Here's the chapter for this week!
As pointed out in the last chapter, this week - the reaction will be on One Piece. If you've my profile, you'll know that this is my favorite show. I decided not to focus on any of the Straw Hats just yet - but I may return to this show in the future. If you've read the series, you'll know who I'm referring to with the title 'Dark Justice'. Or at the very least, the arc.
Now, on with the chapter!
I DO NOT OWN RWBY OR ANY OF THE SOURCES THAT I WILL HAVE THE CHARACTERS REACT TO. That being said, all of that is implied since it's fanfiction.
Dark Justice (ONE PIECE)
"What's this next show about, Chrono?" Pyrrha asked.
"It's a show about Pirates." Chrono answered.
"Pirates! Oooh! Oooh! Are we going to see one with a peg leg? Or a pirate with an eyepatch? Are they gonna walk the plank?" Nora had a bombardment of questions.
"No. This pirate show is a lot more…unconventional…" Chrono said.
This raised a few eyebrows. "Unconventional how?" Roman asked.
"Well this viewing won't focus completely on just pirates, but on the navy and government as well. You'll see." Chrono said.
The screen sprang to life, showing a marine ship in the ocean overlooking the chaos of a battle at a nearby bridge connecting to Enies Lobby. The ship was full of marine personnel, many of them wearing the distinctive white garb of the World Government's forces. However, one of them was wearing a very eye-catching red Marine coat.
This man has four X-shaped scars on his face and two on his neck, a split, curling mustache and brown flowing hair, reaching down to his shoulders. He has no pupil in his left eye. This was Vice Admiral Doberman, the leader of the ship - and one of five Vice Admirals called to Enies Lobby via the Buster Call.
"Woah…that island is…"
"Floating!" Nora finished Jaune's sentence.
Many looked shocked at the floating island of Enies Lobby - except for the people of Atlas. Living on a floating island made them used to the sight.
"What island is that?" Ironwood asked Chrono.
"That would be the judicial island of Enies Lobby. It is one of the three major strongholds of the World Government."
A World Government? Interesting…Ozpin mused. He considered the idea of a singular form of government when he ended the Great War back when he was King of Vale but ultimately decided against it. [1]
"But why is it floating? And why a name like Enies Lobby?"
"Nobody knows." Chrono said. And imagine if they hear other island names and organizations if Enies Lobby weirded them out. Like Thriller Bark, Baroque Works, Punk Hazard and…
"You said, one of the three major strongholds. What are the other three?" Glynda asked.
"Those would be Marine Headquarters, the home of the navy - and the underwater prison of Impel Down."
"First Enies Lobby, and now Impel Down. What weird names…" Pyrrha murmured quietly.
"Vice Admiral, Sir! What should we do to capture Nico Robin? She's right there at the bridge of hesitation!" One of Doberman's subordinates said.
"Just leave her," the Vice Admiral replied.
The subordinate was shocked. "...!? But…"
As Doberman continued to look at the bridge being destroyed, he continued. "It's been 10 years now…" [2]
The scene abruptly changed to show a castle at night. The text '10 YEARS AGO' appeared on screen.
"Ooooh. A flashback!" Sun said, excited.
A fight was occurring, with silhouettes of people fighting with sabers in fire. Among the fight were the bodies of downed fighters strewn throughout the ground.
In the midst of the chaos, a person's shout was heard. "Don't hold back guys! Go wild!"
The person was a pirate. "Kill anybody who resists! Show mercy!" He had a feral grin on his face.
"Pirates…" Weiss said, scoffing at the degenerates on the screen.
Cardin heard those words and felt a surge of anger. He still remembered those same exact words being uttered by the White Fang. Those animals…what they did to Bishop…Cardin thought. The huntsman in training thought back to that moment and swore once again to become a great huntsman not to just kill Grimm, but to get rid of those filthy faunus who claimed to be 'freedom fighters'. More like a bunch of terrorists…
"Are you good, Card?" Sky asked in concern.
Cardin looked and saw all of his teammates with the same look as Sky. Both Russel and Dove also wanted to help. Cardin felt slightly better at having them for teammates.
"...just thinking about stuff…." Cardin responded.
"Right. Well, just know we're here for you, bro."
The people the pirates were fighting looked to be guards. "Don't flinch! We must protect our country from these pirates!" One of them said, as he was locked in a swordfight with one of the said scoundrels.
Doberman's voice reappeared. "There was a kingdom which was fighting pirates. They put up an unrelenting resistance." The vice admiral said, as the screen proceeded to show more guards protecting the castle.
"So they have numbers. That's good," Winter said, noticing that if the Kingdom could spare guards to defend the castle - they must've been outnumbering the pirates.
"However…" A cannonball then flew and hit the castle's top, causing a massive explosion.
The guards looked up in horror and anger. "Those damn pirates!" One of the same exclaimed, saying what was on each guard's minds.
More cannons were fired and were hitting the guards. The tide of the battle was turning. Many were hit and their bodies were pushed back. Many of them screamed in pain.
The cannons were being controlled and wheeled by the pirates. One guard was struggling to get up and looked in horror at the line of pirates handling cannons. "...tr-trench mortars?!"
The lead pirate - the captain - saw his expression and laughed. He had red hair, and a crooked mustache. His skin was yellow and sickly as well. "This is it! If you don't wanna die, just give up and surrender! After all, you see these cannons! We can just kill you with them! Hahaha!"
"That's all it took? A few cannons?" Ilia said. We've faced worse!
"The show is probably set in a less technologically advanced time. Mortars back then were like aura now." Adam said to his subordinate.
"But wouldn't a kingdom have cannons too?"
"Not necessarily. Who's to say those pirates didn't kill and thieve their way into them?" Cardin interrupted, glaring at the red-haired leader of the White Fang.
Perhaps in a time before arriving at the theater would Adam have responded. Instead, he simply glared back.
The guard on the ground grit his teeth and pounded the floor with his teeth. However, many guards proceeded to drop their swords and fall to their knees. The pirate captain laughed in triumph - and then gave orders to his men. "Put 'em in a warehouse, fellas! They're gonna be our hostages!"
"The soldiers were forced to surrender and became hostages." Doberman said. "In exchange for the lives of the soldiers, the pirates demanded the throne of the king. The kingdom considered it and was about to surrender."
"What?"
"What type of king would do that?"
"Surrendering to pirates?"
"That's absurd!"
The reaction was instantaneous. Many thought the idea of surrender was preposterous.
The King was seen agonizing over his choice on his throne. He had a hand on his head. His advisors were before him, doing his job.
"Your majesty! For the sake of the citizens, refuse the demands of those despicable pirates!" One of them said.
"He's right." Said the other. "With the power of our military, and of the Imperial guards, we have nothing to fear against those scum!"
The King did not answer, still mulling over his decision.
"Your majesty!"
"He can't seriously be considering it…" Coco said. One of the major lessons she learned in Beacon was not to look weak, and surrendering like that to people would make you look ineffectual. Grimm were a different matter of course, with retreat being possible - but when facing crooks, you had to show no mercy.
The King looked up and gave his answer. "Those soldiers however…they fought and were risking their lives. Those soldiers are also my people! I cannot leave them there! I can't just sit back and let them die!"
The advisors were shocked. "But…"
The King would not be moved however. "Even if this throne is taken away, it's possible to gain it back. But you can't gain back the lives of people!"
The advisors look shocked. "Your majesty…" One said.
Ghira's eyes widened. As Chieftain of Menagerie, he felt very much the same way. It was why he tried to appease the White Fang in Kuo Kuana, even after he left. Was it possible that this King was also tired of bloodshed?
Kali saw her husband and went up against him, hugging him to ease his mind, as she was sensing his conflict.
"I get that….but I doubt these pirates play fair!" Weiss exclaimed.
"Even if we accepted the pirates' demands," the other continued, "I highly doubt they will keep their end of the bargain!" he reasoned.
"Exactly!" Weiss felt vindicated.
It was clear that there was no easy way out. However, a courier burst into the throne room. The King and his advisors looked at him in shock.
"Your Majesty! An emissary from the World Government just arrived!" he announced.
The advisors looked at each other in joy. Perhaps the Government can help them!
"Is that right?" The King said, clearly eager to see the emissary. "Let him in immediately!"
Before the courier could answer back, a man in a suit walked ahead of him and entered the room. He wore a black suit. He was tall and slim, yet muscular, and had arched eyebrows and a close-shaved goatee.
Ruby's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "UNCLE QROW?" she screamed out, making many in the audience cover their ears.
"Wow…" Yang said, also shocked.
Raven looked on in surprise. So my brother's in one of these?
"About time one of us got some shine, right?" Taiyang said to Qrow, who dropped the can of beer he was drinking.
"Me…? Working for the Government?" he said in surprise. He couldn't see it. He wasn't a government man!
"I agree. You certainly do not fit." Winter said.
"I concur. If Mr Branwen were one of my men, I'd have him shot." Ironwood said.
That seemed to knock Qrow out of his stupor. "Oh yeah? If I were one of your men, I'd shoot myself!" he jabbed back.
Both glared at each other - which raised concerns with Winter, Weiss, Ruby, and Yang before…
"Hahahaha! That's a good one Jim!" Qrow said.
"Heheh! Yours were better!" Ironwood responded.
Taiyang smiled at the familiar sight. [3]
"I'm so confused right now…"
"Me too Weiss…"
"However, the World Government proceeded to send a young man to the Kingdom to help with their concerns over the hostages." Doberman continued.
The King looked shocked at the man. A young man…he's just a teenager!
"Damn the World Government! How insulting! Sending a boy!" One of the advisors, clearly not pleased.
"Oh right…now I notice it," Qrow said, focusing back onto the screen. "I do look like I'm back in my Beacon days!"
"Yeah…you're right." Tai replied.
"So that's what you looked like when you were in Beacon, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked.
"Yep." Qrow answered, fishing out a photo from his pocket and showing it to Ruby. "That's Team STRQ - you already know all the members!"
Ruby looked at it and felt a bit sad seeing her mom. Don't worry mom, I'll be a great huntress just like you!
The young man was phased and continued to look until he was just a bit away from the throne. "Where is the prey?" he asked.
Eyebrows were raised.
"Okay…I did not expect that."
"Wow Qrow, are you some type of edgelord in this show?" Yang quipped.
"I don't know, but I would definitely never say something like that…," Qrow said. That sounds like something someone from the tribe would've said…."I guess it goes to show how good my actor must be because he sold that line."
"That suit also helps him pull off the line. The dark and sleek suit fits!" Coco said, liking the outfit.
"Always with fashion…." Fox said telepathically to this team.
"Yeah…you could focus on other stuff, Coco…" Yatsuhashi said.
"I agree with them…" Velvet said.
"Ugh," Coco sighed dramatically and proceeded to talk to Yang. "You don't get it, girl. Being surrounded by people who don't care about how they look!"
"I know right?" Yang said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Blake asked.
"You know what it means. Stripper. Ice Queen."
"I DON'T DRESS LIKE A STRIPPER!" Blake exploded.
"WHY DOES EVERYONE CALL ME THAT?" Weiss exclaimed.
As Yang was laughing, the people not from Beacon were asking themselves one major question.
Who the hell was that big guy talking to initially?
The King was caught off-guard by the man's choice of words. "Y-you mean pirates right? They're occupying the western harbor and making it their hideout." He told the emissary.
"Okay then. Leave the rest to me." The man promptly told the king, before walking away.
"Wait! Please give the highest priorities to the lives of the hostages!" The King said as he got up from his throne.
The man heard the King's plea, and turned back. He stared at the king with cold, narrowed eyes. "Are you trying to tell the World Government what to do?" he asked.
The King looked intimidated. The man then continued to walk away, as the King slumped back into his seat.
Qrow grimaced at the response.
Neo wrote on a sign before showing it to the rest of the people in the theater. "Well that was alarming…"
"I agree, Neo. I'm sorry to say this, Red, but your uncle in this show might be a nutjob!" Roman said.
"Yeah…I might have to agree…." Ruby said, seemingly disturbed.
At the Western Harbor, the pirates were celebrated. "Good job today, guys! Have a good time tonight! Eat and drink to your heart's content!" The captain said to his crew.
Drinks were shared, food was eaten, music was played. The pirates were discussing how big a deal getting the kingdom was, and how it would all be theirs.
"Hooray for the boss!" One of them said, clearly happy for their captain.
"Idiot! He's gonna be the new King!"
"Oh yeah! That's right! Hahahaha!"
She knew this was a show, but seeing criminals celebrate obnoxiously on any medium got on her nerves. Weiss gritted her teeth.
"I know they're bad guys and all, but…"
"You kinda want to join the party?"
"Yep."
"….Same."
"Are you two serious?" Sage said, finding Neptune and Sun's conversation to be absurd.
"They're dead serious. You know how they are." Scarlet replied.
Sage sighed. "Yeah…I know."
As the celebrations were continuing on the boat, the young emissary walked up to the boat.
As the pirates were drinking booze, some of their attention was stolen by the young man.
"Hello there."
"Huh?"
"Your captain, where is he?"
"Wow. How subtle." Mercury deadpanned.
Cinder, however, noticed how the man was carrying himself. He carries himself like me. Confident in his strength. Perhaps that is why he abandoned subtlety. She thought. After all, she did the same with the White Fang, and with Roman. This got a lot more interesting…Cinder smiled.
The captain, hearing the emissary, stopped his celebrations, and sat up from his chair. "Who are you?"
"I've been sent from the World Government. I'm here to arrest you all." The man said simply.
The captain looked at the emissary in shock, before breaking out into laughter. All of the other pirates did the same. However - the young man, judging from his face, was dead serious.
"Arrest?! Me? A brat like him, thinks that he can arrest me?" The captain said to his men - who voiced their agreement through fits of laughter.
"Wow, the government must really be desperate. Seriously, though. That was a good joke! What can one kid like you do?"
The young man simply closed his eyes and clenched his fists, taking the ridicule, as he was fully surrounded by pirates.
"Why is he not fighting back?" Jaune asked, confused.
"He's trying to maintain his composure. Though based on his demeanor, it's clear that the insults are bothering him," Pyrrha concluded.
"You never did like getting called a brat, brother," Raven said to Qrow.
Qrow frowned at the memories. I went through worse than those old guys back when I was at the tribe…so yeah, being called a kid didn't exactly make me happy. He took a sip from his flask before grimacing. So I can't get drunk in this cinema? Seriously?
"If you wanna pretend to be some government big shot, do it somewhere else!"
The captain proceeded to glare. "So beat it! I have no time to play games with some brat!"
Opening his eyes, the emissary tried to walk forward to meet the captain, but stopped when two other pirates brandished their swords against his face.
"Yeah, beat it!"
"Get outta here, brat!"
"You're in my way. Move." The emissary told the two pirates coldly.
Mercury touched his back. "Yeesh, I just felt chills from that threat."
Emerald looked unamused. "Stop it."
"Oh shut up!" They said as they prepared to attack him.
However, the young man did not move and seemed to hold his breath in and clench his fists before taking the hit. He said a certain word in his mind before the attack connected. Tekkai. [4]
The swords connected with his body, but broke. The two pirates looked at the young man in shock.
"Wh-wha..what the hell?"
"He must've used some weird technique!"
"Was that like the show's version of aura?" Sun asked.
"Power system - the show's power system." Neptune stated.
Sun rolled his eyes. "Nobody cares what the term is, Neptune."
"Yeah Neptune, stop being such a nerd." Mercury added on.
"Why are you putting in? You don't even know me!" The N of Team SSSN exclaimed.
Chrono chose that moment to interject. "Yes. That is one of the power systems. You'll see another one later. The power system displayed right now is called Rokushiki. It is used by agents such as him."
"What was that technique?" Blake asked.
"That technique is called Tekkai - or Iron Body. It involves the user hardening their muscles to the level of iron, in order to nullify damage taken from attacks."
"That's possible?" Weiss seemed skeptical.
"First of all, it's a show, like yours. Second of all, to me it's just as fantastical as a place that uses soul magic - like Remnant."
"Oh…right."
"Just remember to suspend your disbelief from time to time, people."
The captain looked momentarily shocked, but soon steeled his features. "I see." He said, with a grin on his face.
"So you ARE from the government. Just to let you know though…if you do any more weird moves, I cannot guarantee the safety of the hostages!" he pointed out in a mocking manner.
The young man maintained a deadpan expression, not responding - even with the pirates pointed guns at his face.
"Just obey us and you'll stay alive…as a hostage of course!" The captain exclaimed before laughing at his supposed.
The young emissary looked on as the captain continued to celebrate.
"Now we have a hostage from the World Government! They won't dare to try anything with us now! Throw that brat in with the others!" He ordered his crew.
Hearing that order, the man showed emotion for the first time. It was a chilling smirk.
Qrow did not like that look. It reminded him too much of his younger days. Back when I was just a lowly bandit…Qrow shook his head. That's the past now. Beacon changed me. I'm no longer a killer. No longer just some…bad luck charm.
The young man was then escorted to the building where the other hostages were being kept. As the entrance was opened and he entered, he took on the guards.
"What's a kid doing here?" One of the hostages asked.
"Some 'emissary' from the World Government," one of the pirates escorting the man said. "He was supposed to rescue you guys," he added, before laughing at the guards' incredulous faces.
"Alright you guys. Try to get along!" One of the pirates said mockingly, before they locked the entrance once again, their laughs echoing in the distance.
"Those guys are such jerks. Nothing like pirates at all!" Nora huffed angrily. "I hope the agent guy beats them up!"
"That agent is technically Ruby's uncle, Nora. And also, those are usually how pirates act." Ren said to his partner.
Nora looked at Ren. "...I'm hungry. I want some pancakes."
Ren just sighed. You JUST had some, Nora... [5]
The man simply sat down where he was for a few minutes. He was observing and listening to the guards. [6]
"Damn…now they have a kid locked in with us too."
"I still think we should've fought back!"
"We had no choice! It was either dying pointless or waiting out for a rescue!"
"And what good did that do? The government sent some random guy!"
"That's exactly why we should've fought until the end!"
"Man, I couldn't just do that! I have kids and a wife! I can't just leave them behind!"
"This is exactly why the people who join up to fight for their country are saps." Roman said.
"And how are they saps? Surely it's not as stupid as being a crook who commits crimes and gets arrested!" Ruby retorted. She was getting tired of the criminal's cynicism.
"They're saps because they risk their lives for strangers." [7]
Many guards murmured in agreement with the last one's remark. Upon hearing that, the emissary spoke up.
"So let me verify one thing…"
"What?" the last guard said.
"You all surrendered willingly and chose to be hostages?" the man asked.
"Pretty much…" the guard replied. "The battle was already lost. No point in dying needlessly." He added in a morose tone.
"I see…"
"He sees what?" Hazel asked. What could he have possibly garnered from some guards' muttering.
The young man then tensed up and said another word in his mind. Soru! and seemingly transported to the guard and said another word as he brought up a finger. Shigan! The finger went up to the man's neck and pierced it, immediately, killing him.
The guards all looked at the suited man in shock, but before they could react - the man continued - using lethal kicks and finger techniques to kill them all.
"WHAT THE HELL?"
"WHY'S HE ATTACKING THEM?"
"HOLY SHIT!"
The reactions were immediate. Many of the Beacon students were shocked by the agent's actions. Qrow looked at the scene and immediately got angry. Why the hell would he do that?
The criminals and villains became a lot more intrigued. Attacking hostages? Interesting course of action…Salem thought.
"What technique is being used by the agent?" Cinder asked Chrono. She already suspected such a thing would happen, and really only cared for the powerful techniques.
"The first technique is called Soru. It allows the user to move at extremely high speeds that look akin to teleporting, in order to avoid attacks, as well as to attack at higher speeds and with greater power - by kicking off the ground at least ten times in the blink of an eye. The second technique is Shigan - or the Finger Pistol. It is a close-quarter combat technique, in which the user pushes their finger into a certain target at a very high speed, leaving a wound similar to a bullet wound."
Seeing a huge bunch of guards at the back, the emissary did a large kick and said another word in his mind. Rankyaku! The kick resulted in a gust of wind appearing and piercing the armor and bodies of all the guards.
The massacre continued, and blood started to pool on the floors, all as the pirates were still celebrating.
As the last guard fell, a look of horror etched on his face, Doberman's voice reappeared. "The man sneaked into the pirates' hideout, and obliterated all the hostages - all 500 of them being guards of the kingdom."
"…why?" Blake asked. She was angered, but she managed to temper her reaction compared to the previous viewing that focused on Adam.
"They were just hostages!" Qrow said. He was the angriest of them all. Because it was his face on the screen that was slaughtering all those civilians.
"Finally! More bloodshed!" Tyrian said in elation. Whilst other viewings had violence and blood spilt, nothing excited him more than cold-blooded murder.
"Ugh…of course HE'S happy with it," Weiss scoffed, glaring at the scorpion faunus.
The scene changed back to the navy ship, with many of the marines looking at the Vice Admiral in horror.
"He k-killed…all of them?!" One of them exclaimed in alarm.
"That can't be right! Is that even permissible?!" One of them said, seemingly angered and shocked. "Even if it's for the World Government! Even if it's for-"
The man was cut off by Doberman's glare, and he lost all sense of anger - with fear replacing it. "P-pardon me! Sir!" The marine said, saluting.
"...They condone this?" Glynda said in horror. It was one thing for a secret agent to do atrocious actions like that. She was aware of how governments could do such things, but for men in service to…to be okay with it. It was hard for her to grasp.
"Unbelievable…" Ironwood growled.
"You need to learn that upholding order isn't all honor and glory! This includes everybody on this ship too!" Doberman said, looking at the marines, who promptly saluted.
Winter looked sick at what the man was saying.
Ozpin scowled at the words that Doberman said. That doesn't excuse the senseless taking of life.
The scene switched back - with one of the pirates frantically running back to the ship.
"Boss! Boss! BOSSS!" He said, calling for his captain in a hysterical manner.
As he reached the ship, the captain heard him. "Woah! Pipe down! What's the matter?" he asked.
The pirate paused briefly to capture his breath before responding. "The..the brat is going on a rampage in the lockup! He's killing all of the hostages!"
"WHAT?!"
"Yep. We all had the same reaction." Yang stated darkly. Despite her being quiet, she was also getting mad at the justification that the World Government was using.
The pirates all arrived at the building with their weapons and opened the door. To their horror, they saw the young man from the World Government. He had his back turned on them, but he was on top of a mountain of bodies.
"What the…WHAT THE HELL?" The pirate captain shouted out. "How dare you…you killed them all?" he said, with a tone that belied not only anger, but disgust as well. It appeared that the captain, despite being a pirate, was repulsed by the man's actions.
"They committed a crime. So I executed them in the name of justice."
"A crime?" The captain said disbelievingly.
"WHAT FUCKING CRIME?"
"IS HE SERIOUS?"
"WHAT A LOAD OF SHIT!"
The students were in an uproar again.
"Settle down children! I feel the same way…but screaming at the screen won't change anything…" Glynda said.
"This government sounds like a real piece of work…" Tai said.
"Summary executions? All the Kingdoms banned that after the Great War," Oobleck noted.
"They were soldiers sworn to defend their kingdom. And yet they surrendered. They surrendered to evil and subjected the kingdom to crisis. They showed weakness. And weakness…" the man, fists clenched, "is a sin. They didn't deserve to live."
The man glared at the captain. "They deserved to die."
"That's so fucked," Qrow hissed.
Raven heard what the agent said and felt conflict, especially since it was his brother's face saying. Why…why couldn't YOU understand that as well? She thought, regarding Qrow.
The captain glared back with hatred. "You fucking bastard. And you call yourself an official of the World Government?!"
The man scoffed at the captain's remark. "Of course. Justice never surrenders to evil."
"I've heard enough! Fellas! Shoot him down!" The captain ordered.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with the pirate dude now." Nora said.
Ren just nodded in agreement. What the emissary did was terrible.
The entire crew brought out their cannons and aimed them at the man on top of a mountain of corpses, and fired.
"That serves him right, the brat…" the captain said, showing no remorse.
However, when the explosions stopped - out from the fire, came the man, with his suit torn and his back showing wounds from cannonfire. Other than that, he appeared unharmed.
"Impossible!"
"HOW COULD HE SURVIVE THAT?"
Ozpin sighed. "Of course. He must've used one of the Rokushiki techniques."
The man then used his Soru technique to get to the captain, and grabbed a hold of his face. Then, he proceeded to fill his body with holes using the Shigan, before beheading the captain.
The pirates looked on in abject horror.
"Boss…."
"He's a monster…"
"Run! Run for your lives!"
"I can't even blame them for running. He really is a monster…" Yang stated.
"Filling him with holes, and then cutting off his head? He's a sicko," Sun added on. I've seen some shit back in Vacuo…but never like that…
"Going back to what I was saying earlier - the pirates soon learned of what he did and got angry. They fired bullets and cannons at him, but he simply got up - killed the captain - and settled the incident." Doberman said - as the screen showed the man killing the entire pirate crew, who was running away, with ruthless efficiency.
The scene changed back to the ship.
"The man I am talking about is the one who will stop at nothing to achieve justice. That mission I mentioned was his first one as a CP9 agent, all at the age of 18. With his Dark mantra of Justice - he works in the shadow to serve the light. I do not disagree with what people say about him - being a cruel, mass-murdering machine. But he is also the strongest agent in CP9's history. That is Rob Lucci." Doberman concluded his tale.
"Rob Lucci? Now I think about it, that's the first time we heard his name," Pyrrha realized.
"Well, that Rob dude is messed up." Ruby said.
"Lucci. In the show, the naming conventions are different - it's the family name first, then the given name last."
"So like some ancient Mistrali customs?" Oobleck asked.
"Correct."
"He did all that at 18? And most of us were only recruited into the navy at that age…" One subordinate said.
"Lucci will accomplish his mission. All we have to do is destroy everything except the bridge."
One of the buildings near the bridge then exploded - and a figure flew out and hit the deck of the ship.
"Well damn. I wasn't expecting that," Roman said.
Neo then wrote something and showed it to Roman. How much do you wanna bet that the person is Lucci?
Roman chuckled. "That'd be too easy of a bet."
"What was that?"
"Was that a man?"
"Do you think he's okay?"
"He could be one of the Straw Hats. Aim your weapons at him."
The soldiers complied with one the captain's orders.
The man who appeared on the deck got up. He had a very odd appearance - taking on the look of a half-man, half-leopard.
"He must've eaten a devil fruit…"
"A devil fruit?" Ilia asked. "What does a fruit have to do with making a human look like a leopard?"
"In the show, devil fruits are mysterious and distinctive fruits scattered throughout the world, which are known for granting their eaters permanent superhuman powers - however at the cost of the inability to swim."
"Why would they lose the ability to swim?"
"That's where the name comes say that the Devil Fruits were enchanted by sea devils. Whoever eats it gets amazing powers, but the seas turn against them."
"I see…"
"There are three major types of devil fruits. The first is a Zoan type fruit. That fruit offers the power for a person to turn into and take on the characteristics of an animal. Lucci ate a Zoan fruit."
"Interesting," Adam noted.
"The second is a logia type fruit. That fruit offers the power for a person to turn into and take on the characters of an element - be it fire, ice, magma, or even gas."
"That sounds cool," Yang stated.
"The final type is a paramecia type fruit. That fruit offers the power that does not fit in with the Logia or Zoan type classification. These can include powers such as control space, creating earthquakes, bending your body like rubber, or making things levitate."
"Those fruits sound the most similar to our semblances to be honest." Pyrrha noted.
The man got up and changed forms, back into looking like a human. It was Rob Lucci.
This alarmed the soldiers - who demanded answers. "Who are you? Answer me!"
"Enough! Put your weapons down! That is Rob Lucci!" Doberman shouted at his soldiers.
Hearing his name, many of the marines in the ship looked at Lucci in horror and the navy soldiers aiming guns at him immediately dropped their weapons.
"We-we're terribly sorry sir! Please don't kill us!"
"Shut up. Your whining is hurting my ears."
"Geez. What a dick," Yang said. "Sorry, Uncle Qrow."
"It's fine. I agree."
Lucci then said another technique in his mind as he tensed up. Geppo! He then proceeded to walk on the air, much to the shock of the people on the ship.
"He-he's flying!"
"But how?!"
Lucci flew back to the building, ready to complete his mission and uphold justice. No matter the cost.
"What technique was that?" Cinder asked again.
"Geppo, or the Moon Walk/Sky Walk. It is a technique that allows users to push themselves off the air itself with superhumanly strong kicks, allowing them to travel through, and remain in, midair for extended periods in what effectively resembles flight."
"So that jerk can fly? So unfair!" Nora whined in despair.
As he was heading back to the building, another marine ship was overlooking the building. The feathered cap wearing vice admiral on the ship, Onigumo, looked on as he saw marines fighting and struggling to get out of it. However, he also saw a boy with a Straw Hat inside the building getting ready to fight Lucci - it must've been Straw Hat Luffy. [8]
"Who was that?" Jaune asked, seeing the Straw Hat wearing pirate.
"That is Straw Hat Luffy. A pirate, and the main character of the series."
"Wait! So we weren't even focusing on the main character this entire time?!" Coco exclaimed.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Not every viewing will have the person of interest be a main character. Not every actor or actress has the starring role. Sometimes they're a supporting character, or even a villain."
Seeing him, Onigumo made a call.
"Men. Ready the artillery and aim it at the building and take out Straw Hat."
"But sir, Lucci is heading towards Straw Hat, and there are still thousands of men still running out of the buildi-"
*BANG*
The marine who said that was silenced immediately by a gunshot. He slumped down to the floor of the ship, dead.
The other soldiers looked at the person who shot him in fear - Onigumo.
"How can you hope to protect the future from brutal criminals if you hesitate? If we kill those men, then it was a necessary sacrifice. Besides, I'm sure that Lucci won't die. FIRE!"
"Unbelievable. They're literally team-killing," Neptune said in exasperation.
"Yeah, but they're 'defeating evil' though," Sun added, making quotation marks with his hands.
The men complied and readied the building became littered with explosions shortly afterwards.
The screen turned to black.
"So. How was the show?" Chrono asked.
"What do you think?" Qrow scoffed. "Oh yeah! It was great knowing that there's a psychotic government agent that looks just like me!"
"Yeah…but it's just a show, Uncle Qrow" Ruby said. "It's not like you were a savage killer or something in the past, right?"
Qrow shifted uncomfortably.
Ruby looked concerned. "...right?"
Qrow decided to respond after a few long seconds. "Look Ruby. There's som-"
"Your uncle was a massive bandit and a great killer back in the day, o' young silver-eyed maiden!" Tyrian exclaimed.
Both Ruby and Qrow looked shocked. Raven and Yang already knew but was surprised that the scorpion faunus knew. Meanwhile, the hunters in training were also shocked at the bombshell announcement.
"That's not true!" Ruby said, refusing to believe it. "There's no way my uncle would do things like that!" Qrow's expression said otherwise.
"Oh but he did~!" Tyrian replied in a sing-song manner. "He was brutal on the battlefield and on raids. One of the best." He continued on, wistfully. It was almost as if he admired the huntsman for being a bandit.
"How would you know?" The leader of Team RWBY asked.
"Well, everyone in Mistral has heard of the Branwen Tribe! A vicious band of outlaws who lived with a simple but effective code: The strong live, the weak die."
Tyrian went up from his seat and approached Raven. "I have to say, I'm a big believer of that philosophy of yours. Too bad you're actually a coward when it comes to using it of course…"
Raven glared at the faunus, who simply smirked.
"That's behind me now…I don't follow those ways anymore. I'm a changed man." Qrow responded.
Tyrian sighed. "Yes…and for the worse, unfortunately."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Qrow stated, narrowing his eyes.
"Well, I just find it sad that you stumbled upon the perfect worldview to take on the world, and exchanged it for something as tiresome as…civility." Tyrian's expression was one of disgust as he said his last word.
"What's wrong with being civil? Being civil means you help others, treating people with respect, and kindness. Civilisation is what has kept the kingdoms from falling to the Grimm."
"Wrong. What has kept the Kingdoms from falling is their determination and capacity for war. For hurting and killing the Grimm," Tyrian had a wide smile, "for killing others."
"...what are you implying?" the veteran huntsman spat.
"I'm saying," Tyrian intoned, "that the only way to live life on this planet is take and take, and take! To take the lives of others, to take the dust that has been in the ground for centuries - with all your strength! Or…destroy what you cannot take. That's how life is. And that is why I have dedicated my life to the service of my Goddess." Tyrian said - bowing in the direction of Salem. "For what better way can I live than to follow destruction and strength incarnate!"
"That's barbaric. The lives of others should never be taken away. Especially from a psycho like you."
Tyrian smiled. "Pretty words from a hypocrite, after all - who's to say you aren't like Lucci? Every viewing has had the person on screen have similar personalities to the person here. Who's to say you won't take lives in the name of justice? Of defeating evil? Like Ironwood?"
Ironwood scowled at his mention. He was nothing like Lucci!
Qrow simply dropped the subject, refusing to entertain the servant of Salem. "We're done here."
"If you say so, pal~," Tyrian replied in a sing-song manner.
The rest of the audience had remained silent, and had simply watched the argument. Some were concerned, like Ruby, whilst others were indifferent like Cinder, or excited, like Neo.
In the end, Chrono decided that the conversation was long enough for the next viewing to be shown.
"Well now that you two settled it, it's time for the next viewing." Chrono said.
And that's it for One Piece (for now at least). The concept of Justice in the show, as seen with this viewing, is very interesting in my opinion - especially with the idea of the RWBY cast looking at it. I spent a lot of time deciding if Lucci should be portrayed by either Qrow or Ironwood. Both had good reasons as to why it should be them. Qrow's voice actor, Jason Liebrecht, literally voiced Lucci - and Qrow kinda fits in with the look (especially with young Lucci). However, Ironwood fits the government agent role slightly better, and the idea of 'ends justify the means' (especially in Volume 7). Ultimately, I chose Qrow because I thought Qrow looking at himself be a murderous agent would make for a more interesting chapter. I also tried to focus more on other characters who have barely reacted - such as Cardin! I hoped it was a good change of pace! I also decided to have the final part of the chapter focus on Qrow and Tyrian, with my opinion of Tyrian's worldview being seen - I thought it'd be different then what I usually do - which is having the entire audience just discuss what they watched. Hopefully I was able to express Tyrian's thoughts in a good way - I see him as having a similar perspective to Raven, but a lot more twisted. He agrees that the strong should live, but believes that the strong should keep killing the weak - as nothing is more fulfilling than destroying things - in his opinion.
[1] - It's a common headcanon that one of Ozpin's reincarnation was the King of Vale who ended the Great War in RWBY Lore. It's not confirmed, but I see enough to see it as true.
[2] - I changed the age of Rob Lucci to better fit Qrow portraying him.
[3] - A lot of RWBY fanon have Ironwood and Qrow at each other's throats. I disagree with that take and much prefer the idea of two being good friends. Sure, they bicker with each other and do not like how the other approaches Salem - but overall? They're pals. That's just my opinion though. I get that Volume 7 and 8 has Qrow wanting to murder Ironwood, but they can't have been colleagues for years in Ozpin's circle without at least befriending each other, right? Right?
[4] - I thought that agents of CP9 saying their names were stupid. It might work with other characters like Luffy, and I understand it was a technique used in manga to differentiate between attacks - but I don't think it makes sense for a secret agent to signal their attacks like that.
[5] - I know it seems like an attempt to put in Nora's love for pancakes - but it's actually a reference to an episode from One Piece. Luffy points out how one of the villains he beats is not like a true pirate, and Nami tells him that most pirates act like that villain. Luffy looks at her, and then just claims that's hungry and wants some meat, much to her annoyance. Shoutout to anybody who knows what arc and villain I'm talking about!
[6] - Added some extra dialogue to better show the mentalities of the guards.
[7] - A quote that I remember from The Godfather II. It was spoken by Sonny Corleone. RIP James Caan.
[8] - Changed the scene from them aiming at a ship to the building in order to shift the focus away from Luffy.
AND NOW TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS/SUGGESTIONS FROM REVIEWS:
Xian0451: I haven't seen Fate (or played it - not sure), but that does sound interesting. The concept of ideals dragging people down in UBW sounds like an interesting worldview that could be reacted to by the huntsmen and people in Beacon. If there's a good scene to show that, then I could get on board with this!
netapel: A Cardin based viewing would be interesting, especially with your headcanon. The idea of Cardin hating Faunus due to the White Fang would provide some good nuance to an undeveloped character - and it seems to be relatively common in RWBY fanon. Because of it, I tried to add a little bit of it here. Not sure how Cardin could pass off an older Kratos though lol.
StormWolf16: You're gonna have to ask the RWBY writers about that lol. I get it though, Blake is proud of her heritage yet hides her features and doesn't help Velvet? Seems like a good way to show characterisation. No idea why CRWBY didn't do that. That being said, I definitely could've included that in Chapter 3 more - her thought process of hiding and not helping other faunus enough in Volume 1.
mon2222: Yep. That's a thing I see in a lot of reaction fanfics - not just RWBY ones. The host OC usually takes up too much space. I try to make Chrono not impede on reactions too much, and that's by making his personality be "I'm just here to get paid". Anyways, a Persona viewing with Ren as the focus? That could be fun, I'll have to see the scene though.
See you guys next time!
NEXT CHAPTER: Once Upon A Time...(INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS)