Chapter 87
Shanks walked through the forest on high alert. He looked back and forth through the thick mist. All he could see were trees and hear crickets.
"I have... to find out how he keeps finding my location." Shanks said weakly, his ribs still hurting.
An innocent black squirrel watched Shanks as he cautiously moved through the forest. Almost instantly Shanks almost fell into a pitfall trap!
"AHHH!" Shanks yelled as he fell. Shanks landed hard and looked up.
"Hey! What gives!" Shanks yelled as a black figure walked over the hole. It was Psycho.
"Tore! Get me out of here! Let's settle this!" Shanks yelled out.
Psycho got down on a knee.
"A close combat fight with you would do me more harm than good. I'm a hard man to kill, but I'm no cadaver. I still feel pain. That divine departure was sure one powerful move. Roger never taught me that." Psycho said.
Shank's eyes widened.
"You... rode with Captain Roger!?... But..." Shanks stammered.
"For a while, until I realized he was my enemy." Psycho said.
"How was he your enemy?" Shanks asked.
"It's like I told you before, I've been alive so long I've actually witnessed the "theory" reincarnation. One of my enemies from a long long time ago reincarnated into Roger, so he had to be put down." Psycho said.
"But the Government killed Roger!" Shanks yelled with anger.
Psycho smirked.
"Oh... so Roger's sickness was just made up?" Psycho asked.
Shanks lost all sense of thought and stared blankly into a wall in the pit. Psycho smiled.
"Like you, Roger was an absolute prodigy. He had the kind of strength you can't just teach anyone, you have to be born with that kind of talent. Basically, an all out fight with him would do me more harm than good. So I poisoned him. It wasn't the killing blow but... I killed his dreams. The government killed his body." Psycho said.
Shanks didn't know what to say. Roger's sickness was Psycho's doing.
Purururururururu!
Psycho's transponder snail rang and Psycho removed it from his pocket. It had a neutral face, round glasses and a slicked back black wig.
"Is something wrong, Kuro?" Psycho asked.
Shanks looked up.
"Lin Lin and Kaido..." Kuro started.
Shank's eyes widened.
"Are dead." Kuro said.
Psycho smiled. Shanks couldn't believe it.
"Excellent. Phase 2 begins tomorrow right after I leave for the library. Get all of the ships and supplies on boats and make way for location A. You will advance on location B when I return." Psycho said.
"...Understood." Kuro said.
kur-chank!
Psycho put the snail back in his pocket.
"Things are going according to plan Shanks." Psycho said, slowly performing hand signs.
"...you don't even understand half of what you've done." Shanks said.
"What? Disrupted the balance of the world? I have a news flash for you Shanks, there was never any balance." Psycho said, finalizing his jutsu.
Psycho continued.
"800 years ago, 20 kingdoms came together to form the nation of kingdoms you all know today. One of those kings... became a little greedy. Saint Imu Nerona. That bastard achieved immortality and kept himself alive to rule far past his time. He was the one working behind the scenes." Psycho explained.
Shanks was flabbergasted.
"But... but..." Shanks stammered.
"You don't have to worry about it any more than that Shanks. He's sleeping now. After the shinobi took care of the elders I was able to waltz right in and finally take his life. He put up a lot more of a fight than I expected to be honest." Psycho said.
Shanks lowered his head and chuckled.
"So that's what all this is about?... To sit atop the throne alone? And rule the world?" Shanks asked.
Psycho frowned.
"Why do you all keep saying that? I don't want to rule the world. I want to save it!" Psycho yelled.
"BY TAKING OVER THE GRAND LINE, KILLING MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF INNOCENT MARINES!?" Shanks yelled.
"INNOCENT!?" Psycho snapped. Shanks was taken back slightly, "INNOCENT HOW?! LIKE DESTROYING A BOAT FULL OF SCHOLARS!?" Psycho screamed.
Shanks face held shock and remorse.
"The destruction of Ohara...? Why did he mention that specifically?" Shanks asked himself.
"And don't think I don't know about your blood ties, FIGARLAND! YOU, WITH CELESTIAL DRAGON BLOOD LECTURES ME ON MY MOTIVES!" Psycho yelled.
"I've NEVER claimed that name! I renounced that family left me in God Valley! Roger was my family!" Shanks yelled up.
"I always wondered how you were able to stop the war that day... and meet with the elders as if it was just another day in the office... When I attacked Mariejois all those years ago... a man named Saint Figarland Garling tried to stop us, he was cast aside like trash but before he went out he told me how he was most upset that his bloodline would be continued by his weak son." Psycho said, filling up with some sort of substance.
Shanks held up his sword with shock.
"LAVA RELEASE: QUICKLIME CONGEALING TECHNIQUE!" Psycho said in his mind as he spewed quicklime into the pit.
Shanks held up his arm as he was smothered in quicklime.
"What... ugh! Is this stuff?" Shanks asked.
"It's impossible for the average man to have more than two devil fruit abilities, but a shinobi can learn and master as many as one thousand different jutsus. There are only three types of haki, two of which anyone can awaken it at any time if they tried, while there are jutsu that only certain bloodlines can use. Do you know what all that means?" Psycho asked.
Shanks struggled to move in the quicklime.
"This world is extremely limited in terms of fighting prowess. It's weak. I've got a million different ways I can end you right now, but what are you thinking about? Conqueror's won't knock me out, armament is useless, and if you saw anything with that future sight you would be out that hole by now." Psycho said.
Shanks continued to stare up at Psycho.
"The only thing I give this world credit for are the tempo techniques, they're quite impressive." Psycho said, performing hand signs.
"Water release: Water cannon technique!" Psycho said to himself as he vomitted a vast amount of water into the pit, turning the quicklime into cement!
"NO!" Shanks yelled.
Psycho stood up and wiped his mouth, staring into the hole as the cement hardened. Silence. Psycho continued to stare into the hole now full of cement.
"Goodbye... old friend." Psycho said softly, "I'll... I'll miss you."
Psycho walked off into the trees and rubbed the wound on his body. Psycho walked for a few minutes before he realized the mist was still active.
"That divine departure sure was something... I still feel it." Psycho said, "Oh... there's no need to waste any more chakra on this mist." Psycho said, clearing the mist.
booooom!
A distant boom was heard. Psycho's eyes widened and his face held shock.
"No!" Psycho yelled, running towards the noise, "Impossible!"
After a few minutes of running, Psycho saw what the result of the boom was. The area shanks was buried in was destroyed. A giant hole dug into the ground and Shanks was freed from his cement coffin. Psycho hurried and unsheathed his sword as he looked around the forest. Another clone spawning to watch Psycho's backside.
"Whoever saved Shanks... waited until I cleared the mist!" Psycho yelled to himself, "Heh heh heh, funny how quickly things change Figarland! It truly is no fun when the rabbit has the gun..." Psycho said, "You would've thought... after all these years alive... I'd learn to stop underestimating my opponent!" Psycho said as he looked to the side quickly to see Shank's blitzing him.
"There!" Psycho said, swinging his sword in downward diagonal slash, Shanks spun to his bad side slipping the blade and coming for the counter.
"Oh no!" Psycho said, as the clone came around Psycho's backside and tried to attack Shanks with its own sword. Shanks gave a determined look as he finished his follow through in one swift, quick motion. Psycho barely swayed back and dodged the slash but the clone was cut out of the air and poofed away. Psycho smiled and Shanks looked up at Psycho.
"Still too slow... Red Ha-"
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
An explosion of King's haki exploded at Psycho's feet blowing him into the air, his body badly beaten and bruised, his eyes rolled in the back of his head. Psycho's body would have flown out of sight if not for a giant fist coming down on him stopping his ascension. Psycho was smacked and slammed into the ground by the giant orange fist. A giant with burn scars was the one who did it.
"Tore! How could you become this!? What would Olivia think!?" Saul yelled, "You think Olivia wanted all this!? On her behalf!? Your daugher, Nico Robin! She got away that day! Why are you so angry!?" Saul yelled.
Shanks looked up at Saul.
"Nico Robin... The demon child... she's Psycho's daughter, Saul?" Shanks asked.
Saul looked at Shanks and nodded.
"They were the happiest couple I ever saw in my life, Robin made them even happier! But both were wanted by the government and could never be around her... I see now why Tore has been absent!" Saul yelled, "After Ohara was destroyed, Marineford was destroyed almost immediately after as I'm sure you remember! I knew it was Tore once I heard the news and I broke down crying!" Saul looked back down towards his fist that was still over Psycho's body.
"This is over Tore! You don't need to do this anymore!" Saul said, lifting his fist, revealing Psycho's beaten, broken, and bloody body. Unconcious as well. His mouth wide open and his eyes rolled in the back of his head. His arms above his head and his legs spread apart. Saul and Shanks both breathed heavily.
"Thank you... by the way. For saving me, Saul!" Shanks said.
"I tower over the trees, but I couldn't see exactly where you were because of the mist! I was so glad when he cleared it. DERESHISHISHISHI!" Saul laughed.
Shanks smiled.
"Still such an annoying laugh." Psycho's voice said.
Shanks and Saul were frozen with fear.
"No..." Shanks said softly as he looked at Psycho's body. Nothing had changed. His body was still laying there.
"Where... WHERE!" Saul yelled out, looking over the trees.
Shanks saw something out the corner of his eye. The innocent black squirrel from earlier was eating a nut in a tree. Shanks got a closer look at its eyes. Red. With a sawblade pupil. Shanks choked. The squirrel stared.
"That was quite the speech, Saul. I'm moved at the fact you admired my family so much." Psycho continued.
Psycho's voice was loud and clear but his body hadn't moved at all. Shanks then realized the squirrel was talking.
"But how can you judge a man on how he reacts... when you haven't walked in his shoes?" Psycho asked, "I did what I felt I had to at the time. The Marines didn't discriminate between the innocent and their enemy, why would I?"
"Tore you're completely confused! NO ONE was in the right! Not you or them!" Saul said. The Squirrel stared.
"...Then... maybe you didn't understand our relationship like I thought." Psycho finished as the squirrel looked to the side.
Shanks looked to the side slowly. Out of the darkness, a black wolf dragged, what looked like a bloody, beaten corpse in its mouth. The wolf shared the sharingan with the squirrel. When the wolf stood a few feet from Shanks, the man slowly lifted his head, showing Psycho's face.
Shanks mouth opened with fear and shock. Saul's did the same.
"If-If-If- Tore's there... then-then-then who's...!" Saul yelled as he and Shanks both looked down to see Ben Beckman laying in Psycho's place.
"NO!" Saul yelled.
Shanks had now completely lost it. He didn't have a single sound to make. Psycho's head slowly rose up, showing his sawblade sharingan.
"What you just saw and spoke to... was an illusion." Psycho said.
Shanks breathed heavily in and out. His eyes rolled in the back of his head. The wolf dropped Psycho down on his face and Psycho slowly got up.
"Hey! Red-haired! Stay with me!" Saul yelled.
"I told you we ninja have abilities you could never in your life imagine... genjutsu is one of my specialties." Psycho said, limping towards Shanks with a kunai.
Shanks was still in shock. Psycho finally reached Shanks and got ready to stab him. Saul tried to reach for Shanks but couldn't move.
"Why...Why can't I move!?" Saul yelled.
Without looking at him, Psycho spoke to Saul.
"I've included you in the genjutsu I've placed on Shanks. You don't even remember when I cast it on you. In the real world, you'll be dead soon enough along with him. There's nothing you can do in my world." Psycho said menacingly.
Saul's eyes widened.
Back in reality, Saul lay dead. Stabbed through the chest by a massive attack. Thunder crashed and it began to rain. Psycho sat indian style at Shank's feet, Psycho's head was down. A kunai rest in Shank's side. Psycho was completely fine, he had no signs of damage, although he was very tired from using such a powerful genjutsu.
"Praying for me... old friend?" Shanks asked softly.
Psycho looked up slowly.
"You surprised?" Psycho asked.
Shanks smirked.
"Just didn't think... you were the praying type..." Shanks said.
"We all need somewhere to go to vent our problems." Psycho said.
"Sure." Shanks said with a smile.
Thunder crashed and rain fell harder.
"When?..." Shanks asked.
Psycho looked up again.
"When did you do that genjutsu thing?" Shanks asked.
Psycho was slightly surprised he asked.
"...During the false Beckman interaction." Psycho admitted.
Shanks smiled.
"Wowww! Way back then huh? Guag!" Shanks laughed then coughed up blood. Psycho's reaction was hidden by shadow.
Shanks breathed heavily in and out as he continued to smile.
"I told you a shinobi's job was assassination without detection... and... I guess that Divine Departure was pretty neat. Roger taught you well old friend." Psycho said with a soft chuckle.
"Ha ha ha! He sure did didn't he! But man would he be proud of you... all these techniques... you truly are a talented man!" Shanks declared proudly.
Psycho was shocked with the declaration.
Thunder crashed. Psycho's eyes were closed again. When he opened them, Shanks didn't say a word. Shank's drenched hair blocked his eyes as tears fell down his face and blood from his mouth. Psycho stood up slowly and looked down over him. Psycho looked into the forest towards the port.
Psycho eventually walked out of the forest and saw the Red-Haired pirates unconscious. Trapped in their own minds. Psycho got to the beach and fell to his knees. Water hit the ground, but it wasn't from the rain. Psycho was balling his eyes out. Psycho fell over and let everything out.