AN: I return with yet another chapter. A bit less structured than normal pacing wise but I abide by the "Fuck it we ball" style of writing and this is what I made sooo…
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Even after all thought ⏃⋏⎅ ⏚⟒⟒⋏ extinguished, and only dust remains, the world will not ⎎⍜⍀ ⟒⏁ the memory of your sins, ⎅⟒⌇ ⟒⋏⎅⟒⍀.
-Engraved Relic #128, Iscariot Archives circa 2026-
==========================VI==========================
[Outskirts of Sendai, Former Secret Facility, May 7th, 2237]
The plan had been simple. They knew that All For One would be inspecting this compound that night. The location was far away from any potential civilians that could get caught in the crossfire, and thanks to Toshinori's connections with the Imperial Family any hero or police response would be delayed until it was over.
He only brought Torino and Nighteye with him, and they were stationed far outside the predicted combat zone, but close enough to swoop in to extract him if needed.
If only it hadn't been a trap.
==VI==
The facility that once stood in the forest had been reduced to a crater, anyone inside had been turned into smoldering corpses.
"I must say, out of all the wielders of One For All, you are by far the strongest." All For One complimented, tearing off his suit's tattered and bloody remnants. "I suppose that is to be expected, letting you nurture the quirk for all those decades."
He didn't look a day older than when he'd killed Nana. 'And… he's much stronger than back then as well!' Toshinori struggled to his feet. "I'm not finished yet, All For One!"
The Symbol of Evil's face shifted from boredom to amusement. "Are you now?" He chuckled as his other arm rapidly regenerated from the bleeding stump from which Toshinori had ripped it off. "While your strength is impressive, it is all you have going for you." He almost looked disappointed. "Yagi Toshinori," He flinched. "Was just a quirkless boy, unlike the other users of One For All. You may be stronger than them, but strength is all you have."
He pushed aside the fact that All For One knew he used to be quirkless. He could worry about that later. "It's still enough to stop you."
"In ten, fifteen years perhaps. Maybe if you had another quirk or even a weapon you could've beaten me here." He raised his right hand. "But you don't. You haven't even learned the basics of magic either." Black and red lightning emerged from the hole in his hand, coalescing into a ball of purple and black energy. "Umbral Burst!" The villain shouted.
Toshinori tried to dodge, but a wave of All For One's hand froze him in place with a powerful telekinetic quirk. He was able to break free, moving just enough for the bolt of chaotic energy to pierce his stomach. "Arg!" It was a strong magical attack for it to be able to break his skin.
Thinking quirky, he clenched his abs, keeping the wound closed through the sheer force of his muscles. It was incredibly painful but he still persevered. Toshinori leaped forward, dodging bolts of lightning and energy blasts.
"Black Spiral Lance!" A massive spinning rod shot out of the villain's hand, forcing Toshinori to clap his hands and use the air pressure to launch himself into the air.
"New Hampshire Smash!" With a punch to the air, he rocketed toward the white-haired villain, spinning into a punch.
"Air Wall + Liquify." The air in front of him shimmered, his punch slammed into the air which felt like punching a beanbag chair. "Combust." Before the air exploded, Toshinori pulled his hand back and blasted it away with another clap. Then he reached out before the villain could react and grabbed his arm, tearing it from his shoulder.
All For One hissed in pain, his body pixelated and shuddered, teleporting a few meters back. "Honestly, if that didn't work the first three times, why would it start working now? You should've gone for my head." He chided. "How troublesome. All you One For All holders are the same. At least Shimura was amusing in her final moments. Shame she was so weak though…"
"You take that back!" Toshinori shouted in rage, throwing the villain's severed arm back at him and launching himself yet again toward All For One. His hatred was so much that he was nearly blinded by rage.
==VI==
'What… what happened?' Toshinori shook himself out of his dazed state, lying in yet another crater. He tried to move only to feel a sharp pain in his chest. As he opened his eyes he could see an oversized shadowy fist buried in the left side of his chest.
"I'll admit, that was a close one." All For One said as his upper body knit itself back together, his exposed ribcage snapping back into place with a sickening crunch. "You aimed for my head that time. If I hadn't stopped you in time that might've killed me."
Toshinori coughed up blood. "You can… save your gloating… for… someone that cares." He gritted his teeth as All For One Twisted his hand, damaging more of his insides.
"I'd be careful if I were you. My hand is the only thing keeping your entrails from spilling out." He tilted his head. "I see you haven't passed on One For All. How fortunate." The Symbol of Evil grinned.
"I won't allow you to take it!" Toshinori reached out and grabbed the shadowy hand, grimacing as it squeezed.
"I have no interest in taking One For All. In fact, I stopped trying after I failed to take it from the third and fifth users. With my state of mind, it is simply impossible for me to take." He admitted.
"What?" Toshinori couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"I suppose I owe you an explanation. You did give me the best workout since that thing I fought in China a few years ago." All For One tapped a finger against his chin. "You see, at first I wanted to reclaim what was mine. The second user, she stole what I had left of my brother and I wanted it back. Of course, she had already passed it on to the third user by the time I found her. I think she's the only one besides you who has ever come close to killing me. Back then I didn't have as many regeneration and fire resistance quirks as I do now."
Toshinori's eyes darted around, looking for an opening, something that did not go unnoticed by All For One.
"Ah ah ah!" He clenched his fist, crushing part of Toshinori's liver, and caused blood to spurt onto the ground. "None of that, All Might. I'm speaking now." He activated a pain-soothing quirk, not out of kindness, but so the hero wouldn't pass out. "Now when I found the third user, Bruce, I think his name was… no matter how hard I tried I couldn't take One For All. The quirk can only be given, and my willpower wasn't strong enough to take it. Same with the sixth user."
"Then… hrrg! Why did you let them live?" Toshinori grunted.
"Well, I realized something. Something that your little Council friends realized as well. Do you ever wonder why they called upon you, just as they did with Shimura whenever there was a threat they couldn't handle?" Toshinori responded with a glare, so he continued. "The Council and I, we have somewhat of a Cold War going on. They disagree with my vision, and they don't want me becoming too powerful. I'm sure if they all pooled their resources together they'd have a decent chance at taking me out, but I'd make them work for it. If we were to go to war it wouldn't be worth it for either side…"
"Tosh- nori- ear me?" His earpiece sputtered back to life.
"Ah, looks like they finally unjammed the signal." He raised his hand and fired off a burst of Radio Waves. "No more interruptions. As I was saying, we've been locked in a stalemate for about a hundred years now. They would recruit One For All users, and I would kill them once they got too big for their britches. I don't have a problem with the quirk existing if it is used against things that would become a problem to me, or my competitors." All For One explained. "I even account for a certain amount of loss to my forces. A necessary expenditure of a few lives." He shrugged.
Toshinori's breathing had started to become more labored, even with All For One's fist stopping him from bleeding out his lungs were filling with blood. "You let us live to use us?" He wheezed.
"Now you're getting it." He flashed Toshinori a sinister smile. "The world is a big place, and I like to work in the shadows. Then again, so did most of the One For All users. Rebels, vigilantes, underground heroes… all except for Shimura and yourself of course. I do have to applaud you, for becoming the Number One Hero in the entire world. Yoichi would be so proud… I suppose he fulfilled his dream of becoming a hero after all, in a way."
There it was, the look on All Might's face when he finally realized that the only reason he was alive was because All For One allowed it. "I would've loved to destroy you in public, but that would force the Council's hand if everyone knows I exist. I want to rule from the shadows until all my preparations are complete. You and Shimura, you could've lived full lives if you hadn't interfered. I can accept a certain amount of losses, but a continued targeted assault of my assets?" He shook his head. "And, you've become too powerful. I'm quite fortunate that One For All will end with you tonight."
Toshinori knew that there was a chance of failure. He had offered someone One For All in case he failed but had been rudely refused. His head slumped as he lamented his impending death.
Seeing as he'd broken the hero's spirit, All For One yanked his enlarged arm free. All Might's organs, with nothing to hold them in spilled free, dangling from his mangled chest. "I'll leave enough of you for a funeral. I'm in a good mood today." His hand began to glow with black energy.
'Toshinori… don't give up!'
He swore he could hear Nana's voice. He'd resigned himself to his fate… but he didn't want to die. The fire in his eyes re-ignited and he launched himself toward All For One. Even if it killed him, he would take the Symbol of Evil with him.
In the throes of victory, All For One had let his guard down. As the most powerful man on the planet, he'd grown complacent after years of easy victories. Even if All Might had been a challenge, it wasn't enough to make him go all out. He'd forgotten one thing:
Wounded heroes are always the scariest, especially if they have nothing left to lose.
Time seemed to move in slow motion. All Might's attack had come too fast for his danger-sensing quirks to detect until he was mere inches away. His expression changed from satisfied to one he hadn't shown since the second user almost killed him: fear.
Toshinori poured everything he had into this last attack. He felt All For One's skin harden as he tried to activate his defensive quirks at the last second. His fist shattered through them all. Even as he felt the bones in his arm break, he could also feel the villain's skull give way first.
As his vision blurred, the Villain was sent flying back. Gray matter erupted from his head as the top half of his skull was nearly obliterated. For a second Toshinori thought the villain's body shimmered for a moment, but it was probably just the pain causing him to hallucinate.
He could hear a faint buzzing from the communicator in his ear as he fell, weakly holding what remained of his stomach with his unbroken arm. He… he did it.
==VI==
The events of that night would be classified as an earthquake that could be felt even in Tokyo. After he'd landed the final blow, Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye had rushed into the crater to recover his body. Upon seeing the body of All For One, Torino had crushed what remained of his skull, just to be sure.
Many calls were made that night, and Toshinori was barely rushed to a private hospital where Recovery Girl and a team of Tenryou surgeons had barely been able to keep him alive. During the time he was out, the Council had confirmed that the body left behind was in fact All For One's. Following standard procedure, the body was immediately cremated. They'd wheeled Toshinori's hospital bed down just so he could watch.
"You did it Toshinori… he's gone."
==VI==
When news of All For One's death hit the Council of Seven, they wasted no time in taking advantage of the Symbol of Evil's demise. Known strongholds and associates were taken down, some going into hiding. Without fear of sparking an all-out war, they were able to wipe out a large number of his supporters. With the power vacuum, several others tried to take advantage only to be taken out via infighting.
However, nobody noticed a portal appear around an invisible object a short distance away from All For One's body that night.
==VI==
[All For One's Domain: All-Encompassing Vault of Avarice, August 24th, 2238]
The beeping of several life support machines could be heard echoing through the dark halls of the Permanent Domain. While All For One had been unable to master the art of domain creation outside of using premade reagents, centuries of money and a morally flexible demi-human from China could do wonders.
Dr. Garaki had worked tirelessly over the past year to keep his master alive, but he still had yet to awaken. By all accounts, he should've been dead. Nearly half his brain had been obliterated by the blasted hero's punch. It was only thanks to the multitude of regeneration quirks his master possessed, along with Kyudai's skill in biological engineering and limited magic skill that he was able to survive.
Between his duties disguised as a lowly, yet respected doctor (as opposed to one of the great All For One's most trusted associates) and organizing what was left of his master's servants, most of his time was spent trying to accelerate his lord's healing. Regeneration could only do so much without a fully conscious brain to direct it.
Most of his skull had to be regrown. Enough of his brain was still intact enough, and thanks to several of his quirks permanent brain damage wouldn't be a problem. The real problem was his face and respiratory system. Both had been destroyed beyond repair and his master required a highly advanced life support system just to keep himself breathing while comatose. Not only that but his eyes and nose had failed to regenerate. Kyudai considered this his ultimate failure.
Today would've been like any other day, until he noticed his master jolt from his slumber, weakly raising his hand.
==VI==
"Master, I'm so glad! I thought you would never wake up!" Kyudai proclaimed while prostrating himself in front of his master's life support station.
"Doctor…" All For One wheezed. "What… happened?"
"You were injured in your battle against that accursed All Might! Thankfully Kurogiri was able to recover your real body quickly enough that I could stabilize you."
"I see." He must've activated Dead Ringer. It was a quirk he never thought he would use, simply because of the idea that he would receive lethal damage in a fight was so ludicrous, and because it was a "collector's item".
Given his power, it was obvious that he had a fair share of enemies. Some had even resulted to hiring assassins. One such was a crazed Frenchman who attempted to kill him after the Quirk Wars. Obviously, he'd killed the man but he was shocked when he discovered a second corpse that appeared a few minutes later. Curiously, the man's original body did not possess a quirk, so he'd copied it off the corpse the quirk generated.
He wasn't sure if the man was a fool or just suicidally overconfident to attack him. Honestly, the man probably didn't even know he had a quirk considering that the activation requirement was taking near-fatal damage with no guarantee of survival.
Dead Ringer was a simple quirk that he'd kept because it was so unique. It generated a perfect duplicate of the body upon receiving lethal damage. He'd nearly forgotten he had the quirk as it was so specific. It was also what his brother would consider "limited edition" because upon use the Quirk would burn itself out of the user's soul, copying it over to the duplicate and thus making it a single-use quirk.
Now that he thought about it, did that mean the quirk had some of the properties of a transfer quirk like his own? He supposed it didn't matter now seeing as the Council had probably incinerated the body. You can never be too careful with necromancy quirks and magic being a thing.
"It is truly a miracle that I survived then." All For One pondered then attempted to open his eyes. "Kyudai, where are my eyes?"
Kyudai stiffened. "I… no matter how hard I tried, the damage to your brain was too severe. I can only atone for my failure with my life." He replied sadly, nearly crying at his failure.
"How badly was I hurt?" All For One asked.
"With the amount of damage done to your brain, your regeneration quirks nearly failed. I had to place you in stasis and use the prototype Nomu brain as a base to fix the rest." The chubby man fidgeted in place. "Once your mind recovered, I manually stimulated your brain to trigger your regeneration. During the process, I had to restart your heart multiple times as well, but there should be no lasting damage."
"I see. What else?"
"While I was able to restore the shape of your skull via forcibly activating and shaping Spearlike Bones, your eyes and nose failed to regenerate." The doctor's moustache twitched nervously. "And due to the state your body is in, you are no longer able to use some of your more powerful and advanced quirks. The strain would cripple you further."
The room was silent save for the sound of the life support system pumping away. Kyudai observed his master as he processed the information.
"Doctor."
"Yes, my master?"
"Did All Might survive our battle?"
Kyudai, in a moment of clarity, took a few steps back. "Yes…"
All For One sat in silence for a whole minute, before letting out a scream of scream of rage that shook the room. The sheer amount of murderous intent he radiated made Kyudai think that his heart would burst out of fear. After a few seconds, he regressed into a coughing fit and gasped for air.
"While he did survive, I've noticed that he is limiting the time he spends on heroic deeds significantly. He didn't do anything for four months after your battle, but once he started back up, his time dropped significantly compared to before." Kyudai reported.
The wound he gave the hero should've killed him. Perhaps he underestimated how much One For All had reinforced All Might's body. At the very least it should've been a career-ending injury, yet the man still stubbornly refused to give up and die. "Has he passed on the Quirk?"
"Not that I am able to tell. Our operation suffered while you were indisposed. I estimate around 80% of your servants worldwide have been killed or captured. I've been preoccupied with the Nomu project, especially now with the need for extra muscle, and aiding with your recovery of course. Curator has been organizing the remnants and performing cleanup on all who remain."
Shit. Hundreds of years of planning, all undone in under a year by the Council. "Who do we have left?"
"Curator and his organization are mostly intact, although they are currently preoccupied with Al-Ahmar in Egypt. The Assasins Cabinet was largely untouched due to their covert nature. We also have various groups around the globe that still swear fealty to you."
"Is that all?"
"No, but most of our important assets are no longer available. Desperado and the Volcano Thieves have remained loyal thanks to our funding, but many others have gone defunct or been arrested." He continued. "Kurushi has his little group as well, and Machia is still slumbering awaiting your return. Kurogiri has been taking care of young Tomura in between his other duties."
This was… less than acceptable. That meant that a majority of his assets infiltrating world governments had been discovered and a majority of his manpower across the globe was gone. He couldn't conquer Japan if other nations were able to intervene. Combining that with his earlier plans for the Imperial Royal Family falling through a few years ago this made the task nigh impossible.
All because he was sloppy.
"Tell me Kyudai, and don't lie for my sake. Will I ever return to my full power?"
Kyudai hesitated before speaking. "With the current condition your body is in, it is unlikely that you will, and it is likely to worsen over the next few decades."
Well fuck. He always knew his body would give out eventually, which is why Kyudai was researching the Nomu project to create a perfect body. All For One (the quirk) had theoretically infinite storage for quirks, but his current first-generation quirk body did not.
"But all is not lost! If my theories about quirks and the soul are correct, we could get you a new body. Perhaps Tomura or Kurushi? With a little engineering, I'm certain one of them would be a suitable host." Kyudai offered.
"I don't believe that option is the most viable. There are too many risks involved." All For One replied. "Given Kurushi's disposition, he would not survive the process. His genetics are already unstable enough as it is. Tomura would be a far better choice…" he trailed off. "But perhaps it is time to consider a successor instead."
"My lord?"
He'd never had children of his own or a relationship for that matter. There was only one woman he met that he had any sort of interest in, and that was mostly because of her quirk. The closest thing he had to heirs were the two boys he'd taken in.
"Even if I were to assume control of their body, my soul would just overwrite theirs, correct?"
"If my theory is true, that would be the plan, yes," Kyudai answered curiously. "Isn't that what you want?"
"If I hadn't been injured, then yes. But this turn of events has made me realize something. Tell me, why is it that despite all my manipulation the users of One For All have finally triumphed over me?" He inquired.
"Forgive me my lord, but I don't understand." Kyudai tilted his head. "All Might just got lucky, didn't he?"
"Oh my dear doctor, how I wish that were the case. Sadly though, it is because I have been unable to adapt and grow. Each generation of One For All was stronger, and carried the experience of the past users forward. They have grown in ways that I could not have foreseen because of my sentimentality for my brother." He drummed his fingers on his chair. "Compared to me, they have evolved. Despite the circumstances of my early life, I have rarely experienced the sting of failure. My plans have fallen into place nearly perfectly until now, and I have not grown. This has culminated in this." He gestured to his face.
Kyudai nodded in understanding. "But wouldn't a new body be an evolution as well?"
"Only in form. My soul and motivation would remain the same, as they have these past two centuries. But, were I to pass on my quirk to a successor, perhaps they could carry on my dream." The Symbol of Evil clarified. "And I would live on inside them, able to offer my advice and experience. Even after I pass on, my dreams would be carried out by them."
"If that is the path you wish to take, I will do my best to make it happen." Kyudai bowed. "Who do you have in mind as your heir?"
"Shigaraki Tomura." All For One declared. "He is the most suitable candidate." Having started to turn on his sensory quirks to compensate for his lost sight, he could feel Kyudai cringe. "What is it, Doctor?"
"My lord, if he is your chosen successor I will follow him, but he is…" Kyudai had been keeping an eye on Tomura via Kurogiri's reports. "He is unworthy, and a childish brat. The words "terminally online" come to mind. All he does is sit in his room and play games, complaining about heroes." His moustache twitched angrily. "And despite Kurogiri keeping him away from detrimental influence like Akelous and his cult, he still wishes only to destroy." He finished with a huff.
"Tomura is a teenager. I don't expect him to become a leader overnight. He must be nurtured and guided, like a blossoming flower. His destructive tendencies are simply him lashing out at a world he dislikes. We simply need to push him down the right path and offer him an opportunity to evolve into someone greater. A proper heir. You need not follow him until you deem him an acceptable successor. Tomura must be allowed to fail and learn, which was a luxury I never had."
"I understand, my master."
==VI==
[All For One's Domain: All-Encompassing Vault of Avarice, October 21st, 2238]
It had taken him months to build up the strength to move without his full life support throne. The mobile version only allowed him to leave for a few days at a time. During the past few months, he'd been meeting with his Cabal of loyalists to lay out new plans for the future.
He'd also met with several new assets, some of his assets in America introducing him to a potential pawn. In the meanwhile, he'd been catching up with Curator and Kyudai on recent developments. The main focus was the two new villain groups that had arisen since the Dark Winter incident in Russia four years ago: the doomsday cult Chaos Theory, and the mysterious Fatui. Both groups had been a minor nuisance that he was sure the heroes or Council would take care of at first, but during his disappearance, they had grown more bold and presented a serious threat to his operation. For the time being, he would not reveal his revival to them and allow his forces to build, namely the Nomu project.
"We are currently increasing our efforts to gather more material for your project, but we need to keep the disappearances to an acceptable level," Curator advised. "The heroes have noticed an increase in human trafficking. I advise spacing out operations to be less consistent."
"Curator is correct." All For One agreed. "Even if you are outsourcing the work, we must remain vigilant." He picked up a stack of papers, scanning them with a quirk. "You've had Number Six testing our Trigger variant as well. This could be a suitable distraction for the heroes, at least in Japan."
Number Six was Kyudai's current prize project. A child with tolerance for multiple quirks just like Gigantomachia. Granted, he was a bit mentally unstable and obsessed and knew little about All For One's operation. Either he would succeed marvelously, or crash and burn. Either outcome would be acceptable. He would serve well to test out Kyudai's prototype Next-Level villains, the precursors to his Nomu.
"I do wish that your… pets," Curator crinkled his nose in disgust. "Were not such an abomination against nature. Corpses belong in the ground to nurture new life." The man grumbled.
"Well, I'd like to see your little plants and animals win a fight. We can't rely on Desperado all the time since your organization is mostly hit-and-run." Kyudai shot back. "My babies will be the perfect soldiers." He proudly proclaimed.
Curator grimaced as he glanced at the monstrosities floating in their tubes. Disgusting. He'd have to have Zookeeper scrub the stench of ammonia off him when he got back to his base. But, although it went against what he believed it was still All For One's orders. He believed in his master, and through him, his dreams of a more natural world ruled by quirks would be achieved.
==VI==
[All For One's Domain: All-Encompassing Vault of Avarice, April 26th, 2242]
Today was a meeting that Kyudai had set up with an on-and-off associate of his. Another peruser of medical science of the morally questionable variety. He'd known this man during the Dawn of Quirks, but had never attempted to meet with him since every person he'd sent to arrange a meeting had ended up dead within minutes of approaching him.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet, All For One." The robotic-looking Stand said in a deep echoing voice. "I believe I have a project in the works that would be of great interest to you."
Dr. Akefu Satoru was his name, which he knew was an alias considering the real Akefu Satoru had been disposed of by Kyudai as a favor to this man. Most would assume that he was an unassuming 89-year-old doctor, but all for one knew the truth.
This man certainly wasn't human, considering he'd been alive far longer than All For One Himself. Also, he wasn't entirely here right now considering he couldn't detect a single sign of life from the man using his many quirks. Even then he had to focus just to be sure. He had no idea where the actual user was, which made tracking him impossible taking into consideration the Stand's power
The ability to manifest a fully autonomous Stand meant whoever was pretending to be Akefu Satoru was powerful.
The power of a Stand was something he'd originally sought after, up until he realized that it was physiologically impossible to possess both a stand and a quirk. That had sure been a surprise when a Stand user came to him begging for his quirk to be removed.
==VI==
[About two centuries ago…]
"Please, I don't want this power! It's been nothing but a curse!" The man pleaded.
"I will be more than happy to take it off your hands." All For One grinned, placing his palm on the man's forehead and activating his quirk. 'Odd… this man iappears to be quirkless? That shouldn't be possible. I witnessed his ability with my own eyes!'
Out of curiosity, he picked a simple quirk and gave it to the man. Maybe his quirk was hidden? Perhaps adding a second would expose it.
Instead, the man immediately began to convulse, skin turning deep red as every blood vessel in his body. His ability manifested next to him, melting and desperately clawing at the air.
And then he exploded, covering the entire room in a shower of blood and gore.
All For One blinked slowly and wiped the blood mixed in with bits of eyeball (ew) off his face. "I'm sorry, but what the fuck?"
==VI==
By principle, he'd employed very few Stand users over the years. Generally, they were unreliable and usually somewhat unstable and seemed to be drawn into fights with one another. Their loyalty was mostly for money or out of fear. Sure, he could kill most of them with a single touch, but getting into range of a Stand was generally a terrible idea considering that they could manipulate reality in more ridiculous ways than quirks.
Thankfully over the years since Quirks emerged, stand users have become weaker and more scarce at a rapid pace. No need to worry about powerful stands like in the records he'd read.
"I know that you are under an alias, Doctor. Would you prefer me to call you that, or another name?" All For One inquired.
"You may call me「Wonder of U」." The Stand said, tipping his bowler hat to the villain.
All For One squinted his non-existent eyes. "Like the Elvis song?"
The Stand clasped his hands together. "Ah, another fan of the King? I love his music"
Well, that confirmed he was not human. "I own a few of his records, but I'm more of a fan of The Rolling Stones."
The scarf-wearing Stand nodded in approval. "Let me guess, "Sympathy for the Devil"?"
"Damn straight."
"While your tastes are impeccable, Symbol of Evil, I did not call for this meeting to discuss music." 「Wonder of U」chuckled. "For the past few decades, I've been refining a healing drug. I'm assuming you are aware of "equivalent exchange"?"
"Giving up an item for something of equal value." He confirmed.
"Currently the version of my drug works off that principle. It heals a wound in exchange for another part of your body, which then turns to stone. My goal over the past few decades has been to lessen that side effect." He held up a small pink vial.
"Interesting." All For One rubbed his chin.
"I am currently looking for funding to advance my research to the next stage. I am… acquainted with your Doctor, and owe him a favor for securing this identity. He told me of your injury, although I am unsure if my medicine will be of help to you specifically." 「Wonder of U」explained, knowing that All For One would know if he was hiding anything.
"And why is that?"
"The drug works the best on the quirkless and Stand users, and is most effective on my kind." The Stand continued. "The more powerful a quirk, the more likely you are to suffer drawbacks and side effects." He knew this from testing it on random patients in the hospital. They already had terminal illnesses which technically made it a victimless crime, like robbing a grave or punching someone in the dark.
All For One mulled over the information. A healing drug, even if he was unable to use it, was still beneficial. Healing quirks in general were some of the most sought after due to their rarity. Sure, some quirks assisted in medicine, but true healing quirks with regenerative properties that could be shared with others with little drawbacks? Very rare. Even the U.A. nurse, Recovery Girl's quirk was a mediocre one at best considering the stamina drain and was basically useless against pre-existing injuries.
The real question though, was the creature's intention. "I must admit I am intrigued by your offer. What is it that you require, and why?" He questioned.
"All I require is funding. Preferably physical and untraceable. I don't require any laboratories, just to fund my associates. My people… do not work well with others if there is no benefit to it, even with each other." He tapped his cane against the ground in annoyance. "As for my motivations? I simply wish to carve out a peaceful existence in this world. The appearance of quirks has squashed my dreams of dominance over humanity, and if what Dr. Garaki says about your dreams for this world hold true I would prefer to be associated with someone as powerful as you. That said, our relationship would be solely transactional and not subordinate."
That was a bold thing to say right in front of him. If not for the Stand acting as proxy, and the fact he had no idea how the Stand's power functioned he would've annihilated him on the spot. It took huge balls to go into a meeting with someone, ask for money for experiments, and then say you will sell said product to them.
Feeling a sense of incoming death immediately after the thought of attacking 「Wonder of U」proably saved his life, considering that the last person who made him feel that was All Might.
All For One was about to respond when suddenly an alarm went off on his throne. "It appears something has come up. I will have Dr. Garaki contact you to discuss this further."
"I see. I hope you will consider my offer, Lord of the Underworld." The Stand bowed and quickly made his exit.
==VI==
All For One appeared next to Kyudai in a swirl of black sludge.
"Ah, my lord! How did your meeting go?" Kyudai asked, standing next to an emotionless Kurogiri.
"His offer was interesting, but his loyalty is dubious at best. You can allocate whatever funds you see fit to him but keep him on a short leash. At worst, we can leak his plans to the heroes at a later date. Now, why have you summoned me?" He assumed it was for a good reason.
"Well, ever since this morning there has been a sharp uptick in villain attack reports. The issue is, that they aren't our operatives." Kyudai pointed to a map of Japan specially designed so that his master could read it with a simple quirk. "Those red dots are villain incidents, the green ones are the normal average per day."
That was more than average, even over a week. Still, this was nothing to call him urgently over. "Is that all?"
"It was, but then someone crashed through the roof of one of our Nomu storehouses." Now, it would be stupid of them to hold Nomu where someone could find them. With the conflict between heroes and villains, a simple scuffle and a destroyed building would expose their operation. That's why they were all buried deep under their properties. "And then proceeded to slaughter a few local heroes before Kurogiri warped him to me."
Good on Kurogiri. A villain killing heroes out in the open always drew unwanted attention. "Where is he now?"
"The Doctor has sedated him and restrained him in the lab. He seems to possess a powerful flame quirk, like Endeavor." Kurogiri piped up.
"Take me to him. I wish to see who has decided to strike at my assets." He owned all the local villains, which meant that whoever decided to attack his facilities was intentionally doing it, or just plain stupid.
His servants led him down into a restricted area of Kyudai's lab. Locked in a sealed cell was a large man in flame-colored armor. He had a single fist imprint on his chest, likely from a powerful foe. "Did the heroes do that to him?" All For One asked.
"No master. He was like that when he first arrived." Kurogiri explained.
"Hmmm…" All For One reached out and yanked the metal visor off the man's head, plating crunching like a tin can. 'Odd, a cycloptic visor but he has two eyes…' His hands tingled at the prospect of a new quirk. Greedily, he placed his palm against the stranger's skull and with a crackle of red and black lightning took his quirk. 'As expected, a powerful flame quirk.' Unfortunately, it seemed to also generate a black ashy sludge in the lungs when used, which meant it wasn't viable for him at this state. It could possibly meld well with Iwata's quirk, assuming he could handle a second.
Kyudai tapped a few buttons to awaken the man now that he no longer possessed a quirk, though the restraints he was trapped in wouldn't have allowed him to use it without being shocked anyway. The man began to stir, jolting awake a few minutes late. He attempted to break free, struggling against the restraints with shocking strength even without a quirk and screaming in a foreign language. Interestingly All For One couldn't understand him even while knowing over forty languages.
"Doctor," He glanced at the rotund scientist. "Run it through a translator."
Kyudai nodded behind the monitor, frowning a moment later. "No results? Impossible!"
Standing in front of the man, All For One sighed. Digging through people's memories was such a pain when they were this resistant. Oh well. "Silence."
The man stopped struggling, orange pupils on black sclera narrowing as a powerful aura filled the room. 'Odd, he stopped but wasn't afraid… he looks trained. Not a hero obviously…' He placed both his hands on the man's head and concentrated.
With a grunt of growing discomfort the man began to squirm, a look of defiance in his eyes. Grineer were trained to resist torture after all. He would not disgrace himself by giving up easily.
Mind reading quirks tended to be fickle. Had he more time to prepare, or if the man were still unconscious it would have been easier. All For One's patience was thin today, and he elected to just brute force it. The man was surprisingly resistant, so he only got a few flashes.
"The fuck is this?"
==VI==
[Might Tower, July 16th, 2242]
All Might jolted awake, covered in sweat. The wound on his side ached more than it usually did. 'The nightmare… the night All For One almost killed me.' He shuddered. 'Why am I thinking about that now?' He supposed it was just the trauma. He'd won only because the Symbol of Evil let his guard down. Without that stroke of luck, he likely would've been the last One For All user.
He pulled out his phone, smiling as he saw a picture of a smiling Izuku on the beach. At least the boy would never have to face something like that.
==========================VI==========================
AN:
Canon AFO: I want OFA. Gimmegimmegimme
VI AFO: I tried to take it, but its far more useful for you users to take care of my competition while I plan.
To the surprise of literally no one, AFO is alive. The quirk he used is a little TF2 reference to one of the spy's gadgets. (And no, TF2 is not canon to the fic. The frenchman thing was just a little nod to it)
Quirks AFO Used:
Black Spiral Lance: Those cool lances in the background of MHA manga chapter 398. I'm going by the assumption a quirk created them and AFO stole it.
Liquify: Causes whatever he is touching to turn to a liquid state with a consistency of syrup. Like a variant of Honenuki Jūzō from Class 1-B's Softening quirk
Combust: Causes air to ignite and explode.
Radio Waves, Air Wall, Regeneration (multiple): Canon Quirks that he or AFO!Shiggy have.The umbral stuff is his magical affinity.
Even with AFO being the most powerful mortal in the setting, that doesn't mean he can't make a mistake, especially with how powerful he let OFA get. He was even taking that into account but got complacent and thought he broke Toshinori's spirit by revealing he was using the previous OFA users to do his dirty work.
The Jojo Character won't be making too much of an appearance, but his allies will.
LOV/PLF Lineup:
AFO
Shigaraki Tomura
Shigaraki Kurushi (Nine, and his crew)
Gigantomachia
W.I.L.D
Volcano Thieves
The Assasins Cabinet
Desperado
Kurogiri
Dr. Kyudai Garaki + Nomu
And I still haven't gotten to Chaos Theory or the Fatui yet. ¬‿¬
Also, AFO reading some of Sargas Ruk's memories like Hellsing Abridged Alucard and seeing snippets of the Origin System: "Nani the fuck?"
I am not good at coherent authors notes if you couldn't tell. Maybe I should stop writing super late at night.