Chapter 1: The Lost Children of Ankhseram
He had made it in time; alas, he could not prevent his brother from obtaining the final piece of his mad plan. The First laid on the floor, powerless, wholly rid of Ankhseram's curse. The town was in ruins, the guild- his home was barely standing, and he had a hole in his abdomen.
"Natsu…" Zeref smiled sadly as he watched his brother stumble back courtesy of his devastating blow to the younger man's midsection. The raw magic of the Lumen Historia burned away the blood that dripped from his palm and belonged to his most dangerous beast. "I wish you weren't alone in this hour…I wish I could have stayed, but this world created nothing but pain for everyone."
Natsu stumbled to the side as he got up. "I am not alone…Zeref…never, not even when I thought I was abandoned, I wasn't…" Natsu's voice cracked as he kneeled. Fire and lightning broke around his being as his already Dragon Force-embodied form began to morph. Zeref's eyes widened at what he was seeing. The gap in his abdomen began to seal as fire sprouted inside his being. Horns protruded from either side of his head with blood-red scaly texture, his large fangs grew, and all his teeth sharpened. His limbs turned to that of a dragon's, and wings similar to that of Igneel's sprouted out. The guildhall started to shake violently at the chaotic energy the Fire Dragon unleashed.
"You are not the same demon I created five hundred years ago…Igneel's magic…perhaps his very soul has dissolved into yours…truly magnificent!" Zeref spoke excitedly. "But I am afraid…that will not help-" The black wizard's eyes widened when he felt his invincible body be punctured in the gut.
Natsu's mouth was next to his ears, and his body felt as if it was on fire. "This is my home; they are my family…and you attacked them." Natsu then glanced down. "Hm?" Only half his massive claws went inside the older Dragneel's abs as a firm hand grasped his dragon-scaled wrist. It shook, fighting against his raw strength, but did not waiver into letting him overpower the immortal. The Dragon Slayer reared his head, slammed it on his brother, and sent the mage flying to the corner. He chased down the eternal with fury and raised both claws above his head as blood-red flames engulfed them, further elongating the dangerous talons.
"Demon. Dragon. Human! I don't care what others call me as long as I have Fairy Tail!" Zeref's eyes widened as he summoned a defensive spell to block the slash. Natsu's powerful talons clashed against the barrier that began to crack. For a brief moment, he saw the haunting image of Titania switch places with his brother before breaking his barrier and forcing him to jump out of the way, but before he could entirely dodge, a stream of fire in the shape of a serpentine dragon shot after him that originated from Natsus hand and once again he saw his brother's form switch to the Ice-devil Slayer who overwhelmed his defence and shattered half of his body into dust.
The will of Fairy Tail is preventing the conflicting seeds within him from taking over…giving him access to powers that should have driven him to madness! As Zeref's body reformed, he saw not one man or demon standing against him but an entire guild through one man. Then he saw it from the corner of his eyes. "You!" With her final ounce of strength, Mavis held her hand up, showing the Fairy Tail symbol and a smile on her face.
"Y-you can't destroy them, Zeref…you are not strong enough to break this guild."
Zeref's eyes narrowed, and as he looked at the charging dragon, he sent the transformed Dragon Slayer to the other side with an open palm. "Enough! This ends here!" But like a bullet, he was back on his case, and the brothers traded blows that further brought the once proud guild to the ground. Natsu's feet lit up before a blast propelled him towards the immortal. The black wizard summoned the pure energy of the Lumen and Ankhseram and rushed with might to match the rage-induced Dragon. "You can't stop me, Natsu!"
"Fairy Tail will not end here! I won't let you! Fire Dragon Kings Exploding Flame Blade!"
"Dark Abyss Exploding Blade!"
Those battling in and around Magnolia saw the white dome of light that erupted from the town. The Dragon King, who raced to the fight, had a maniac grin as the dome of light swallowed him, but it didn't end there as it engulfed the nation's continent and spread to the neighbouring ones. The Dragon Gods who stayed hidden watched the approaching magic wave.
Ignia smiled as he chewed on the fruit. "Damn, you aren't messing around…Natsu." He bit into the fruit as he too, was swallowed by the light.
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It felt as though he had a very uncomfortable afternoon nap. One from which he wanted to get up and leave but simultaneously wanted to sleep by finding a better position and cosy up. Was there something I had to do? Was there something I was doing? He thought as he squinted his eyes.
"Hello, brother…"
Natsu's eyes snapped open. What the-! In front of him stood the original Dragneel with his usual calm smile as he looked down on him. The dragon slayer tried to jump up to deliver a finishing blow, rattling the cage as he tried to break it. The metal lock over his mouth refused to melt even as he attempted a breath attack at full power. He couldn't even move his fingers as they were locked by something even his incredible strength couldn't make a scratch on. He was completely immobile. And the man who was hell-bent on destroying the world was standing before him. Where was he? Did he lose?
"You lost." And the mage left him there in the cage. He did not know how long he was alone. No food or water came for him; only darkness was around him since Zeref left him here. But one couldn't be bothered with the time when they were plagued with the question of what had happened. For two years, he trained after the demise of the Fire Dragon King. He had channelled Igneel's power for his fight against Zeref. But in the end, that did not work and he was left with only the option of using the form he used to defeat Animus. It was only half back then; he felt his mind slipping into a bloodthirsty rut back then, but this time, when he let that side of his take over, he felt his friend's will acting as a dam that sealed the madness. But then what? Did it not match the Emperor's magic?
"Hey," Natsu opened his eyes to see an old man look at him. "Can you hear me?" He asked. "Are you able to understand me?" Unable to respond, he stared at the old man in the large white robe. "Blink twice if you can understand me." And he did just that. "Good. My name is Irene. I am a high enchanter, using the last of my power to possess this body. So you better listen. This cell and the surrounding complexes are made to keep you inside. When I free you, you have to follow my every instructions to get out of here in one piece." Natsu blinked twice. "Ok, good, this body has already started to rot…" The male-bodied Irene cursed out at the end as she brought both hands to either side of his face. "Once this lock comes off, it is going to be pandemonium. Ready?" She didn't need to wait for his answer as she summoned the residual of her ancient magic through the mortal medium. With a loud click, the locks fell off, and she quickly withdrew her arms as she saw the flesh begin to fall off.
"What happened? How did I get captured by Zeref? Where are my friends?" These were the questions that the Dragon Slayer asked as they ran through the maze-like prison. Natsu was surprised at the speed the corpse-looking old man ran ahead of him.
Irene looked over her shoulder and a small chunk of her flesh peeled off. "I am afraid I can't answer all those questions right now; know that you are the only one from that world here!"
"Wait…" Natsu suddenly stopped and took a few steps back. "I remember a high enchanter from the war…Erza was fighting her…are you her?"
Irene sighed; it wasn't her body that concerned the mage unfaced by the expeditiously rotting flesh. She should have figured the man would eventually find out. He wasn't perhaps as clueless as he acted. "Yes, I am also Erza's mother."
Natsu nearly stumbled. "Wait, you are Erza's mom?" He repeated.
"Yes, I have not much time-"
"But you are a guy!"
"Dear lord, give me patience!" Irene groaned. "Listen, Natsu, you still have a chance! You can prevent this world from ending, too!"
"Wait…what are you talking about?" Natsu once again stumbled to a stop. "My world ended?"
Irene reached into her sleeves and pulled out the scarf that Igneel gave him. Natsu took it from her hands and quickly wrapped it around his neck. "Fiore is gone, Ishgar; the whole world was erased from existence when you and Zeref fell into that portal."
"What portal and…" He looked to the side to see his reflection on the tiled wall of the Holy City. "…why am I a kid?"
"Zeref sealed you away eight hundred years ago after the two of you entered into this reality, but he planned to revert your being to its form at creation so that he could modify you into becoming his real brother. He wanted to erase your memories…but couldn't alter your feelings for your guild even in that stasis." She stopped at the door. "And once you were awake, he couldn't put you back to sleep, and your ageing began its cycle again."
Natsu frowned and looked at the man curiously. "How long was I awake for? It felt like at least a few days have gone."
"Eight years," Irene revealed before leaning back to get a better look at the mage. "You look somewhere near fifteen."
"No way! I saw Zeref like a few days ago." The Dragon Slayer exclaimed.
"Eight years, Natsu," Irene affirmed. "I was working for him all these years trying to find a way to free you."
Natsu's eyes widened dramatically, and he nearly yelled out. "Oh no!"
"What is it?" Irene asked after looking around for any movement.
"How am I going to fit in?! People will be weirded out by a mature personality in this body!"
Irene looked at him flatly. "I think they would appreciate it, but you don't have to worry about that." She said. "We kept tabs on you back in the day, and from that, I am fully confident in you to act as a reckless teenager naturally."
"Ah, thanks, Ida!" Irene wanted to scream and kick the child-man. She wondered how her daughter lived with this man in her life. But her legs failed for a moment, and she had to lean on the wall to regain her balance. It was like controlling a puppet with strings, and the lines were breaking away fast, and the tool was falling apart.
"Listen-" Before she could say anything, an explosion rocked the plateau where they stood.
BOOM!
The massive blast rocked the hallway, blew off a section, and threw the two back. Once the debris cleared, they were exposed to intense heat and the night air. Irene was shocked as she watched the indestructible halls blown off and on fire.
"I don't understand…" Then her senses kicked in. "Dragon magic…" She saw Natsu getting up from the rubble, shaking off the debris from his head and body. Suddenly, the Dragon Slayer looked out where the ground was crystalised and the surroundings scorched. The high enchantress looked in that direction as she finally sensed the presence standing miles away at the fire's origin. It was at the very edge of the land where she felt this magic but could not see due to the physical body she was stuck in. Any more enchantments and this rotting body of the noble would dissolve into porridge. But Natsu saw the person—the red hollow sun tattoo above his heart and the bright orange hair. The man gave a taunting smile at him as their eyes met. He also saw a salmon-skinned giant man who held a look of shock at the destruction that was the orange-haired…dragon's work. "That is a dragon…one of the old blood." He didn't respond to Irene as he watched the possible culprit vanish before his eyes. A golden blast occurred above the clouds, and a silhouette similar to Igneel momentarily appeared before disappearing.
But then the salmon-skinned large man ran past them at inhuman speeds into the gaping hole left on the other side of the wall. And for a brief moment, their eyes met, and Natsu saw their determination as he disappeared into the shadows. A moment later, he heard the crunching of bones and screams of people before the sounds of cages being ripped open were heard. The stench of death and misery wafted into his nose, and his eyes narrowed as he watched creatures of all shapes, sizes, and colours swarm out of the darkness and into the burning land. But they did not cry from the fire but rejoiced as they threw shackles and ran for their freedom. Natsu knew which way his mission was.
"Come on, pops." Natsu suddenly grabbed Irene, who tried to protest.
"No, Natsu, we must get you out of here!"
"I can't." Natsu narrowed his eyes. "I still bear this mark." He looked over his shoulder, and the high enchanter saw the guild mark that had survived all the experiments. "And as such, I hold a sacred duty, a duty I cannot forsake for anything, to vanquish evil." Irene tried to struggle as she channelled her magic.
"But you are not thinking about the greater picture; you are our only-" The following words from the Dragon Slayer killed whatever she was about to say.
"Erza used to be a slave; did you know that?" Natsu stopped once they were inside the chaos.
"…"
"I can smell it in the air, the pain and sorrow…I can feel their cry for help. There is no bigger picture than what is right before me." He placed Irene behind a pillar. "And that man…he needs help." Natsu ran off towards where he saw the salmon-coloured man struggling with guards preventing him from reaching the cages. He opened his mouth, and much of the fire surrounding them whirled into him. "Now I have a fire in my belly!"
Irene watched in utter helplessness as centuries of her planning went down the drain. "Damnit, all!"
Fisher Tiger had made his peace when he chose to scale the walls of Marijoa. He knew there may not be a return, either killed or worse. He was still shocked by the stranger who approached him and asked if he needed a hand to wreak havoc. He was sure the man must have been joking or a potential enemy but couldn't ignore the sense of danger that wafted off him, just like haki but more sinister. He felt the sting on his back as a haki-powered guard slashed his back, leaving a large gash. He turned around and kicked the head of the man but was stabbed on his side by another. The guards were swarming him fast while some went and prevented those slaves whom he freed from releasing the rest.
Chains whipped around his neck, his wrists and his knees, and powerful slave keepers pulled him down onto his knee. He struggled to pry them off, but they had caught him in firmly. The possible leader of the guard came in front of him with his halberd drawn. "You are done freak. We are going to catch every one of those slaves, and when we do…we are going to take extra care of your fish folk…" A twisted smile came over the guard captain's face. Tiger snarled and tried to pull the chains but was utterly immobile. "But first, your head!" The halberd came down on him, ready to cleave him in half vertically.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" The heat was tremendous, but it did not burn him. There was a boy in front of him, his fist in flames as he intercepted the blade on its sharp end, melted the whole weapon and burned off the arms that held it to a crisp. But it wasn't over. The attack exploded, swallowing everyone around him; with his sheer will, Tiger kept his eyes open, not backing down from his stare off with death even though it was the worst way a fish folk could go. His eyes widened when he was encased in the red flames but was not burned; his clothes, however, were a different story, and he felt as if he was in a highly high-heat sauna, otherwise unhurt. But the same couldn't be said for the guards and their end of the chains that melted along with their bodies. "Talon!" The salmon-haired boy flipped and brought a flaming kick to an Armament Haki user who had his entire body covered. The kick made contact with the guard's lower jaw, and he saw it bent and shatter before the body was thrown off. He felt the chains drop, and just as they lost contact with his body, they, too, melted. It was as if the fire was sentient knowing precisely what and whom to burn. Just as the boy landed, he saw an army of guards charging at them. "Sword Horn!" Like a cannon, the boy shot at the wave of guards covered in flames. The resulting explosion scared the normal guards into a frenzy, now trying to flee along with the slaves. Tiger looked at the boy who stood a hundred feet away from him with his back towards him. He saw him suddenly look over his shoulder and give a pleasant grin and a thumbs up, and the fierce fishman saw himself giving a thumbs up back and a nod. "Natsu!" The Dragon Slayer yelled.
Quickly understanding what the stranger meant, the Fishman returned the gesture. "Tiger!"
Having half of the work done, Natsu looked at the fleeing forms of the guards. The salmon-skinned man was already on the move, ripping cages with his bare hands, and Natsu proceeded to do the same. With his bare hands, he caught the bars of a two-hundred-foot cage, digging into the steel, ripping the whole thing off its hinges, and placing it on the side, surprising the giant inside. "Go on, big fell! Get out of here!" He cheered, and the barely clothed giant with numerous scars ran out. His ears twitched at the sound of stifled cries behind him, and he looked over his shoulder. "Huh?" There were three women, one standing outside the cage and two inside. All three wore battered clothes and stared at him in fear as he walked over to them. The orange- and green-haired girls were inside the cage, and the black-haired girl had a baton in her hands, which she seemed to have used and failed to break the cell. He saw the two inside the cage hide behind the girl who put a brave face as she walked towards them.
"Stay back!" She screamed and swung the baton.
"Hey!" Natsu looked at her, annoyed, otherwise unhurt. He then grabbed the lock and, with ease, ripped it off the gage and opened the door. "There!" And he ran off to help the others, leaving the three sisters shocked.
But the older sister grabbed her two siblings. Sandersonia! Marigold, we need to go now!"
"Yes, sister!" They ran, followed by the older sister, who briefly looked over her shoulder to see the disappearing form of the salmon-haired boy who saved them. He was not much younger than her, but his strength was fearsome, having scared her to the point where she couldn't even save her sisters. Then she passed another figure, the Fishman, who freed her; he watched the strange boy run into the darkness of the dungeons. She promised she and her sisters would forever hate the men of the world, but here they were indebted to two. But hopefully, the two will perish here and their debt with them.
Tiger watched the man indiscriminately free the slaves just as he did. The darkness lit up now and then with blasts of red fire, and he saw more and more of the slaves come out. He turned around, and from the corner of his eyes, he caught someone hiding in the darkness. He grabbed a flaming plank and went over, and his eyes narrowed. On the floor was a withered old man, a celestial dragon. Tiger brought his free fist to the air, ready to finish the job on the old man before time did, but to his utter surprise, the old noble raised gers, and he was on his knee in excruciating pain. Listen to me. Tiger gasped and looked at the man who hadn't moved his lips. It was a feminine voice. I am not your enemy; this body is. It will perish, but I can't let you destroy it before I save that man who saved you. Tiger looked at him in confusion. He remembered passing by the two when he went into the dungeon.
"Who are you?" Tiger asked. "Who is he?"
I am but a ghost… He saw the rotting intensify. But he is someone for tomorrow who can change the world…you must leave while you can; I can only save him in my current condition. Tiger felt the hold on his release, and he got up.
Irene watched as the Fishman fled the scene, and she could hear the pair of feet running in her direction. "Yo pops! Ready to go?" With a grin, he swung her over his shoulder and ran out.
"Natsu…" Irene began. "I don't know if you will ever see your friends again…" Irene gasped. "But if you ever see my Erza again…tell her I tried…I tried saving you."
Natsu didn't stop running, he could feel the magic disappearing from the old body. "What are you talking about? We are almost out!" A wave of dark energy slammed into the two, throwing them into a guard post. Natsu took the full brunt of the attack and lay unconscious next to the old noble.
From the fire, Zeref walked out calmly. "You cannot escape with him, Irene." He stopped, towering over them. "He is right where he belongs." His eyes fell on the Dragon Slayer. "He is chosen to be my General."
"Maybe we can't escape you…" Irene spoke as she glanced at the Dragon Slayer, who was on his knees in the rubble of furniture. "But I can save him. Universe One: Hope!" The place where the Dragon Slayer became nothing more than a six-foot-wide crater.
Zeref's eyes narrowed. "Alright, Irene, you can do this the easy way or the hard way. I will find Natsu no matter which rocks you have hidden him under." The black wizard held her up, crushing the rotting body's windpipe. But to his anger, the high enchanter only laughed.
"You are a fool, Zeref, if you think you can find him." Her arms fell off. "Saving him from you was the mission…surviving it was just a thought."
Zeref's eyes became red as his death magic began to emanate. "What have you done?!"
Irene's body dissolved. "I pity you, Zeref…when you found me…we were both chasing our ghosts…but I saw hope…I saw my child…"
"Tell me where you sent Natsu, Irene…or I will find her Irene, and I will show no mercy for your act…"
"Goodbye, your majesty…" The noble's body melted in front of him, his joints falling off as Iren's soul dissolved into nothingness as an effect of her spell.
Zeref threw the remains in his hands to the side and looked out into the night. "I will find you, Natsu…"
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The calm waves of the East Blue splashed against the hull of the mighty dog-figure-headed battleship. It was a sight for visitors of the East Blue to see the vessel of the legendary hero, Monkey D. Garp's sail in these waters. There was no rebellion in place, dangerous pirates or a calamity that required the World Government's attention to the point they needed to send their most battle-hardened and decorated hero. Of course, none dared question his admiralty. No, this was a journey the Vice-Admiral occasionally took to his quiet, tiny home in Foosha village for well-deserved recreation and to beat up his no-good grandchildren, which was part of said recreation.
Zzzzzz...
The loud snoring of the said person broke the silence on the deck, but none of the officers or soldiers paid attention to it, seemingly used to his free and 'I'll do whatever the hell I want' attitude. Garp lay on a beach chair in the centre of the front deck like a lion taking a nap in front of its cave after a successful hunt. He was in shorts and a loose Hawaiian shirt with the buttons opened, showing his broad, muscular chest with a few scars here and there. His black hair was cut with a flat top, and had whitening sideburns and a black goatee. He had his right arm hung loosely onto the wooden board and the other limply placed on his lower abdomen while a small snot bubble expanded and contracted at his nose.
"Vice Admiral, sir!"The call of an unlucky ensign about to face a manly lecture on letting men sleep burst the comical snot bubble on the sleeping marine and made him jump up in surprise with a startled face; his eyes widened, stretching the scar above his eye a bit.
"Huh? I was lecturing Luffy?" Garp looked around in a daze as his sleep still controlled what was left of his mind, which still couldn't make out where he was. The ensign who woke up the Devil got a few moments to enjoy his mortality until the Vice-Admiral shook his head and shot a glare at him. He towered over the poor fellow and spoke. "It better be Roger coming out of his grave and raising an army of undead and unkillable pirates in an island-sized ship with a super cannon that could wipe out a hundred warships!"
"Uh...no sir..." The sailor spoke nervously, increasing the Admiral's fury further.
"Then?!" Garp asked with annoyance and anger.
The sailor gulped nervously as he wondered why none of his comrades involved themselves. "There's a lot of wreckage in front of us and a boy's floating on one of them." He managed.
Folding his arms, he gave a thoughtful look, going silent for a moment. "What the hell are you morons waiting for?!" Garp snapped, causing his subordinates to stumble back while the ensign who brought the information was shivering like a mound of jelly.
"T-There are some small s-sea kings circling the b-boy." He managed.
"So? Fire those cannons!" Garp walked over to starboard, closely followed by the few crew members who were brave enough to follow the tyrant.
"The boy's too close; he might get hit too." Rubbing his forehead in annoyance, the Admiral pulled off his Hawaiian shirt and, without any delay, jumped into the sea.
"What the?!" Some of the newer ensigns yelled in shock at the man's action, clearly unfamiliar with his physics-defying strength.
Unaffected by his crew's concern, Garp swam fast towards the speck of pink hair he saw from his ship, and true to their words, there were a few small sea kings that could be classified as no more than Class C monsters. "Bunch of wussies who couldn't even save a brat..." Of course, having won a silly bet with him, his lieutenant was probably not alerted by the crew. However, they should know that Commander Bogard wasn't one to shy away from his responsibilities as he could already hear the man yelling out orders, pissed that such an issue was not notified to him. Upon the Garp's arrival to the wreckage of what seemed to have been wooden boards, the Sea Kings fled the scene.
The Admiral grabbed the wooden plank on which the boy floated and lightly leaned on it for stability to inspect the boy's condition. He was maybe a few years older than Ace; wet, spiky pink locks covered his head and had the right cheek pressed on the plank. Most of his upper body was exposed with a torn-off shirt. He gently pushed the hair off the boy's face and was greeted with disappearing scales as his skin returned to a smooth tan, much like his.
Pressing his ears to the boy's nose and hearing his breathing relieved him. "Hey, kid." Garp shook the boy lightly and got a low groan in response. "Good. Keep a hold of that breath; I'm going to getch'you outta here, ok?" He heard the rescue boat nearing him and lifted the boy towards his men, who immediately grabbed hold of him only to find out he didn't come alone; in the submerged hand of the boy was an ominously black scarf with scaly patterns, which soon receded into white.
The Marines tried to separate the scarf from the boy, only to find that his grip was as firm as an iron lock. "Dammit, he ain't letting go!" A sailor who was trying to get it off complained.
"Leave it willya? He doesn't want that scarf off him." Garp, who climbed on the boat, commented. " Bogard, take a couple of men and sweep the area, see if you can find anything." The commander ordered his men as the boat docked against the ship. "I'll take him." He bent down and swung the boy over his shoulder before jumping onto the ship effortlessly.
"You heard the boss; get on with it." Lieutenant Bogard, a man dressed in a beige suit and fedora hat of the same colour, ordered. He had a katana strapped to his hip and an officer's coat draped over the shoulder, and he barked commands and let the boat row into the debris.
Meanwhile, on board the battleship, the Vice-Admiral carried the boy to the cargo crates and placed his limp body over the draped boxes. The ship's doctor rushed with his instruments, placed the stethoscope on the pink head's chest and mindfully observed.
The Vice Admiral spoke with a sigh. "He's fine, doc, maybe a bit screwed by the sea water..." The doctor looked up and nodded.
"You are right; there seems to be no disturbance in his heartbeat or blood flow." He opened the boy's eyes, revealing unfocused obsidian pupils and inspected them with his small medical torch. "Yes, he's fine, maybe exhausted." The doctor concluded as he took out the surgical scissors and cut off the few pieces of clothing remaining on his shirt. "Hmm...his body is well nourished and in top shape..." The doctor spoke as he searched for any scars.
"Yea, I figured that out..." The Vice-Admiral thought back to the disappearing scales on the boy's face.
"Admiral?" The doctor looked weirdly at the Admiral.
The old man sighed. "Never mind..." Garp waved at the other man's look. "Get him cleaned and prepare some food for him..." He ordered the sailor who stood near them.
He walked over to the side and looked at the search party scour through the wreckage. "What the hell happened here..." His eyes narrowed right before his head fell backwards, and his eyes shut, and a snot bubble started to blow on his nose. He was asleep, right on the spot, standing. The team that was sent to search the area returned with little results. The Vice-Admiral's right hand man got on the ship and ordered the sailors, who quickly tied the baggage to the rope that was sent down from the ship. The Lieutenant turned to look at his commanding officer, and sweat dropped at the sight of the sleeping man.
POP!
The snot bubble burst, and the Vice-Admiral woke up startled. "Huh? Whaa? I fell asleep again?" He rambled before he saw his lieutenant. "Got anything?" He enquired, not at all concerned about his embarrassing action just now.
As it seemed, the lieutenant was a man who stuck with the Vice-Admiral from the time the man chased the Roger pirates, fought the Rocks and was pretty used to his ways. "Yes, sir, only a little though." He replied smoothly. Garp folded his arms and nodded. "The forensic tests are en route." He added.
"Okay, find something and report to me." He commanded one of the ensign's next to him
"Yes, sir." The younger man replied.
An hour flew by, and the ship was once again on its course to Dawn Island. They were expected to arrive at noon two days later, and the Vice-Admiral was very excited about the idea of meeting both his grandkids. 'Hopefully, those two got the prospect of being Marines drilled into their bird brains...' The old man thought.
He was interrupted from his line of thought by the sound of the foot stamping on the wooden board. "Sir! The forensic results are ready." A petty officer stood behind him in attention.
Letting out a sigh, Garp looked over his shoulder. "Yea...be there in a minute..." He heard the hurried taps of the feet of the sailor. Soon enough, he began to make his way inside the gigantic ship. Hopefully, some trash his men found will give him a picture of what happened in the most peaceful ocean in the world. It can't be a spoiled Celestial Dragon who found joy in screwing up the lives of ordinary people again.
Why?
One, that boy was far from ordinary. Two, that bastard Sengoku would be on his ass to make space for those bastard nobles on his vacation with his grandkids. Three, there wasn't much to see in this monotonous peaceful sea that would cause a lazy ass fat bastard with a god status to make their way here. Well, other than Roger…that was a ghost of the past now.
The room he entered had a big table in the centre, a couple of bookshelves and regular shelves with equipment, two tube lights and a small round window. On the table was all the junk that his crew collected. "Whatchya got for me, Bito?" The Vice-Admiral asked the only other man who was present in the room.
He was a tan-skinned, slightly chubby man wearing a brown suit with a lab coat. His black, slimy, long hair was combed slick backwards, and he had thick, square black framed specks and a clean-shaven face. "Well, I know one thing for sure." The man spoke. "That all this," He pointed at the junk on the desk. "…isn't from a shipwreck." The forensic chief confirmed.
"Then?" Garp folded his arm and looked Bito in the eye, clearly showing his impatience.
"It happened far inland; these are parts of chairs, not seaworthy, building planks, concrete materials, spears, arrows and whatnot. Either it's a military or civilian gathering inside a building that went wrong." The Vice-Admiral looked at him weirdly. Bito deadpanned. "We are New World Marines, sir." That made the commander's question about how all this reached here more apparent.
"Alright, doc, I am out!" Bito didn't bother replying as the Vice-Admiral was already out of the room and walking over to the main deck.
"Vice-Admiral, the boy's awake!" A slight smirk came over the man's face.
Natsu
Everything was on fire at first, then everything became wet, naked and dry. He slowly opened his eyes; now everything was hazy and blurred beyond recognition. Why is it always everything and not just a part? But what was the giant flat-topped object staring at him with a wide grin? Grin? So it was someone. "W-who are you?" He groaned as he reached his forehead with his palm.
"What's up, kid? How ya feeling?" The booming voice of the old man echoed through his little head. Like a bolt of lightning, pain shot through the boy's body, although it lasted only for a few seconds. The Vice-Admiral frowned. "You ok?"
"Yeah...just a bit dizzy." He rubbed his forehead. "What happened?" Natsu looked up, squinting his eyes to focus his vision.
"You tell me, we just found you floating in some debris." The old man answered. Natsu's eyes closed. His mind reeled back the events that took place recently.
The War. Zeref. Irene and the stranger who felt like Igneel. In the end, it all came down to nothing. The Immortal and The Demon were the belligerents in a war that ended their world. He did not know what happened after that, and he couldn't remember what happened to Irene after he had freed the slaves.
"Boy? You ok?" The Vice-Admiral asked.
"Huh?" Natsu looked up once again, blinking in confusion before giving a nod. "Ya I'm fine, just thinking."
Grrrrr
Garp raised an eyebrow in amusement at the sound that resembled his own stomach coming from the boy's. "Well, my granddaddy always told me to never think in an empty stomach." He advised. "Now, let's go get something to eat." He turned around and walked out of the room, quickly followed by Natsu, who wrapped the scarf around his neck. He didn't bother with a shirt and continued with the shorts.
"Who are you?" The boy Dragon Slayer questioned as he stumbled through the ship in his new body.
"You can call me Garp." The Vice-Admiral looked over his shoulder and gave a grin.
A few minutes later, lunch was being served
The crew could only term it one thing. Chaos. Food was getting butchered and massacred...even though it was dead to begin with. The boy was a black hole; he alone had finished the entire stock of sea king the old man caught two days back, and they feared he would start with the ship's regular rations. That would be catastrophic, even as a thought.
"Damn, that hit the spot!" Natsu let out a barf, which was soon followed by one of Garp's.
"Yo, Kid, why don't we go to my office so that we can figure out what to do with you once we port." The Marine Hero didn't wait for a reply and left the mess hall.
"So, old man, where am I?" Natsu curiously asked Garp as the latter opened the door and waited for him to enter the office.
"East Blue." Garp stared at him for a moment and closed the door. "On board my ship." He walked around his desk and sat down before kicking off his boots, dropping his feet above the oak and folding his massive arms as he leaned back. Time passed since Natsu realised his one true weakness no longer plagued him, but at the same time, his memories took their place instead. He knew he was turned into a kid for some purpose; he also knew what Ezra's mother did. He sensed Zeref as he slipped into This was his chance to do it right, to make the next confrontation with his brother the last one. "Big fight, eh?" Natsu looked at the Vice-Admiral abruptly; the old man was looking at the setting sun from his window with a calm face.
"What?" The teen asked in confusion
Garp 'hmmmd' before crossing his arms. "That look you had on your face earlier and now," Garp began. "I know that look; it's not something a boy your age should have." The dragon slayer remained silent. "But I can't say I haven't seen that before…"
Finally, a defeated smile tugged his lips. "Heh. That obvious, eh?"
The Oldman shrugged. "I am not gonna pry, kiddo, but you seem like the kind to brush off pain," Garp stated in his observation. "At least Physical ones."
"Really? How can you tell?" Natsu asked with a raised brow.
"When a man is determined to a level where he is willing to cheat death, you just feel that. Call it my fighter's intuition, but I'll be damned if you are a normal snot-nosed brat! Bwahahahah!" He laughed out in an odd tone that shook the ship comically.
"I don't know how most of it happened. But I was in a battle with my brother, and I guess I lost…our world is gone, and I am pretty sure this is not my world; I look like a kid, don't I?" He began. "When I woke up, I was chained, and this old dude saved me…and there was this salmon-skinned man…he said his name was Tiger, he broke free a ton of slaves that were kept in the dungeon near where I was." There were a few minutes of silence between the two as they just sat there until the pinkhead decided to break it. "So, what's this Admiral thing people call you by?" He was genuinely curious, and this curiosity would be the building stone of a great Naval Officer who would bring down real justice in the coming days.
Garp was confused, but something told him there was some substance to what this boy was talking about. "Well, we are the guys who keep the Seas clean..." only to be interrupted by the boy.
"Like the garbage man?" Well, the Great Marine part will have to wait. A lot of explaining needs to be done here. It's probably more than what an average person wants.
"Yeah…someone like that."
XxxxX
I wanted to develop the background later on. But then, this angle made a lot more sense to me.