I do not own any ideas taken from One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Dragon Ball, HunterXHunter, Yu Yu Hakusho or Rustage's One Piece D&D. Eiichiro Oda, Masashi Kishimoto, Tite Kubo, Akira Toriyama, Yoshihiro Togashi and Rustage are the brilliant minds behind those stories and I'm simply using them to set the stage for my story! It's all for fun so please enjoy!
Chapter 35: The Akatsuki
On September nineteenth, the day before the auction, is the designated date for the Akatsuki to gather in Yorknew City. It was around six in the morning when one arrived at an abandoned church northwest of the city.
Kitana was a beautiful, short woman with long red hair tied into a neat ponytail. She wore a short purple dress with knee-high fishnet stockings and black boots. A satchel was slung over her left shoulder, and a ring with a purple stone rested on her right middle finger.
Kitana walked through wide open doors and into the abandoned church to find someone already there. Hisoka sat with his slicked-back pinkish-red hair and a grin on his face. His right cheek now had a blue teardrop, and his left cheek had a pink star. He wore a ring with a pink stone on his left pinky.
"Hisoka? When did you get here?" She asked.
"A couple of days ago." Hisoka smiled and said, "I came from Heaven's Arena."
Kitana sat down on a bench and removed her satchel from her shoulder. "Is anyone else here?" She asked.
"Not that I know of," Hisoka said, shaking his head.
"Great." She said and sighed.
"I'm sure they'll be here soon," Hisoka stated.
"Well, the auction starts tomorrow, so, yeah, I hope so," Kitana said slowly.
At ten in the morning, at the south docks of Yorknew City, two men stepped off a ship and walked together toward the northwest. The two phantoms stepped slowly down the docks as fishermen and common folk scrambled to get out of their way. They looked around at the men at work and grinned as others stared at the ground when caught staring.
The first of these men stood just under six feet tall; he had black hair in a topknot and wore a dark blue kimono. His eyes and general demeanor presented him as lazy, possibly even clueless. He wore two swords on his right hip and a ring with a dark blue stone on his right finger.
The second man was tall with neat black hair, long earlobes, and broad shoulders. His arms and legs were massive, and his chest barreled out, giving him the appearance of a civilized gorilla. He wore black robes and had a ring with an orange stone on his left ring finger.
"Gabriel, where are we meeting again?" Jinpachi, the swordsman, asked.
"Abandoned church further northwest," Gabriel answered.
The two phantoms moved slowly through the bustle of Yorknew City as they headed for their rendezvous.
"I implore you, Don Toriyama, make Madam Wakaba take special precautions against the Akatsuki." Renji pleaded.
"I already told her, and whatever she does is final, alright?" Don Toriyama said between puffs of his cigar.
Renji, Mugen, and Shuhei sat in the Don's office. Don Toriyama was taking this day to brief all of his hired bodyguards.
"And what happens if things go tits up at the auction?" Shuhei asked.
"Wakaba's soldiers hired bodyguards, and the Ten Dons will be three floors above the actual auction. We'll be safe and involved with everything." Toriyama said matter-of-factly.
"What time is the auction?" Mugen asked.
Don Toriyama placed three badges on his desk and said, "Six o'clock tomorrow. Wear these badges, and you'll be let in."
The three boys took a badge and placed them in their pockets.
"I'll see you, boys, tomorrow."
The trio left the Don's mansion and walked through the city, heading toward the Bayloke. Renji shook his head and said, "The Ten Dons are stupid."
"They're blinded by greed," Mugen stated.
"The Akatsuki will be gathered in the city by tonight or tomorrow morning," Renji said and clenched his fists.
"Are you sure that you can trust his information?" Shuhei sincerely asked.
"He has his angle, I'm not sure what it is, but he's telling me the truth," Renji stated.
"They'll all be here by the time the auction starts." Mugen sighed and said, "So things are gonna pop off fast."
"He said that they intend to strike on the first day of the auction," Renji said and nodded.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, another phantom arrived in Yorknew City. She hopped off a ship on the city's northern port and grinned as he looked up at the clear blue sky. She wore a pink fur coat hanging down past her knees with tight white pants and a lilac shirt unbuttoned enough to reveal her cleavage. She had long pink hair and a ring with a yellow stone on her left pinky.
Smiling, she exited the port and headed west through the bustling city. After about twenty minutes, she arrived at the abandoned church and walked through the large double doors. The doors made a horrible rumble as they opened and closed, and the waiting Akatsuki members looked in her direction.
"Machi!" Kitana exclaimed as she skipped up from a bench.
Machi and Kitana hugged tightly, "It's good to see you."
Hisoka smiled at Machi, and she promptly looked away from the creep. Franklin and Jinpachi sat on a bench across from Hisoka and waved at Machi as she glanced away from the jester.
"Is it just us?" Machi asked.
"Yep. Halfway there." Franklin said.
"You guys wanna play bullshit?" Jinpachi asked with a grin.
"I'm in," Kitana said and chuckled.
"Me too."
The Misfits and Renji sat in the living area of their suite, feeling the calm before the storm. Renji was tapping his left foot rapidly as his mind ran wild.
"Renji?" Bulma asked suddenly.
"Hm?"
"What exactly is our plan?" Bulma questioned.
"Mugen, Shuhei, and I will be in the auction hall with the Ten Dons. You guys can enter the auction as potential buyers or wait outside the auction hall for something to happen." Renji explained.
"Bulma, Zika, and Hama will be part of the outside team. Yasui and I can slip into the auction hall." Asuka said and smiled.
"Sounds good to me," Zika said, and Hama barked.
"And we're certain that the Akatsuki will attack tomorrow?" Yasui asked nervously.
Renji nodded and said, "Yes. He said so."
"I don't like the idea of working with that guy," Asuka said, shaking his head.
"For the moment, it benefits us," Renji shrugged.
"Madam Wakaba won't listen to our warnings about the Akatsuki. So when shit hits the fan, it'll be chaos." Shuhei said and sighed.
"Will we be able to leave the Ten Dons after shit hits the fan?" Mugen asked and scratched his head.
"True, they'll likely lock us in," Shuhei said and nodded.
"Then we'll just bust out and track down the Akatsuki," Renji said matter-of-factly.
Three men walked through Yorknew City to the abandoned church shortly after six o'clock. They had met up a few days ago and commandeered a small ship from some wannabe pirates. After a few days at sea, they landed on the island's southwest shore and entered the city.
The first phantom was a short young man with messy blond hair and fair skin. He wore a black hoodie with baggy blue pants and a ring with a green stone on his right index finger. He yawned loudly and scratched his head as he looked around at the people bustling around them. The sun was just setting, though it felt like the island was waking up around them as they moved further into the city.
The second phantom was a tall, broad-shouldered bald man wearing a dark red gi with a black belt and boots. His head was covered in scars, and his eyes moved slowly over the surrounding people as the trio moved forward. This man was cursed with the power of observation. Everything that came into his gaze he studied intently and remembered perfectly... He cracked his knuckles and fidgeted with the ring with an opaque stone on his right thumb.
The third phantom was a tall, dark-skinned man with wild brown hair. He wore a white tank top with baggy black pants and worn leather boots with a ring with a red stone on his left middle finger. He grinned devilishly as he surveyed the stalls lining the streets and snatched a beer from a vendor. The vendor moved to protest but remained silent after getting a good look at the thief.
The trio walked down the street and pushed through crowds of people as they headed north and east. "Do you think they got any beer?" Raizen, the man with wild brown hair, asked as he ripped the cap off his beverage.
"Doubtful." Haku, the fair-skinned blond man, laughed.
"Those idiots never think ahead," Raizen said and guffawed.
"We can stop and get some." Franklin, the bald man, said simply.
"We have time to make a beer run," Haku grinned.
"B double E double R U N!" Raizen cheered.
The trio made a detour on their way toward the church and found a market on a corner, and Haku watched in horror as Raizen paid the clerk for two kegs of ale. Franklin and Raizen each carried a barrel over their shoulder as they left the market and returned down the street. After about twenty minutes, the three phantoms arrived at the abandoned church, and Haku pushed open the doors with a horrific rumble.
Gabriel, Jinpachi, Kitana, and Machi sat in the middle of the floor playing bullshit as Hisoka sat alone in the corner. Raizen and Franklin set the kegs down, and Haku exclaimed, "Hey guys!"
"You finally made it," Kitana said and chuckled.
"We got some beer." Raizen smiled and said, "I figured you'd forget it."
"Now it's a party," Gabriel said, laughing as he placed the last cards in the pile.
"Fuck!" Jinpachi called out and threw his cards in a pile.
"Eight of us, huh?" Franklin muttered as he looked around the church.
"The Boss and Faye always show up last," Haku said with a smile.
"Yeah, they'll be here soon," Gabriel said and nodded.
"Let's drink some beer and play some cards," Raizen said and laughed.
Madam Wakaba sat in her office on the top floor of the auction hall. She took three heavy gulps from a bottle of wine and wiped her mouth with a kerchief. She looked up as she heard the door open, and one of her assistants walked inside the office.
"Madam Wakaba, I have the posters. Fifty-six confirmed wanted persons are here on the island." The assistant said slowly.
"Bring 'em here," Wakaba said and waved the assistant closer.
He approached the desk and handed the stack of wanted posters to her. He bowed and quickly left the office. Wakaba flipped through the wanted posters and searched for the higher bounties of the bunch. She separated five of the posters and read them over a few times.
A poster showing an angry-looking man with wild red hair read; Flint Richter, Dead or Alive. 50,000,000 Beli Bounty
A poster showing a grinning dark-skinned boy with white hair read; Senju D. Asuka, Dead or Alive. 30,000,000 Beli Bounty.
A poster showing a blue-haired girl in a red turtleneck read; Nefeltari Bulma, Only Alive. 30,000,000 Beli Bounty.
A poster showing a woman with short pink hair read, Yamanaka Sakura, Dead or Alive. 25,000,000 Beli Bounty.
A poster showing a grinning boy with an afro read, "Vagabond" Mugen, Dead or Alive. 20,000,000 Beli Bounty.
Wakaba laughed, "Nothing but losers and upstarts. Except you." She stared at Bulma's poster for a few moments and smiled.
At eleven o'clock at night, the last two phantoms arrived at the west port of Yorknew City. They exited a small cargo ship and walked north toward the abandoned church. The sky was dark, and the faint scent of rain was mixed in with the aroma of food that wafted out of stalls and food carts. The duo moved silently around people in the street as they moved onward.
The first of these phantoms was a short woman with pale blue hair. She had amber-colored eyes and angel bite piercings with earrings shaped like paper angels. She wore a black cloak with red clouds embroidered and a ring with a white stone on her right index finger. This is Faye.
The second phantom was the final Akatsuki member, the Boss, Lucilfer D. Volcier. He stood exactly six feet tall with messy black hair and gray eyes. He wore a purple shirt beneath a black bomber jacket with a thick red fur collar, black pants, and boots with a strange cross-like tattoo on his forehead. On his right thumb was a ring with a black stone.
The sinister pair walked through the city as the crowds began to dwindle. A light rain began to fall on the island, and Volcier smiled at the sky as they went. They pushed through the large double doors and entered the church with a loud squeak.
Machi, Kitana, Jinpachi, Franklin, Gabriel, and Haku played bullshit with several lanterns around them. Raizen was in the corner trying to get Hisoka to drink beer with him.
"Boss!"
"Faye!"
"Hey, guys!" Raizen cheered and chugged a cup of beer.
"It's good to see you all again," Volcier smiled.
"No kidding; how long has it been?" Haku asked.
"Six months, thirteen days, and nineteen hours," Gabriel answered.
"Let's get down to business," Volcier said as he sat on a bench.
"I have a copy of the inventory for each auction day," Franklin said, waving papers in his hand.
"The Devil Fruits?" Faye asked.
"The Mirror-Mirror Fruit."
"Dibs," Haku said and chuckled.
"The Glare-Glare Fruit. I may be interested in that one." Franklin stated.
"And the last one?" Volcier questioned.
Franklin smiled and said, "The Redo-Redo Fruit."
"Ooh, that sounds cool," Gabriel said and chuckled.
"Tomorrow should be a simple heist." Volcier smiled and said, "Snatch the loot and leave."
"Well, it's the twentieth," Zika said as he poured himself a cup of juice.
"Really?" Yasui sighed.
Bulma checked the time and said, "Yep, five passed midnight."
The Misfits were sitting in the living area of their suites. They had been preparing and making plans, and the day had finally come.
"Ah shit, do we have to show up at six in the morning?" Mugen asked.
Shuhei shook his head and said, "Nah, six at night."
"What's on your mind, Renji?" Asuka asked and snapped Renji's attention to the conversation.
"Hm? Oh, I'm just dwelling on the past." Renji sighed and said, "It's my birthday today."
"Huh?!"
"What?!"
"Happy birthday, Renji!" Asuka called out and laughed.
"I can't believe I never asked!" Bulma shook her head and grabbed a small notebook and pen. "What's everyone's birthday?"
Renji smiled slightly and said, "Today."
"March sixteenth," Asuka said and grinned.
"March eighth," Zika said and nodded.
"December ninth," Mugen said.
"October twenty-eighth.
"January twenty-second," Yasui said and smiled.
Bulma wrote down everyone's birthdays and said, "Mine is February fourteenth."
"How old are you now, Renji?" Yasui asked.
"Uh, seventeen," Renji said and nodded.
"We should grab some drinks," Mugen said with a grin.
"We have an important day tomorrow," Shuhei stated.
"We can survive a few drinks."
To Be Continued