Chapter 4 - Arriving Again… In Japan?!
The legendary hero, All Might, of an unknown age and unknown quirk, has indisputably been the Number One hero practically since he began working as a hero. Every year he's held his title, there's been a marked decrease in the appearance rate of villains; his existence alone is enough to deter villainy! He's a man that truly lives up to the title of the 'Symbol of Peace'. And that man, standing in front of Izuku Midoriya, has just told him that he could become a hero, quirkless or not.
A million thoughts popped into Izuku's head at that moment. Every time someone said that he couldn't, every time someone had looked down on him, every time that they said he was hopeless… While to All Might, the words he spoke may have simply been words, to Izuku, they were a payoff, however small it might be, for all the years of suffering and humiliation he had endured.
"Though to be honest kid…" All Might said, sparking the attention of the crying Izuku, who wiped away some of his tears to have a more clear vision of his hero, "The reason I told you that you couldn't become a hero on the rooftop is because I didn't want someone like you to be unsafe… to risk their life for a job that us with the greatest powers in the world should be responsible for doing."
Izuku looked up at All Might, understanding his words, but not seeing the intention behind them. All Might had just told him that even while quirkless, he could still be a hero, but… had he changed his mind already?
"But kid… I know that someone like you, would never give up." All Might began, "And I know that regardless of whether or not I do this, you'll grow up to become a great hero."
Izuku waited for All Might to continue, thankful that All Might hadn't changed his mind, but also curious as to just where the Number One hero was going.
"Basically, what I want…" All Might paused, and then decided to go with an entirely different train of thought, "I think you're worthy of inheriting my power."
Izuku's face suddenly changed from one of tear filled elation into one of pure shock, and seeing the transformation in real time, All Might couldn't help but chuckle at the boy's expression.
"Huh?" Izuku muttered, unsure of what to say.
"What's that face for, boy?" All Might asked through his fading laughter, "It's a proposal, one you'll have to work hard to accept. I'm asking you if you want to try to accept my power!"
"A transfer of powers? How is that even possible?" Izuku thought to himself, "Wait… did this have something to do with the Devil Fruits, wait, should I even know about the Devil Fruits?!"
Izuku's thoughts ran wild, but All Might, seeing this, attempted to stop those wild thoughts.
"It concerns my power, kid." All Might stated, bringing Izuku's attention back to the land of the living, "Everyone always guesses it's 'Super Strength', or 'Boost Power', and I avoid the question by laughing it off with a joke."
Izuku was intrigued by All Might's words, after all, any All Might fanboy would be.
"Because All Might, the 'Symbol of Peace', has to come off as a natural-born hero." All Might explained.
"Wait… then you're saying…" Izuku muttered under his breath.
"But my quirk…" All Might interjected, "It was passed down to me, like an olympic torch."
"P-passed down to you?!" Izuku questioned.
"Yes." All Might said, "And now, I believe it's time for me to pass the baton to you."
Izuku's eyes bore wide with surprise, and, even though it was possible he shouldn't know this information, he figured he better speak about it sooner rather than later.
"W-wait, does that mean that you can give me something like… a Devil Fruit?!" Izuku asked, as All Might's eyes went wide open in shock.
"Huh?! How do you know about the Devil Fruits?" All Might asked.
"Oh, so they are real!" Izuku said, "I heard about them from an old elementary school classmate, who had transferred from the East Blue!"
"An East Blue classmate… eh? Well that explains it." All Might stated, "No kid, Devil Fruits are something that only really exists in the Grand Line, never heard of one being in the East Blue… but it's a long story, with a lot of illegal elements which I'd rather not get into... that's stuff is meant to be completely hidden from people outside the seas!"
"But then how can you…" Izuku began, expected to be cut off.
"I have the ability to transfer power, that is the quirk I inherited, it is called… One for All." All Might revealed. Izuku continued to be awestruck, as every piece of information All Might revealed was even more interesting than the last.
"The original user of the quirk cultivates it's power, and then passes it onto another. The next refines that power, and then they pass it to another. In this way, One for All grows, generation after generation, passing on from heroic soul to heroic soul!"
"So then… just because you're concerned about me… you'd really give up that power?!" Izuku questioned, unable to grasp the logic of the situation, and just how All Might thought that such a legendary power should end up in his hands.
"Don't sell yourself short, kid, I'd never tell someone this just on a whim." All Might said, causing Izuku to struggle even harder to fit the pieces of the puzzle together as to just why All Might had picked him, "From your ability to quickly analyze and dispatch the Sludge Villain from earlier, to your determination to find an answer and become knowledgeable on your ability to become a hero on the rooftop, going so far as to grab onto my back earlier… and finally, the fact that you rushed into danger, against a foe you didn't think you had a chance of winning against, all to save another… you were more heroic than the heroes back against the Sludge Villain for crying out loud! If those are not the qualities of a true hero, then I don't know what would be."
Tears were trying to well up in Izuku's eyes, but he held them back… after all, now was not the time for tears… not in a moment like this!
"But of course," All Might began, "This all depends on if you're willing to take my power... so, what do you say? Will you accept my power?"
Wiping away his tears, Izuku Midoriya thought quickly about the decision he was making.
"In just the short time I've known him… he's done so much for me." Izuku thought, "He tried to protect me on the rooftop, he's saved me twice, he's even indulged his greatest secrets to me! Do I have a reason not to accept… no, I don't!"
Izuku brought his arm down from his eyes which were filled with tears a moment earlier. Replacing that sad, yet grateful look that he bore seconds earlier, Izuku now held a steady one filled with determination.
"Yes." Izuku Midoriya replied, "I accept!"
This Chapter Contains Spoilers For:
- One Piece: The Romance Dawn Arc to the Thriller Bark Arc have occurred
- Major spoilers for the Sabaody Archipelago Arc are to occur
- My Hero Academia: Chapters 1 and 2
-Spoilers for the Entrance Exam Arc
Kill La Kill: …Yeah Kill La Kill's not gonna be involved in the main plot for a little bit. It's the hardest one to fit in with the rest of the events here, though maybe that's just how I'm writing this story I_I
Three full months before the day of the U.A. Hero Course's exams, All Might got out of his truck and made his way onto The Takoba Municipal Beach Park. It had been seven months since he had begun training Young Midoriya to get his body ready to handle One for All, the quirk he had intended to pass down to him. And, on the beach that day, that day had finally come... due to something he hadn't expected.
On top of a pile of trash at 6am, was Izuku Midoriya, screaming his head off. There wasn't a speck of trash left on the beach, and the view… was beautiful.
"Not only did you finish three months before the deadline, you also completely exceeded my expectations! Oh... my... GOODNESS!" All Might shouted, transforming into his muscular state at that last line.
Izuku, tired from all his hard work, began to fall down from the pile of trash. Utilizing One for All, All Might quickly leaped up the trash heap, caught Izuku, and then brought him down to ground level safely, all in the blink of an eye.
"Well done!" All Might shouted at the tired Izuku, who was in his arms.
"All Might…" Izuku panted, "I did it… I did it!"
"Astounding work kid!" All Might said, lightening his grip on the boy and letting him down, "You're a real entertainer! It's hard to believe that you're just a teen!"
All Might quickly pulled his phone out from his pocket, "Here, take a look!"
"What's this?" Izuku asked.
"It's you… just seven months ago." All Might said, showing Izuku a picture of himself, struggling to carry one of the beach's heavier objects. At that time, Izuku wasn't badly built due to how seriously he took heroics previously, but it he still NEEDED the training with All Might that he got in order to whip himself into shape.
"And look at you now!" All Might said, in awe of Izuku's newfound muscular body, "Excellent work, Young Midoriya!"
Izuku, through his heavy breathing, made a slight smile. It seemed that his ten months of hard work paid off.
"The path forward is now clearer than ever before," All Might shouted excitedly, "now that you're a true blue vessel and all!"
Izuku paused, and looked at his hand. While this feeling was good… another feeling seeped in from the back of his brain.
"It kinda feels like… I cheated though." Izuku said, "I mean… I've gotten all this help from you, All Might… and even back in the past… I got so much help too… is this really something I deserve?"
"Don't kid yourself, Young Midoriya!" All Might said after allowing Izuku time to finish, "Whatever help you've gotten in the past was surely something that someone else gained as their birthright... there's a difference between being born with a silver spoon, and working your butt off to earn it, my boy!"
All Might then plucked off a piece of his hair, "Take this to heart, kid. This power… it's yours, fair and square."
The exhausted Izuku smiled weakly once more, clenching his fists. No matter what came next, he would be ready!
"Now... eat this!" All Might shouted, putting his hair in front of Izuku.
"Hm?" Izuku mumbled.
A little while before this altercation between Izuku Midoriya and All Might, another legendary event was occurring only a few hours away from the scene. A pirate crew had just traveled around the entirety of the first half of the Grand Line! This pirate group now stared at the wall which separated them from continuing their journey; the second half of the Grand Line was just beyond this wall... the New World!
"So, it seems we've finally reached the halfway point! The twin cape, where we met Laboon, is on the other side of the world… and connected to this wall! I'm glad we got this far without losing anyone!" a boy with a Straw Hat confidently declared.
"I can't see the top!" a furry friend of the Straw Hatted boy said, "This thing is huge!"
"This… is the Red Line!" shouted the Straw Hat boy once more.
The Red Line was a massive structure, made up of rocks which had a redish tint. It was thousands of meters high... and surrounded the entire world, or at least, that was the popular belief in the Four Blues.
"I'm tearing up…" a long nosed sniper said, "We've all been through… so much together!"
"When I was just a baby, I came from the South Blue through Reverse Mountain…" a person with blue hair and only a speedo on his bottom half said, "...But that was over thirty years ago!"
"Five years ago, I came from the West Blue to this ocean." a girl with black hair, a calm expression, and tanned skin said.
"If we sail around the other half of the world, we'll encounter this wall one more time, and when that happens…" the Straw Hat boy said, excited by the prospect that they had reached halfway, "I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!"
This was the pirate crew of none other than Straw Hat Luffy, a pirate with a 300,000,000 berry bounty, and very soon, their crew was to be sailing underneath the Red Line, and shortly after that… onto the shores of none other than Japan, a place which was right above the Sabaody Archipelago!
"Really doesn't matter what it is you eat." All Might explained, "Just so long as you get some of my DNA."
"Not… exactly how I thought this would go!" Izuku said, still shocked by the odd circumstances he found himself in… but nonetheless, after some hesitation, Izuku still ate All Might's hair.
"Okay! I ate the hair!" Izuku said, unsure if All Might was just doing this to be funny or not, "But… I don't feel myself transforming, is that normal?"
"Of course not, you need some time to digest! You'll start feeling something in a few hou… rs…" All Might stated, his voice trailing off.
Izuku saw All Might, facing towards his left and out to sea. In response, Izuku looked out to sea as well, and was shocked by what he saw… it was a ship, one that had just somehow appeared out of the ocean!
"Pirates?" All Might mumbled, as Izuku faced All Might.
"Pirates?" Izuku questioned, "What do you mean, All Might?"
"Um, well... to keep things simple, after pirates circumnavigate the first half of the 'Grand Line', they have to go under the Red Line in order to try and proceed to it's second half, which is located right past the United States. Since that's on the other side of the world, they have to circumnavigate the entire globe to get there!" All Might explained, "And out of curiosity, seeing as they've never seen the Seven Continents, some pirates decide to come here into Japan after finding their way past the Red line! Due to this, pirates infrequently arrive on these shores!"
"Really?!" Izuku shouted, "How come I never heard about this?"
"To keep it short, the World Government hides stuff like this to make the world feel like a safer place... after all, pirates don't exist in this area!" All Might explained, "But no matter, you must be feeling tired, Young Midoriya! After all, you just finished training! Go contact the authorities, and I'll handle these villains!"
Despite All Might's order however, Izuku hesitated once he actually got a proper look at the ship that was approaching. At the front was a cute looking lion, with a cross of bones surrounding its head, almost as if it was trying to mask its cuteness. The boat seemed to be magnificently and sturdily constructed, and it bore a '1' on its side for some strange reason. But, what intrigued Izuku most of all was the pirate flag on the sails of the ship; the jolly roger. It didn't seem to be intimidating at all, as the traditional skull and crossbones of a jolly roger additionally had a not very scary straw hat placed on top of its head.
"Wait a second…" Izuku mumbled, starting to speak more clearly once he got his thoughts in order, "All Might! I think I know who this ship belongs to!"
"What? You do?!" All Might shouted, as the instant that he said that, the captain of the ship jumped off of it, shooting into the air. He wore a blue vest, and had black shorts… but most importantly, he possessed a hairstyle, kind face, and straw hat which seemed awfully familiar to Izuku Midoriya.
"ALRIGHT!" the captain shouted, "We're in Japan! Man, this place brings back some good memories!"
Izuku looked onwards, wondering if the man in front of him was really was who he thought it was.
"Have you been here before, Luffy?" the orange haired navigator questioned.
"Yup! Back when I was six, my grandpa took me here to try and convince me to become a Marine!" the captain replied.
"Oh yeah, how'd that work out?" the navigator asked, already knowing the answer.
"It didn't." the captain swiftly responded.
"Figures..."
The conversation between the captain and the navigator was quickly cut off once Izuku decided to approach the ship.
"Hey! Luffy… is that… really you?!" Izuku shouted at the captain. Upon seeing his friend from childhood, the captain, Straw Hat Luffy, had his face extend into a wide smile.
"Oh... hey!" Luffy shouted back.
Catching each others eye, Izuku and Luffy ran up to each other, both glad to see the other. Suspicious, All Might, still in his buff form, cautiously approached the duo from behind. Luffy and Izuku shared a quick fist bump upon seeing each other for the first time, and once that finished, Luffy decided to ask Izuku about his dream.
"Boy, am I glad to see you again, little bush!" Luffy said, utilizing the nickname he gave Izuku during their youth to refer to the boy, "Have you made any progress towards becoming a hero since I've been gone?"
"Yup!" Izuku responded with a smile, "Right now, I'm doing some intense training with the Number One hero in the world!"
"Woah! That's so cool!" Luffy shouted, with stars seemingly appearing in his eyes.
"I know, right?" Izuku said back, smiling and puffing out his chest confidently.
"Luffy, you know him?" the archeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates asked her captain.
"Yeah! I went to school with this guy!" Luffy shouted back up.
"You went to school?!" the sniper interjected, clearly shocked by the fact.
"Izuku… care to tell me how you know a pirate as infamous as Straw Hat Luffy?" All Might questioned, "A criminal dangerous enough that the government saw it fitting to warn the Top 10 heroes about?"
"Well… when I was around six years old, after I helped him find his class, we became friends, and I helped him train his Devil Fruit powers!" Izuku explained, "While we only knew each other for a week, he was the only person who ever didn't look down on me... and is the only reason I decided to continue trying to become a pro hero."
All Might was unsure of how to react in this situation. On one hand, Luffy seemed to be someone friendly enough who meant a great deal to his pupil, Young Midoriya. He didn't doubt his student's intention, but, Luffy was still an extremely dangerous criminal... just because Izuku knew him in elementary school, that didn't mean that he was the same as back then. But, then again, he didn't know much about the Grand Line or piracy in general due to the World Government, so he wasn't sure of what exactly Luffy's motives were for being a pirate.
Whatever the case, All Might decided to push onwards, not yet having enough information.
"And… you trust him?" All Might asked,
"Yeah, even back then, he wanted to become a pirate… and his courage to chase after his dreams really rubbed off on me." Izuku explained, before processing the situation, and turning his attention back to All Might, "Should I not trust him?"
All Might considered the situation momentarily. He had learnt a lot more about Luffy, but still couldn't ease up just yet.
"Well, regardless of that… Straw Hat Luffy is still a dangerous criminal, one who has a bounty of 300,000,000 berries."
"WHAT?! 300,000,000?!" Izuku shouted, "Even converting that to yen… that's… that's more than most people make in their lifetime!"
"What? I just beat up some mean Warlord dudes, and broke into some government places." Luffy responded nonchilantly.
"You beat up some of the Warlords of the Sea?!" All Might shouted, shocked.
"Come on Luffy! Read the room!" the sniper shouted down at Luffy.
"C'mon, it ain't like we did anything that bad!" Luffy said, upset that he was being scolded.
Luffy's nonchalant attitude prompted the sniper to slump down into a depression, muttering something along the lines of, "We're doomed."
Luffy's smile returned as he turned his head back to Izuku.
"I get it if you're trying to be a hero though." Luffy explained considerately, grabbing onto Izuku's shoulder, "It's just like with Koby back a while ago! He wanted to be a Marine, so we parted ways… and if you wanna be like Koby, I don't see a problem with that."
Luffy had a certain… innocence and charisma to him. All Might saw this, and believed that Luffy wasn't a bad person… But, he was still a criminal, so was it really okay for him to let Young Midoriya be sighted with him? Plus, what if they were trying to bait in Young Midoriya so that they could double cross him? He could never forgive himself if that was the case.
But, whatever happened, All Might had faith in his own strength to at least bail Young Midoriya out if the time came where such was necessary, even if All Might didn't know the strength of those on the Grand Line. On top of this, he also understood just how important Luffy seemingly was for Young Midoriya's development... and figured that he might as well let the two have some time to catch up.
With his thoughts in order, All Might decided to leave the final decision up to his pupil.
"Young Midoriya," All Might began, as Izuku turned around to look at All Might, "While he may be your friend… Luffy is still a dangerous pirate. If you truly are aiming to become a hero… then, you must not be sighted with him."
Izuku looked down, and began to mutter, "I understand…" before being interrupted.
"However… I do understand how this boy was a hero to you, even before I had met you. If you truly wish to spend time with him… you may." All Might said, as Izuku and Luffy's eyes lit up. All Might looked into them, and he continued the smile that his buff form was known for.
"ALRIGHT!" Luffy shouted, clearly glad that Izuku was coming with them. Izuku flashed a smile at Luffy's innocent enthusiasm.
"Of course… you still shouldn't be seen with him in public, so you'll have to stay in private, or wear a disguise, or-"
"Don't worry sir!" the orange haired navigator would interject, "If he's a friend of Luffy, we've got him covered! Just come aboard onto our ship, and we'll get you all sorted out!"
"Yeah, we'll get you all sorted out, just come aboard the Sunny!"
Luffy then stretched out his arm, grabbing onto the Sunny's mast, and pulling himself up onto the ship, laughing as he did so. The boy was clearly very excited that Izuku was coming aboard his ship for the first time... and that really cool hero guy was coming aboard too!
Upon seeing Luffy's last demonstration of his abilities, both All Might and Izuku were awestruck.
"It seems he can stretch himself... eh?"
"Yeah! He ate the Gum Gum Fruit, so he's a rubber man!" Izuku explained, as he veered off topic, "Back in elementary school, he couldn't do anything close to THAT though. He's gotten so much better!"
The navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates interrupted Izuku and All Might's discussion before they could go any further.
"I'm dropping down the bridge for you guys, so you'll be able to climb aboard in a few seconds." the Navigator stated.
Climbing aboard onto the Thousand Sunny, Izuku and All Might instantly knew that this was a ship that had some serious effort put into it as they observed it.
The first thing they noticed was the grass which was beneath them, making them feel as if they were on solid ground, even while on board the ship. There were various doors, various staircases, and the craftmanship behind each part of the ship screamed quality. On the top deck, there was even a tangerine tree growing.
"Heh. Green hair." the swordsman of the crew, who was previously sleeping and currently resting against the side of the ship, commented, "Not a bad style, kid."
The swordsman then got up, as he headed into one of the ship's doors, entering a room to train.
"Who was that?" Izuku asked the orange haired navigator, who was leading Izuku and All Might into another room. Luffy was also following them, chanting something along the lines of "Japan, Japan, land of the meat! Eat all the food, then buy some more!"
"That's Zoro, our crew's resident nap-taker and swordsman." the navigator answered, "And for your information, I'm Nami, the crew's navigator!"
"Oh! Pleasure to meet you!" Izuku said.
"And then… just who built this ship? The effort that's been put into it, even I can tell it's unbelievable!" All Might questioned.
"That'd be me, bro!" the shipwright interjected, "The name's Franky, I'm a shipwright and half-cyborg, and I built the Thousand Sunny for these kind folks when their old ship couldn't carry them any more!"
"You're a robot?" All Might questioned, "Is that your quirk?"
"Huh? Quirks? I got plenty of those, but none of them are probably the kind your thinking of." Franky stated.
"Like... superpowers." All Might elaborated.
"Oh, you mean Devil Fruit abilities! Nah, I built this bad boy all by myself!" Franky said, as he smacked his stomach, signifying that he meant his body.
"Interesting…" All Might noted.
"Most of our crew don't have any Devil Fruit abilities either." Nami commented, "In fact, besides Luffy, the two strongest members of our crew don't have any, those being Zoro and Sanji!"
Izuku and All Might both were flabbergasted at this realization.
"No way... even while they're both quirkless?!" Izuku thought.
"...Just how does the Grand Line even work?" All Might questioned internally.
"I heard you talking about me, Nami-swan." Sanji stated, offering a drink to Nami, which she would accept with a quick 'thanks'.
"Izuku, right? And you in the back, you're…"
"Please, just call me All Might."
"All Might then, alright." Sanji said with a chuckle, "I'm the cook for this ship here, Sanji, and I'm not bad in a fight either."
All Might analyzed Sanji, as he saw that he was simply being humble with that last bit. Just like Zoro before him, every ounce of him oozed the confidence of a seasoned veteran… if he were to have fought Sanji all on his own, he foresaw that it would be a tough call as to who would win.
"Just how tough are these pirates?!" All Might questioned while still holding a smile.
"I'll do whatever it takes to protect a pretty lady who's in trouble." Sanji finished, as he offered All Might a drink, which he accepted (he didn't offer Izuku one because the drink was slightly alcoholic). Sanji then walked back to the kitchen to prepare a meal for later, as well as another drink for the crew's archeologist.
"By the way, yes. It is only for pretty women." Nami interjected.
All Might scoffed at Nami's comment, finding it someone funny, while Izuku didn't really understand what Nami meant.
"Yohohoho! Are we doing introductions, now?" the skeleton swordsman of the crew cheerfully spoke, jumping down from up above to the group of Izuku, All Might, and Nami.
"Woah! Are you a skeleton?!" Izuku excitedly asked.
"Indeed! I ate the Revive Revive Fruit, which allowed me to live even after my death! I just recently joined the crew a few days ago, but don't worry, I've got a big heart to back it up… well, I would if I had one, yohohohoho!" Brook quickly stated, and his quirk was something which Izuku was enamored by.
"Don't forget about us either!" a mermaid interjected, as herself, a Starfish, and a Octopus-Fishman came out, revealing themselves.
"Oh yeah, those guys are Camie, Pappag, and Hatchan." Nami explained, "They aren't a part of the crew, but we're taking them down to Sabaody!"
"Down to Sabaody?" All Might questioned.
"Yeah? Did you not know? Camie told us that directly below Japan is the final island on the first half of the Grand Line, the Sabaody Archipelago." Nami explained, "There are two entrances, one that can be found in an elevator of sorts somewhere in Japan, and a second which can be found by simply taking your ship down a whirlpool, similar to those which you can use to enter into certain parts below the Grand Line."
"Wait… you said that it was below Japan?" Izuku questioned, confused.
"Yep! Oh, do you not know about how the undersea passages work?" Nami asked.
"I must admit… neither do I, would you be so kind as to explain?" asked All Might.
"Well… I could, but I might not be the best at explaining it-"
"Then allow me, Nami." interjected the Straw Hat's archeologist, "My name's Robin, and I ate the Flower Flower Fruit, which allows me to sprout duplicates of my body parts."
After the reveal of Robin's name, All Might was surprised, remembering a memo that had come out a while ago for all heroes to be alert for in the past. Due to this, he quickly asked, "W-wait! Your name… are you Nico Robin, the last survivor of Ohara?!"
"Oh? You know me?" Robin quickly asked in return.
"Yes…" All Might responded, "At about the time I began being a hero, the World Government offered us heroes a notice about you. You were known as a dangerous criminal from an island allegedly filled with them. They said something about you potentially escaping to the 'Seven Continents'."
Robin simply chuckled at All Might's words, as she decided to reveal to All Might the history which he didn't know.
"Yes… I suppose that is technically correct. I am from an island which was filled with criminals." Nico Robin explained, "For the crime of simply researching the Void Century, a period of history intentionally kept a secret by those in the World Government for an unknown purpose, the Marines ordered a Buster Call, which completely erased the island and its history from existence, all when I was only eight years old."
After hearing this, All Might and Izuku were shocked. Neither had heard about what the Marines actually did previously, seeing as the World Government kept what went on in the Grand Line a secret but… this? Just because the people of Ohara tried to learn about a period of history, their entire island was destroyed? What was the crime that the innocents of the island committed? Was this really what the 'heroes' of the Grand Line did?
And beyond that for All Might, this called into question how accurate those memos delivered from the World Government actually were. The memos they had received went as far to state that Nico Robin was a dangerous criminal, a demon even, who destroyed Marine battleships all on her own. But… the backstory she provided… It was nothing like that.
"Thanks to the intervention of some friends who were much stronger than I was, I became the sole escapee from Ohara, and lived my life as a fugitive for twenty years… simply going from place to place in order to try and survive." Robin explained, her expression not breaking from that which she retained before.
"I… I'm so sorry…" Izuku responded first, as All Might was still too shocked to respond.
"Don't worry about it. It's simply something I've had to learn to live with." Robin cheerfully spoke, "And at the very least, that incident allowed me to meet with the friends I have now."
"Aw, Robin..."
Before Nami could say anything else to Robin, All Might got on his arms and knees in a bow. This image caused shock in Izuku due to the image of his hero, All Might, kneeling before someone else. If nothing else, this caused him to further understand the gravity of the situation.
"I know this may not be what you want, but on behalf of all the heroes of Japan… the equivalents of Marines in the Seven Continents… allow me to give you my sincerest apologies for such an incident ever occurring."
Izuku was shocked, but understood. This event surely weighed on All Might's consciousness, as even if it occurred before he was employed as a hero, it was his responsibility as the Symbol of Peace to ensure that everyone felt safe and secure… and if the navy was able to go out of their way to destroy an entire island, was that mission really fulfilled?
"It's not your fault, but I appreciate the apology nonetheless." Robin smiled, "It shows that things are different now… at least here in Japan."
All Might looked up, as Nico Robin smiled. He got up, being thankful that at the very least, he had the blessing of one who he was unable to save.
"Anyhow, back on topic…" Robin said, "The Grand Line's entry point can be found on Reverse Mountain. There, the current takes you upwards to the top of the mountain, and at the top, your ship will then fall down, to hundreds of feet below sea level."
"Woah!" Izuku thought, as it seemed the world was a lot bigger than he initially assumed.
"After going through Reverse Mountain, and following a short undersea path, you can then enter and progress through the Grand Line, a very dangerous sea." Robin explained.
"A short undersea path?" Izuku questioned, "How would that even work?"
"Down in certain parts of the Grand Line," Nami interjected, explaining for Robin, "Due to a sort of bubble surrounding areas of the sea, the ocean parts into a sort of cylinder shape. This allows ships and passengers to sail under the ocean... it's how we were able to get underneath the Red Line, and out here into Japan!"
"Oh… I get it now!" Izuku remarked, amazed by the wonders of the Grand Line.
"So then… why did you decide to come to Japan?" All Might questioned.
"Fair question." Robin responded, "The Grand Line only leads you from island to island until you reach the Red Line, which marks the end of the sea. As I mentioned earlier, we used an undersea pathway in order to go under the Red Line, which allowed us to find our way into the Seven Continents. Typically, we should have looked for a whirlpool in order to quickly make our way to the Sabaody Archipelago, but our captain insisted on sailing to Japan first.".
"Oh, I see!" Izuku stated, beginning to mutter, "That makes sense… The seas which the World Government operates in are largely unknown to those from outside of it because they're boxed in by the Red Line. It's amazing that such a secret even…"
Robin chuckled at Izuku's muttering, to the embarrassment of the boy once he caught himself.
"The existence of these undersea pathways... that makes sense why Japan is so ignorant to the Grand Line, and vice versa… well, that and the Marine's censorship." All Might said, but afterwards he thought, "But… that also begs the question, why does what goes on in the Grand Line need to be censored in the first place? To keep people safe? With Ohara in mind, that seems to be the furthest thing from the World Government's priority."
"Yeah... also the fact that the devices we use to navigate on the Grand Line are different from the ones you need to use in the Seven Continents..." Nami noted, "Honestly... it was quite the pain to get into Japan in the first place..."
"Either way, we're planning on sailing back to the Reverse Mountain-equivalent here with our ship, while meanwhile, if you two still wish to go with us, you'll go down the elevator in Japan which takes you to Sabaody." Robin explained.
"Yep! And I'll be the one taking you there!" Pappag exclaimed.
"Let's deal with all that stuff later though… we gotta get these guys' disguises ready first!" Nami declared, as Pappag shot Nami a thumbs up (somehow) and backed off. Robin waved goodbye as well, and went back to a book she was reading prior to talking with Izuku and All Might.
"Just come in here, if you don't mind…" Nami stated, opening a door with Izuku and All Might following.
The room inside looked to be a very comfortable one. The first thing to take note of were two comfy chairs stationed in front of a table, which at the moment, was packed with all sorts of clothes. Behind there, open closets could be seen, with the disorganization that had occurred being apparent.
To the left, there was a dresser, containing a mirror for convenience, and above that was a clock. Moving further left, there were a pair of beds, and in front of those beds was a standing lamp, and what appeared to be the back of a cannon. Additionally, a treasure chest could be seen hiding behind the beds.
"Don't get any ideas." Nami commented when she saw Izuku looking at her treasure chest, "That's my treasure."
Izuku could have sworn he saw dollar signs in her eyes when she said that, but decided that his mind was playing tricks on him… but, there was one thing that was also peculiar about the room… the fact that there was someone inside of it, who was sat down, turned away from the door.
"You've done well to make it past all my other crewmates… but now, only I, the true captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, await you." the man claimed, as he jumped upwards, quickly turning around in the process, "I am Usopp! Brave warrior of the sea, who commands an army of 10,000 men! You might as well surrender now, because-"
As quickly as it started, Usopp stopped his speech because Nami had hit him in the head, clearly unimpressed with him.
"Did you seriously make a mess of my room?! Do you have any idea how long this'll take to clean?!" Nami shouted at Usopp, her rage being so fierce that Izuku noted that Bakugo now seemed tame in comparison.
"C-come on now! I heard that we needed to get these guys dressed, so I took it upon myself to put together only the best of the best-" defended Usopp, but before he could continue, Nami socked him in the head again.
"Ask next time, dumbass!" Nami shouted, before sighing, beginning to unenthusiastically introduce Usopp, "This is Usopp. He isn't a fighter, is a huge coward, and a serial liar."
"Wha- don't just tell them that!" Usopp shouted, as Izuku and All Might began to look at each other nervously, "I am Usopp, sniper, inventor, and the ex-shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates!.. And yes, while everything Nami said was true, I still am a valuable part of this crew!"
Nami chuckled at this, "Yes, yes, of course you are… NOW CLEAN THIS UP!"
"Yes ma'am!" Usopp instantly responded, saluting Nami and getting to work.
"Alright, now, Izuku… let's get you all situated."
"Wait…" Izuku realized, "Am I in a girls room?!"
Using all the clothes at her disposal, Nami put together a disguise for Izuku Midoriya. He wore a pair of sunglasses similar to those that Sanji wore back in Alabasta, as well as the orange vest Luffy wore on Thriller Bark, and an insignificant light blue shirt underneath that. As for pants, he wore a pair of Luffy's dark blue shorts, but he continued to wear his worn out red pair of sneakers.
"Wah! You look awesome Izuku!" Luffy excitedly remarked.
"Y-you think?" Izuku nervously said, as he wasn't used to wearing the type of clothes he currently did.
"I'll admit, you don't look half bad… kind of like what Luffy would look like if he had another brother." Nami vocalized, before turning her attention to All Might, who was still remaining in his buff form, but noticeably straining, "Now you on the other hand… I don't know what I could do to disguise you."
"Not to worry… I have one in mind." All Might said, as in a large puff of smoke, he transformed into his true form. Izuku was shocked that All Might revealed this form to those who were strangers to him, but the rest of the Straw Hats seemed not to care.
"Woah! How'd ya do that old man?!" Luffy asked quickly.
"I have my secrets." All Might replied, smiling, "Oh, and since this is an undercover mission, call me by my real name, Toshinori Yagi, or just 'Toshi' for short."
"S-should I have a code name, too?" Izuku questioned.
"Nah, you probably won't need it kid. Your name isn't really known anywhere yet." responded All Might with efficiency.
"Oh… right!"
"Well, that takes care of that, I guess." Nami stated, though she looked concerned at the frail appearance of All Might, "But... are you sure you're alright, Toshi?"
"Yep, I'm just fine-"
At the end of this statement, All Might began to spit out blood, which Nami and Usopp screamed at, while Luffy went outside the door.
"Chopper! The Mighty guy's bleeding out his mouth!" Luffy shouted.
"He's WHAT?!" Chopper shouted back down, rushing down the stairs and quickly feeling around All Might's face, "Does it hurt anywhere? Is this a normal occurrence? Have you seen a doctor about this before?"
All Might merely laughed at this, "It's fine kid… it's just a side effect of this form of mine."
"Okay, thank goodness… but if you need anything else, don't hesitate to call me!" Chopper insisted, "Oh, by the way, my name's Tony Tony Chopper! I'm the doctor of this crew, and I wanna become a doctor that can cure any illness in the world!"
"Woah! That's awesome!" Izuku excitedly said, "But... you look pretty young to be a doctor. How old are you?"
"I've just turned 15 a few weeks ago!" Chopper innocently said.
"No way, you're the same age as me, and you're already a doctor?! That's amazing!" Izuku said, stars forming in his eyes, "Dang, I wish I had my notebook with me right about now!"
"Aw, come on you dummy, you think just because you give me a compliment that'll make me happy? Nah, not even a bit!" Chopper verbalized, dancing as he did so.
"So, now that you've been introduced to my crew, I suppose there's only three more introductions left." Luffy announced, as Izuku turned over to look at Luffy, "My name's Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm gonna become the King of the Pirates!"
Izuku smiled, and turned his body fully to face Luffy, introducing himself to him once more, "My name is Izuku Midoriya, and I'm training to become the next Symbol of Peace!"
Izuku then turned to face All Might, who smiled back at Izuku, as All Might introduced himself as well, "My name is Toshinori Yagi, also known professionally as 'All Might', and my dream was to become the Symbol of Peace for all of Japan… and my dream currently is to train Young Midoriya to become my successor."
Luffy smiled at Izuku and All Might, who both smiled back. Even in just a few minutes, these three had quickly warmed up to one another.
"Alright. Everyone's here, and ready to discuss our plans, correct?" Nami questioned, as everyone positively affirmed their attendance, "First and foremost, let's split into teams… one will stay with the Sunny, and the other will take the entrance here in Japan alongside All Might, Izuku, and Pappag. Who will do what?"
"Well…" Franky began, "The Sunny is running pretty low on Cola…"
"Cola? Is this ship powered by Cola?" Izuku questioned.
"Yep. Problem is, the stuff's been getting expensive lately…"
"Expensive? Cola's pretty cheap here. It's only about 196 Yen, which is equivalent to about 176 berries-"
"You've sold me kid! I'll come to Japan with you!" Franky asserted.
"Really? Don't you think we should probably take the more inconspicuous members into Japan?" Usopp cried, "You're not even wearing pants!"
"Sorry bro, but pants cramp my style." Franky responded.
"Why do I even bother..." Usopp said, sinking into a depression as he did.
"By that logic…" Nami began, "Usopp, you should head into Japan as well, Sanji-"
"I'll also head into Japan, there are probably a lot of new ingredients and dishes which I could use to make yours and Robin's meals even more appealing." Sanji interjected.
"Perfect! Robin, are you willing to go too, just to make sure everyone's kept in check?"
"I don't see any reason why not." Robin responded.
"Alright, then that should be good-"
"But Nami!" Luffy whined, interrupting Nami, "I wanna go into Japan!"
"Sorry Luffy, but as it stands, you're the most wanted man out of all of us, and the one who would attract the most attention… well, besides Brook." Nami explained.
"Oh, I see how it is." Brook quickly replied.
"Awwwwwwahhhh!" Luffy cried.
"Luffy." Izuku stated, causing Luffy to look over at him, while maintaining his frown, "It's all fine. After all, once you become the Pirate King… you'll be free, and I'll be able to show you around here, right?"
Luffy's frown instantly turned upside down, as he shouted, "Yeah! I'll hold ya to it then."
So, the two groups were decided. The first group was composed of Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Chopper, Brook, Camie, and Hatchan, who were to all head down to Sabaody via a whirlpool, making sure the Thousand Sunny got down safely.
Meanwhile, the second group contained Izuku Midoriya, All Might, Pappag, Usopp, Sanji, Robin, and Franky, who would progress through Japan to find the Sabaody geyser.
They were ready to go to the Sabaody Archipelago.
"But… before we go." Hatchan stated, "I want you all to promise me one thing once we get to the Sabaody Archipelago."
"Sure!" Luffy accepted, "What's the promise?"
"The World Nobles will be walking about in town." Hatchan explained.
"Who are they again?" Luffy said, looking at Robin.
"They're the residents of the sacred land, Marijoa." Robin told Luffy, before seeing Izuku's analytical look on his face, "They don't usually come to places outside the Grand Line, seeing as it's too inconvenient for them to travel that far... sometimes they come to privately owned areas in Japan, but that's all."
"So, what about them, Hatchan?" Luffy asked.
"No matter what happens on Sabaody… promise me you won't defy the Celestial Dragons!" Hatchan desperately said, "Even if they kill someone right in front of you, pretend you didn't see a thing!"
End of Chapter Notes
Next chapter, we'll finally arrive in the Sabaody Archipelago, and the plot is finally beginning to thicken!
Since I don't believe I'll be explaining this in text any time soon, allow me to quickly give you a clue as to what the world of Kill One Hero actually looks like. First, we have the Seven Continents of the real world, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica, which are all approximately in the same places as they are in real life... the only difference is the center of the world.
In the center of the world is the Red Line, which boxes in an area of the world which contains the Four Blues + the Grand Line. This creates a major difference on how pirates sail into the New World, as instead of just going underneath the Red Line, pirates must first get their ships coated on Sabaody, then sail across the entire world to reach the other side of the Red Line where the New World and Fishman Island are located.
Also, for simplicities sake, there's only one shared language in the world, lol.
Also also, for the Grand Line, Paradise is on the left side, while the New World is on the right, which is flipped from how it is on most One Piece world maps. This is how the Straw Hats could get to Japan so quickly once they exited Paradise.
Thank you to MossyDuck for leaving a review on this series by the way, and I hope this chapter has answered some of the questions you're having about how the series is going to play out!
Thank you to Maximum Rhapsody for leaving a second review as well. I'll tell you this much for now: quirks are actually planned to be given a way to be 'powered up' sometime later in the series, but by later, I mean like when we get to Post-Timeskip One Piece. This is because quirks don't need to be powered up until then though, which is something you'll question during the runtime of Sabaody, but you'll begin to understand when you see what my vision is for this series.
And one more thing in regards to how often this series will come out... I've decided on a schedule which I will be using.
What I'll be doing is releasing a chapter approximately every week, OR whenever I finish writing a chapter, assuming I'm still a decent bit ahead of the release. I think this'll be the best way to do things going forwards.