And here's another chapter!
We were at this one for a while longer than I expected.
Now, this one has a few surprises in it that you'll find interesting.
Also, Phoenix wanted me to talk about the Academy he made on RWBY Amity Arena, Terminal Academy, it's an invite only Academy, so if any of you want to join it, go send him a PM to let him know, I came up with the name for it by the way.
Also, before I forget, and because some people even ask with the most obvious songs, the intro is Anything Goes.
"So...what's the deal with those coins anyway?" Nami asked. Currently it had been a few days since their adventure on Clockwork Island, and they were well on course to Loguetown after leaving Borodo and Akisu behind to help sort out everything in case Marines showed up since an island being destroyed was a rather big thing. During the time, Lumen had stashed the bag of weird medals/coins he'd somehow gotten his hands on, and seemed quite intent on keeping everyone away from them.
"They're not coins. Well...they are, but they're called Cell Medals," Lumen sighed. "As for what they are and why I'm hell bent on keeping them away from everyone...they're basically the Yummy's body."
Usopp who'd happened to be taking a drink nearby did a spit take when he heard that. "I'm sorry, I had to have heard that wrong. You saying that's a monster corpse we're lugging around?"
"Well… technically speaking yeah." Lumen admitted "See, Yummy are basically piggy banks, trying to fill themselves up as much as possible with Cell Medals by fueling the desire that birthed them."
"Ok… and how IS a Yummy born exactly?" Nami asked.
Lumen grimaced "That's… another can of worms entirely." he admitted.
"How bad are we talking here?" Usopp asked with a worried frown.
Lumen sighed "Another kind of monster… the Greeed. Created by the greatest alchemic masters that worked for the Multi King."
"Huh, funny you'd mention that. Didn't you say those Core Medals were also made by those alchemists," Sanji, who'd happened to be nearby chimed in.
"Yeah….about that…" Lumen sighed. "The Core Medals and the Greeed are...basically the same thing."
There was a long silence as the three regarded him with wide eyes, before Nami broke it "Wait, so… the Core Medals are corpses of the Greeed then?"
"Not exactly. With the Greeed, it's more like… I guess it would be like their soul or their heart, and not having all of the medals makes them incomplete." Lumen tried to explain as best he can. "The Core Medals belong in a set of 9, 3 of each type of medal based on colors. When a Greeed gets all 9 of them, they gain their full power which… let's just say if one showed up now, we'd be dead. Dead as dead can be," he sighed. "The Multi King however wanted to harness these powers for himself when he realized what they could do and well…" he pulled out the OOO Driver.
"He made that thing so he could use the power of the Core Medals," they all realized, earning a small nod from Lumen.
"Don't worry though, from what I can tell, the medals I have aren't any 'heart' Cores as far as I can tell. Those are Core Medals that hold the consciousness of a Greeed, and is basically their hearts that they NEED," Lumen explained.
"That's a relief at least," Sanji sighed. "So...if they're so dangerous together, why not just toss them overboard?"
"You mean the cells?" Lumen asked, and Sanji nodded "No need, in their current state, they don't pose much of a threat, and could actually be useful."
"In what way?" Usopp asked.
"Well… ok, don't freak out about this, but, if I take one and break it in half, I can use those two halves to make some Trash Yummies, basically goons or mooks to fight on our side, they don't have a lot of energy, nor many brains, but their good for a distraction, and with enough numbers, they can possibly overwhelm someone." Lumen explained "There's also the possibility of using them in some specific weapons, but one of them I'd have to make first, and the other… let's just say the other is a headache and a half to find."
"Why would you have to make one?" Nami asked after getting over the fact he could create mooks for them, and realising that in some situations, it COULD be helpful to have some distractions.
"The Multi King apparently had a sword that was capable of harnessing power from Cell Medals, but it was broken from what the scriptures said, it was destroyed, so I'd have to recreate it outright." he answered.
"Why do I get the sinking suspicion I'm not going to like what that sword can do?" Usopp deadpanned.
"Oh don't worry, it only cuts through space itself then resets everything that wasn't the target," Lumen said innocently.
Usopp's face was a dry as a desert at that "You really know how to prove someone right don't you?"
"Would you rather I tell you that when we see it happen first hand?" Lumen countered.
"...fair point," Usopp begrudgingly conceded.
"On a lighter note, how far are we from Loguetown?" Lumen asked.
"About an hour or two at most. We'll have to be careful though, because of how close it is to the Grand Line, the Marine presence is a bit stronger there." Nami explained.
"Right, so we can't just lay anchor at the docks, we'll have to find another spot." Sanji added.
"Okay...where would we find that?" Lumen blinked. "My dad may have been a Marine, but I never really had much interest in the job myself, so I only know the basics of sailing."
"We'll probably have to sail around the coast from a distance to find a good spot, for now, let's decide what we need in Loguetown before arriving there." Nami suggested and they nodded.
"I need swords!" Zoro shouted from where he was… doing ab crunches… while suspended from the crow's nest… sheesh, talk about dedication.
"We know!" the four in a conversation shouted back at him.
"Ignoring the moss head." Sanji said, earning an indignant shout from Zoro "Some of us probably need some changes of clothes, Lumen most of all, the only thing you have is the clothes we found you in, and what Borodo bought for us the other day."
"Yeah, I mean, this shirt and button-up are cool, but I don't want to wear the same thing everyday." Lumen said as he glanced down at said pieces of clothing he was wearing.
"Hopefully you don't just buy multiples of the same thing, like some people." Nami said, looking at Usopp dryly.
"Hey! These suspenders were on sale alright?! Besides, it's my favorite color." Usopp shot back in irritation as he snapped one of the straps of his suspenders.
"Moving on." Sanji said "We need a lock for the fridge so Luffy stops getting in and raiding it every damn time."
"Yeah… where the heck does he even pack it all?" Lumen groaned… before realizing what he'd said. "No, never mind. I don't think I WANT to know."
"Neither do we." Nami said with a sigh "So, besides that, we need plenty of food, probably restock on a few other things as well. Usopp, think you can handle the ammunition side of things?"
"Can do. Besides that I'll probably be checking the junk shops for the most part, you'd be surprise at the stuff you can find that'll make good ammo. Oh! That reminds me! Hey, Sanji, can you buy some eggs that are past expiration date?" Usopp agreed before turning to Sanji.
"You and your freaky food ammo." Sanji sighed "Fine, fine, I'll try to remember."
"Anything else that would be important?" Lumen asked.
Nami tapped her chin in thought "Probably some map paper and a few replacement tools for me, besides that, I guess if you find anything that might be important, go ahead and buy it."
"Oh! That reminds me! We need a Log Pose too," Lumen said, remembering a VERY important item in One Piece.
"Log Pose?" Nami blinked.
"I heard it from dad once. Apparently in the Grand Line, stuff doesn't work like normal, so you need this thing called a Log Pose to be able to navigate through it," Lumen said.
"Right, well, I'll ask around for one then." Nami sighed, before giving him a grateful smile "Thanks for bringing that up."
"I'm a member of this crew, aren't I?" Lumen shot back with a chuckle.
You count the medals! 1, 2, and 3! Life goes on! Anything goes! Coming up OOO!
The scene freezes before the Taka, Tora, and Batta medals are flicked into the scene, followed by shots of OOO's armor parts cycling through its variants, before finally showing OOO in a ready stance as the crest on his chest appears behind him.
*Music*
The scene changes to show Lumen flip a Taka Medal through the air, before the scene shifts to show OOO in Tatoba form leaping through the air and landing upon the look out of the Going Merry, while the rest of the Straw Hats are on on the deck, before the Going Merry sails off into the sea and the title appears.
Iranai motanai yume mo minai Free na joutai sore mo ii kedo
The medals fly through the screen before revealing a shot of Lumen sitting by a beach, followed by shots of Luffy sitting on the Merry's figurehead, Nami looking over a sea map, Zoro doing push ups with weights, Sanji cooking in the kitchen, and Usopp fiddling with some stuff to make new ammo.
Koko kara hajimaru what you've been waiting for? Count the medals...one, two, and three!
The scene changes to show the group on the Going Merry, grins all around as in waters around them all manner of odd creatures and even a few random ships can be seen, before the scene shows Lumen flipping Core Medals, the Taka, Tora, and Batta medals landing in a group.
Unmei mo kimi hotokanai Kekyoku wa susumu shika nai
The scene changes to show scenes of various different islands as the Straw Hats and Lumen find various different medals one by one, from various spots like in the trees, hidden in rocks, even dropped by an animal.
Michinaru tenkai give me energy Count the medals...one, two, and three!
The scene changes to show a map of the world, as medals drop all over the map, ending with Lumen holding the Taka Medal, then the Tora Medal, and then the Batta Medal, before he grasps all three in his hand.
Daijoubu! Ashita wa itsudatte blank
A shot of several cloths, colored green, yellow, gray, blue, and red respectively are seen strewn about on a beach as Uva, Kazari, Gamel, Mezool, and Ankh are seen in their complete forms, looking like they're lazing around, seemingly enjoying the weather. The scene then changes to show Lumen trying to stack a pile of cell medals before a tremor causes the whole thing to topple over.
Jibun no kachi wa jibun dake kimeru mono sa
Rushing out on deck, the cause of the tremor is revealed to be a small army of ships that seemed to carry a mix of Marines and Pirates, yet at the sight the Straw Hats look at each other reassuringly as they gear up for battle, ending with Lumen scanning his Driver with a shout of 'Henshin!'.
OOO! OOO! OOO! OOO! Come on!
The scene changes to show quick shots of Luffy bursting through lines of enemies, followed by Zoro cutting several of them down to size, Sanji blowing his way through with a barrage of kicks, Nami knocking several away with her staff, Usopp catching several in the head with his slingshot projectiles, ending with OOO who reaches upward as an explosion of Cell Medals erupts from the ground.
ANYTHING GOES sonna kokoro ga atsuku naru mono Mitasareru mono mo sagashite
The scene changes to show a OOO riding on a Ride Vendor through a city, before the scene suddenly changes to show Lumen grasping the Core Medals as behind him is the image of the World Government flag on fire with faded images of various known inheritors of the Will of D, the scene soon shifting to show the flag of the Marines, followed by an image of Akira looking to the right with a smile, Smoker and Tashigi looking to the left with neutral expressions, and Lumen's father looking forward with a slight frown.
LIFE GOES ON honki dashite tatakau no nara
The scene changes to show OOO activating the Tora Claws and jumps forward with the Batta Legs, followed by a scene of OOO on the Ride Vendor riding up a ramp made of Tako Candroids, and launching to the sky where an army of Taka Candroids flies alongside him, while the Going Merry is seen sailing underneath, keeping up pace.
Makeru ki shinai hazu
The scene changes to show the Greeed walking forward from behind their cloths, standing together in a rather menacing fashion, before the scene shifts to show the final scene of OOO standing alongside the Straw Hat Pirates, the Medajalibur in hand and loaded for a Triple Scanning Charge as he cuts across the scene, causing Medals to fly, while the three King Combo Core Medals overlap one final time.
"Whoo-hoo! What a bustling town!" Luffy said with a big grin.
"Considering this is supposed to be the last island before the Grand Line, it fits," Lumen mused. "Still, we'd better be careful. You did say that this place is where all pirates stop to prepare before entering the Grand Line, right Nami?"
"Yep. You can get pretty much anything here," Nami nodded.
"Alright! For my upcoming great adventure, I'm gonna need some cool stuff!" Usopp grinned.
"I'll bet there's lots of good food to check out here. I'll be sure to stock up on our supplies," Sanji said, before adding, "And a lot of good women too." with a small heart flying out. How Lumen saw that, he decided not to question it.
"I need to find some new swords," Zoro said simply.
"I can lend you some money if you want, but you'll have to return all of it." Nami told him, hiding a grin.
"Sure." Zoro said with a shrug before accepting the money and walking off.
Lumen glanced at the redhead next to him "You're gonna put a massive interest rate aren't you?"
"You know me so well." she said with a grin.
Lumen chuckled "Should I be worried?"
"Naw, clothes are a necessity, so I won't make you worry about that, and you'll get a bit of leeway if you find anything interesting." Nami waved him off.
"Thanks...I think," Lumen blinked, before turning to Luffy. "Got anything you need to get?"
Luffy thought about it and then grinned. "Nah, I'm gonna go check out the execution platform!" Luffy said, much to their surprise, before he soon ran off. "I want to see it, the place where the Pirate King died!" he shouted as he ran off.
"...am I the only one who finds it morbid that he wants to see the place a person died?" Lumen couldn't help but ask.
"I mean… yeah it's kind of morbid… but it also makes sense in a way." Nami said, before shaking it off "Anyway, I'm gonna go get some mapping supplies, maybe a few outfits as well, see you in a few hours."
"Right, so we'll meet back at...I just realized Luffy and Zoro ran off before we decided that…" Usopp groaned.
"We'll meet back at the Merry but stop by the platform first to pick him up," Sanji deadpanned. "As for that stupid moss head…"
"We'll stop by a few weapons shops to see if we can find him," Lumen cut in before anything could be said.
"...fair enough," Sanji conceded, and with that they went their separate ways...but not before Nami distributed the funds.
"This town really is lively," Lumen chuckled as he walked through the streets. Though...one thing did have him curious. For a town that pirates frequented, it was...really peaceful. As in, while that wasn't a BAD thing, but considering how a LOT of pirates were basically the standard 'rape, pillage, murder' variety, and this town was a place they all frequented before entering the Grand Line...then he'd have expected to see a bit more...questionable...people in the crowd. "Either the pirates all treat this like a neutral zone where you're NOT allowed to cause trouble...or the Marines are super strong...and somehow I get the feeling its door number 2," he gulped, remembering the bits he'd read, including a notable Marine they'd be meeting here. "Just hope I don't run into him just yet."
As he was walking though, he came across an odd sight. A kid was crying, apparently over a balloon, and squatting before him was a marine judging by the outfit, and a captain at that. The man had short, spiky black hair, along with a thin mustache and goatee, his skin was tan, and he looked to be of asian descent, he also seemed to be carrying something, but it was hidden underneath his captain's coat.
As well, Lumen recognised him. "Holy shit that's Hiroaki Iwanaga… or maybe it's one of his characters? Since I'm in a world where OOO exists… could he be Akira Date?"
However, he decided to wait and see what would happen first, as 'Akira Date' covered his face, and then opened it again, and judging by the smile and eventual laughter, he was cheering up the kid by making faces. This went on for a few minutes, before he went over to a vendor and soon came back with a new balloon, much to the kid's delight who thanked him and soon ran off.
Seeing that, Lumen couldn't help but smile. Making a decision, he soon walked up to the Marine and started to talk. "Looks like you made that kid's day better."
"Hm?" Akira blinked before looking at Lumen. "Oh that, yeah, I couldn't just leave the kid like that. Not to mention it was kinda my fault the balloon popped," he admitted, scratching his head a bit sheepishly. "Hm...not that I've been in town THAT long, but you seem new."
"Yeah, just got into town. We're just stopping by to restock and get going," Lumen nodded. No point in hiding it and it WAS the truth...he just figured he'd hide the part of them being Pirates.
"Oh? Planning to go into the Grand Line?" Akira mused. "Careful now, those are some dangerous waters. I should know, I'm usually stationed there."
"That so? Well, there's not much need to worry, we have a guy with a devil fruit on board, a bounty hunter, a pretty good sniper, a chef who knows how to kick ass, a damn good navigator, and I myself am good at planning." Lumen said with a small grin.
"I guess a Devil Fruit WOULD help turn the tides if you encounter some pirates. What are you heading into the Grand Line for though?" Akira asked curiously.
"Exploration mostly, seeing the sights, maybe learning some stuff about the world." Lumen said, before holding his hand out to the man "I'm Lumen, nice to meet you."
"Date Akira," he said, confirming what Lumen thought. "Well, I've got to get going. Something I'm supposed to take care of. Stay safe," he said with a friendly wave and soon walked off into the town.
Lumen smiled as he watched him walk off "Nice guy… hope I won't have to fight him… too often." he said with a sigh, knowing that he'll likely have to fight him, narrative causality and all that. With a small shrug he continued on his walk through town, finding a clothes shop where Nami was shopping….and seemed to be buying up the store.
"...you SURE you need that many?" he couldn't help but ask.
Nami hummed "I guess you're right, I don't need THAT many outfits." she said, and the salesman who had been looking giddy suddenly slumped forward.
"Well, since I'm here, I'll buy a few things while I'm at it," Lumen said, before going through the shop, and picking out a few shirts and pants. Nothing too big, just enough for a couple of weeks, which SHOULD be more than enough time to do some laundry.
Once the clothes were paid for, the two went their separate ways, Lumen still wanting to see the town a bit. The next crewmate he happened upon was Usopp, who was in a shop that looked like some kind of souvenir shop...with a clerk that just screamed 'con artist'. From what he was hearing, he was trying to sell these off as 'objects used by great pirates'. Lumen had a deadpan expression when it seemed Usopp was falling for it, before…
"...you know you're being painfully obvious that you're lying, right?" Usopp deadpanned, his face of wonder turning into a flat expression. "Seriously, those lies aren't even good. That gun is obviously fake, and no way a pirate like Gold Roger would have that unless it was a novelty item he hung on to, and even then its no good in the Grand Line," Usopp pointed out.
The con artist reeled back as if they were shot, and Lumen smirked before moving on, figuring his friend had the situation under control.
Eventually, he wound up in the food markets, where after a bit of searching, he found Sanji haggling for a… VERY impressive fish, before his fellow blonde noticed him and waved him over.
"Something up?" Lumen asked once he got close.
"Just that you might have to be the one to go find a lock for me, I don't know if I'll have enough time, though… I did find something interesting when I bought an eel earlier… this was stuck in it's throat." he said as he lifted up… a blue medal with a gold rim, the face of it depicting an electric eel.
Lumen stared blankly at the medal for a moment, before looking back up to Sanji's face "You're kidding me right?"
"I wish I was." Sanji said with a sigh, before Lumen accepted the medal, feeling that this wasn't the last stupidly found medal he'd stumble across. Seeing as he'd need to go look for the lock now, he thanked Sanji for the Medal and soon went on his way, looking for a shop that sold locks...preferably ones that would actually stand a chance in stopping Luffy. However, instead of that, he'd found what appeared to be a sword shop...and peering inside, he found Zoro...holding his arm out...while a sword fell down on it.
Lumen nearly had a heart attack when the sword came THIS close to slicing off Zoro's arm...but he soon sighed in relief when it hit the ground...and embedded itself into the floor through sheer sharpness. The shopkeeper and a short haired woman that was with him were both stunned silent. Lumen on the other hand after a moment… "THE HELL WERE YOU DOING YOU CRAZY MORON?!"
Zoro rose an eyebrow as he turned around "Hmm? Oh hey Lumen, something the matter?"
The casual response only served to tick Lumen off "I should be asking you that you fucking idiot! If that sword had been a little different you'd be missing an arm!"
Zoro's only response was to grin "Well then, I guess that just means the sword's luck ran out."
Lumen gave him a long, dead look at that "Use my catchphrase again… see what happens… they won't find the body Zoro," he growled. "Anyway, be back at the ship later after you're done. We're all going to meet up there," he said with a sigh. "And don't go doing anything crazy like that again," he added before leaving. By then the shopkeeper and the girl had finally finished rebooting their brains. It was questionable if they ever even registered Lumen's presence.
Searching for a strong lock turned out to be a bit harder than expected, but eventually he found one in a shop that actually specialized in this kind of stuff. So after some browsing (and playfully pretending some of them were Lockseeds for a joke), he finally got his hands on a nice big lock that SHOULD hold up against Luffy's ravenous assault...probably...maybe...on second thought he decided to buy another one just in case. He was sure Nami would understand.
"Now for the last thing on my list. Where's the execution platform…" Lumen sighed, and began asking for directions.
Too bad people either wanted to ignore him or mess with him.
"I keep forgetting, this is supposed to be a town pirates stop by a lot… and according to sis, it was also were Roger was born, so I shouldn't be surprised." he muttered as he tried to find SOMETHING to help.
And then he saw… probably the best thing.
"Seriously? This thing exists here?" he said in surprise as he stood in front of what LOOKED like a typical vending machine from his world.
Except he knew it wasn't.
Heaving a sigh, he took out a Cell Medal from his pocket, glad he grabbed a few just in case "Might as well make use of my good luck." he said as he put the medal in, looked at the selection, and pushed the button for what he wanted, watching as one dropped down.
It looked like a small red and white can with the image of a hawk on it, and when he pulled the tab, he wasn't surprised when it folded open, and a small mechanical hawk stood in his hand.
Internally, he was shocked that there was an actual Ride Vendor that dispensed actual Candroids, but externally, he just sighed as he looked at the Taka Candroid "Go find the execution platform for me, then come back and guide me to it, alright?"
The Candroid chirped in acknowledgement, before flying off in search of what he asked. Once it was gone… "...where the heck did this even come from?" he couldn't help but wonder, as so far there didn't seem to be any signs of a Kougami Foundation so that left the question of...who could make tech like this?
Sighing, he decided for now it'd be better to save his questions for later...and that he should take note of where the vendor was in case he'd ever need a quick getaway. Eventually the Taka Candroid came back and started leading him towards the Execution Platform. However…
Lumen was going through a street...which he noticed was strangely empty, giving him a bad feeling. True enough, when he got passed a corner, several goons suddenly came out and circled him. "...okay?" he blinked when he noticed the circus theme they had going on. Wait...circus theme? Where'd he seen that before? Oh yeah, these guys must be Buggy's boys. "What does the clown want with me?" he asked knowingly, earning a combination of surprised blinks and proud grins, the latter likely because they thought they were infamous enough even he knew them.
Well they were half-right.
"Not so much the clown as it is me." a familiar voice said from beyond them, and stepping through them was the familiar form of Honey Queen, wearing a somewhat more covering outfit, in deep blue, with a fluffy coat still.
"Oh, it's the streaker." Lumen said blandly.
A tick mark grew on her forehead "And THIS is why I want to kill you the most."
"Hey, I'm just saying the truth." Lumen said with a shit eating grin "But, I am curious though, you're running with Buggy now? What happened to your brothers?"
"Arrested by the marines after you lot left the ruins of Clockwork island, I only managed to get away because no one would assume a simple puddle to be harmful around these parts." Honey Queen explained with a sneer "After I got away, I found a kindred spirit, someone who has… issues with that brain dead captain of yours, you may have heard of her, she goes by the name of Alvida."
"That fat whale of a lady pirate?" Lumen asked, vaguely remembering what Alvida looked like in the first chapter.
Honey Queen frowned "I'm well on grounds to slap you for calling my one female friend fat you know?"
"Do I look like I honestly care?" Lumen shot back dryly.
"Fair point. I suppose there's nothing left to be said. Kill him," Honey Queen said simply.
"Yeah, like that's gonna help," Lumen groused, before putting on the OOO Driver...which already had the King's Combo loaded into it (it paid to be able to transform quickly in a place with pirates), before he scanned the medals. "Henshin!"
"TAKA! TORA! BATTA! TA-TO-BA! TATOBA, TATOBA!"
The goons were soon on him...and were promptly kicked away. "You REALLY don't learn do you? Fine then, come test your luck again." OOO growled.
"Oh, I've learned. Learned that I can't take any chances with you!" Honey Queen countered, turning into her liquid-like form...and once again left her clothes behind in the process, not that OOO could think much on that since he was assaulted by the liquid...though he DID manage to catch a glance of the goons who were staring. He didn't need to think hard at what.
Either way, he found that this was a bit harder than normal, since as it was, Tatoba wasn't ideal to fight someone like her, and he wasn't exactly in a position to switch medals just yet.
"Give it up! I figured out you need to switch those coins to switch armors! You can't switch like this!" Honey Queen laughed.
"Not on your life!" OOO growled as he continued to struggle, while at the same time the goons had finally gotten their wits about and were advancing, no doubt to take advantage of the situation...or they would, if they weren't suddenly hit in the back of the head.
"What the-?!" Honey Queen barely got to say before she was struck with something and shouted in pain as she was knocked off of OOO, reverting to her normal form, with a wound on her shoulder.
OOO blinked under his helmet and looked to the side and saw Akira, no doubt the one to attack the pirates, and in his hands was… "Where did you get that sword?!" he asked as he looked at the black sword with a sharp blue edge in the hands of the marine, the Medajalibur.
"What? The Medal Sword? It's just something my superiors wanted me to test out." Akira answered.
OOO stared at him for a moment "Medal Sword… way too on the nose… call it the Medajalibur."
Akira blinked, before grinning "Huh, that's a much better name yeah."
"Anyway, thanks for the save." OOO said with a sigh, before pulling out the Taka and Tora medals and switching them out with two new ones, scanning them "LION! UNAGI! BATTA!" his head replaced itself with the Lion helmet, while his arms became a new pair, the Unagi medal depicted in the centerpiece of the armor, the shoulders holding what looked like whips attached to the wrists, with a white thunderbolt pattern going down the arm.
OOO rolled his shoulders, before grabbing the whips, holding them in his hands while letting the tips drag on the floor.
"Tch! Don't underestimate me!" Honey Queen growled, turning into liquid again...but when she tried to attack both of them...she was met with a lash of the whips, and a surge of electricity going through her, pushing her back to normal again. "W-what?!" she gasped.
"How do you like the Voltarm Whip?" OOO said with a grin beneath his mask as he cracked one of the whips, which crackled with electricity.
"Damn, your stuff looks versatile." Akira said with an impressed whistle.
"Gotta be ready for anything if you're going into the Grand Line," OOO nodded.
Honey Queen growled, before moving back "It doesn't matter, we've bought enough time. Maybe you won't die today, but that idiot captain of yours is going to lose his head!" she said, before the buggy pirates with her all threw down… smoke bombs, OOO and Akira being able to hear their stampeding as they ran away.
"Hold it!" Akira tried to stop them, but too late. They were already gone. "The ones who run the fastest really are the most annoying," he grumbled.
"Forget them, my friend is in trouble!" OOO said.
"Right, she did say something. But where would they be?" Akira asked.
"He'll be at the Execution Platform. He wanted to see that place no matter what," OOO said.
"Right, follow me, I know where it is!" Akira nodded, before he turned and they ran towards the platform.
When they reached the location...the situation was less than ideal. Currently it seemed Buggy's crew had the square held hostage, and up on the execution platform was Luffy...cause obviously he'd climb up there...currently pinned down and looked like he was ready for his own execution, with Buggy looking more than happy to be the executioner. "...well fuck," OOO cursed.
"Wait, that's Buggy the Clown." Akira realised, and then looked at Luffy "And that's the kid who just got issue a bounty! Straw Hat Luffy!"
"Luffy got issued a bounty?" OOO asked, blinking, before remembering his sister mentioning how the strawhats took bounties as a big deal, and that Luffy's own would become HUGE.
"Wait, you're friends with Straw Hat Luffy?!" Akira said in surprise.
"I didn't think he was even CAPABLE of being dangerous in a way he'd get an actual bounty," OOO half-lied.
Akira frowned, before sighing "Fine, fine, let's just… get him out of there, I'll deal with arresting him after that, I can do you a favor at least and not let him die like that."
"I'll take it," OOO nodded. "So what's the plan? Namely one that ends with the least number of casualties as possible."
"Hang on," Akira said, before pulling out a baby Transponder Snail, and started talking. "Smoker? We've got a situation!"
"If it's regarding the impromptu execution taking place, then we're in position. Once Straw Hat Luffy's head falls, we are ready to begin attacking," came the voice of Marine Captain Smoker from the snail.
"Can you not?!" OOO shouted into the Transponder Snail, and on the other end, Smoker raised an eyebrow in surprise as the snail, instead of taking the features of whoever just spoke, turned into a lion's head.
"Akira… who the hell is that with you?" Smoker asked slowly.
"Long story short, one of Straw Hat's crew members, we just fought off some of Buggy's grunts and got here together, and… I sort of promised I'd save Straw Hat at the least and not let him die like that." Akira admitted with a sigh and a sheepish blush.
Smoker groaned at that. "Why am I not surprised?" he sighed. "Well, if you can manage, then go ahead, we won't stop you. However, to do that you're gonna need to fight your way through Buggy's men. Arguably, if they have a sudden distraction that should give the towns people an opening to escape, but I don't see how you'd be able to save Straw Hat along with the rest of the people," Smoker explained.
"Then we'll just have to do what we can," Akira frowned. "Just be ready to join in when Buggy attempts to escape."
The grin on the snail became savage at that. "You should know me better than that," Smoker smirked, before the call ended.
Once the call ended… "I'M THE MAN WHO IS GOING TO BE PIRATE KING!" Luffy suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, and when he did, the entire town just...stopped.
"Did he just…?!" Akira asked in shock. The idea that someone would actually shout that...in THIS town of all places...it was almost mind boggling, but not nearly as much as the sheer certainty and conviction in the voice. This...this wasn't just a dream, somehow someway, he could feel it in his bones. If this kid got away, Pirate King he may just be.
"Yep, that's Luffy alright…" OOO couldn't help but say, also reeling a bit. He'd heard Luffy say it a few times before but this...this was different. He'd know intellectually that Luffy would become Pirate King. One Piece WAS his story. But now, hearing it here...this wasn't just some kid with a big dream. This...this was a fact. Luffy would be Pirate King and there wasn't anything anyone could do to change that. With that in mind… "Well, you heard the good captain. Charge!" OOO said, before switching to Cheetah, and began running through towards the square.
"Hey! Wait up!" Akira called after him.
OOO wasn't the only one who'd heard Luffy, as Zoro and Sanji were trying to save Luffy as well, and between the lot of them, they were breaking through the crowd of thugs well enough. For a moment it seemed like OOO was going to be able to break through, but right as he was approaching the platform, he was forced to block a mace coming down on him, revealing the holder of the mace to be a rather slim woman with a curvy build and long black hair, wearing pants and a bikini top under a purple coat, a white hat with a large red feather on her head "Not so fast." she said, grunting as she was surprised OOO was still keeping his feet on the ground despite the swing.
"Zoro! Sanji! Lumen! Nami! Usopp!" everyone in the plaza heard Luffy's voice say, turning to him as the sword started to come down, and he was grinning ear to ear "Sorry, looks like I'm dead."
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT YOU IDIOT!" his crewmates roared as the sword was upon his neck, until…
KER-KRACK!
It all happened so fast that it was hard to follow, but what most would say is that the heavens themselves put a stop to the execution, as the result of the attempt was a broken platform, burning on the ground, a charred and unconscious Buggy the Clown, and a completely fine Luffy, grabbing his hat as it floated down.
"Huh… guess I'm alive after all." Luffy said with a grin.
"...did you just see that?" OOO asked almost dumbly.
"...I saw it and I'm still not believing it…" Alvida couldn't help but say, everyone actually pausing mid-combat.
"If it were physically possible, I'd be removing my eyes and cleaning them right now just to make sure I'm not seeing this wrong…" Akira said, completely jaw dropped.
"Did you do that?" Sanji asked, his head stiffly turning to OOO, who shook his head vigorously and pointed at his head which was still using the Lion head part.
"Well now, isn't that something?" came a new voice, as a new figure walked into the square. The figure had slicked back brown hair and green eyes, wearing a white shirt that had a green star and the word Crimin on it, but what set off alarm bells for OOO were the green leather jacket and black pants the man wore… and then the green cloth falling down the building behind him.
"Uva… so you ARE here." OOO said nervously, having broken away from Alvida, who was now more focused on Buggy who was still a bit charred.
Uva smirked "So the new OOO knows who I am? I should be honored… even if it means I can't just trick you."
"What are you here for?" he asked, trying to sound tough, even though he was sweating buckets inside.
"Shouldn't it be obvious? I intend to make a Yummy out of Straw Hat Luffy. A desire that strong would no doubt breed a powerful Yummy," Uva smirked.
"You say that like I'll let you," OOO growled.
"You won't let me. You simply don't have a choice in the matter," Uva glared, as his arms glowed and suddenly they were replaced with the familiar arms of the insect Greeed.
OOO stared for a moment, before relaxing slightly "Oh… you aren't complete yet, are you?" he said, the smirk audible in his tone.
Uva scowled "A minor setback, my arms are all I need to take you on!"
"Not on my turf you won't!" a new voice called as… something slammed into Uva, said something appeared to be some strange sort of barrier that floated in the air in front of someone.
"Eh?" OOO blinked, honestly not expecting that.
The man who had just managed to blindside Uva had a green pompadour, a nose ring, some VERY sharp looking teeth, and was wearing a long yellow and red coat with a fur collar, his chest left exposed, showing a tattoo.
"Uh...who are you?" he asked, he DEFINITELY didn't remember reading this happening before.
The man turned to OOO, the sneer turning into a grin "Name's Bartolomeo, and I ain't about to let some creep trash around in my city, especially after I just witnessed an act of god like that."
"I don't know how I feel about letting you just do this Bartolomeo." Akira said with a frown as he kept his eyes peeled for any other surprises.
"Like I give a flying fuck about your opinion you damn Marine." Bartolomeo shot back with a sneer.
"Anyway…" OOO said, looking at Uva who was getting back up, and he had murder in his eyes "Maybe we should do the infighting later?"
"Fine, truce for now then." Bartolomeo agreed as he uncrossed his fingers, the barrier fading.
"Can I get a say in what goes on?" Luffy said from behind them, before Zoro and Sanji clamped their hands on his mouth and pulled him back.
"No, we're leaving." they said and dragged Luffy from the square, knowing Lumen would catch up soon enough.
"H-hey hold on!" Akira gasped in shock.
"Oh come off it, you can chase my friends later, right now we have a monster to deal with, priorities you know?" OOO said dryly.
Akira frowned, before sighing, turning back to Uva while holding up the Medajalibur "I really don't like agreeing with a pirate."
"No choice in the matter." OOO said, before switching out his medals again "TAKA! TORA! BATTA! TA-TO-BA! TATOBA, TATOBA!" and returning to his base form "Let's see how lucky you are Uva!"
"Luck means nothing to strength!" Uva roared, as he lashed out with his arms, sending shockwaves of energy at the combatants.
"Nice try but that won't work on me! I'm a barrier human!" Bartolomeo grinned as a barrier formed again when he crossed his fingers, the shockwaves hitting the barrier...and Bartolomeo felt himself get pushed back from the impact. "The hell?!" he gasped.
"Careful, Uva's not exactly your normal opponent. Just be glad he's not at full power!" OOO cautioned.
"THAT wasn't full power?! It felt like a fishing boat crashed into that!" Bartolomeo roared.
"Just be glad it was ONLY a fishing boat," OOO said flatly.
"Guess we can't take it easy on this guy," Akira frowned, and reached into his pocket to pull out a trio of Cell Medals, before inserting them into the slot on the Medajalibur and pushing the handle, allowing the three medals to fall into place, where they began glowing. With that ready, he charged forward, and clashed with Uva, the two grunting in effort, but eventually Uva managed to push him back...but not before he realized his right arm was 'bleeding' Cell Medals.
Uva scowled as he covered his arm "Bastard… it takes a while to build up these."
Akira blinked as he looked at Uva in shock "Why is he BLEEDING Cell Medals?"
"If you thought he was a human, you thought wrong, he's what's known as a Greeed." OOO explained. "They're literally made up of Cell Medals."
"That can't be right! Cell Medals are a rare ore that's been refined and molded into a form we can use," Akira argued.
THAT got OOO's attention. Could it be that the Marines were keeping the truth, assuming they knew it, away from their own men?
Whatever the case, the conversation was cut short, when Uva took the opportunity to go on the offensive, forcing them back, before focusing on Akira, and knocking the sword out of his hand, before kicking him in the stomach. "Let's see you fight without that toy now!" he smirked, moving for the sword...only for a barrier to come up and knock him back.
"We're still here shit head!" Bartolomeo growled, while OOO dove for the Medajalibur, and grabbed it.
"Drop the barrier!" he shouted as he charged up the Batta legs.
"If you're sure," Bartolomeo grunted before dropping the barrier and OOO jumped forward, kicking Uva several times, before slashing him with the sword, knocking him back when he blocked with his arms, and leaving him tumbling on the ground, bleeding Cell Medals again.
"Tch! They're tougher than I thought!" he growled, before looking around...and spotted the still unconscious Buggy being hauled away. "That'll do…" he smirked, before grabbing one of the fallen Cell Medals and hurled it towards the back of Buggy's head. A coin slot appeared at the back of his head, and the medal went through.
Almost immediately, a Yummy crawled out of his body, scaring his goons that were carrying him before they tried to haul him away faster once the Yummy disconnected from him… and it's body quickly changed.
"Dammit! He had a strong desire." OOO growled as the Yummy finished changing, and it's body was covered in a hard shell, with black chitin covered arms and legs, an extra pair of smaller arms beneath the first. Though that was when he noticed how the shell seemed to be glinting slightly "That… looks like a Dung Beetle… kinda." he said, not fully sure, but deciding to just go with it as he shrugged.
"Death...to the Straw Hats…!" the Yummy snarled.
"...well, that just painted a big target on my back," OOO sighed, glad that by now the rest of the crew wasn't nearby.
"Well, this thing doesn't look like it's gonna be anything but trouble," Akira frowned.
"They tend to be, but right now, I'm the main target," OOO said flatly.
"What makes you say that?" Bartolomeo asked.
"DIE STRAW HATS!" the Yummy roared and went straight for OOO, who managed to block it with the Medajalibur.
"Call it a guess," OOO grunted.
"Then we'll just have to beat it to-!" Akira started, before he had to block an attack from Uva.
"Don't think I forgot about you two, did you?" he smirked.
"Bartolomeo, help Akira please! A Yummy is tough, but nothing I can't handle. A Greeed on the other hand…" OOO said.
Bartolomeo groaned "Fine, I don't like helping a Marine directly, but no choice."
With that in mind the two began fighting against Uva, fortunately the Greeed was a bit slowed down due to his injuries, making the fight more or less equal.
Uva growled in anger, feeling weak against these two "Dammit… dammit!" he shouted out, before trying to manifest a copy of himself… at least that was what he intended, the result was a second arm appeared on his left side, just below the first.
"Okay, that's actually a little creepy," Akira admitted.
"Not that it's gonna stop us from kicking his ass!" Bartolomeo growled.
"That much I can agree with," Akira grunted.
Back with OOO, he was able to avoid most of the attacks from the Yummy now, but...well… "This armor is way too thick!" OOO growled, as another punch bounced off.
"Kill...Straw Hats…!" the Yummy snarled.
"Yeeesh, Buggy REALLY can hold a grudge," OOO couldn't help but say with a small sweat drop, seeing as this Yummy WAS made from him. However, as it was, he didn't exactly have forever to fight, so… he looked at the Medajalibur and noticed the Cell Medals had vanished, no doubt used up. So he quickly went to grab some Cell Medals that had fallen during the fight, and inserted three into the Medajalibur. Once he had them ready, he grabbed the scanner and ran it along the sword.
"TRIPLE SCANNING CHARGE!"
The Cell Medals glowed softly, before the glow travelled to the actual blade itself, while OOO grabbed it with both hands and hefted the blade slightly, before suddenly bringing it up high "OOO Bash!" he shouted as he brought it down vertically, and without even touching the Yummy, the energy from the blade went towards it… and everything behind it… and the scenery and the Yummy both went out of alignment, before sliding back into place, the Yummy exploding at the same time.
"Holy shit…!" Bartolomeo was slack jawed at the sight while the Cell Medals rained down. "You Marines had something like THAT?! Don't you think that's a bit overkill?!"
"Hey don't look at me! The Medal Sword, I mean, Medajalibur, wasn't even DESIGNED to be that strong when I was briefed!" Akira shot back, equally shocked.
"Tch! He's stronger than I thought. I'd better retreat," Uva growled, before he grabbed the extra arm, and squeezed, causing it to break down into Cell Medals and work to repair his damaged limbs. Once they healed, he released another shockwave, kicking up a smoke screen as he soon made his escape.
"Yeah, you'd better run!" Bartolomeo grinned when he saw the Greeed gone.
"Well… that's taken care of… now…" Akira said, turning to OOO, who was looking at where Uva last was, and was about to walk towards him, before a strong wind suddenly kicked up, pushing him back a bit.
"Holy hell that's one hell of a gale!" Bartolomeo sputtered as he hid his face from the wind.
"Oh damn, the storm's really picking up now!" OOO said, standing his ground against the wind, while being glad he had his helmet "I really gotta get back to Merry, and fast!" he said, before he started running towards the port.
"H-hey! Get back here!" Akira shouted after him, attempting to run after him, only to get blown back by the wind while Bartolomeo laughed as he watched the Marine end up being rolled around by the wind.
Back with OOO…
"I… totally forgot I was still holding onto this." he said as he looked at the Medajalibur in his hand… before shrugging "Oh well, I'm a pirate, I was bound to steal from a Marine one day."
At the moment, he wasn't sure if he'd reach port in time, so he was tracing his steps back a bit, till he found what he was looking for "There you are!" OOO said with a grin under his mask as he went up to the Ride Vendor and quickly slotted one of the Cell Medals he had grabbed from the Yummy into it, but instead of pushing the button of a Candroid, he pushed the large one and stepped out of the way as the Ride Vendor tilted forwards, the sides of the machine spinning forwards and attaching together, and where a vending machine stood, was now a black motorcycle which OOO quickly climbed on and revved the engine once before rolling down the streets towards where they had anchored Merry.
Along the way, he came across a rather...problematic sight. One Captain Smoker pinning Luffy down with his jute, which seemed to have the effect of keeping him down, and even if it hadn't there was his Smoke ability to worry about. Fortunately though… that actually proved useful here. Hitting the horn in a way that sounded like a cavalry bugle call… which had the intended effect of drawing Smoker's attention… right as he rammed through him, leaning down and grabbing Luffy in the process.
Smoker swerved his head around in shock as he reformed from his smoke, and his eyes narrowed in anger and a bit of suspicious shock "Damn pirates!" he growled, not only at the armored one interrupting him, but the fact that they were using a Ride Vendor, which only the Marines were supposed to know how to use correctly. Oh, and he swore he saw the Medal Sword strapped to the armored one's back.
"See ya Smoky!" Luffy shouted back with a laugh as OOO hoisted him onto the back of the bike, with Luffy having a hand on the Rider's shoulder and the other on his hat, before he turned back to his crewmate with a grin "Where'd you get this awesome thing?"
"It was a vending machine, it turned into a bike when I put a Cell Medal in it." OOO shot back, the smirk audible in his voice.
Luffy chuckled at that "Awesome."
Unnoticed to everyone though, a hooded figure stood on top of a house, watching Luffy speed away with OOO, a grin crossing their face as lightning flashed, their tattooed face being visible for a brief second "Luffy... you've made a powerful ally my son."
Back to OOO and Luffy, the two kept riding, and were soon headed for the Going Merry. At the sight of the incoming vehicle…
"Go go go!" Usopp shouted, looking through his new goggles.
"What about Luffy and Lumen?" Nami asked.
"I think they got it covered…" Sanji blinked, before pointing at the incoming Ride Vendor.
"Damn, newbie keeps getting some good stuff," Zoro couldn't help but smirk, before they quickly sailed off from where they were, just as OOO and Luffy hit a curve, and were soon flying in the air, and landed perfectly on the deck of the departing Merry.
"And all that...on the first ride!" OOO couldn't help but say with a grin.
Back with Smoker, he was about to give chase...until Akira came up, looking like he'd ran the whole way...which he had. "S-Smoker...did you...happen to see...a guy in...tricolored armor...carrying the Medal Sword…?" he groaned.
Smoker wordlessly pointed towards the departing ship in the distance.
"...I'm screwed, aren't I?" Akira asked flatly.
"Unless you get it back or Vegapunk is happy with the data...yep," Smoker sighed.
"Shit…" Akira said in despair.
"Wooh!" Luffy shouted as hung onto Merry's head "It feels like the ship's gonna turn over at any second!" he said with a laugh as the rough waves rocked the ship almost dangerously.
"I'll say, makes me glad I'm not the type to get seasick!" Lumen added, being untransformed now after setting up the Ride Vendor in the kitchen (Nami had been proud of him for stealing not only a weapon but a vehicle), and keeping a hand on the railing of the ship.
"Ah! Look over there!" Nami called, pointing towards a lighthouse barely visible through the dark storm, though the light could be seen perfectly.
"What's special about that lighthouse?" Usopp asked as he clung to the main mast.
"It's our guiding light." Nami said with a light grin "That light points towards the entrance of the Grand Line."
"The Grand Line is right there huh?" Luffy asked, his excitement clearly visible.
"That's right." Nami nodded, before grinning at him "So? What now captain?"
"Are we ACTUALLY going in during a storm?" Usopp asked incredulously.
"It's that or the Marines catch up." Zoro said with a smirk as he rested a hand on his new swords.
"No choice then is there?" Sanji added as he leaned onto the railing.
"Nope!" Luffy grinned before laughing.
Usopp sighed "Great, we're all gonna die."
"Lighten up Usopp, this is what adventure's all about!" Lumen shot back to the Sniper with a laugh.
"Now then, why don't we have a little launching ceremony to mark the start of our REAL journey?" Sanji suggested as he pushed a barrel into the center of the upper deck.
"Totally!" Let's do it!" "Why not?" "Oh fine dammit!" "I'm up for it!"
One by one, they propped a leg up, placing a foot onto the barrel.
Sanji went first "To find the All blue!"
Then Luffy "To become the Pirate King!"
Zoro "To be the greatest swordsman of the sea!"
Nami "To draw a map of the world!"
Lumen "To uncover the mystery of OOO!"
And finally Usopp, who swallowed nervously before putting his foot on it "To become a brave warrior of the sea!"
Luffy's grin widened after a moment "Let's go… to the Grand Line!"
"Aye!"
And there!
Hope it was as epic as it originally was.
Now, bet no one expect honey Queen to show back up again so soon, and as part of Buggy's crew at that.
Yeah, me and Timeless were wondering at first if she would get caught like in the movie, but then we realised that wouldn't work here, so we made her escape, and then, I came up with the idea of putting her on Buggy's crew.
Also, Akira Date, yeahp, the exact same one from the canon of OOO, he's a Marine here.
What does this mean for the future? Why did he have the Medajalibur? And why do the Marines have Ride Vendors and Candroids?
All of that will be answered... eventually.
As for why Uva looked a bit off... again, a mystery that will be answered later.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because next time, it's off the Grand Line, and the start of the greatest journey ever!