Chapter 12: Akira Toriyama Tribute

"And CUT!" OceanLord shouted from his Directing chair. "Hmmm…something's missing here. Alright…let's see what we can do, Mr. Producer, your ideas?"

That got a shudder from the cast.

Off to the side, a large, bald man in a well-tailored suit looked up from his phone.

"Well buddy, I think we need to bring in some…specialists," Nappa proclaimed.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh!" Monkey D. Luffy was the only excited person in the studio. "My bestest buddy!"

"Indeed," OceanLord pushed a button, opening the shutter door.

"HEY LITTLE BROS!" The one and only Son Goku jumped forward, embracing Luffy, Naruto, and Ichigo all at once.

"OOF!" Ichigo groaned in protest. "Can't…breathe."

"Alright, get my cast into shape, pronto!" OceanLord shouted. "Remember folks, these are the best pros in the business!"

Aizen raised an eyebrow at Son Gohan. "...if you say so."

Most of the 'pros' had dispersed.

"You call THAT proper rivalry behavior?!" Vegeta was lambasting Sasuke before he turned. "And you, young Bakugou?! Where's your Saiyan pride?!"

"I'm not a damn Saiyan," Bakugo muttered under his breath.

Elsewhere, Piccolo and All Might were standing around awkwardly.

"So…all the kids seem to be congregating around you," All Might, surrounded by 1-A, noticed.

"Yep," Piccolo, with the Son and Trunks kiddies, nodded.

Down the line, the Gods of the Sea and Co were receiving a lecture, all taking extensive notes.

"Remember, it doesn't even have to be the minion that failed you," Freeza pointed at his whiteboard, displaying a stick figure being blown up. "Killing the minion next to them is just as effective in establishing your 'Big Bad' status."

"Sir," Davy Jones raised his claw. "Would this tactic also work when making former 'Big Bads' join your crew?"

"Oh-ho-ho! Excellent question!" Freeza laughed. "And it certainly would! Yes…" he pointed elsewhere in the crowd.

"Could you elaborate on this 'throwing celestial bodies at your enemies' section of your book?"

"Certainly, Madara!"

A little further down the line, Master Roshi, Jiraiya, Sanji, and Mineta had all been KO'ed, piled up in an unconscious heap on the floor.

Android 18 and Halibel looked over their work, then exchanged nods of respect, eyes wandering to the men wrapped around their arms.

"Huh…guess I'm not the only one who thinks societal definitions of beauty are bullshit," Earth's strongest woman smirked at the blue man, while the Hollow Queen approved of the short one.

Elsewhere, a tragedy was in the making.

"...and then, when you've collected all the Ambrosia and Nectar…" Super Kami Guru instructed. "You'll drink it ALL!"

Zeus nodded at this great 'wisdom'.

"Then, you must find a servant who will clean Your JOWLS! And that's how you'll live out your days in luxury."

"Yes, I see," Zeus nodded. "Herc! Herc! HERC!"

"Yes Father?" Hercules asked in a worn-out tone.

"Gather the Dragon Balls!"

Speaking of which…

"I AM THE ETERNAL DRAGON! STATE YOUR WISH, AND I SHALL GRANT IT!"

The sky was seemingly covered with green and blue scales.

"WORORORORORO! SHENRON! I WISH TO FIGHT YOU!"

The green dragon eyed the blue dragon.

"I CANNOT DO THIS! A FIGHT IMPLIES AN EVEN STRUGGLE, WHICH YOU CANNOT PROVIDE!" Shenron actually scoffed at Kaido.

"WORORORORORO!" Kaido just LOVED the idea of proving him wrong.

To the side, an absolutely massive chocolate-chip cookie was in the middle of a tug-a-war.

"COOKIE!" Big Mom hollered.

"MINE!" Majin Buu screeched just as loudly.

Down below, it looked like Alexandria's scientists were being driven into a conniption!

"Yes, I am Perfect Cell! The Final Culmination of Earth's Science! After all, anyone trying to combine and mix powers is just copying me at the end of the day."

Mayuri's eye twitched like it never twitched before. "Perfect…he says he's perfect…that science can't get any better…"

Orochimaru rubbed the Soul Reaper's shoulders. "Now, now. We'll just have to prove him wrong."

Whatever else would've happened, everyone got distracted by two teams squaring off…in a POSING battle!

"Straw Hats! Your camaraderie is commendable, but you're all sorely lacking in PRESENTATION! NOW…GINYU!"

"JEICE!"

BURTER!"

"GULDO!"

"RECOOME!"

"Toku-Sentai! Toku-Sentai! Toku-SENTAI!" And the Ginyu Force stunned the crowd with their impeccable routine.

"Oh yeah?!" Franky huffed. "How about THIS?! Straw Hats DOCKING! Post-Timeskip Style!" The cyborg latched onto Jinbe's back, pushing his arms down, making them resemble a jet pack for the Fishman. Brook flew to Jinbe's right hand, Soul Solid extended. Usopp flew to the left hand, Black Kabuto loaded. Chopper in his Brain Point plopped onto Jinbe's head. Sanji and Zoro were just about to join in.

"No," Robin had a dead look in her eye as she stared at her crew. "Jinbe, if you keep this up, you will lose all my respect for you."

"Woah there!" Jinbe instantly threw the others off. "Let's not be hasty!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Ginyu shook his head. "And they promised such a good show."

Back at the chairs, Nappa leaned down to OceanLord's ear, eyeing all the brewing brawls. "Uhh…you did tell your cast we can all blow up planets, right?"

"Ehh," the author shrugged.

"Oh well," Nappa straightened up and loosened his tie. "Guess I'll have to throw my hat in the ring. After all, I should show everyone here that I am the Patty-Cake Champion!"

"...goddammit, Nappa."

A.N. Oh man…was not expecting the news to drop.

While Naruto and FMA were the first anime shows I dedicated myself to binging and finishing, it was DragonBall Z that forever hooked me into anime. The very first scene from an anime that I ever saw on TV was the Finale of the Goku vs Freeza fight. After that, I was hooked. And then, DBZ: Abridged became another essential part of getting me through some of my tougher days, to the point it's still a big base for my sense of humor.

Point is, I can't thank Akira Toriyama enough for his creativity, dedication, and heart in everything he did.

May Akira Toriyama rest in peace and his family be given strength. Thank you for everything.