An Oozaru Luffy
A/N: This idea came to me after reading AncientFun's One Piece: New Life -a great read that I highly recommend- and Kairomaru's Journey To Raftel -equally good. I have a few points with each that bug me: Absolutely no desire for romance yet knowledge of and interest of the opposite sex while most women falling for him, and knowledge of the future. Not being a pirate and a ridiculous number of Devil Fruit abilities.
So, for this story Luffy will be OOC, much smarter, older (leaving at 20 instead of 17, 21 being when people of the Goa Kingdom become official aristocrats. Luffy, Ace, Sabo, Nami, and Usopp replacement are older, the timeline not changed) and more mature than canon -not the biggest fan with how stupid Luffy tends to be, mostly lucking out of situations. He'll have eaten the Mythical Zoan - Saru Saru no Mi: Model: Oozaru, making him a Great Monkey Man (apes don't have tails so monkey was more fitting). This will make him much physically stronger and give Luffy the ability to turn into a Giant Ape like from DBZ: more and along the strength of Goku's transformation in Dragon Ball with strength and durability like a Giant in One Piece (obviously not on par with Brogy or Dorry). More details about his DF inside (Awakened into SS4 form).
Powerful but not OP DDF Luffy, though, he'll be OP through most of pre time-skip. Larger crew. Multiple relationships. LuffyxReiju maybe with Hancock joining later. Zoro won't be as ridiculous with his bad sense of direction and stronger from the start as he received training in basic haki from Shimotsuki Koushirou who'd learned it from his father Kouzaburou. Also, a surprise. I found it odd that swordsman from Wano would forget about haki. Stronger, less cowardly Nami and Chopper. No Usopp -sorry Usopp fans, he'll be replaced with an OC that better fits his African heritage and abilities from one of my all-time favorite manga: Psyren. Different OOC Franky -taking some scientific liberties and slight crossover element to make better cyborg Franky. No Sun God Nika fruit/legend -not a fan of the over-the-top cartoony powers. This also means that the whole Bonny being 12 years old is gone -way too weird for me. The whole journey with her and Kuma is fine, just changing that she left at 16 instead of ten.
I completely ignore filler arcs and movies.
I don't own nor profit from Oda's work or any aspects/abilities from other works, such as the legendary work that is DBZ.
Chapter One: Salvation Delivered by Zero-Pink & The Dark King
Laying in a massive pit of corpses and the dying, Monkey D. Luffy was battling to stay alive. His nearly naked body -tattered, blood-soaked pants being the only stitch of clothing on his person- displayed the multitude of scars, burns, flayed skin and open wounds underneath his brown fur matted in blood and grim. Even his monkey tail had chunks of missing fur from scars and open wounds, the bent limbs of his hybrid form that made him look like a humanoid monkey were twisted beyond usable.
A testament of the agony and terrors the eighteen-year-old had endured over the past year at the hands of his owner. Not that Luffy had ever said nor thought of her as such, his defiance and will never once yielding to the Celestial Dragon.
The only visibly undamaged area of skin on his body was around the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon in the center of his chest. The brand of a slave, marking him as being less than human with no rights or protections under the World Government's laws.
His refusal to follow orders, to scream out in pain and misery, or plead for his life had angered the Celestial Dragon that owned him. He'd even bit down the agony of his branding and maintained his consciousness with burning hatred and resolve visible in his eyes. Normally any sign of disobedience would end with an immediate bullet to the head, but the bubbled headed woman that purchased him had a twisted love of breaking lesser beings' spirits. She was enthralled at the challenge of breaking the unbreakable spirit of Luffy.
The entirety of her ownership of him consisted of every torture she could conceive being inflicted on his person. Burning, cutting, electrocution, breaking bones, skinning and rending flesh. Starving him for weeks at a time, giving him the bare minimum of water necessary to keep him alive. Leaving him naked and exposed in every environment they could expose Luffy to using nature and Devil Fruit powers. Whipping him until his back was a lattice of scar tissue. Even having him splayed out on the ground and having her other slaves and guards empty their bowels on him.
She'd found that when he was out of his Seastone cuffs his body healed faster, was more durable, requiring much more force and power to harm him. It was fun to have such a slave, but she still needed to break him first as he refused to do anything. He'd also nearly escaped several times, even shrugging off the exploding collar -leaving burns on his neck- every time she removed his cuffs.
So, she kept the cuffs on him at all times, keeping him weak. Which was a shame to the Celestial Dragon as he could transform into a Giant Monkey. She'd have been the envy of all the others with such a unique slave.
He'd damaged her property, killed several of her worthless guards, and worse than any of that: he had broken her arm when he had transformed into the giant monkey. He was apparently mindless while in that form, rampaging instead of trying to flee. Unfortunately for Luffy, the God's Knights had easily subdued him and returned him to his owner. She was humiliated and mocked for not being able to keep her slave in line, one that had the gall to harm her; one of those with the blood of the world's creators.
That was when she'd purchased a unique, incurable poison that'd slowly, agonizingly kill anyone dosed with it. It attacked the nervous system directly without damaging it and stimulated the brain's chemistry to keep them awake and fully conscious. That way the subject couldn't even pass out from pain or exhaustion as they slowly died.
For the first few days she had watched with relish as Luffy had finally screamed in agony until his voice gave out, blood spurting from his throat. Then with the Reverie taking place and her amusement/fury sated, she had him tossed into the Pit near the assembly of Kings and Queens with the rest of the throw away slaves. It was a firm reminder of the Celestial Dragons' power and a subtle threat that they could do the same to any of those foolish enough to defy them.
The Pit had actually been founded centuries ago when a Celestial Dragon had taken an entire Royal family from the Reverie for their enjoyment. Once finished with them the Noble family had tossed them near the gathering and laughed at the so-called leaders of the world. Though, the story was altered by the World Government as punishment for those that defied the Celestial Dragons and turned against the World Government.
Luffy was now struggling to keep his ragged breath going, even with the sea prism cuffs gone and in his hybrid form. If he reverted to his normal form he'd pass away immediately and the raging, mindless beast of his giant monkey form would just rage, killing him even faster as it ate away at his stamina. He needed the clarity of his human mind and the boosted strength, health and regenerative abilities of his monkey form to hold on.
He couldn't help but reflect on his life as he fought to keep his failing body going. Meeting Shanks and his crew, doing foolish things to try and get them to accept him onto their crew and eating the Devil Fruit they'd procured in frustration and hunger at being mocked. How he'd become an Oozaru man, giving him monkey like features such as a tail, fangs, snout-like face, fur and a defined set of lean muscles, even being able to turn into a giant one. The fruit had strengthened him to the point that he was stronger than adults -not counting Shanks and his crew- on the island.
The first painful lesson of his arrogance in his newly found strength had been when he'd fought the mountain bandits that mocked Shanks. He'd been shot and restrained by their leader. A nearly fatal mistake that ended with Shanks giving up an arm to save his life from a sea monster.
Then Shanks giving him his treasured straw hat with the promise to return it to him once becoming a great pirate that could surpass him.
His grandpa showing up and trying to beat the dream of being the next Pirate King out of him before depositing him with Dedan and the mountain bandits. Meeting his brothers Ace and Sabo, fighting, stealing and having fun as they worked towards their dreams of becoming pirates and sailing the seas to go on adventures.
Luffy fondly remembered having the edge over his older brothers in their spars thanks to his Devil Fruit powers, though he'd agreed that using the Oozaru's full form was cheating. He couldn't get stronger if he just kept turning into a giant monkey and crushing everything with overwhelming power. Besides, he still couldn't safely use that form as he became a mindless beast that attacked and destroyed everything around him, reducing him to a helpless state afterwards. Thankfully Shanks had been there the first time he changed and had easily subdued him without hurting him. The few other times his grandpa was nearby and help knock him out of it, though when he'd hurt his brothers and the bandits on Mt. Corvo, he'd adamantly refused to use it again.
Luffy never wanted to hurt those he loved again.
His grandpa, Monkey D. Garp would show up every now and again to train/beat on them. His brothers quickly surpassed him as they were prodigies that took to fighting like a fish to water and were stronger than most people in the Goa Kingdom. By the end of the year, they could beat Luffy in his hybrid form that resembled a monkey standing on two legs but with longer limbs and a more human like face, though with a snout-like nose.
Then there was the whole mess with Sabo's parents, the Bluejam Pirates and their scheme to burn Grey Terminal. All of which was to remove the unwanted filth of their kingdom before a Celestial Dragon arrived. The same one that killed Sabo for daring to sail his little boat in the path of their ship.
Losing Sabo had been the first devastating moment of his life -worse than all the torture he'd endured since- prompting him and Ace to make a promise to become stronger and live freer than anyone in the world.
Luffy took another raspy breath, forcing his lungs to keep working as the irony of that promise hit him. He was dying as a slave, the least free people in the world. That got him to think about how after Ace left on his journey once turning twenty. It'd been several weeks later when he'd read a paper featuring Ace, the captain of the Spade Pirates, with a bounty on his head when everything went wrong. He'd gone fishing on a barrowed boat, fell asleep and woke to find himself in the middle of a massive storm.
It'd taken everything he had to keep from capsizing and drown in the sea as it'd zap his strength, and he'd sink to the bottom like a stone. When the storm ended, his boat barely staying afloat, he was on the open ocean, no land in sight. It was on his third day lost that he'd been saved by a random ship. He'd hopped on in his hybrid form to strengthen his weakened body and knocked several crewmen away before breaking into their mess. He'd wolfed down all the prepared food and water they had laid out for lunch.
They had drawn weapons, and a few had attacked him but were easily dispatched. That was when the ship's captain had confronted him. Luffy still doesn't remember much about what happened but colorful smoke that smelled bitter had poured out the man's body and he blacked out. He woke later in a cell with cuffs that somehow made him weak and unable to use his devil fruit powers.
Worse than his imprisonment was that the captain of the slaver vessel had taken his straw hat!
He'd made a few escape attempts and ended up being repeatedly knocked out by the captain's gas as he refused to leave his straw hat behind. The last time he didn't wake for a long time. Then he was being sold in some sort of auction that the Celestial Dragon woman purchased him in, and his torments began.
Torments that continued even as his body was dying, the poison set every nerve ending in his body on fire while keeping his mind sharp. That very horrid clarity that made him feel every agonizing moment of his end was also allowing him to focus his will and fight the inevitability of his end. Using his promise with Ace, to live for Sabo, his promise with Shanks and his dream to hold on. The last thing Monkey D. Luffy was, was a quitter.
He had to live.
To escape this terrible place.
Recover his straw hat from the slaver.
Set out as a Pirate.
Gather a crew and reach the end of the Grandline and take the world's greatest treasure: One Piece.
To become the King of the Pirates!
To become the freest person in the world!
His will, his very spirit flooded from him in every direction, expressing his desire... no, his command to live! To get much, much, much, much, much, much stronger so that this would never happen again. So that he wouldn't lose someone he loved to the cruelty of this world.
Something deep inside him broke free with a massive explosion of power and vitality. With that new growth of power his body expanded into his giant monkey form -shredding the poor excuse of pants, his flesh knitting back together, his tail becoming whole, the removed toes and finger growing back, limbs straightening and bones healing. Then his brown fur turned a bright gold color, haki of all types shooting out of him like a tsunami, matching the ferocity of his roar. Air rippling from the force of his spirit enforced roar.
The feelings of agony, despair and death hit Luffy thanks to his newly awakened Observation Haki, practically hearing the pleas for death from all those still alive in the pit. It struck accord with his very spirit, pulling his conscious mind from the primal rage of his Giant Monkey form. Just as his roaring, golden giant monkey form completed, it started condensing back to a human shape.
It kept shrinking down until he had a body of a 6'4" adult man with red fur covering most of his body -excluding his hands, feet, chest, abs and private regions. A monkey tail, fangs, a red shadow trim around his eyes and over the eyelids. His hair lengthened while becoming wilder, reaching down to the middle of his back while two long pointed bangs formed to rest on both sides of his neck.
A twenty-year-old, slim woman with shoulder-length light pink hair, covering her right eye and curling upwards at the tips was walking through the Pit. Her purple eyes framed by distinctive curly eyebrows that form a spiral resembling the number 6 took in the atrocious sight of the brutalized, dying slaves.
The absolute worst of humanity laid bare as a threat and warning for her family, the Vinsmoke family that ruled the Germa Kingdom, and all the leaders of the world.
The agony and despair, laced with the longing hope of death was so predominate in this place that Reiju had to keep her Observation haki suppressed. Otherwise, she risked being overwhelmed by their feelings. The smell and sounds coming from them were bad enough, she didn't need to open her spirit to it.
Despite the cold, callous demeanor she gave off -a necessity due to the militarism of her family and her father's stern disdain for compassion- she was actually kind and empathetic. It was hidden behind the mask that she wore in front of others as she was forced to obey her father's every order. She had to kill, torture and experiment on people of all ages and gender when ordered to do so, as she was biologically engineered to.
Reiju could no more defy her father than the sun could stop warming the world.
Only in death could they stop.
It was easier and safer to put on the mask that said she didn't care and enjoyed the cruelty of her family. The unfeeling monsters that were her brothers would target her like they had Sanji and brutalize her. While her father, Judge, would make her do even more terrible acts, if not try and create a serum to make her as soulless as her three monster-brothers. She truly regretted laughing at Sanji, the only member of her family besides her late mother that wasn't a monster.
Their mother, Sora died taking powerful counteragents to the drugs Judge forced her to take that made Ichiji, Niji and Yonji into the unfeeling superhuman monsters that they became when pregnant with the quintuplets. It only worked on one of four, thus, the third son of the Vinsmoke children was kind, considerate and human. Honestly, her father was the truly evil one, more so than her monster-brothers that were currently tormenting the poor, dying slaves in the Pit for laughs and giggles. After all, they were made that way by Judge while still within the womb.
They had no choice.
Vinsmoke Judge did.
Despite the fact that she could lay all the evil atrocities she has committed at her father's feet, that doesn't absolve her of those sins. She could have chosen to kill herself instead of obeying. Her father never once ordered her to not hurt herself. But she was too much of a coward to end her own life, no matter how much she hated her life or truly deserved death.
Reiju couldn't muster the courage to kill herself.
Secretly, she had hoped that on the many missions, wars and assassinations she'd been ordered to complete, someone would have killed her. But she was powerful, more so than Judge, Niji, and Yonji, easily besting every opponent to face her thus far. She could have let them kill her, but she just didn't have that in her. Either from her own fear and cowardice or the effects of her father's experiments that made her into the killing machine that she was.
She was the first, oldest child and thus the serum Judge made to make her superhuman and absolutely obedient wasn't perfected yet. At least by his standards, as having emotions was deemed a defect by the evil man that she called father. She felt, and Reiju wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse as she'd butchered children crying for mercy and their mothers begging to spare their children.
She was a monster that felt deep, never ending guilt for every innocent life she took.
Reiju could at least take solace in the fact that she'd helped Sanj escape them and have a chance at living a good, normal life. She dreamed of what life he'd made for himself, and in a way, was living that free life through him. She could never be free of her father, brothers and the Germa. She would keep killing, wearing a mask of indifference while she slowly died more and more on the inside.
She had made plans and cultivated those she could trust to escape her father and the Germa 66. She could signal her people to start moving to break away at any time. The signaling device was disguised as a jeweled necklace and require monstrous strength to break open and activate. Strength her father had engineered into her. That made it single use as once the gears started moving there was no going back.
But she could never use it as her father had absolute authority over all their troops and most of their servants. One word from him and they'd turn on her even if they didn't want to. Slaves to his commands just as she was as she'd turn on herself with a single utterance from Vinsmoke Judge's lips.
As long as her father lived, she would never be free.
The Reverie this time around had been par for the course; threats discussed, grievances aired, alliances made or renewed and opportunities sought. Judge was most likely trying to make profitable deals with warring nations, even double dealing under the table and betraying allies in the process. She'd been approached by many would be suitors as her brothers chased the skirts of other princesses. She wanted nothing to do with the spoiled, privileged weaklings that just wanted to bed her for her looks and brag about having Poison Pink on their notches. Besides, her father would decide if or when a political marriage was warranted.
Nothing in her life was her choice, but what her father demanded of her.
Judge had ordered Reiju to join her brothers in the Pit as he handled more delicate matters of state. Of course, she obeyed and was still obeying despite that she'd left her brothers to their disgusting pleasures. She was still in the Pit with her brothers, just very far away from their exact location. The Pit grew larger and deeper every Reverie, becoming truly massive. On the final day of the Reverie the Pit would be set ablaze, like a giant bon fire to celebrate its end while ensuring the deaths and disposal of all the trash slaves.
Now Reiju was walking through the sea of carnage and despair, hoping that there just might be one slave strong enough to kill her before she had to head back. But that was unlikely, as any slave strong enough to kill her would be too valuable/dangerous to discard. The Celestial Dragons would keep them for protection or kill them before they became a threat to them. Well, at least the God's Knights would kill such a threat. The vast majority of Celestial Dragons could be ignorant about such threats as they believed too strongly in their position.
That their very blood ensured their protection.
"Kill me!" some random voice cried out from the pile, but it was quickly swallowed by the sea of other pleas and screams.
It took all her focus and practice to keep the mask on as she silently thought that they'd die soon. In three days the Reverie would end and they'd be released from their suffering. In a way, she envied them, for they'd be free and she'd continue on as a tool of death.
Reiju roamed around the Pit, contemplating her inescapable fate and if death, like for the slaves around her, was the better option. Suddenly, she was shaken from her depressing thoughts by a powerful spirit exploding out of nowhere. Her head had quickly snapped in the direction of the potent mix of Armament, Observation and Conqueror's Haki was coming from. There was no way a slave with such a rare and powerful power would be tossed into the Pit. They'd be outright killed instead as those with the spirit of the Supreme King always went on to be powers in the world.
The World Government couldn't risk such a person becoming their enemy.
Yet it evidently became true as a massive golden monkey the size of an adult giant rose from the Pit, roaring. She could feel its massive, uncontrolled power baring down on everything around it. Several of the still conscious and alive slaves foamed at the mouth before being blessedly knocked unconscious. She even shuddered herself at the overwhelming strength of the creature's haki and her spirit was steel.
But that wasn't surprising as large black-red bolts of condensed haki were visibly arcing around the massive beast. It was an indicator of massive power but lack of control as it was unstable.
Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the giant golden monkey started shrinking down, the haki condensing in accordance with the reduction of its size. It was startlingly to see a mountain sized creature pop into existence to just as quickly disappear.
She moved towards the source that kept a steady, weaker wave of power. When she came upon the source of the haki Reiju was surprised to find a naked, red furred ape man, littered in scars and grim. He had dirty black hair, the slave brand clear on chest as one of the few places on his body that didn't have fur -including his neck, shoulders, abs, hands, feet and his exposed genitals. That caused a blush to color her face as she couldn't help but notice that it was very thick and long for human males. Clearly this was some one that had a Zoan type devil fruit power -probably monkey model- and had just awoken it. But what captured Reiju's attention was the young man's eyes. They were fierce, burning with a passion to live so strong that it overflowed into her just by gazing into them.
It honestly astounded her to see anyone here, in his condition having such life in them. Everywhere else you looked in the Pit were either empty, dead eyes of corpses or soon-to-be corpses and the pleading stare that screamed for death.
Yet here was a man, who looked like he was already dead, with more life in his eyes than her own masked eyes of apathy. That was the moment her own, well-practiced mask broke, and her face displayed all the shocked horror of what she was seeing. Tears even started welling up in her eyes as she started to tremble.
"H-h..." the man tried uttering before coughing blood. He took a moment to focus before his lips moved once more, "Help... I-I ha-have t-t-to live. B-be free-" He hacked again and started to convulse.
She'd already kneeled next him, her white dress was being stained without even realizing that she'd moved. It surprised her but it also allowed her to see that his veins were blackened. He'd been poisoned and by something she'd never seen before. She created, studied and knew most poisons so it was odd not to have an inkling as to what he'd been dosed with. Something so powerful that even the increased power and vitality of his accension into an awakened devil fruit user wasn't enough to stop or slow it. The mystery of the toxin helped rein in her emotions. Without thinking about it, she'd pulled a topper vial from a pouch on her waist and gathered some blackened blood that was oozing out of one of his ears.
Choking and gargled breathes snapped Reiju out of her collection of the poison laced blood. She pocketed the sample and saw bloody foam starting to bubble out from the man's mouth. He didn't have long as even his Conqueror's Haki petered off.
"Your suffering is almost over," she soothingly said to the dying slave, pity and sorrow thick in her tone.
Yet his eyes burrowed into her, losing none of their strength. They still spoke of an unyielding spirit that rejected her words. Saying that he'd never stop struggling. He'd not go quietly into the night.
That he had to live!
There was too much left to do, to live for to end there.
She didn't know why as even without the poison he would die soon because a Celestial Dragon had deemed it so, but she locked her lips to his and drank in the poison. The black flooding through his veins flew up to his mouth, returning a healthier color to his skin as she devoured the deadly toxin with relish.
With a pop she released his mouth, licking her pink lips, "Delicious. Mmm... Have to work on recreating it."
Looking down at the wreck of a human being, she saw that his breathing had evened out and the convulsing had stopped. He was still a trash slave set to die upon the Reverie's end, but he wouldn't die in a few seconds anymore. She'd done what she could for him, more than she really should have as if anyone saw the act of compassion she'd just gave, it could cause issues for her. Then again, he was dying of a poison that she'd never seen nor tasted before, so she could wave it off as intellectual curiosity.
She stood up, patting away what dirt and grim that she could, before panning her head. Not seeing anyone... other than the dying miserable slaves, she let out a relieved breath.
"T-thank you... umm?" the man's deep yet joyous voice croaked out as she turned to move.
She froze for a moment before responding, "Vinsmoke Reiju."
"Thank you Reiju-chan. I-I'm Luffy."
"Don't thank me. I was just curious, and I got a nice snack out it. You're still going to die here. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but soon you'll die in this death Pit."
"I-I'm not dying here," the awakened zoan user replied resolutely. "I have yet to even chase my dream."
"Dream all you want, but the cruelty of the world cares not for one's dreams or ambitions. The unfortunate fact is that a Celestial Dragon has sentenced you to die here, and in this world that means you're going to die here without fail. Their word is law."
"I don't care what they say..." he took a minute to stand, wobbling on his feet as he was still weak, but if not for the enormous recovery rate and durability of his new form he'd not be able to move, let alone stand. "I won't quit on my dreams, on being the freest person in the world."
She just shook her head, "A childly, naive notion. Reality is inconsiderate and all you can do is accept the world for what is, not the way you perceive it to be or want it to be."
Luffy chuckled, "Maybe, but I'll die happy knowing I did so chasing my dream."
Reiju had tightened her fists, trembling ever so softly as she raged in her own mind that it wasn't so simple. She couldn't run away. She couldn't be free as her father would kill her or do much worse to her. She would at best make it to another island or two before the Germa 66 tracked her down. What point would those few weeks or months of freedom be if her life ended right afterwards. All anyone could do was make the best of what life gave them. Even if it was to be a madman's tool of evil and death.
"Either way, thank you. You're a nice person," he added with a bloody grin.
Reiju tilted her head just enough to see the man, a huge grin on his face. That struck her like a bolt of lightning. He'd been tortured beyond what most could survive. Horrors even she'd be hard pressed to imagine and was forever marked as a subhuman that could never escape his fate. Yet, he was smiling. But that wasn't what hit her the hardest.
It was that he called her a nice person.
She was called many things; cruel, unfeeling, killer, princess poison, monster and many more terrible but justifiable things. Even pleasant things like beautiful and elegant, but nice was never one of them. She felt the carefully cultivated walls around her pained heart start to crack with her mask of indifference. Her lips trembled and eyes watered as she was on the verge of tears.
Reiju was about to refute the smiling man's assessment of her, no matter how accurate and undeserving of it as she was when a growling, rumbling noise invaded the silence. She whirled around to see the man holding his chiseled, scarred stomach and had a pathetic look appear on his face.
"Ahh... I'm so hungry!" Luffy wined. "Hey, nice lady, do have anything to eat?" His eyes had widened into a puppy-dog stare that almost had her awe at them.
She covered her mouth as she giggled at the ridiculous turn of events.
"A hungry slave begging for food," a cold, snarky voice cut in. "They tend to do all sorts of things for even a sip of water. Nice find sister."
"He's also in pretty good shape," another voice added with cruel humor to it. "We can play with this one for days."
"Hehehe. Can't wait to break the beast. I heard awakened zoan fruit users are extremely durable and recover fast. We might even get a workout while beating this one," the youngest of the male voices added with an evil gleam to his eyes.
All joy faded as a cold chill crawled up Reiju's spine upon hearing her brothers' voices. Thankfully they were behind her, and she could quickly force her mask back into place, but dread still weighted down on her like there was an ocean baring down on her. This kind young man was about to be broken and tormented by her brothers while she had to laugh and smile at his pain.
Now she wished that she'd never helped him as a cleaner death would have been better for him and her. Another unforgivable sin was going to stain her soul. As her heart ached, Reiju saw the man's confused expression upon her brothers' appearance change into a cold, fierce gaze when their eyes met. He must have seen something in her to change the jubilant man into this hardened warrior.
Painfully, she realized that it must have been him seeing her mask and concluding that it was her true nature.
Luffy wasn't too surprised by the words from his savor's brothers -based on their own admission and similarity in appearance- as he'd been treated that way for a year now. No, what angered him was how dead Reiju became upon hearing them. The moment he'd finished... changing? He wasn't sure what it was, but he felt stronger and healthier, along with a sudden influx of senses he didn't have before.
He could feel the suffering of all those around. Almost as if he could hear their pleas and dying gasps directly inside his head. Then he had felt her. She was this bright spot of compassion and warmth that was buried deep underneath guilt and self-loathing. The moment he saw Reiju, looked into her eyes, he knew she'd save him, and he was right.
Then as he felt the walls of negative emotion waver, start to crack inside her, they hardened and thickened. Just from the sound of her brothers' voices, Luffy felt heart wrenching agony and fear consume her entire being. Her face became fake, hollow as she was desperately trying to force down the flood of emotion.
In that instant, he knew that she was as much a slave as any other. Better taken care of, even respected to a degree, but a slave nonetheless.
Unforgivable!
She saved him, and now he'd save her!
Luffy was shaking in rage, his fists tightened as he spoke with a furious, quiet, "I won't forgive you."
The three brothers' brows rose with a twisted, cruel amusement while Reiju tried to bury her heart even deeper down. The one and only person since her mother passed to recognize the good in her, to call her nice, hated her.
The smiling, genuine Luffy finally saw the monster she truly was, and deserved to be.
His stomach was still empty and most of his newfound strength was burned up in repairing his body, but he focused all he left and charged the red headed one with sunglasses. With speed and strength he'd never had before he'd instantly closed the distance between them and struck with a powerful punch.
"What'd you do to Reiju-chan?!" Luffy roared furiously.
Wind whipped in all directions and the ground shattered behind Ichiji from the impact of Luffy's blow. Unfortunately, the red head caught his blow with relative ease in his black gloved hand. Only his hair and cape draped over his left shoulder moved.
Just as Luffy acknowledged that shocking fact, the grip from the red headed brother became painful, his hand's bones creaking and cracking, pain erupted throughout his body. Luffy flew backwards in a red blur, ribs cracked and his lungs emptied of air.
Luffy didn't make it far as the green haired brother caught him a few feet through his journey, laughing.
"This one's feisty," Yonji chuckled.
"Tough too, if he can take one of Ichiji's serious blows without dying," Niji added with a cruel edge.
"His usage of Haki is rudimentary and weak, but his physical strength is on par with a giants," Ichiji informed in a cold tone. "But he's still a weakling compared to us."
Reiju on the other hand was shocked out of her mask, her emotions a storm of uncertainty as she processed what Luffy just said. He wasn't angry at her, but her brothers. Why? He couldn't know... could he? Luffy was surprisingly emotionally intelligence to be able to see the kindness she kept buried inside, but could he know the horrors of her life?
Luffy found a grip of steel around his throat, that he couldn't break. At first he had enough strength to pull the limb away but then said limb turned black as he felt the power inside the one holding him jump exponentially. It was an odd sensation, feeling how strong someone was, but that was how he knew they were beyond him from the first moment they arrived.
Not like that was enough to discourage Luffy as he felt enormous power within himself. A power he couldn't quite grasp but one he'd force out through sheer stubborn will.
Luffy's Conqueror's Haki exploded out of him as he gritted out, "I won't let you keep her prisoner... any... longer!"
With the sheer, uncontrolled force of his haki, Yoji's grip loosened enough for Luffy to break free and hurl the startled greenette at Niji. The second brother batted the youngest sibling away, unconcerned for him, as he shook off the shock of Luffy's enormous power -thankful that the monkey man before him had no real control over it. Otherwise, he'd pose an actual threat to him and his family.
Ichiji grinned as he came to the same realization as Niji and moved in a blink, landing a powerful kick -coated in dense armament haki- that broke bones this time. Luffy was able to block on pure instinct, raising his left arm to take the blow that snapped the limb's bones and rocketed him into a pile of corpses with a disgusting sound of tearing flesh and exploding water sacks. Luffy's body had literally tore through their bodies, drenching him in their blood and intestines.
"Hahaha," Ichiji laughed. "Reiju, what'd you say to the poor slave to think you needed help?"
Niji joined in, "A great lie to give the sap some false hope. Hah! It'll be hilarious when he finally realizes that! I bet he'll cry as he asks why!"
The two still standing brothers laughed together as Yonji picked himself out the bodies he had crashed into. The youngest sibling's forehead vein throbbed in anger, "Why don't you join us, big sister?" he groused with a sneer.
Luffy broke through the shredded remains of slaves, roaring as his left arm laid limp at his side and rushed towards the laughing red head before Reiju had to respond. Which was a relief as she wasn't sure she could put her mask back on in time to join in on her monster-brothers' mockery of Luffy. She was stunned by how Luffy somehow knew she was a prisoner, a slave of her family and wanted nothing more than to be free.
He only made it halfway there as Yonji, furious at having been tossed and battered aside, intercepted him from his left side and landed a haki empowered blow to his jaw. Luffy's jaw bone cracked as several teeth were knocked out and he went flying into Niji.
"How do you like being battered around monkey man!?" Yonji snarled.
Luffy, despite the pain and disorientation was able rotate into the surprise blow and use the momentum to land a monstrous kick on the blue haired brother. Niji naturally had the reaction speed to block the kick, but he'd underestimated the raw power of the slave they were playing with and was blasted away, his arm holding thanks to the exoskeleton of his genetic enhancements. But it hurt a lot, and that shocked the second brother as only his siblings could hurt him. Though, he still landed on his feet, crushing some poor soul underfoot, caving in their back.
Luffy landed roughly on his feet, coughing out a mouthful of blood and teeth -his awakened devil fruit already eating away at his strength to regenerate the missing teeth and broken bones. Before he could even get his bearings Ichiji was on him, kneeing him in the gut and knocking the wind out of him as he bowled over.
"This slave is fun," the oldest brother stated happily. "Though, we'll have to beat some fear into him if we want to keep this up for the next three days."
Ichiji grasped Luffy by his wild hair, forcing his head up as he offered, "Come on Niji, pay him back for that kick by breaking the offending limb."
Luffy had tried prying the red head's hand off his hair with his one good arm, but was met with a punch that crunched his nose. Blood spewed as he coughed at the sudden flood of blood into his throat.
Niji had laughed at Luffy's desperate struggling, reaching the red-furred monkey man and grabbed hold of his leg with a cruel smile. "I'll do more than break it. The gall of a slave striking out at his better deserves no less than having said limb torn off."
Luffy tried punching the bluette, but it was grasped by Ichiji's free hand, "You're right, brother. Tear it off. An awakened zoan should be able to survive having a limb or two torn off. Maybe I should take this arm too?"
Niji started twisting and pulling Luffy's furry leg in a wrenching manner -Luffy having to bite down the scream as his bones cracked and flesh tore. Yonji was counting down how long it took, suggesting they see who could tear a limb off the fastest. Luffy had four limbs and there were four of them.
"Great idea!" Ichiji agreed. "Come and join in Reiju. I'll let you go next."
Reiju walked towards the struggling Luffy being literally torn apart by her brothers. Her steps were firm but heavy and her head down enough to shadow her eyes. Luffy's leg was moments away from being ripped off when she slammed her left foot down, twisted her body and kicked Niji in the face with all her might and haki, a crunching noise audible as her heel caved in his face. At that exact same moment she exhaled a thick stream of toxic smoke at Ichiji.
Niji went flying out of sight, unconscious from the second strongest Vinsmoke's blow, crashing into the lip of the pit in an explosion of rock and dirt. Normally it'd take more to defeat him but he wasn't expecting such a full-powered blow from his sister and even still, Niji would be recover in a dozen or so minutes. They were perfectly designed killing machines after all.
Ichiji on the other hand, as the strongest Vinsmoke, had reacted fast enough to release Luffy and dodge her Pink Hornet attack, distancing himself from his older sister.
"What are doing?" the eldest sibling asked with a confused tilt to his head. "Are you upset we took your toy from you? Not willing to share?"
Reiju had taken Luffy in her left arm, liquid tranquilizer seeping from her hands into his skin, forcing him into a drug induced sleep. She'd noticed how terrible his condition was and realized that he needed rest. Even with the increased durability, stamina and regeneration from being an awakened zoan user, Luffy's body was on the brink of death. A fight, especially one at this level that was only the opening salvo of what it'd take to defeat her and her siblings, was the last thing he needed.
The poison and damage he'd taken from the Celestial Dragons should have killed him if not for his sudden awakening. Even so, he was inches from dying. If she hadn't removed the poison he would have died before her brothers had showed.
Even with her special mixture that'd put down a Sea King he still trashed for a few seconds before going limp. Luffy's willpower was beyond belief.
Yet, her surprise never showed as she stared down Ichiji and kept her grip on Luffy tight. She knew her brothers and they would absolutely target a helpless Luffy, and thus, she'd have to keep him close. Which made fighting two of her siblings an impossible task. Ichiji could defeat her on his own, with Yonji's help, she had no chance. Add having one less arm and having to split her focus on defending Luffy and she was doomed.
Even so, her choice had been made. No longer would she wear the empty apathetic mask and laugh along with their cruelty. For however brief it would be, she would be free.
"No, Ichiji," she said coldly, "I'm done."
"Done?" Ichiji parroted in confusion. "Are you done having fun with the trash slaves? Tired already?"
He legitimately didn't understand.
"I'm done with pretending to enjoy your and our brothers' cruelty," Reiju snapped out venomously. "The blatant killing of innocents. The enjoyment of other's suffering. I'm done with the Germa 66. Our father. I'm done with this family." The last word spat out like a curse. "I'm leaving."
Ichiji smiled as he replied, "I'm impressed sister. I honestly wasn't able to tell that you had those pathetic feelings like poor little Sanji. You hide it well... but we were missing the little cretin, he was so fun to beat on. He cried so easily."
Yonji joined in on his eldest's laughter, "Yeah, his begging was the best."
"And now that we know dearest sister has feelings, we can make her cry and beg like him," Ichiji said happily. "Though, she'll require much more effort than that weakling."
"That's for sure," Yonji gleefully agreed. "All it took was a little jab here, a broken bone there and he'd start wailing."
The brothers laughed boisterously.
"Shut it!" Reiju snapped back furiously. "Sanji was the only one of us actually worth anything. The only one worth saving. He was kind and generous. I regret not helping him every time he cried out for me. Too afraid of joining him in your tortures. I should have gone with him when he left."
"Oh, so it was you helped Sanji escape," Ichiji replied, like a child that just figured out a troublesome puzzle. "But father would never let you go, Reiju. You know that. Unlike our useless little brother, you are valuable to our kingdom. Though, it seems you'll need a firmer hand going forward. A proper scolding to keep you in line."
Both Yonji and Ichiji's fist were coated black in concentrated haki as they braced to move against her.
"Kill the monkey man while I take care of our emotional sister," Ichiji ordered coldly.
"Happily," Yonji replied with a cruel grin and nasty glint in his eye.
Reiju had already unleashed a large cloud of poisonous purple-black gas at her siblings. She'd known from the beginning that she had to flee and thus the poison wasn't lethal but designed to impede them. A widespread blast at this range they wouldn't be able to dodge and even if they didn't inhale it would infect them through skin contact. Admittedly at a reduce capacity but it'd be enough to escape them.
Just as the last wisp left her mouth, she'd turned and ran with everything she had. The ground blurred with the speed of her passing and the ground cracked with every step. With her free hand she crushed her necklace to signal her people into action. They'd ready her ship and have it placed at specific coordinates at the bottom of the Red Line. No matter where they went, she'd have escape routes planed and passed along to her most trusted officers. For years, they were just pointless plans made to keep alive a fleeting dream that was too sweet to touch.
But not anymore.
An explosion and heat at her back told her everything she needed to know as Ichiji's namesake of Sparking Red burned out her poison attack. Thus, she only made it five steps before two red energy beams fired from Ichiji's eyes forced her to quickly juke, barely avoiding the deadly attack. It had still slowed her enough that he was able to overtake her, a kick coming for her head.
Reiju managed to twist out of the way and block the follow up punch. The blow still knocked her back several meters. Yonji capitalized on that by striking from behind with an extended hand, a cable keeping it attached to his arm, giving him the name of Winch Green. He was, as she predicted, aiming to grab her head so he could swing her around with his famed Winch Danton.
Thus, she managed to kick the hand away in a blur while still dodging another eye blast from Ichiji. She timed the maneuver just right so that the beam severed Yonji's cable attachment, getting him to roar at the loss of his hand. A minor annoyance as their doctors/engineers could easily repair his wench arm.
Unfortunately, Ichiji had managed to anticipate her and had a glowing hand primed with destructive energy plunging towards Luffy's unconscious form. It was inches away from pulping his head when a slash cut into Ichiji's side, tossing him away with a splash of blood.
She was stunned at seeing her brother bleed so easily. They had all grown an exoskeleton that made them immune to bullets and blades. Their skin was harder than most armament haki user's defense. Harder than steel.
Of course, her red headed brother managed to twist and land on his feet despite the long gash going up his left arm and leg. The cut drew blood but wasn't that deep, as expected from the toughness of her family's genetically enhanced physiology. And true to her brother's personality, despite the wound, he was clam and blank faced. Unperturbed by the injury and pain.
"Seems I made it just in time," a new voice a chimed in.
Reiju saw an older man with shoulder-length white hair, a matching goatee and thin rimmed glasses. There was a thin scar going over his right eye, with a hooded cloak over a tanish orange button up shirt and velvet short pants that ended at about mid-calf. He had a long sword, the one that had unleashed the flying sonic slash that cut Ichiji.
Despite the advanced years, he was a legend that couldn't be mistaken.
"What is Silver Rayleigh doing here?" she couldn't help asking aloud.
He was after all, the First Mate of the Roger Pirates and the Pirate King himself; Gold Roger. His bounty was among the top at around 3 billion.
Monkey D. Garp, Hero of the Navy and Vice Admiral, a paragon of the Marines and idol for generations of young Marines worldwide was slumped in defeat. His large frame bent, the grey of his hair and beard heaver, the cloak and white suit of his station seemed bleak and dulled from their usually vibrance. His normally grin filled face, often animated with laughter and boisterous declarations was sullen.
He'd started off annoyed and angry at his grandson's disappearance. At first, he had thought the brat had run off to become a pirate like his brother Ace. But he'd found that the little idiot had gotten lost in a storm while fishing. He wasn't overly worried as he'd trained him to handle much worse. His fist of love was stronger than any storm after all.
So, he'd taken his warship and started searching the East Sea near the Goa Kingdom. Stopping to search the nearest islands and destroying any pirate ship he came across. That was when he'd ran into a slaver ship, partying over a great new hull and hoping to repeat their success in the weakest sea in the world. Easy work they'd called it.
At least that was what Garp had overheard when they had blatantly sailed by a Marine ship. He was going to sink them with his favored meteor fist when he'd seen a very familiar straw hat being worn by its captain.
After a long time spent breaking the men, sinking their ship and making the captain beg for death, he'd finally explained how he'd gotten his grandson's hat. Well, he'd quickly given it up once Garp had stopped rampaging to ask. When the word grandson left his lips, the captain had turned paper white and pissed himself.
A reasonable response upon learning that the man had sold Luffy to Celestial Dragon. His death had not been swift and was very messy.
Normally, Garp ended people that deserved it quickly. He didn't believe in causing unnecessary pain, but it was the only way he could let off his rage and anguish. Even he couldn't just march into the Holy Land Mary Geoise and take one of the Celestial Dragons' slaves.
Grandson or not.
Even so, he had nearly done just that. If not for his second getting Sengoku to stop him. He'd made it to the Red Line when Sengoku appeared and physically stopped him. The battle had been rough, causing a few tsunamis in the area and wrecking both their warships.
Garp could have won, he was certain of that, but his old friend managed to calm him down enough to think clearly. All he'd accomplish would be causing a world defining incident that would hurt the Navy more than anything. And he'd at best have to live on the run with his grandson, leaving his subordinates to choose between taking his punishment in his stead or becoming criminals along with him.
It was only after Sengoku had promised to use all his power and influence to get Luffy freed that he had finally relented. Even so, Garp was ordered to stay at Marineford under Sengoku's watchful eye until then.
Months of nothing and empty promises had chipped away at Garp's very soul. The excuse of there not being a registry for slaves owned by the Celestial Dragons as the brand or "Hoof of the Soaring Dragon" was all the proof needed of someone belonging to them. It'd caused him to snap and run off when Sengoku was busy negotiating with the Five Elders to get his grandson back.
Now he was at Sabaody, the center of the slave trade and the location of the only person he could turn to for help. The only one that had the power and criminality to risk attacking Mary Geoise to rescue Luffy.
Silver Rayleigh, the "Dark King" himself and an old friend... of sorts.
Garp's large nine-foot muscular form, hunched as it was, still loomed as he stood in front of Shakky's Rip-Off Bar. It was a well-sized establishment for the lawless areas of Sabaody with a round green top that resembled an apple. He was too tall for the door, so he had to dip down low and angle his body to enter the building.
Normally he'd just crash through, but he needed the owner's help to convince Rayleigh to help him. Shakuyaku wouldn't be as inclined to help if he wrecked her bar.
Said woman was a relatively slim and tall woman with short black hair, with two tuffs pointing upwards and was smoking a cigarette as she tended to always do. Despite being around what he assumed to be sixty now she still looked young, maybe in her thirties.
She was wearing a pink V-neck t-shirt that exposed her stomach and cleavage with a black spider on it. She was also wearing a yellow beaded necklace, pants that had giraffe-like pattern, and a belt with a white cardigan tied around it.
Shakky as she preferred to be called was drying a glass behind the bar, already facing him. She didn't seem concerned despite the many years he'd chased and tried to imprison her.
"Ah, Garp," she greeted simply, "it's been a long time. Are you here on business or would you like a drink. For old times' sake I won't rip you off."
Garp actually managed to laugh weakly at her candor, but it died swiftly, "That'd be nice Shakky, I could use a stiff drink, but I have a more important reason for being here."
Her posture shifted ever so slightly, eyes hardening as she replied in that same calm voice as before, "So, you're here on business after all."
Despite her kindly demeanor and retired status Shakky was not to be underestimated. She'd held her own against Admirals in her prime and could still give one a hell of a fight.
"Yes, but not for the Navy," Garp gravely answered. "This is a personal matter and due to my position, I can't take care of it myself. I need Rayleigh's help."
Garp looked at a door that just so happened to open to reveal said man yawning and rubbing the crust from his eyes. He'd sensed the two powerful beings the moment her got within fifty meters of the bar and knew Rayleigh was home. Which wasn't a guarantee as the old pirate spent most of his time gambling and drinking.
"Oh, Garp, nice to see you," Roger's First Mate greeted tiredly. "What's for breakfast Shakky?"
"You mean lunch," she corrected while pulling out a modest meal from the fridge. "You've overslept again. Not surprising as you stumbled home drunk after... what... a three-month bender this time."
"Sounds about right," Rayleigh confirmed around a bite of food. After downing some water and popping some painkillers for his throbbing headache he acknowledged the oddly solemn Monkey D. Garp. "So, what's this personal matter you need my help with."
Garp had clinched his teeth but had not exploded with rage at being ignored, which surprised both former pirates. That still didn't stop Rayleigh from finishing his meal, but he gave Garp his undivided attention. It was the prideful, unyielding marine falling to his hands and knees, head bowed that left Rayleigh stunned. Garp, even on his dying breath never yielded. He was the last person that would kowtow to anyone.
It was like seeing the sun go out.
"Please," Garp's gruff voice ground out with deep emotion, "I need you to save my grandson, Luffy. He's... he's been taken as a Celestial Dragon's s-slave."
Shakky actually gasped in shock, having never expected the World Government to be so careless and for Garp to have to not stormed Mary Geoise already to get his grandson back. Rayleigh was having the same thoughts but also the consequences of helping Garp.
"I had rushed off to get him back myself," Garp continued, figuring out their shock, "but Sengoku stopped me and knocked some sense into me. It wouldn't just be me that pays for such an action. So, I relented and let him recover Luffy, but he's failed, and I won't stand around and do nothing as my grandson suffers at the hands of those... those monsters. Please, you're the only one I can turn to for help, Rayleigh."
The Dark King was fully awake and his eyes sharp as he thought through the problem. He had always been the counter to Roger's more enthusiastic behavior, balancing his captain's wants with reason.
On one hand, the only reason he and his wife could live peacefully running their business was that they were both too powerful to take easily and were quiet. They simply lived under the radar and didn't cause any trouble, making it easy for the Five Elders to let them be. Their rule was never about justice but control and Rayleigh's absence in the grand scheme of things was acceptable. But if he were to attack their Holly Land to steal a Celestial Dragon's slave that would no longer be true.
Even if he could find the boy and abscond with him without causing any damage or harming a Celestial Dragon, the act would be an affront to their power. They'd demand his head and failure to punish someone that defied the absolute power of the World Government would make them seem weak. They'd have to at least send an Admiral after him and raise the area to the ground, probably all of Sabaody.
On the other hand, Garp had saved Roger's son, Ace. Odds were that if the World Government learned that their own Vice Admiral and celebrated hero allowed for the Pirate King's blood to survive, they'd kill him and his entire family. Not an easy task considering Garp's own personal power and his son Dragon being the leader of the Revolutionary Army. Still doesn't change the fact that Garp was responsible for keeping the only living part of his closest friend alive.
Last Rayleigh had heard, Portgas D. Ace was now a famous pirate under the protection of Whitebeard as one of his division commanders. Even the World Government wouldn't risk going to war with the strongest man in the world. Unless, of course, they learned that he was Roger's child. Then they'd stop at nothing to kill the young man.
The two retired pirates shared a look and Shakky gave a sigh and nodded.
Garp had kept his head pressed to the ground, eyes watering as he waited for Rayleigh's response.
"I'll help you," Rayleigh sighed out. "For saving Ace and granting Roger's last request."
"Thank you," Garp grunted out in relief.
"You can raise your head from the floor Garp," Shakky added. "It's disturbing to see you grovel."
Garp rose back up to his impressive height and life seemed to blossom back into his face. Even his back straightened, and his shoulders returned to their intimidating squared state. Though the remnants of tears were still visible at the edges of his eyes.
"Do you have any idea as to which Celestial Dragon has your grandson?" Rayleigh asked. "I'd prefer to get in, free the boy and get out unnoticed. Hopefully, they won't miss one of their numerous slaves..."
"But if your grandson is anything like you," Shakky cut in, "he'll be rememberable. Most likely a handful..."
"That's an understatement," Garp laughed out for the first time in months. "One time he-"
"That could be bad," Shakky interrupted. "Celestial Dragons aren't known for their patience. More often than not they shoot any troublesome or unhappy slaves. Odds are he's dead." She frowned at the prospect and did look sympathetic.
That quickly killed the little bit of joy Garp felt at getting Rayleigh's help, his fists balled up with enough force to shatter diamonds.
"He could still be alive," Rayleigh played devil's advocate. "There are some that enjoy breaking the stubborn slaves' spirits. And if he had fighting potential -and knowing your blood he does- they might have turned him into a gladiator to fight for their amusement or even trained to become their guard."
"Luffy's too stubborn to be anyone's guard and his will is strong," Garp replied firmly. "He won't break so, he could be a gladiator."
"I'd suggest checking the Pit first," Shakky suggested. "The Reverie is this year and if Luffy is as stubborn and unyielding as you, he might very well be there."
"Hmm," Rayleigh rubbed his goatee in thought. "That would be best as the Pit isn't exactly guarded. If he's not there I will check their fighting arena. I hope he's at one the two spots otherwise I'll have to check each Celestial Dragon's slave pens and estates. It could take a few days. They have a lot of slaves. Do you have a recent picture of Luffy I can use."
"Yes," Garp answered while digging through his pockets for a picture taken of Luffy with Ace before the fool boy ran off to become a pirate. Thankfully Makino was keen on getting pictures for every memorable moment of their young lives. The young woman was a godsend to the development of his hardheaded grandson. She taught him how to read, write and had a basic education. Considering Luffy's desire for training and lack of interest in anything academic that would delay his future dream of becoming the next Pirate King, it was a small miracle she'd managed it.
Garp handed over the pocket pic of Luffy and Ace smiling at the camera along a beachhead with a small boat. Their smiles were full and face splitting as Ace had an arm over Luffy's shoulder, his arm on Ace's shoulder. The old marine hoped that his grandson hadn't lost that joyful smile that sung of his enjoyment of life. The Celestial Dragons were the vilest beings in the world and their cruelty knew no bounds.
"Alright," Rayleigh pocketed the picture once getting a long look at it and silently filing away the familiar straw hat and the resemblance to the boy Shanks told him about. "I will go find your grandson, hopefully alive and if not, I will retrieve his body."
The grim possibility made Garp grind his teeth so hard that it sounded like he was chewing on gravel.
"He's alive," he adamantly declared as the alternative was too hard to bear. "I can feel it. My grandson won't be so easily killed."
"In such an event," Shakky chimed in, "we'll need an escape plan. It would be unwise to bring your grandson here as the World Government clearly knows about our location. Ideally, we should have a ship ready to take him to one of the uninhabited islands in the Clam Belt. The massive Sea Kings there would make it extremely difficult for even the Navy to search. Perhaps Rusukaina. Amazon Lily is nearby, and they won't risk intruding on the Amazon's territory."
"Yes, their current Empress, Boa Handcock's stipulation in being a Warlord was that we stay clear of Amazon Lily," Garp acknowledged reluctantly as his standing on pirates having carte blanche in exchange for being at the Government's beck-and-call was well known. "Though Boa is reluctant and often dismissive of the World Government's orders, she is a well-known man hater. She might be willing to hunt down and return my grandson as an act of goodwill and demonstration of her compliance."
The married couple shared a look before Rayleigh replied, "You won't have to worry about that. We have a... connection with Handcock and she owes us a favor. As long as we stay away from her island, she'll let us stay at Rusukaina unmolested."
"Fine, I'll have my ship near the Red Line to take Luffy through the Clam Belt," Garp stated.
"No," Rayleigh responded firmly and raised a hand to forestall Garp's retort. "The Five Elders aren't stupid and will assume you were involved. They will be looking for you as soon as they realize it was your grandson that was taken."
"Only if you get caught," Garp argued.
"I don't plan to, but anything can happen. It'd be for the best if we planned for the worst-case scenario where I have to fight my way out. You need to take up your assigned post, ideally within sight of Sengoku so you can't be directly tied to this."
Garp grumbled but relented, "Fine, but I will meet you in the Calm Belt. I need to see with my own eyes that my grandson is alive and well."
Shakky just shook her head as Rayleigh sighed back, "Alright, but you need to make sure that you're not followed or being tracked. That means, don't forget to disable your ship's Den Den Mushi."
"Yeah, yeah I won't," Garp waved him off. "Now hurry up and get my grandson."
Rayleigh had managed to get into Mary Geoise undetected and had moved to the rotting pile of human atrocity. On his way he sensed the massive explosion of every type of haki, the strongest being conqueror's haki. The wave of power came along with the appearance of a giant ape-like monkey that Garp had explained was Luffy's devil fruit power. The bulky monkey's fur turned golden as physical bolt of raw haki around its enraged form before shrinking down out of sight.
"An awakening. That's rare, but it feels unstable... a forced awakening."
He could feel the powerful being's life rapidly fading and he rushed to try and save him. That was also when he felt a clash of other strong spirits and that Luffy's life seemed to have stabilized. One of the newer spirits did something to save him and just in time.
He arrived just in time to see a pink haired woman with an unconscious, red furred monkey man held in her left arm like a sack of potatoes. She'd just dodged some sort of red energy beams coming from a red headed man that looked a lot like her, probably a sibling.
As the pink haired woman blocked a surprise attack by a green haired man, expertly using the red head's attack to dismember the green head, Rayleigh let loose a casual flying slash to stop the red head's follow up attack.
"Seems I made it just in time," he quipped upon catching everyone's attention.
With a better look he realized he was dealing with Judge's children and top commanders of the Germa 66. He couldn't fully understand all the nuance of what happened to turn siblings against one another, but he was able to grasp the overall picture. The infamous Reiju "Poison Pink" had saved Luffy and was trying to flee her brothers, possibly her entire family. An understandable proposition considering her family's reputation of slaughter and cruelty.
All that mattered to him was that Luffy was here and alive. The young man that Shank's had describe as being like Roger and who he'd sacrificed an arm for. Garp's grandson whose spirit, even on the brink of death radiated a power that few had and felt reminiscent of Roger's own. When he'd first felt it, he had worried that he was going senile and reliving an old memory of their early years.
In a blink to most peoples' senses, the youngsters around him included, he moved in front of the young lady and got a better look at Luffy's face. The tail and fur gave away the zoan devil fruit, but it could be coincident. Better safe than sorry.
Grasping his long wild hair Rayleigh lifted his head and saw a rougher, older face than the one in the photo but it was still the face of Money D. Luffy. The crescent scar underneath his left eye being the defining characteristic. Though, the young man's body was a tapestry of the horrors he has been subjected to. The scars were mostly hidden underneath the vibrant red fur covering nearly his entire body but was still visible. Matted and discolored sections outlining all of the marks laying underneath.
He'd help the young woman escape simply for saving Luffy.
"Hand him to me, miss," he ordered Reiju. "I can better handle these precocious sprouts while protecting him than you can."
She had already readied a poisonous attack the moment he'd appeared before her but held her hand upon realizing that he could have killed the both of them in that moment if he had really wanted to. He just held out his left hand while casually flicking his sword to keep a third blue haired man from trying to attack Reiju from behind. His legs were sparking with electricity and was admittedly silent as he moved, an expert assassin.
The other two brothers had focused their haki and were readying attacks of their own until he unleash his conqueror's haki. It was focus on the three young men, stopping them in their tracks. Rayleigh didn't want to attract the attention of the truly powerful by blasting out his spirit too widely. To their credit, they shook off his suppressive haki easily enough, but it made them wary and slow.
Long enough for Reiju to relinquish her burden onto him and for her to pull out a pink cylindrical tube and squeeze it. In an instant her cloak and dress were replaced with the Germa's famous raid suit. Hers was a light pink dress that split in the center going down to her stomach and navel and covered by gold target-shaped symbols. It also had dark pink gauntlets, a blue ascot, a pair of black headphones with the number "66" on them, a patterned purple and black cloak shaped like the wings of a moth, and white and pink boots that nearly reached her knees with a cross pattern at the top and odd orbs beneath the soles. She actually seemed to float above the ground now.
Rayleigh idly noticed that her siblings had donned their own raid suits whose color scheme matched their respective hair colors. An odd quirk he guessed but clearly they would enhance their unique combat capabilities. Otherwise, what was the point? Style?
"I suggest you youngsters cool your tempers and lets us go," Rayleigh warned while leveling his blade at the strongest of them, the red head that if the comics were accurate was called Sparking Red. Vinsmoke Ichiji and Judge's firstborn son. "It won't end well for you."
Reiju was condensing a toxic mixture that, from what he could feel from it, would kill even the largest of Sea Kings. She was planning to attack the second strongest threat; Electric Shock Blue, Vinsmoke Niji. A correct choice as the one arm lad was the weakest and handicapped but he also detected another presence moving towards them. They were weaker than the green haired one and was coming alone.
Whoever it was would still tip the odds further against them but not too terribly so. Still ending this before their arrival was ideal. So, calling on his vast experience and dulled power he coated his blade with so much haki that it turned a black so dark it seemed to absorb light, dimming the world around it and it even had his conqueror's haki flowing through it. It'd been a long time since he'd used such an advance haki technique, not since Roger disbanded their crew decades ago.
This attack would strain his old body, but he was certain that even a Yonko would be badly wounded if they took such a hit. Not that such powerful and experienced fighters wouldn't be able to react in time to properly dodge or block such an attack.
The young man on the other hand, strong as he may be, he has yet to clash with those at the very top of power in this world. He might survive but he most certainly wouldn't be in any condition to fight. His instincts told him that that he'd beat Ichiji and Reiju would handle Niji around the same time as he was rather wounded already. That'd leave handling the one-armed sibling and the newcomer.
An easy enough proposition and even if his King's Dark Blade to which he got his own namesake took more out of him than he assumed, they could still flee.
In a flash, a black line just appeared between the two and through Ichiji. Just like a king's decree, the blade condemned him to death and carried it out without fail... Or at least it should have. The red headed Vinsmoke had unleashed a powerful energy blast in front of him while coating himself in as much armament haki as he could and maneuvering away from the lethal blow.
All that, his raid suit's protection and his exoskeleton kept Ichiji from dying as countless other legends and earthshattering warriors that had been cut down by Rayleigh's ultimate attack. But just as the Dark King had predicted, Sparking Red was out of the fight. There was a deep cut going clean through his left torso, just narrowly missing his heart, but it still nearly split him two. His spine halfway cleaved through.
It wasn't a matter of willpower, Ichiji wouldn't be able to stand.
To the young red head's credit, he didn't scream and still tried firing off weak beams from his eyes before losing consciousness.
Rayleigh turned from his defeated opponent to look towards Reiju's fight, his ending so swiftly that they hadn't even moved yet. Though, her technique was complete and even the air surrounding her was letting of such toxicity that breathing it would be enough to drop an elephant.
Unfortunately, Rayleigh's body wasn't what it was, and the use of his own technique had torn his right arm's muscles. Pain throbbed along his entire right side and his haki would be diminished for at least a day or so.
"Uh... I'm getting too old for this," he muttered as he remembered a time when he could chain several of his King's Dark Blade and still be solid enough to fight.
"Kill Silvers Rayleigh now!" a new voice commanded loudly. "Don't hold back!"
Rayleigh's instincts flared just in time to react to Reiju's sudden attack on him. If not for his weakened state he could have easily avoided it, even countered with his sword but he couldn't. He grimaced as her poison coated knife-hand sped towards his head. He idly noticed that her face was scrunched up in reluctant pain, tears forming in her eyes.
But that was unimportant compared to the lethal strike aimed to puncture his skull. Even if he could prevent it from immediately killing him, the poison of the blow would lead to his inevitable death. He couldn't move his sword arm, his left held an unconscious Luffy and dropping him would take too long.
To survive he would have to give something up and he knew which one he preferred.
With all the strength he had left, Rayleigh managed to block her knife-hand strike with his right foot. The collision of the two blows caused air to explode outward from them, kicking up dirt and spraying blood.
Her hand had punched through his foot, the poison eroding his leg's flesh at a frighteningly rapid pace. Thankfully, the force of the blow managed to knock them back from one another, giving him the time to swiftly cut off his ruined leg before the poison spread further.
Of course, the newcomer, Vinsmoke Judge had capitalized on his momentary shift of focus with his spear. The point aimed for his heart and backed by his haki and boosted boots increasing his speed and mobility.
Even so, Judge was still the weakest one there, beside the sleeping Luffy in Rayleigh's arm, and failed to land the fatal thrust. It still cut into the meat of his left shoulder.
"Yonji, take Ichiji to our doctors immediately," Judge ordered. "Niji, wait for an opening. Reiju..." his face twisted in fury. "You'll not harm your brothers and do everything in your power kill the Dark King here. His 3.6 billion bounty will go a long way to easing my displeasure with you. Clearly, I've been too lenient on you. I'll need to tighten your leash going forward."
Reiju's face was a mixture of anguish, rage and hopelessness as she reluctantly responded through gritted teeth, "Yes, father."
The now mentioned Yonji had grabbed Ichiji with his other arm from a distance as his hand and lower arm separated from his upper arm with a cable and reeled him in. Then with a burst of air from his raid suit's boots he rocketed away to carry out his King/father's orders.
One less combatant but in his current state, blood gushing from his new stump and getting weaker by the second, things still looked grim. Rayleigh leaned on his most valuable tool; his mind and quickly sorted everything of his situation and surroundings. Evaluated his options and likely outcomes.
Then he decided what his course of action was going to be in the time it took for Judge and Reiju to ready their next moves. Poison Pink's skin turned purple black, a combination of armament haki and her poisons pushed and concentrated all over her body. Even her moth wings had expanded and glowed with toxic power. The ground around her started sizzling and melting around her, the air warping.
Vinsmoke Judge with his grey raid suit, golden cloak and long flowing yellow mane going down to his waist, a thin black mustache that spiked upward and matching beard, leveled his spear. The weapon now sparking with powerful electric energy. Niji was similarly shrouded with haki but with blue crackling electricity flowing around him.
Reiju's actions, her current distress and the words from Judge made Rayleigh's choice obvious. That and in her current state, taking her down required powerful long ranged attacks. Getting in close would be a deadly endeavor as even a glancing blow would be fatal. And in his current state, he wasn't sure he could without losing another limb.
In the time it took for the Vinsmoke family to act he had readied another King's Dark Blade, pushing the limits of what he could currently muster.
"This is going to hurt," he said solemnly.
"Reiju, pro-" Judge tried to change his command but was cut off by another black line appearing between him and Dark King Silvers Rayleigh.
This time, the king's decree of death landed absolutely.
Judge was stronger but nowhere as powerful or skilled as his eldest son. Thus, in an instant, Judge's head went flying in a spray of blood and shredded hair. Rayleigh standing behind him, blade extended outward.
Even before Judge's corpse hit the ground, Niji moved on the faltering legendary pirate, his form slumping, blade quickly piercing the ground to keep him from falling over. Gods above, Rayleigh hated how weak and out of shaped he'd gotten. Age plus his peaceful life as a retiree had led to his current state of near death. It was actually the closest he had ever been to dying in his entire life and had crossed swords with Whitebeard in his prime.
Even taking a blow from Rocks D. Xebec.
Now some wet-behind-the-ears sprout was primed to kill him. Roger must be weeping from the afterlife at his friend's dire situation.
Still, he had planned on this and fortunately his assumption had proven correct. Judge had some manner of control over his children, which made sense as they were all stronger than him and cruel enough to kill family for power. It was honestly a surprise Ichiji hadn't taken his father's head to become the next king of the Germa.
And thankfully his preivous commands died along with him. It was a risky gamble as they could have still held sway over Reiju and he'd have died.
Niji was intercepted by Reiju. Her kick slammed into his midsection, tearing through his raid suit, dissolving his flesh and the cracking of bones was audible. She didn't get off unscathed as his own counter, that probably saved his life, was an electrical kick that landed on her side.
The electric current going through her locked up her muscles and the impact broke most of her ribs on her right side. Niji's kick had weakened Reiju's but he was still sent flying with a sonic boom, blood pouring from his mouth and torso.
Rayleigh didn't have the time to check on the woman or verify if her brother was alive. Though, he doubted that the blue haired man would be a threat any longer. He focused on himself, dropping Luffy, ripping off his cloak and using it to tie off his bleeding stump before he bled to death. He was already pale, cold and much weaker. He'd need some serious medical attention once he met up with Shakky.
"She's going to kill me for getting so bet up," he sighed out with grim humor. "Patch me up and then kill me."
"We need to go, now," Reiju urgently stated while limping over, holding her right side. "We made a lot a noise and some distressing powers are headed our way." She was looking at the large, beautiful white city of Mary Geoise that was restricted to Celestial Dragons, their slaves and guards.
Rayleigh could feel the movement of one particular power that could have possibly taken him at full strength. In his current state, he'd be a lamb to slaughter. Probably the head of the God's Knights, Saint Garling Figarland himself. A troublesome opponent at his prime, not one he could handle at his age.
Reiju lifted Luffy off the ground with her left arm and started moving in the same direction as Yonji had. "Can you keep up?"
"Yes, but my escape route is the opposite direction," he answered and explained. "I have a trusted ally waiting with a ship to escape to the Calm Belt where more allies are waiting. One of which tasked me with saving his grandson there." Rayleigh nodded towards the limp form of Luffy.
She halted, turned her head in the direction he'd described before continuing on, "That's not feasible anymore. I can sense several strong presences that way. Nowhere as strong as the one coming from Mary Geoise or even us, but we're in no shape to handle them. From what I know and can feel, they're most likely Vice-Admirals stationed around the perimeter of the Reverie. Do you think you can punch through a dozen of them and their escorts?"
Rayleigh grimaced as he couldn't quite feel them as well with how weak he was, but he reckoned she was right. The Marines would have felt their skirmish and moved to block off the area.
"When I first decided to flee from my brothers, I signaled my ship to detach from the kingdom and prepare to travel down the Red Line. My chunk of the kingdom has troops loyal to me, now that my fath- Judge is dead no one can counterman my orders to them. It also had advanced medical facilities with skilled doctors. We all could use treatment. And despite its size, our snail powered ships are fast."
She started sprinting before he could respond so, he simply got on his remaining foot and hopped after her. He was uncertain of this course of action, but it was the only direction going away from enemies and she wasn't wrong about his need for immediate medical attention. Even if their pursuers caught up, there would at least be defenses and troops to hold them off long enough to get patched up... hopefully. The Germa kingdom's troops were renowned soldiers praised for their strength and fearless combat prowess.
Reiju was battered, in pain, had powerful pursuers headed her way and her two allies wouldn't be much help in any fighting that would breakout. Even so, she'd never felt so elated in her entire life.
Her father, the monster who'd controlled her entire life was dead.
Her fate was, for first time, her own. She could pilot her own future and go wherever she wanted. And she would no longer have to kill against her will. She wasn't so naïve as to believe that she would never have to kill again, but it would be her choice.
Not her father's.
No more killing civilians, children because her family was hired to crush a rebellion or conquer a kingdom. Sure, she was most likely going to get a bounty on her head for what she'd done today and her brothers with their much larger forces would hunt her down in revenge.
But she was free.
As she crusted the Red Line's edge, she looked down to see clouds obstructing her view with how high up they were. With a tap of her headphones her personal comms device connected to her castle's albino Den Den Mushi. Every castle, one for each of the royal family member had one so their transmissions couldn't be intercepted or tapped.
A few rings and her Chamberlain, Nan-Nan, an older woman that ran her castle's staff answered in her professional, experienced voice, "Yes, princess."
"Are you in place?"
"Forgiveness, my lady, but we need a few more minutes to reach the exact coordinates," Nan-Nan answered crisply. "It took longer than anticipated in acquiring one of the farming platforms and attaching it to our own. I apologize for the delay, princess."
"No, it's fine," Reiju softly replied. "We're leaving the Germa for good and need the plot to feed our people. It's vital to our long-term success. His Majesty, Vinsmoke Judge is dead."
"I figured as much, princess," Nan-Nan responded unperturbed by her King's demise. "You wouldn't have given me the escape signal otherwise. I've disabled the tracking snails and shutdown systems, and as always, we are yours and yours alone, ready to serve."
Reiju didn't have it in her to correct Nan-Nan as she'd made the signal before her father's death. So just thanked her loyal servant that had been the closest thing to a mother she since her actual mother died. She loved her servants and soldiers like family but had to always keep it hidden. Being firmer than she wanted, hold back emotion when one died or was disposed of by her father for crippling injury. Yet, her people had still felt her love for them in the way she had never sacrificed them like her family did so casually. Using them as literal shields instead of having to be bothered with dodging or blocking an attack.
Or how she wouldn't beat one for not somehow readying their mind to know they wanted something else to eat. Or simply out of boredom or amusement. Killing soldiers to try out a new technique or weapon. Raping when they were in the mood and one the woman caught their eye. God, her brothers were absolute monsters.
So much so that just treating her people like human beings was enough for them to love and adore her.
Judge didn't care as they were genetically enforced to obey his commands over her. Each of his children had absolute control over those under their direct command so that one sibling couldn't overrule another's authority. Only Judge had that supreme authority, but he was gone now.
Her father's ego had left a flaw in his command structure, and she was levering it for all its worth to secede from the Germa with a chunk of the kingdom. About an eighth of it as Judge kept half under his direct command at all times and the rest split equally amongst his four children.
"Ready the defenses and deploy the troops," Reiju commanded. "We have powerful pursuers."
"It will be done, my lady," her Chamberlain responded, the line cutting out as she moved to obey.
Running the extraction route and her ships speed through her mind, Reiju extrapolated their current location and moved along the Red Line's edge. Rayleigh had managed to keep pace with only one leg, a fact that ate at her as she'd taken it but at the forced orders of the monster that was her father.
The fact that he was no longer amongst the living still brought endless relief and joy to her heart. Like she finally dropped a burden she'd held all her life.
Once she'd traveled the estimated distance that she assumed her ship would be at, calculating fall speed with two adult men. Worst case, she'd stress her boots jet propulsion to keep them afloat long enough to bridge the distance and would have to get them fixed.
Despite the pain flaring through her right side, she offered her arm to the Dark King, "Come, I'll take us down where my ship is waiting."
Rayleigh hummed in thought as he looked back and informed, "It seems our luck has turned. The biggest threat has stopped moving towards us."
Reiju spread out her own Observation Haki and confirmed what he was saying. The Navy Vice Admirals were still moving at speed but the largest power she'd ever sensed had stopped. But there was a sudden absence that stopped her cold.
"He's a God's Knight," he explained. "Their sole mission is the protection of the Celestial Dragons. He only reacted to the threat my haki posed to them. He's guarding the entrance of Mary Geoise closest to us. With no Celestial Dragons near us and our presence leaving, he won't pursue us any further. Though... he's still keeping an eye on us."
Rayleigh hopped to her right side and nodded, "Best we go before he receives permission to leave his post to capture us."
"Reiju?" he asked her softly. "Ah... your brother just..."
"Yes, he deserved it... but he was still my little brother and I..." she shook it away. It wasn't important and he'd done truly unconscionable things for nothing more than getting a laugh or to cure his boredom.
She grasped Rayleigh by the waist and hopped down, her suit's wings flaring to catch the wind for a glide and her boots letting out air to slow and maneuver their descent. The volume of the wind passing their ears made conversation useless and she was honestly happy for it. She needed the time to digest all that happened and plan for her future.
Only upon catching sight of her ship, or better yet, the small island on the back of a massive snail that housed her personal castle, barracks, labs and small town, did she start relaxing. There was an equally large platform attached to it with its own snail propping up their farmland. She could even make out her soldiers moving about battlements and preparing for combat.
It warmed her heart and eased her burden. They had a long way to go before they were safe, but she was finally setting sail to freedom.