The Straw Hat Shinobi and co. continued to stare up at the giant, ancient, man. The women in the room tried their best to fight their tears.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi were speechless. Psycho was much older than he appeared, that, they already knew, but they would have never guessed his past.
Psycho isn't even fully human, but they guessed that too, based on what they've seen and experienced in dealing with him.
The one thing that shocked them the most however, was Cyclone's roll in all this. All this time they were under the impression they were brothers, that couldn't be further from the truth, a truth, which was still shrouded in mystery.
Naruto choked.
"S-S-So..." Naruto started. Not knowing where to start. Dubois put a hand up.
"No questions. All of your questions will be answered by the end of this tale. That, I can assure you." Dubois said, "I'm the one who raised Tore and followed his story all of his 900 plus years of life. I will ask you though, to keep your feelings in check. How you feel about Tore now, is not how you will feel about him when I'm done."
Everyone sweat slightly. What did that mean?
"I tried to get any information about baby Tore I could from the Nara clan member, but he wouldn't talk. The only thing I had to go off of was a sash that went across the baby's waist, covering his sensitive area. "Torebion Teria" is what it said. I knew Torebion was from somewhere I had not heard of, so I didn't bother looking. I hoped whoever his family were would come looking for him. Only, they had already, and lost their lives trying." Dubois said.
Everyone continued to listen to the old man.
"I decided I would raise the boy in the meantime. I don't know if it was just apart of the Lecnian bloodline, but Tore was always cheerful and very respectful even as a little boy. He always listened, never argued with me.. he was just a good boy." Dubois said, "But we all have our limits.. I just... never expected Tore's breaking point to change him so drastically."
Everyone couldn't help but think about Psycho and their past encounters with him this entire time. Did he really used to be this super innocent guy... and what happened to him?
Floratheo Isle
Robin and Tore continued to relax in the garden atop Floratheo Isle. Robin let Tore calm down a little before she asked for more of his story.
"What happened, after grandma and grandpa died? Who raised you?" Robin asked.
Tore, looking towards the ground, smiled softly.
"Papa Ubois. That's what I called him. He raised me." Tore said.
Robin smiled softly.
"He was such a great man. He taught me everything I know as far as being a gentleman, and treating people with respect. "A fight is unnecessary unless lives are at stake." He always told me that, so I didn't fight much growing up to be honest with you." Tore explained.
Robin was slightly shocked, this was a complete opposite of Psycho, who couldn't seem to stop fighting, but she already knew Tore was different immediately upon meeting him.
"I was always more into adventure. I loved going places and seeing things. Just living in the moment, you know? I loved learning. Especially about the past before even my time 900 years ago." Tore continued.
Tore looked off to the side and became serious.
"It was that same love for adventure... that showed me just how wicked the world was... on top of the beauty in it." Tore said with sadness.
DUBOIS CASTLE
"Tore loved to go on adventures. I'm pretty sure he got that from his father. Sometimes, Tore would be gone for months, but I understood he would return." Dubois said cheerfully.
"You see, Tore wasn't a fighter, I told him to not waste time on pointless fights if your life isn't at stake. This advice helped him make great friends when he went... to that place." Dubois said the last words with sadness.
Everyone was dialed in. What was that place?
"As you know, 900 years ago was a completely different world. "I was the Jito of the island Minaki and the Usakami were from. I knew about their "demon eye" curse and the cycle of hatred going on there. It was that knowledge that helped me understand Tore's past a little more, once he had awakened his sharingan."
Mihawk, Jimbei, Akainu, Okua, and Lionel looked at Sasuke, who kept looking up at Dubois with a straight face.
"Naturally, I conducted business, not just with the people of my part of the island, but with other Jito and the Shogun. I also controlled many ports, so we received shipments from all over. The closest place... well, at the time we called it The Mainland, but you, pirates and marines, might know it as something else..." Dubois said, staring at them.
Kraken looked up slightly.
Akainu, Fujitora, Luffy and his crew, Okua, and Lionel all sweat slightly as they prepared for what Dubois was about to say. Team 7 were confused, what place was Dubois talking about?
Floratheo Isle
"My adventures led me to all kinds of places on our island. I met so many interesting people, some kinder than others of course." Tore said, "I even got into a few scuffles with the Shadowkin, a rouge group of black magic practicing shinobi. You really should check out my logs too when you get the chance! I wrote down everything I know about everyone I've ever met as well as my travels."
Robin smiled.
"I definitely will!" Robin said.
Tore looked up at the bright sun.
"But you know how it is.. once you see all there is to see in one place you yearn for more. There was an entire world I wanted to see and I was going to do it by any means necessary." Tore said.
Robin continued listening.
"The only problem was we were on a massive island in the middle of the ocean and nobody had left the island in, I don't know how long, to have made maps to help anyone figure out where they're going once they actually made it out to sea, we relied heavily on our shipments making it to us because of this, that's how little sailing experience we had." Tore explained.
Tore looked straight ahead and sighed.
"There was one place though... just on the horizon. A massive island. Definitely way bigger than our own, but that's because it wasn't just an island... it was an entire kingdom... I knew if I could at least make it there... I could find someone to set out to sea with, maybe form my own crew! Not as pirates, but knowledge seekers!" Tore said, looking up with a smile and a watery eye.
Robin stared with wide eyes. Robin couldn't speak, they were just alike. Young archeologists just looking to learn more about the world.
Robin could also see why her mother fell for him so quickly, not to mention he's a living relic of the past and witnessed an innumeral amount of the events of the world first hand.
For the second time, Robin really believed in her heart this man was her father. Robin gasped at what Tore asked her next.
In perfect synchronicity, Tore and Dubois asked their respective audiences the same question at the same time.
"Have you ever heard the name, Joy Boy before?" The two asked in perfect unison.
DUBOIS CASTLE
Akainu stared with rage at the question, everyone else was pretty much quiet.
The shinobi had definitely never heard of Joy Boy so they were confused as anyone else would be. The Straw Hats had heard about Joy Boy here and there but what did he have to do with Psycho, or Tore's, story?
"It was Joy Boy's kingdom that Tore could see on the horizon. Tore's Lecnian genes can thank him for that. The regular human eye cannot see as far as he could, maybe with a telescope you could see the island, perhaps." Dubois said.
"Tore even claimed he could faintly hear the parties they were supposedly having over there, only increasing his desire to go." Dubois continued.
Everyone continued to listen.
DUBOIS CASTLE COURTYARD
Nagashima came back through a portal, the man sighed. Nagashima had been asked by Kraken to take Kasai back to his hometown to bury him properly. Nagashima looked over the courtyard taking in all the damage.
"This is all too much for me! What the hell did I agree to follow these guys through all this for?!" Nagashima yelled.
"Ughhhh I guess it can't be helped... now where are they?" Nagashima said, looking at the castle, the entrance was blocked with ice.
"They've gotta be in there... who'd they come see again? Douglas? Damien? Nahhh what was it? Dubois! That's what it was, I've gotta get to Dubois now." Nagashima said, preparing a portal.
"I'll just lock on to Kraken's position and waltz right in." Nagashima said.
To Nagashima's horror, when the portal opened, Cyclone, Collector, and Who's-Who all turned to look at him. Cyclone wore an insane but neutral expression as he lunged for Nagashima and grabbed his collar.
"NO NO! WHAT THE- HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!" Nagashima screamed, "KRAKENNNNNNN!"
Nagashima was pulled into the portal and it closed behind him.
Floratheo Isle
Robin stared for a moment and then collected herself.
"Um, I actually have... the first time was at fishman island. He wrote them a message apologizing for not being able to fulfill a promise?" Robin asked rhetorically.
Tore smiled.
"That's right! Not to toot my own horn butttt I was there when he wrote it, I helped him." Tore said.
"Now you're just showing off!" Robin laughed. Tore laughed too.
"He really was a great guy though... I didn't know it was his kingdom of course, but I knew that place was different. I could always hear feint parties being had, they sounded incredible!" Tore said with excitement.
"So I made my mind up... I was going to go there, however I could." Tore said, gripping the bench, fighting tears.
"I...I should've just stayed home..." Tore said, broken.
DUBOIS CASTLE
"I ended up receiving word a about a particular group of old men who wanted to make a young, ambitious leader, an elder in the growing "World Government." They always kept a young "elder" to keep an eye on what the younger generations are doing." Dubois explained.
Everyone understood why the Five Elders had the one young blonde elder now or so they thought.
"I accepted.. because I thought it would allow me to keep an eye on the world from a larger point of view. I wouldn't be in charge of just, what is now the North Blue, but in charge of hundreds of islands in the vicinity." Dubois said, "This would also give me permission to grant Tore's departure for The Mainland, I figured I could keep my eyes on him even while he's so far away."
The love Dubois had for Tore didn't go unnoticed by everyone in the room, except for Akainu, who was still very enraged upon learning of his original roots in the Leaf Village.
"They had far worse plans for this world... than I could have ever imagined..." Dubois said.
MARIEJOIS ISLAND ROOM OF AUTHORITY 903 YEARS AGO
Dubois walked into the Room of Authority and stood talk above the other elders. At this time, the Holy Manor stood tall on an island. It did not sit atop the Red Line yet.
"So, you've made it, young Ubois." St. Topman said.
"Yes, Saint Topman." Dubois said.
"He's a member of the D clan... from that island North of here." The bearded elder said.
Dubois looked over at St. Mars.
"Hey, we kind of look alike, eh? St. Mars?" Dubois said.
"Simon D. Ubois, you're the first and only non Saint to be selected for this position. I don't get what St. Saturn sees in an abomination of races like yourself." St. Ethan spit.
Dubois stared angrily at the sword wielding elder.
"N-Now that's uncalled fo-" Dubois was interrupted.
"He's an abomination we know, but we need a representative for the other abominations in the world." St. Saturn said.
Dubois looked at St. Saturn angrily.
"What's the big deal, St. Saturn?! What's with this disrespect." Dubois said.
"Silence!" Saturn said, widening his eyes.
"Did you really think we would allow a half human-half giant to be an elder with pure blood Saints? I could laugh." St. Topman said.
"You will represent all those vile races on The Mainland when we make our move." St. Ethan said.
"Y-Your move?" Dubois asked.
"The World Government has already gathered 20 Kingdoms and 170 countries under its flag, King Joy Boys' is next." St. Ethan said.
Dubois stared with shock at the Elders.
"And.. what if... Joy boy says no?" Dubois asked, already knowing the answer.
"Then he dies. Like the others who said no." A cold voice said.
Dubois looked to the right of the room. Two red eyes stared on from the shadows.
Dubois eyes widened. Dubois couldn't tell if it was a woman or a man that was speaking.
"Mu knows King Joy Boy will fly the World Government's flag without resistance. YOU will represent us to his kingdom of vermin." The figure now known as "Mu" spoke.
"You'll really kill him if he says no?" Dubois asked.
"And you too if you don't cooperate." St. Topman added.
"You should be killed for what you've just heard, but because you are "one of us" you get to keep your life." Mu spoke with pure disgust for Dubois.
"Your island has already been taken by our army. The Marines. As well as the rest of the island in its entirety." St. Ethan said.
"What...?! No! How?!" Dubois choked.
"The shogun was nice enough to sign it over with his life..." St. Mars said softly.
Dubois's eyes widened.
"A new shogun has already been assigned as cover up." Mu added.
Dubois couldn't believe what he was hearing and his eyes widened.
"Muranaka. Come forth." Mu said.
Cyclone walked out of the shadows from next to Mu with an insane smile on his face.
Cyclone wore a black cloak that stretched down to his knees.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ubois." Cyclone said, bowing.
"Muranaka will take over as shogun and help keep a watch on your island for any funny business." St. Saturn said.
Dubois looked around the room.
"A-A-And... If I say no?..." Dubois asked, already knowing the answer.
Everyone in the room stood over Dubois, except for Mu, who stared from the shadows.
"Then we kill you and that boy of yours... Torebion Teira..." Mu hissed.
Dubois's eyes widened with fear.
Cyclone walked towards Dubois and knelt by him.
"Torebion you say?..." Cyclone smiled big, "You and I have a lot to discuss."