Flames of the Sun God
A One Piece Fanfic by GreyNimbus
Author's Note:
Thank you for your patience.
I was in the zone when I wrote the first few chapters, so I apologize in advance for taking longer. But the extra time will allow me to make the chapters longer, give me some new ideas, and time to proofread them properly.
Also, I've been really distracted by the recent release of Octopath Traveler II. I've been having so much fun with it, so please forgive me for my procrastination. When I finish the game, I'll have more time to write.
And thank you to all of you who left a Favorite, Follow, and Review for my story. It means a lot to me, and I'm very grateful for your support. I never thought my story would flourish this quickly.
I was just writing this for fun.
But, after just 2 weeks, it's already got 200+ follows and favs? Whoa!
Thanks a lot, guys! Your support is helping me keep this story alive!
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 7 — End of the World (Pirates)
"You won't beat me this time!"
World merely smirked at the Rubber-Man's cocky attitude. He kicks the ground in front of him and thrusts his hand forward.
"More-More Tenfold Shotgun!"
The pebbles and dust that World kicked up shot toward Luffy like bullets, forcing him to dash out of the way. He quickly pumps his legs to accelerate his blood flow.
"Second Gear!"
Luffy jumped into the air and stretched his arm back to give it more thrust.
"Gum-Gum…"
At that moment, World grabbed a handful of the debris before jumping at Luffy and grabbing a hold of his leg.
Thinking fast, Luffy's arm shoots toward World's ugly head.
"...Jet Bullet!"
Luffy slams his accelerated fist into World's face, sending the man spiraling toward to ground. He quickly recovers midair and lands safely. Rubbing a thumb over the bleeding wound on his face, World started fuming with anger.
Luffy, still steaming, glared at World with a calm and cool expression, waiting for him to make the next move.
World charged madly at Luffy, coating his entire body from head to toe in Armament Haki. Luffy stood his ground, waiting for the right moment to predict his movements and intercept them accordingly. His eyes flashed red for a moment as he could see that World was about to unleash a flurry of blows. To match his power, Luffy applied Haki to his arms.
"More-More Seventyfold Speed!"
"Gum-Gum Jet Gatling!"
Blow after blow, their fists clashed in a barrage of punches powered by Haki and a determination to win. Periodic flashes of black lightning sparked from Luffy's side while sending a small shockwave of Conquorer's Haki at his large opponent. This invisible disturbance made the Destroyer of the World flinch, losing his grasp on his current assault and slowing him down, giving Luffy an opening. His Jet Gatling was now pummelling away at World's Haki-coated chest, ceasing his own punches.
Luffy screamed out as his lightning-fast punches were finally putting this rotten old man in his place,
The Rubber-Man finally ceased his attack, seeing that World was still on his feet, but groaning in pain as he now had noticeable bruises all over his front.
"That was for kidnapping Hancock's sisters!"
But Luffy wasn't finished with him yet.
Deactivating Second Gear and Haki, he then puts his thumb between his teeth, "Third Gear!" and blows air into it.
His entire arm was now inflated like a balloon, growing to the size of a giant's arm. He pushes all the air into the end of his arm, which then became a giant fist with an elephantine round wrist. He coats his enlarged fist in Haki before charging at the stunned World.
"Gum-Gum Elephant Gun!"
The giant, black fist came flying at World, who suddenly broke out of his daze and smirked sinisterly at the incoming attack. Just before Luffy's fist could connect, World jumped up high while pulling his arm back and shouting,
"More-More Twentyfold Shotgun!"
He throws the debris, which he picked up earlier, at Luffy, who saw the projectiles coming but didn't have enough room for defense. Without much time to think, he covered his face with his free arm before getting pelted with the Haki-infused pebbles, which Luffy couldn't deflect. Screaming in pain from getting multiple deep wounds, Luffy pulled his inflated arm back.
At that moment, Luffy's arm deflated, the air escaping through his mouth like a geyser. Just as the last of the air got out, Luffy's entire body shrinks down to the size of a toddler. He fell on his back, gasping for air. He didn't know until now that, because of his constant exposure to Sea-Prism Stone, the old side effects of shrinking after using a Third Gear technique were back, even though he managed to get rid of the side effects before Rayleigh placed a handicap on him.
The effects from the Sea-Prism Stone were still lingering in his body. It takes about a minute for Luffy's body to reform to its usual shape and size, but that was time that he couldn't afford.
"Looks like my prediction was spot on," World said as he walked toward Luffy menacingly, "Thirty seconds exactly."
Luffy did it again. He prioritized brawn over brains.
He stared at World, who was looking down at Luffy's pitiful form.
'Crap, what's wrong with me?' Luffy thought, 'Nothing's changed at all! What am I gonna do?!'
World wrapped his beefy hand around Luffy's tiny little body and picked him up like a plush toy. Without the energy to resist, Luffy could only croak as World puts the squeeze on him.
"Save your friends, huh? And your brother?" World said, "Ha! You can't even save yourself!"
Before World could think of what to do with Luffy next, the whole ship started shaking, followed by the sounds of cannon fire coming from outside. World kept his firm grip on Luffy while looking around and trying to figure out what was going on.
"What's going on now?!" World demanded until he was interrupted by Byojack's voice from atop the spiral staircase.
"The Navy's here!" the old man shouted, "And they're launching an all-out attack on our ship!"
The impact from a much larger blast shook the entire ship, causing an explosion above them. The ceiling gave way and the opened birdcage that was still holding Sandersonia and Marigold detached itself from the chain that was holding it and came crashing to the ground, causing the girls to fall out. Hitting the ground hard, their bodies lay there motionlessly.
Paying them no mind, World was distracted by the top of the room being blown off, letting in the bright light of the sun. The metal and wood around it were being melted by streams of lava as if the ship was struck by an erupting volcano.
"The Navy? Balololo!" World chuckled, "PERFECT!"
"What now, World?" Byojack asked worriedly as he came down the stairs.
"I didn't expect the Navy to fall into our lap! Time to change our plan! We got the perfect opportunity to hit 'em where it really hurts!" World turns to the old man before commanding, "Prepare the cannon!"
"Are you mad?!" Byojack shouted back, "If we fire from such a close range, our whole ship's going to sink from the impact!" the old man coughs sickly.
"Who cares?!" World shouted, "Just get it ready!"
"But I thought the ship was–" Byojack started fearfully.
"Was what, a 'symbol of our freedom'?" World finished in disgust.
Byojack gasped in shock, taken back by the dark look coming over World's face.
"Don't you get it? This ship's just a tool for getting what I want," World snarled with a dark grin, "The rest of you always clung to your foolish dreams, but I made up my mind long ago, even before I escaped Impel Down! Then you guys picked me up in this ship, and I saw that massive cannon. So I did what anyone else would do—I decided to take advantage of the situation, and use it to achieve my own goals! It's not like you can blame me, you did a good job building it."
"You've been using us all along…" Byojack fearfully confirmed, "Is getting revenge on the World Government all you care about?"
"And so what if it is?! I don't care about the ship! And I sure as hell don't give a damn about what happens to you dirty traitors!"
"But Gairam…" Byojack was horrified at the man's words, "And Nightin and Sebastian too, they fought for you because you're their friend!
"Yeah, right," World spat venomously, "I haven't trusted you or anyone else since the very beginning. I don't really need any of you and I never did."
"No way…" Byojack said, refusing to believe it "That's not the brother I know."
Luffy, still coiled in World's meaty fist, flinched.
'They're... brothers…?'
"You lot aren't any different from this ship," World walked near the fallen birdcage, picking up a handful of rubble that was laying around it with his free hand, and tossing it up and down, "Just a bunch of tools, and nothing more."
"World, no!" Byojack cried out, tears building up in his eyes.
"You may be my brother, but if you can't follow orders…" World said, pulling his arm back as he was about to throw the rubble at his brother, "...THEN I DON'T NEED YOU!"
"Gum-Gum Balloon!"
Before he realized it, World's throw was suddenly cut off by Luffy, who instantly inflated his body like a balloon, causing World to lose his grip and push him back.
"How dare you stop me!" World shouted, "This is between me and my brother! Why don't you mind your own damn business already?!"
Without giving him a straight answer right away, Luffy deflated to his normal size again. Panting lightly, his eyes were shadowed over by his black hair. His fists shaking in anger, his teeth clenched tightly, and Haki coating his arms, Luffy growled,
"'A bunch of tools'? Is that what you said?" he demanded coldly, "That's what you think of your friends?! Your brother?!"
"Yeah! What's it to you, huh?!" World asked.
At that, Luffy just lost it.
"SCREW YOU!" Luffy shouted in rage.
Moving fast enough, Luffy delivered a solid punch to World's face, his Haki-coated fist glowing with a shade of red as they made contact. World was sent crashing to the ground, his one-horned helmet falling off and rolling across the room with a loud clattering sound.
"Luffy!" called out a concerned voice.
Looking toward the corridor he came from, Hancock emerges, running with Salome behind her. For some reason, her dress was torn up and full of holes, as if it was eaten by termites or corrosive acid. Thankfully, her privates were still covered, but her body left little to the imagination. Not that Luffy really cared.
"Hurry!" Luffy shouted back at Hancock, "Grab your sisters, and get out of here now!"
World sits back up, recovering from Luffy's punch before noticing Hancock, "The Pirate Empress?"
"Me and this guy have unfinished business!" Luffy declared as World got back up.
Hancock saw the two men glaring at each other. In a moment, she understood the situation between them before nodding at Luffy. She then went over to the wrecked birdcage, shaking her sisters awake.
"Mari! Sonia!" Hancock called, "Let's go!
"Big sis!" they both called out as they woke up, relieved to see their beloved sister.
Pushing themselves up, they made their way to the exit, hoping to get back outside, where the Perfume Yuda was waiting. Before heading back to freedom, Hancock stopped to warn Luffy
"Careful! As soon as you've taken care of him, come straight back to the ship!" Hancock called out before running after her sisters. She knew she could trust Luffy to make it back alive.
"You got it!" Luffy called out, "This blowhard is mine!"
"It doesn't matter, I don't need the Empress as a hostage anymore. Now…" World stated before looking back at Luffy, "You wanna keep fighting? Go right ahead!"
Getting into their fighting stances, it momentarily became a stand-off with the two combatants staring at each other without so much as a blink.
Suddenly, Luffy broke the staring contest by closing his eyes, raising his head, and taking a deep breath. This only seemed to amuse World.
"If you're sayin' a prayer, don't bother," World sneered, "Nobody can save you now."
"And who's gonna save you?!" Luffy shouted back, opening his eyes and shifting his body into Second Gear.
"You cocky, little brat!" World shouted back as he coated his entire body in Armament Haki.
Throwing the first heavy punch, Luffy dodged, dashing behind him, and slugged him hard in the face, knocking him back. World steeled himself before staring at Luffy, whose fists were burning hot with red-shaded Haki.
"I'm not losing to an arrogant jerk like you again!" Luffy roared as he delivered a stretched, sidewards kick into World's gut, knocking the wind out of him for a moment. World was in a raging fit as he retaliated with a series of punches. But Luffy was able to predict and avoid all of them swiftly and with ease, "Friends are not tools that you can just use and throw away!"
World finally managed to land a punch right in Luffy's face. But the Rubber-Man grinned as he blocked it with his Haki-coated forehead.
"There's nothing wrong with abandoning the useless!" World smirked arrogantly at Luffy, "After all, you left your brother to die at Marineford!"
Luffy blinked. That wasn't gonna work on him anymore.
He had finally overcome Ace's death while at peace with the fact that he died while protecting his little brother. None of World's taunts and lies were ever going to bring him down again.
"You don't know anything!" Luffy shouted, stretching both arms backward, far across the room,
"Gum-Gum Eagle Bazooka!"
Luffy's arms delivered a lightning-fast impact to World's gut, blasting him across the room. Just before he reached the deadly spikes decorating the walls, World recovered after coughing up a bit of blood, now having more burning wounds to his person.
"But what you said earlier… you were right," Luffy said out of the blue, causing World to look at him while covering his newest injury. Luffy was slowly walking toward the injured 'Destroyer of the World', "I was weak. I couldn't save Ace's life. But he sacrificed himself so that I could keep on living. I'm still alive, and I'm never gonna let his death be in vain! I still have my crew, my friends who believe in me, and I want to protect them! They're all waiting for me to get stronger!"
"Enough, already!" World shouted out before striking, but Luffy moved fast enough to dodge with disappearing speed.
World was able to keep up with Luffy, and soon their brawl continued in midair, both fighting equally as hard, going completely on the offensive and ignoring any pain that they endured.
"I will become stronger!" Luffy yelled through his attacks, "I will protect my friends! And I will become King of the Pirates!"
The pace of the battle was increasing, with both hitting the other harder and faster, with World being unable to keep up with Luffy any longer. The black-haired fighter's full strength and speed were returning with every punch he threw, giving him the chance to pound World hard enough to fling him backwards, causing his back to crash back down onto the floor.
"Brother!" Byojack cried out worriedly.
Luffy landed, his face still raging as can feel his power continuing to rise.
"But before I do that, I'm kicking your ass!" he yelled.
"You're stubborn," World raised his head, baffled as he muttered, "...but that's not enough… to beat me!"
World wasn't out of the picture yet. He pushes himself up, concentrating the last of his Haki into one, final attack. But he wasn't the only one thinking that.
"Gum-Gum…" pumping more blood through his body, Luffy yelled out as he unleashed all his might, "...HAWK GATLING!"
"More-More Hundredfold SPEED!" World shouted, his whole body coated in Haki once again.
The two collided, yelling and unleashing hell upon each other. Their punches caused mild shockwaves throughout the room, while streaks of black lightning were on Luffy's side. Slowly, but surely, World was being overpowered, his opponent's punches pushing him back.
World knocked Luffy's hands back as he jumped towards him, in a desperate attempt to finish him off.
Luffy shut his eyes and threw a fist behind him. Putting every last ounce of power he had left, he coated his arm with what remained of his Haki.
"Gum-Gum…"
Shouting as he opened his eyes, his arm began to feel hotter and hotter, causing it to glow red-hot. This made World's eyes widen in shock as the burning fist came back. Zooming through the air, Luffy's arm grew so hot to the point that it exploded in a burst of golden flames, covering his fist in fire.
With a powerful roar, Luffy brought the fist forward, punching World square in the chest. The impact was hot enough to send a blaze of fire through his body, which then burst out from his back.
"...RED HAWK!"
World was sent flying even harder than before, causing him to crash into the spike-ridden wall, impaling the large man. He cried out in pain as blood flew out of his mouth, but still seemingly alive.
Byojack feebly made his way to his dying brother's side.
Catching breath, Luffy panted heavily as he shifted out of Second Gear. He stared at his arm, the flame slowly dying down.
"What… is this?" Luffy croaked as he stared at the dying flame in confusion, "Since when could I…?"
The moment just before it was extinguished, Luffy could've sworn he saw the flame change from gold to pure white.
After his mysterious flame and Haki faded away, Luffy was suddenly interrupted by a loud explosion from outside that shook the whole ship, causing him to lose balance. His fight with World pushed him to and beyond his limits, which rendered him in an exhausted state.
Remembering that the Marines were here, Luffy knew that he was out of time and had to leave. Knowing that it was finally over, he gazed over at World's defeated form one last time.
"I promised… Rayleigh and Hancock that I'd make it back," Luffy muttered, limping toward the exit, "So there's no way I'm dying here. My friends are still waiting for me."
Passing through the exit, out of sight of the now-defeated World Pirates, Luffy whispered,
"It was a good fight… Byrnndi World…"
Not long after departing from the sight of his recent victory, Luffy, once again, finds himself lost in the cube-ridden corridors.
"If I ever see another cube again after this, It'll be too soon," he muttered having no idea where he was going, "Now, where's the stupid exit?"
In his exhausted state, he ran slowly in a crooked serpentine pattern. It was harder to keep his balance with all the shaking and explosions that were causing the ship to fall apart.
Looking frantically for a way out, the tremors were suddenly getting worse, causing more of the ceiling to collapse around Luffy.
"What now?!" he cried out exasperatedly, losing his footing.
The magnitude of the shaking grew even further when an avalanche of rubble was falling toward Luffy. Too weak to move, he lowered his head and shut his eyes, bracing for impact.
But instead of getting buried alive, he suddenly felt someone grab him before feeling a draft rushing through his hair. He opened his eyes to reveal Rayleigh carrying him with his arm over his shoulder while speeding through the collapsing corridors.
"Rayleigh!" Luffy cried out weakly.
The old man smiled proudly as he turned toward his student.
"You did good, Luffy. Now, you can relax, I'll get us out of here,"
Luffy nodded, sighing in relief as he finally dozed off in his teacher's hold.
It was unclear to Luffy why Byrnndi World and his brother, Byojack, had such a broken relationship. But now that the Navy destroyed the Groseade completely out of the water, with the defeated World Pirates still onboard, now he'll never find out why.
World's toxic words to describe his crew and his intentions for them really pushed Luffy's buttons. For the short time that he knew the Destroyer of the World, he was easily able to analyze his character. He was someone who destroys everything in his path, with no regard for the collateral damage he causes or the consequences of his actions. When the repercussions finally caught up to him, he discarded the well-being of his crew, his ship, and even his own brother.
To him, that's not how pirates are supposed to live.
To Luffy, pirates should be people who set out to sea in search of freedom and adventure, as well as fulfill their dreams. Not a bunch of despicable savages who destroy, conquer, plunder, and ruin other people's lives.
When he overheard the World Brothers' argument, Byojack mentioned World trying to get revenge on the World Government, but they didn't mention the reason why. Luffy knew the World Government didn't tolerate pirates unless they were one of the Seven Warlords of the Seas, but they were the reason that pirates aren't defined the way that Luffy envisioned.
The Government may hate pirates, but they're the ones who created them.
But, someday, Luffy was going to change all that. Change the World's view on pirates.
All the people who knew Luffy as their friend knew better than most people that he and the other Straw Hat Pirates weren't like most pirate crews around the world. Their crimes and track record as a crew consisted of defeating evil pirates, deposing corrupt Marines, stopping a civil war, destroying a Navy stronghold to save one of their crewmates while declaring war against the World Government by burning down their flag, sailing on a ship built out of illegal wood, assaulting a Celestial Dragon, invading the most fortified prison in the world, and getting involved in a war between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates.
The feats of the Straw Hat Pirates have managed to leave a trail of miracles in their wake. Compared to the rest of the world, Luffy's crew were pacifists.
And once Luffy finds the One Piece and becomes King of the Pirates, he is going to create a brand new era.
An era of freedom, dreams, and adventure.
That is his dream.
Speaking of dreams, Luffy was finally starting to wake up.
Opening his eyes, he saw Rayleigh, Hancock, and the rest of the Kuja Pirates sitting around him. Hancock was wearing the same dress as before, but now this one was intact. He was lying on a bed inside the Perfume Yuda.
"Luffy~!" Hancock cried out in relief as she flung herself at him in a tight embrace, "Oh, I'm so glad that you're awake! I was so worried when Rayleigh brought you back to the ship!" Pulling back, she placed her hands on his shoulders and asked worriedly, "You're not hurt, are you?"
Looking around the room, everyone was smiling, but Luffy didn't think too much of it and just smiled back with his trademark grin.
Rayleigh walked closer to his student before pointing out, "I see you managed to get those cuffs off, finally."
Letting go of Luffy, Hancock backed away, giving Rayleigh some space to talk to his protégé, who help up his newly-bandaged arms. After seeing the state Luffy was in after Rayleigh brought him back onboard, Hancock immediately commanded her crew's healers to patch up his wounds. Luffy spent most of the ride back to Luscaina resting while he recovers.
"Yeah, it was weird," Luffy answered, "I can't really remember how I did it, but I think I was cherry blossoms while I was focusing on my Haki. Next thing I knew, my hands glowed red, and then I could easily break the cuffs off like they were made out of glass."
Rayleigh closed his eyes and nodded proudly.
"Good. You've already started to get a feel of Internal Destruction. With a few more months of training, that feeling will become second nature. For now, before we get back to Luscaina, tell me everything that you learned."
At that moment, Luffy got the feeling that the rest of this trip was going to bore him to death.