Songs
Locating Target: Welcome to Boston (AC3 Soundtrack)
Chasing Target: Trouble in Town (AC3 Soundtrack)
Post Assassination and meeting Straw Hats: Main Theme Variation (AC3 Soundtrack)
Order Order Fruit Conversation: Sakusenkaishi Osowareru Mura (One Piece OST)
Fisher Tiger's Grave: Here to Stay (Bleach OST)
Luffy's haki and battle beginning: The Very Very Very Strongest (One Piece OST)
Vs. Fishmen: Karakuri Defense System, Activate! (One Piece OST)
Why I Joined the Crew: After Eating, Grand Line! part 1 (One Piece OST)
Remembering: At Our Parting (Sword Art Online OST)
Singing: Fly Me to the Moon (Frank Sinatra feat. Count Basie Band)
"Do you see him?" I activated Eagle Sense. Since traveling around to find the legendary armors, which by the way I found all of them, I learned how to control Eagle Vision, and mastered it, making it evolve into Eagle Sense, like Ezio and Shay possessed.
"Yeah. He's a lieutenant from the Navy, right?"
"Yes. He's one of Admiral Fujitora's close associates, and knows all about the Templars, as he oversees business deals for them as their representative."
"So he's my target? There's a swarm of soldiers surrounding him."
"Yes, they're there to hunt down the other pirates that arrived. After Marineford, the two year gap where you guys were out training was relatively quiet around Sabaody, and now that you're returning, a lot of other Supernovas and pirates alike are back there to get ready to leave for the New World."
"Got it. Thanks, Dragon. I'll be in touch."
"Of course. Good luck." I hung up my mini snail phone. I did a Leap of Faith off the top of the building I was on down below into a pile of grass. I got out and started walking towards my target. Some of the marines noticed me, and walked up, preparing their rifles.
"What do you want? Go away! We're busy!"
"Oh, but I only need a moment of your time."
"Well make it quick! What is it?!"
"I need to kill your Lieutenant." My target turned around and eyed me suspiciously. The soldiers started sweating and pointed their guns at me.
"Say that again-AAHH!" I extended my hidden blades and sliced the soldier's throat straight across, making him fall over instantly while I whirled around to the other one and snapped his neck. I turned to the Lieutenant and smiled maliciously. He started to run.
"K-Kill him!" He yelled, scared out of his mind. I started taking off after him, a horde of marines following me.
"Stop, damn you!" They yelled as I was freerunning across the buildings.
"I suppose we should head back to the Sunny now that we have all of our shopping done, right guys?" Nami asked Usopp and Chopper.
"Yeah, let's go then!" they cheered.
"Hey, wait a minute…" Usopp started.
"What? Forget something?" asked Nami.
"No, nothing like that...do you hear that?" he asked.
"Hear what?" she asked.
"I do. It sounds like a lot of people are coming this way." Chopper responded. All of a sudden, they saw someone in a blue hooded cloak sprint past them. I glanced at Nami for only an instant, long enough to watch her realize that it was me, and then I looked back in front of me, chasing down the target. The marines kept following me. Nami shivered.
"What was that? Nami? Are you okay?" asked Usopp. She looked at him, about to burst into tears.
"Do you know who that was?!"
"Should I?"
"It was Aaron, you idiot! Come on, we're following them!" She started running after us.
"Wait, that's a bad idea!" yelled Usopp. He and Chopper started following Nami.
"Damn it!" yelled the Lieutenant. He turned to me, sword drawn. "You stupid Assassin! Do you really think you can beat me, a Templar?!"
"From the way that you just ran for your life, we both know the answer to that question." He growled, and lunged at me. I simply hardened my arm, grabbed his sword, and smashed it to pieces, only by using a little more pressure. I grabbed him by the throat and threw him to the ground.
"So long." I smiled. I quickly extended my hidden blade into his throat, instantly killing him. I grabbed his Templar necklace from around his neck, and stood up again.
"I guess he won't be needing this anymore. Hm?"
"That man! He killed the Lieutenant! Get him!" Before they could make a move, I knocked all of them unconscious with a wave of Conqueror's haki. I noticed something over on the wall. I walked over to it. It was an updated wanted poster for myself. My new picture was of me in that battle after I used Eruption. My eyes were glowing red in the poster. I looked at it nonchalantly. Then I noticed the bounty had gone up.
"900 million berries. Huh." I stuffed the poster into the pocket of my cloak and began walking away, when someone started shouting and calling my name.
"Aaron?! Aaron!"
'That voice…' I looked up to see Nami running towards me. Her hair was much longer, she wore only a green and white bikini top, low-rise jeans, and high heels. And of course, her boobs were much bigger than before. That was the biggest thing that anyone ever noticed about that girl.
"Nami?" Before I could make a move, she tackled me in such a big hug that I almost fell backwards.
"H-Hey! Long time no see!" She didn't respond and I just heard her sobbing.
"A-Are you really Aaron?"
"Of course I am, who else would I be?"
"Idiot! I saw you fight that Admiral a few months ago on the news! You died!" She was crying now. I looked down, my eyes dark, and put my arm around her.
"Yeah, that...sorry about that. But I'm here now, Nami. And nothing is going to change that."
"Y-Yeah…" she said happily. Usopp and Chopper ran up to me.
"Aaron!" they both screamed.
"Hey guys. Nice to see you again. I thought you'd be over at the Sunny."
"We were just shopping. We were actually going to head back over now, if you want to come with us." Nami said as she pulled away from me.
"Sure. So what did you buy?"
"Clothes, clothes, and more clothes. What else? Who do you think did all the shopping?" Usopp asked. I looked at Nami.
"For someone who loves money more than anything, you sure love to spend it all." She blushed a little bit. I sighed.
"It's okay. We're making money now anyway."
"We are?!" asked the three, Nami's beri signs in her eyes.
"Well, sure. I get paid for being a Master Assassin, you know? Full time wage, too. Plus bonuses for being Dragon's second in command and for having connections to all of the other Masters."
"How much?!" asked Nami.
"500 berries an hour. And I'm on duty 24/7 since I may have to do a mission at any time of the night, that's 12,000 berries a day. That times 7 days a week is 84,000 berries a week." Nami's mouth watered as her eyes went beri roulette mode.
"So that's...336,000 berries a month, and...4,032,000 berries a year." Nami collapsed from ecstasy.
"You already had her convinced!" yelled Usopp and Chopper at the same time. We arrived at the Sunny finally, and jumped on board.
"Aaron!" Robin, Franky, and Brook said happily. I grunted at them in response.
"Now we just have to wait for…"
"GUYS!"
"Nevermind." I said. Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro dropped down onto the ship.
"We should probably go." I said.
"So soon?" asked Luffy.
"The marines will be after us for two reasons. First, these." I took out Luffy's and my own wanted posters. Everyone freaked out.
"400 and...900 million?! When did that happen?!" yelled Franky.
"After Marineford and...I'll tell you later. Second is that I killed the navy's lieutenant that was here."
"Then we'd better go!" yelled Sanji.
"Agreed. But how? The marines will go after us if they see us leave." inquired Franky.
"Oh, don't worry about that." I said. I pulled out my mini snail phone that was on my wristwatch.
"Hancock, can you hear me?"
"Yeah, I hear you."
"Good. Distract the marines so we can get away."
"On it." I hung up.
"Okay. Let's go. Hancock will take care of it."
"She will?" asked Luffy.
"Don't worry about her."
"Boa Hancock! Move out of the way!"
"I don't feel like it. Is there a problem?" she asked them sweetly.
"N-No! Not at all!" They were all lovestruck.
"She's giving us time to get away. Let's get out of here."
"Who is that?" asked Nami.
"That's Boa Hancock. One of the Seven Warlords and the most beautiful woman in the world."
"The Pirate Empress?" asked Zoro.
"The one and only." I told him.
"OHHH! I can't take it! Her beauty is too dazzling!" yelled Brook after looking at her through a spyglass. He fell over.
"Let me see! Wow! She must be a goddess!" yelled Usopp.
"Goddess?! Where?!" yelled Sanji. He sprinted over to Usopp and took the telescope from his hand and looked through it.
"Goddess? Goddess, oh goddess. Where are you-" he turned to stone.
"He turned to stone!" yelled Usopp. I walked over and kicked Sanji back against the railing, knocking him out of his stone state.
"You idiot. If you just got off of Okama island, you sure as hell aren't ready to take the strain of seeing Hancock yet."
"Oh, there they are! Hancock and the others!"
"You know that Warlord?" Nami asked.
"Yeah, I was sent to Amazon Lily, the all-female island and befriended them."
"You bastard! Are you sure you really trained these last 2 years?!" yelled Sanji.
"Y-Yeah! I'm totally ready." After the Sunny got away and we went underwater, Luffy stood on top of a barrel.
"Guys, I'm sorry that you had to put up with my selfish decision for the past two years, but now we're all together again, and that's what counts!"
"YEAH!" they all screamed. Luffy opened the top of the barrel and brought mugs out for everyone.
"Whiskey." Zoro said, tasting it. They all grabbed a mug, except for me.
"Aaron, you want some?" asked Luffy.
"No thanks, I'm fine." I looked away. Nami walked over and sat next to me.
"We need to talk."
"We do?"
"Yes, to everyone." She turned to the rest of them. "How many of you saw him fight that Admiral on the news?"
"I did." responded Zoro.
"Not me." said Usopp.
"I did too." replied Sanji.
"I didn't!" protested Chopper.
"I did." Robin calmly said.
"So did I! It was SUPER ridiculous!"
"I saw it too. YOHOHOHO!"
"I didn't see it." responded Luffy nonchalantly.
"And of course I saw it." said Nami.
"How did you three not see it? It was broadcast all around the world. It was and still is what everyone's talking about." Zoro mentioned.
"We didn't have TV's where we were sent." replied the three in unison.
"Have you three at least heard of 'The Battle that Shook the World?'" asked Nami.
"I've heard of it." said Usopp.
"We haven't." replied the other two.
"That's what they're calling it? The Navy can be so cheesy." I murmured.
"That's not the point!" yelled Nami, angry.
"What have you heard about it, Usopp?" asked Robin.
"Only what other people have mentioned. That a really powerful Admiral showed up and fought some kind of Assassin, and won easily, even killed the guy brutally. Afterwards, the Assassin made a miraculous recovery and fought the Admiral a second time. They said that islands were exploding left and right, and that both the sea and sky were split in half due to that clash. They referred to it as 'The Battle that Shook the World.'"
"That Assassin was yours truly." I told him.
"WHAT?!" yelled the three that hadn't seen it.
"Right...Admiral Ryokugyu..." I thought about our fight.
"Apollo's Judgement: Celestial Punch of Destruction."
"HYPERION'S JUDGEMENT: ASTRAL STRIKE OF A THOUSAND GODS!"
I took my armor off to show them my scar. It was right on my chest, just like Luffy's, but bigger, and wasn't shaped like an x, more like a flared star shape. They all winced looking at it. I put my clothes back on.
"He's the most powerful man in the world, and the Grandmaster of the Templar Order, which makes him the true leader of the marines. He is Akainu's superior." Luffy became angry and touched his own scar.
"He completely overpowered me a few months ago, and brushed me aside like I was nothing. I was no match for him."
"You are now though, right?!" asked Usopp.
"Probably not." I responded, making them all worry. "Because he didn't show his full power in our battle."
"B-But you guys were obliterating islands left and right! How can he have more in reserve?!" yelled Sanji. I sighed.
"Every Admiral...has a final transformation that they're able to utilize. They are given an alias as their admiral title: Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji, Fujitora, Ryokugyu. They all stand for an animal and a color that represents the Admiral: Red Dog, Yellow Monkey, Blue Pheasant, Wisteria Tiger, Green Bull. When an admiral combines their devil fruit with their haki and transform, they reach an overwhelming limit of power: a magma dog, a light monkey, an ice pheasant, a gravity tiger, an earth bull. And since Ryokugyu possesses two devil fruits, I have a feeling that he has even another form beyond his transformation."
"W-Wait a minute...he possesses TWO devil fruits?!" screamed Luffy.
"I thought that wasn't possible!" yelled Nami.
"Well, there's only three men in the world that do possess two devil fruits. The first is Blackbeard, who has the Dark Dark Fruit and now Whitebeard's Tremor Tremor fruit as well." Luffy snarled.
"But that's a different case. He's only able to have that second one because the Dark Dark Fruit has the power to absorb another devil fruit. The other two on the other hand, Dragon and Ryokugyu, possess two probably because of their incredible physical and mental capabilities."
"D-Dad has two devil fruits too?" asked Luffy.
"Yes. Dragon has the Wind Wind Fruit, a logia type, and then a mythical zoan, the Dragon Dragon Fruit."
"So what does this Ryokugyu have?" asked Zoro.
"His first one is the Crush Crush Fruit, a logia for the earth. It's so powerful that he doesn't need to use haki to injure another logia type. His second fruit is the most powerful devil fruit on earth, the counterpart to my own. It's called the Order Order Fruit."
"So what, he has like...the powers of supernatural gods or something?" Usopp joked.
"That's exactly correct."
"E-EHHHH?!" they all screamed.
"My devil fruit and Ryokugyu's are quite different from every other devil fruit out there. There's something that sets them apart from the rest. They're both Pieces of Eden." Everyone listened intently.
"Hawkeye mentioned something about that to me during our training." Zoro stated.
"What did he say?" I asked him.
"That in this world, ancient and powerful relics exist that once belonged to a highly advanced First Civilization or Precursor race. Then a worldwide global disaster struck, and they were pretty much wiped out, but that some of the relics still exist."
"That's exactly right. Although these relics mostly exist in other parts of the world, like the Caribbean Islands or Italy or France, the Chaos Chaos and Order Order Fruits are the most powerful relics out of all the rest, and usually aren't well known because it requires the user to have an enormous amount of physical and mental stamina. As a matter of fact, when I first ate this fruit, Captain Fisher Tiger, Jinbei, and Arlong were all worried that I would die from not being worthy of using it."
"But you were." mentioned Robin.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean that I'm equal to Ryokugyu. The Order Order Fruit is even stronger than my own powers. As Chaos is a stronger form of Darkness, Order is a stronger form of Light, so think of his fruit as Kizaru's on steroids." Everyone gulped.
"He doesn't have the super speed like Borsalino, but the amount of energy and power that he obtains is beyond imagination."
"But you'll beat him." mentioned Luffy.
"Not as I am right now."
"I know that. But one day, you will, right?"
"Of course. I have to." I smiled.
"Do you know of any other Pieces of Eden in this region of the world?" asked Nami.
"Actually…" I stood up and pulled out my sword, showing it to them.
"This is the Sword of Eden. Although it lost its powers centuries ago, it's still a legendary blade and one of the strongest in the world."
"Cool!" yelled Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, Sanji having to restrain them from exploding out of sheer excitement.
"We're almost there." Nami mentioned.
"Alright. Well then, I'm going to go change. I've been wearing these for a while now." I went into my room and changed out of Arno's armor. I came back wearing Edward's robes.
"That outfit...I've seen that style before." Robin mentioned.
"Yeah, this is from the Golden Age of Piracy."
"So it's new?" asked Luffy.
"No, a different one. This isn't the first region of the world that's had a pirate frenzy. The West Indies had one about 300 years ago, that lasted for about 7 years or so. These are the clothes and equipment of the legendary pirate and assassin, Edward Kenway."
"Never heard of him." stated Luffy, uninterested.
"Well you should study him. I think you'd find his life interesting."
"Hey, a kraken!" yelled Luffy.
X
"Surume, what's wrong?!" asked Luffy, as the kraken passed out. The Thousand Sunny fell to the ocean floor.
"Hey, you guys!" yelled a fishman who was riding a sea king. There were a horde of sea monsters surrounding him and his two friends. Nami ran to Franky.
"Franky, refill our fuel! We need to use the last of the air to Coup de Burst into the island."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, it's the only way. We can't fight here, it'd be suicide! Our only option now is to flee."
"Alright, I'll get it ready."
"Who are you?!" asked Luffy.
"I'm Hammond! I'm an officer of the New Fishman Pirates!" My eyes narrowed.
'New Fishman Pirates?'
"You're Straw Hat Luffy, right? I have an offer to make you! I want you and your crew to join ours and become our underling! If you refuse, you'll die here. What do you say?"
"Moron! Why should I join you?! Idiot!"
"Oh well. Sea Lion, get them." A giant sea lion started speeding towards us. I was about to use my Conqueror's haki when Nami yelled for Franky to use Coup de Burst. The ship flew towards the bubble, and the rest of the air drained from the ship's coating, dragging us to the deck. After flying through the first bubble, the coating got absorbed.
"The coating got absorbed by the giant bubble!" yelled Luffy.
"There's still another layer coming up!" Zoro warned.
"Normally, a ship would fall from that distance and get destroyed!" yelled Nami.
"Don't worry! I'll use one last Coup de Burst to get us there!" The ship reached the second bubble, but once through it, water flooded onto the ship. Everyone was thrown off. Because of my devil fruit, I could swim, but the other 4 couldn't, and even the non-devil fruit users were losing consciousness because of the water pressure. I looked around. I saw a figure swim by quickly and grab Sanji, Chopper, Usopp, and Luffy. Brook and Zoro were thrown the opposite way, and Franky could get Robin. I swam over to Nami and grabbed her, then disappearing from sight.
X
I pulled the two of us out of the water and rested for a minute on one of the small land formations. I looked down at Nami, who was still unconscious. I sighed, and blasted a small amount of haki into her body to speed up her recovery. I stood up and teleported away.
'Usually, a normal human can't withstand a recovery through haki, as it will overpower their senses and physical abilities, but I can sense that Nami has haki dormant within her, so she'll be fine.' I appeared again at the Mermaid Café and walked to the back of it. I knocked on the door to one of the buildings.
"Come in." I opened it, and stepped inside.
"Shyarly." She looked at me with slightly widened eyes.
"Aaron. What are you doing here?"
"My friends just landed on the island, but we got separated thanks to the ocean's current. You've probably heard of us by now, right? The Straw Hat Pirates."
"Yes, and I heard that you joined them, as well. Your captain was the one who was responsible for stopping my brother, correct?"
"Yeah, that's the one. Actually, I watched him do it. If Luffy didn't defeat him, I would've stepped in and finished it myself."
"Ah, I see."
"I'm glad I didn't have to."
"How come?"
"I already tried fighting him once a long time ago. However, I was stopped by my emotional attachments to him, and didn't have it in me. I'd like to think that I do now, if he were to show up right in front of me, but...I'm still not sure."
"Don't think about it too much. What's done is done."
"I suppose you're right."
"What are you planning to do while you're here?"
"Well, first I was going to get some flowers to bring to the Captain's grave, and then I was going to go and find my friends."
"Okay. Here, then. I have a bouquet of flowers here that you can take." She handed me a bouquet of various colored flowers all wrapped up.
"Thank you. I'll see you around. When I find my friends, I'll be sure to bring them here."
"I look forward to it."
X
I walked to the side path off of the town's main road. The path was very serene, surrounded with wildlife and quiet streams and flowing rivers. I arrived at the end, where an open area was. There was a golden statue of Fisher Tiger with a plaque about him right in the middle. This monument was also his grave stone. I walked over and placed the bouquet of flowers on the monument. I pulled my hood down and stood there for a minute while a slight breeze blew past me. I looked to my left and right and could picture Jinbe and Arlong standing next to me.
"Captain...it's good to see you again. It's been twenty years, hasn't it? There's someone I think you should know about. A young boy named Monkey D. Luffy. I only met him three years ago, and already it feels like he's part of my family. He's goofy and can be thick-headed at times, but he's the bravest man I know, and he's got the strength to back up his beliefs, too. I told myself that after you died, I would probably never find myself another pirate captain that was as worthy as you were, but...I think that he measures up pretty damn close to you." I smirked, then slowly turned and left. As I began to walk down the path, I was suddenly surrounded by royal soldiers.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
"General, welcome back to the island. King Neptune wanted to see you, and he sent for the rest of your crew as well."
"What's it about?"
"I think it's to honor everything that you've done for the fishmen: defeat Arlong, save Jinbe and Hacchi, and because you're good friends of Camie and Pappagg."
"...Okay. But don't call me 'General', please. That was a long time ago."
"Of course, sir."
X
"Where did Luffy go?" asked Nami. "He was just here!"
"Seriously, he can't sit still for a single minute, can he?" Usopp asked.
"That's just how he is. That's how Luffy and the rest of his family have always been." I walked into the room.
"Aaron!"
"Nami. King Neptune."
"Ah, hello again, Aaron."
"H-Huh? You've met the king before?" asked Usopp.
"Yes, the last time I was here." Nami started pouting at me. I looked at her and sighed.
"What did I do now?"
"Why didn't you come find us sooner?! You can sense our presence AND teleport to us instantly!" I glanced off into the other direction.
"I was visiting an old friend."
"Oh really?" she asked skeptically.
"Yes, really. And besides, is that the sort of tone that you should take with the one who saved you?"
"S-Saved me? What are you talking about?"
"I pulled you out of the ocean, and also sped up your recovery by shooting haki into your body." Nami stood back.
"Oh. Well then, thank you." Zoro walked over.
"I thought that ordinary people can't be saved through haki because the strain on their body would kill them." he whispered to me.
"That's still true, but Nami's not ordinary. I can sense all three types of haki dormant within her." I whispered back.
"What are you guys talking about?" asked Nami. I looked at her.
"Nothing. How big your boobs have gotten." One moment later, Zoro and I were both on the floor, badly beaten.
"Y-Your majesty! Dire news!" yelled one of the soldiers that ran in.
"What is it-jamon?" he asked.
"Madame Shyarly saw a vision of the future just recently! She saw that Straw Hat Luffy...would cause the destruction of Fishman Island!"
"W-What?!" yelled the other Straw Hats. I glanced at the messenger for a moment, then teleported away again.
"H-HUH?! WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS, LEAVING US HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF A SITUATION LIKE THIS?!" screamed Nami.
X
I appeared in front of Shyarly and her home. I knocked on the door, but no one answered. I opened the door and peaked inside. The lights were off, so it was dark, but I could see a streak of red across the floor. I clenched my fist.
"What the hell is happening on this island?"
"We are." I turned around to see an entire army of armed fishmen staring me down.
"And you are…?"
"We're part of the New Fishmen Pirates! We're here to kill you in the name of Captain Hody Jones!"
"There's that name again. Who are the New Fishmen Pirates, exactly?"
"We're the remnants of both the Sun and Arlong pirates who believe that the Fishmen are the superior life forms, and that humans should be enslaved by us and do our bidding! We're the stronger race!"
"...Not this bullshit again. Fine. Why are so many of you here?"
"Captain Hody has personally sent the 50,000 most elite of our group after you. He knows that you are one of the three former Generals of the Sun Pirates, and that you're power is fearsome. So we're here to take you out." They started charging at me. I sighed.
"I don't have time to deal with you idiots. You bore me." I sent a single wave of Conqueror's Haki towards them, and after a pause, I began walking through all of them. One by one, they fell behind me.
"I should go have a word with this 'Hody Jones'."
X
Hody stood at the bottom at the cliff with King Neptune lying at his feet. The rest of the island was watching from the top of the cliff. Hody took one of his drug supplement pills out and stared at it for a minute.
"Captain, someone's here."
"I see that. Do you have business with me?" The figure smiled.
"Yes, I do. I'd like to give you something, courtesy of the Templar Order."
"Templar Order? Where have I heard that name before…? Ah, Admiral Ryokugyu and Aaron Hawthorne mentioned it a few times when they fought on international television."
"Correct. Ryokugyu is our leader. I'm one of his subordinates, a Templar." The figure pointed to a cross that he was wearing around his neck.
"So you want to give me something? How did you get down here in the first place? We're at the bottom of the ocean."
"I'm like you." The figure stepped out into the light a little more so that he was visible.
"Y-You!" Hody gasped.
"We're taking too much time. Here. They're drug supplements. Normally, a fishman is ten times more powerful than a human. Eat one of these and you double that to twenty times. Another one will make 40 times. Use them as you like, but be careful. They can drastically shorten your lifespan if you ingest them in large quantities."
"You're just giving us something so powerful?"
"Think of it is a thank you gift for continuing my work."
Hody sighed.
"I suppose it's time for me to end you and the rest of Ryuuguu Kingdom."
"Luffy, PLEASE SAVE MY FATHER!" I watched from the cliff. And right on cue, Luffy busted out of Megalo and kicked Hody into a cliff. Then the rest of them showed up, and Jinbe's handcuffs fell off, freeing him. I sighed and continued watching, standing next to Shyarly.
"Why don't you go and fight with your captain?"
"I'll help when the time calls for it. They don't need me right now."
"There's 100,000 enemies! What are we going to do?!" screamed Chopper.
"There's ten of us, so we each have to take out 10,000."
"Try not to shit yourself, cook. It's not like they're elite navy soldiers."
"What was that?!"
"What, you wanna go?!" Luffy pushed them out of the way and walked towards all of them.
"Huh? Luffy?" they asked. Before anything else could happen, Luffy unleashed a blast of Conqueror's, which knocked out half of the army.
"Wh-What happened?! He knocked out half of us in an instant!"
"That's 50,000 instantly?! What did he do?!"
"That Straw Hat Boy. He's so strong."
"I told you." I jumped down to see the rest of them.
"You said that your name was Hody, right? I guess I have to kick your ass. You can become king of whatever you want in any country. But there can only be one King of the Pirates!" Just then, I landed on the ground with a strong gust of wind blowing through the entire area. Everyone became startled, and jumped when they felt this. They all looked behind them to see me slowly walking towards Luffy and Hody.
"Well look who finally showed up!" Nami screamed, angry. I stopped as I was passing by her. I looked at her for a moment.
"Sorry. I'll make it up to you." I kept walking, and her lips parted, her face turning into one of concern.
'He's changed a lot...what happened to him?' she thought.
"So you're Hody?" He had a look of terror on his face.
"I sent 50,000 elite soldiers and officers after you! How are you still alive?!" he yelled at me.
"Yeah, I was surprised too. Surprised that you consider me so small of a threat. 50,000 elite fishmen soldiers...what a bore." I said while looking at him uninterested. The rest of the Straw Hats gulped.
"He's gotten incredibly powerful as well, hasn't he?" Robin mentioned.
"You son of a bitch! Those men were veterans that worked under Jinbe and Arlong both! You have no idea how good they were! You killed all of them!"
"No I didn't. They're all unconscious, right where I left them. It only took a single instant, and every one of them dropped before my eyes." Hody's eyes widened. I looked at him.
"What, did you think that Luffy was the only one in our crew capable of using all 3 types of haki? And it's not just us, either. There's one more among us who can use all three, they just don't know it yet." The rest of the Straw Hats looked at each other, trying to figure out who it was.
"It must be Zoro, right?" asked Usopp.
"Probably not. I would have been aware of it by now." he responded.
"You can sense it, too?" asked Luffy.
"Of course." We both snuck a quick glance back at Nami, but she didn't notice it. I turned back to Hody and everyone started watching and listening to us again.
"You guys are really hell-bent on proving that humans are inferior, aren't you? You're just like him."
"Yes, because it's true! I grew up on the stories of the legendary Sun Pirates, their three generals, and Captain Fisher Tiger! But I never cared for him, or you, or Jinbe! Only one inspired me. Arlong was my hero! And now we're continuing his work! And unlike him, we'll end up accomplishing it!" Everything went quiet for a moment, and then I started laughing.
"Hehehe...hahahaha...HAHAHAHAHA!"
"Y-You dare to laugh at our dream?!"
"It's not your dream I'm laughing at! It's the fact that you think you're better than the Sun Pirates! Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but you're nothing compared to Arlong, Jinbe, myself, or the Captain."
"What makes you so sure of yourself?"
"Simple. Throughout my entire 4 decades of life in this world, I've only ever come across three men that I truly admire and that are worthy of their reputation. Those three men are Fisher Tiger, Monkey D. Dragon, and this boy right here, Monkey D. Luffy." I pointed to him. The rest of the Straw Hats smiled.
"And one more thing: I'm not your average human. I've eaten one of the most powerful devil fruits in the world, possess all 3 types of haki, and I hold a power within myself that surpasses both of those abilities. And after coming so far with furthering my powers, I realized something. That there's only two men in this world that are truly stronger than me. And as far as I can see…" I started walking towards him. "...You're neither one of them." He ate one of his pills and flew at me. I extended my hand.
"Armament Hardening: Repulsion." My arm hardened, and as he collided with my fist, he was sent flying backwards into the cliff from the burst of haki that I fired at him. He stepped out of the cliff a few moments later, gasping.
"I want you to transform! I'll prove to you that I can beat you!"
"I just proved that I can beat you as is, and you want me to transform for you? That's really stupid on your part. Alright. If you insist. Demon Mode." A giant pillar of chaos energy exploded around my body, and purple and black lightning flew everywhere, striking the ground and cliffs, shattering them apart. Everyone had to hold onto something due to the ground shaking. The weaker Straw Hats fell forward onto their knees. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji released their own haki to counter mine and stay standing. Nami also did it unconsciously, though she didn't realize it. Usopp looked up at her.
"N-Nami, how are you still standing?!"
"You guys aren't? I'm fine. Wait a minute...WHY AM I FINE?!" She looked over at Zoro and Sanji.
"It's because the third person with all 3 types of haki is you! You're unconsciously releasing your own presence to fight back his!" Zoro told her. Everyone's jaw dropped except for Luffy's and Zoro's.
"M-Me?" she asked. "Why do I of all people have the ability to use all three of those?"
"Because your will is strong." Luffy stated, suddenly standing next to her. "You should be happy. Only one in a million people can use Conqueror's, you know. We can sense all 3 types within you. You just have to learn how to bring them out." Nami looked at herself for a moment.
"So how do I do that?"
"Through training, either with a mentor, or by yourself." I answered her own question for her. "Luffy and I will teach you later, but for now, don't worry about it. Use the skills that you have control over, the ones you've been harnessing in the last two years. Luffy's right. Just the fact that you possess all 3 types of haki and the fact that you're using conqueror's right now to keep yourself from passing out is amazing, Nami." Luffy put his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him.
"Don't worry. I'll be your teacher, Nami. I'll show you how to use it yourself." He gave her his trademark grin, which made her blush a little bit.
"Let's watch the show, shall we?" asked Zoro. They all looked back at me.
"So this is your full power?! Impossible! How can you be so strong?!"
"I told you, I'm different from everybody else." But to be honest with you, I don't think I have the attention span to deal with you, so I'll leave you in Luffy's hands." I deactivated my transformation and started walking away to go fight some of the other fishmen.
"Don't you dare...walk away from me! Shark on Tooth!" He spun around the same way that Arlong does and flew at me.
"T-That attack!" shouted Nami. The earlier members of the crew remembered Luffy's fight with Arlong all too well. I hardened my arm and without even looking behind me, moved my hand behind myself, and caught him in the middle of his spin. After he had become still again, I let go of him and released my haki. He started taking a few steps back.
"W-What the hell are you?! You were not supposed to be this strong! He told me that it would be easy with these pills!" Hody started eating more of them. I turned around.
"Who told you? Who gave you those pills?" Hody grinned evilly.
"One of the Templars." My eyes widened, and then I smiled.
"You've peaked my interest. Which one? Kuma, Doflamingo, Mihawk? Fujitora, Kizaru, Akainu? Ryokugyu?"
"None of the above." he smirked.
"What?" He began to laugh.
"I'm afraid that's all I can say for now."
"...Luffy, he's all yours." I walked away, and Luffy went towards him, passing by me. I walked back to the rest of the crew and sat down.
"You're not going to fight?" asked Zoro.
"I'll just use my Conqueror's when I need to. I want to see what you guys have learned over the past two years." Zoro grinned.
"Alright." And the battle commenced.
"Black Rope Dragon Twister!"
"Sky Walk! Diable Jambe: Poele a Frire Spectre!"
"Black Ball Rod! Gust Sword!"
"Monster Point!"
"Gigantesco Mano! Stomp!"
"Blizzard Slice."
"Special attack: Green Star. Impact Wolf!"
"Franky Shogun! Franky Radical Beam!"
"That's exactly why I don't need to fight. Hm?" Some fishmen started lunging at me.
"Shave." I faced off with some of them.
"Your turn." Zoro looked at me. I sighed.
"Demon Mode. Chaotic Oblivion Fist." I charged up my fist and hit the fishmen straight into the stomach. An enormous shockwave of chaos and haki spread throughout the area, knocking almost everyone to the ground, and the pressure didn't let them move. The rest of the fishmen were down. Everyone stood up again afterwards.
"How strong has he even gotten?" Nami whispered. Everyone else was shocked. I looked down at one of the fishmen who was still conscious.
"You should be grateful. I used just enough power so that it wouldn't kill you. That was about 30% of my full strength." The other Strawhats were dumbfounded.
"How strong is your haki compared to Luffy's?" asked Sanji.
"Stronger. I could have taken out 90,000 of those fishmen at my full power."
"WHAT?! THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU?!" everyone screamed at me.
"Because the entire area could have been destroyed. And because I'm saving it for something else, not something as trivial as this." I looked away.
"Gum Gum Red Hawk! Elephant Gatling!" As Luffy fell after attempting to destroy the Noah, Shirahoshi caught him and brought him back down.
"Luffy won't stop bleeding! He needs help now!"
"I'll give him my blood. We have the same type." Jinbe said to Chopper and everyone. I walked up to them and stood next to Nami.
"Hey, Jinbe...join my crew!" My eyes narrowed.
"Sorry, Luffy, but...not right now. I have some other important things to take care of, but after that...of course!" The two of them smiled.
"Speaking of which...I've been meaning to ask you, Aaron…"
"Mm?" I looked over.
"Why did you join Luffy's crew in the first place? I thought that after what happened, you decided to never fight under another Pirate Captain again?" The rest of the Straw Hats looked at me, curious. I sat down near them.
"Well, I suppose it was a number of different things. First was the fact of Luffy's dream: he wanted to become the Pirate King, and he proved that he had the guts and will to do so. And if he became the Pirate King, then we would eventually battle the Templars. Secondly, Nami was traveling with him. And because of the fact that she hated pirates so much, I thought that if Luffy had made an impression on her, then perhaps he would on me as well. Third was the promise that I made to his family: Garp and Dragon. I told them that I would protect Luffy and his brothers, so by going with them, I would be able to keep a better eye out for him. The New World is a dangerous place with powerful people, as they've already proven." I pointed to Luffy's scar on his chest. "And finally, believe it or not, he reminded me of the captain a lot. He was fearless, trusting, and overall the kind of man that you just have to follow around." Jinbe smiled, but mine started to fade.
"But...coming here only reminds me of how much things have changed." They all looked at me.
"To tell you the truth, I miss traveling around with everyone: Captain. Arlong. Hancock. Shanks. Dragon. Mihawk. Even Kuma." I gritted my teeth as a single tear fell down my cheek and hit the ground. Luffy looked at me.
"Listen, kid. I've experienced fates far worse than what happened today throughout my life. My parents were murdered in front of me. My captain died early because of a disease. My family, my crew, tore itself in half due to philosophical difference of opinion. My friends have betrayed me to go work and fight for the other side, against me."
"Aaron." I looked at him.
"Don't worry about it. We're here for you now, and don't you forget it." Everyone smiled, myself included.
X
The party was nice. Everyone was sitting in the giant concert hall with the fishmen jazz band playing music. I walked up to Luffy, who had taken a break from eating and was sitting at a table alone. I sat down next to him.
"What's up?" I asked him.
"Just thinking."
"About what?"
"What to do after becoming the Pirate King. Has a Pirate Queen ever existed?" My eyes widened, suddenly realizing what he was asking about.
"Of course. Ace's mom, Portgas D. Rouge."
"I see." Luffy's eyes wandered off towards Nami and he watched her for a few minutes.
"Don't stare." I stood up.
"Oh. Sorry." I walked away, but looked back to see him staring at her again. I smirked and walked towards some of the other Straw Hats: Franky, Zoro, and Robin. I sat down at the table with them.
"What's up?" asked Zoro. I paused, then started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Robin asked me.
"Our little idiot's falling in love." I chuckled. Their jaws all dropped to the floor.
"W-WHAT?! With who?!" asked Franky. I pointed to Nami, who was currently having a glass of wine. Robin chuckled, and Zoro grinned.
"I want you guys to keep this quiet though, so no one else ruins their chances, mainly Sanji, or Nami herself if she doesn't feel the same way."
"Got it." they all agreed.
"I have an idea. It will push Luffy right along."
"What is it?" asked Robin.
"You guys have never heard me sing yet, have you?"
"Are you going to?" they asked excitedly. I stood up and walked towards Nami. She turned and looked at me.
"Hey. Need something?"
"I suppose you could say that. What do you think of Luffy?"
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"I mean exactly what I just said."
"W-Well, he's my captain. What more do I need to say?"
"A lot more. That's a childish answer." She sighed.
"He saved me. Saved me from Arlong, and gave me a home. A real home, right here on the Sunny. He and I have always been close, especially since I was one of the first people to join him."
"Do you love him?" She blushed, but didn't gasp. Instead she smiled.
"I think I do, to be honest. But I doubt that he has those same feelings towards me. I don't think that someone like Luffy would have any romantic feelings towards girls, no matter how attractive they might be." I chuckled.
"You may just be surprised, Nami." I walked away, over towards the band. They had just finished a song. I walked up to the singer.
"Oh, General Aaron, sir."
"Don't call me that anymore, please. You don't have to be so formal with me."
"My apologies, Sir. Did you need something?"
"I have a request. And I'd like to sing for a bit if you don't mind."
"O-Of course not, Sir! I'm sure that everyone will be thrilled." She handed me the microphone. I turned to the band. They looked at me, wondering what song I wanted them to play.
"Fly Me to the Moon." I told them. They all smiled and started playing. Everyone looked over at me, getting ready. They hadn't heard me sing in forever.
Fly Me to the Moon, Let me play among the stars.
Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars.
In other words, hold my hand. In other words, baby kiss me.
Everyone cheered, and Luffy and Nami were listening intently. They looked over at each other, blushed, and looked away. Luffy stood up and walked over to her.
Fill my heart with song and let me sing forever more.
You are all I long for all I worship and adore.
In other words, please be true. In other words, I love you.
Luffy stood next to her now. They looked at each other.
"Nami."
"Luffy."
"Nami, I know you love money, but do...do you love anything more than that?"
"...Yes, Luffy. Yes, I do."
"What is it?"
"I...I can't tell you yet. You'll have to figure it out." she smirked. Luffy pouted. He didn't want to play her little games. She gave him a soft kiss on his forehead, and then handed him a drink. I smiled, and finished the song.
Fill my heart with song, let me sing forever more.
You are all I long for, all I worship and adore.
In other words, please be true. In other words, in other words, I love you!
Everyone clapped, and I gave the microphone back to the mermaid singer. I walked back to the others.
"That was amazing!" They all told me.
"Thanks. But something even better came out of it." I pointed over to the two of them.
"Yeah, I saw, but they didn't kiss yet." Zoro told me.
"I know, but I didn't expect them to. They got farther than I expected them to for a first time. Those two have got it bad for each other." We all laughed.
X
"Luffy, have you heard about what's currently going on in the world right now?" Jinbe asked. Most of the Straw Hats were sitting with Jinbe in the other room.
"No. What's happened?"
"After Marineford, both your grandfather, Vice-Admiral Garp, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku resigned from the navy. So they needed someone to take up that mantle. Sengoku recommended Aokiji, as he was fair and well-liked by his subordinates. However, most of the navy higher ups favored Akainu for the position. Aokiji usually doesn't show his passions, but he hated the idea of Akainu becoming Fleet Admiral. They decided to fight it out to see who deserved the position. The winner would lead the navy. The battle exploded on an island somewhere, and lasted for 10 days. In the end, Akainu won. Sakazuki is the new Fleet Admiral."
"Akainu…" Luffy said angrily. I clenched my fists. "Did Aokiji die?" he asked.
"Even the merciless Red Dog of the marines showed restraint and allowed his former comrade to live, as he could barely stand. However, Aokiji couldn't stand working for someone like him, so he gave up his position and left."
"What?! He's not a navy soldier, is he?" asked Usopp.
"No. He resigned from the Navy and went rogue." I responded. They all looked at me.
"You've heard about this already?" Jinbe asked.
"Unfortunately. I want you all to pay attention." I warned. They listened intently.
"Sakazuki isn't the type of person that you want to lead the Navy. Personally, I always liked Sengoku a lot better. You know full well that eventually we'll have to face the Admirals, for keeps. For both Luffy's and my own goals. If we ever run into them, and we're either not prepared or not together as a group, you run. And I mean run. Don't think you can beat them by trying really hard. Don't try to be a hero."
"Even if we have haki?" asked Zoro.
"Yes. Not a single one of us is prepared to face someone like Sakazuki yet. I'm not even sure I can at my current level. Perhaps one of the other ones, but I'm not sure about him."
"Ah, yeah. I heard from Dragon that you were strong enough to defeat Kizaru in the combat animus." Jinbe mentioned. All of the Straw Hats looked stunned.
"That's right, but...fighting a virtual version and fighting the real thing are completely different, even if their powers are the same. Kizaru's devil fruit makes things harder. I know Akainu is stronger than him, and Ryokugyu is even worlds beyond that." I turned grim.
"You two have some explaining to do when we get back to the ship." Sanji said towards myself and Luffy as he walked away, back into the lounge.
X
"YOU GAVE HER ALL OF IT?!" I watched on as the monster trio were easily beaten into submission by the demon of a navigator that we had.
"You challenged an Emperor, Luffy?! You idiot!" Usopp yelled. I sighed and facepalmed. It's as if no one had matured at all over the two years away from each other.
"So you challenged Charlotte...huh."
"You've met her before?" asked Franky.
"Once, when I was sailing with the Red Hair Pirates. She's absolutely insane. And persistent, at that."
"Do you think Luffy can beat her?"
"I dunno. Maybe. Maybe not. She's probably the weakest Emperor of the four. Luffy's not strong enough for the other three yet. Shanks' haki is still twice as strong as his own. He's still stronger than myself."
X
"I want to give this to you. It's a new kind of log pose."
"There's three different needles. What does that mean?"
"To get through the Grand Line, you need to navigate safely. A good navigator can determine which island is the safest to go to by watching the slight movement of the needles. They measure the magnetic pulses of the islands. The more the needle moves, the more dangerous the island is." Just then, Luffy came down, or rather, his head came down, all stretched out, and wrapped around Nami, looking at the new log pose, and the needle that was moving the most. Nami started crying out.
"Luffy! I'm the one who will decide where we go from now on!"
"Screw that! I'm the captain!"
"Please, Captain! Listen to what the navigator has to say!" Usopp and Chopper begged. Afterwards, we all got on the ship and said our goodbyes.
"Jinbe, I'll call you when I receive important information about the Templars' movements."
"Understood. It was good to see you."
"I'll come back and visit soon, when I get the chance, Shyarly. There's something that I'd like to look into."
"Of course. It was good to see you."
And with that, we left.
End.
2 things: first, I'm not actually 40 years old, I hope that would be obvious. It's just for the purposes of my character and his background. That, by the way, will be explained in full after Dressrosa, which is a major plot point, and will probably be separated into two chapters, depending on length. Secondly, Luffy and Nami love starts here! There will be small scenes here and there, but it doesn't go full circle until Solacia, because that's the perfect environment to fall in love. In case you don't remember, Solacia is an Assassin Controlled nightclub island after Zou that is managed by Boa Hancock. I'm looking forward to everything after Punk Hazard, because that's where a lot more of my own material and not the One Piece timeline's comes in. For those of you that keep up with the Manga, Dressrosa will have a different ending: Luffy doesn't fight Fujitora, and doesn't gain all of the loyalties of the Colosseum Competitors. Just a heads up. If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry about it.