"Okay, first things first."
Izuku sat cross-legged on the mat, facing a kneeling Yamato.
"We're gonna need a pen and paper for me to make you a list of things to get." He cupped his chin. "Got anything to write with?"
"I do! Let me find something!"
Yamato got up and trotted over to her cupboard. After a few moments of very loud rummaging, she returned with an armful of bric-a-brac.
Izuku stared, wide-eyed, as she laid a wooden board before him, along with a roll of parchment, a set of charcoal sticks, some quills, and even an inkwell.
Yes. This place really was like old Japan. A land of Samurai and Daimyo, before the pirates took it over.
"Okay then," he said, picking up a charcoal stick and starting to write. "We'll be flying high over the ocean, so we're gonna need jackets to keep us warm, and a compass too so we can find our way…or one of those Log Posses from Oden's journal, only I don't know how to use one of those. We'll need food that can go in the jacket pockets, just enough to get us to an island. We should maybe get a map too, but we might not be able to get one without…"
He paused, as he saw how Yamato was beaming at him.
"You seem to think things through a lot, don't you Izuku," she commented, still smiling.
"Uh, well, it's a habit," he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I used to spend forever gathering info on heroes and writing it down. I used to nerd out about it…a lot…make that all the time…"
Yamato giggled. Ordinarily being giggled at by a girl would have reduced him to the depths of embarrassment. But this time it didn't. There was something…honest about Yamato, something sincere. It's like she was hanging off his every word, and loved every last one.
"Say Yamato," he said, remembering himself. "Have you ever gone to the inventory to ask for stuff?"
"Not really," replied Yamato. "Only for these clothes. The belt I made myself!" She pointed at it, grinning with pride. "If I needed anything else, I had to sneak in there. Before I got strong enough to just walk in, that is."
"You snuck around there?"
"Yes. After I declared myself Kozuki Oden, my father ordered that no one was to give me anything. I had to sneak around the crawl spaces and air ducts to get into places. Now I can just walk in and they give me anything I want, but that's just because they're afraid."
She was smiling, but her smile had faded somehow.
"Do you remember them? Those places?" Izuku asked. "I'd rather you not draw suspicion as to why you're asking for a spare Beast Pirate costume and well, you know, the essentials we need for when we get out of here." He said, explaining his reasoning. The white haired woman's eyes flashed as it came together.
"Ohhhh I get it! And no worries! I know those spaces like the back of my hand!"
Yamato grinned, and stood up to reach atop her cabinet, bringing down a sack. She took a candle from the cabinet, lit it with a match, then turned her attention to the wall beside it. Izuku watched, amazed, as she carefully pressed the edges of one of the wooden panels, until it came away and slid aside.
"And there we are!" she declared, grinning even wider as she undid her bulky belt, then took up the candle and sack. "Follow me!"
(X)
It did not take long for Izuku to lose track of time.
The crawl spaces were dark and winding, ranging from rocky caverns and crudely-cut tunnels through to gaps and crawl spaces. Izuku was fine with such places, but he had trouble keeping up with Yamato; who knew the endlessly-twisting network far better than he did.
All the same, he was glad he had gone. The crawl spaces seemed to go everywhere, and they were full of gaps and peepholes, allowing him to see the rooms and corridors beyond. It was like something out of a ninja castle.
The Beast Pirates, as he saw them for the first time, were most definitely not. They looked more like vikings or bikers than anything that belonged in an old Japanese-style castle. Each one wore a horned helmet and a heavy-looking fur cape, along with big belts and all manner of weapons and accessories. They were of all shapes and sizes, and all ages. Most of them were men, but he could see one or two women too.
Fortunately, it was late in the evening. Most would be in bed, or getting drunk down in the mess halls, or maybe doing late-night duties. They didn't seem like the most reliable types to Izuku, but then again, this was the first he had seen of them.
Then Yamato stopped, in a small space lined with floorboards on the bottom. There was a crack in the boards, with light flickering up through it.
"It felt so much bigger in here when I was little," she said, chuckling. The small space was quite tight, forcing Izuku to back up a bit, and carefully move around Yamato as she got into position, and peered down through the crack.
He couldn't see much, for there was little light. But he could see long racks, containing rows and rows of equipment. They had reached their destination.
"Okay, now which board was it?"
Yamato carefully felt around the boards, pressing them very gently, until finally one of them popped loose.
"There. You can tell them by the nicks."
She pointed at the board, and Izuku saw two divots in the wood. Holding the candle closer, he saw two marks.
"They're from my horns," Yamato explained, grinning.
"That makes sense," he whispered back, as Yamato eased up enough boards to make a hole, then began to wiggle her way down. She paused, grunted, then pulled back up.
"It's been a while, I got too big, haha," she chuckled, patting her…chest.
Izuku blushed. She wasn't too over-endowed for her size, but there was no denying that her chest was… quite large. It was a good thing Mineta wasn't there.
"Don't worry, I'll go."
Izuku carefully clambered around her, then eased himself forward through the hole,
The chamber was what it appeared to be; an armory or storage room of some kind, dimly lit, and entirely deserted. Long racks dominated the room, stacked with trays and boxes. Some of them were even labeled.
These pirates were better organized than he had expected. More like an army, for all their wild appearance.
"Can I get the sack?" he asked. Yamato handed him the sack, and he crawled forward, lowering himself down through the hole
"Careful you're gonna fall!" hissed Yamato. But Izuku let himself drop, his power rising with a thought. His fall halted, and he hovered in mid air, grinning back up at her.
"Ah, right, that," Yamato said, grinning back.
Izuku floated gently down, hovering just above the floorboards as he moved along the racks, taking what he needed. Two Triple-needled Log Posses, then a backpack, then two pairs of goggles, then a jacket. Having got all he needed, he searched again through the jackets, looking for one large enough for Yamato. He picked out one of the largest, then floated up to Yamato.
"Try this on," he hissed, passing it up through the hole. Yamato took it, and slid it on. It was a bit tight around her bosom, but it'll fit.
"It'll do," she whispered back.
"Right, now for a disguise."
He floated back down, and moved back along the racks. But there was no sign of any of those strange uniforms from before. His search took him along the racks, until he reached the corner of the chamber, where a door was set into the wall. There was light coming from under it, and the sound of talking.
Carefully, Izuku eased himself closer, and listened.
"So hear the rumors?" came a raspy noise. "Heard there's gonna be a big announcement at the Fire Festival this year."
"Oh yeah?" came another male voice, one more grungy in tone. "Like what?"
"Not sure, but it's gonna be big. Something about bolstering our forces. All I know is one of the ships under King's command came back from an island in the New World."
"Got a clue from where? I raise."
"Tch, fine. I call ya. It's been hush hush... but... " A yawn.. "If it's enough that Lord Kaido would send King out there... I'm betting it's Devil Fruits. Plural."
"Why's that?" Grungy asked.
"Well, weapons and that sort is more up Queen's alley, you know how he is.." There was a pause, and the sound of chugging. Drinking.
"Faaaaa... and like, it wouldn't be so hush hush about it... wouldn't need a big announcement so... I bet Lord Kaido might hold some kind of tournament... and all of the Non-Headliners have a chance to fight it out for these. He holds them at the Fire Festival sometimes."
"Well, count me in. You could be set for life selling one of those in Paradise. Imagine how one can sell in the New World."
"You thinkin' on selling? Better to eat'em and become a Headliner! That is, if it is Devil Fruits. For all we know it could be new weapons or some shit. And three eights and a Jack. Eat'em."
"Cute." Grungy toned.
"Gaaah shit! Four tens?! You tricked me!"
Grungy laughed at Raspy's displeasure in losing as Izuku floated away from the door. He turned back around, and headed down the next row. Various odds and ends, glasses…horns! He stuffed a pair in his sack, and continued along the row, eventually reaching a door.
COAT ROOM
Izuku grinned. He opened the door, wincing as it creaked. He paused, glancing up at Yamato, who was already putting the boards back. He looked back towards the other door, where Grungy and Raspy were. But the door remained closed. They hadn't heard him.
He slid the door all the way open, and floated through. Inside there were indeed coats, arranged on racks along the walls.
"How many animals did they skin for these?" Izuku mused aloud as he reached out, setting the candle down on a ledge before grabbing one and trying it on.
Too small. He put it back and tried another, and another, until he found on that fitted right. He stuffed it into the sack, then grabbed the candle and floated out, closing the door behind him. Above, Yamato pulled aside the boards as he floated up to her.
"Okay, got our stuff." He said with a grin as Yamato nodded.
"I was half worried there. Your flying quirk is very handy!"
"Tell me about it." Izuku replied as she put the board back in place. "Come on, let's go."
"Kaido's lair is at the top floor, near the Castle section." Yamato whispered as they began to shuffle backwards. "You'll need to make your way there... and find the air ducts. The attic-crawl spaces there are already filled up and destroyed."
"Why's that?"
"Because I used them to ambush him in the past. They got wrecked, and the work crews filled them in."
Izuku nodded. That made sense.
"Got it... air duct, top floor, Castle Section. Just gotta make my way there without anyone noticing."
"Better to know the lay of the land first." Yamato replied. "Think you can do it?"
"Yeah, I can just fly out your window, land somewhere unseen and go about my business there outside the Skull Dome."
Izuku took a deep breath. Step one was complete. Now for step two.
"Back to your room, change into my disguise, then take a wander around Onigashima," he mused aloud.
Gear acquired. Now for the next step! And with a particularly juicy info bit there...
Happy Fourth everybody!
For my audience, here is what could have been for this story as well. Let's call them... Door 1 and Door 2. We are on Door 3.
JoeHalo from Spacebattles said:
...So what your saying is...Izuku either needs to A: Create a Justice League/Avengers or B: Create a Fourth Great Power.
Hell, imagine Izuku as one the Seven Warlords.
This was more or less the idea for Door 1 that I was thinking of when plotting this out in my head at first. Have Izuku wash up on Cocoyashi, be taken in by Nami and Nojiko, learn of the ills of Arlong and his crew(maybe even eavesdrop on NEzumi as well, but that wouldn't sour his opinion on the Marines, it being one bad egg) and then taking the main pirates+Nezumi, black whipping them all after beating them all to unconciousness, then dropping them off at Smoker's doorstep in Logtown, the nearest Marine Base that isn't tainted by Nezumi. And we would see Izuku... more or less be a divine agent dropped out of the heavens, smiting pirates left and right and altering canon quite a bit. Alvida and Buggy get arrested and tossed into jail. Kuro's crew gets hammered, leaving him all by his lonesome on Syrup.
To say nothing of the romance that would blossom between Nami and her savior. She would have become a Lois Lane in a sense for Izuku. And he would take her to the Baratie for fine dinners flying through the skies and what not.
However, he cannot ignore the other ills of the world when he reads them in the papers. Eustass Kid slaughtering whole islands all because of a drunken joke made his way. Brownbeard besieging innocents. And since he's in the East Blue already, he may find out about Tequila Wolf.
And he would have gone full on Arkham City on the World Noble hired company. Perhaps enough to ruin their operation and free the slaves, earning the eyes of the Revolutionaries... and the ire of the World Nobles.
But the Gorosei see a magnificent asset. He has only targetted pirates. He is deterring piracy to the core, and has flight speeds neverbefore seen. The WG already had sea power in many parts of the world, and land power if you consider them ruling the Red Line.
This level of Air Power, never before seen or dreamtof would not make their claim on the world a mere statement. It would be an objective crystalized fact. Someone who can fly up to 5-600 mph speeds in the skies. Someone with immense power can help them tip the balance of power their way.
All of this, all by this masked "hero" by the named of Deku. The Green Demon(Midori-youma)(as he would have donned the guise of his Tartarus Escapees Arc with the iron mask or some semblance). He would have been a true masked superhero living a double life.
And Izuku would have, more or less, accepted an offer to become a Warlord of the Sea from the Gov't, because now... they know where he makes his bed. Where he has loved ones held close as they will figure out that eventually... they will come to Cocoyashi as that was his debut. And if he can get the resources needed, well... He can begin his own organization.
If Juubi-K would like to pitch in, he had in mind to make Deku(he always appears Masked to WG officials and Marines) a Justice Lord in a sense. Forming an organization that's in a lighter vein of Baroque Works. It would have been some Bounty Hunters true, but they would be under his label as 'Heroes' instead. Even Zoro would have joined at the prospect of fighting more dangerous pirates to increase his strength. He would have been built up to be this unique foil to Doflamingo, as he is building an
And Izuku, at some point down the line, will need to decide if he should keep his title and the resources he has to trust authority. He has always known that. Nezumi was a bad egg... Tequilla Wolf was a surprise.
What will happen if he learns of the Ohara Massacre? Or the other countless atrocities of the World Nobles? Of Cipher Pol? And this is all on top of him aiming to combat a Pirate Era that is slowly becoming fearful of this green angel from God sent to punish them.
So yeah, this was the premise for Door 1 in a sense. As you can see, canon, well and truly demoished in that Luffy may not even make it out of the whirlpool due to Izuku's influence in East Blue. He would have smothered him and I already did that in Semper Fi by, you know, killing him off due to Shanks being a smidgen late to the Lord of the Coast. And as much as I do not like Luffy(and I fear for the day when I have to write him since Luffy in fanfics I see is always OOC. Either too serious and smart, or too braindead retarded) I didn't want to do that to him again, especially since Semper Fi has had a very veeeery small reader turn out despite my love for Coby.
But I've written several stories on Coby, and each and every one ends up dead with little reader fanfare. My only popular one was my darling Coby's Magical Misadventure but I lost interest in that because I began to HATE Fairy Tail and I didn't want to divulge in a teasing 'will he or won't he' from a selection of girls from FT since I liked them all and I was being pulled in too many directions of which girl for Coby to wind up with. Along with some story directions that, while inspired by say, Lord of the Rings, could have fucked Fairy Tail AND One Piece's tone(Ring of corruption that makes Coby into a Black Dragon of Calamity, partialiy responsible for Acnologia destroying Tenrou Island, could have had a love-triangle with Erza and Jellal and it could have devolved into Erza suffering because the boys she loved always turn out bad. Oh and the FT guild remnant never forgiving Coby for being the one to 'awaken' the black dragon when he tried to get the ring off and being exiled, joining either Sabertooth or being tortured and coerced into Raven Tail, with it all ending with Coby going back to Fairy Tail, but being bitter about it regardless of which girl I settled him on).
So in the end, I decided to write on the one character that has a strong comparison to Coby in Izuku, who I like and unlike Coby, comes with an immense power and toolkit to play with, and has undergone an immense arc. his own STORY already. He saved the world from a Demon King. Now save a chaotic demon WORLD from itself.
so yeah, Door 1 was a bit too canon-demolishing and Luffy-removing for my taste. And then it clicked.
Yamato for me is challenging Robin as best girl in OP.
Yamato and Izuku both have role models they wished to aspire to become, with Izuku wanting to be just like All Might, and Yamato calling herself Kozuki Oden.
Both were/are in situations that trap them from acheiving their dreams.
And Izuku can very much be a super strong impression on Yamato, just like how Ace did. Not in the form of seeing piracy as freedom and adventure, but in wanting to do good to your fellow man becuase its the right thing to do, and being inspired by Izuku's story. Combined with MHA's narrator being Izuku telling us the audience how he "become the world's greatest hero" was only added goodness.
And so far, me, IKN and Juubi have written up a narrative and tale that would leave Luffy and his crew alone for the first part of the Grand Line at the least, and instead of Izuku becoming a godlike Angel of Justice ala Superman in East Blue and the Grand Line's first half...
What better way than to have him go from a great white shark in a lake of big fish.
Into an ocean of Megaladons, Mosasaurues, and fucking Godzillas roving every corner.
It's a welcome change from FFESS where Peter became the big fish. Now Izuku is the little fish now, but, as my good friend Wr1teAn0n said, he's not out of the fight.
Now for Door 2.
Door 2 was… a mix.
It would have started out like this currently in story. Izuku washing up on Wano and so forth. But it would have been after the fire festival and when Ace would arrive. In which case Yamato would have implored for Izuku to go with him since 1. Kaido is not around therefore no Key, and 2. Not much for Izuku to do other than Robin Hood it up in Wano. He would have gone with the Spades and would have formed a good bond with Ace then.
But
It would have been detrimental to Izuku's character because again, he would have not left Yamato there he would have stuck it out if need be. He's not letting the woman who saved him behind to rot in her prison like how he left Eri behind at the behest of that four eyed cold hearted twat in Nighteye.
It would have then had Izuku fly away from Ace once he they find an island to settle for a bit and Ace May disband the spades so he can get a shot at killing Whitebeard. Izuku would then fly over the Red Line and into East Blue of all sudden, leading back to Door 1 and Yamato being forgotten from the narrative.
So in the end, keeping true to Izuku's character(and show a remarkable test of it because when he goes to sneak to Kaido… imagine Knov from HXH when he was close to Pitou's En. Minus the aging. It's not gonna be good for our little rabbit boi), we decided to have Izuku be found before the Fire Festival, with Kaido still around, so he can attempt his rescue of Yamato and take her with him. And then the world's our oyster.
That said, if anyone wants to try and put Izuku in Cocoyashi and go from there, or maybe have him be on Ohara when Robin was a child go for it. I would read it.