This is where shit starts to get real. 3D2Y and Timeskip, woohoo!
Songs
Talking to Dragon: After Eating, Grand Line first part (One Piece OST)
Ryokugyu landing: Sakusenkaishi Osowareru Mura (One Piece OST)
Ryokugyu's reveal: The Truth is Revealed (Yugioh Arc-V Sound Duel)
Vs. Ryokugyu round 1: The Battle Begins! (Yugioh Arc-V Sound Duel), Luffy vs. Ratchet part 2 (One Piece OST)
Demon Mode Transformation: I Will Beat You (One Piece OST)
Demon Mode vs Ryokugyu: Giant Stronghold, Takeoff (One Piece OST), Ultimate Power (Epic Score), Caesar Clown (One Piece OST)
Defeated: Soundscape to Ardor (Bleach OST)
Dream: Nothing can be Explained [With Vocals] (Bleach OST)
Vs. Marines and Ryokugyu round 2: Attack on Titan (Attack on Titan OST)
Ryokugyu leaves: Rittaikidou part 1 (Attack on Titan OST)
Arno's uniform: Unity (Assassin's Creed Unity Soundtrack)
"Is everyone here?"
"Yes." they all responded.
"Good. Take a seat. Let's begin the meeting." They were all in a dark candlelit room within New Marineford.
"It's almost been two years, hasn't it? Straw Hat will appear again soon, and I'm willing to bet that after two years of training, all of them will be much stronger. I worry about two in particular. So, I would like to make preparations for this. Let's review on what's happened since Marineford. Sengoku and Garp retired, meaning that the Navy needed a new Fleet Admiral. Sakazuki and Kuzan were both recommended for the position, and decided to fight for who would get the position over on Punk Hazard. After 10 days, Sakazuki won, and Aokiji left, as he didn't want to work under him. Due to the promotion and resignation, poor Borsalino had no one else to talk to, as two admiral positions were left unfilled. Recently, the Navy announced throughout the world that those two positions were filled, Issho taking one, and myself taking the other. However, this is just a ruse to make people think that Sakazuki is the true leader of the Navy. Eventually, the time will come when we will swap positions. Also, after Marineford, because we had no use for Moriah anymore, Doflamingo took care of him. Oh, and Kuma was fully modified into a Pacifista, model PX-0. Am I missing anything?" He looked around and everyone was silent.
"Okay good. So, in preparation for the Straw Hats' return, I have individual assignments for some of you. The rest who don't can do whatever. Akainu."
"Yes."
"...I don't have anything for you after you took out Byrnndi World. Keep being the Fleet Admiral and doing your thing."
"Understood."
"Kizaru, I have nothing for you at the moment."
"Got it."
"Kuma, nothing."
"..."
"Doflamingo, how is the business coming along?"
"I have a colleague in Punk Hazard who's an experimenting scientist. Thanks to his work, we've been able to produce artificial Zoan devil fruits. We've been selling them on the black market to Kaidou, one of the four emperors. I'm hoping that if we continue on good terms, we might be able to invite him into the Order."
"Great. Keep things under control there, then."
"Fujitora, nothing."
"Hawkeye."
"Mm?"
"I have a special assignment for you. I'm thinking of bringing in two more recruits for the Order. Crocodile and Arlong of the Fishman. We've looked at them before, but I think I'd really like them to join at this point. Crocodile already has a devil fruit, and I have one in mind to give to Arlong, should they accept. Regardless, you are still the only Warlord here without a devil fruit. It's not that I don't trust in your abilities, but I think it would be good if you did have one."
"Understood. Did you have one in mind, sir?"
"I do. I'd like you to travel to Jaya, and venture on the upward geiser into the White White Sea. There, you'll find a man named Eneru. He was only ever beaten once, by Straw Hat. But I know that you'll win because you have better control over your haki. Eneru possesses the Rumble Rumble fruit, the logia type for lightning and electricity. It is one of the few devil fruits with a reputation for being invincible. I'd like you to kill Eneru and when the Devil Fruit respawns, take it and eat it."
"Right. I'll go now." he said, as he stood up.
"Hold on, one more thing."
"Sir?"
"After you acquire the fruit, I'd like you to find both Crocodile and Arlong and invite them into the Order. I've made the preparations for the visit to Impel Down for the latter one."
"Okay."
"As for me…" he stood up. "I'm going to go visit Zou. I'd like to fight Aaron, since he's so bent on stopping us, and show him just who he's truly up against by killing him."
"..." Kuma and Mihawk were silent.
"Meeting adjourned. May the Father of Understanding guide us."
"May the Father of Understanding guide us." they recited.
X
I sighed as I stepped out of the Combat Animus.
"That was one hell of a fight." I said, walking up to Dragon.
"Ah, and how is the training coming along?"
"Well, it's almost time to return to Sabaody, right? Just a few months left. I finished my Animus training reliving the Legendary Assassins' lives a while ago, so I've been working on my haki and devil fruit powers in the Combat Animus. I've been doing that for about 2 months now, and I just came back from a fight."
"Who was it?"
"Kizaru. I won."
"Did he transform?"
"Yes. I still beat him."
"Excellent. You've come a long way, haven't you?"
"I'd like to think so."
"Well, keep up the training. I have somewhere to be later today, so I'm going to take off."
"See you later."
X
"Sir, we've confirmed that both Dragon and Sabo of the Brotherhood have left the island!"
"What a wild coincidence. This just gets easier and easier, doesn't it? How long until we land?"
"About 10 minutes, sir."
"Excellent. Wait until I give the signal. We want Dragon far enough away so that he won't see the attack and doesn't have the chance to turn around and prevent it."
"But sir, didn't you say you were strong enough to defeat him?"
"I did say that, and trust me, I am, but it wouldn't be easy to do. It would take time, and this is just a short visit, remember? We're here to kill one man and be done with it."
"Of course."
"Speaking of which, do we have the TV's and cameras set up?"
"Yes, sir. May I ask why you requested those be here for the battle?"
"Two reasons. First, not everyone believes the newspaper. If I kill Aaron and then print it in the paper, do you think that the Straw Hat Pirates are going to believe it?"
"...Probably not, sir. They'll think that the story is false information."
"Exactly. This way we can prove that it's truly happening. And reason number two: I'm afraid I have a bad habit of not keeping quiet about my fights. No matter who it may be, I always like to showcase a public execution. Especially for this one." The marine soldier gulped loudly and sweat dropped.
"Don't worry about it. I'm doing all the fighting here, I know that you guys wouldn't win against someone as powerful as Aaron. You should appreciate the opportunity. You get a front row seat to see the most powerful man in the world fight one of the most powerful men in history."
"Yes, sir. I look forward to seeing it."
"We've landed!" announced the ship's helmsman.
"Excellent. All of you follow me. And make sure you have both a sword and a rifle equipped on each and every one of you."
"Yes, Sir!"
"Aaron! We've got trouble!" yelled one of the assassins.
"What is it?"
"Marines are here!"
"Stay here, I'll go take care of it." I said. I put on my black armor and equipped my sword, dagger, throwing knives, etc. and walked out to meet them. After my armor at Marineford was melted by Akainu's magma, I got another, sturdier pair to wear from the outfitter. As I walked out to see the marines there, I noticed that there was only one single battleship, though it was a large one. Many elite soldiers were standing armed to the teeth behind one significantly larger man. Not fat larger either. This guy was husky, practically all muscle. He wore a forest green cloak over his whole body that covered his face, so I couldn't see who he was.
"Who are you?" I asked. All he did in response was reach into his cloak and pull out a silver chained Templar Cross.
"Well then...I guess I know who you are now." He laughed.
"But do you? Do you even know my name?"
"You must be an admiral. You're certainly not one of the Warlords."
"You're pretty smart, aren't you? Smarter than the rest of your crew, anyways." I frowned.
"Start recording." The cameras started broadcasting as an emergency broadcast on every TV in the world.
"Hey, Zoro! Come see this!" yelled Perona.
"What is it? I'm busy." He walked up to the TV.
"Wh-What? I-Is that Aaron?"
"Hey, Nami...come see this." Haredas called.
"What? I don't have time to watch...maybe I do. What's going on there?"
"Sanji-boy! Come quick!" yelled Ivankov.
"What is it now? Oh, this should be good."
"Robin, your friend is on the news."
"Which one? Oh, wow. He's changed over the past two years."
"I suppose I made good progress today. Time to relax with some TV. Huh? Why's Aaron on the news? ...SUPER!"
"Good concert. I'm exhausted. I think I'll watch some TV. Huh? Is that Aaron? YOHOHOHOHO!"
"You're recording this?" I asked.
"Why not? I like to show the world how powerless the men I kill are to me."
"I don't know who you've fought before, but you sure as hell haven't fought anyone of my caliber yet." The Straw Hats smiled.
"But before that. Who are you really?"
"Me? I'm the Grandmaster of the Templar Order." My eyes widened in shock.
"But Akainu-!"
"He's my underling. I have control over each and every person in the Order, and the marines as well." He threw his cloak off of him. He was about my age, but was taller than me, a little bigger than some of the other admirals, which was saying something because they're practically seven feet tall. He wore a neon green suit and same color pants, with a black dress shirt and gold tie. He had slick black hair, and had a white admiral's cloak draped over his back. The cuffs of the sleeves were green. Around his neck was a gold Templar Cross with red diamonds decorating it.
"I am Admiral Ryokugyu, one of the newly appointed ones."
"...I've heard about you. You and Fujitora were recently appointed the position, and after seeing your display of powers, the marines started claiming that you were the strongest man in the world, on par with Dragon and the Emperors. So you're the Grandmaster? You've been in hiding for a long time until becoming an Admiral now."
"Yes, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been busy." My smile faded.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't tell me you haven't realized it yet? Almost every major event that you Straw Hats have been involved in was my doing." My eyes widened.
'What does he mean?' asked the rest of the crew.
"Who do you think convinced Mihawk to keep pursuing the Krieg pirates to the Baratie, knowing that the Straw Hats were currently there? Who do you think told Arlong about Cocoyashi village and of the little girl with a genius for cartography that lives there?" Zoro's eyes widened, and Nami looked like she was going to explode from anger and sadness.
"Who do you think gave Wapol the Munch-Munch fruit and appointed him King of Drum Island? Who do you think came up with Crocodile's plan in Alabasta and then put him in charge of it?" Vivi and the others were watching from Alabasta and couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"Who do you think had Aokiji go out to pay you a visit? Who do you think ordered Nico Robin's capture and placed it in the hands of CP9?" Robin's and Franky's eyes widened.
"Who do you think gave Moriah the idea of stealing people's shadows after his entire crew was slaughtered by Kaidou? Who do you think gave him Oz's corpse to use as a zombie soldier?" Brook looked at the TV, then down.
"At Sabaody, I dispatched Kizaru after you, but gave Kuma secret orders to help save you by sending you away. I wouldn't have been satisfied unless I killed both you and Luffy with my own hands. The Baratie, Arlong Park, Drum Island, Alabasta, Enies Lobby, Thriller Bark, Sabaody Archipelago. I orchestrated all of those events."
"What about…?" My eyes were dark.
"Oh, yes, how could I forget? Do you really think that Blackbeard was strong enough to take out Ace on his own? Who do you think really captured him and planned his execution at Marineford." There was a moment of absolute silence.
"Armament: Hardening." I teleported to Ryokugyu and threw all of my force into my punch, aimed at him. He caught it with his fist. Behind him, a massive shockwave blew through the ocean that actually ended up splitting it in half.
"You son of a bitch! I'll kill you for what you've done!"
"My, my. You've got such a short temper. Did you even notice that I caught your punch with no difficulty whatsoever?"
"That was just a warmup." I jumped back and faced him again. "I'll have you know that I've been doing virtual combat training over these past two years. Just before you arrived, I defeated Kizaru." The Straw Hats' eyes widened.
"Yes, I'm aware of that technology. Kuma used to use it, and told me about it when he joined us. How nice for you. You may be able to defeat Borsalino, but…" Before I could move, he appeared before me and kneed me in the face, sending me flying back into a cliff with a massive explosion.
"I don't think that you'll be able to even scratch me." he commented. "You're not quite at my level yet." I stood up.
"Is that what you call an attack? Let me show you how it's really done." I charged up chaos on my hand.
"! Is that it? His other devil fruit ability?" asked Nami.
"Chaotic Crasher!" I grabbed his face and smashed him into the ground, the burst of chaos energy exploding into the crater, destroying part of the island. The rest of the marines ran back to safety. I appeared out of the smoke.
"Fool. He's not as strong as he claims if he wasn't able to take that head on."
"That was very weak." My eyes widened. I whipped around to see him standing behind me, but before I could attack, he punched me hard across the island and into the sea.
"NO! HE'LL DROWN!" screamed Nami. I burst out of the water and flew at him, landing a punch in his face and knocking him back a few feet. Nami was relieved. I chuckled.
"My devil fruit is very unique, it is one of only two that will allow the user to retain their ability to swim. This one, the Chaos Chaos Fruit, and the Wave Wave Fruit, who doesn't have a user currently. The same can't be said for you. It doesn't matter how strong you are, if I knock you into the ocean, you'll drown."
"I don't think so." he smirked.
"Why not?"
"You'll find out soon enough. Watch." He walked over to the cliff and jumped into the water.
"A-Admiral! Are you insane?!" yelled some of the soldiers. But just as quickly as he jumped in, he jumped out as well.
"How did you do that?" I asked him. He pointed to the cross.
"Every Templar Cross has the ability to let us swim again if we're a devil fruit user. By invoking its power, we are able to swim. So I'm afraid that the only way to defeat me is to do it up front." I smirked.
"Fine. Then I suppose I should come at you with everything I have!"
"Yes, it would be wise."
"Don't say I didn't warn you! DEMON MODE!"
"There it is." he smiled.
"Wh-What is that?! That form?!" screamed Nami.
"So this is how strong he's become? Heh." remarked Zoro.
"I hope you're ready to die, Ryokugyu."
"Heheheh HAHAHAHAHAHA! So this is your true power! Just like Akainu said! I heard you completely overpowered him in this form."
"That's soon as I activate this power, any opponent who was previously stronger than me no longer stands a chance, not even an admiral."
"We'll see about that. Allow me to be the first man to prove you wrong." We rushed at each other and grappled, creating a massive explosion of haki. After noticing that if we continued, Zou would be destroyed, we switched over to another small group of islands nearby. The marines got back on the ship and sailed over to watch, the cameras still filming.
"I will...Destroy you!"
"I'd like to see you try, fool!" He threw one of my punches aside, then punched me hard in the stomach with haki, knocking me back.
"You fool! Do you even get it?! I haven't even used my devil fruits yet, and I'm more than a match!" He yelled, flying straight towards me.
'Devil fruits?! That was plural! Does he possess two, like Dragon?!' I recovered from the hit by sliding on the sand, and then flew at him again. We kept throwing punches at each other, connecting, and some knocking us back, but we lunged right back in again. One of the surrounding islands blew up from the mass of haki and sunk to the bottom of the sea.
"This battle is off the charts…" murmured Sanji.
"I can't believe that Aaron has become this powerful in just two years…" Nami muttered.
"It makes the rest of us look like nothing…" Zoro cursed.
"Why don't you show me your devil fruits then! Both of them!" We were still going strong at each other with our barrage of haki powered punches.
"Oops, I guess I let that little fact slip, didn't I? It's true, I possess two fruits, both Logia types. Let's start with the first one! CRUSH CRUSH FRUIT!" His arm didn't harden with haki this time, but instead became light brown and green in color. He extended a single, powerful punch at me. It had enough force to blow me back instantly, and I shattered the trees that I flew through.
"My first devil fruit, the Crush Crush Fruit, is a logia type for the earth and the land. I can use it to manipulate any sort of rock or boulder, sand, gravel, asphalt, anything that has to do with the ground. The sheer force of its power is enough to knock any other logia user back much the same as you just went. With this power, I don't need haki to fight another logia user such as yourself!"
"Hrghh...Is this really my limit? Is he this much stronger than the rest of the admirals? Two years ago, this form had enough power to kill Akainu easily, but now, even after training it and increasing its power for this long, he just brushes it aside like it's nothing?! I WON'T STAND FOR THAT! I DID BECOME STRONGER! I'LL PROVE IT!" I flew at him again, and this time charged all of my chaos power into my fist, as well as all of my haki.
'I know that after this, I'll barely have any strength left, but there's no way that he can get out of this unscathed. He'll be in as bad a shape as I am, probably even worse!'
"CHAOTIC OBLIVION!"
"GAEA'S WRATH!" His fist glowed green, and he hardened his arm with both haki and his powers. He lunged at me with his full power, or what seemed like it. The ensuing explosion caused the rest of the islands to collapse into the sea out of sheer pressure from the level of our haki. Even some bigger, full sized uninhabited islands were destroyed and disintegrated in the process. I fell back onto Zou, as the explosion's recoil sent me into the sky. I gasped for air, as I lay on the grass. My Demon Mode had left me, and I was laying there almost motionless.
"At least he managed to take him out before losing his strength." Franky said. Out of the smoke, the same man I thought I had taken out had jumped back up onto the island, his cloak blowing around behind him. He brushed his shoulder off.
"Well, that was rather impressive, but I'm afraid you still didn't hurt me. By using my second devil fruit, I was able to avoid damage." I looked at him, angry.
"What is your second devil fruit?" He chuckled, then sighed.
"Some devil fruits in this world have counterparts to them. For example, Marshall D. Teach possesses the Dark Dark Fruit, and Kizaru possesses the Glint Glint Fruit, light and darkness. Ace had the Flare Flare Fruit, whereas the Water Water Fruit also exists in this world, fire and water. As for ours…" He looked down at me maliciously. My expression changed. Was this what it's like to feel powerless?
"The Chaos Chaos Fruit is an extremely powerful fruit, don't get me wrong. I'm afraid that I can't use all 5 base elements like you can. However…" His hand began to glow, and it gave off a golden aura.
"I ate the counterpart to your devil fruit, the Order Order Fruit. Because from Chaos, Order is born, and it is able to quell and abolish the Chaos. The Order Order Fruit is the most powerful devil fruit in the world, and in history. Truly deserving of a Grandmaster, don't you think? Do you know what this fruit is? It's the strongest Piece of Eden. Sorry to say, but...I'm Invincible." He looked down at me, and my eyes widened in fear. He walked over to me and grabbed me by the neck, picking me up with one arm.
"It's been fun, kid, but I'm afraid I have to kill you now." He slammed me into a large wooden crate, breaking it.
"Aaron! No!" Nami yelled out.
Zoro stood up. "That fool! He's going to die for real if he doesn't do something!"
Ryokugyu charged up a gold fist and prepared to use it against me. All I could do is look on in horror.
'Does my dream mean nothing to the world?! Are the Templars not meant to be stopped?! DAMN IT! I CAN'T DIE HERE!' He pulled my hood down to show my face to the world.
"Apollo's Judgement: Celestial Punch of Destruction." Before any more time could go on, his fist rammed clean through my chest, going out the other side. Blood poured from my mouth as all traces of life faded from my eyes. He still held me there, for the whole world to see. The Devil's Child...had died. Tears streamed from Nami's face as she held her hand over her mouth. Zoro's facial expression had become bewildered as he was now standing up, stepping back. The rest of the Straw Hats stared on in horror, as they couldn't believe what had just happened. Hancock screamed. Shanks stumbled back. Rayleigh cursed. Jinbei yelled. As the remaining life force drained out of me, I muttered a single last word that was just loud enough to be heard by the world.
"Lu...ffy…" Everything went black.
X
"..."
"You hopeless fool." My eyes snapped open. I was surrounded by blackness. It was clear that I was dreaming.
"Arlong…"
"Yeah. You've gotten pretty powerful, but you're still holding back against him."
"Holding back? No I'm not. I put everything I had into that last punch."
"Perhaps, but you seem to have forgotten a little fact about your powers that I still remember."
"What?"
"Do I need to spell it out for you? It's called the Chaos Chaos Fruit for a reason, dumbass. Your true dormant powers are revealed when you wreak havoc."
"Last time I did that, I went berserk."
"True, but now you have control over that transformation, so it'll be different. Think about all the times that you fought without reserve, either from determination or from anger. When you protected the Boa sisters, you awakened your devil fruit powers for the first time, in the fire state. When you fought against Kuma, you brought your dormant Sage's Madness to the surface. When you appeared at Marineford, you fought with no reserve and were able to defeat two Warlords almost effortlessly. When Ace died, you awakened Demon Mode for the first time, and had enough power to completely devastate Akainu. If you start to fight like that now, who knows what heights you'll reach." He smirked. "I'm sure Luffy's said something similar to you once or twice, right?" My eyes widened.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I'm trying to plan out how we would be able to rescue Ace in the most efficient way."
"With a chess board?"
"Chess is the same as a battlefield. Soldiers are fighting for you, and when the King is captured, you lose." I retracted one of my pieces.
"...You think about things too much."
"And you think about things too little. You can't rush forward all the time, Luffy."
"How many times have I achieved our goal by rushing forward?" I sighed.
"Every time."
"Right. I think about the situation too, you know. I'm at my best when I just think of a goal and decide to go and achieve it. Sometimes, you should do that too. Who knows how far you might go. And unlike me, you're not hard headed and stupid." He walked away, leaving me sitting there in awe.
My eyes narrowed.
"You're right."
"Of course I am."
"Heh. Shut up."
X
"So much for the big bad Assassin, huh?" I grabbed his arm and put pressure on it.
"Ow! What in the...hell? You're...still alive?!" All of the viewers watching the TV looked back to see me still alive and kicking.
"Haki Healing." My wound closed up, and although it left a scar that looked kind of like Luffy's, my body was back in one piece again.
"Dragon Claw Fist...Dragon's Talons!" I formed a symbol with my hand and hardened it with haki, then piercing it deep into Ryokugyu's chest. Blood trickled out of the injury, staining his suit. I kicked him back, which set me free. I jumped back and stood up opposite of him.
"Looks like your prediction was false. I did manage to injure you after all. I guess Luffy and Arlong were right. If I focus more on the fight, and stop thinking so much, I can accomplish more with my powers." He growled and looked up to me, clutching his chest and kneeling down on one knee. He stood back up after using haki healing.
"Perhaps you have managed to injure me, but I'm afraid that you still won't be strong enough to beat me. Soldiers, kill him!"
"Yes, sir! RAHHH!" They all charged at me, swords and rifles drawn.
"Here we go. Wind." I propelled myself into the mass of marine soldiers, and the shockwave of my impact sent some of them flying out of the pack. I dodged both their blades and their bullets, and struck back with my hidden blades, continuously killing them. One by one, they fell.
'Faster.' I dodged one of the slashes and unleashed a blast of Conqueror's Haki, knocking out most of them.
'Go faster.' I slid back on my feet and looked at the rest of them coming towards me.
"Fishman Karate: Shark Brick Fist: Samegawara Seiken!" I shot a powerful blast of water vapor towards them and infused it with my own haki, increasing the blast radius.
'I need to go faster!'
I relied entirely on my instincts. I quickly unsheathed my sword and began spinning it around across my arms and slashing around at the marines (like when Madara fought the Ninja Alliance). Two of them came at me and I jumped kicking them with both of my feet. I used wind to propel me up into the sky while my hidden blades were extended and crossing.
"Eruption." All of a sudden, the ground exploded with the fire powers trap I had set there, making a vortex of flame behind me, and as I activated my Sage's Madness, I looked truly demonic to the marines.
'That's it! That has to be the picture on his updated wanted poster after this!' One of the cameramen snapped a bunch of photos of that pose. I glanced down at Ryokugyu, who had his arms crossed and was grinning up at me.
"...CHAOTIC OBLIVION FIST!" I screamed as my fist lit up with powerful chaos and haki energy. I activated Demon Mode as well, which multiplied my strength.
"HYPERION'S JUDGEMENT: ASTRAL STRIKE OF A THOUSAND GODS!" The clash seemed to move in slow motion. We quickly put a strong haki shield around Zou so that the island wouldn't collapse. As our fists collided with all of our reserves of strength, the entire sea was blasted apart, revealing the ocean floor for a few short moments. Islands were utterly annihilated, and the waves of haki were said to be felt all over the world.
"Grghh...this pressure! I can feel their power from all the way over here!" yelled Zoro as he and Perona were hit by a forceful blast of wind through the castle.
"Ahhh! What's going on?! Is that their haki all the way up here?!" screamed Nami as she was hanging onto the couch so she wouldn't blow away. After the blast subsided, we both stood, burnt and damaged from the power of our attacks. Our eyes were dark. We stood still for a few moments, but then I swayed and fell forward onto the ground. Ryokugyu breathed heavily and walked over to me, holding one of his arms.
"...You amuse me. I actually think...that I'm going to let you live."
"...Why? If you wanted to, you could just end this now and kill me."
"True, but your power is something else. You're the first person in history who's been able to injure me at all. I'd like to see how strong you can become, and then only after I fight you at your peak, if you lose, I will kill you. Keep getting stronger, Aaron. This was not bad for a first encounter." He turned around and started walking away.
"Men, set sail. We're leaving."
"Y-Yes, Sir!" I watched their ship become smaller and smaller on the horizon until it disappeared all together. I looked down and sighed.
"Damn…" Dragon and Sabo walked up to me.
"Are you okay?!"
"You're back."
"We felt your haki! Everyone did!" They helped me inside and brought me to the infirmary. I stared blankly at the ceiling.
"What is it?" asked Dragon.
"I felt like I was finally getting somewhere, and then out of nowhere Ryokugyu shows up and defeats me at my full power like it was a warm-up to him. I'm angry. I'm angry that despite all of this training and preparation I'm doing, the Templars are still one step ahead." Dragon sighed.
"I know that you'll still win, especially after today."
"What makes you say that?"
"Ryokugyu's powers are astounding, there's no doubt about it. But because of this, he's probably overconfident that himself and all of the Templars have all the power that they need. Which means that while you keep getting stronger, they'll stay where they are, and eventually seem weaker and weaker to you."
"I see. I suppose that's a good way of looking at it."
"...Can you stand?"
"Yes."
"Can you walk?"
"Yes."
"Good. I want to show you something. Follow me." Dragon lead me past the ceremonial hall where the initiations take place, and into his own room, which was very large. He pointed to the back wall, where a very large space with nothing in front of it stood.
"That looks like a secret passage."
"That's because it is." Dragon walked over to the closet and opened it. He moved his clothes out of the way and pushed a button at the back of the wardrobe. I heard something click and he went over to the top drawer of his desk, which looked to be what the button unlocked. He opened it up and grabbed a small box. He opened it, revealing a key. He walked over to the wall and said his name.
"Monkey D. Dragon." The wall panel slid open, revealing an iron door with a lock on it. Dragon fit the key into the lock, and turned it. The door unlocked, and opened with a loud creak, revealing a torch-lit staircase. We began to walk down the stairs until another door was in front of us. He turned the knob, and we walked inside, leaving us in a large room that looked to be a dead end. The lights turned on, and what lay before me took my breath away.
"Is that...Are those…?"
"Yes, they are." What stood at the top of a platform was Arno Dorian's gear. His famous robes, and weapon.
"The Sword of Eden?"
"Yes, Arno used it after defeating Germain. Although the power is still gone, the sword is still a Piece of Eden and one of the sharpest blades in the world."
"Why is this here?"
"The New World Brotherhood swore to keep these clothes in good condition and to take care of them for when the next worthy Assassin arrived. Arno's are kept here. Altair's, Ezio's, Connor's, Edward's, and Jacob's are kept on other various islands in the New World. I'd like you to focus your last few months on finding them, and wear them with pride when you meet your friends again. Why don't you try those on?" he asked, motioning to Arno's clothes. I went and took them off of their stand, and tried them on.
"How do I look?"
"Just like Arno."
"So you said that the others are hidden on islands as well, right?"
"Yes. I have the list of names here." He handed me a piece of paper with the names of some islands written on them.
"I have to find the other five before I go back to Sabaody, huh?"
"Consider it my challenge to you." I grinned.
"Then I accept it. And by the time I meet Luffy again, I'll seem like a different man."
End.
The reason why I didn't include Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper for watching the TV broadcast of the fight is because where they were sent, there wouldn't really be any TVs. They were more like isolated jungle/tropical islands, so...yeah. I hope you liked it. I was waiting for this chapter for a long time, and now it's finally done! This was basically the plot twist chapter.