Author's Note - So, this bit of back story is the truth, while the story Robin read before was just a twisted written record that had been passed down as a story. I hope it all eventually works out, but i am sorta working blind, and i am determined not to go back and rewrite anything till i am completely done and have engaged the aid of a skilled beta reader.
Disclaimer : I do not own One Piece or any of the other fandoms from which names, places, abilities, or references are taken! Imaginary points to anyone who catches said references throughout the story and PM's them to me. Dunno if you'll get anything real, but i give sneak peaks and deleted scenes to my repeated reviewers, so it isn't unthinkable.
Chapter 11 - Dragon and Phoenix
Aegiel, Basilias, Golasi, and Dorean stood around a stone table in a dark cave. Outside the cave, a storm raged that shook the ground beneath their feet. Aegiel, the oldest, slammed his fists down on the table.
"Brothers, we have these powers so that we can rule this world! So we can protect it! We can even shape it as we see fit! The human race is weak and foolish. They will tear themselves apart without our guidance." The eldest brother looked to his siblings for support. Basilias spoke.
"We should not control them! They are not as weak as you claim. If we allow them freedom, they will take it and thrive. We should use this power to drive them onward! They have such potential, with our strength driving them onward, what could they not achieve?" The second oldest brother declared.
"We should give them our strength and let them use it how they will. Not hold them back, and not drive them forward. Give them the power and let them conquer this world as we have. We were like them, once. Who is to say they will not become like us in time?" Golasi proposed to his elder brothers.
"I think that we should leave them alone. This is their world, not ours. Just because we can make these decisions does not mean we should. They have the strength within them to topple us, be it tomorrow or in a million years. Our powers will do them no good, and in the end, it will only bring harm to all." Dorean, the youngest, was all but ignored by the other three. They thought it laughable not to use this great power they had.
The three argued and fought, and things threatened to become violent. Finally, Golasi made a proposal.
"Since we can not agree, let us split this world and it's people and use our powers within our domains as we see fit."
The two eldest agreed to this, and then the argument turned to who would rule what part of the world. After much discussion, they came to an agreement.
"I will rule the sky and lend my power to those who strive for order. Basilias will rule the sea and lend his power to those who seek the chaos of the future. Golasi will rule the land and lend his powers to those who seek greater strength and great achievements. Dorean will not use his power on these people, so there is no need for him to have a kingdom." Aegiel spoke. Golasi reluctantly agreed. He was angry that his own proposed compromise left him with the tiny kingdom of land that speckled their world, while Basilias ruled the vast sea, and Aegiel controlled the sky through which all who walked or sailed passed through.
"I want no part in this. If you mean to use your power to bend human kind to your will, then I will use my power to give them a will of their own. They can carry on my will and my power, and someday you will see, they are greater than you." Dorean stood before his brothers and renounced his power, letting the swirl of light that made him like these self-proclaimed kings vanish into the storm.
"Brother, you are no longer one of us. Be gone. Find a place among the humans. You are no better than they are now." Aegiel commanded his youngest brother. The others nodded their agreement.
"I was never better than them, and neither were you. Remember, when one of them comes to your door, carrying my will and strength greater than your own, I warned you. You brought it upon yourselves. I will find no greater honor in my life than being counted among these humans." With his last farewell to his brothers, Dorean left the cave, setting sail on the vast ocean.
Over the next one hundred years, the youngest brother traveled the world. All the while, he could see the power of his brothers at work. Golasi split his spirit into numerous pieces, allowing crafted fragments of his power to spread through the world through the hosts of fruit.
Enraged by this, Basilias cursed those who took up the third brother's power and made them weak within his domain. Seeking to bring back balance, he split his own spirit, giving part of his power to men so that they could fight against the power of the third brother.
Golasi tried to overthrow his elder brothers and was stripped of his kingdom and cast deep into the earth to rot alone, but they could not remove the scraps of his power from the world as they passed from host to host upon death. The servants of both brothers used the powers of the third, as well as the second brother.
As he traveled, Dorean learned from the people he met, and taught them what he could in return. A kingdom rose up that advanced in isolation without the powers of the three brothers. This kingdom developed powerful weapons like the world had never seen. They gave a mermaid the power to control the Sea Kings that guarded the kingdom of the second brother. They created a warship that could destroy the islands that made up the third brother's kingdom. And finally, they created a weapon to tear open the sky and rain down destruction on the world.
The men of this kingdom knew of the three brothers from what Dorean had taught them and created these weapons to defend themselves. They engraved their knowledge into great stones that they scattered through the world, but the eldest brother would have no more of their research. He felt fear for the first time in a century when he saw them make weapons to rival him and his brothers.
Aegiel brought those who followed him together under one banner and created a government with which to rule the entirety of the world. Then he raised up an army, and with it and his might, he struck down the kingdom that had dared to become too powerful to control.
Basilias drove those who followed him to challenge and rebel against the government of the first brother. They became the generations of pirates that sailed the seas, but they never followed the will of the second brother as much as he had intended. At Dorean's encouragement, they chose to seek freedom rather than follow any rule than their own.
Knowing the youngest brother was a danger to them all, the eldest brother fed his government lies to spread to erase the fourth from the mind of the world. The fate of the kingdom was erased, along with a hundred years of their influence. With the great weapons scattered, the kingdom eradicated, and all memory of the fourth brother erased, the two brothers began ruling from the shadows, only rarely guiding their followers who no longer knew who they followed.
Dorean accepted the change and instead of raising the will of the people up against his brothers, he made it his goal to visit every island in the world. From every island he took a blade of grass, weaving them carefully as he sailed until he had made a hat of straw. At the end of his one hundred years of wandering, he took the hat with straw from every island in the world and he sailed to the end of the harshest ocean. There, where even his brothers strongest servants had never reached, he used the last of his power to create a gift for the future.
Around the island he raised walls of power that only his will could ever lower. He bound his will to the hat he had created, and with this key to his kingdom finished, he sent it out into the world, into the most peaceful sea, in the hopes that someday, a person would take up his will and his hat and come to this place to learn the truth of the world.
His power had grown over his exile, and was now greater than it had been before he gave up what he had at first. Using what he had learned in his travel, he left his spirit on the island to guide those who would come after him. He knew the first to find the island may not be the one to take the world back from his brothers, but he knew the man would come someday.
With his work complete, Dorean passed on what remained of his power to the leader of the revolutionaries and died with a smile on his face, knowing that he had made the right decision to entrust the fate of the humans to no one other than themselves. In the centuries that followed, this power was passed from revolutionary to revolutionary as the leaders changed from generation to generation. Occasionally a man would appear who carried the will of the fourth brother, but the hat seemed lost to time, and even the meaning of D faded to nothing more than a letter.
The two brothers believed that with his death, Dorean no longer posed a threat to them. With the third brother powerless and imprisoned deep beneath what was once his kingdom, the first and second brother spent the years maintaining balance in the world, careful never to pull too hard, and never to allow the other too much influence or power.
Distorted stories of the brothers remained, scattered through the world, but the fourth brother was forgotten. The world, and even the brothers believed that three was all there ever was. Three Devil's Fruit types from the third brother, with the fourth long forgotten. Three forms of Haki from the second brother, the fourth lost to time. Three great world powers from the first brother, with the revolutionaries little more than a whisper in the dark.
But it was bound to happen one day. Eventually, a man would look at their vast world, and realize that there were four seas, not three. They would see the missing piece, and they would seek it out, even if they didn't know just what they were seeking. Eight centuries after the death of the fourth brother, it finally happened. A young man found a tattered straw hat. A young man named Gol D. Roger.
Gol D. Roger looked at the ragged straw hat in his hands critically. It looked like it had seen a lot of adventures. He tried it on and grinned. It was a perfect fit. Two years later, he set sail as a pirate to overturn the world.
He gathered a crew of pirates, sometimes choosing people with little or no reason that could be discerned. He became ill. He met a woman. He battled against pirates and marines alike with a strength and ferocity that became legendary. He was the first in living memory to make it to the end of the Grand Line.
And he was the first in centuries to master the fourth haki. The ability to hear the voice of all things. He uncovered the secrets of the void century that the first brother had tried so hard to cover up and compiled all of the books regarding it at the end of the Grand Line where it would be safe. He denied the power of the second brother that Shiki offered him. He achieved his greatness without the abilities of the third brother.
He reminded the two brothers that the fourth's will still lived in men. The government pursued him with all the power they could muster, but they were unable to take him until he gave himself up. They told the world his name was Gold Roger, hoping that once again the Will of D would be forgotten. However, Roger recognized his will in another, among his enemies, and entrusted his son to the man as he had entrusted his hat to one of his apprentices years before.
He passed on part of what he learned to Whitebeard and made him promise to help him even after his death. The Pirate King left the world like a set chess board, all the pieces in place, waiting for someone to make the first move.
He died, and his son lived. His hat was eventually passed on to a boy who carried on his will, and who became brothers with his son. Out of sight of the government, an old man passed on the power of Dorean to a man by the name of Dragon and named him the leader of the revolutionaries. The Will of D never died.
The man with the hat rose up and fought the world, gathering a crew of his own. Monkey D. Luffy, the rubber man. With a crew of nine, he followed in the footsteps of the Pirate King and finally stood on the shore of Raftel. The hat had returned home for a third time, but to the government, it was only the second time. They never knew Dorean had made the hat.
When the second Pirate King was dead, the world became calm. The two brothers dared to hope that the will of the fourth had finally died. The revolutionaries had stopped their activities. Garp retired. Dragon retired. Luffy was dead. Blackbeard was dead. The great age of pirates was over.
Then Ace came with a crew of only five and shook the world again, raising it from the sleep it had fallen into. Sabo, marked with the power of Dorean launched the revolutionaries on with renewed strength. The government was in a panic. They had not been ready. They had been taken by surprise, and now that hat was making it's third trip toward Raftel. They had to stop it this time, or they would risk reaching the number they feared. But they still had time. This was only the third time. So they thought.
"We're here! Everyone, on deck!" Ace shouted to his crew. Ahead of them were the shores of Jaya, and he knew from the log books that somewhere above the clouds was Skypiea. The sun was high in the sky as they sailed to the harbor.
"Listen!" Kuina called, standing still and tilting her ear toward the sky. The rest of the crew followed her lead. In the distance, almost indistinguishable from the wind and waves, there was the sound of a deep bell. "The Fire of Shandora! Nami wrote about it! There is a giant golden bell in Skypiea. They ring it to guide back their friends."
"Can we make it there?" Roger looked at the clouds skeptically. Olivia walked past him and waved a hand in front of his eyes.
"Don't look at the sun, I can't fix blindness!" She teased, then walked toward her sister.
"The old crew rode the knock up stream the first time, but there is another way that they heard about their first trip and found the second time. It will take me a while to pin point exactly where it is, but once I do, we should be able to get there no problem!" The navigator smiled as she flipped a page in the log book she held.
"Great! Let's check out the island first, though! I'll take first watch with Kuina while we work out our next step. Soul and Cora will stay behind second, then Olivia and Roger will take third. We'll eat when we get back tonight, then make plans for tomorrow." Ace delivered his instructions to his crew. They all nodded, and Cora blushed slightly when Soul put a hand on her shoulder to guide her to the ladder.
Once the crew had dispersed, Ace sat down with Kuina.
"Have you learned anything from the book we took from Alabasta?" He asked the navigator quietly. She nodded.
"It's about the ancient weapon, Pluton. All the legends say it was a warship of unbelievable power. There was even a set of blueprints for it that were destroyed during our parent's time. Apparently there was more to it than that. The ship was powerful, but in reality, it was only a vessel for something else. The people of the ancient kingdom found a way to give the ship power to do more than physical damage. There are notes about a ruling entity that was embodied in the earth of the world. This ship was made to destroy that entity, not just the earth. I think there is something going on here that we know nothing about." Kuina handed the book to her captain.
"A ruling entity? From the earth... Just like that monster than we fought. It destroyed the poneglyph that detailed the location of the weapon that could destroy this entity in the earth. I think you are on to something. We need to find more of these poneglyphs. Did your mother teach you to read them?" Ace asked, looking up at the navigator.
"Partially. Between the two of us, Olivia and I should be able to decipher one." Kuina said. "There are two in Skypiea, maybe more that we don't know about. It's definitely likely there are others in Jaya that did not get blasted up to the sky."
"If there is, no one knows, or the government would be all over it. If there is another, it must be somewhere no one goes. Check the maps of the island and see if you can narrow down where a third might be. It might be that there were only ever two, and they just happened to be in the perfect place to get hidden beyond reach." Ace said. She nodded and headed off to the map room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Out in the streets of Mock Town, Cora was walking nervously beside Soul.
"I'm sorry you are stuck babysitting me..." She said shyly.
"I'm not. We're equals. Ace wants us to always move in pairs, and always keep someone with the ship. He cares a great deal about our safety, even though we can take care of ourselves. Besides, if you asked Kuina's opinion, she'd say you are the one stuck with me, not the other way around." Soul laughed. "You've really never met anyone before us? Apart from your father?"
"No... I read a lot. My father had a lot of books on the island we lived on, but no other people. I could walk all the way around the island between sunrise and sunset." Cora said. She had counted the number of steps it took a few times, but she decided that was a bit weird and she did not need to tell him that.
"That must have been hard... I was alone for ten years, but I did at least see other people. Even if it was only in battle. It's impressive you stayed sane for so long." Soul said.
"Not entirely sure that I am..." Cora rubbed her arms. She still caught herself carrying on conversations with herself when she was left alone.
"You seem fine to me." Soul smiled at her and then led the way across the street to a small shop. "Hey! Let's go in here!"
Cora followed the man into the building and was astounded at how much they had fit in the tiny shop. Soul immediately went to a shelf with a collection of shells on it. She wandered around until she found something that caught her interest. It was a set of throwing knives that almost perfectly matched the set she still carried.
"Get them. We have some spending money. The captain will rest easier knowing you can defend yourself." Soul spoke from right behind her. She jumped, but reached out and picked them up.
"I need to practice... Do you think you can teach me?" She asked, comparing the blades to the ones strapped to her leg.
"I can try. I rarely use throwing knives, but I have before. The twins are the ones who usually use knives, but I don't think I have ever seen them throw one." Soul took one of the knives and tossed it the air, catching it by the tip carefully. "Maybe we'll find a Devil's Fruit for you. The twins and I already have abilities and Ace and Roger don't want one."
"I can't swim anyway... I about drowned a dozen times trying to get off that island." Cora scowled.
"You tried to swim off the island in the Grand Line?!" Soul stared at her. She shook her head.
"Tried to fly..." She barely whispered. He tried very hard not to laugh.
"Fly?"
"Yeah... I made some wings... Seemed like a good idea at the time." Cora couldn't look the man in the face as she turned an even brighter shade of red. "Please don't laugh, I had to put up with my reflection doing that enough."
"Your... Reflection?"
"Crazy, remember?" Cora giggled at his worried expression. "I didn't have anyone else to talk to, so I started talking to myself when I was about seven... By the time I was fifteen, I really believed my reflection was responding to me, but I knew it was just in my head. That hasn't happened much since I met you all though."
"Well, I'm glad we were able to stop your reflection from harassing you." Soul teased and led the way to the counter.
"That will be 4500 beli... You look familiar." The clerk said, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Soul.
"It's my first time to the island, but I travel a lot. You may have seen me somewhere else." Soul evaded the question. The clerk accepted his money, but remained suspicious. Once they were back out on the street, Cora looked at him for an explanation. "I have been wanted for a lot longer than the rest of the crew, so I have to try to lay low when we're in peaceful places like this."
"Why were you wanted?"
"Murder. Before Ace met me, I was far from a good man. I have killed more than most entire pirate crews do in their whole careers." Soul clenched his fists. "If I had met him sooner, maybe I'd be a better person."
"You seem like a good person to me. What does it matter what you were like before if you aren't anymore?" Cora asked. Soul grinned at her.
"You sound a lot like the captain. He saw good in me before there was any. Olivia did too, but she sees good in everyone." Soul sighed and stuffed the dials he had purchased into nowhere.
"You are all amazing." Cora stopped and pointed to another shop. "Can we go to that one?"
"Sure. We've got an hour to be back at the ship, so lets make it quick." Soul followed the girl to the building and smirked when he saw what had caught her eye. A guitar hung in the window. "You love your music, huh?"
"Yes! It was as good as having company part of the time." Cora plucked a few strings on the guitar and smiled in satisfaction. "This one is much better than mine..."
Half an hour later, the two pirates arrived back at the ship. Cora was grinning widely with the new guitar hanging on her back.
"Thank you. I'll pay you back." Cora said to Soul. He shook his head.
"No debt between nakama. Just watch my back and I'll watch yours. That's what it means to be on this crew."
"Ace! May we come aboard?" A blonde man called up to the pirate captain. Ace nodded and waited for the man and his companion to stand before him. "I'm Sabo. Leader of the Revolutionaries. This is Koala."
"I wondered when I would meet my grandfather's successor. You were sworn brother to my father, weren't you?" Ace asked.
"Yes, and to the man you are named after. Where is the rest of your crew? I hoped to meet all of you."
"Kuina is in the navigation room going over the map of Jaya. The others are out on the town. Soul and Cora are on their way up, actually." Ace turned to the ladder in time to see the two pirates hit the deck. "Soul! Cora! Come here. I would like to introduce you to Sabo and Koala of the Revolutionaries."
"Cora? I did not see a wanted poster for you." Sabo extended his hand to the two pirates.
"I'm new." Cora shifted uncomfortably. "Am I supposed to have a bounty? Is that a requirement for being a pirate?"
"No, don't worry about it. Ace will get us into trouble and you'll have a bounty in no time." Soul laughed.
"Ace! I think I found... Who are these guys?" Kuina asks, skidding to a stop next to her captain, her map clutched to her chest.
"Revolutionaries. It's alright Kuina. We can trust them. This is my grandfather's successor and my father's sworn brother." Ace said. The navigator relaxed and smiled then.
"I narrowed down possible locations to two. If there are any other poneglyphs here, they will be one of these places." She pointed at two spots on the map.
"Good work. We'll check them out tonight. Sabo, what do you need from me?"
"Nothing. We're here to tell you that we are at your service, and to tell you that we are interested in sharing information whenever it is possible. We are striking against the government wherever possible, and sometimes an outside perspective on where we are needed would come in handy. If, on your travels, you come across islands where slavers or the government are causing a noticeable problem, call us." Sabo handed a small Den Den Mushi to the pirate.
"We will. How did things go in Alabasta?" Ace asked in concern.
"We won. The marines fled and left the country in peace, for now. We have a few ships stationed nearby in case things fire up again, but it looks like it is over." Sabo smiled.
"Good. I was worried that things may have gotten worse after we left." Ace sat on the railing and looked out at the town. "Roger and Olivia won't be back for a while. They still have another two hours of free time. You are welcome to stay for dinner and meet them."
"I'm afraid we can't. We are on our way to the New World on important business. We wanted to meet you and deliver that Den Den Mushi in person. It has been very nice to meet you." Sabo bowed, grinning. "You look just like your father. I can't wait to see what trouble you get into next."
"I'll do my best to live up to your expectations." Ace laughed and waved to the revolutionaries as they made their way off the ship. When they had gone, he turned to Kuina. "Let's go check out those two locations. Soul! Cora! Watch the ship. Raise hell if something happens."
"You got it, Ace." Soul said, walking up from the workshop. He had a large, reinforced board in his hands. "Cora is going to practice with her throwing knives, and I don't want her using me or the ship as a target." He explained. Ace nodded.
"Good. We'll be back in time for dinner. If we're not, wait one more hour then come after us." Ace called to his first mate.
"Sabo will be here in a few days. He wanted to meet with Ace once before he joined us." Tashigi explained to her old superior. It still felt weird to her, addressing him as her equal. Smoker shrugged.
"Then we'll wait. Shanks is late as well. I guess punctuality is one things marines do better." The white haired man had been in a bad mood for the better part of a year. Tashigi had finally talked him into quitting with the cigars, and although he had stopped coughing up his lungs ever few hours, he still had not gotten over the craving.
"I'm going to go inform Marco and see if he has heard from Shanks. And don't affiliate yourself with the marines anymore, especially here. Boa Hancock won't wait for an explanation before she has you killed." Tashigi scolded the man. He grumbled, but didn't argue.
The woman made her way across the temporary bridge connecting the two ships and found Marco on the deck, speaking with a few of his commanders. He noticed her immediately and waved her over.
"Sabo will be a few days late. He had to meet with Ace before he came here, but he is on his way. Shanks still has not arrived either. Has there been any word from him?"
"Yes, he is making a slight detour. Benn promises it is not a run for more sake." Marco did not sound convinced. "He'll be here tomorrow. I heard about the incident in Alabasta. Nice work."
"Thank you, sir." Tashigi bowed. Marco rolled his eyes.
"Knock that off, you aren't a marine anymore and I'm not your superior."
"Sorry, old habits die hard, I guess." She straightened up and looked at the still water surrounding them. "Are you sure it is safe to have this meeting in the calm belt?"
"Completely. The Sea Kings don't stand a chance against my crew or the Red Hair Pirates, and they are a good early warning system in case unwanted visitors come knocking." Marco dismissed his commanders and sat cross legged on the planks of the deck, motioning for the woman to do the same.
"You think that is likely?"
"Yes. We've been informed that the fourth Emperor has declared himself an enemy of the Straw Hat Pirates and any of their allies. Apparently he had some unhappy connection to Luffy and wants to take it out on his son. And having Boa Hancock here would only complicate matters. Luffy chose not to include her in this, so we made the same decision. She is on shaky ground with the Revolutionaries for allowing ex marines into their ranks." Marco explained.
"I see... Do we know anything else about this fourth emperor?" Tashigi asks.
"Not much. We have heard the name Captain Nathaniel used in reference to him, but this could be rumor. We don't know if he has an ability, and we don't know how big his crew is. It's surprising he is considered an emperor, but the mystery surrounding him has worked well in his favor. Few people will attack his territories if they don't know anything about who they might be angering." Marco said, slouching slightly. He brightened up when Haruta reappeared and handed him and Tashigi bottles of sake.
"There were rumors that Blackbeard had an apprentice in his last year. An adopted son of sorts, who wasn't at the battle of Raftel. He would be in his late twenties now, if the rumors were true. If that is who this Nathaniel is, we should be wary. He may have inherited Blackbeard's malicious intent."
"I had not heard this... After our meeting, I'll send some of my crew out to dig up some information on him. With things heating up, we can't afford to have such a dangerous unknown on the board." Marco said, taking a drink and setting the bottle aside.
"Sabo may send someone as well. If we can get one of Shanks' men too, Nathaniel may think twice about picking a fight with all three." Tashigi proposed.
"It would be a good show of trust for all three crews as well." Haruta commented. Marco nodded.
"Yeah, but we'll make the government very nervous. Two emperors and the revolutionaries in an alliance? If they find out we are supporting the Straw Hat crew, it will be all out war. It will make Marineford and Raftel look like playground scuffles." Marco said.
"It is a risk we might have to take. War is coming, regardless." Tashigi said.
A few days later, all parties were assembled. Sabo, Koala, Marco, Haruta, Shanks, and Benn sat together, with their men in clumps around the decks of the three lead ships.
"Roger left Whitebeard a job to do before he died. He asked the strongest man in the world to protect One Piece until a man carrying his hat and his will was ready to take it. Before Whitebeard's death, he asked Dragon and myself to carry on his duty. Three years later, Luffy asked us to do the same. Roger and Luffy knew something important was coming and that they wouldn't be here to see it, so they entrusted us to hold the front line for them. Well, the time is here." Marco addressed the gathered leaders.
"Luffy's son has set out with a crew of his own, and having spoken to him in person, I can confirm, he carries his father's will. He is well on his way, and is already half way to the New World. His crew is six members strong now, and he has already proven to the government that he is a threat. In addition, his crew has already fought the creature that has been devouring ability users and come away in one piece." Sabo continued.
"Makino met him when he had just set out. From the way she described him, he has his father's intuition, but his grandfather's logical mind. He will have a strategy to back up his own raw power. As you know, we're not to get in the way of him growing stronger. We are just supposed to keep the government and other emperor's off him until he is strong enough to handle them and not a moment longer. He must reach Raftel." Shanks went on.
"I spoke with Tashigi and Haruta, and we believe that in order to better judge the threat to Ace's journey, we should send a party consisting of members of all three crews to learn more about the fourth emperor. This would also serve the purpose of reaffirming the alliance between our crews." Marco said. The others nodded their agreement.
"I will send Tashigi and Coby from the revolutionaries." Sabo said. He looked to the two in question and received nods of agreement.
"Lucky and Yasopp will join them from the Red Hair Pirates." Shanks gestured to his nakama.
"And I will send Jozu and Vista." Marco declared. "These six should be able to handle the assignment with no trouble."
"The revolutionaries will keep the government and the marines under control in Paradise. Boa Hancock will do her part, unknowingly, by keeping them at bay here in the New World." Sabo received approval from the others.
"Buggy is keeping an eye on the other Warlords for me, and we will be sure to keep them from overwhelming the Straw Hat crew." Shanks explained.
"That will leave my crew to deal with the fourth emperor if he decides to make trouble." Marco grinned. He was looking forward to finally doing something after all these years.
"There is one other thing we have to discuss. Four. Luffy mentioned it to me on his way back from Raftel." Sabo said. Shanks and Marco nodded.
"Me too. He said it would make sense eventually." The Phoenix added.
"Well, there are four emperors, there are four blues, and if we count the revolutionaries, there are four great world powers." Shanks listed off the fours he had noticed.
"Ace is the fourth in his family to carry the initial D." Sabo said.
"D is the fourth letter." Tashigi volunteered.
"He specifically mentioned that I wasn't supposed to count to three... I think he meant there are some things we're missing. Things that there are really four of that we don't see." Marco was trying to think about any other clues the Pirate King may have left.
"There are three forms of haki that we know of... Three types of Devil's Fruit... This will be the third time someone with a straw hat has gone to Raftel!" Haruta added.
"No... Not a straw hat, The Straw Hat. It is the same hat. Roger passed it to me, and I gave it to Luffy, and I would be willing to bet he passed it to Nami and on to Ace." Shanks said. "I have no idea where Roger got the hat. It was old even then. It may have made a trip to Raftel before..."
"They said Roger could hear the voice of all things, and Luffy said something during our last encounter that sounded similar. Could that be a fourth form of haki?" Marco asked. Shanks nodded.
"I think that very likely. Roger never explained the ability to me, or anyone on the crew." The red haired pirate said.
"That leaves the Devil's Fruit... The darkness fruit Blackbeard had... It was called a Logia, but it acted differently from any Logia I have ever seen." Marco pointed out.
"The twins on Ace's crew have an ability that allows them to jump from location to location. Even Brook had an ability that did not really fit into the category of Logia or Paramecia. I think there could easily be a fourth kind of fruit we don't know about." Sabo said.
"Captain, we've got company." Yasopp aimed his rifle in the direction of a flag on the horizon. "I don't recognize the flag."
"Let's call this meeting a success. The six of you on the intelligence team, stay with the Whitebeard Pirates. Everyone else, separate and get ready to fight if we have to." Shanks called out, leaping to the Red Force and motioning for his crew to follow. "Yasopp, Lucky, be careful. We don't know anything about this guy. Don't go and get yourselves killed before me, got it?"
"Yes boss!" The two pirates nodded to their captain and took up positions where Marco directed them.
As the ship approached, they were all able to make out the symbol on the flag. It was the head of a dragon with blood on its fangs, with two swords crossed behind it. On the deck, one pirate stood with the hilts of two swords visible over his shoulders, mirroring his flag.
"Who are you and what is your business here?" Marco called to the approaching ship. The man that faced them reached up and drew his swords. Around him, dozens more men ran to the railing, all armed, but standing quietly. Not a single sound came from the ship but the scrape of swords leaving sheathes.
"Yasopp. You're the best sniped on the ocean now. Take the nest and keep an eye out. Don't start firing unless they make the first attack. I don't want to start a fight, but I won't lose it either." Marco ordered. Yasopp nodded and climbed up the mast, rifle over his back.
"Stand aside, Phoenix. I'm not here to kill you today. Sabo is the one I am here for." The man spoke clearly, but didn't shout. As soon as the words left his mouth, they seemed to vanish instantly, not ringing in the air for a moment.
"I am afraid that can't happen. You either fight us all, or you turn around and leave this place now." Marco stood his ground, legs tensed and ready to launch into action.
"Do not protect the successor of Dragon!" Now the man shouted, and for a moment Marco thought he would throw one of the swords at him. As quickly as his temper had flared, he was calm again. "Stand aside."
"Not happening." Marco smirked at the man. An enemy with a bad temper could be manipulated and defeated easily.
"Very well." The man made a signal with one of his swords and three cannons fired. Jozu hardened his skin and took the first without stumbling. Yasopp shot the second out of the air. The third came straight at Marco, who reached out with a talon of purple flames and burned the steel ball away before it made contact. "So it's true, you have both the blue fire of the phoenix and the red fire of the Mera Mera no Mi... I've changed my mind. I am going to kill you and take that ability for myself. It will compliment my Zoan perfectly."
The man sheathed his swords and leaped into the air, his body changing in the air until broad black wings caught the air and lifted him over the assembled ships. Marco launched into the air after him, transformed almost completely into his phoenix form.
The dragon dived for the ship Marco had launched from, but the phoenix buried fire covered claws into his neck and dragged him off course, nearly plunging him into the ocean. Marco dodged a slash from the black dragon's claws, but was knocked aside by the powerful tail.
As the dragon prepared for another attack, a loud roll of thunder caught his attention. In the minute he had been confronting the phoenix, the sky had darkened with thick storm clouds. The wind was picking up rapidly, and the ships were all rocking violently on the churning water. The first Sea King to snap its jaws out of the water nearly caught the dragon's tail.
"Shanks, can you keep the Sea Kings calm with your Haki?" Sabo called to the red haired captain. He nodded and focused his attention on the monstrous creatures all around them, pushing his will onto them and forcing them back into deeper water.
Marco launched at the dragon, waiting until he was withing the enemies grasp before unleashing a wave of red flames that left the dragon burned, blinded, and disoriented. He landed back on the edge of his ship, taking on a mostly human form and snarling up at the burning creature.
"Attack the revolutionaries! Take their leader alive!" The pirate called back to his crew, taking only a moment to regroup before launching back into the sky and returning to his fully dragon form. Just as he was about to lock into battle with Marco again, a bolt of lightning struck him midair. He let out a roar that turned to a scream as he lost control of his ability and reverted to human form, falling into the water.
"Get him! Jump in and get him!" The pirates on the dragon's ship were scrambling to rescue their fallen captain, but wary of the Sea King infested water.
"Tell us who you are, and why you are here and we will allow you to save him before he is eaten!" Marco shouted at them.
"We are the Black Wing pirates and we sail under the command of Captain Nathaniel! We came here to capture Sabo the Revolutionary!" One of the men on the enemy ship called back. Marco nodded.
"I was afraid of that. Save your captain and remember that if you seek a fight with the revolutionaries, you'll face the wrath of us all!" The phoenix returned to his human form on the deck of his ship. "I don't think our search expedition is necessary anymore, and I don't think it is safe to send six of us against this man alone. Go back to your crews, and go about your tasks. We should all get out of here while he is out of commission."
"Right. Let's go." Shanks called. Yasopp and Lucky were back on his ship in a moment, and they were turning away. Back on board the Oncoming Storm, Sabo was pulling his power out of the storm, allowing the wind and sea to come to a rest.
"That was impressive. Not going to tell them that was you?" Koala was at his side, looking at him curiously.
"No, not yet." Sabo turned away and waved to Tashigi and Coby as they rejoined the crew. "Welcome back!"
"Thanks, Sabo." Coby said, walking closer. "Tashigi has news."
"That is definitely the person the rumors described, but I had never heard of this ability before. That is a different kind of dragon that the other mythical Zoan fruit contained. There is no mistake. That man is Blackbeard's heir." Tashigi said.
"Then we must make sure he doesn't succeed where his mentor failed." Sabo turned and watched the two pirate ships splitting off from his course, the enemy ship far behind.
The importance of the number four is revealed! Side note, 1+3=4, so it works with my fondness of thirteen as well :)
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