Makobro23: :)
Guest: Johnny and Izuku also used INFINITE SHOTPUT against the Empowered Necromancer, but I do agree having them double team Flect Turn would be pretty badass!
boy15: Glad to see it!
Euphoria: They've known each other forever, and I really want to make that show. I like to think of them like the Three Stooges. Constantly poking at each other, but they are thick as thieves, and genuinely care and look out for each other.
BryanTF2: Glad you like it so far! The Necronomicon theory may be true...or a red herring.
FinchFlyingAce: I didn't want to make Monoma a complete asshole, he has a conscience after all...he's just kind of a loose cannon.
Detective Guest: WHAT IS YOUR BRAIN?!
dinoboystudios: Thanks for pointing that out!
Alexander Lawliet: Your Stands are fucking awesome my dude. I'm just trying to find a way to fit them in!
dumpstertrashfire123: You might just be onto something my friend...
Bearticguy7: OOooh, I really like this one!
Monster King: Thanks!
"Marry me."
Johnny blinked in confusion. "What?"
"M-marry me."
"Kyoka...we're 16."
"Not NOW! Just...sometime in the future." Kyoka replied, nervously pulling on a jack as she presented Johnny with a small box. In it was a set of pins, a music note for Johnny, and a horseshoe for Kyoka. Trinkets to remind them of each other. "I-I'm s-saying that w-when we are old enough, w-we should get married."
It was time for Kyoka to spring the surprise she teased Johnny with during Joint Training, the surprise Kaminari nearly screwed up, but ultimately pulled through. She was going to ask Johnny to start dating with the intention to marry when they became pros.
Unfortunately, she had let her nerves get to her, and she ended up accidentally blurting out a full blown proposal.
RECOVER KYOKA! RECOVER!
"Yeah, but like, are you actually proposing to me? Or..."
"No you idiot! I'm saying that I'm going to propose to you!"
"So...a promise to promise?"
"Yes, that's what I'm asking. Y-you don't have to respond-"
"Kyoka, you already know I'm going to say yes, why are you so nervous?"
"I'm promising you my future here, you fucking asshole! This is big!" Kyoka said, getting annoyed over her boyfriend's growing smirk. "I have been planning this since before the Joint Training exercise! I even baked the fucking cake with Sato's help!"
"That explains why it tastes good."
"JONATHAN!"
Johnny snickered as Kyoka contemplated shoving a slice of cake into his stupid adorable face.
"I'm sorry, it's just so funny how on edge you are."
Kyoka adopted the classic grumpy expression and turned her head away from her boyfriend, pouting with her arms crossed. "I hate you."
"You just proposed to me."
"No! I...Goddamn it stop messing with me!" Kyoka snapped, charging towards her boyfriend with her jacks bared. Johnny began laughing as the two ran around the treehouse in circles.
"NIGERUNDAYOOO!"
"NUH UH, I'M WISE TO THAT TECHNIQUE NOW!"
Kyoka took a deep breath, and lept towards the wall, the Hamon in her body sparking, and proceeded to jump off the wall to tackle her boyfriend from an angle.
Johnny, however, stood as stiff as a board. He had used the Spin to reinforce his legs in a defensive stance. Thus, Kyoka was really just forcefully hugging him.
"I bet you think you're sooo smart, don't you?"
"Joestars are natural tacticians." Johnny replied with a smirk.
"Shut up. Johnny...I'm nervous because I'm serious about this, serious about you." Kyoka said, stepping back to look her boyfriend in the eye. "Our relationship has become something special, we both know this. So...I want to start dating with the intention to tie the knot one day. That's what I meant by all of this."
Johnny's expression turned warm, recognizing that the time for antics was over. "I get it, and all joking aside...I would like nothing more."
Kyoka presented the box again. "I know it's a bit cheesy...but I really wanted to make this count. They may just be accessories...but that music note? I'm giving it to you to tell you...that I'm yours."
"Ditto."
"I just solidified my commitment to our relationship in the most sincere way I could, and all you can say is 'Ditto?'"
The couple both burst out laughing.
"You know I appreciate it." Johnny said, taking the music note pin from the box. "Alright Kyoka, shake on it?"
"Shake on it? I...I mean sure."
"Did you have something else in mind?"
"Well I was envisioning something a little more romantic."
"Is that why you lit candles?"
"I-I uh..."
Kyoka looked down in embarrassment, her cheeks turning red as she extended a hand to shake. Johnny began laughing, taking her hand and pulling her into a kiss. Kyoka punched him in the shoulder as she leaned into it, wrapping her jacks around the back of his neck.
Once they separated, Kyoka sighed. "I should've expected you to make this hard for me."
"I make everything hard for you."
"Yet, I still tolerate you for some reason." Kyoka said with a smile. "Sometimes, it's still hard to believe I ever got to meet someone as frustrating...and as wonderful as you. I mean it, I fully intend to marry you one day."
"Not if I beat you to it."
"No, fuck you I'm proposing."
"You got the confession and this, I get to propose."
"You do realize that I'm going to remember this conversation, and I'm going to try and beat you to it the moment we're ready." Kyoka said, teasingly poking Johnny in the forehead with her jack.
"Not if I buy the ring ahead of time." Johnny responded.
"Maybe I've already bought it. Maybe I'm already ten steps ahead of you."
"How? Rings are expensive."
"You do realize we get paid by the Speedwagon Foundation, right?"
The purplette continued to poke her boyfriend in the forehead, giggling as he tried to bat it away with his hand, but her newfound speed was making it rather difficult for him to do so.
"Stop it!"
"Pfft~ ha ha ha ha!"
Johnny sighed as he finally caught the jack between two fingers, and narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend. "Why are you the way that you are?"
"'Cause."
The former jockey shook his head, and examined the pin in his hand, smiling. It was one of his real, full smiles, the kind that never failed to melt Kyoka's heart. "It doesn't really matter who gets down on one knee in the end...as long as we're together. As much of an asshole as I am...I...I'm grateful for you, Kyoka. I'm yours as well."
Operation: Do Something Meaningful For Your Asshole Boyfriend is complete.
Santana sighed as he entered the boat's cabin, deactivating Genesis. They were now at sea, ready to confront one of the deadliest sea monsters of all time.
"Lord Santana, may I have a moment?"
The Pillar Man raised an eyebrow, and turned to see a silhouette covered in spikes standing in the doorway. "Penance, please sit."
Mugen Itami was a man with a lot of baggage. One of Santana's more recent recruits, his Quirk Punishment allowed him to build up pure energy, but only when he was in pain. The more punishment he took, the more energy he stored.
As a result, Penance, Mugen's alter ego, wore a suit designed to be as painful as possible. The spikes were not for show, but were constantly digging into his muscle with every movement. Luckily...he had a healing factor to compensate.
The armor, however, also doubled as Penance's skin, he was nothing but exposed muscle underneath.
He had been one of Ujiko's test subjects, designed to create some sort of ultimate lifeform. Chances are, his Quirk was probably being saved for a certain murderhobo.
Luckily, Santana's forces had demolished a few of Ujiko's labs, freeing him.
The spiked helmet of Penance stared back at Santana as Ujiko's victim spoke. "I would just like to express my gratitude, bringing me on a mission with you. It's...nice to know there's someone out there who cares about people like me."
"Well, after reading Ujiko's file on you, I knew I had to take you in. Not only because you could be a great asset to our cause, but because you embody it. Now...as for what we're up against..."
"I'm ready!"
"Too ready my friend, too ready." Santana said with a smirk, pulling up his map. "We should be reaching it's last known location in about thirty minutes. I'd say make yourself comfortable...but you'll need all the strength you can get."
"I was hoping you'd say that!" Penance said, jumping up and down. "Ooooh, I wonder what it's going to do to us!"
Oh yeah, Penance was a masochist.
It was a side effect of his Quirk, whenever he was in pain, he craved more. When he was fully healed he was fine, but when his adrenaline was pumping, his Quirk responded by compelling his brain to seek more power, therefore more pain.
Of course, this led others to judge him for something he could not control, calling him a freak and a degenerate. Santana, however, knew Penance's true nature: he was a noble soul.
"Hopefully nothing fatal. Keep in mind this thing poses a danger to me too." Santana said, rolling back his shoulders as he dug around in the back, pulling out a giant gun. "I prefer melee...but we can't afford to get too close, or we'll be devoured. How's our sniper?"
"Still in the crow's nest. I don't think she likes me."
"Be patient...the world has not treated her kindly." Santana said, stepping outside, activating his Stand. "See to it that Compress is prepared."
"Yes Lord Santana!"
The Pillar Man stepped out, putting his hands on his hips as he gazed up towards the crow's nest, where the silhouette of a woman was perched, dutily watching the horizon...probably trying to avoid communicating with them.
He could feel her eyes on him, studying him, judging if he was a worthy ally or not. It made sense, the only reason she agreed too join up with him was to get out of Tartarus, plus his ideals struck a cord with her.
Unfortunately, she had her fair share of experience with liars. It was only natural for her to want to abandon naivety for skepticism.
I knew the heroes had some crooked dealings after reading AFO's notes on Touya Todoroki, and the truth of Endeavor's misdeeds. To think that such a man is number one...and even challenging me on top of it.
Still, I can't help but feel sorry for Dabi. While Kars was never outwardly cruel to me...I was brought up as a tool too. Unlike me, however, he has devolved into a being of pure hatred. I do not have such limitations.
It doesn't matter, the heroes are corrupt. Not ALL of them of course, the OFA group is full of some of the most respectable warriors I have ever met in my many years...but the Hero Public Safety Comission?
Nothing but heartless bureaucrats.
"You know, we aren't going to bite!" Santana called up, and he heard a snort in response.
"Don't Pillar Men eat people?"
"I don't, not anymore. Besides, we eat through absorption, we don't physically bite our prey."
"Listen, I appreciate the jailbreak, but I don't trust you yet." The woman responded, leaning over the side of the crow's nest to look Santana in the eye, before jumping down.
The Pillar Man couldn't help but take in her appearance once she landed. It was simply in his nature to analyze, and she was certainly an interesting character.
Her dark blue hair sported pink streaks that blew in the wind, cut short. She wore black sleeveless dress that concealed a variety of weapons, and a set of combat boots. Her purple eyes gave off a sense of serious intensity, and also a sense of sadness.
It was pretty clear that Lady Nagant wasn't going to be easy to convince.
A former pro hero, she was used by the Hero Commision to silence anyone they believed could upset the status quo. Villain...or otherwise. Disillusioned by being forced to commit these acts, she lost faith in heroes, and ended up killing her superior, landing her in Tartarus.
"I've met people like you, big talkers who never truly follow up on their promises. You can act altruistic all you want, but you're a villain. You lead villains. For all I know, you could be just as bad as the "heroes" that screwed me over."
"Many people would consider you a villain too."
"They don't know the truth."
"I do. That's why I broke you out."
"You broke me out because my skills are useful to you, that's why you're bringing me along on your stupid monster quest." Nagant replied with a glare. "The only reason I agreed is because you got me out of that joint, so I owe you a favor."
"Or...perhaps you joined because you had hope that I am legitimate." Santana replied, his eyes drifting over towards Compress and Penance, who were having a rather pointed argument about the spiked villain leaking blood all over the deck. "You saw that I take in the outcasts-"
"Outcasts are easy to manipulate...just like children." Nagant replied, bitterly. "Groomed to be political assassins instead of the heroes they dreamed of becoming. I'm helping you out because I owe you, any other interpretation of my actions is wrong. Once we're done here, I'm leaving."
The assassin gave the revolutionary another pointed stare, before heading back to the crow's nest, huffing.
"Bitch." Penance said with a sour tone, and Santana shook his head.
"No, she's not a bitch...her spirit has been broken. She's lost, confused, and she really doesn't know what to believe in anymore." The Pillar Man said, staring out into the horizon.
"I know what that's like."
Momo descended into Exodus' lab, getting off the ladder with a huff. Walking over to the workbench, she studied the blueprints Ulric made of the Metal Gear, and began creating miniature versions of the parts she needed to replace.
She was going to make it functional again, fully. Having a Metal Gear on their side was too good of an opportunity to pass up. In the event of a true emergency situation, it could prove to be an asset.
"So...fancy place you got here."
Momo froze as a silhouette appeared in the doorway to the library, and immediately created her bo staff, pointing it at them. "Who are you?! What are you doing here?!"
The silhouette revealed itself to be the pro hero Hawks, holding his hands up in surrender. "Relax, I'm a good guy."
The ravenette stared at the easygoing speedster with a mix of shock and confusion. "How on Earth did you find this place?"
"Well, I went looking for it of course. When Mt. Lady mentioned a few things about a group of kids that singlehandedly took down a mastermind and his giant gundam, I had to check it out for myself. Especially since you're the same group that took down the Necromancer."
"W-wha-"
"The Hero Public Safety Commission sent me over to America to deal with him when they caught wind he was planning on coming here, I ended up fighting off an assassination attempt with Diego Brando's crew instead. By the time it was over, he came here and was put under Santana's protection by DIO. Then...the Joestars and a ragtag group of kids took him down."
"W-well..."
"Then there's the issue of the disappearance of Susan Cujoh's body. An autopsy report I managed to recover revealed extensive damage to her internal organs, they looked as though they had imploded from the inside, as though they had been vibrated." Hawks turned to Momo with a blank expression. "Interesting, huh? Wasn't your friend Jiro near the spot where Susan supposedly fell to her death?"
Momo narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare try to arrest her. She had no choice."
Hawks blinked, and then waved his hands in front of his face. "Nononononono! I'm not blackmailing you or anything! I'm trying to make a point here."
"Which is?"
"Your group has more experience than any student really should have. I mean, you guys have been forced to kill. That being said...you guys may want to be in the know about this."
Hawks reached into his coat and pulled out a file, setting it on the meeting table. "Go over this with your teammates, considering your group's history, this is something you'll all want to be involved in."
Momo slowly reached for the file, staring at Hawks inquisitively. "You...do realize that we've been involved in acts of vigilantism. With everything you know about us, shouldn't you be opposed to our activities?"
The blond man sighed, and turned around. His eyes conveyed a sense of tiredness, a look that didn't quite suit the witty and energetic hero he played on screen.
"I've been trained to be a hero since I was very young. I've seen the nastier side of this profession. Hell...I've even had to participate in it. Your group...it has given me hope, hope that a new generation can right the wrongs of the old. You don't act for money, or popularity, or maintaining the status quo...you kids genuinely try to do the right thing. In other words...I believe in you guys."
The ravenette was at a loss for words. Not only had the number two hero located Exodus, but he had managed to keep tabs on them, deduced Kyoka had been the one to take Susan's life...and proclaimed his faith that the Musketeers could make a better future.
The number two hero believed in what they were building, and actively encouraged them.
"Thank you, Hawks. I'll let the others know."
The winged hero gave her a thumbs up, and climbed up the ladder and flew out of the cockpit. Momo watched the pro hero fly away through the window, her mind buzzing. Taking the file, she opened it to get a clear look at what Hawks wanted them to know.
"Oh...oh that's not good."
"Er...Lord Santana?"
The Pillar Man looked up from his Pina Colada to find Penance twiddling his thumbs. "Yes?"
"Nagant says there is a bunch of weird yellow rocks surrounding us."
Santana spat out his drink all over his subordinate, and ran to the side of the boat. Sure enough, they were surrounded by yellow "rocks" on both sides. "Oh no...GET US OUT OF HERE!"
Compress jumped, forgetting how intimidating Santana was when his voice was raised, and ran over to the engine. "WHAT'S WRONG?!"
"WE SAILED RIGHT INTO IT'S MOUTH!"
"OH FUCK!" Penance shouted, realizing their predicament. The spiked villain began dragging artillery out onto the deck, readying a gatling gun near the bow. "I thought you said it was farther!"
"IT WAS!"
Santana knew damn well that those weren't rocks, they were teeth. The monster had left it's mouth open, waiting for the poor sucker who sailed right into it. He could imagine that beneath the waves, he would find a disgusting submerged gullet.
Using his Stand, he got to the back of the boat and turned his arm to air. He then began spinning the air, picking up a gale as the teeth began to lean towards each other.
It was closing it's mouth, if he didn't act now, they'd all be in it's digestive tract in seconds.
"DIVINE SANDSTORM!"
Using his master's technique, he used the strong winds to push the boat even faster, just barely making it as a giant building-sized maw slammed shut, jutting out of the water. A black, soulless eye resembling a shark's was focused on them, hungrily eyeing it's next snack.
The Leviathan had spotted it's prey.
The Leviathan was thought to be a monster put on this Earth by God, but lacked a female counterpart in order prevent the species from destroying the world.
In reality, it was a Stand.
Resembling what can only be described as a cross between a great white shark and a moray eel, this Stand had developed a physical body as a result of it's many, many years on this Earth, going through multiple evolutions.
Someone, long ago, had greed and envy that matched no other. Some greedy seafaring bastard passed through the Bermuda Triangle, which was actually a location known as a Devil's Palm, and awakened this massive monstrosity. He used to to swallow ships and plunder them from his Stand's stomach.
He became rich, but his Stand had grown too powerful, too much of a threat...and eventually his greed, envy, and gluttony had taken on a life of it's own within the Stand. It swallowed it's own user, digesting him, and traveled the seas in search of more food, never being satisfied.
However, it eventually fell into a deep hibernation.
Every 200 years, it would reawaken and consume everything it could over a two month period, before returning to the deep.
Now, it was awake once more...only to find a Pillar Man ready to kill it. It had already consumed several fishing and cargo ships, and if Santana could kill it for good, he could earn the respect of the companies it harmed.
The real question is, could he kill it?
Himiko Toga sat in her wheelchair, pouting.
She had wanted to help Santana fight the Leviathan, but she also understood that as of right now, she wasn't exactly capable of fighting at sea. There was no way to keep a wheelchair steady on a rocking boat without her being restrained, especially with a giant sea monster attacking it.
Still, it bugged her.
To think, a man who kicked the crap out of the original League had suddenly turned into her most important person. Someone who gave her respect, and eventually love...
Real love.
She still wanted to become him, but something had clicked within her head...that didn't necessarily mean literally taking on his appearance. No, she wanted to be like him, strong and confident, badass to a fault, and a code of honor that earned the admiration of an entire organization.
Himiko sighed, looking at herself in her phone. The scars from when Diego Brando clawed her eye out were fading, but they were never going to go away. She had tried to stab Izuku that day, wanting his blood, but thanks to Santana's influence and treatment of her, she had finally come to understand that she basically just tried to hurt him.
If anything, she drove her crush away.
Plus, she was still a villain. Himiko still murdered people, and deep down she knew she was still fucked up in the head...why would a righteous person like Izuku ever look her way?
Ochako? Same deal, especially since Himiko had actually hurt her.
However, in Santana's new world, one without outcasts...maybe they would finally be able to understand her. Maybe they would know that her actions weren't malicious in nature...they would have to right?
God...I wish I could just get out of this wheelchair. I can walk, but my spine isn't fully healed, so I could hurt myself again. I want to help Santana, I want to fight alongside him!
His dream is mine!
Himiko wheeled over to a computer in the meeting room and quickly got to work, tapping into the weaponry on the boat.
I can still help!
Santana grunted as he redirected the boat away from another attack from the giant serpent, shuddering at it's grotesque appearance. A strong, pungent fish smell filled the air as the Leviathan ducked back under the sea, the waves caused the boat to rock dangerously to the side.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU GET US INTO?!" Lady Nagant snarled, angrily taking shots at the beast with her arm rifle. "I SHOULD'VE STAYED IN MY FUCKING CELL!"
God damn it! Quit your whining already, I told you this was dangerous! Santana snapped back in his head, being forced to redirect the boat yet again with Divine Sandstorm. We need to land a solid blow, preferably in it's skull...
"PENANCE!"
The spiked villain raised his head, and saw the Pillar Man's icy blue pupils trained on him from the eye holes on Genesis' mask.
"Now would be a good time to unleash your power."
Penance nodded, and extended his arms. Two bloodied whips made out of his own muscle came shooting out of his wrists, crackling with red energy.
"That is disgusting." Compress commented, shuddering at the ghastly sight. Penance strolled up to the bow of the boat with calm confidence, his spiked boots clanking against the wooden deck.
"You're right...I AM DISGUSTING!" Penance shouted as he raised his muscle whips to the sky. "COME ON YOU BIG UGLY BRUTE! LET ME SHARE MY DISGUST WITH YOU!"
The Leviathan burst from the sea once more, gunning for the boat, when a red flash struck it in the eye. The surprised beast let out a loud earthplitting roar, only to be hit once more by a circle of spinning flame.
Santana had turned to magma, and had launched himself at the beast once it was distracted, digging his burning fist deeper into the Leviathan's injured eye, burning it from the inside out.
The sea serpent shook the pillar man off as it shrieked in agony, it's eye melting into a foul red goo. Santana suddenly stopped in midair, fire shooting from his feet.
The Pillar Man had taken inspiration from his observation of Endeavor, shooting fire from his feet in order to fly.
Santana grabbed one of Penance's muscle whips, and heaved the villain upwards. Penance curled into a spiked ball on the way up-
When the Leviathan suddenly regurgitated a mass of debris and bone, and Santana had to put up his guard as a pianosuddenly slammed into him.
I have to give my sympathies to Tom and Jerry.
Luckily, Genesis protected him from most of the damage, but Penance couldn't relate. The poor man had wood lodged in the chinks of his armor, and was bleeding profusely...
Oh wait...that was a good thing.
"THAT'S RIGHT, HURT ME MORE! MAKE ME SUFFER!" The spiked villain yelled with glee as he hurtled back towards the boat, blood flying everywhere from his multiple impalements. "PUNISH ME!"
Santana rocketed back down towards his falling comrade, catching the cackling masochist in his arms, and took a look around him. It was really only a matter of time before the beast took a chuck out of their boat. It already had surface level damage, and-
*CRUNCH!*
The Leviathan bit off the front of the boat, it's good eye focused on Santana with malicious glee.
This thing knew what it was doing.
The Necroturtle shrieked as Izuku grabbed him and hoisted him out of the cage. "WOAH WOAH WOAH! I DIDN'T DO IT!"
"Liar." Izuku said with a dark look, throwing the doppelganger of his old nemesis on the table. "What the fuck is this?!"
"Ow! Jeez, I know you like it rough-"
"TALK!"
"Deku...you're using Blackwhip..." Ochako said, stepping forward and putting a hand on Izuku's shoulder. He had indeed been using his second Quirk out of anger, and he soon calmed his anger down to a broil, sighing as the tendrils went back into his arm.
"I've seen enough hentai to know where this is going." The Necroturtle quipped.
"Shut up."
"What?! It's a callback!"
"You need to be careful Deku, we don't want you to go out of control again." Ochako said, concern on her face. Seeing Izuku this angry was a foreign concept to her, but he had mentioned multiple times that the Necromancer brought forth his rage.
"Sorry Uraraka...alright Thriller, explain what is in this file that Hawks gave us, because it sure looks like it has something to do with the other you." Izuku said, glaring at the skeletal turtle.
The Necroturtle grumbled and glanced at the photos on the table, and began cackling.
"Hehehe...hee hee hee hee! It worked!"
"What worked?" The greenette growled out.
On the table was a set of photos depicting paranormal activity. A bloodied, pale naked humanoid running across a road, a large boat with flickering searchlights, and a mysterious silhouette surrounded by camera glitches and blurs...and the final photo...
A page that looked like it was ripped out of the Necronomicon.
"Well...the eye wasn't...my only backup plan you know. I have other ways of ensuring my particular brand of chaos. You see...my original self decided to rip a few select pages from the book just in case he died...and..."
"So what you're telling me is that we still have to clean up after your BULLSHIT?!" Izuku said with a snarl. "What did you do?! What are these things?!"
"Well, to put it simply...I put a...dark magnet of sorts in Mustafu." The Necroturtle said with a grin. "I have no idea what these things even are, but considering this city is already a hotspot for the supernatural...I made it so more evil things show up. They're drawn here now!"
Izuku threw his arms up in the air, grunting in frustration. "Even dead...he's still putting people in danger!"
"Hey, at least I didn't rip out the page where I wrote a smut fanfiction!" The Necroturtle retorted, and Ochako stared at the reptilian doppelganger in disbelief.
"You wrote a dirty fanfic in a book of ancient evil?"
"Smut fanfic belongs in there, don't you think?"
"You wrote...what is wrong with you?!"
"I'm a fucking psychopath, did you really expect me to make rational decisions?!"
Izuku pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing full well that his old enemy was about to start describing the smut fanfiction in excrutiating detail. Deciding that hearing whatever was going on in the Necroturtle's demented pervert brain was the last thing he wanted to have happen to him today, he spoke up. "I suppose we have to get Valentine to check the Dark Universe for any missing pages so we can destroy them here."
"Oh no, once a page is ripped out, it becomes it's own entity. It's much weaker than the entire book, you could probably just burn it." The Necroturtle said, walking across the table to grin at Izuku. "That is, of course...you can avoid whatever is being drawn to it."
"Why do I have this feeling that you already know?" Izuku retorted.
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't."
"You definitely do. I know better than to rely on you."
"...and I can rely on you, Izuku Midoriya. We know each other so well!"
Izuku shook his head, tuning out the Necroturtle's taunts as he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
I won't deny that...I do know him. I know that he is a skillful manipulator, a pretty damn good liar. He thrives off of chaos...so who's to say that any of what he just said is true?
This might have nothing to do with the Necronomicon, he might just be taking credit to throw us off...
Or...he's being entirely truthful, knowing full well I wouldn't believe him.
God...I fucking hate that guy.
God...I fucking hate that thing. Santana thought to himself as he flew back towards the boat, carrying Penance by one of his whips. The front half of the boat was gone, and it was now sinking into the depths, his allies on the verge of becoming serpent chow.
SHIT!
Without missing a beat, he threw Penance into the air, and slammed into the Leviathan's head the moment it poked out of the water, knocking out a few car-sized teeth in the process. Turning around while the creature was dazed, he summoned his hammer and chucked it towards the boat...
For Compress to capture it in a marble. His comrade unveiled another marble. "Remember when I said not to worry about the boat?!"
"Yes!"
"That's because...I BROUGHT A SPARE!"
Compress threw a marble in the air, and a second boat landed in the water. Santana couldn't help but smile beneath his helmet. All of the guns on the other boat came online, and opened fire on the sea serpent.
"LAY OFF MY FATHER FIGURE YOU BIG BLUE BITCH!"
Himiko!
"You two never cease to impress me." Santana said, giving his cohorts a thumbs up as he continued to hold the monster off.
"I'm confused...YOU came up with this plan?!" Nagant said as Compress helped her onto the other boat. "I thought the Pillar Man was your leader!"
"He is! A smart commander let's his soldiers think for themselves! He has a few plans of his own, I'm sure." Compress responded. "Santana...simply had faith in me, I couldn't afford to disappoint him."
"Yeah...he's probably nice to you so you feel that way..." Nagant muttered.
"I used to fear him...within good reason, he was my enemy once." The magician replied, before gazing up at the Pillar Man with admiration. "Then...I finally saw him for what he truly is."
"Which is?"
"Out of all the villains I've met, I've only seen a bunch of coals...but Santana? He's a diamond." Compress replied as he loaded the marble containing Santana's hammer into one of the guns.
"A diamond...I'll believe it when I see it." The former pro hero said with a snort.
"No, he's literally a diamond right now."
"Oh..."
Santana was sparkling in the sunlight, and it was blinding the gargantuan creature's one eye. He had taken advantage of a diamond's reflective properties. This allowed Himiko to redirect the gun to aim at the Leviathan's throat.
However, it also made him heavy. It was taking everything he had to stay up in the air.
"SANTANA! MOVE!"
"Got it!"
Santana resumed his normal form and flew back to the boat, just as the gun fired his hammer into the Leviathan's gills, showering the crew and it's boat in blood. Santana then held out his hand, and his hammer ripped itself out of the gills, blowing a huge hole in the side of the beast's neck, and returning to Santana's hand.
The Leviathan made a loud roar/gurgling noise, before sinking back into the depths, turning the sea red all around them.
"Aww...it's already dead?" Penance whined, slumping his shoulders. "I was gonna do this cool thing where I jumped into it's mouth and shit."
"That would kill you Mugen. Your healing factor isn't powerful enough to stop digestion."
"Oh."
"Wait." Santana held up a hand, his eyes narrowing from the visors of his helmet. "Something's wrong...I still feel tremors underneath the boat."
"You ripped out it's gills, it's probably in it's death throes." Nagant nonchalantly replied, leaning on the railing. "By the way, I'm expecting payment. I didn't come all the way out to the middle of the ocean to kill a sea monster for nothing."
Santana remained silent, staring at the blood red waves, his concentration never wavering.
"Hey...Earth to Pillar Man, you gonna pay me or-"
"Silence."
Nagant scoffed. Rude. He better not screw me over...or I'll just have to make a few anonymous reports. I bet the Hero Public Safety Commission is on this guy's tail...I still have a few contacts thanks to my work for them.
That's when Santana suddenly dashed towards her, arm outstretched. Without missing a beat, Nagant pulled out her arm rifle. Knew it, he was just gonna kill me when-
That's when she felt it. Hot breath on her neck.
Turning around, she found herself staring at the bloody maw of a very much alive Leviathan. It's gross pink fleshy mouth open wide and ready to swallow her whole. Turns out, Santana had every reason to be worried.
Nagant felt a hand close around her arm, and she was roughly thrown to the side as Santana dove straight into the monster's mouth, jumping down it's throat. The force from the Pillar Man's entry was enough to blow the giant creature back from the boat and into the water, sinking along with the Pillar Man inside.
The former pro hero stared at the sea with her mouth open, hardly believing what had just happened. Santana wasn't trying to kill her at all, it was actually the exact opposite. He had actively saved her life.
It wasn't the danger itself that surprised her of course, Lady Nagant was not afraid of death. It was the fact that a villain actually valued her life. The Pillar Man, described by AFO and several prison guards as an "inhuman monster."
Santana just did something that some heroes were reluctant to do. Was...he not a monster after all?
Why? Why would you value me? You barely know me, I was deliberately rude to you. I gave you reason after reason why I didn't believe you were genuine, how your cause sounded too good to be true.
Why save me?!
The Leviathan rose from the waves once more, and the sniper scrunched her nose. Standing up, Nagant turned to Penance.
"You, do you still have that energy stocked up?"
"I do! I'm just waiting to release!"
"Could've worded that better. Alright, I'm going to shoot that thing in the eye and hopefully open a way into it's brain. Then...I need you to do that gross flesh whip flail thing that you were doing earlier with the Pillar Man."
"I need him to throw me."
"No you don't...you just need to aim."
Nagant pointed towards the sinking ship, and it's crow's nest was the only thing poking out of the blood red water. Penance lowered his head, understanding.
"I see...that will work. Good to know."
The spiked villain extended his whips to each mast, and began backing up. The Leviathan reared it's ugly, bloody head, roaring as it's jaw unhinged. It was activating it's true Stand Ability: Gluttony.
It's lower jaw could extend for miles, allowing it to swallow pretty much anything. Ships, whales, sharks, it could even devour half of an island if it wanted to. The Leviathan could eat, and stomach pretty much anything.
Which was why Santana's life was actually in danger.
It's bum eye was also slowly healing. The only way they could truly kill it was by rupturing it's brain. Without their most powerful crewmate...this would be quite difficult.
Nagant ran alongside the deck, extending her rifle as Compress used another set marbles to fling a bunch of cars at the Leviathan, causing it to turn it's head.
Good, a clean shot.
Nagant was about to fire, when an eye suddenly sprouted from it's side, staring directly at her.
...welp, I'm probably fucked.
Leviathan's Secondary Ability: Redistribution
When the Leviathan loses a significant body part, it reappears on another, harder to reach part of it's elongated body. That's how it survived getting it's gills ripped out, they reappeared near it's ass.
Eventually it's body would rearrange itself so that the redistributed body part would be in it's normal place.
Of course, it's an evolved Stand. It probably has three abilities, as most evolutionary type Stands have a max of three acts. Although I heard a rumor there's a Stand with a fourth act somewhere in Mustafu...whatever.
That means this resilient fucker has one more ability left...and it's probably a last resort. We are far from the first people to try and kill this thing.
Penance, however, launched himself at the beast regardless.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" The sniper yelled as the spiked ball slammed into the Leviathan with a red flash.
"Buying time! It's getting crankier, did'ja notice?!" Penance called out, wrapping a muscle whip around his fist and punching into the beast's side, unleashing a blast that blew apart it's flesh. He then dug in, beating further and further. "Lord Santana is doing something to it from the inside."
Nagant looked closer, and she realized that small wounds were appearing on it's hide. They were gushing both blood, and jets of air. Santana was tearing it up from the inside using Divine Sandstorm, mortally wounding it.
The sniper took aim, putting on her eyepiece, and fired.
The Leviathan went rigid since the bullet hit it's reforming eye socket. It slowly turned it's head to face her...
Then began to produce warts.
Ew.
A foul green liquid began pouring out of it's skin as the Stand began sinking into the water. Just then, Santana burst through it's side, hurtling towards the boat and crashing onto the deck, groaning in pain.
Upon looking at the Pillar Man, she could see that the flesh on his arms and legs was burned away, Genesis' armor had been destroyed by the Leviathan's digestive system. In fact, his body was beginning to ooze a glowing yellow liquid, and was now smoking.
"GET HIM OUT OF THE SUN, HE'S EXPOSED!" Compress screamed, and Penance lept on top of his boss, trying to protect him the best he could. "UMBRELLAS, SHIT, WHERE ARE THE UMBRELLAS?!"
"You...compressed them...remember?" Santana choked out, lifting his head. His one blue eye was exposed, and was gazing at his subordinate with a kind of warmness that Nagant couldn't help but acknowledge.
She had actively tried to stay in the sun after the prison break, due to her mistrust of him. However, that meant that she never saw the man's face. He always had Genesis up to protect himself. Now that she caught a glimpse...she was struck by how human his one eye looked.
Compress set up the umbrella, and Santana deactivated his Stand. His reddish orange hair fell to his shoulders as soon as the helmet disappeared, and she was met with a warm smile. He looked human, he looked...strangely kind.
"You took charge back there...thank you."
"I...why did you save me?" Nagant asked, genuinely wanting to know the answer. "You put yourself at risk to save my life, why? I'm a villain, a lowlife...I betrayed the government! I'm scum!"
"No, you're misunderstood. You're a victim." Santana replied as his wounds healed. The Pillar Man shifted his weight, facing her. "They used you...just as we all have been used. I too, was bred as a weapon, as was Penance."
The spiked villain nodded his head somberly, shuddering.
"The Hero Commission used you as a tool, and threw you aside when they were done with you. They made you an outcast...and I intend to make them pay for their sins. You aren't their only child soldier after all. I told you when I broke you out, I wish to create a world in which everyone has a place to belong, where there will be no outcasts. I will make a new beginning...a GENESIS."
The wounded Pillar Man struggled to his feet, taking the umbrella in his skeletal hand as he did so.
"Why did I save you? Simple...your life has meaning, Kaina Tsutsumi. You're more than just a gun."
Lady Nagant stood there, almost bolted to the deck. Her expression remained composed, relaxed, but it was clear that she was shocked by what she just heard. It almost looked like she had something to say...
"Well, I can give you your payment the moment we reach land." Santana said, turning towards the cabin to rest. "Leviathan stomach acid hurts like a bitch. I guarantee you, you will be paid handsomely."
"Thank you...er...Pillar Man."
"Yes?" Santana asked, turning his face back towards the former pro hero.
"I...wouldn't be opposed to...doing more jobs for you, if you have need of my services." Nagant said, her eyes drifting to the side. "As long as you keep paying me."
The Pillar Man smirked. "I'll call you then. Thank you for the help."
"It's nothing."
Santana walked into the cabin and slumped onto a couch, groaning. Compress sat across from him, taking his porcelain mask off. "We did it...and I think you finally got through to her, at least a little bit."
"Now the seafaring companies who asked us to do this will support us. Their shipments are free to cross the ocean unharmed. Although...I'm curious about the green stuff it released as it died...wharever...I am in a lot of pain."
"You got digested."
"Yeah...not my most shining moment."
"So...we could be dealing with Necromancer's shit again?" Kyoka asked, frowning.
"Maybe, he could very well be lying. He's always been a giant gaping asshole." Katsuki retorted, glancing at Hawks across Ulric's operating table. "So, we got the number two in our corner now, super."
"Yup. So...I got info on the ghost ship. It's called The Barge. It was essentially a mobile prison, the USA's answer to Japan's Tartarus. It seemed to be pretty secure, until they brought in a prisoner they couldn't handle." Hawks said, placing a photo down.
It was of DIO Brando.
"Why the fuck did DIO of all people get himself locked up in there?!" Johnny asked, standing up.
The number two hero raised an eyebrow. "DIO? Your great-grandfather mentioned that name during poker nights...care to explain?"
"He was the arch-enemy of the Joestar family, dedicated to wiping us out of existence." The young Joestar said with a grimace. "He makes All For One look like a preschool teacher."
"He's dead, but he's been running around as a ghost. He attacked Ochako and our B team not too long ago." Kyoka added, her face morphing into a glare. "Whenever this blond bitch is involved, shit hits the fan."
"He's also the father of Diego Brando." Gyro added, and Hawks blinked.
"Diego mentioned his father was a villain...so this guy is bad news?"
"My dad still has nightmares about him." Johnny said, glaring down at the photo. "His presence is enough to set any member of my family on high alert, even as a ghost. Why did he go to prison?! It doesn't make sense!"
"All I know is that he trashed the place and caused a mass breakout. The Barge was left in ruins, lost at sea...and now it's in Japan, coincidentally when all of these other things are occuring." Hawks said, narrowing his eyes.
"Why hasn't anyone investigated it directly?" Momo asked, crossing her arms.
"They tried...but they came back with burst eardrums and some audio. It's too garbled to tell...but I'll play it "
Hawks produced a small recovering device and pressed play, and the sounds of violence filled the room. Ochako turned her head as the screams of the investigator filled the air, followed by inhuman screeching.
"Wait, replay that!"
Kyoka had jumped up, pointing at the recording device with a jack. Hawks rewound it, and played it back, and the purplette put a hand to her forehead, staggering back.
"Woah!" Johnny quickly moved towards his girlfriend in an instant, but Kyoka held a hand up.
"I-It just said my name..."
"What?!"
"The thing that was screeching...it...it said Jiro. It said my last name!"