods, flooded the land, giving birth to mutated horrors, monsters, and demons. Morax assembled his strongest fighters deemed the Yakshas to assist him in subduing the corruption of the by-gone Gods. The corruption started to seep into the Souls of the Yaksha, over time this wore away at their souls and sanity. Madness and despair overwhelmed the Yakshas: Some turned on each other, others succumbed to the darkness, one even vanished. After 2000 years there is only one remaining Yaksha: Alatus. I met Morax, Alatus, Baal, and Barbatos when I came to the Grandline to find my Kin. Apparently, they too were looking for lost loved ones. I am relieved to know Morax and Alatus are still alive." There is a wistful-sounding sigh that escapes Fuji, "Perhaps, one day, we can finally get that drink Morax promised."

Izuku feels hope blooming in him, a chance to give Fuji his friends. If Alatus is to be believed, his Host, Izuku's brother is being watched over by Morax's Host. Izuku feels his consciousness start to rouse, and he knows he has to wake up soon. He needs to make sure his pack is healed, convince Chopper to come with him, and make plans to head to Nanimonai Island to find his brother. "Ah, Fuji… I believe I have enough strength to start plotting my route."

Fuji huffs amused, "Good luck, Pup."

Izuku chuckles as Fuji's domain fades, he blinks his eyes open, he is still in his smaller wolf form. He takes a moment to assess his surroundings cataloging each packmate for health and injuries. Gaara's aura is calm and steady, with no signs of the illness that was destroying him from the inside. Eri's aura is quiet, but calm, evidence of her being in true sleep instead of a fever-induced sleep. Next his senses flit over Katsuki, his soulmate's aura is Panicky and stressed. Worried, and fretting over something. Izuku opens his eyes to investigate and eliminate the source of Kacchan's worry.

To Izuku's surprise, Kacchan is fretting over his smaller wolf form. Izuku tries to voice his confusion but the only sound that leaves his throat is a confused sounding yip. Izuku takes a moment to release his wolf form, pulling his senses back into himself. He blinks his eyes a few times to clear his vision, only to be engulfed in a powerful, tight hug. "Kacchan?" Izuku croaks, his voice strained, possibly from the lack of use, possibly from the Void.

Katsuki tightens his hold and muffles his worries into the side of Izuku's neck. According to Katsuki, Izuku appeared to be having a nightmare. Katsuki tells him he was whining fitfully in his slumber while thrashing and growling.

Izuku perks up, "Kacchan! I need to tell you something…"

Katsuki looks at him with a bloodshot glare, "it better be about your nightmare, Nerd."

Izuku nods, "I have a brother."

Katsuki raises an eyebrow in confusion, "A brother?"

Izuku nods again.

Katsuki sighs, "you have a brother? That apparently you didn't know you have?"

Izuku nods again, eyes sparkling in hope and truth. Katsuki sighs and rubs his forehead, "care to elaborate?"

Izuku smiles blindingly, "I woke up in the void again… but this time I wasn't drowning, or floating. I was standing, I was able to move on my own. I heard whispers around me that I didn't recognize, so I followed them. The whispers turned out to be screams as I approached them. There was a shadowed figure, bound by ribbons and chains of pitch-black Miasma. I called on Fuji's power to banish the shadows engulfing the person, to find a boy not much older than me. He looks like Mom with golden eyes. He has green-black mostly straight hair, Mom's eye shape. I felt like I should know him, but I couldn't place it. The boy looked at me, called me a name I haven't heard in a very long time."

Katsuki looks at Izuku skeptically, "What did he call you?"

Izuku smiles sadly, "Zuzu. Shortly before mom and I moved closer to you, Dad told me he died."

Katsuki's eyes widen, "I remember that you wouldn't stop crying."

Izuku nods, "A year later, I was diagnosed quirkless, and dad left. I think my dad did something terrible to my brother."

Katsuki furrows his eyebrows, "what makes you think that?"

"A feeling I suppose," Izuku shakes his head. "In the void, I found out my brother ate a Devil Fruit. An Adeptus named Alatus. The Adeptus knows Fuji, they fought together in the Void Century. Alatus recognized Fuji's presence and begged for my help."

A determined flare sparks in Katsuki's eyes, "What does Alatus need help with?"

Izuku's eyes cloud over as he recalls the conversation with Alatus, "a being of Darkness tried to corrupt my brother. It enslaved him, forced him to do cruel acts toward innocent people. My brother fought the corruption trying to latch onto his soul. He found a devil fruit, Alatus: The Golden Winged King. Alatus saw the gentle and kind soul my brother still had and bound himself to my brother. The being of Darkness, shredded Alatus' wings, and embedded Sea Stone into my brother, preventing Alatus from flying them away." A growl builds in his throat, "I have a feeling the being of Darkness is my father."

"It makes sense, why else would he lie about his death and then abandon you," Katsuki ponders. He takes in this information slowly, there is something that doesn't really add up, "Why was your brother in the void?"

Izuku hums, "I am not sure, but I think we are connected somehow through the void. I don't know what exactly my father is, if he is the Being of Darkness… he could have passed something down to us. I have only entered the void during extreme physical distress and mental collapse. When I saw my brother, he was in agony, the corruption binding him seemed to want to pull him somewhere." He cuts himself off as he remembers the times in the void, "The first time I went into the void I was being pulled under by something. It was only your voice that helped me escape. The second time, I could feel the numbness, but I think OFA was protecting me. This time, while I was able to move, I couldn't resist the whispers. As I moved closer the whispers gained a physical form, they tried to bind me like my brother. It was only my willpower and determination to save the Shadow that allowed me to call upon Fuji's power to banish the shadows." Izuku stares with a fearful gleam in his eye, "I believe that the void is Darkness and corruption itself, and this time it tried to use my brother's despair to ensnare me. I couldn't feel OFA I was too far away from the surface, and it was a struggle to call upon Fuji."

"The void probably senses when your mind breaks, or you are too weak physically to fight back." Katsuki theorizes, "Anyway, your brother needs help…" He smirks ferally, "so, how do we help him?"

Izuku's eyes brighten again, "Alatus said that his physical self is safe for the most part. What I saw was his soul, I healed what I could and bought us a little bit of time. Alatus informed me that a God named Morax banished the being of Darkness and gave my brother a new name for his protection. Morax is watching over Xiao on the Island of Nanimonai Island, in the city of Liyue." Izuku's eyes dull as he remembers the Sea Stone, "Kacchan, Xiao has Sea Stone embedded in his body somewhere. Between me, you, and Law… I think we can remove it."

Katsuki hums, "What do you know of this Morax? Could it be a trap?"

Izuku shakes his head, "Fuji knows him, apparently, Morax is an Archon from the realm of Teyvat. Teyvat is a world like Fuji's that was attacked by the calamity, of the Seven Archons Fuji has only met three of them. Barbatos and Baal fell during the Void Century, Fuji believes they are dead. Morax is the only surviving Archon that Fuji knows of. Alatus is Morax's subordinate, known as Yaksha. The Yaksha are the most powerful Adepti assembled by Morax to subdue the corruption that leaked out of the by-gone Gods of Calamity. Alatus is the last of the Yaksha."

"What happened to the other Yaksha?" Katsuki asks intrigued.

"Over time, the Yaksha's souls started to become corrupt by the very corruption they subdued. Madness and Despair overwhelmed them, causing them to either fall into the darkness, become demons, or die. Alatus is the only one that was spared." Izuku explained as best as he could from what he learned from Fuji. "I promised Alatus that I would save him too."

"Of course you did, Nerd," Katsuki sighs fondly.

Izuku smiles innocently, "so… how long have I been out?"

Katsuki pouts, "three days."

Izuku hums, now that he has been awake for a while, and the overemotional feeling has been lifted, Izuku realizes how sore he is from laying in his compressed wolf form, on the cold ground for three days. "How are Eri and Gaara?"

A new voice interrupts, "They have responded well to treatment."

Izuku perks up at the sound of a new voice, he turns his green eyes to the intruder. The stranger has shoulder-length blond hair, the sides braided back to meat in a half ponytail. His eyes are a light teal color, with a bright shine of curiosity and intelligence. He wears a blue collared button-up shirt, black pants, with thigh-high black boots. His jacket sort of resembles a lab coat, though thicker to accommodate the frigid temperatures. He wears long black gloves that stop just below the elbow. On closer inspection, Izuku notices a golden four-point star marked into the hollow of the teen's throat. Izuku sniffs the air, trying to commit the teen's scent to memory, but he notices the boy smells like chalk.

The smell hits him like a freight train, he recognizes this scent. And he knows the teen in front of him is not fully human. Izuku smiles, the teen will tell him when he is ready, "I'm Izuku Midoriya, thank you for saving my pack."

The teen shrugs and Izuku can tell he is not used to conversing with people, "it was nothing."

The sound of hooves clacking on the icy floor snaps Izuku's attention. He faces a familiar, if smaller than he remembers blue-nosed reindeer. "Ah, you must be Chopper."

The animal screeches and hides the wrong way behind Albedo's legs. "sh- shut up, Human!"

Izuku smiles slightly, "I'm not exactly Human. I am more wolf than human."

Katsuki smiles blindingly at the little animal, "It means we are monsters!"

Chopper gets tears in his eyes and sniffles loudly; something catches on the wind. A scent, something toxic and nasty like a disease that rots a country to the core. Chopper gasps suddenly and runs towards where doctrine is resting.

"Doctrine!" Chopper shouts down the hallway, "Doctrine!"

"What is it Chopper?" The old lady shouts back.

"WAPOL IS BACK!" Chopper shouts desperately.

Kureha and Chopper run to the front entrance, Albedo, Izuku, and Katsuki follow behind a much more subdued pace. Gaara who was rudely woken up by the sound of screaming was told to protect Eri with his life.

Wapol glares at the people leaving his castle, the witch, the monster, and three strangers exit the castle door. Wapol studies the strangers, the teen with the green wings reminds him of the rude wolf that ignored him on the way up here. He didn't get a good enough glimpse of the passengers on the wolf's back… but the vague resemblance to the wolf is enough to fuel rage in him. "The first rule of Drum Empire is whoever dares to go against the king… must die!" Wapol announces, "I am everything to the empire because this empire belongs to me, and so does this castle!"

He shoots a cannon at the top of the castle, hitting what Izuku is now realizing is a pirate flag. "So, I won't allow anyone to put that stupid flag, that belongs to that fake doctor, at the top of my castle! It makes my castle look worthless!"

Chopper grows to a much larger version of himself, closely resembling what Izuku remembers from his visions. Chopper uses his size to attack Wapol raging about disrespecting a kind man. That the man would never wish for Chopper to hurt them, so he tries to get Wapol to leave the country. Izuku uses One for All to hop onto the top of the building, he carries the flag with care and uses a little Armament Haki to replant it into the tower. As the smoke clears, he glares down at the King, "hey you blubbering, Idiot!"

"How dare you call Lord Wapol that?!" one of the king's minions scolds.

Albedo and Chopper look at Izuku with wide eyes, "That kid?!" "He?!"

"I can't stand people like you!" Izuku shouts down, "you left your Empire when it needed a leader the most because you were afraid to put your life on the line to defend it. You became pirates without preparing to risk your lives. And now you come back here because being a pirate is too hard!" Izuku growls at the king, letting his overwhelming presence suffocate the air, "YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THE TRUE MEANING OF THIS FLAG!"

"The true meaning of the flag?" The lackey blows off with a laugh.

"What's so important about that stupid flag anyway. It's just a stupid decoration for pirates." The King shrugs off.

"That's why you are a worthless piece of Shit!" Izuku states monotonously.

"What did you say?" The king grits his teeth.

"This flag," Izuku continues to hold onto, "is not something that you can just play with for fun."

"You fool! Why do I, the King of this empire, have to play with that stupid flag anyway? And who told you to put that flag up again?" Wapol gets his cannon ready to fire again, "DIDN'T I TELL YOU THAT THIS EMPIRE BELONGS TO ME? IF YOU STILL INSIST ON PUTTING THAT FLAG THERE, I WILL DESTROY THAT FLAG FOR YOU!"

"Danm! He's using that canon again!" Albedo glares, ready to launch an attack to force the canon to veer off target.

Katsuki grabs his arm to stop him, "Don't get involved."

Chopper screams, "GET OUT OF THEW WAY!"

"Who will let you destroy this flag?!" Izuku shouts down, "This pirate flag…" he takes a deep breath "IS A SYMBOL OF FAITH!" The canon hits him and explodes.

"!" Chopper looks on shocked.

"He got hit," Albedo observes.

The smoke and fire billow around the peak of the castle and Wapol laughs heartily at his achievement, "Just die you, idiot!"

Izuku uses his wings to blast the smoke away he is bleeding slightly from the shrapnel and his hair shadows his eyes, smoke rises off his body as he holds the completely intact flag in his hand. "See? This flag will never be broken! I don't know whose Pirate flag this is, but…" He breathes slightly heavily, "This flag is a promise of life! A promise of freedom! It's not just a thing that anyone can play with!" Izuku raises his head toxic glowing green eyes to glare hatefully down at the King, "A person like you doesn't have a right to destroy this flag and laugh about it!"

Wapol growls, Izuku ignores them as he turns his gaze towards Chopper, "Hey, Reindeer!"

The animal looks up at Izuku, noticing the toxic green eyes that were glaring down at the king, are soft and warm as he smiles blindingly, "I'm going to beat them up real soon." His smile turns challenging, "So, what are you going to do?"

"Me?" Chopper questions.

"You idiots! If you really want to protect that stupid flag, I will destroy both of you together with it!" The king rages.

Katsuki lets go of Albedo's wrist, "That's enough of that!" It takes a while to build up the sweat he needs, but thanks to the gear Kato made it doesn't take as long. He activates the bracelet on his wrist allowing the suit to form on his body. Izuku covers him in green flames, probably sensing he is still suffering from his injuries.

"HAHAHA, what are you doing? That's stupid. I will destroy all of you!" The King laughs not understanding the situation.

"Lord Wapol, Lookout!"

"HUH?" before the king can react Chopper goes to punch the King with a strong right hook. The minion blocks the punch. Wapol goes to attack Chopper when Katsuki leaps up from behind him with an explosion ready.

The lacky pushes Chopper and Katsuki away from the King, "HAHA… Sorry, but I won't let you, Lay a finger on Lord Wapol!" The man sneers at Chopper as he begins to shrink, "you're a very strange creature. You must be the snow monster that the villagers talked about. No one in the empire is like you. What a pathetic loser you are." The lackey smirks at Chopper, "You don't have a single friend in this place. Why do you bother to help this Empire? It's so funny!"

Chopper huffs, "Shut up! Even if I don't have anyone, I will continue to fight! As long as Doctor's flag is still here, I will…"

"Who said that he doesn't have anyone?" Izuku pumps OFA into his legs, and torpedoes himself, "HE HAS ME! I AM HIS FRIEND!" He crashes into the King and his lackeys.

Chopper gasps, "Are you o.k.?"

Izuku smiles warmly, "I'm fine because I can heal. I'm a monster too."

"A monster?" Chopper asks.

Izuku nods, "Hey, do you think you can take care of that guy?"

Chopper growls, "He's just a weakling to me."

Izuku smirks, "Then leave this wannabe king to me and Kacchan!"

"Stop jumping around your giving me a headache," The King tries to swat Katsuki out of the air like a pesky fly.

Izuku watches Albedo and Chopper work together to take down the Lacky, while half heartily keeping Wapol in his range. Wapol tries to sneak around them, to enter the castle when Izuku flash steps in front of him and punches him in the stomach. The king goes sliding back to the edge of the mountain. Izuku tilts his head in curiosity feeling the rising panic coming from Chopper when Wapol got closer to the door, and then his relief when he was pushed back.

Izuku stretches his senses out, there is a bird's nest that Chopper is worried about, and the thought of this gentle misunderstood soul taking care of little abandoned birds warms his heart. Izuku nods, "I won't let anything happen to this bird's nest."

"A bird's nest?" Wapol rages, "How dare you insult me, the king of Drum empire?!" one of the birds lands on Wapol's weapon, "Don't you know that I am king!"

Izuku flash steps as Wapol tries to eat the bird, "Your game is over!" Izuku punches him in the face, "I don't care if you're a King or a God. I don't care if you're a Great or just a simple person!" He pushes more power into his punch, and crashes the King's head into the ground, "Because I am a Pirate!"

The bleeding man cackles madly, "You say that you're a pirate… and you don't care if I am a King?"

"That's right," Izuku confirms.

"You're so wrong, kid!" The man gets a gleam in his eye, "Drum kingdom is a member of the world government! If you injure me, you will become the world government's enemy!"

"So," Izuku smirks ferally, "I already told you I don't care. I'm still going to kick your ass. I'm not afraid of the world government. If anything…" Izuku's smirk turns Dangerous, "they should be worried about becoming my enemy!"

"You Fool!" Wapol rages, and tries to eat Izuku, "You better die!"

Izuku dodges the bites, when all of a sudden, a canon comes out of Wapol's mouth. He fires the Canon hitting Izuku point-blank causing a massive explosion. He uses the distraction to stand on his own two feet again. Before the smoke clears Wapol laughs "HAHAHA. You underestimated me!"

Izuku bats the smoke away again, "Actually, you are the one who underestimated me." Izuku sparks green Lightning around him, "you ready Kacchan?"

"Yea," Katsuki mutters gearing up Full cowling as well and sparking orange lightning around him. Izuku and Katsuki mirror their stances, putting their fists together and blasting a cone of pressured wind and lightning out in front of them. Wapol panics and tries to bribe his way out of being launched away. The energy hits the Fallen King, and he blasts off the mountainside.

Suddenly the village leader and the villagers that let Izuku carry his sick to the doctor show up outside the castle. "So, the thing that just flew away was really Wapol?" Dalton asks, "How about the other two?"

Izuku smiles, "The reindeer, has already taken care of them!"

Dalton turns his head slightly to see the little animal hiding the wrong way next to a tree, "blue nose…" Recognition blooms on his face, "Wait." 'I see. He's fighting for us.' Dalton bows in the snow, "Thank you very much! I am sure that from now on, Drum Empire will become a better country."

The villagers look towards where Dalton is bowing, and spot the little blue-nosed Reindeer, "Ahhh!"

"Look!"

"What is that weird creature!"

"Reindeer? No, it's a monster!"

Dalton turns quickly to stop the villagers from attacking the little deer, "Don't do anything to him!" The villagers don't hear the leader over their panic and the open fire on the animal. Izuku morphs into his wolf form and shields the reindeer from the blows. He growls warningly at the villagers, refusing to move from his spot.

He feels Chopper behind him, frozen in fear, he rumbles out a growl, and Chopper runs away. Izuku huffs and turns into his human form. "You villagers would still be under the rule of Wapol if it wasn't for that so-called monster. Chopper is the most kind-hearted, gentlest soul I have ever met." A growl builds in his throat, "If you want to see a monster… I'll show you one." He grins bloodthirsty and challenging.

The villagers step back at Izuku's speech, the leader bows, "I am truly sorry for my village's ignorance. It is true that the blue-nosed reindeer has fought for this country and has given more to this country than all of us combined."

Izuku ignores the groveling villagers, it is not him they need to apologize to, but to Chopper. He walks next to Kacchan, "I'm going to have a talk with Chopper, make sure Gaara and Eri are ready to go and are cleared to leave by Doctor Kureha."

It takes a while before Izuku can sniff out the little Reindeer, "Mind if I sit?"

Chopper looks at him with wide eyes and shakes his head.

Izuku smiles fondly at the animal, "So, how about it?"

Chopper looks at Izuku confused, "How about what?"

"Come with us…" Izuku states as if obvious.

"That's impossible." Chopper refuses quietly.

"Nothing is impossible, your lonely right? You feel like no one here can understand you." Izuku pushes and looks out into the sky, "You're not a reindeer, and you're not a human either."

Chopper nods along with everything Izuku said, but it hurts. "I really want to go with you, but I can't. I'm a reindeer. I have hooves and horns; I also have a blue nose!" Tears stream down his face, "I want to be a Pirate, too. But I am not human. I'm a monster! I can't be friends with humans! I just wanted to thank you for keeping Dr. Hilruk's pirate flag safe." A shaky smile takes over Chopper's face, "Thank you, for asking me. But I will stay here. If you are ever bored, just come to visit me sometimes."

"I told you before, didn't I," Izuku sighs, "I'm not fully human either. I'm not just a wolf, and I'm not just a human. I am a monster too!" Izuku glares at the little reindeer, "You already forgot, didn't you?"

"What did I forget?" Chopper asks.

"I already called you, my friend!" Izuku smiles blindingly, "so come with us!"

Chopper takes a moment to think about it, all his arguments about being a monster and not fully human die on his tongue. Each refusal he came up with, was countered and rendered useless. Chopper sighs in defeat, "O.K.!"

Izuku makes his way back to the others while Chopper goes to say goodbye to Dr. Kureha. Izuku notices Albedo is standing next to Gaara while holding onto Eri. Izuku raises an eyebrow, "Albedo, are you coming with us too."

Albedo hums, "I still have much to learn about this world."

Izuku smiles, "Great, welcome aboard!"

Albedo clears his throat, "thank you."

After some crashing, explosions, yelling, and screaming Chopper comes barreling out of the castle attached to a sled, "Let's go we are leaving now!"

Izuku stares at the furious look on Kureha's face and feels the emotions under the façade, she is worried, happy, sad, and proud of Chopper. Izuku flashes her a determined grin and a thumbs up. She huffs faux angrily and walks back into the castle.

Halfway back to the ship, Chopper pauses as he hears cannon fire. After a long breath of silence, the sky lights up in clouds of pink snow. Izuku smiles at the image of a Sakura tree, as he can feel the hope and happiness flowing through the Island. Chopper has tears in his eyes, but they are not sad. Albedo pulls out his sketchbook to capture the beauty on paper. Izuku is content to stay there for a moment as Chopper and Albedo say their last goodbyes.

Sometime later Izuku, Katsuki, Chopper, Eri, Gaara, and Albedo are approaching the ship. Shoto and Sabo greet them with relieving fondness as they help the others onto the ship. Izuku quickly checks up on the crew, learning of Wapol's attack on the ship, and that the man tried to eat his ship. Izuku growls and grumbles that he should have punched the bastard harder.

Shoto leads Izuku below deck, telling him briefly that they saved one of the doctors from Wapol's ship. Izuku follows Shoto to the Infirmary, opening the door as quietly as he could. Sitting on one of the beds looks to be a young girl maybe 13 or 14 years old, with blond pigtails, and wearing a doctor-like dress.

The girl is awake and staring at Izuku in almost fear, Izuku smiles warmly at the girl, "Hi, I'm Izuku."

The girl blushes slightly, "I'm Barbara."

"It is nice to meet you, Barbara, Shoto informed me that he rescued you from being thrown overboard. Is this true?" Izuku asks.

The girl nods almost fearfully, "Yes."

"There is no need to be afraid, I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to make sure you are uninjured." Izuku smiles warmly.

"I am well, thank you." Barbara bows.

"Are you sure," Izuku pries. "I am a healer."

"Not a doctor?" The girl questions.

Izuku chuckles, "while I know a little about medical practices, I am not a doctor." Izuku pulls out his dagger and hands it to Shoto. Shoto takes the dagger and slices his hand. Barbara's breath hitches and she goes to pull water out of thin air when suddenly green flames flare in her vision. She watches the fire flicker over the wounded teen's hand for a few moments. When the flames die down, Shoto turns his hand to show her the newly healed skin.

Barbara grasps the hand and inspects the area for any signs of injury. When she doesn't find any she sighs, "you're just like me."

Izuku tilts his head in a way that reminds Barbara of a curious puppy, she chuckles, "I am a healer. I ate a Devil Fruit when I was younger and can purify the water in the air and use it to heal people."

Izuku's eyes sparkle, "That is awesome Barbara." Izuku hums as he considers his options, "We have not left the island, and Wapol has been dealt with… Do you want me to bring you into town… or do you want to stay."

Barbara looks at him with wide eyes filled with disbelief, "you're giving me a choice?"

"No one on my ship is here against their will. If you don't want to stay here, I will take you home myself." Izuku's face softens, "But if you want to stay, you are more than welcome too."

Barbara takes a moment to ponder the choices given to her, she was little more than a slave when Wapol figured out she could heal. She was taken from her family, her guardian was forced to kill himself. The only person she has left is her adoptive older brother, Albedo. He probably thinks she is dead, or still under Wapol's control. "I would like to stay… but" she hesitates to ask her request, what if they don't let her see her brother. What if they don't let her say goodbye to the one person she has left.

"What is it?" Izuku asks softly.

"My older brother," Barbara begins quietly, "I wish to see him again."

Izuku nods, "Ok, then let's go." Izuku begins to walk out the door, he turns to Shoto, "I will be right back, when I come back, I need to speak with you and Nami in the Bridge." Shoto nods and walks out of the room, Izuku turns around with a smile, "you coming?"

Barbara nods and quickly moves to Izuku's side. Izuku leads the young girl to the deck where everyone is gathered still watching the Sakura tree. Next to Izuku, Barbara's breath hitches. She removes herself from Izuku's side and runs to the new Alchemist, "Albedo!"

Albedo turns around with wide eyes, "Barbara?" He lets himself be engulfed in a hug by his younger sister, "What are you doing here?"

Barbara pulls back, "Izuku offered me a place on his crew, he gave me a choice to stay. I accepted on the condition that I got to say goodbye to you first."

"I see," Albedo murmurs, "goodbyes are unnecessary."

The girl's eyes widen, "does that mean…?"

Albedo nods, "yes. I'm staying as well. There are still many things I need to learn before I know the truth of the world."

Izuku smiles at the reunited pair and makes his way to the bridge. Both Shoto and Nami greet him as he walks in, "where too next?"

Izuku hums, "What are our options?"

Nami hums and looks at her log pose, "Boin Archipelago, Alabaster, and Nanimonai Island."

Izuku's breath hitches slightly, "set the course for Nanimonai Island."

"Roger, if we leave now…" Nami ponders while studying the map. "We should see the Island sometime tomorrow afternoon."

Izuku nods, "thank you Nami."

Shoto glances at Izuku, while some might not notice the healer's paling complexion, Shoto does, "What is on this Island?"

Izuku smiles sadly at Shoto, "I was in the void again."

"Again?" Shoto gasps, knowing the causes that caused Izuku to go into the void the previous two times. His eyes scan Izuku for injuries, even though all the damage should have been taken care of.

Izuku nods, "This time someone was there. He was bound by shadows and thick chains of Miasma. I thought my brother was dead, but it turns out that he was taken by a being of Darkness and enslaved to the calamity. Because of the actions of a God that befriended Fuji during the Void Century; there is still time to save my brother's soul and Banish the corruption."

Shoto ponders this information, "this isn't a trap, right?"

Izuku smiles fondly at Shoto, "I do not believe it is. I have a feeling my father is the Being of Darkness. If my father is the Darkness… I don't know exactly what he is… it is possible I inherited something from him. I think the void is either corruption or darkness itself. Each time I was forced into the void, my mind or my body was too weak to fight back. The first time I needed Kacchan's voice to guide me out, the second time OFA protected me. I think this time the Void tried to use my brother's suffering to pull me under. The shadows that were wrapped around my brother tried to ensnare me as I got closer. I was able to use Fuji's power to banish some of the corruption from my brother's soul. And I was able to meet my brother's devil fruit. My brother ate Alatus: The Golden Winged King, he recognized Fuji and told me where to find my brother. Fuji verified that it was indeed his old friend Alatus that I was speaking to, so I will put my faith in his trust."

Shoto notices Izuku shaking slightly in his panic, and he pulls him into a tight embrace, "I'm with you, Izuku. We all are. If you believe your brother needs to be rescued, we will follow you and fight alongside you."

Izuku's breath hitches, "Thank you, Shoto." He settles in the warm embrace for several moments before he sighs. "I need to make sure Chopper, Albedo, and Barbara are settled before we set out."

Shoto tightens his hold on the small healer, "you need to rest. Let Bakugo handle the new additions." Sensing Izuku is going to start struggling, Shoto sighs, "Sanji is preparing dinner, let the crew interact with the new crewmates. After dinner, you can make sure they are settling in."

Izuku relents his argument, if Albedo, Chopper, or Barbara didn't want to be here they wouldn't have accepted his invitation. Izuku nods, "you're right Shoto. Set sail."

Nami takes over to give orders to the crew to prepare to set sail, raising the anchor, and unfurling the sails. She guides Sabo in steering the ship away from the coast and onto a current that will increase their speed to the next island. Shoto leads Izuku to the couch and forces the teen to lay down.

The last thought Izuku has before he succumbs to darkness is 'I'm on my way Aniki.'