Flames of the Sun God
A One Piece Fanfic by GreyNimbus
Author's Note:
Alright, let's get this out of the way.
I'm sure a lot of you are curious about "Fourth Gear: Stick-Man", and I'll happily enlighten you.
Stick-Man is very similar to Snake-Man, the only difference being that Luffy's physical body doesn't change shape or size from his base form, but the Haki coating on his limbs is more or less in the same places. There's also the alteration of the coating around his eyes, which now cover his ears, stretching across his eyes and over the top of his nose, like a bandit mask. I dunno, use your imagination.
So, to simplify, it's basically a much slimmer version of Snake-Man, but without the use of Luffy's stretchy powers to inflate his muscles, keeping himself thin by comparison, kinda like a stick figure, hence the name.
Stick-Man is designed to utilize the full extent of Luffy's Haki, without the use of his Devil Fruit powers. This form is inferior to the other forms of Fourth Gear, so it'll mostly be used as a contingency.
I've explained it as best I could, so I hope I was able to paint a clear picture for you all.
GreyNimbus out!
OP/Luffy, Mature/Luffy, EarlyDFAwaken/Luffy, NoPairing
Disclaimer:
One Piece is owned by Eiichiro Oda. I do NOT own anything One Piece related. Obviously(!)
Chapter 6 — Luffy's Resolve
Completing his transformation, Luffy's piercing red eyes glared at a shocked Byrnndi World, whose arms were shaking at the sight of this overwhelming display of power.
Snapping himself out of this intimidating distraction, World quickly grabs a large spike-ball flail hanging from the wall and starts swinging it around above him.
"More-More Fiftyfold Speed!"
The flail was now spinning so fast that it seemed invisible, causing a strong gust of wind to blow throughout the room, sending a majority of the lighter weapons to fly around the room, like they were caught in a tornado.
"Furious Hammer!"
World shouts as he brings down the propelling weapon onto Luffy, stopping the strong draft. Once the dust settled, it revealed the spiked ball at the end of the flail stopped right above Luffy, who caught one of the large spikes with a single, Haki-coated hand, just inches above his head.
Luffy didn't even flinch or take a single step.
"WHAT?!" World shouted in disbelief.
"Is that all?" Luffy asked in a low, casual voice.
Not giving him time to react, Luffy tossed the spiked ball over his head, pulling World closer to him and causing him to lose his balance.
Luffy closed the gap dashing underneath World's falling form before delivering a powerful uppercut to his gut, causing him to lose his grip on the flail, and sending him flying toward the ceiling.
World's flailing body rocketed up, before recovering in midair. Coughing up a splash of blood, he puts a hand over the spot where he got punched. Looking down, World sees Luffy rocketing towards him with a powerful jump.
He now understood why Sebastian was taken down so easily, also realizing that he seriously misjudged the young, black-haired fighter. His first and easy win against Luffy had made him overconfident, which has now come back to bite him.
But he thought of a way to turn the tables around in his favor again.
"More-More Seventyfold…"
"Eagle…" Luffy chanted at the same time,
"...Speed!"
"...Gatling!"
In an act of desperation, World unleashed a barrage of Haki-coated fists down toward the incoming youth, to which Luffy was able to intercept and counter every single punch with his own with equal speed. They both yelled out in their assaults, creating small shockwaves with every impact, with random streaks of small, black lightning radiating out of Luffy.
"Still think I need a weapon?!" Luffy shouted through his teeth, his arms still punching away.
"Don't push your luck, kid!" he yelled, "You're just wasting your Haki! Hundredfold Speed!"
The speed of World's punches increased even further. Luffy couldn't keep up and was overpowered with devastating blows to his entire front before crashing back down to the floor, creating a small crater on impact. After the dust settled, he was panting and hissing in pain.
World landed in front of Luffy's fallen form, towering over him like a mountain. Before he could get back up, World quickly picked up the shuriken he dropped earlier and threw them at Luffy, trapping his arms and legs.
Completely immobilized onto the floor, there was nothing Luffy could do to fight back or defend himself. Already, the Haki of his Fourth Gear was starting to fade away.
"Just as I thought," World said, grinning, "You're too reckless in your actions and that came at the cost of your brother's life. Even now, you're no different."
Luffy flinched severely. Hearing those world again hurt him more than any punch he had to endure.
And World knew that.
"You may have powered up a little in this new form of yours, but how long did you think that would last?" World said, pointing out Luffy's flaws, "If you had come here without sealing your Devil Fruit powers, whatever they may be, you might've actually put up a decent fight for more than a minute."
Luffy growled at his mocking declaration.
"Not convinced? Then allow me to teach you a little something about Haki," World declared, "Despite its useful capabilities, there is a limit. If you overuse it, it'll deplete, rendering you vulnerable to the point of exhaustion, and you won't be able to use Haki again until you give it time to recharge."
Luffy was shocked at this new information. He just got the hang of using Haki whenever he wanted but had yet to learn from Rayleigh about the repercussions and negative side effects.
Before he could attempt to break his binds, World slammed his Haki-coated fist right into Luffy's stomach, causing him to scream in agonizing pain, coughing up blood, and his eyes rolling in the back of his head.
The world around him began to fade away in darkness.
"If you leave now, you might never see your friends again!"
"A wimp like you isn't strong enough to save anybody!"
Luffy's mind was haunted by hurtful memories of his recent failures, reminding him of how being reckless led to the misfortune that he and his crew had suffered in the past.
"I never… wanna make them go through that again…"
…And worst of all, it led to him losing the only brother he had left.
"I'm so pathetic… so weak…"
"You're too reckless in your actions and that came at the cost of your brother's life."
He hated to admit it, but World actually had a point.
Throughout the entirety of Luffy's journey as a pirate, he only relied on his strength to get the job done. Mainly, his role was to beat up whoever was the strongest of any enemy faction that he encountered while leaving his crew and allies in the dust. Luffy was always so optimistic, having so much unconditional faith in his friends to break through any obstacle that they may encounter.
In the end, they all came home with a few cuts and bruises. Some suffered far worse injuries than others.
But Luffy didn't realize sooner that the further they traveled into the Grand Line, the stronger and more enemies there are. And their defeat at Sabaody Archipelago, which led to the crew's separation, was the clincher.
Even though they were lucky enough to reach the end of Paradise, the halfway point of the Grand Line, they were far from ready to consider taking on the challenges that awaited them in the New World.
That's what all this training was for, so Luffy would never have to worry about endangering his friends again. He wanted his crew to see him as the leader that they all deserve. Because, without his friends there with him, he would've died shortly after he first set sail.
To him, being a better person meant changing who he is. To become the most powerful fighter. To become a Captain that his crew can truly depend on.
To become King of the Pirates.
"Come ooon! Wake up already, idiot! Time's a-wastin'! Get back out there, you damn fool!"
Luffy's unconscious face was currently getting slapped silly by a… clown?
Sitting right on Luffy's chest, whose limbs were now free from their bindings, trying to slap him awake, was a slim blue-haired man with clown makeup and a big, round red nose on his face. Part of the motif was he had crossbones in the form of an X painted down his face, two blue lines over his eyes, and red lipstick.
He wore a red and white striped shirt with short sleeves, white clown-issue gloves, a grey sash around his waist with a matching scarf around his neck that was tucked into his shirt, a pair of loose pants reaching down to his calves, just above his striped socks and pointy shoes. Hanging from his shoulders was an orange, fur-lined captain's coat. He also had an orange hat with his Jolly Roger on it sitting atop his head.
Buggy the Clown — Captain of the Buggy Pirates, the latest addition to the Seven Warlords of the Seas, former pirate apprentice of the Roger Pirates, one of Luffy's first rivals... and a completely misjudged fraud.
Despite his title and history, Buggy was a complete weakling compared to most pirates. The only notable thing about him was the power he gained from eating, albeit by accident, the Chop-Chop Fruit, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows him to split his own body into pieces and control them however he liked, with the added bonus that he is immune to slashing attacks.
"What's your problem?!" Buggy screamed while he continued his wake-up slaps, "If you wanna take down World, quit lying around! Get back up and fight, dammit!"
Putting a pause to his slapping, Buggy was now panting, his face dripping with sweat. After catching his breath, he was about to deliver another slap until Luffy's hand lashed out and grabbed the clown's hand to stop him.
Looking down, Buggy saw that Luffy's eyes were snapped open and reignited with his flame of determination, which freaked him out.
Hissing for breath, Luffy muttered, "Maybe I can save them, maybe I can't… But I'll never know unless I TRY!"
Buggy was flung off of him, causing him to hit the ground behind him. Luffy's fighting spirit had returned with a vengeance, his eyes blazing with new resolve. Standing back up, he glared around and noticed Buggy's crew, not even bothering to ask why they were there. Turning to their Captain, Luffy demanded in a venomous tone,
"Tell me… which way did he go?"
Fearful of the revived Straw Hat Captain, the Buggy Pirates all simultaneously answered in unison without hesitation while pointing to the doorway behind Luffy,
"He… went that way."
After thanking his unexpected benefactors, Luffy went running towards the doorway, or, in his fragile state, stumbled, leaving Buggy and his crew behind.
"That guy better be ready for an ass-kicking!" Luffy shouted as he ran haphazardly, "I'm coming for you, World!"
Screaming and running through yet another confusing, cube-ridden maze, trying to find his way out, Luffy quickly found himself lost again.
"I don't get this place," he whined, "Where the hell am I going?"
Suddenly, while trying to get his bearings, the corridors around him started getting blocked off by cubes coming out of the walls, floors, and ceilings, leaving Luffy with only one unblocked path to take.
"It must be a trap, but what choice do I have?" he asked himself while running.
In his haste to try and find a way out, cubes were coming out of random places, trying to crush him. But with his Observation Haki, he was able to detect where and when the cubes would appear, dodging them with minimal effort.
He spots a light at the end of the corridor. Able to avoid the last of the crushing cubes, he made a wild jump through the opening and rolled into the large room, which was free of any cubes. He found himself in some sort of massive engine room, with a large engine in the center of the room that was connected to the wall with a single set of pipes and a control panel.
It didn't take Luffy a second more to realize that he wasn't alone, though.
Standing near him was a middle-aged man with a drop-shaped, rotund body with thin arms and legs, cube-shaped pigtails in his hair that were tied with an orange band, and a thick mustache and eyebrows. He wore a pair of blue-rimmed goggles with green lenses, a blue shirt with white stripes, with the sleeves rolled up to his shoulders, brown gloves with matching boots, and a red scarf around his neck. Strapped to his back was a huge hammer, with two large metallic cubes connected to the top.
"Gairarararararara!" the old man laughed, "Welcome aboard my ship! I'm Gairam, the man who ate the Cube-Cube Fruit! Now, with my powers, I can shape anything into a cube!"
"So this is the bastard responsible for all those annoying cubes," Luffy thought, irritated.
Reaching for his massive hammer, he slams it into the floor in front of him, shouting, "Observe!"
For a moment, it seems as if nothing happened. Then, suddenly, several towers of cubes started rising out from the floor, creating a wall around Luffy, trapping him.
"More cubes…?" Luffy growled, before jumping high through the opening at the top.
The moment he was free, Gairam appeared in front of him, about to strike him with his hammer. Luffy quickly crossed his arms to block it, his arms coated in Haki. He gets knocked to the ground, but quickly recovered. Looking up, he sees Gairam standing on top of the tower of cubes.
"Come on, kiddo, are you serious?" Gairam asks, "You think I'm gonna let you reach the captain that easily? Try this!"
Gairam places a hand on top of the cube he was standing on, chanting, "Cube Booster!"
A bunch of miniature cubes starts shooting out of the larger cube before they were sent flying around Luffy. Like angry bees, the mini cubes start circling around him like a swarm. Luffy, activating his Observation Haki, starts punching the cubes that flew straight toward him.
Being able to deflect every cube, Gairan decided to step up his game. He uses his powers to push one of the larger cubes from his tower, sending it on a collision course to Luffy, who seemed distracted by the mini cube swarm.
But he underestimates Luffy's perception.
"Shave!"
Luffy vanished from the eye of the swarm, reappearing closer to the larger cube that was on the move. Pulling a Haki-coated fist back, he shouts,
"...and Hawk Bullet!"
The cube was shattered into gravel.
"What?!" Gairam yelled in shock, "That cube was made out of corundum! Even with Haki, it should've taken more than that to break it!"
Luffy's eyes widened with wonder when he looked at his hands. The Haki coating now had a slight shade of red, while the base color was still a shiny black.
"Well, that's new," Luffy muttered curiously.
Before either of the two combatants could jump back into action, they heard a voice coming from the cube corridor,
"Crap-Hat must've beaten World by now. Time for us to take cred...I-I mean see how he's doing."
Stepping into the room were Buggy and his crew.
"Who are you?" Gairam demanded, "Wait a second, you must be that other guy that Byojack mentioned. Why are you here?"
Before he could get an answer, Luffy dashed past Gairam and escaped through another corridor, leaving Buggy to pull his own weight for once.
"Hey! Get back here, Straw Hat!", Buggy called out.
"Kick his ass, Buggy!" Luffy retorted, having more important things to worry about.
Luffy had a lot more on his mind as he ran.
First of all, he wasn't happy to admit that World was right about him when he said he was reckless in his actions, but he proved that statement earlier when he overpowered Luffy, even after activating Fourth Gear: Stick-Man. This was only the second time Luffy had attempted this transformation. The first time, he could still use his Devil Fruit powers. In his haste, his body had burned through more energy and Haki than he could supply, which lead to his easy defeat. When you fight someone with Devil Fruit powers that made them faster than the speed of sound, it was nearly impossible to keep up with them, even with Observation Haki.
Luffy had to completely change his game plan if he wanted any hope of defeating Byrnndi World.
One of the obstacles that caught him off guard earlier was the mention of Ace's death. World made Luffy believe, for a moment, that he was the reason he lost his brother. But…
Remembering way back, on the battlefield of Marineford, Luffy was too exhausted to stop Ace from falling for Admiral Akainu's taunt and attacking him. And when Luffy was in a vulnerable state, Akainu took that opportunity to execute the Rubber-Man.
But Ace didn't die because Luffy allowed it to happen.
He died so his little brother could live.
Luffy was too stubborn to die in the first place but was equally as stubborn when it came to taking risks. Before he even made it to the battlefield, Luffy had spent some time recovering from the various deadly poisons that he was exposed to from fighting the Warden of Impel Down. In his haste to rescue Ace, Luffy pleaded for the assistance of his new ally, Emporio Ivankov, to speed up his recovery, which came at the cost of reducing his lifespan by ten years. With Ivankov's Horm-Horm Fruit powers, his request was granted.
This was a prime example of Luffy's folly. One of many that he wishes not to repeat.
From now on, no more crazy stunts.
With his heart set on overcoming this latest obstacle, Luffy reviewed what he knew so far of World's Devil Fruit powers, and came up with a countermeasure.
And this time, he's gonna win.
After dashing through the corridor for a few minutes, Luffy found himself in yet another large, open room.
Looking around, he saw that he was completely surrounded by iron walls, with large, protruding, iron spikes covering every inch, like some sort of giant iron maiden. He noticed the hole in the floor, assuming that was where he was sent flying out of. High above him was a large birdcage, hanging from the ceiling.
"Luffy!"
Luffy's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the cries of familiar voices coming from above him. He spots Sandersonia and Marigold locked in the birdcage.
"Guys! Are you okay?!" he shouted back.
The girls smiled at him in relief.
"Don't worry, I'll get you out! Just hold on a sec!"
Luffy jumps up high reaching for the edge of the cage. He climbs up to the lock, gripping the bars between the door and the cage tightly. He tried his best to pull them apart, but the bars wouldn't budge.
"Careful, Luffy," Sandersonia warned, "This cage of made out of Sea-Prism Stone. That's why we haven't been able to escape."
"Seriously?! Dammit!" Luffy retorted angrily until he remembered what Rayleigh demonstrated to him not long ago, "Hold on…"
He recalled how Rayleigh was able to crush the chain of his handcuffs with a single hand. A green aura flowed into the chain, destroying it from within.
"That's it!" Luffy perked up with a grin.
Firmly gripping the bars with his now Haki-coated hands, Luffy took a deep breath before letting out a smooth exhale. Closing his eyes to focus all of his senses, picturing how Rayleigh managed to pull off Internal Destruction.
So far, there was no reaction after using all his basic senses, so he tried applying a thicker layer of Armament Haki. The results were the same. Switching to Observation Haki, he looked deep within himself and noticed something.
A vision of a spark, followed by a flurry of cherry blossom petals.
Opening his eyes, he was startled when he discovered that his Haki-coated arms were now covered in a red, flowing aura. Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grip on the bars.
After they were easily crushed, separating the latch from the door, he quickly pulled the door wide open.
Before he could forget this new tingling feeling, Luffy remembered what he had to do once he unlocked this power. He quickly brought his right hand over the Sea-Prism Stone cuff on his left wrist. And just like the cage, it broke just as easily. He threw the broken cuff away before quickly moving on to the last one.
He was able to crush the last one, but not enough to break it off completely, when he was interrupted by a large fist slamming into his face, knocking him back onto the floor.
"Luffy!" the Boa Sisters called out.
Luffy was able to recover from the fall a lot easier than he had before. He suspected that some of his rubbery powers have returned to his body. Grasping the feeling that the elasticity was back, he still could stretch far on his own yet. He still needed the other cuff off.
A loud thud sounded in the center of the room, revealing Byrnndi World landing heavily on the floor.
"You've become quite the pest," World said, "Why can't you just give up and mind your own damn business, you pathetic little brat?"
"You think you can kidnap my friends?! Not gonna happen!" Luffy shouted back, standing back up, "Besides…"
Luffy paused, holding up the hand with the broken cuff still on it, "If I couldn't even pull off something like this, how could I protect my crew?"
World raised an eyebrow, hiding his shock that Luffy was able to advance his Haki to be able to crush Sea-Prism Stone. That thought was then overshadowed by his next claim.
"Your crew? Is that really what you're so stuck on? You're so transparent. This is all because you couldn't save your big brother, isn't it?"
World expected a reaction of horror from the boy…
...but Luffy didn't budge.
"Oh?" World continued, trying to taunt him, "By the way, just where are these beloved crewmates of yours? I pity them. Having someone as reckless as you as their Captain? You'll only lead them all to an early grave."
Luffy's expression didn't change, but he did clench his fist.
"I only came here to save the girls," Luffy said, "But I didn't expect to find something more while I was here. Something that I'll treasure for the rest of my life."
"Pfeh!" World spat, "And what could you have possibly found here, besides your tomb?"
Luffy slowly closes his eyes before taking a deep breath. World's answer came in the form of Luffy's left arm, coated with Haki, grasping the remaining cuff on his wrist. The same red aura that he used on the cage started emanating from his Haki again, With a slight grip…
…the last cuff came off and was thrown across the room.
"My resolve!"
The Rubber-Man was back in full force.
World smirked in response, excited that maybe he was finally gonna get a decent fight, now that there are no longer any reserves.
"Balolololo! I'm gonna put an end to this in thirty seconds," World said, arrogantly.
"You won't beat me this time!"
The two combatants were about to throw down for one final tussle.