Warnings: Character death, angst, OoC characters, horror, apocalyptic-like world, flashbacks
Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece. I own the plot and words.
Important Note: This chapter contains flashbacks with differing ages not made clear in the scenes. These are the ages: In the first scene, Shanks appears 27 years old while everyone else appears as they already have. In the second scene, he is in his mid/late 30s and Ace is 14/15. Third is same as first. Fourth and fifth scenes, Shanks is around 16/17 and Roger and Rouge are slightly older than when we see them in canon. Last scene is the same as the first.
He's Called the Eater of Hearts
None of them moved; even Robin was too shocked to have a firm grasp on the situation. She only knew minor details of who and what Luffy was, but she was not expecting anything like this to have occurred.
The young boy was currently passed out, snoring lightly and drooling against Shanks' shoulder as he stared at them, holding the boy protectively and even possessively.
"I'm sure you're all wondering why I'm here."
"I'm more wondering how this is possible," Thatch said quietly, shock clear on his face. The crew voiced their agreement while Whitebeard continued to stare, pensive.
"It all stems from that traitor," Shanks said, eyes turning hard. All of the Whitebeard's stiffened. Zoro, Sanji, and Nami's faces grew serious; they never knew the man, but they had heard plenty.
"What does this have to do with Teach, yoi?" Marco said, eyes hard as he glared at the red haired man before him.
"This would be much easier to show you rather than tell you," Shanks began, holding the boy in his arms closer. "He won't be seeing this, he need not know everything for now. It's much too violent for a child to see. In the future, maybe, but I don't want him to know more than he can handle. You'll be able to see but not interact. Now, watch," Shanks gave them no time to object or question him as the scenery changed around him.
Ace recognized the scene all too well.
"Run, Ace!"
Shanks grabbed the arm of the teen and yanked him forward. It was pouring out. Visibility was nonexistent. Only the sounds of enraged and dying shouts, feet slapping the wet ground, and the pounding of the rain resonated in their ears. The smell of iron was thick in the air, making the younger feel physically sick. Their clothes hung to their bodies in the wet, humid weather.
"Ace! We have to go!"
Ace stumbled, finally moving. Shanks dragged him along. Both panted with the strain of moving their injured bodies at such fast paces, with such force. Their survival instincts kicked in as they ran down the muddy, bloody, soaked beach. Sand stuck uncomfortably to their exposed skin, but neither cared at the moment.
They came upon a hill of rocks and Shanks slowed before slowly making his way down, watching carefully as Ace descended, preparing to catch him if he fell. His own blood began to drip onto the rocks, forming a splattered pattern on the rough surfaces. His hands, scratched and bruised, ached from the fight.
Shanks' feet hit the ground and without a second to spare, he grabbed the teen from the rocks and began running, ignoring the protests of the teen who screamed that he could run by himself. This was something Shanks had tried to protect the boy from, and he had failed. His crew was slaughtered at the hands of that damn bastard who hid everything from the world, who was the reason that so many people had died…
He finally reached his destination after running for what felt like endless hours. He breathed hard as he tossed the boy to the ground and then, with his hands on his knees, he began chanting. The boy looked up, shocked but too tired and injured to move. When Shanks finished his words, he looked up at the younger.
"Ace, stay safe."
Ace realized all too late what was happening. Just as the first letters of the red haired man's name escaped his mouth in the form of a scream, he was ripped away by that very man's own magic, sending him halfway across the world.
The red haired man turned, eyes changing from red to bright blue in the rain as he glared. Behind him stood a fat man with a greasy, tangled beard similar to his hair, a mouth missing a few yellow, rotting teeth, and a nasty snarl pulling at his lips, soaked with the blood of his victims.
"Teach," Shanks said in a low, daring voice. The man simply smiled a gruesome smile, bits of flesh poking out between his teeth and sticking to his tongue.
"You're a smart man, sending him away like that."
Shanks glared. "Why wouldn't I protect the son of the man who saved me?"
Teach's smirk disappeared into an empty look. The rain made him look all the more terrifying with the dim lighting of the odd, glowing mushrooms surrounding them, the only source of light on that cloudless day.
"This will be your end, Shanks."
A blur of movement; mud went flying as the sounds of skidding were heard. Rain hit objects moving too fast for the eye to see, providing the way to see their practically invisible forms. Blood continued to splatter on the ground in a disturbing rhythm. Grunts of pain would fill the air in intervals, followed by the occasional yelp or scream of frustration or surprise.
But, in the ominous atmosphere, with blood pouring from one at an increasingly fast pace, one had to fall.
Shanks hit the ground with a thud as the fatter man pinned him down, his knee digging into the red haired man's chest. Shanks made no sound of pain and only slightly winced for a moment before glowering at the man above him. Teach only grinned.
"This is your downfall. So much for the greatest wizard ever since Roger."
Then Shanks smirked, pure sadistic joy apparent on his face.
"I'm not known as that for nothing."
Glowing marks appeared on Teach's body in a perfect, symmetrical design. He looked at his body in terrified and enraged awe, not understanding what he was seeing but sensing the approaching doom he was about to face.
"I, Red Haired Shanks, seal away all powers having to do with Teach, Eater of Hearts, until his death consumes him."
Teach's body glowed as a red dust fell off of him, being swept away up into the sky despite the falling rain. He stared down at Shanks in horrified rage, but Shanks only smirked.
"Good luck figuring this one out."
Then, of his own will, as payment for the powerful spell he had used on Teach, his body burst into flame and disintegrated in seconds, leaving Teach alone. His shrill, angered screech of pure indignation echoed.
"I don't understand," Ace said, staring at the other man with pained eyes. He still felt some guilt over his death, but he had learned to move on and not dwell on the past. His regret was merely sleeping in the back of his head, dormant until that moment.
"My words. It all has to do with my words," Shanks said, a look of self-frustration revealing itself to them. "Until his death consumes him. I never said anything of the afterlife. It was a grave mistake on my part since I knew of it's existence. I foolishly believed he didn't. That will bring Luffy and you all large amounts of trouble."
"For what reason does he want Luffy?" They all looked at Whitebeard. He didn't seem too angry at Shanks' screw up – he seemed angry with Teach, as he glared at his form, frozen in time before them.
"He needed the All Soul. It is something we learned of on our adventures with Roger and somehow, he learned of it. Maybe it's not all that surprising, considering who he is, but still. Him having the knowledge is dangerous."
"Shanks? What exactly is Teach?" Sabo asked, staring at the man with confused eyes. Shanks' own eyes hardened.
"Exactly as I said. He is the Eater of Hearts. He takes the bodies of the dead and swallows their hearts and their dead but still thriving dreams. He does the same to his living victims – tear out the heart, consume the dreams. He's like a black hole except worse since he leaves destruction in his wake. At least black holes leave nothing horrible to see. But these hearts he consumes, the dreams power him. Dreams have immense power and he knows it well; it's why he willingly made a deal with the Devil. But, to have the most power, he must eat the All Soul."
It was silent as the information sunk in. Surprisingly, it was Zoro who spoke.
"What is the All Soul?"
Shanks stared silently for a few moments, unconsciously shifting Luffy closer to his arms, before sighing and talking in a slow, serious, sorrow-filled voice.
"It holds the dreams of all people in it and not only that, the dreamer has the biggest dream of all; it has immeasurable power. It can only come into being in one way. On his run from you and the crew, his plan was set into motion. He started by pissing off Boa Hancock, the only woman in the world who had the power he sought."
"You loathsome vampire," Boa snarled at the man before her, her clear blue eyes alight with rage. The pure fury that seemed to roll off of her body in waves was, by all means, justified.
Because there, before her, was a filthy vampire, standing over the bodies of her sisters who, not even an hour ago, had been alive. They had been strong; they were loving and kind and the two who had all of her trust in this world.
And they were dead.
Boa's eyes glowed blue as her snake, Salome, hissed violently, coiling into a defensive position around her. The black bearded vampire merely laughed mockingly, throwing his head back in pure, demented joy.
"I'll kill you," She hissed out threateningly. Just as she began to chant the words of her spell, as she was staring at the man before her with contempt, he looked down and stared deep into her eyes. And she never hated him more than she did in that moment.
That moment when her body no longer belonged to her.
How could she have been so stupid to not try and see if he had a power bestowed upon him? How foolish could she have been to not attempt to see what this vampire, who had the power to kill her beloved sisters, could do?
Of course, his power had to be control and persuasion.
The words of her spell became twisted. She realized what spell she was being forced to chant halfway through and she tried to stop herself. She made the palms of her hands bleed from squeezing her hands into fists; she made herself breathless by trying not to breathe as best as she could; she even stabbed herself with a blade on her hip, her own arms trembling with the effort to escape his grasp.
However, it all proved futile.
An eerie pillar of light ascended into the sky.
All went silent.
Shanks' eyes snapped open and he lurched forward, gasping for breath. He looked around in shock, eyes growing wide with confusion.
Didn't he just die?
And where the hell was he?
He stood, looking around frantically. He knew that he had died. He had set the spell up himself, he had triggered it, his payment for that power was his death, so why the hell was he alive?
He turned behind him and his eyes widened in shock; his brows furrowed in absolute horror and his mouth opened in awestruck fear as he stared before him.
It was absolute destruction.
Ash was slowly beginning to fall from the sky like snow, covering the ground in a thin layer of black, gray, and white. Smoke billowed up from the earth in puffs of air, forming horrible looking clouds in the sky. Flames flickered on the ground, some large and consuming, others small and dying. Carcasses and corpses littered the ground while the skeletons of once most likely beautiful houses stuck out from the ground, barren and turned black from whatever explosion had happened. He could practically taste the iron in the air and there was plenty of red blood pooling on the ground to prove that survival for any people in the blast range was likely nonexistent.
Moreover, there was not a sound to be heard. Only the wind, which moved through the area in a soft caress, would make sound by passing through the frames of the destroyed homes. In the further distance, Shanks realized the hollow howling sound was likely coming from the wind moving through the utterly destroyed forest; only tree trunks charred black remained, covering and littering the landscape in a mess of charcoal and ashes.
Shanks felt sick to his stomach. Yet at the same time, he didn't seem to have it in him to throw up the nonexistent food his body believed he had.
A hand landed on his shoulder and he jumped, turning violently and glaring, before stopping as he realized who it was.
"Roger?" Shanks whispered in awe. The man nodded grimly before turning, and Shanks' eyes only widened more. "Rouge?" She approached with a sad smile before frowning, staring out at the barren landscape. It was silent for a long time before Shanks spoke once more. "What happened?" He asked in the quietest voice he could muster.
"I have no idea. But, I can remember I died, so I have no idea what I am doing here."
Shanks nodded and looked back at the torn land once more, sorrow filling his red eyes.
"We must go. There is nothing we can do here," Roger said with a regret-filled voice, turning his eyes away from the devastating scene and walking down the slowly blackening beach, ignoring the ash, which fell like snow around them all.
It was hours later when they realized something wasn't right. They were missing something vital in all of this destruction, because something else was truly, horribly wrong.
Only when the clouds disappeared did they discover the source of wrongness.
Not far off, where it was obvious an island once stood but was now just piles of rock, a pillar of light descended into the air, far into the sky, holding the sun in place, turning the sky a sickening shade of red. It seemed to suck all of the air out of the world which was unnaturally silent. Not even the ocean moved – no waves were visible – and the wind was now nonexistent.
"This is…" Roger's eyes were wide in awe, shock, and fear. Rouge stared up at it with a similar expression while Shanks looked down, terror dancing over his face.
"Roger…is that the revival spell?"
Roger grimaced deeply and closed his eyes, looking away from the pillar. "It is the revival spell. This is very bad though. Once we die, we are supposed to live in heaven. To be brought back to the world like this…"
"Roger, what will this revival spell do?" He looked to Rouge, who stared with immense concern at the pillar. Roger frowned before replying with a grave voice.
"The forbidden magic. Very few know the spell, and for good reason. For one hundred years, the sun will not rise and set and the moon will never be visible. The birth rate will drastically decrease and death will most likely increase. Ghosts of the past of the caster's choosing and even more will be returned to life during the century but in turn, all creatures of the night will be turned to stone, unable to die, oblivious to their surroundings. None will be able to so much as lay a finger on them."
Rouge covered her mouth with her hand as tears began to stream her cheeks. Normally, she would not cry, but knowing that she was a ghost and knowing quite a few creatures of the night herself…
Shanks gritted his teeth and clenched his teeth. "For what reason would someone do this?"
Roger's eyes narrowed.
"The All Soul."
Rouge and Shanks looked at him with confused expression.
"We are bloodless beings; ghosts do not have or deserve the sacred liquid of life. However, during this century, though we are visible to humans and can interact with them, we lack the ability to die for the next ninety years. However, birth is an entirely different matter. Any child born of ghosts during this period – and it will be a small number – is human but at the same time, not. They will not be given the red blood of life but rather the blue blood of death. They will have powers unlike any seen before. The All Soul…one person who embodies everything a ghost can have and everything a human can have. His blood is the purest blue that will be seen. If something were to happen to him – if he died in an unnatural way…the killer gains all his powers and it is very likely the world would be destroyed through ignorance or deliberate actions using the powers."
"Was this all on that poneglyph?" Shanks said with wide, startled eyes, his voice shaking slightly. Roger shook his head.
"I know of it…because this world has seen it once before."
Rouge and Shanks stared at the man before them with wide eyes.
"I am much older than you think I am. Magic can go a long way when used in deception. But it was all done to protect you from having to know of this...it's a shame it was all futile efforts."
Silence took reign over them for long, agonizing minutes.
"Is there any way to stop this?"
Roger looked at the young red haired man next to him with guilt-ridden eyes.
"No."
"Hold on a minute now! Are you saying we were frozen in time for a century?!" Thatch yelled, staring incredulously at Shanks. Everyone had looks of shock and disbelief on their faces as they stared at the red haired man. Even Robin looked slightly unnerved.
"Unfortunately, yes, you were. All of you were. Only Nico Robin here seems to have already known this."
All eyes turned to her.
"When Boa and her sisters disappeared without a trace, one would normally grow suspicious. However, I do not know much about what happened. I only know that a spell froze the world and none who have the powers of Night have any idea that such a thing has occurred."
Shanks nodded and looked down at Luffy. It was then that Ace realized something.
"It's him, isn't it? Luffy is the All Soul."
Shanks nodded, holding the boy closer.
"But why? If it's dangerous to kill him or for him to die of anything but illness or old age, then why are the humans so intent on killing him?"
Shanks sighed.
"It is a long story. Are you all willing to bear witness to the last one hundred years?"
Silence took reign throughout the crowd of over one thousand. They all looked between each other before all looked to Whitebeard, the man who they trusted with this decision.
"Very well. We shall watch."
Shanks nodded and once again, as if pressing the play button, the past began to play before them like a movie.
AN: So, what do you guys think? I'm honestly making up everything about the blue bloods and ghosts as I go, so I don't know if it makes sense. If you're confused about anything, tell me and I'll fix it.
Also, from this point on for the next couple of chapters, Luffy and the crew will not be the center of focus; it will be Shanks and the ghosts we have seen plus more.
youshouldn'tneedtoknow: You might be curious for a while then. It's all gonna unfold really slowly.
MysticMaiden 18: You'll see what happens to him much later. And yes, now there's a lot of Shanks as well
Kiki2000: He deserves it, and I think you'll hate him even more by the end of this arc. Yes, Teach is "he". This chapter probably opened up a large door as to what Luffy is. He's the child of ghosts but he's alive. It'll make more sense later on. But yes, Teach did possess him. Thanks :) I hope you liked this one
Bluebird42: Hahaha I'm so glad you like it. Thanks :) I love adorable Luffy and Ace. I can't not have it in my stories. You'll see why Usopp is dead in this arc. I'm glad you like the song so much :)
Kisuminight: Thanks! I hate it when stories rush into everything. I'd rather take it slow to make sure everything gets explained well. Yes, Shanks is dead. These next few chapters will focus a lot on Shanks.
luffylova: You're not dense. I said at the beginning that Teach was dead. It makes sense not to suspect it. Yes he can, and you'll see how he does that at the end of this arc.
shadowmarialove: Hahahahaha I'm glad you liked it so much :) I hope you liked this one too
I was gonna post this earlier but then I got called in for an impromtu shift and I was like I don't wanna work but I had to. I'm so hungry now too. Haven't had dinner. Raaaahhhhhh. Anyway, thanks so much for reading this chapter! Please leave a review! :D