Nexus: Heroes Will Rise

by tmb1112

Universal borders have been erased and beings from thousands of universes now live on the same world: Nexus. In the first Saga of Nexus, Awul was saved, but the mysteries of Nexus remain. Now our heroes sail across the sea to Aebrith to search for lost loved ones and save the world. MCs from DBZ, KH, Soul Eater, FT, Blue Exorcist, Bleach, 7DS, OP, Ben 10, SAO, HxH, and many more!

126. Nexus HWR 18-7 Quon

Disclaimer: I don't own the proper nouns.

Nexus HWR 18.7 Quon:

"Charlie!"

"Claire?!"

"What are you all doing?" Snart yelled at the civilians in front of them who were running the wrong way.

"Sandworms!"

"Oh shit." Leonard Snart stopped short instantly and lowered Mick down to the floor at his side. Brr-BOOOF! Snart spun his head and looked back behind him where someone just slammed into the desert so hard that sand rose up in a giant pillar off their body before flying away in the explosion of wind from the collision. The sandstorm hitting his face was filled with fiery heat, but he did not know if that was from the attack itself or radiating off the body of the guy he hoped did not just get smacked down like that.

Captain Cold's more hopeful assumptions were actually correct this time. Natsu spun himself around in the air and then fired two jets of fire out of the soles of his feet to plummet after his enemy who he just sent flying inside of a fireball. Natsu flew down through the low-visibility air where the sand was still blowing up from where Sylar hit the ground. No one lay or stood inside the crater. He sniffed a few times, but sand just got in his nose, and he could not feel out where Sylar was with any of his other senses. Only by his scent had Natsu located him earlier, not that it had done much good with Sylar's incredible speed on top of his invisibility powers.

"Don't need to find you," Natsu snarled. He rose up both hands and jumped back up in the air, predicting some invisible attack aimed at where he just landed down. Fire burst to life on both of his palms. His body glowed darker orange. "Arcosian Dragon Slayer Mode," Natsu growled. Wind whipped around him harder. His own aura ignited so brightly that people who were stuck a mile away deciding between which direction to flee in, spun back towards him and then lifted their gazes up over his body to see a growing ball of fiery light.

"BRILLIANT DESTROYER FLAME!" The fireball over Natsu's hands doubled in size. The core was a deeper brighter orange surrounded by the red and yellow flames that rippled off all sides of the massive sphere he held above him. "TRY DODGING THIS!"

It's enormous! Sylar stared up almost directly underneath the center of that ball of fire. That's not fire-bending. Dragon Slayer magic. I- I want to know, how that works. What makes him tick?!

Natsu's arms started to swing down. Then he flinched. He flinched and his eyes darted to the left. Natsu stared back over the Resistance fortress in the desert. Someone was standing high above the base. The top of their head and bottom of their face was wrapped in white cloth that shrouded their appearance in mystery. Their cloak was dark gray but opened down the middle showing a white undergarment that wrapped him from neck to below his feet. His feet stood on the shaft of a long scythe that floated effortlessly in the air while the man on top of it stared Natsu's direction. Natsu stared back out the corner of his vision and made eye contact through the black and yellow mask over that man's eyes. I recognize him! I KNOW HIM!

Black color leaked out of Natsu's twitching hands and into the fireball over his head. Al-Tharmen. That's the guy who killed Zormudd! Natsu thought of the dark clouds that swirled overhead while Zormudd started screaming for forgiveness, right before exploding, his blood and guts getting all over the place including on Natsu. There had been three people floating out of the clouds that day to observe the fight inside the Birdcage at Dressrosa, but Natsu could feel it in the way that man looked back towards him. It's him. This fucker- Killing his own- I'll- I'll kill… I'LL KILL THEM! ALL OF THEM!

Natsu's hands curled into the bottom of his enormous fireball now swirling with darker colors than a few seconds ago. His expression twisted, a ravenous snarl spreading on it. He snapped his head down though and glared towards where someone else he hated and who he felt was the bigger threat still needed to be taken care of. "RAAAAA!" Natsu threw his arms down and sent the giant fireball slamming into the desert below.

"Claire! Get down," Charlie wrapped his good arm around his wife and ducked down with her. He huddled with his wife and kids who screamed and cried out as the explosion flashed in their eyes that they slammed shut a second later to protect themselves from the flying sand.

"All the vibrations!" One of the guards on their speeder bike shouted out. He slammed on the brakes while hovering over the sand, looking behind him then back at his bike's radar. He gulped at the sight of more long dots beeping on the screen and getting closer. "We're attracting more Sandworms! A few of these fuckers are at sizes we'd move the base over! We've gotta get away from this position!"

"That's why the base can move?" Franky muttered under his breath. He had assumed it was because the people here were at war. He turned his head, and his glowing red eyes popped out from his face that had lost much of its fake skin and paint. His metal eye tubes twisted and zoomed away from where he was slowly taking steps farther from the explosion that just went off behind him and that Sanji and Usopp were still covering their eyes and facing back towards. Franky looked back and forth across the desert, and he saw some shifting sand over a dune in the distance that looked like something was moving underneath it. "Oh man," Franky zoomed out a bit so that he could see the full width of whatever was moving that much sand as it tunneled towards them.

"You two! And hey! HEY! YOU! Get everyone out of that truck!" Franky ran up to the driver's seat and snapped at the driver, "Get out." Franky reached to his right and ripped up part of the console on the passenger side of the front of the vehicle. He grabbed wires underneath to fashion a quick device while yelling at the others, "Make some noise and set their cruise controls to keep them moving- Is everyone out of this one?! GO GO!"

"H-Hey! He's right!"

"All vehicles with wheels- no! Stay up in the Scarab! Just stop it from moving any more though!"

"Set them to drive straight west!"

"Diving out!" Franky tied up his contraption to the wheel and had it press down on the horn. BEEEEEEEEEE… The cyborg jumped out of the truck while speeding up its auto-pilot function to drive as fast as it could away in a straight line west. He landed on the sand and then ran back towards the other guards, but he slowed down as those soldiers had seen what he was doing and already got to sending their own vehicles the same direction.

"Will it be enough?!"

"Everyone shut up. Stay quiet."

"Stop moving!"

"Shhh!"

"SHHHH!"

… Usopp glanced over his shoulder at the eerie quiet that had fallen over the Resistance members behind him. Then his head and Sanji's next to him slowly turned farther and looked off only a half mile away from them, where one of the dunes sticking out of the desert broke apart as something burrowed through it that the top of poked out from the sand for a moment. "It's, so big," Usopp whispered hoarsely.

"Looks like it's chasing the vehicles though," Sanji whispered equally as quiet as his comrade.

"ARCOSIAN DRAGON'S…" Natsu's roar ripped through the air and made every quiet person in the vicinity snap their heads towards the man who shot in an arc around the man in a green bubble who just appeared next to him. Natsu's attack while already in mid-air gave him such great maneuverability that he dodged Sylar while at the same time gaining speed as he stuck out his right leg and yelled, "ARC TALON!" He slammed his leg into Sylar's protective barrier, but before his foot could connect directly, he forced out the fire from his leg to make a secondary barrier between him and the painful barrier Sylar could create.

Sylar sped to his right side while the barrier popped the second Natsu was connecting with it. Instead of kicking against a force pushing back against him, Natsu just passed through and missed. Sylar reached forward his hands that glowed bright red with white spots on it. The radioactive powers he had long since obtained seared even Natsu's skin as the Dragon Slayer pulled back his head with bloodshot eyes that spilled blood out the corners as his head got closer to Sylar's hands. "SWORD HORN!" Natsu slammed his head forward between Sylar's arms and into his smirking face.

The fire on the top of Natsu's head pushed off precisely into Sylar's open mouth. He forced them out so hard that Sylar went flying away from him, though the villain did flick both of his radioactive hands at Natsu the second before he got launched away. Being that close brought his telekinetic abilities to their strongest, and Natsu went spinning out of control through the air, so he could not follow up right away. Sylar recovered from the flames that barely affected him even before he regenerated the inside of his throat. He flew after Natsu and made a shockwave in the air behind him while pulling back his right arm that bulged with muscles and turned into steel. His black hair extended off of his skull and braided up while whipping around his sides like dangerous tentacles.

Natsu was still spinning out and dropping back towards the sand. On each spin he caught a glimpse of Sylar flying back towards him though. "Arcosian Dragon's… DEATH WING ATTACK!" He spiraled and swung both arms up at Sylar while whips or orangish-black flames snapped out of his hands. They wrapped up Sylar's arms and though not burning the man's steel skin, made it easier for Natsu to yank Sylar closer to him much faster than the villain was predicting. Natsu was suddenly right in front of Sylar's face, and Sylar still had his right arm pulled back.

Natsu slammed a knee up into Sylar's stomach and blasted flames out of Sylar's back. Natsu's body twisted to the left then spun right with both of his fists pulled together. Blood covered Natsu's face that his red eyes glared through into Sylar's face as he smashed both fists into it. "JAW OF THE ARCO-"

Natsu snapped Sylar's neck when his fists connected with the villain's head. He stopped screaming out and opened his eyes wide though, as he put so much power into the attack that the initial snapping of Sylar's neck was not enough. Sylar's head pulled off of his splitting neck and shot away from the villain's body so fast that Natsu saw the puft of sand that lifted into the air from Sylar's head hitting the ground in the distance.

Sylar's body went spinning out through the air as it dropped down towards the ground. Natsu was dropping down himself. He panted for a couple of seconds and just darted his eyes over towards Sylar's head, then back down at his body that was about to hit the sand. "I should burn him up," Natsu muttered to himself. For some reason he felt like until he burned Sylar into nothing, this was not over.

Natsu started lifting his right hand back up at his side with the simmering flame on it igniting brighter again. Before he could spin himself around with a kick of flames back behind him, he heard a shout and glanced off to his right and towards some of the evacuated people looking his way. Most of them had their lips pursed and were just waving their arms towards him. Usopp shouted his name though, and Natsu realized why as he looked down a second later and saw what his shouts and explosions had drawn his way.

"What the…" Natsu started speaking before dropping his jaw and swinging his arms down in surprise. He fired out a beam of flames from his right hand that was already almost prepared for another attack. Natsu shot back up in the air and did a barrel-roll, narrowly avoiding the top of the enormous Sandworm's circular jaws full of thousands of teeth. The worm just ripped up through the desert underneath Sylar's body where Natsu smashed it down. The worm curved and fell back into the sand, and Natsu arced himself in a different direction and blasted out flames to fly over the Resistance base with his eyes narrowing towards a figure on a scythe who he snarled towards…

"Where do you think you're going?"

Natsu turned his head to the right. The voice was so close to him that he thought he might be hearing it in his own head. He saw the shimmer in the air though of the flying invisible man who had regenerated from his head, and not from his body that just got devoured by the Sandworm. Natsu started spinning, but a steel fist slammed into his jaw first. Blood splashed from his mouth while he spun out in the air and dropped back down towards the top of the base below him.

"Rrrggg-" Natsu snapped his head up, but Sylar was gone again. He darted his eyes back and forth, then he felt like he got shot in the back of the head and did a front-flip right above the top of the base he was about to land on. In mid-front-flip he slammed his face onto the roof. Natsu smashed his hands down on either side of him and curled his fingers into the roof of the base. "DIE!" Natsu roared, and ten pillars of red flames shot up out of the cracks that formed all over the roof.

A speeding villain formed out of thin air in front of Natsu who snapped both hands forward and gripped him by the sides of his skull. "Then I'll burn your head to dust-"

The man he had grabbed who opened his mouth wide to scream in panic, vanished inside of Natsu's hands. He did not turn invisible though. Rather, Natsu realized that he was grabbing nothing but an illusion as the world around him shifted as well in the next instant so he was no longer on a flaming Resistance base. Instead he was on a deserted island. A few palm trees behind him. Some dolphins jumping out of the water ahead of him. He didn't teleport me. This is in my head!

Natsu closed his eyes. His body shrouded in a bright aura that he pulsed away from him on all sides. He snapped his eyes open when he felt his flames hit someone, but when he spun back around on a flaming roof in the real world, Sylar was flying through those flames with his body encased in steel. His steel right hand gripped Natsu around his face, possible since Sylar's hand was four times larger than it just was so his fingers were touching his thumb around the back of Natsu's head. Sylar gripped his fist tighter with Natsu's head in the middle of it while flying off the building and down into the desert that he dragged Natsu over.

They ripped a giant trench through the sand that made waves of sand push up away from the two of them. Another Sandworm approached while Natsu kicked his legs up into Sylar and made the man release despite being surrounded in hard metal armor. Sylar rose up both of his arms at his sides, and the entire desert around him started to lift up in the air. All of the sand in a one hundred foot radius of the villain lifted up, and then it started to heat up. Natsu sprinted through the superheating sand though, and he pulled back his right fist while his body flashed with lightning coming out of him on all sides. "Lightning Fire Dragon's… IRON FIST!"

The first half of his shout came while Natsu was sprinting straight at Sylar but slightly off-angled to come up on Sylar's left side with a punch upwards towards his face. 'Iron Fist' was shouted from Sylar's other side though, leaving only a trail of lightning bolts after Natsu who sped up at the last second before punching in towards Sylar's right side. Steel crunched under Natsu's fist, and ribs cracked inside the monster's body too. A Sandworm rose up out of the sand, and Sylar flew straight into its mouth. Natsu kicked off the ground below him and shot into the mouth of the giant worm while ignoring it completely just like Sylar was.

Natsu's lightning sparked out wider away from his body while a flash of white light went off behind the Dragon Slayer. Sylar was expecting another burst of speed from the sight of that lightning flash, but the white one surprised him and reminded him of the first killing blow Natsu had hit him with back inside. I can't follow- He could not finish the thought before Natsu kicked down into his face and sent his body flying into the bottom jaws of the Sandworm. Sylar's body was impaled by five giant teeth that cut him up as he slammed down. The top jaw of the Sandworm yanked down itself from how hard the bottom of its mouth was just hit, but Natsu leaned his head away and was only gashed on his left shoulder by one of the teeth that nearly cut through his neck.

A bright orange cone of energy surrounded Natsu before he dropped down in front of Sylar. Teeth shattered around where Natsu landed down. The Sandworm dropped back into the sand while bright orange light shone out of its jaws. That light continued to glow up from underneath the sand, and then the glow got brighter and brighter while Natsu cupped his hands to his mouth while aimed at Sylar who was dragging himself off the teeth impaling him. The worm's dark insides illuminated so bright from Natsu's body that the glow shone through its skin and up through the sand too.

"Roar…"

"Is he alright?!"

"Oh my God, it ate them!"

Franky stomped back over towards where Usopp had dropped to his knees in exhaustion and where Sanji was standing at his side. None of them were saying a thing, but Snart jogged back over towards them and wondered in an uneasy tone, "Shouldn't you guys be helping him out? There's a better chance if we all face him together," Snart suggested. He still had his cold gun, and after leaving an injured Mick with some of the others, he came back to the only other people here who he thought had any chance of helping out.

"If we get any closer to Natsu, he won't be able to fight at his strongest…" Sanji was reaching for a cigarette to smoke while admitting that. "We're not even in the same league."

"Still, you were doing something," Snart countered the pirate who he figured was probably the strongest of the rest of them. "You could-"

A beam of bright orange fire shot out from beneath the sand where the Sandworm just dropped down. The worm got lifted out of the desert and showed everyone just how massive it was while the beast's top half was charred by the beam of energy so powerful that it ripped the cooking worm's body from the sand. The beam fired through the worm and through part of the front wall of the cracked second story of the base that got incinerated by Natsu's attack too. The beam just kept going for miles away into the sky, and Leonard Snart finally closed his mouth and just tilted his head to the side in admission that maybe Sanji had a point.

"Do you think, that burned him, up?" Charlie wondered. He lifted his head from his wife and kids who he was huddled with on the sand and looked back towards the pirates and over their heads to the incredible beam over there.

"Charlie, I'm pregnant again." Charlie froze and then snapped his head back to the woman he was holding who looked up fearfully into his eyes. She did not look it yet, and he stared at her with massive eyes that darted down towards her stomach then back up in her eyes before Claire nodded up and down to tell him that she was sure. "I'm scared," she whispered at him.

"Don't worry," Charlie told her. He forced a confident smile back on his face and could not even feel the pain in his right arm anymore, though he could not feel that arm at all which he was not sure was a good sign. "Natsu beat the Fire Lord. I'm sure-" Charlie turned and his tongue flipped over in his mouth. Why do I open my mouth at all?

"Did he, miss?" Sanji muttered. Sweat dripped down both sides of his face while he fumbled his pack of cigarettes and dropped it into the sand.

Natsu was grabbed by the back of his head. A metal hand gripping through his pink hair that was getting red from Sylar already pointing his finger guns at the back of Natsu's head before and firing another small hole in it that Natsu's thick skull protected him from dying from. Sylar grabbed Natsu by the back of the head though and bashed him over and over in his kidneys, before throwing Natsu off his upper left arm. Sylar's bottom two arms that had been pounding away at Natsu's sides sucked back into his own body that no longer had clothes over it. Sylar cocked his head back and forth and cracked his neck while gashes all over his body continued to seal up in front of everyone's eyes.

Natsu twisted himself around and coughed while pointing his hands back at Sylar who laughed at the blood that spilled from Natsu's jaw. Sylar flew up over Natsu's head in mid-flip before Natsu could lift his gaze up to the man's leg coming down towards him. An explosion went off behind where Sylar was just flying that moved him even faster. A blur of white trailed after the villain who kicked down into Natsu's bloodied face and smashed the Dragon Slayer down into the burnt corpse of the Sandworm beneath them.

"This is ridiculous," Franky hissed while watching frustratedly. His fists curled at his sides and he desperately wanted to rush in there and help Natsu, but he muttered under his breath, "I've got barely any cola left. Damn it, where the hell is Riku?" Franky fists shook in fury towards their comrade who just left them here.

Sanji shook his head back and forth while curling his own shaking hands into fists. "Usopp told him to go kill himself," Sanji growled. Franky spun towards the cook then at Usopp who looked towards Sanji with his eyes huge, opening his mouth to say something… Usopp's jaw just froze open while his eyes darted towards Franky and then back at Sanji. He could not come up with any excuse though, and his eyes just darted back towards that Sandworm where a huge flame burst off of and Natsu leapt back into the air, only to get a fist in his face that made more blood splash from his lips.

Natsu slammed an elbow into Sylar's chest anyway though even as he was punched in the face. Sylar got knocked backwards, and then Natsu again flashed white and hit Sylar so hard in the stomach with his left hand that he impaled the villain again. "Don't you ever learn?" Sylar wondered. His torso glowed bright orange, and Natsu yanked his arm out as radiation burns covered his skin in that spot where his forearm had been lodged in Sylar's stomach. Sylar darted his eyes down in surprise though as the spot of radiation burns was very small. Sylar lifted his gaze from those burns up Natsu's arm and to the scales that were emerging on his skin. His eyes tracked up the scales to Natsu's bloody shoulder then up his neck to his face that also had the scales on it. "What, are y-" Sylar's jaw was punched off before he could finish his question.

"…We haven't seen him since," Sanji said in a dark tone while staring after Natsu who continued to fight at a level beyond his own even in the bad shape he looked to be in.

"Why, Usopp?" Franky wondered softly but angrily. He was stunned to hear that Usopp would do that. His voice stayed quiet because he felt like Usopp should have some explanation, but it was already angry too because he could not think of a good explanation that Usopp could give him.

"Because he's Ansem!" Usopp snapped in even more anger to hear these accusatory tones from his comrades. "You don't get it! Ah hah, ah- there is no difference between them." Usopp snapped his gaze back towards Natsu who he prayed would win this fight because there was no backup option. Riku won't come back. I- I don't want him to. Even now! "He held people prisoner in his darkness, slaves just like I was."

Snart darted his eyes to the side behind his goggles and stared at the long-nosed man in confusion at what he was saying. Thought they were all comrades? The fuck is he talking about?

Sanji shook his head at Usopp who spun and glared him back in the eyes with no hesitation in his own. "Blackbeard and Zaratras! You saw them, Sanji. He had them trapped in the darkness for months! He only released them to fight for him when he was in danger-"

"Riku could have escaped the Spriggans easily," Sanji growled back at Usopp. He was grinding his teeth in anger at all that Usopp was snapping at him, and he finally snapped back, "What Riku did was fucked up. We all know that, but Riku had them trapped because their final orders as Reanimations were to kill everyone. We all know that too!" Sanji yelled into his thick-headed crewmate's face. "You get that, right? They were immortal beings too dangerous to let loose. And he released them anyway to protect us from monsters."

"He made a mistake. He was confused, and he fights the darkness daily," Sanji thought about what Riku was hissing at them before leaving. He saw the yellow color seeping into Riku's eyes that their friend had to fight off even just in that conversation with them. "But he released those two who he had trapped. He released them- he released Blackbeard! To save our lives, when he could have run away on his own easily. Do you not understand that, Usopp?" Sanji asked while lifting his eyebrows and seriously wondering if Usopp could not piece this together. Usopp's burnt fists were shaking at his own sides and the long-nosed man bowed his head but just shook it back and forth in anger with his teeth baring as Sanji defended Riku, just like everyone always defends him!

"He didn't have to release them to escape. But he had to free them, to save our lives. To save you, Usopp. Because Riku cares about you," Sanji muttered. He shook his own head then looked away and up towards Natsu and Sylar while Usopp froze in place. Usopp's head flinched and his eyes rose up towards his crewmate's face. Sanji whispered in a lower tone, "Did Ansem?" Usopp's eyes grew huge at the simple question.

Ansem didn't, Usopp thought. It was just as simple an answer. But Riku doesn't- Usopp could not think that with any sincerity despite all his hatred. Sanji just explained why that's not true. I- I get that. I'm not an idiot. Usopp pursed his lips then bit down on his bottom one while trying to counter what Sanji had said in any way that he could in his head. Riku could've escaped. He freed them for us. So we could all escape. And, and he knew that we would see what he had done- that I would! Why? Why didn't he- why not just ask us for help? There were people who could seal reanimations after Metropolis! With multiple Super Saiyans around, we could have done it! We could have sealed them in a different way!

Why didn't you just ask for help? Back when Ansem was scared and hiding, you could have… You could have done so many things! He chose to keep them as prisoners! I- I hate him. He did the same thing as Ansem. He never used them- He did! To save me? That was, the only time he ever used… I don't know. I don't, know. But I hate him, and I, hate… myself.

Usopp clenched his eyes shut and held back the tears of frustration that were forcing themselves into his eyes. I get what Sanji's saying. I know he's not wrong. Because when I looked towards Sylar inside that base… Usopp opened his eyes and squinted them while looking back into the air towards Natsu and Sylar. That was a monster. Riku isn't anything like that-

Natsu's flaming body shot out of the sky and into the sand only fifty yards in front of the pirates. Sand blew up away from him. His body was visible inside that crater though. Natsu's left arm moved while his right was struggling at his side to do the same. His left hand's fingers curled into the sand and pushed down hard- "AwhHA!" Natsu screamed as his hand got stomped on by a steel foot that increased in weight ten times a second after it stomped down on him to further crush his fingers.

"We need to help him-" Franky started. A gust of wind hit him before he could finish saying it, and he spun towards Sanji only for his crewmate to not be standing there.

Then Franky spun towards Sylar who stood on top of Natsu, and Sylar's right hand had snapped up in front of him while he continued to glare down into Natsu's eyes. Sanji froze in place in midair. Both of his hands snapped up to his throat that was gripped by some invisible force and stopped him short. The wind from his fast-moving body blew up some more sand over Natsu and partially buried him. So Sylar waved his other hand over Natsu and cleared the sand off.

"That was quite fun, Natsu Dragneel," Sylar admitted through his newly regenerated jaw. "I like those abilities of yours. I wasn't sure I would. But you are really an interesting one," Sylar flicked one of his fingers of his left hand he had waved over Natsu's body. Natsu screamed in agony as a scale on his face ripped off and flung in the air with blood dripping off it. "I take a lot of pleasure in killing, which is why this fight took any time at all. I want you to know that. Using too strong of attacks would have ruined the fun."

Sanji kicked his right leg up. A green slash flew off his leg and made Sylar let go of Sanji's throat to create a forcefield out of that outstretched arm. The kicked slash broke apart on the barrier Sylar created. Then he rose his right arm and bent at the elbow, blocking Sanji's next kick with an arm that became hard steel the second Sanji kicked against it. Then a green barrier pulsed out of his arm and sent Sanji flying away. Sylar waved his arm in front of him and created a wall of sand that surrounded only him and Natsu, preventing other pests from interfering like Sanji tried to.

Sylar looked back down into Natsu's eyes. "I could have made an earthquake to destroy the base with everyone inside. I am going to reverse the gravity for all those people behind you. Send them flying into the sky before dropping all of them from a few miles up." Sylar's body vibrated and transformed in front of Natsu's eyes into the appearance of Gaara. His voice changed as well, "When all of you are dead, I might take this form and go terrorize the Hidden Sand Village as their beloved leader. Or maybe I'll sneak into Resistance Headquarters for some more interesting powers. Or just to destroy the place. Who knows?" Sylar smirked down and stomped harder onto Natsu's left hand. Crnch-crack! Natsu growled through his bared teeth instead of screaming in pain when Sylar broke several of his fingers.

Sylar curled his lips down from their large smirk for a second. "This world, is my playground," Sylar hissed while leaning his head down closer to Natsu's face. The sky above them rumbled and dark clouds swirled into existence from out of nowhere. The air around the two of them got heavier. Natsu felt a pressure pushing down on him that got heavier and heavier with each passing second. Natsu's bloody right arm shot up though and grabbed Sylar by his bare chest, curling his bloody fingers into Sylar's skin that he melted through as his his hand had sharpened glowing orange fingertips that Natsu dug into his enemy's gut.

Sylar slammed his left palm down and made an invisible force that smashed the back of Natsu's head into the sand. The sand underneath Natsu grabbed at his limbs and pulled them down to his sides, while a telekinetic force pushed down on him, and the gravity itself increased again to make it even harder to move. Natsu's whole body shook though despite all of Sylar's powers pushing down against him. Sylar lifted his right foot and stomped down on Natsu's chest rather than his left hand, and he made his right steel heel even heavier while pushing it down into Natsu's sternum. "Stay still, Dragon," Sylar hissed at him.

Sylar pointed his index and middle fingers of his left hand down at Natsu's forehead. Natsu gasped for breath and his eyes snapped up towards his forehead as he felt like a scalpel just got put to the edge of it. Sylar pushed his fingers down harder while pointing his right palm fully down at Natsu's body just to keep him flattened to the sand. He really needed to dig his fingers of his left hand in though, and his head cocked to the side while he focused all his pressure onto Natsu's skull he needed to dig through to get into his brain.

"Ah- Ahhh! RAAAA!" Natsu roared up at the man, flames burning up his throat. Natsu's jaw slammed shut without him telling it to. He swallowed back his flames as his nostrils were blocked off too, and he gasped for breath, "Waaa- ahhh," Natsu sucked in air, only for Sylar to stomp down harder on his chest and for him to cough it all out. His eyes bled more out the corners while he felt his forehead getting sliced open. I can't breathe! He's killing me! RAAA!

Natsu could no longer roar out loud but he screamed in his head while his eyes showed that he was doing so. He glared at Sylar in such animalistic fury that Sylar curled up his smirk as high as it could get. That he can still struggle even now is incredible. I want that power! Sylar slammed his left hand closer to Natsu's head and dug through his skull, before sliding his fingers to the side to open it up…

Sylar flew backwards through the air and spun his head as instinctual powers he had obtained told every atom of his body to flee. Natsu vanished from where he was laying too.

The sand walls collapsed. Franky and Usopp's mouths were open, and they were both in the middle of shouting into that huge mass of sand that Sylar had blocked them outside of. "NATS-" The two of them spun between them and at the man standing there holding Natsu in his arms.

Charlie was holding Claire close in his arm. He had just kissed baby Jack on top of his head as he feared Natsu was already dead, and that meant all of them were next. He turned his head though as the shouts of fear for Natsu cut off. Claire lifted her head too and flinched, her eyes bulging just like Charlie's did at the sight of the man standing there between the pirates.

"So this is Natsu?" The man wondered. He looked young, like a boy in his mid-teens. "I didn't want to meet you all in these circumstances." The man lowered Natsu down to the ground between his comrades who the man also recognized. He glanced over towards Sanji who was on one knee but safely the opposite direction as the monster who was staring cautiously back towards him like an animal that just found itself under a predator's gaze, though the young man who had appeared was not even looking towards him yet.

That man had short but spiky light grayish-green hair. He wore a brown jacket over a white t-shirt, and a pair of black pants that were tight to his slender legs. He was a thin man and not very muscular. The guy had purple eyes that finally shifted back towards the man who had leapt away right when he appeared. "Where is Gaara?" The sudden arrival wondered in a low voice while gazing towards the enemy.

"Dead, sir," Snart muttered in a dark and apologetic voice back towards the person who had appeared there.

Usopp and Franky spun towards Snart in surprise at the tone of his voice. "Sir?" The two pirates thought in confusion before looking back at the young man between them who narrowed his shocked eyes frustratedly back towards Sylar. Tears also filled the young man's eyes though and his fists shook at his sides while his lips pulled apart in a sad way.

"Oh God, it's okay. It's okay kids," Charlie held his family tight and then winced and grabbed at his right arm again. He was laughing a second later though and dropped onto his butt in relief.

"That guy killed him. His name's Sylar," Snart continued to the man who just arrived.

"'Sylar.' I know that name," the young man said softly. He wiped his eyes and stepped forward towards the villain who glared back furiously at how much his own powers were warning him to back away.

"We're okay. It's alright now," Charlie kept telling his family.

Usopp was baffled as to what was going on. He turned his head around though and looked to an amazed Charlie, wondering hoarsely at his friend, "Who is this guy?"

Charlie sniffled but lifted his head and smiled in disbelief towards the back of the man who started walking away from Usopp, Franky, and the Dragon Slayer he had placed down between them. Sanji looked over at the young man walking towards Sylar in confusion of his own, as he did not feel any great power coming from the guy who Sylar had jumped away from. Sanji darted a look to the person's wrist where he saw a Power Blocker though, and he wondered if that alone was the reason he did not feel anything coming from him.

"Quon…" Charlie whispered. Sylar flinched. The villain had super-hearing, and he looked past his new enemy and over towards the Resistance guard who flinched at his look but did not look to regain all of his fear either.

"What?" Usopp asked back as Charlie had said it too quietly.

"It's Quon," Charlie said again.

"Quon?! Perfect!" Sylar yelled out. Usopp spun back towards the evil psychopath who lifted his lips into a maddened smirk that made his enemy stop marching towards him too. The entire desert underneath Sylar started to shake. Quon Miduchi's eyes darted back and forth while people started screaming back behind him from the earthquakes that went off for miles. The air around Sylar got thicker as the air pressure rose to its maximum, and the man inside that pressure surrounded in a white veil while raising off the trembling ground below him. "Forget Al-Tharmen. Forget their promise of 'great power.' For no reward could be greater than this!"

I will gain more strength here than those cultists could ever give me! Sylar smirked ravenously while looking towards this man's head and imagining the juicy brain inside it. He licked his lips and flew forward.

Quon glared back at the villain flying towards him. I know Gaara's strength. Natsu's in a bad way as well. Quon's skin peeled off. A bolt of lightning dropped out of the swirling gray clouds and hit him. His clothes disappeared, his skin peeling and being replaced by white armor that surrounded his body in an instantaneous transformation. His left arm was blue and slightly thicker than his right arm that was white like most of the rest of his body. His left shoulder also spiked up a bit as if making a guard for his neck. Quon's head transformed with blue and white spikes sticking up off either side of it and off the back of his head too. Those spikes pushed down over his white face as well and made a protective mask over the top half of his head. His white torso was ribbed with his muscular abs, and there were golden lines cutting in from his armored chestplate that was silver under his armpits like it was on his shins.

Sylar slammed both arms forward, but sand in front of Quon rose up and blocked the invisible force that still ripped apart the wall anyway. When the wall blew apart, Sylar could not see his enemy behind it anymore though. He spun to his left and rose his left arm to block, as Quon just sped into that position in midair and punched forward at him. Fast! Sylar blocked the punch, but his own arm was pushed into his body and he was sent flying back through the air spiraling over and over before righting himself with a shockwave rippling out away from him.

"When I take your power, I will have more power than the strongest High Lords!" Sylar screamed through the air back at his enemy who was sprinting over the sand after him.

Sanji spun his head to the left and gawked at the white figure speeding by him. He was gawking more from the sound of Sylar's shout than from the look of this person who had definitely gained speed and strength in this form, as well as a strange ability to move the sand as he had, but Sanji felt like Sylar's shout was taking it way too far.

Quon stopped short on the sand too and lifted his head just like Sanji did back behind him. The two of them stared up towards the top of a sand wave a few hundred feet high that Sylar rose up beneath him. Lightning shot out of the clouds above Sylar's head, and he laughed madly while slamming his arms forward from his sides where he had raised them. The sand wave rushed forward towards the enemy in front of him who just took two more steps then jumped up high into the air.

Sylar had to stop pushing his sand wave since his enemy was above it already. He rose one of his arms to block while curling the other into a fist and slamming it up in the air. The top of his wave merged together into a giant sand fist that punched up into the path of Quon who was moving too fast that he just blasted apart the sand fist that he passed through. Sylar's blocking other arm was only a feint though that changed-up when the sand fist blocked him from Quon's sight. Quon broke through the other side of the sand fist to see that Sylar was directly behind it, already swinging forward that arm and slamming it into his enemy's head and knocking him out of the sky.

"Your power is mine, Quon!" Sylar yelled while dive-bombing towards his enemy.

"That guy can't win this either," Usopp said in disbelief, shaking his head back and forth in fear that even this person who Charlie had such confidence in would not be enough.

"You're wrong," Charlie countered him. Usopp glanced back again, and Charlie was looking towards where Sylar stopped flying down. Usopp stared back to the sight of a man standing in the crater Sylar had made by hitting Quon down so hard with his super strength. "No one can beat him."

"RAAAAA!" Sylar started screaming. The ground below him ripped apart and burst into flames. Huge chunks of desert lifted up in the air and whipped around the villain glaring down into Quon's eyes that did not look afraid. Quon only looked angry at him and saddened over the news he had just received. Sylar roared down at him, "You can't beat me-"

Another flash of light surrounded Quon. It looked almost like lightning, but the beam of light was white when it shot up over Quon's head and into the sky. The armored casing around Quon's head shattered while the light broke apart away from him. His legs shaded dark gray that blended into white around his mid-torso. That white color continued up to his face that was shadowed over by the long wavy white hair that emerged from under the hard casing that had formed in his first transformation. He had gold lines on his shoulders and around his wrists, as well as going up his torso on either side of his abs. Quon was still a slender figure as he started walking forward, but there was no doubt about his power as the pressure that Sylar had created appeared to bubble away from Quon as his visible white aura pushed back against it.

"RAAAAAaaAAHAaaHAAA!" Sylar's scream changed in pitch and got even louder while the villain's muscles seemed to strain and cover in bulging veins. His arms rose up at his sides and blood spilled out of his right nostril, then his left as he used even more powers at once. The fire below him rose up higher behind his back, while wind took the sand that was blowing up and spun it into tornadoes around him. Rain poured out of the thick blackening clouds above Sylar who started laughing while the world shook around him.

Quon lifted his right arm up above him. His hand held out as an open palm over his head, and he swung that palm down towards Sylar who lifted his glowing white eyes up to the sky above him. The clouds all ripped apart and away from a circular hole that just ripped through them. Usopp's jaw hit the floor at the sight of a sky beam larger than any he had ever seen even Enel create drop from the clouds and straight on top of Sylar.

The clouds blew away from the hole that just tore through them. Quon swung his arm down and the sky ripped open and dropped a beam of energy into Sylar that plowed him into the ground and blew apart the desert below him. Quon continued to walk forward towards where Sylar just slammed down. Out of the giant hole in the sand, a bloodied figure stepped forward with his wounds sealing back up. Lightning sparked off one of his hands while fire raged on the other. Sylar slammed his right arm forward and blasted lightning towards Quon, then he flung his fireball that dispersed just like the lightning had against a forcefield of white light that pulsed out the front of Quon's body.

Sylar darted his eyes towards the Scarab tank he could see scared but hopeful civilians watching from. If I get- His head snapped back forward as Quon was suddenly half the distance between them. He was much too close now and showed off much too fast a speed for Sylar to consider trying to get some hostages. Sylar smirked though. His body surrounded in bright red light. His skin turned orange and bubbled with white colors that swirled around his body as he irradiated. "I'll just nuke you! Then when I regenerate, I'll take your body, and I'll- I'LL!" Sylar leaned his head away as Quon kept walking forward through the outer aura of his radiation without pausing.

Sylar's eyes grew massive and shook as he looked up in the air. In his eyes, Quon stood a thousand feet tall. The giant reached its right arm out towards him while Sylar could not move. White light flared around the two of them as Quon put his arm through Sylar's chest and then stepped forward more while Sylar screamed, as his enemy walked inside of him. "You've used your powers for evil. So much evil, Sylar," Quon told the man who he brought his face straight in front of. Sylar's terrified eyes shook as this man held him by his insides while physically permeating through him at the same time.

"AHHHHH!" Sylar roared. Fissures ripped through the desert away from them. Sand rained down like waterfalls into the cracks that Sylar made, and Sandworms fleeing from the area had to dive between the fissures into the other side of the gaps to escape the vicinity. "No! NO! You can't! NOOOOO!" Sylar screamed at what he was feeling happening within him.

"AAHh- YAAAAAAAAHHH!" Sylar's scream of agony sounded like his death throes.

"I am not killing you, Sylar," Quon told the man. His voice echoed in Sylar's mind. Sylar's eyes stopped glowing and the world stopped shaking around them, but Sylar's expression was no less terrified and no less panicked at what he felt Quon was actually doing. "But I am taking away your powers," Quon told the villain whose terror spiked as he heard those words and knew it to be the truth.

"No no no- You can't! I can't lose them. Without, without my powers… I'm nothing! STOP!"

Quon walked out of Sylar's body that collapsed down to the ground. Sylar fell to his knees. He was panting for breath and gasping in disbelief. Sylar rose his hands in front of him. "Fire! F-Fire, ice- Energy… Lightning?" Sylar snapped his head up and slammed his palm towards Quon's body, but no invisible force pushed out of his hand. "HAAaaa! Ahhh ahh- what did you- Why did- What did you do to meee?!" Sylar screamed.

"You will be tried for your crimes, Sylar," Quon declared to the villain knelt before him. The huge energy emitting from Quon settled down and the glow coming out of his body dimmed. "All those who you've harmed will receive their justice when they see you imprisoned. For life, with no powers," Quon finished to the man whose despair overloaded. His head bowed and his sobs echoed out across the desert.

"That was…" Franky whispered while staring off towards the two who he was too far from to hear. He could tell what had just happened though as he watched Sylar swing his arms at Quon to no effect.

Natsu watched the incredible scene as well from down on one knee. Both of his arms were messed up, with his right covered in blood and the fingers on his left as well as his hand itself broken. Natsu turned from Quon and Sylar though. He turned his head and sniffed in a few times with his head bobbing up. Natsu snarled in a fury that made Usopp, Snart, Franky, and Charlie and his family, all spin towards the pink-haired man covered in blood who got back up onto both feet. "Oh no you don't," Natsu snarled.

A man in a white turban was flying away from the desert base on top of his scythe. Ithnan chuckled to himself before shaking his head as he thought about Sylar's foolishness. "Had he fled when he had completed his mission, he could have escaped and obtained great power. Now, we do not need to waste it on him." Ithnan smirked behind the white cloth wrapped around his mouth.

His eyes suddenly snapped to the side though behind his mask. Sweat formed on the sides of Ithnan's face as everything in the corners of his vision suddenly turned bright, bright orange. The magician looked behind him and his eyes bulged behind his mask at the animalistic expression on the face of the Dragon Slayer flying through his aura straight towards him. "Natsu Drag-"

"RROAAAA!" Natsu bellowed without yelling out any specific attack. He just rammed into the magician as a bright white light burst out of his legs that screamed in pain from him using that kind of energy just for a burst of speed. That much speed gave Ithnan no time to say anything or even start a counterattack. The Borg that naturally formed to protect him without Ithnan needing to cast any spell, shattered as Natsu effortlessly smashed through it and into Ithnan's body inside the yellow barrier. The magician just gasped in agony and from losing all the breath in his lungs, and then he screamed as his clothes burst into flames too.

"What is Natsu doing?" Franky muttered in confusion as he had not seen anyone in the distance and had no idea why their comrade suddenly blasted off like that.

Usopp shook his head back and forth confusedly with no answer for the cyborg. He was not looking towards Natsu anymore though anyway. He turned his head and stared towards the young man who reverted back to the human form he had looked like when he first appeared. He had apparently knocked out Sylar, or maybe the villain just passed out on his own, because he was carrying that unconscious villain over his shoulder back towards the people of the Resistance who all started cheering out as the incident appeared to be resolved.

"Quon! It's Quon everyone!"

"He came to save us!"

"He did it!"

"We're safe!"

Quon reached where the people farthest back of the evacuees were all standing or kneeling. Usopp struggled back up onto both feet despite his exhaustion, and he had a bead of sweat dripping down his face as he glanced down at the face of the man who looked younger than him. Quon turned around and looked up in the air, and as Sanji walked over too he looked back and lifted an eyebrow in confusion at Natsu who dropped back down behind them and skid their way through the sand.

Natsu was bloody and cut-up, but he tossed the burnt man he had grabbed by the back of the neck into the floor between him and Quon. That guy looked was more messed-up than Natsu did. "Al-Tharmen," Natsu snarled in a pissed-off voice. "This fucker was in Dressrosa. Blew up his own ally- nn- for no fucking reason." Natsu's arms were still on fire but they simmered down a little as he looked up at the man who had saved him from Sylar. "Rr, rr- you… They, sent Sylar," Natsu snarled in fury.

"Hmm," Quon nodded his head in understanding, having heard Sylar shout something that made him already suspect as much. "Thank you, for capturing him and not killing him. And for fighting Sylar as long as you did which protected many of my people," Quon told Natsu in a truly grateful tone. "I had wished to meet you under better circumstances. I also apologize, as I want to speak with you all for longer. It is my reason for being here, but I have to deal with this problem first." He nodded respectfully at Natsu and then around at the pirates too. "My name is Quon. I want to thank you for all your help so far."

That was all Quon had time for now. He looked to Snart after thanking them, "Leonard, could you pick up that man and carry him as well?"

"You got it," Snart replied with a nod back at the man who asked him that instead of giving it as an order which the group from Awul suspected he could have done.

Usopp shook his head back and forth in realization while watching the young man and Snart walk away with their two prisoners. "That's the VIP who Gaara wanted us to meet?" Usopp whispered. He watched Quon walk away, giving a small encouraging smile to the family he walked past as he headed to the rest of the cheering civilians.

Usopp waited until he felt like the man was out of earshot, then he wondered to Charlie softly, "Who is this guy?"

"Quon?" Charlie glanced over his shoulder. At this point, I'm not even surprised they don't know. He cracked a small tired smile back at his friend and the others with him who also appeared not to know the answer to that question. Charlie chuckled and turned around again to look towards Quon's back. "He's the Leader of the Resistance."

---

The suns began to set over the desert it the farthest northeast reaches of Resistance territory. None of the people outside of their damaged base were concerned though when they had Quon there protecting them. As the suns got lower on the horizon though, the temperature was dropping fast. Usopp crossed his arms over his bare chest and rubbed his burnt hands up and down his goosebump-covered biceps. "Brr," Usopp shook his head around then looked down at his badly damaged Kabuto slingshot. Wonder if I should take the straps back for my overalls? I don't want to lose having any weapon though, he countered himself and just grimaced deeper while thinking of the trade-off.

"Left our extra clothes inside," Sanji muttered. He was sitting across a small circle they had made in the sand from Usopp. Natsu flicked his right hand towards the middle of them, and a flame ignited on the ground though flickered a bit as there was no fuel to keep it going. Natsu coughed a few times but then just lifted his right hand between them and kept a flame on it.

"Thanks bro," Franky said with a nod to his side, though he did not feel cold very easily in his metal body anyway. He also had heat regulators inside him to keep his systems from failing if he was hit by ice attacks which had occurred on a few occasions since he got to Nexus. He had advanced those systems too once their crew started traveling with Admiral Aokiji which was not something he had always felt comfortable with.

"That guy, is pretty cool," Usopp whispered while looking over towards a line of injured guards underneath the Scarab Tank. The others looked that way too and saw Quon knelt down next to one of his injured soldiers, helping a nurse with him administer some medicine. "I can't believe he completely took Sylar's powers away. That's, nuts."

Sanji nodded his head a couple times while thinking of how amazing that was himself. Natsu frowned and glared down at the fire on his right hand that he had been unable to kill Sylar with on his own. He's laying right back over there- he's captured. I'm not executing the guy. Even if he does deserve it. Natsu grumbled to himself but just closed his eyes and shook the dark thoughts out of his head. I was lost in my rage for a few minutes there. I can barely even remember some of the fight. It was like fighting Kamishiro. That kind of anger…

"I heard Quon's name before," Sanji mentioned in a low voice that made the others look back at him. He reached forward a cigarette over Natsu's hand then nodded thanks at the Dragon Slayer who just grunted as Sanji used his flame for that. Sanji took a puff of his cig then continued, "Gray and Meliodas cheers-ed to his name back in the Boar's Hat bar."

Franky opened his eyes wide and nodded his head as he suddenly remembered that too. He could not remember where he had heard the name before, but he remembered and then stared in even more surprise over towards the young man as he thought about the conversation that led to him being mentioned. "I am hundreds of years old. Much older than a human could dream to live to." Franky remembered hearing Elaine's retort to Dash's comment about her age.

"Well, except for Quon…" That's right. That's what Meliodas said. Which means he's human, but he's also hundreds of years old? At least, Franky added to himself while the guy he was looking towards stood up from his injured soldiers. Quon turned their way and saw the group of four staring back at him. He said something to the nurse with him before looking back and starting towards them.

He had been busy ever since defeating Sylar so their group had yet to have a chance to talk to him. Quon lifted his left hand and gave a small wave as he approached, as if wondering if it was alright for him to come and join their conversation.

Franky moved aside and flashed a big smile back at the man who looked at the cyborg's chipped face with steel showing all over it around his glowing red eyes. "How are you all doing?" Quon wondered while stepping up and then sitting down in the space that Franky just made for him. "I'm sorry we can't go back in the base just yet. It'd be easier for you to repair yourself in there-"

"I'm A-okay," Franky denied Quon's apology, shaking his head side to side and meaning it when he said it. "I get why you've gotta do it."

Quon nodded back in gratitude to him. "Once the bodies are removed and buried, the… mess is cleaned a bit for the mental health of our people, and the structural integrity is assured, we will head inside. It will be much too cold to keep everyone out here tonight." The others nodded in understanding as to Quon's reasoning. "I told you I came here to meet with you, and I am sure Gaara told you the same thing. Admittedly it was not my main objective though. I also came here for the freed POWs. I wanted to make sure they felt as safe as possible while moving somewhere safer, which I believed they would if I was with them. I just wish I had gotten here sooner," Quon finished in a softer voice with his eyes closing in regret.

This man, sounds really kind, Usopp thought while looking at the "young" man's face that looked so upset at what he was saying.

"Anyway," Quon continued after a moment. He opened his eyes and tried to lift up a hopeful smile. Quon reached down into the bag at his side, and he pulled out some vials with glowing yellow light in them. A closer look showed what looked like the heads of dandelions inside the jars that confused the group to see. "I brought some medicine with me to supply Gaara's base with. Take it. It'll absorb into your skin and heal some of your wounds. You could all use it."

Quon held out a jar for each of the men. Franky held up a pink palm though and shook his head at the Resistance's leader who nodded back in understanding and packed away that last health potion. Sanji hesitated himself while looking at the health potion and wondering if he should really take it. He glanced over towards some of the other injured, but Quon continued to him when he saw the pirate's hesitation, "Don't worry. Anyone who needed it more than you already received some. Including Sara," Quon added to the pirate who looked at him in surprise at that comment. Quon lifted a small smile though and added, "Leonard took a picture of her in your arms. You looked very concerned for her-"

"I need a copy of that picture," Sanji said before Quon could finish.

The Resistance leader froze with his mouth open, then he laughed and replied, "Well, you'll have to ask Leonard for that. You may be too late though, as Sara heard him mention it and was quite adamant on its deletion."

Sanji's dejected expression fell and Franky let out a low chuckle at the sight of it. None of them were in much mood for laughter though and the mood returned to a dark one after a second of silence in their circle around Natsu's firelight. "Gaara was a good friend of mine," Quon began while looking at the fire on Natsu's hand that gave off a warm glow. The others stayed quiet and just listened as Quon continued, "I helped him build his village. Gaara and his people have always been close allies who fought for the Resistance against injustice in the world. I'm, going to miss him. And his advice," Quon added softer.

"Not many among the Resistance Commanders remained as devoted to keeping our war efforts morally superior to our enemies. Gaara was a bastion of restraint, and I fear the new stage of the war that will be brought on with his loss." Quon shook his head around then lifted a smile too quickly for it to be believable to those listening to him. "But that is none of your concern. None of you are members of the Resistance. I did mean what I said though. We all thank you for your help so far."

"Those health potions," Quon continued, nodding at them again and motioning for the group to take the health pots already so that they could heal their wounds. "Are actually only in our possession thanks to your efforts."

"How so?" Sanji wondered back, though he did open up the jar and turn it upside-down over his more-injured right leg.

Usopp and Natsu also opened their jars and pressed the open tops into their bodies to absorb that strange medication Quon was talking about. They listened to the man while their bodies glowed in the warm light transferring out of the potions. "The Tontatta Princess who supplied these potions is a dwarf of the same kind who you saved in Dressrosa." The group stared at Quon with wider eyes to hear that, and Quon continued with a more authentic smile at their reactions, "Their leader, in fact. She was not there at the time but was rescued from the Ren Empire where she was a prisoner until a few nights ago."

"It is in large part due to your group's efforts that Mansherry has agreed to work with us," Quon explained to the group. "Her Heal-Heal Fruit works wonders when the user is voluntarily offering her help. The dwarves of the Tontatta tribe at Headquarters spoke very highly of you, 'Captain' Usopp." Quon flashed a smile at the long-nosed man whose facial scars from earlier that day were sealing up underneath the scabs that fell from his cheek and nose to the amazement of the sharpshooter.

"Wow, this stuff really works," Natsu muttered, though he did fall to his back a second later and gasp out a long breath of exhaustion. He dropped his arm down at his side that no longer had deep gashes all over it but was still hard to lift up. The firelight went out and a chill blew through the group. Floodlights on the Scarab Tank continued to illuminate the area though and kept it from getting dark despite the third sun finally going down.

"It does. And it is thanks to you that we have it. Just as it is thanks to you that my people had enough time for me to arrive and save them." Natsu turned his head while laying on his back and stared at Quon with huge eyes as the Resistance leader bowed his head. "Thank you, Natsu Dragneel. For protecting them until I got here. I am in your debt."

Not because I beat the Fire Lord? Natsu tilted his head back and stared up into the starry night sky above him. Well, that's fine. His eyelids started closing. Saving lives means more to him than taking them. That's, the kind of guy he seems like.

---

The morning after Sylar's attack on the Resistance compound, a truck rolled into a garage that no longer had garage doors. The walls around the garage were cracked or destroyed. The front walls of the second floor of the base had mostly crumbled and exposed the rooms in it to the elements, so sand had piled up on the open rooms upstairs that no one was currently inside of.

Alpha Squad stood in the garage and met the Resistance Commander who informed them of what had happened the day before based on all he had heard about it and his own first-hand experience at the end of the battle. Some of them cursed, others cried, but at the end Kaneki gathered the Squad around him and gave out orders without any delay. He turned and followed Quon deeper into the base, and Renji followed behind the two of them.

Some people who stood nearby but stayed out of the briefing got approached by the Alpha Squad members left in the garage. "You guys alright?" Bell wondered while jogging up in front of the group of four they had met a couple nights before. He looked them over to check for injuries before nodding his head as they looked fine to him. Bell did not smile though after seeing that, and he looked away after a second and back towards the hallways leading farther into the base. "I can't believe they got Gaara," he whispered.

Misaka and Ruby each nodded their heads in agreement with that. Izayoi glared the opposite direction out into the desert instead, his arms crossed but his fists balled angrily under his armpits where he held them. "That bastard," Izayoi muttered under his breath. "He must have been watching us." The others looked towards Izayoi who glared outside and said in a dark tone, "The time table matches up. He must have watched the base go back underground after we drove out of there. I didn't notice Sylar's presence nearby when we left."

"None of us did," Bell said softly back towards Izayoi, sounding like he was telling Izayoi not to take it so hard while also sounding guilty himself for not realizing it.

"Don't beat yourselves up," Natsu muttered. They looked towards the pink-haired man who frowned deeply himself but told them, "He could hide his presence damn well. That was one of his many, many abilities."

"Couldn't feel him with Haki," Sanji added with a nod. "He could become invisible. Appear out of nowhere."

"It's why it was so hard to track him inside the base," Franky agreed. "My own scanners were worthless," he glanced towards Natsu who bared his teeth harder. The Dragon Slayer thought of how he had gone running through a part of the base that no one was even in at the same time that Sylar was killing Gaara. Franky looked back at Alpha's members in front of them, "There was no way you could've seen it coming."

Izayoi just ground his teeth harder to hear that. The idea that they were powerless sounded worse to him than the thought that they had just messed up. The girls at least looked less guilty though and just nodded their heads at the cyborg who was looking at them and saw that they understood what he was saying made sense.

"We have to get to securing the base," Misaka started while looking around at her squadmates.

"We'll help you out!" Sanji shouted. She spun back to him in surprise at his sudden shout, but Sanji smiled back at the teenage girl and called out, "Whatever you need, tell me. I will be there!"

"Tired of this 'recovery period' anyway," Natsu muttered in agreement with Sanji. "Whatever he told you guys to do, we'll give you a hand."

"Sounds good," Bell replied with a grateful smile back at their new allies. "Let's get to it then."

"While we do," Franky started, walking forward and up next to Bell as that boy had turned to start away. Bell looked up at the cyborg's head, and Franky glanced down at him through a scary scratched and burnt-off metal expression. "How about telling us how that mission of yours went?"

Kaneki was reporting in about that mission at the same time deeper inside the base where Quon brought him to. Sara sat up on the table bench she was laying on and resting, though Mick was still knocked-out on the opposite side as her. Snart turned where he sat on the table itself with his legs dangling off, and he nodded at the returning Alpha Squad members who walked up towards them with Quon. Ken paused for a second until they reached the table before continuing with his report now that they stopped moving.

"…We arrived just before the attack on Arendelle." Quon nodded at the man who had started by explaining the exact specifications of the mission that Gaara had given them in case Quon was not aware of those specifics. "We destroyed Eusford and Bathory, as well as most of their forces. Then we tracked a fleeing vampire back over the border into the Deadlands and to what we believe is the Queen's nest."

Quon smiled at the sound of that news. Kaneki and Renji were still in a bad mood having just learned of the events at this base, but Snart and Sara both lifted small smiles at the one piece of good news to make up for some of this shit. "That's amazing," Quon told Kaneki. "I mean it. Where is this base?"

"We have the exact coordinates written down and in our truck's systems. We can relay it to Ritsu once we have a secure channel," Kaneki replied to their leader. "It is not far into the Deadlands from our own border, which is why we were able to accomplish all of this in one day. The POW camp was much deeper in the Black Witch's territory."

"Thank you, Ken," Quon said. He reached a hand forward and put it on Kaneki's shoulder. "And trust me, there was nothing you could have done. Even had you finished sooner you still would have arrived back here after me."

"If I noticed while we were leaving," Renji muttered in a frustrated tone behind Kaneki.

"If you didn't sense his presence," Quon countered Renji with a shake of his head. "Then it is because he had an ability that kept you from doing so. Your own Squad leader has previously told me that Sylar was the most powerful enemy he ever fought. You cannot let this get to you."

"Let's just be glad, we've eliminated this threat," Sara said. The guys on Alpha looked to the woman who sat on the bench with her right arm in a sling despite the healing potion she had taken that made her injuries a lot better. The injury to her shoulder was the worst of those she had sustained and was not so simple that some magic could easily repair the tendons that had torn apart. Sara added, "And that we know who sent the hit. And that we stopped him from bringing the vials of our comrades' blood back to those damn cultists."

Quon nodded in agreement with that last sentiment. "Natsu did a real number on that Al-Tharmen magician he captured. The man has yet to wake up, but when he does I will do what I can to get information from him on what other intentions they had here apart from taking Gaara's life, and the life of their previously captured ally. I will take him back to Resistance HQ along with Sylar. We will have a better chance of getting him to talk there."

"Sara," Quon turned to the woman behind him who he faced in a serious way with his lips flat. She nodded back at him and stood up in front of the Commander who continued, "I want you to remain at this base as its temporary commander until I can send up some more forces with Sokka. He will take command up here and allow your platoon of Zeta to get on with your next mission." Snart frowned behind Sara but held his tongue from saying anything. Quon noticed though and nodded at him before looking back into Sara's eyes, "I'll send up some replacements for your squad as well."

"Thank you, sir," Sara responded. It hurt to say but she just nodded back at Quon in thanks for him refilling her platoon. More than half my team at once- stop that. It's no time to stop now and mourn our losses. Sara nodded her head. "I understand, sir."

"We have to hold this position," Quon explained with a glance towards Snart who he saw still looking upset behind his Squad leader. "If we give up this base, enemies to our north and east will rapidly move in and take the Village Hidden in the Sand. We owe it to Gaara to prevent that from happening." Everyone around Quon nodded in full agreement with that statement.

"In the meantime, I am going to bring the civilian population here to the Sand Village. I'll take anyone who wants to move somewhere further in the interior with me when I return to HQ afterwards. But I need to go to the Sand Village first." Quon paused for a second and then added to his comrades, "I have to tell them about Gaara. Also, I'll need to reassure its people of our maintained commitment to protect their village even with Gaara's death. I think it would mean the most coming from me."

"Agreed," Kaneki said to the Commander who looked back at him and saw Ken give him a nod showing he thought that was the best move Quon could make as well. "Do you want us to come along? Alpha Squad's presence could help too."

"No," Quon replied. "We would be diverting too much of our resources in that case. You still had another day up here before your next deployment, but consider that role finished now. Your next deployment has not moved up either. The time is yours. I would like you to bring those four from Awul with you though when you leave." Quon looked past Kaneki and back into the hall that Kaneki and Renji each glanced back towards themselves. "Natsu is a Fairy Tail mage. I believe he likely has the disposition to join the Resistance as a full-time member, perhaps unlike the Straw Hat pirates. See if you can make the case to him…"

The busy morning at the half-destroyed Resistance base kept most everyone there occupied until lunch time. Sanji went to the cafeteria of the base and offered his help to the cooks there. He figured everyone had a tough day yesterday and could use one of his rejuvenating meals, which worked and even rose the mood of the depressed people who had survived such a traumatic incident.

Many people were eating outside as the base itself was still a tough place to move around in with a lot of destruction and closed-off hallways. Not to mention the bad memories and knowledge of how many people had died in those halls. About half the base's occupants were outside including all of Alpha Squad's members, and the group from Awul who were eating with them.

"It's not enough time to split up on our own," Bell said after nodding along to what Kaneki had told their group. "But, if it's alright with you guys, can we go to the Tower?"

"'Tower?'" Usopp wondered towards the boy with messier white hair than Kaneki's straightened style.

"The Tower of Babel," Misaka specified to the long-nosed man who hummed and nodded his head but still had a blank look on his face. She sighed and explained further, "It's the location of the Gods who stayed down on Nexus. Including Bell's Goddess."

"I would like to visit Hestia-sama, yes," Bell said while looking towards Misaka. He turned back to Kaneki and added, "But also because after our recent fighting I am sure I can level-up with her blessing. Renji?" Bell added, quickly looking towards the red-haired man who grumbled but then sighed after a second and nodded his head.

"I should report in to the Captain-Commander too," Renji admitted. "It's been a while. So-"

"Where is this Tower?" Natsu asked, interrupting the shinigami who frowned back over at him. Renji hid a smirk though that he wanted to lift as Natsu had an interested look on his face.

"Northwest of here," Kaneki replied. "Inside of Alvarez territory. Directly in the center of Aebrith, or at least around there."

"Then I'm coming too," Natsu snapped. He crossed his arms over his chest showing he was not going to take 'no' for an answer. Most of the others looked towards him in surprise, but Natsu stated firmly, "I'm going. With or without you. I want to give those Gods a piece of my mind."

Bell sweatdropped and scratched the back of his head uneasily. He glanced towards Kaneki though who himself looked to Renji in a seemingly thoughtful way as if pondering what he should do about this. Kaneki looked back at Natsu and nodded his head, responding, "You can come with us." Most of the others were surprised as Kaneki "accepted" Natsu's request, as if that was not a part of his orders already. Renji really had to hide his own smirk while Natsu smugly lifted his own and leaned back in a cocky way.

I figured telling Natsu to come with us might have the opposite effect. I'm glad he made that decision on his own, Kaneki thought, as he had been thinking through lunch of how he was going to ask Natsu to come along. "I knew Bell would ask to go to the Tower anyway. That's our destination," Kaneki said, closing down debate if any of the other members had ideas of where to go. Izayoi slurped up some more noodles that were delicious and just shrugged his shoulders like he could not care less where they were heading.

Misaka sighed though and glanced listlessly away towards the northeast instead of the northwest. Next time, she thought, before shaking her head around and smiling again while getting back to the amazing food in her lap. She sat cross-legged with the others in their group except for Sanji who was cooking even more for the people here. I get why they let such a pervy weirdo travel with them if he can make food as good as this. Everyone's got their pros and cons. Misaka shook her head and grimaced even while chewing the delicious food. I just wish his con wasn't such an annoying one.

"You guys coming too?" Bell wondered towards Franky and Usopp who glanced at each other.

"You can, if you'd like?" Kaneki added in case they thought the invitation was only to Natsu.

"Still nothing better to do," Usopp admitted to Franky who tilted his head to the side then nodded it.

"I doubt Luffy's already back at HQ himself," Franky added. "So why not? Seems like an interesting place anyway. You say it's where the 'Gods' are?" Franky wondered back to Alpha Squad who were a lot more knowledgeable about this continent than they were.

"Yep," Bell replied.

"And, you have a God?" Usopp wondered to the boy who said something that sounded weird to him.

"Bell's part of this Goddess's household," Ruby explained for the boy next to her who started scratching the side of his head wondering how to explain it himself. "She's really nice!"

"Lady Hestia, is one of the Gods who chose to come down and live on Nexus rather than stay in Heaven with the others who were brought to this world," Bell explained further to the people in front of him who got more confused by the sound of that.

"She also got 'brought' here?" Natsu wondered in confusion. He had wanted to go shout at the Gods for some of the horrible things that had happened since they were all randomly brought to Nexus. He furled his lip and furrowed his brow as he did not get how the Gods themselves could be in the same boat as the rest of them.

Bell nodded back at Natsu though. "Most Gods had no idea it was coming either. At least most of the ones in the Tower of Babel," Bell specified, as he was unsure himself about the knowledge of the Gods up in Heaven. "Lady Hestia grants me my power. When I hit my limits, she has the ability to raise those limits so that I can reach new heights of strength and speed and MP."

"That's, pretty cool," Usopp said quietly while looking the short boy up and down and wondering just how strong he actually was.

"And you?" Natsu wondered back at the red-haired shinigami who frowned back at Natsu's question asked with a mouthful of food. Natsu kept chewing but cocked his head to the side waiting for an explanation from Renji.

"I'm a Squad Captain of the Gotei 13," Renji replied. Natsu, Franky, and Usopp all had blank looks with no recognition on their faces. "Hahh, alright, so the Gotei 13 captains are the 13 shinigami who lead the death gods of Soul Society which is managed from the second highest floor of the Tower by the Captain-Commander…"

Natsu turned his head sideways even more and droned out what Renji was saying. He turned to Franky who glanced back at him with a similarly confused look as none of that made much sense to them. "Sure," Natsu replied while looking back at Renji and nodding. He stuck a thumbs-up at the shinigami too to get him to stop explaining, and a tick mark formed on Renji's forehead in annoyance.

"You're the one who asked," Renji seethed through clenched teeth.

"Yeah whatever, so when do we go?" Natsu wondered while looking back at Kaneki and ignoring the shinigami. The tick mark grew twice as big on Renji's face and his hand snapped down to his hilt. Bell panicked and held his hands down on the hilt too to keep Renji from drawing his sword.

Ken was just finishing up his bento when Natsu asked him. "As soon as you're all finished," Kaneki replied. "We can get on our way. There is no time like the present."

"YOW! Sounds good to me," Franky agreed.

Natsu turned his bento over into his mouth and scarfed it all down in one swallow. "Urrrp!" He burped and jumped up onto his feet. "Nice! Into enemy territory we go!"

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed as she remembered something while eating quicker to not be the last one still going. "I bet there are two other members of Alpha you'll get to meet when we get there. They're probably there right now actually."

"Huh," Misaka muttered while eating at her same pace. "Yeah, that's true," she admitted with a glance back at Ruby. She turned to Kaneki and mentioned, "We should get them to leave with us before our next deployment."

"That's the idea," Kaneki replied to the chestnut-haired girl who he nodded at as he intended to do that from the start. Kaneki turned his head and looked off over the desert while continuing, "Our first move is to head north from here. We want to make a quiet entrance into Alvarez. If we make it look like we're heading to the Tower of Babel, any long-range spies noticing our presence will probably ignore us anyway. The Tower is an attraction that draws attention from everywhere, and Alvarez is too massive for them to care about every infraction over their border. Especially a small group heading to the Tower without making any detours."

"Our Power Blockers should be enough," Kaneki continued while lifting his right arm and showing off the metal bracelet he was wearing. "But we need to be careful. We don't want Emperor Spriggan's Shields to show up, after all."

Usopp's eyes narrowed and a dark look formed on his face. He imagined a small boy strapped up to a cross with spikes through his body. Franky and Natsu both imagined the same kid who they had seen after that as well when they reached Sasuke's Resistance base. "I'd be fine running into them again," Natsu snarled. Franky and Usopp had similarly dark expressions on their faces. One name echoed in Natsu's head that he focused on though while thinking of his younger friend's traumatized expression back at that base. Bloodman. I'll destroy him next chance I get.

If we could get that Bloodman alone, I'm sure Natsu could kill him, Usopp thought with a glance to his side at Natsu, thinking along very similar lines to his comrade.

"Yeah, but we're not going to," Renji repeated to the Dragon Slayer. He gave him a more stern look when Natsu lifted his gaze back up. Natsu glanced around at the other Alpha Squad members and then nodded his head accepting those looks they gave him. He held up his palms to motion that he understood and would not try to draw attention to them which was something Kaneki needed to see. He was going to have to tell Quon that he could not bring Natsu if he did not believe that Natsu meant it.

"Hey Sanji!" Franky yelled across the sand towards the chef he saw hitting on Sara in another area of the desert. Sanji turned and looked towards the cyborg who waved towards him. "We're heading out!"

"You grab all your stuff from your room?" Bell wondered to the group in front of him.

"We didn't plan on spending another night in there. It's all capsuled up," Usopp explained.

"Then we're all ready, already," Ruby said, laughing at her own phrasing a second after.

Franky laughed too after looking back at her. Ruby lifted her gaze and sweatdropped at the scary look on Franky's face much less friendly than when he popped his hair out in an afro for them two days earlier. She smiled though as Franky told her, "I like you, little lady."

"I like you too, big robot guy," Ruby replied with her own term of endearment for him, and she lightly punched him in the right arm in a playful way.

Franky quickly reached over to his right forearm with his left hand and grabbed around where Ruby just punched him. "Oof, careful now. Might dent me!" Ruby pulled back her arm in surprise, then she laughed as Franky grinned down at her and she saw he was just messing around with her.

Misaka rolled her eyes but stood up with her finished lunchbox too. "Let's toss these and get a move on. We'll have to take the truck slow into Alvarez. Scouters might not pick up on our energy signatures, but the normal cloaking on our truck won't be able to hide it going full speed. We want to put at least that much effort into not getting caught."

"What happens if you get caught?" Usopp wondered. "Can't you guys, handle-"

"Last few times we got caught, we wound up just leaving the Alvarez soldiers we beat behind," Izayoi responded, shutting down Usopp's question there before he could ask something stupid.

"No point in getting Spriggan to chase us back over the border with Bahamut in tow," Renji added. "He, doesn't take kindly to us capturing his people."

"Oh," Usopp replied sheepishly. They've got a system down it sounds like. If we get attacked I think we'll be fine in this group… even in Zeref's territory? I don't know. Sounds, kinda risky. He gulped but nodded his head to pretend like it sounded good to him.

"Just think about it this way, Sanji," Natsu said. He leaned in and whispered in Sanji's ear while the chef gazed longingly back across the sand towards all the ladies who had been praising him for lunch. "Now you can travel with Ruby and Misaka-chwan. Doesn't that sound great?" Natsu was obviously mocking Sanji when he said it, but the Dragon Slayer did so knowing that Sanji would not even notice that he was once the question sank into the idiot cook's head.

Sanji's eyes turned into hearts and he spun towards Misaka and Ruby who each sweatdropped, Misaka with a deep annoyed frown and Ruby with an anxious smile on her face. "I'm ready for action!" Sanji declared.

"Nice," Usopp elbowed Natsu in the side and mentioned.

Natsu nodded with a smirk back, though his smirk lowered down a little and he looked away after a second of looking into Usopp's eyes. Natsu thought on a conversation he listened in to without adding any of his own input the night prior. He started walking away to talk to Bell who was gathering himself up to get ready to leave. In his head he thought of the angered tone Franky had with Usopp when they got back to their room that was surprisingly still in one piece after Quon had given the all-clear to them out in the desert to return inside. Natsu was exhausted and just wanted to pass out at the time, but he had stared up at the ceiling and listened the whole time to the disappointed and angry comments from Sanji and Franky towards the long-nosed sniper he walked away from now. That was cold, Usopp. I didn't even realize Riku had left for good, but of course he did after you said some shit like that.

Ansem put us all through the wringer. Yeah… it was worse for you. We know that too! But, but that's no excuse. Fuck, Riku. Where'd you go? Natsu shook his head of that dark thought when Bell turned to him and got a nervous look on his face as if wondering why Natsu was glowering at him. "So about the Gods…" Natsu started to the younger boy who smiled anxiously though also had to hold back a sigh. It was not the first time this happened after meeting someone that they wanted to know more and more answers about this world that he knew he did not have for them.

"Quon!" Kaneki called out.

Quon looked across the desert just outside of the Resistance base that looked as different from the day before as the base itself did. The dunes had shifted around and cut apart with whole new deep ravines splitting pieces of the desert floor around them. "You guys heading out?" Quon called back.

"That's right!" Natsu yelled back.

"Natsu!"

"Thank you!"

"You rock!"

Natsu looked around at other people around Quon or between the two of them who jumped up and started calling towards him. He looked at them in surprise, then he looked back at Quon who he felt like had actually done what those people were cheering him on for. Natsu thought of how Quon bowed to him the night before though and thanked him for stalling Sylar as long as he had. That was all I could do against him, Natsu thought frustratedly, though he did raise a hand up and just wave it once for all the people calling out to him.

"Thanks for lunch, Sanji," Sara called towards the cook who turned and looked at her across the dune. She put a hand to her mouth and blew him a kiss, and he grabbed at his chest and flew back away from Sara who let out a laugh at the overdramatic response.

Mick shook his head while chewing his food next to her, though the man wrapped in bandages admitted with a mouth full of food, "Guy sure knows, hish way ar-ound, mm," Mick just shook his head and ate some more food that he did not want to run out. He even glanced longingly towards that pirate who got back up and started walking with Alpha and his friends back towards the garage where they were heading to get Alpha's truck.

"I'll tell your Squad Leader where you went once he returns from his mission," Quon added towards Kaneki who nodded back his thanks towards Quon. The young-looking Resistance Commander smiled towards the group and called out one last thing. "Safe travels."

---

"Quon's just another Commander? Like the others we met?" Usopp wondered to the man walking next to him who had the capsulized truck in his right pocket.

"That's right," the white-haired man replied. The driver of the truck who had told everyone else to get out so they could walk kept looking around the landscape nearby for a traversable path for their vehicle. The ride had gotten bumpy though, and at the speed they were going it was more difficult to drive on the terrain littered in holes than it was to walk it. Kaneki frowned as he saw no easy route to continue in their northwestern bearing.

"Eileen's magic really messed up the landscape," Renji mentioned while looking around himself in some confusion. The fact that even Alpha Squad did not recognize the area surprised the others who figured they came through here often.

"Eileen- oh yeah," Franky muttered. He grimaced as Renji looked to him, and Franky looked away but then mentioned in a low voice, "One of her soldiers broke my back."

"Would you believe she rearranged the whole continent just to escape from our buddy Riku?" Natsu wondered to Renji.

Usopp grimaced deeper and fell back a little more as he swore he saw Natsu dart an annoyed look back towards him. Thought he might have been listening last night, Usopp thought, confirming his suspicion and feeling even more regret now. Riku's fine. I'm sure… He's not the kind of guy to, to do something stupid. I didn't mean for him to- agh! Usopp lifted a hand and ran it through his curly hair in frustration of his own that he was feeling anxious at all about how Riku was doing. I don't care. It's not my concern.

Usopp turned to his right though as Kaneki looked back at him and continued as if he had not just taken twenty seconds to survey the landscape again. "Quon is considered the Leader of the Resistance because it's common knowledge that he's the strongest of the Commanders. Everyone respects him a lot too, but he was no higher in rank than Gaara." Kaneki paused for a second then looked back ahead over the uneven landscape they were walking on so he and Usopp were higher in elevation than Ruby and Misaka who took point, with Sanji having run up there to "help" them despite Misaka snapping at him that they did not need it.

"With Gaara's death, that makes two Commanders this past month alone," Kaneki added. "2 of the 12 leaders of the Resistance." Usopp stared at Kaneki with his eyes widening more and some of the others in front of them glancing back at that dark tone he used. Renji looked down and Izayoi just kept nodding his head to the music coming out of his over-the-head headphones he wore. Bell glanced back though and met eye contact with Kaneki who continued, "One assassinated by the League of Assassins. Another by Sylar. And no replacements yet so we're down to just 10 right now."

League of Assassins? Natsu wondered. Oh yeah, Sokka did mention that there was a "Commander" who got killed at Pon-Gatso before we arrived. That's why he was just the temporary leader. Natsu frowned deeper before looking back ahead and carefully stepping down from a lifted stone ledge coming out of the dirt. On his left side was a deep pitfall that seemed out-of-place even in the strange environment they were in. Not that the blend into a savannah up ahead of them was any more natural. Would have made more sense if the desert behind us just turned into that. Maybe this environment we're in now got spliced right in the middle? Who knows? Natsu shrugged as he had no basis to judge the current state of the land against when he had never been here before the world had rearranged.

Just one of Zeref's minions can create such havoc all over the continent with their magic. No wonder they're the ones who took over Pyraxas after we left, Natsu grumbled under his breath in even more aggravation to think about that. He was the one who beat Sozin, and the guy he wanted least to benefit from it had taken over once he had to run away with his tail between his legs. I've beaten one High Lord already, Zeref. I'll come for you sooner or later.

"Quon, and the rest of the Commanders," Usopp started. "They'll pick some new Commanders, right?" He glanced towards Natsu who was still frowning but lifted his eyebrows when Usopp looked his way and hesitated for a second. Usopp decided not to let it get weird though and wondered to his comrade, "You think if Gray's mission goes well, they might promote him again?"

Natsu's eyes widened and he leaned back in surprise as he had not thought of that. "He said he already skipped a bunch to become a General-"

"Whoa whoa," Izayoi pulled his headphones from his ears and dropped them to fall around his neck. He walked backwards but as if he could still see as he landed his footing each step even if the ground had an uneven surface. "I heard a rumor Gray was back, but they made him a General?"

"Wow," Bell whispered. "That's pretty amazing."

"You guys all know Gray?" Natsu wondered while looking around at the group.

"Yep," Renji replied, then kept walking without elaborating any further.

"Renji here actually met him before the rest of us," Izayoi added with a smirk to his side towards Renji who glared his way telling him to stop now. "Gray's buddy Zoro kicked the crap out of him."

"Zoro did?!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Whoa-hoa, that's wild," Franky said while shaking his head back and forth in amazement at the coincidence. He laughed while mentioning to the confused shinigami who frowned back at him, "Zoro's our crewmate. Or, he was before we teleported to this world. And for a bit after," Franky scratched the back of his head as it was weird trying to describe their relation to Zoro now.

"Roronoa Zoro, was on your crew?" Izayoi mentioned, sounding even more surprised by this than the idea that Gray had been promoted to a General. "You're serious?" Izayoi asked incredulously.

"Yea-ahh?" Usopp replied, wondering why that was a weird thing for them to hear. "You all know Zoro too, huh?" Usopp looked around at the people who first knew Gray and now apparently knew Zoro as well.

"I've met him," Bell admitted.

"Once or twice myself," Kaneki said.

"Last time we sparred," Izayoi scratched his chin and glanced up thoughtfully. "Was probably about five months ago now. I uh, was actually there when we had to tell him and his crew about Delta Squad." Izayoi grimaced thinking about the reactions from those people who he broke the news to at the end of their interaction that day. "I'd hoped that they already knew beforehand but checked just to see, and damn Zoro did not take it well."

"Really?" Usopp whispered.

"That's surprising?" Renji wondered right back to the long-nosed man who looked to him and hesitated before nodding his head as it did surprise him. Renji lifted his eyebrows to see that reaction, and he sighed but then said himself, "Back when I first met the two of them, it wasn't long after Zoro had become a shinigami himself. Word was that some insanely strong shinigami was wandering about and I got sent to check, and well, things got heated." Renji glared towards a smirking Izayoi for a second but then looked away and admitted in a lower voice, "I honestly didn't think a guy who had just become one would be that strong, though, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised…" Not like it was the first time that happened. Zoro was much stronger right off the bat than Ichigo though. Wayyy stronger.

"While it is good that Gray made it back to us," Kaneki started. "Along with 2 Commanders, most Special Forces Squads like our own are also down members right now. The 'Elite Squads' of the Resistance are at around half capacity."

"Is-" Natsu began. He paused as he did not want Kaneki thinking he was cutting him off during Kaneki's depressing speech. The second-in-command of Alpha currently leading them nodded at Natsu to keep going though. Natsu wondered, "Does Delta Squad exist right now? In any form?" Natsu wondered. "I know when Gray was on it that it got nearly wiped out…"

"Cloud is still around," Bell said. He lifted a small smile as that alone was a consolation.

"He's actually in the same direction we're heading," Kaneki continued. This is what I was going to tell you if I had to convince you to come with us, Ken thought to himself after getting Natsu's undivided attention.

"Aren't we already in enemy territory?" Franky wondered.

Bell responded to the cyborg, "Their mission is taking place in borderlands of old Fire Nation and Alvarez territory, but even farther northwest of the Tower. My friend Lili and the rest of Lambda Squad are leading the mission as their team is the most complete of any other Squads up there that are all below half strength."

"None of those Squads have their leaders either," Renji added to make matters even worse. He glanced out the corners of his eyes towards Kaneki though and added louder, "I wonder if we're really just going to the Tower of Babel for an upgrade for Bell and for me to check in with my own boss?"

Kaneki gave Renji a sideways glance back and then lifted a small smile before looking back to Natsu who just got confused by this interaction. "Actually, I figure maybe we should go check on their status and see if they need an assist." Natsu's eyes lit up at what Kaneki was saying, while Usopp groaned and bowed his head as he was dreading that the guy was about to say that.

"No one wants to drag other forces away from what they're doing," Kaneki explained while looking back straight ahead as they continued over the treacherous terrain. He hopped up onto a ledge and waited for the others, looking specifically at Usopp who he held an arm back to and grabbed the pirate by the forearm to steady him before they kept walking. Usopp made it up in one jump like the others but did need to balance himself before he kept walking across the jagged black-stone environment they were on. Kaneki continued as they went on, "So I'm worried Lie Ren isn't calling for help just to ensure that the rest of the line can hold. He's the kind of guy who's always thinking of the bigger picture."

"Which is good," Bell mentioned. "But it does make me worry," he added, thinking of a short girl with pointy furry ears who he could not help but be worried about.

"The other squads up there helping Lambda and Delta are Omega and Beta. Four squads. While we're talking about Lie's though," Kaneki paused for a second while still looking ahead of him. "On Lambda Squad, there are actually some other Fairy Tail members-"

"Gajeel?! And Levy!" Natsu exclaimed while freezing in place in shock at the sound of that. Ken nodded his head with a short glance back to see Natsu's smile spreading ear to ear. "I've been wanting to see them, that's great!" Natsu curled his right fist and rose it up in front of him, "Alright! Now I'm all fired up!"

"We do need to stop at the Tower first," Kaneki reminded while looking ahead again. With that kind of response, he would have come up here without any complaints had I told him back in the desert. "Before we can go on farther north to check on the others' campaign against Father."

"Yeah, 'check on,'" Izayoi joked at Kaneki's phrasing. He smirked back towards Natsu who grinned even wider at the sound of that sarcastic comment making it sound much more like this was about to turn into an epic battle.

Kaneki sighed as it sounded like he was going to have to be the one holding this group back from rushing into anything. Not used to this, he thought with a grimace at the idea.

"Hey little bro, tell me this," Franky started. Kaneki glanced to his side and sweatdropped that the robot appeared to be talking to him here. He nodded for the metal man to go on, and Franky glanced over his shoulder before saying, "If you guys are at full-blown war on like five different fronts right now." He turned back and looked Kaneki in the eyes in a puzzled way, "What's a guy like Quon doing leading evacuation missions, and reassuring alliances? I mean, I get those are important parts of your war effort, but man he kicked Sylar's ass like it was nothing."

"Well, he's a Commander," Bell began to help answer the question for Kaneki. "His job is leading guys like us."

"And you saw him yesterday," Renji added. "It's not like he isn't getting in fights either," he mentioned, lifting a hand up and suggesting Franky was off on this one.

Franky hummed and tilted his head to the side admitting that Renji had a point. Quon had come to the front lines and got in a fight to protect his people. Still, Franky shook his head after a second and said, "But it sounds like he's only up here for a minute, then he's heading back down to HQ."

"Was he there when you guys were last there?" Kaneki wondered. Franky shook his head no and Kaneki replied, "Exactly. I'm sure he'll only stop by HQ for a minute too after he returns there. He's trying to maintain our control over a land area that might be smaller than our borders have ever been, but also has fewer leaders like him than ever managing that area. Negotiating with our enemies, handling Leam leadership, managing supply lines, keeping law and order, evacuating POWs, reassuring our allies that we're still going strong," Kaneki listed off just some of the things he imagined Quon had been up to lately. "Not everyone can spend all their time fighting. People respect Quon. Even our enemies respect Quon from what we can tell from the intel we've gathered. Co-op ones at least," Kaneki specified in a darker voice, as that respect did not extend to criminal groups like Al-Tharmen.

"Still though," Usopp began. "You get what Franky's saying? Quon's got to be the strongest person in the whole Resistance," Usopp said and Franky nodded along with his crewmate who was spitting facts. "Wouldn't a guy like that being out here-"

"Heh," Izayoi laughed and looked back forward after watching those people behind him from the corners of his eyes for a few seconds. "'Strongest,'" Izayoi scoffed with a smirk.

Usopp gawked while staring at Izayoi's back, but he turned towards the shinigami on his side who shook his head suggesting Usopp just assumed something wrong. "You would think," Renji started. He glanced to his left at the pirates next to him and the Dragon Slayer whose eyes bulged to hear that there was someone else as strong as Quon, or even stronger apparently. Renji continued with a smirk that his squadmates shared, "But you've never seen what our squad's leader can do."

"Really?" Usopp wondered in an astonished voice.

"Oh yeah," Izayoi said with another lower chuckle this time. He shook his head back and forth, thinking to himself while rubbing his left shoulder, Learned that lesson the hard way.

"We all have nicknames," Bell began while glancing to his right and up in Franky's eyes again. Bell did a little hop over a hole in the ground that did not look to have a bottom but just ignored the strange feature to the land as he continued on. "Misaka is the 'Railgun.' They call Kaneki, 'Black Reaper.' Izayoi's the 'Star Breaker.'"

"Bell there's 'Rabbit Foot,'" Izayoi mentioned with a smirk back at Bell who scratched the side of his head with a small smile as it was mentioned.

Kaneki finished what Bell had started saying, "And as for the leader of Alpha Squad? He is commonly referred to, as the 'Strongest Man in the Resistance.'"

"Are, you all as strong as the Commanders?" Franky wondered hesitantly.

"The Commanders aren't necessarily picked because of their strength," Izayoi responded as the question itself did not make much sense. "But, neither are we, to be honest." The way he finished surprised the two pirates and Fairy Tail mage even more as they had been under the assumption that that was exactly how this team had been made.

Bell explained to them, "Alpha Squad is the strongest team in the Resistance, but we aren't all the most powerful people. Most of the Commanders, the Powerpuff Girls, some of the guys at the Hero School too, they're more powerful than myself and some of the others on Alpha." Bell smiled and continued, "But we're the best squad because we're the best fighters in the Resistance. Our team isn't just strong, we can all fight too. And we fight really well together."

He chuckled a few times and added, "Take Ruby for instance." Bell looked ahead and towards the scouting group of three farther up who could not hear this conversation. "She's the newest member of the Squad, replacing Edward Elric, whose nickname was the Fullmetal Alchemist by the way," Bell said, and Natsu frowned in annoyance that another of their team had a cool nickname, even if the guy was not on the team anymore. Usopp also lifted an eyebrow though as he heard the term 'Alchemist' and thought about some people he remembered from Metropolis.

Bell continued explaining, "Ruby came with us on a mission a while back. She led her own squad back then, but she adapted to be just another member of our team, and she worked with us perfectly. Meanwhile, Ed was… well, he was being Ed." Bell shook his head a couple times, though his smile did lower down a little. "Izayoi can get away with going full lone wolf on the missions; it usually works out in our favor when he does. But Ed got in the way during that mission, and the boss wouldn't have any more of it. He asked Ruby to stay, and after seeing how big the missions Alpha takes on compared to the rest of the Squads, Ruby was happy to join. She left her friend Ren in charge of Lambda Squad, which my close friend Lili is also a part of, and where Ed was transferred to."

The others nodded along with Bell while he spoke, then Natsu muttered, "So she's the newest member? That's probably why she doesn't have a cool nickname yet."

"We're working on it," Bell said with a small smirk.

Usopp looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked the younger boy who grinned even more, which made Renji roll his eyes and just focus back forwards.

"Misaka and I," Bell began, "we're trying to come up with a cool nickname to tell people to start calling her. We both got stuck with nicknames that other people gave us, whether we liked them or not, so we're going to call her out by the nickname we choose and see what she thinks. If Ruby likes it, we're gonna spread the word about the Crescent Knight." Bell looked around at the Awul group's faces, but they all just looked 'meh' at the name. "Oh," Bell said, sounding disappointed. "Misaka said it was stupid too," he mumbled. He looked back up and began, "It's because Ruby's weapon is, the Crescent Rose, so, she would…"

Franky shook his head at the kid who bowed his head at the look of disappointment the cyborg gave him. Natsu was just annoyed that no one knew him as the 'Salamander' any longer. Usopp snapped his fingers in front of him though and said, "What about Red Hood?"

It sounded pretty good to the others who started nodding, but the white haired teen shook his head. "I think that name's taken," Bell said, and Usopp's hopes were dashed. His face showed it too, and Bell added, "Sorry."

A hundred meters ahead of the larger part of their group, Ruby and Misaka each jogged forward with a twenty-five foot gap between them. Sanji frolicked behind them right in between the girls, but even his happy skipping slowed when he noticed something up ahead that both girls to his sides focused in on as they neared the savannah's edge. "Grimm Griffons. Four of them," Ruby put her left palm against her forehead and peered under it without the suns blocking her vision. "I'll get the two on the left?"

"Don't worry! I, Sanji! Shall take care of-"

"Sure thing," Misaka responded to Ruby while ignoring the cook who Ruby at least glanced back at when he started shouting.

Misaka's response made Ruby spin back to her though and nod fast as Misaka reached into her pants' pockets. Ruby reached to the strap for her weapon that went diagonally over her chest. She pulled off two thick bullets and the spun her scythe masterfully around and pressed a button on the side of the head that transformed the weapon in her arms. A slot opened up on the shaft that Ruby slid the two large bullets into before flipping the scythe up onto her right shoulder. The scythe no longer looked like a melee weapon though, instead appearing to be a sniper rifle that she looked through the scope of towards the black birds with exposed bone skulls flying their direction in the distance.

Misaka flicked both her thumbs up. The quarters she had pulled from her pockets lifted up in the air spinning around like she was doing two coin tosses at once. Her hands sparked with lightning as the coins started falling back down towards her hands. Ruby waited until right before the quarters were in front of Misaka's fingers. Then the darker-haired girl fired twice in rapid succession from her Crescent Rose sniper-scythe. Misaka flicked her thumbs forward again only at a different angle this time. The four Griffons in the distance had their heads ripped open and their bodies dissolved into black dust a second later.

Ruby spun around her sniper rifle and put it away to rest on her back again. Misaka stopped sparking and then turned towards Ruby and continued the conversation they cut off when they noticed the enemies in the distance. The brown-haired girl jogged forward and wondered to Ruby, "How was it that the second any off time was mentioned, I knew we were going to get dragged to Babel? It's not that I mind it, but you'd think he'd at least once ask us where we want to spend the break if it's going to be a group trip."

"Hehe, okay Mikoto. Where would you have suggested?" Ruby wondered, batting her eyes at Misaka and using a tone pretending like she did not know where Misaka would have chose. Misaka narrowed her gaze back at the slightly older girl who pursed her lips and started to whistle while looking away from her friend's look.

Why's she asking sarcastically? Like, she knows where I would choose. I'm not Bell! I don't just go to the Dungeon every time like he does. The Dungeon which just happens to be right next to the Tower. Misaka turned away from Ruby's grin the older girl looked back towards her with. Sure, I might go to the Library a lot. That's probably what she's thinking of- but not every time! "I would have picked the Wizard King," Misaka said, humphing and crossing her arms after responding in a way that she saw surprised Ruby. "Check out if those rumors about him granting wishes are true."

Sanji's face soured behind them and scrunched up in disgust. Misaka and Ruby turned their heads more inwards at the sight of the grossed-out look on Sanji's face behind them after Misaka's response. "Yeah, don't do that," Sanji muttered back at them. "Cartman- the Wizard King, is a complete prick."

"Hah!" Misaka cut herself off and spun away quickly from the cook whose face lit up when she laughed hearing him say that. She cleared her throat and quickly added, "Yeah, I uh, heard someone else call him the same thing. Funny that that's as big a rumor," Misaka admitted with a lower chuckle.

"Hey Sanji, did you see those monsters we took out a minute ago?" Ruby wondered to the man who she spun around to face. The ground under their feet was turning lighter and there was more vegetation growing out of the savannah head to her sides. She motioned behind her with a nod back of her head, and Sanji nodded while lifting a swirly eyebrow wondering what she was getting at. "Those are called Grimm. They're actually from my world. I was training to be a Huntress back on my world to protect it from monsters like those."

"Really?" Sanji asked in surprise. "Huh. You know, I met someone else recently who was also from your world?" Sanji brought up, thinking of another beautiful girl who had fought against similar dark monsters outside of a bar during their travels on Aebrith. "She mentioned the same thing, that the Grimm came from her world too."

"Well," Ruby turned away and kept walking but slower now. Misaka had just given her a hand signal telling her that they were going to wait for the whole group to catch up. The new terrain might mean they would be getting back in their vehicle. Ruby continued while scanning the landscape ahead in the same direction they were about to keep heading, "My world was pretty big. I doubt I know the person you met-"

"Her name was Weiss-chan-"

"You met Weiss?!" Ruby was suddenly standing in front of Sanji and leaning up towards his face with her eyes sparkling in glee. Ruby put her fists up together in front of her chest and started bouncing up and down excitedly. "She's my bestie! Where did you see her? Was she okay? Did she have white hair- kind of mean? Scary! But awesome-"

"That's her!" Sanji exclaimed back and started jumping up and down with Ruby while thinking of the same person whose gorgeous image appeared more vibrant in his head with every word Ruby used to describe her. He kicked his legs up behind him with each hop just like Ruby was doing.

"Eee!" Ruby bounced even more excitedly.

"Eee!" Sanji matched her energy entirely, causing Misaka to sweatdrop next to the two of them and just stare at the weird scene in awkward silence.

"The hell is Sanji doing?" Usopp muttered in a deadpan voice that caused the other two men next to him to just shake their heads while looking ahead towards their idiot comrade.

The rest of the group approached the three in front. "Sanji, what's up?" Natsu asked the man who spun excitedly back towards them.

"Ruby-chan knows Weiss-tan!" Sanji exclaimed.

Natsu blinked a few times and then responded in a flat tone, "I have no idea who that is."

Ruby lowered her smile a little and looked towards Natsu confusedly herself. She turned to Usopp though as the long-nosed man glanced Natsu's way after looking at Franky in recognition that the cyborg also felt. "She was one of the girls with Meliodas, Natsu," Usopp reminded their comrade. Natsu glanced back and pursed his lips but frowned as he was still blanking here. "The Seven Deadly Sins?" Usopp wondered, trying to jog his memory. "That girl with white hair."

Natsu snapped his fingers. He nodded and glanced back at Ruby, "Yeah, now I remember her." Ruby's smile popped back up as high as it could get and she excitedly giggled behind her hands in glee. Natsu turned to his side and looked behind him after mentioning it. He looked at the top of Bell's head, then the top of Kaneki's too. The two of them gave him funny looks back for why he was staring at their heads. Natsu mentioned, "There sure are a lot of people with white hair around here."

Usopp sweatdropped just like the two who Natsu commented that at. Usopp did so for a different reason though. "Doesn't your girlfriend have white hair?" Usopp wondered.

Natsu looked back at Usopp in confusion. "What's your point?"

Usopp cocked his head to the side in even more confusion. "Uhh, nothing, I guess," Usopp shook his head around and glanced up at Franky who shrugged then started laughing at the entire exchange.

"Anyway," Ken started, tired of the conversation already. He stepped forward but frowned deeper while looking out over the landscape that Misaka was already watching. "What do you think?" He asked the girl with chestnut-colored brown hair who grimaced in response but shook her head back and forth.

"I'm seeing a lot of activity up ahead. A few of us stationed on the roof might be enough, but the populated centers we'll be sneaking between might be more focused out here due to the increased monster presence. We no longer know the exact positions for whatever towns moved around up here." Misaka glanced to her side at Kaneki, "I know the truck's meant to be hidden from scanners, but if they aim at us?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if they just got some of the best Ren's new detection equipment either that they might be eager to test out," Kaneki admitted. Misaka tilted her head while looking back at him wondering why he thought that. He went on, "God Serena and Brandish were at Cloud City the other night when a Ren stealth ship was stolen. If Spriggan was smart, he could have leveraged that information. Kouen would need to reassure his ally that his own detection gear could surpass the stealth tech they'll assume we have in our junker." The way Kaneki referred to their truck suggested that it did not have the kind of advanced technology in it that he was talking about. "It's a possibility," Ken just finished as he was only mentioning that there was a chance.

"On foot they shouldn't detect a difference between us and the monsters," Bell explained to the confused-looking pirate with a long nose standing next to him. "Picking up life signs on scanners outside of populated centers will be assumed as monsters and won't get checked on, most of the time. Especially since our Power Blockers will make anything they pick up on us seem like just small creatures. Electrical signals? Those draw a bit more attention." That mention made Misaka frown in a more frustrated way herself.

"Can't you handle it?" Usopp wondered back at Bell.

"Not about whether we can or not," Misaka countered in an annoyed tone by the question. "We're not here to fight. We don't want our routes compromised for when other Squads take the same ones. We just aren't looking to get seen, alright?" Misaka glared back at the pirate who held up his hands apologetically.

Misaka's eyes lingered on his palms that did not have bandages wrapped around them due to the healing medicine he had received. The burn marks had faded but were still visible to the girl who could tell he had gotten them recently, as in the day before. Misaka just nodded back at Usopp in a serious way after a second but losing any hostility in her gaze. Sara said that guy really helped fight Sylar. Saved lives. I wouldn't guess it from looking at him. Any of them, really. "Hahh," Misaka sighed and rolled her neck around. "So what do you think?

"Probably best we stay on-foot for now. We'll slip by whatever monsters we can. Try not to take too many out, especially ones that would suspiciously make large blips on radars disappear out of nowhere." Kaneki explained to the group of four who were not as used to this kind of travel.

"Quite a few Hollows up there too," Renji mentioned. He floated up off the ground while drawing his Zanpakuto.

Usopp and Franky spun the direction Renji was looking. Natsu turned to his comrades then looked back himself and pointed out over the brush and into the distance where he saw three tall Menos. "Over there I can see a few," Natsu started.

"I see them," Usopp responded back to Natsu who glanced at him but saw Usopp nodding his head and looking to the exact location.

"Yeah, it's been getting easier," Franky agreed while retracting his zoomed-out eyes that had twisted away from his head for a second.

"I'll go on ahead to take them out before they get drawn this direction anyway," Renji mentioned. He glanced down towards Kaneki, "And I'll take scout for a while." Kaneki nodded up at the shinigami who vanished in a blur too fast for any of the pirates looking up at him to follow.

"How much distance will we be able to make moving on foot like this?" Franky wondered as it seemed like they still had a long ways to go.

"Not much," Ruby replied to him. "But we'll get back in the truck at nightfall. Number of monsters will really spike and make it hard to tell we're out here. Should be able to reach the Cataclysm before morning!" She called out in a cheery tone. Then she turned back to Sanji on her other side and continued to ask him rapid-fire questions about the girl Sanji was happy to reminisce about.

"Let's keep moving," Kaneki said. He continued forward while looking towards Renji for a moment and watching the shinigami's actions in the distance. Shinigami don't have borders. The Gotei 13 are scattered around the world. Renji chose to be with us though. It makes their whole position a lot more precarious. Most nations ignore it though. Accepting that shinigami stop Hollows, but that they're not monolithic. Zoro already makes that exception clear. Renji's fighting for the Resistance, but he's still more predictable than him.

"Oi," Natsu jogged up next to Kaneki and walked side by side with the man he figured he was probably around the same age as. Kaneki had a slimmer figure than his own, but Natsu imagined that he was as strong as the rest of this group claimed to be. With a bunch of people like this all on a team, I bet "checking on" those others might turn into a huge battle. I can't wait to see his powers. Natsu grinned and then looked back ahead of them. "What's this mission that's got so many of your 'Elite' Squads' attentions? If I can ask," Natsu added, lifting an eyebrow and looking sideways at the Alpha Squad's current team leader who glanced back out the corners of his eyes to meet Natsu's gaze.

I'm not worried about telling you classified information. I'm hoping to convince you to join the Resistance during this mission. It'll be worth it if I succeed, Ken looked back forward and nodded his head after pretending to think about it for a second. "Father's forces are winning. The region is his, and he's a tyrant-"

"Who's 'Father?' Sounds like a weird name," Natsu remarked.

The whole group continued into the savannah together. Renji flew back from where he broke off to take on the Hollows and dropped to the surface though still a few hundred meters ahead of them. Kaneki continued to Natsu but rose his voice for the others behind him too, "Father, less commonly known as Homunculus, is a Lord in Alvarez territory. He is not a close ally of High Lord Spriggan though."

"His lands are more like a state with relative autonomy inside the Alvarez Empire," Ken explained. These people came from across the world. I should assume they know nothing about Aebrith at all. "Before the Third War of the Gods, they weren't even on good terms. Father was a rival in the northwest of the current Alvarez Empire. Constantly in fights with the Fire Nation. Between the 2nd and 3rd Wars of the Gods, they had brutal battles with thousands of deaths scattered in his and in Fire Nation lands, some stretching into Alvarez as well. Homunculus' forces are strong. The Fire Lord had many allies though to help him."

"Yet the Homunculus armies pushed back even the Spiral King's forces that were sent to assist in a pincer maneuver when they arrived from the north in one battle. In another, a massacre of Sun Marines and firebenders couldn't be stopped even when the Nobodies arrived and tried to prevent the slaughter. They were all destroyed too. More land was devastated," Kaneki added the last part that was going to be an important point in a second. "Sozin finally pressured Spriggan into joining the war. The Fire Lord had long had a pact with his eastern neighbor to trade power- energy," Kaneki held up one hand on his left side which was to his west considering he was walking north at the moment. He rose his other hand on his eastern side, "For food and finished goods made in the Alvarez Empire."

"The lands we're heading into are very fertile. You'll see that soon," Kaneki added. "Alvarez is a very advanced nation. Massive cities. Sturdy infrastructure around the interior. They have large swaths of farmland but also giant industrial complexes. They needed a sustainable energy source though for production of the goods and development of technology from so many universes they could recreate here. Only Sozin had that much power."

Natsu was nodding along but slowed down his steps for a second. "The Supernova?" Natsu wondered.

Kaneki nodded back at him. "We never heard much about it," Bell mentioned behind Natsu. "Not like Sozin was looking to share his supposedly unlimited power source with his enemies."

"The Supernova was Sozin's secret weapon," Kaneki said. "It powered his lands, gave him the upper hand in trade negotiations because of its limitless power…"

Natsu was scratching the back of his head but tried to flatten out his expression to not let a sheepish look come over him. Misaka mentioned behind his back on his right side, "I haven't heard anything about it for a while. No idea what happened to it when Pyraxas fell, but blackouts covered half the continent as a result of its loss since not every nation it supplied power to had backup stores of extra fuel sources. Or not nearly enough in reserve which they came to realize they had needed, and it sent billions of people back to the stone age-"

"Why did you eat that?" Usopp snapped at Natsu's back.

Natsu stopped walking. His head turned sideways and he smiled sharp teeth back at Usopp who pulled his head away. "Hey Usopp, I don't remember anyone asking you," Natsu hissed his way. Sanji and Franky were each shaking their heads back at the Dragon Slayer too though.

"You… what?" Kaneki stopped walking and just stared to his left side at the man who anxiously glanced back towards him.

"You ate it?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"The Supernova?" Bell wondered, confused at what he was hearing. All of Alpha Squad were just staring at Natsu in disbelief and confusion.

Izayoi rose his eyebrows higher up at the look on Natsu's face telling him that Usopp knew what he was talking about. The blond's lips curled up at the corners and he laughed as he tried imagining what that would look like. Natsu glanced around at all of them, then he just grimaced and started walking again. "It seemed like the thing to do at the time," Natsu muttered in excuse.

"So you ate it? You really," Bell paused for a second. "I thought, it was like this artificial sun they had created… It was?!" Bell saw Natsu just glance sideways back at him without denying what Bell said. "Oh, uhh, well that's cool," Bell said quickly before spinning his head to his right and looking back at Misaka and Ruby with his mouth wide open. 'Whaaat?' Bell mouthed at the younger girls. Misaka just shook her head back and forth while staring at the back of what looked like a pretty normal guy to have devoured a sun a couple weeks ago.

"So, anyway," Kaneki continued while speed-walking to get back up on Natsu's right side. There was barely any information about the Pyraxas attack outside of what Gray reported himself. I read his report. No mention of Natsu eating the Supernova. Who the hell does something like that? That's pretty insane. Guess it worked though. Kaneki went on with his explanation to the Dragon Slayer who was relieved that they were not lingering on how he had knocked out power for half the continent.

"Sozin used the Supernova to pressure his ally into helping him fight against the Homunculus forces which had become even stronger after absorbing the other Father's lands." Kaneki paused as the cyborg behind him asked a question.

"Who?" Franky wondered. "Other" Father? There were multiple weird guys going by Father who happened to be Lords next to each other?

"A man named Benedict Uno who was on much better terms with Sozin as one of his closest allies until Homunculus killed him," Kaneki explained. "He had fire powers too. He was a tough bastard who gave us a lot of trouble during the Third War of the Gods. Could have used your help back then," Kaneki added with a glance to Natsu who looked back at him in surprise that he brought that up.

"Wish I was here," Natsu admitted, crossing his arms while thinking about other epic battles he had missed out on while in the safety of Pao.

"Well, that Father made it through the Third War of the Gods, only for Homunculus to hit him while he was weakened. The brief alliance they held to face the Resistance all-together with the other forces of the Cooperative was over, and the Homunculi and their armies ravaged Uno's lands." Kaneki paused again but added in a lower tone, "The Resistance was happy at first that Father-Homunculus had done that. But when all enemies around Homunculus allied and closed in on him after that, he had to submit to Alvarez rule. Become a Lord underneath Spriggan's control."

Izayoi stated while looking to his left in at the group that he walked on the right side of, "The continent after the Third War of the Gods became more united than ever. Borders got stricter. And there are fewer countries than ever too."

"Homunculus really adds to the strength of Alvarez which was already undisputed," Bell added.

The term 'undisputed' confused Natsu who lifted an eyebrow while looking back at him. Kaneki explained though, "The Fire Lord constantly had to fight wars over his territory. From the very beginning, it was an uphill battle for a man like him. Sozin seized lands. He made strong alliances. He had to Scorch his own territory in regions where there were uprisings, had to fight battles on his own lands, or burn down the territories that would soon become his lands just to take them. It's why he needed the agriculture of Alvarez," Kaneki brought back up. "Which is a nation that very little fighting goes on inside of. Zeref and his Spriggans are not afraid of much. They act outside of their borders fairly often. When something occurs within their territory? They squash it fast."

Misaka started, "Some in the north of Aebrith apparently mock the southern High Lords for considering themselves as strong as the northern ones like Lucifer and Aizen. Guys who are beyond normal power."

"But Spriggan is also considered among them," Kaneki finished for her as he knew what Misaka was getting at. "His dragon Bahamut created the Cataclysm." The Straw Hats and Natsu nodded in recognition as Riku had told them that he had heard Ajeel mention the same thing during their fight. Kaneki continued, "His Spriggans on their own have power comparable to some other High Lords. Like Eileen, who rearranged the continent when she was fighting your group."

Franky's eyes darted around but he saw that all of Alpha apparently already knew the details of their fight against the Spriggans. "The continent's still reorganized like that right now. Her magic never dispelled," Ruby said to the cyborg who looked her way.

"And she's not even his top general," Misaka muttered in frustration. Eating suns? Rearranging continents? This world never gets any more predictable. She frowned deeper and grumbled under her breath.

"Homunculus adds to Spriggan's power in central and east-central Aebrith," Kaneki went on. "But we know that Spriggan does not like this particular Lord despite ruling the overall Empire around him. Father's state is also on the Alvarez border, which works better for us. Makes him a clearer target. Father submitted to Spriggan's rule to stop from getting annihilated by the joint effort closing in on him, but when he sued for peace the others accepted because their own forces would take too heavy of losses to continue facing his military might. That's why it's only Special Forces Squads taking this on. Well that, and the fact that we have to cross so deep into Co-op territory for this mission."

"His military engine is no joke," Kaneki continued in a sterner tone. "Father is a daunting powerhouse himself who still controls his 'state' inside of Alvarez without Spriggan interference. Destabilizing that region by defeating Father was initially a move to try and get Sozin to take back some lands that the Homunculi never returned. Maybe push a greater conflict between Sozin and Spriggan," Kaneki paused with a glance to his side at Natsu again whose gaze he met. "But with Sozin's defeat the goal becomes a lot more focused. The sole focus now is trying to remove another powerful Lord from central Aebrith. Maybe the most powerful one outside of Spriggan himself, and the man who has the greatest chance of expansion into the broken Fire Nation should Phoenix, Azula, Kong, and Judge wipe each other out."

Sanji flinched. Judge? Yonji and Niji were there. I shouldn't be surprised. Sanji knew he should not be surprised, but he still bit down hard at the confirmation and started pulling out a cigarette. While he was doing that though, he froze and darted his eyes towards the man in front of him who had turned his head sideways and was staring straight at his face. Sanji swore he saw the gray iris of the man's left eye flash red for a second as the man stared back towards him and saw the recognition in Sanji's eyes.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Sanji," Kaneki continued walking forward. He spoke in a monotone to the man behind him who he looked sideways at in a calm way despite bringing up something that had the hair on the back of Sanji's neck standing on end. "The similarities in your appearance is a bit too much of a coincidence." Sanji stopped walking. Kaneki wondered while pausing himself when Sanji did. "How are you connected to the Vinsmokes?"

"Huh?" Usopp nervously darted a look to Sanji then back at Kaneki. He glanced around at the others who all looked at Sanji and examined his face closer. "S-Sanji, what are they talking about?"

Sanji spat on the floor in front of him. "I have no connection to those bastards," Sanji snapped.

Natsu snapped his fingers and spun around though after Sanji said that. "Oh yeah!" Sanji glared at Natsu, but the Dragon Slayer did not get the hint as he said, "I remember now. That guy Ben fought, Yonji, he did look a lot like you."

A tick mark formed on Sanji's scrunching forehead. "I don't look like that idiot-"

"Chill bro," Franky patted a huge hand down on Sanji's shoulder. The cook turned to him and Franky just looked curiously down in his eyes. "Seriously though, what's up with that? You clearly know who they are."

Sanji bit down harder for a few seconds. Then he pulled out a cigarette and slid the box away into his suit jacket. "Fine," Sanji muttered. He pulled out his lighter and lit it up, then he took a drag while lifting his gaze up towards the sky. It was going to come up. I'd rather it not be when we actually run into one of them. I wonder if Reiju's there… Or maybe even Mom? Sanji stared up at the sky with wider eyes as he had not even considered that possibility until that moment. "They're uh, they're my family," Sanji admitted. His voice got lower and he added, "The Germa 66."

Franky pulled his head back far. "Yow!" He stared in disbelief at the side of Sanji's head for a few seconds before shaking his own head back and forth. "I thought they were a myth. Fictional super-villains or something." Natsu spun to Franky in surprise and then back at Sanji who just bit down harder at that comment.

"They weren't fictional," Sanji muttered back, taking another puff of his cig. He did not counter how they were 'super-villains' which Franky also just mentioned, and the cyborg grimaced himself thinking about that implication. "Just, a bunch of shitty bastards. They're blood, but, Judge? Those brothers of mine?" Sanji removed the cigarette from his mouth and spat on the floor again to get the message across. Then he put his cig back between his lips and gazed cautiously towards Kaneki to see his reaction. His eyes scanned around the other members of Alpha Squad all looking at him.

"What are you going to do with that information?" Sanji wondered in a low voice back towards Ken.

Kaneki frowned back at him though and then looked ahead and kept walking. "Don't know what you mean," he replied.

Bell glanced sideways with a confused look back at Sanji too as he kept going again. Ruby smiled up at the right side of Sanji's head as she continued walking, "It doesn't seem like your family has anything to do with you."

"That is pretty crazy though," Misaka muttered.

"It is a strange situation," Kaneki admitted. He had only asked out of sheer curiosity, though a part of him was suspicious of Sanji until he saw the pirate's reaction a second ago. "Thank you for telling us though. If you could give us some intel on them and on their past when you have a chance it would be really appreciated." Sanji looked surprised that none of these Resistance people seemed to care that he was related to their enemies. He relaxed after a second though and shook his head around while realizing he should not have been surprised by their reactions.

"The Germa 66 is something we've heard about from others from your world. But like Franky, most people considered them a myth. The actual Vinsmoke family was apparently more secretive." Sanji nodded along to what Kaneki was saying and just listened himself to hear more about the family he had not looked into at all despite hearing that they were here before. "Any information you can give that we don't already have could help us in future missions against the Germa Lords. It's looking like Judge might even become the High Lord the way things are going. Though I think Kong has a better chance of it with more of the Fire Nation's armies under his control. It really depends on Phoenix and the mutants and where they align, though Kong and Judge both reportedly have Devil Fruits that we still need to ascertain…"

"Oi, look over there," Izayoi mentioned while nodding to across the group to their left. Kaneki was still explaining about the geopolitical landscape to their west which was the same direction Izayoi nodded in. The others looked that direction though and saw several bumpy creatures in the mid-distance that looked to be made of molten rock by their glowing red bodies. The red lines cutting through their dark gray skin could also just be blood that was too thick that it was not spilling through the cracks. The creatures had animalistic appearances other than their dark colors and bumpy exteriors. "Gohma. Looks like there might be a cluster."

"A problem?" Sanji wondered

"Possibly," Misaka responded. "We want to head a little northwest, not just north. That cluster might stretch though. Might even be under us at this moment."

"I can't sense Mantra," Bell admitted. "The energy of the Gohma," he added for the others who might not know what he was talking about.

"Oh, none of us either," Natsu replied though glanced at Sanji to check as he was the only other person he figured might be able to. Sanji shook his head though showing he had no idea either.

"Grimm, Aragami, Nobodies, Gohma, they're all real hard to sense. Gohma slightly easier than the others but only if you know what you're doing," Izayoi said, sounding like he was humble-bragging. "It's not the Gohma we need to worry about though. If they come this way we can speed up for a bit and most likely outrun them." Izayoi hesitated with a glance to Usopp who frowned back at him for clearly suggesting he would be the slowest with that stare. He smirked again though after a second and looked up over Usopp's head without elaborating as to what he meant by that.

Franky glanced behind him towards where Izayoi was looking too, but he spun back to his left as he heard a low growl turn into a loud roar. "Sure, we shouldn't be worried about that?" Franky wondered while a brontosaurus-looking Gohma reared its long spiky neck up in the air and turned towards them. The Gohma had red spikes coming out the back of its neck and red lines cutting down the front of it from its open jaw that revealed all its sharp teeth. Other Gohma around the one with the long neck started moving faster, turning on the savannah and moving across it faster and with steam coming out of their legs.

Some of the brush around where the large creatures started running burst into flames. More of the Gohma roared. Natsu stomped towards the creatures that were rising up over an apparent hill's edge not far to their west that Natsu had not noticed until he saw just how many more of those Gohma there were than he could see at first.

Sanji turned his head around farther and looked back up over their heads. "I was thinking this trip was going to turn out boring-" Natsu's fists burst into flames and he stomped his right foot towards the beasts.

FWSSSHH! A red beam of light shot out of the sky and cut through the front of the Gohma lines. The beam grew thicker near the surface of the planet and the ground exploded up around where the beam hit. Ka-BOOOSH! Wind blew towards the group who lifted their gazes up towards a figure flying up there who swung around a long blade glowing red with an opening at the end of the barrel. The weapon that looked like a blade and a gun had dimmed for a second after the beam faded, but the flying figure up above them spun it around and grabbed the hilt with both hands while pointing it down towards the middle of the Gohma pack behind the line he just carved through the earth.

"You want some more?! Come on! GET SOME! Raarararara!" A massive beam of red light fired down and then scattered red beams blasted the remaining Gohma apart as they were still lifting into the air from the second explosion.

The second figure up in the sky turned her head around and waved an arm down at the people below who were staring up at them. She was using that arm to hold onto her friend though, and she yelped while falling off his back that she could not wrap her legs around in time to prevent herself from falling. "Ah- oh, thank you," she smiled up at the boy who spun around and dropped a few feet out of the air fast to catch her before she gained speed.

"Watch yourself," he snapped at her, though he carried her gently down to the ground that he placed her on her feet in front of the group who kept staring at them. The person with the gunblade swung around the weapon that shrank in size and stopped glowing out to his side. He put it down into a holster at his waist when the glow faded completely. The gunblade shrinking had an effect on his body at the same time though. This person they had seen fly in out of nowhere and destroy the Gohma shrank down himself a lot shorter than he was standing when he landed. The others looking at him slowly lowered their gazes down more to follow his eyes as he shrank.

Kaneki focused in on the boy's eyes much closer as he got a good look at them. Those eyes! Who the hell is this?!

The boy was standing there in a brown cloak that wrapped up most of his body once he had pulled his arm back out from putting his weapon away. His hood was down though so his blond hair was visible, and everyone saw that hair shrink back in size too when his body did the same. The long wavy hair got shorter until it was a bowl cut around the boy's head that partially covered up his eyes and kept them shadowed, though Kaneki still stared intensely at the figure whose eyes he saw for a second there.

The girl next to this boy who also ran forward towards them looked similar in age to him. That was to say, the two of them looked like children. They were short and had childlike features. The girl was in an oversized green hoodie with the hood down that showed she had long black hair unlike the other kid's that was blond. "Hi again!" She called out at the people she had tried waving at from up above.

Renji flew over and landed next to Kaneki who glanced at him before shrugging his shoulders as he was actually lost as to what was going on. Kaneki darted Izayoi an annoyed look but their comrade just seemed amused at the appearance of these two people he had sensed coming first.

"I'm glad I finally found you," the boy with blond hair said while stepping forward and looking Natsu up and down. "Natsu huh? Guess it's a good start. Where the bloody hell is Goku though? I wanted to check out the Legendary Super Saiyan for myself."

There's that word "bloody" again. Is this kid from Australia like Charlie? Usopp wondered.

"Could you-" Misaka put a hand to her forehead and pinched her fingers between her eyebrows. I'm getting a migraine. "What are you kids doing here?"

"'Kids?' You're what, thirteen?" The boy snapped back at Misaka who dropped her jaw and then went bright red in the face and started sparking electricity at the comment targeted at her size.

Ruby jumped in front of her friend and held her hands out to get Misaka to calm herself down. Natsu tilted his head to the side though and looked at the younger boy in front of him in utter confusion, "I don't get it. You were looking for me? And Goku? What for?"

"I'm joining up with you guys," the boy responded. Natsu's bottom lip lowered again in even more confusion. "Took us long enough. You're not easy people to find."

"Who are you?" Ruby asked while spinning back to him from where she stood between the kid and an angry Misaka.

The boy smirked and humphed in a cocky tone at the question. "I'm Numbuh 4."

The others glanced at each other and not one person there looked to recognize the name. Usopp muttered while looking back at him, "Who?"

---

A/N Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. A lot happened this chapter! Natsu fights Sylar but couldn't beat the enemy's endless arsenal of abilities. He managed to stall long enough though for Quon to arrive. Quon is another favorite character of mine. From a little-known show called Towa no Quon that was one of my favorite animes ever. It's only 6 episodes long I think, but Quon is one of the coolest characters and has amazing powers and transformations. Some other characters from that show are Takao, Yuri, and Yumma who live in Pao Town. (Takao's the portal guy who was Dawn's boyfriend and unwillingly Luthor's spy, who joined the Underlords to spy on them...). Anyway, I've hinted at Quon before with that scene of Gray and Meliodas cheers-ing to him several chapters back. He removes Sylar's powers after showing off some of his own epic abilities. Natsu takes down one of the Al-Tharmen magicians who tried to flee and drags him back too for the Resistance to take prisoner. Then the four of our main group join up with Alpha Squad and head towards the Tower of Babel, and maybe to join up with Lambda Squad after whose mission we've also heard a little about through some previous chapters but haven't gotten much information on until now. And then at the end, Numbuh 4! XD If you don't know him, he's from a show called Codename Kids Next Door that I loved watching on Cartoon Network as a kid. I remember a few years back I binge-watched the whole show and then wrote the next chapter immediately when I finished. Next chapter is called: Numbuh 4, and it's a doozy so look forward to it! Review response time:

Smlluffy67 chapter 124 . Jan 7

WELP WE see what happens when riku isn't with the 2 people who he knows he can trust no matter what he does and some more very important lore on why goku had to help zeref tame the dragon instead of killing it. also did riku just pull a luffy and charge into the enemy territory with no plan and no back up?

Forgot about his heartless army

CANT WAIT TO SEE NASTU KICK SOME ASS

Thanks for all the reviews! XD Yeah, Riku definitely takes a dark turn after heading off on his own and pulling a Luffy. We get reminded just how powerful he really is as he summons a Heartless army and takes on Spriggans too. I'm glad you remember that Goku helped Zeref on the day of the Cataclysm which had been mentioned before. Hope you enjoyed Natsu's battle scene at the start of the chapter. He kicked Sylar's ass a bunch, but it's just tough keeping down an enemy with that strong of regenerative powers. Natsu takes Sylar's head clean off at one point and still just can't finish the job. Luckily Quon showed up when he did! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thanks again for reviewing, and to everyone who faved, followed, or just reads these chapters! 'Til next time!