Chapter 5 - What It Means To Be A Hero
Currently, the group of Izuku Midoriya, All Might, Pappag, Usopp, Sanji, Nico Robin, and Franky, are within the city of Mustafu, Japan.
"Wow… just look at that architecture!" Franky noted, awestruck.
Having never seen anything from anywhere in the Seven Continents before, the Straw Hat Pirates were like kids in a candy store while they were looking at every facet of the city. Everything was just so different to them, from the design of the buildings, to weird metal objects which rode on the road, but they also took note of some similarities to the seas they grew up on, such as the fact that there were still pop up food stalls and similar, albeit more basic clothing plastered around in shops. These were only some of the things they noticed; there were so many it was hard to keep track!
"I take it you're enjoying Japan, Franky?" All Might asked.
"Totally bro! This place is insane!"
"There are so many pretty women here too!" Sanji added, "Ahhh~ this place is like a dream come true!"
While the Straw Hats were enamored by Japan, a conversation broke out between Izuku and Pappag.
"So… just where are we going, Pappag?" Izuku asked.
"I'm glad you asked!" Pappag responded with enthusiasm, "We're heading straight for the Sabaody Geyser, located in a nearly deserted area of Japan!"
"A deserted area?" Izuku questioned, "Even if it's deserted, how come I've never heard about anyone going to it?"
"Seven Continents people don't know about the seas, and for the most part, people on the seas don't know about the Seven Continents." Pappag explained, "The World Government thinks things'll work out best that way, since the Seven Continents and the seas are so different."
All Might took note of Pappag's claim, but didn't interject. His thoughts were still too disorganized.
"Interesting…" Izuku noted, thinking for a moment before coming to another conclusion, "So what's stopping people from just randomly coming across the geyser?"
"The World Government has claimed it as their own land though, so Japanese citizens don't even think of going on the property, and the Japanese government can't even attempt to expanding over there!" Pappag explained, "This all keeps the geyser safe and hidden from Seven Continent residents!"
"Wait… if the World Government has claimed it, will it even be safe to enter then?" Sanji questioned, wanting to make sure his friends were safe from Marines.
"Worry not! Due to a number of issues between rookie Marine officers who were tasked with guarding the geyser overstepping their bounds with the World Nobles, the geyser's entrance is completely unguarded!" Papag enthusiastically replied, with Izuku and All Might flinching at the mention of the World Nobles, "Rumor has it they're even trying to take down the geyser, and have already disowned it… don't worry though! The geyser should still be perfectly safe."
"Oh, alright then." Sanji noted.
The group continued to walk forwards after the conversation had trailed off, continuing to talk about whatever they saw as noteworthy in their eyes within the city.
Meanwhile, sinking to the back of the group, Izuku and All Might both began to think back to what Hatchan had told them about the World Nobles earlier.
"Even if they kill someone right in front of you, pretend you didn't see a thing!"
"Huh?" Izuku questioned, "Even if they kill someone… uh, that's... a joke… right?"
Hatchan remained silent. Where he had no words, the youngest and most innocent member of the Straw Hat crew stepped up.
"Just on our adventures alone…" Chopper began, "We've run into plenty of bad people, whether part of the World Government, mistreating people who they thought they were above, or pirates, sick of the rules enforced upon them, and wishing to break anyone and anything associated with them… and unfortunately, in the world of piracy, things like murder just happen."
From someone the same age as he was, Izuku was shocked to be hearing such a truth. When he grew up, he believed that there was nothing that couldn't be solved by heroes… but, it seems that there was so much more to the world that he didn't know about just yet.
Izuku looked over to All Might to judge his reaction, but to his surprise, even All Might looked to be frozen.
"Even All Might doesn't know about this…" Izuku thought, now beginning to question just how such a secret had been kept from even the most well known, popular, and strongest hero in the world.
"Though because of all that darkness, it's important to shine a light everywhere we can…" Robin asserted, "Right, Doctor Chopper?"
"Of course! Diseases exist everywhere in the world, so because of that, people become doctors to cure them!"
"Ha!" Franky said, smiling, "That's a good way to put it, bro!"
"Aw, you think just because you-"
Izuku's train of thought broke moments later, as he turned to his hero once more. Just like he was, it seemed that All Might was in deep thought.
"All Might…" Izuku said. The hero looked down at Izuku, and flashed a smile.
"It's alright, Young Midoriya." All Might stated. With All Might supporting him, Izuku felt like nothing could go wrong. He returned All Might's smile.
"Midoriya! Toshinori!" Robin called out, "Our crew is a wild bunch… you're gonna get left behind if you hang that far back."
"O-oh! I'll come up further then!" Izuku stammered, as he began to shuffle upwards nervously.
Seeing his pupil walking ahead of him, All Might visualized Young Midoriya's future, wondering just how far he would go… and then, trying to catch up to his student, the hero began walking as well.
After exploring the wonders of Japan together, Sanji had stocked up on plenty of ingredients. Alongside them, he was also carrying a collection of books which Robin had bought from a bookstore, as the cook had insisted he carry them.
Franky had also restocked plenty of colas, as after seeing the price, he bought enough to last a good few months.
Usopp was also interested in many different technologies which were present in Japan, and ended up vowing to one day try and make the first fully functioning TV on the Grand Line.
While not looking at anything in specific, Pappag was extremely interested in the clothing brands which filled Japan. He was doing so in order to research how he could expand his clothing brand, 'Criminal'. It was popular all around the Blue Sea, yet didn't have much of a market in the Seven Continents (besides Antarctica, where it was surprisingly profitable).
And now, exploring all they wanted to explore, the group had arrived at their destination… the Sabaody Geyser.
"Alright, just so we're all clear on what we'll be doing once we get to Sabaody…" Sanji began, "We'll meet up with the others back at the Sunny, assuming there were no complications. There, we'll discuss further plans, but Izuku, Toshinori, Luffy, and Hatchan's group will one hundred percent go out to Sabaody together. Are we clear?"
In an instant, everyone present said, "Yes sir!"
"Good! Then let's get ready!" Sanji said, clapping his hands together.
Turning behind himself, there was a button which was elevated by a bit of iron at same height as his waist. Pressing the button, he assumed it would somehow activate the Sabaody Geyser… but, after about half a minute of waiting, nothing had occurred.
"Say, Pappag, does it normally take this long?"
"Yep. Just watch-"
Cutting off Pappag, a strong stream of water popped up, as everyone was in awe at the spectacle. It reached high into the air, as water droplets gushed out at every conceivable angle due to the speed of which the geyser had appeared. It formed a beautiful sight which both the heroes and the Straw Hats watched, both mutually in awe of.
After reaching its apex, the geyser slowly and magnificently fell, until it settled at a height just slightly taller than the large hole it had come out of. Pappag quickly rushed towards the geyser, and jumped on top of it, miraculously not falling through.
"What are you all waiting for?" Pappag exclaimed, "Jump on! This'll be going down any second now."
As quick as they could, the group made their way onto the geyser. Shortly after, the geyser began to make its slow descent.
"This certainly is an interesting method of travel…" All Might noted, smiling as the geyser continued to sink.
"Yep!" Pappag smiled, overjoyed since he had an opportunity to explain, "As you might already know, most electronic devices don't work on the Grand Line due to its unique magnetic field. So in order to create an elevator to bridge the gap between the Seven Continents and the Blue Sea, the folks down on Sabaody came up with a way to repurpose the bubbles the archipelago naturally produces to create an artificial geyser slash elevator!"
"Bubbles?" Robin questioned.
"You'll see." Pappag responded.
"Aw man!" Usopp began, "I just can't wait to try and find a way to get a television working on the Grand Line! If I do that… then I'll be Usopp: Brave Warrior of the TV!"
Ignoring Usopp, Franky asked, "So, just when'll we get down to the archipelago?"
"Oh… well, that's the bad news." Pappag stated, "Y'see… it… um…"
"Spit it out." Sanji fiercely stated.
"While it only takes about half a minute for the geyser to come up… it'll take about… thirty… for us to get down to the island?" Pappag revealed nervously.
"Oh." Sanji noted, "That's not too bad."
"Yeah." chuckled Izuku, "Good thing Luffy's not here, otherwise he'd probably be dying of boredom."
"You got that right." Sanji added, "I wonder just how he and Nami are doing over with the Sunny…"
"Based on what I've seen from your crew… they're probably just fine. You needn't worry." All Might added, and Sanji just chuckled in response, adding on a simple "thanks" at the end.
"Oh, wait a minute…" Izuku said, pulling out his notebook from his backpack, "I've been meaning to ask you Sanji, you don't have any powers, right?"
"You mean Devil Fruit abilities? Nope…" Sanji said, as his face broke into a cringe, "But there is one I would've LIKED to have."
"So then, could you tell me just how you got so strong… even without a quirk?" Izuku asked.
"Oh, easy…"
The crew conversed on their way down to the archipelago, as Izuku asked many questions about their adventures, to which the crew pretty much recounted all of it to Izuku. They even told him some additional stories coming from before they joined the Straw Hat crew.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago without a hitch, and the geyser group went to meet up with the group that had gone with the Thousand Sunny.
Some time later on the Archipelago, the group of Izuku, All Might, Luffy, Nami, Chopper, Robin, Brook, Hacchan, and Camie had all grouped up together. The group were going to explore the archipelago, as well as get their ship coated.
"Some call them World Nobles…" Hacchan explained, "Others the Celestial Dragons. They're so arrogant, they wear helmets to avoid breathing the air of common people. Remember, you mustn't oppose them!"
Luffy, who was the subject of Hacchan's explanation, simply put his hands behind his head, giving a nonchalant "sure" before turning his attention over to Izuku.* (check end of chapter notes for the meaning of the *)
"Hey, Izuku, have you got any super cool hero moves yet?!" Luffy asked, his eyes wide with wonder.
"Huh? Hero moves… well, I don't have any with my quirk yet, since I just got it…" Izuku said through a laugh. Luffy's face broke.
"Aw man…"
"What about you? Do you have any new moves you learnt since you were a kid?" Izuku asked.
"You know it!" Luffy said, "Watch this one: Gum Gum… BALLOON!"
Suddenly and without warning, Luffy transformed into a giant balloon. Continuing to walk forwards while blinking, and thus having her eyes shut briefly, Nami walked straight into the back of the Gum Gum Balloon, rebounding backwards when she hit Luffy's inflated body.
"WATCH WHAT YOU'RE DOING!" she shouted after falling onto the ground.
"Sorry." Luffy mumbled, "But, the coolest ones I've developed so far have gotta be my gears!"
"Gears? Like in a car?" Izuku asked.
"Nope! They're my own special gears!" Luffy said, as Izuku excitedly got out his hero notebook, prepared to write down information on Luffy's power.
"First one's called Second Gear. By accelerating my blood flow and heartbeat through my rubber-like body, I make it so that my body can move extra fast and strike extra hard, but at the cost of feeling extra hungry due to consuming a lot of… nu-tree-nets… I think they were called." Luffy explained, "I also can combine that together with a technique I learnt from some Navy guys called 'Shave', in order to be able to move even faster."
"Shave? What technique is that?" Izuku asked.
"It'd be easier if I just show you." Luffy said with a smile, "The principle behind the technique is simple: kick your feet off the ground as many times as you can in an instant. The stronger you are, and the more times you can kick your feet against the ground, the more effective the technique will be."
Luffy then did so, as he vanished from sight, quickly dashing around the group, trying his hardest not to bump into any of them.
"Woah… I can barely even see him!" Izuku muttered.
"That's just proof that your power hasn't fully manifested within you yet." All Might told Izuku, "Yeah, he's fast, but I can see him just fine currently."
Stopping in front of Izuku and All Might by dragging his feet across the ground, Luffy seemingly hadn't been aware of just how strong All Might was up to this point.
"Woah! You could see me while I was using the Shave technique, old guy?" Luffy excitedly questioned.
"Yep. Just one of the benefits of being the number one hero, I guess." All Might said, flexing as he did so.
"But, that's just the first transformation… My second is focused on offense, and it's called Third Gear." Luffy began to explain, "By blowing air into certain parts of my body and bones, I can inflate them like a balloon, like the Gum Gum Balloon I showed you earlier! Due to the increased weight** of my bones, I can strike my foes even harder than I could with Second Gear."
"Woah… what's the side effect of that one?" Izuku asked.
"Besides being slower while using it, my body begins to deflate after using Third Gear. Due to that, I become all tiny, and am a lot weaker. I'll be like that until about the same amount of time has passed that I had been using Third Gear."
"Interesting…" Izuku noted, finishing up his notes.
"Woah! Is that a bubble?!" Luffy questioned, quickly rushing towards it.
"Yeah! I'm ahead!" Luffy shouted, as he was racing Hatchan with a bubble bike that he had recently obtained.
"Argh! I won't lose!" Hatchan responded, "There's still a ways to go… the finish line is Grove 13!"
"Haha! Go Hatchan go!" Pappag said from inside Hatchan's bubble alongside Camie.
All Might, Brook, and Chopper were merely relaxing over in Luffy's own bubble. Izuku, meanwhile, was in Hatchan's bubble, and was taking notes on every inch of Sabaody. After all, every inch of this place was new and exciting to him.
"Huh? What's going on up ahead?" Izuku questioned, before quickly realizing what it was.
"Hm? What's going on…" All Might saw it up ahead as well.
Up ahead, there was a large man, who was threatening a woman with his oversized hands.
"Please, let me go! I don't want to die!" the woman said.
"I've gotta help her!" All Might quickly said, but Hatchan intervened.
"Don't try to save either of them! You'll only make it worse, that guy's probably a pirate who got caught and sold by human traffickers."
"H-human… traffickers?"
The same thought filled the heads of both Izuku and All Might, who were horrified that such a thing could be seen as a regular occurrence.
"I want to break this collar! I've given up on the New World!" The large man who was threatening the woman cried, having hair that looked almost as if it was a jester's hat, as well as a coat and pants that screamed 'pirate'. Though, after realizing his time was short, he threw the woman away, wanting to make sure he didn't have any bad karma presently.
"I've got a wife and child back home! I want to go back… please! My son was just a baby when I left, he doesn't even know my face!"
"Is there really nothing we can do?!" Izuku contended.
"No! His master brought him to this archipelago… and then he must've ran away!" Hacchan assured, "He knows he can't escape from here!"
"If it weren't for…" the man paused, as the object he was speaking of began speaking, and his tone turned from one of aggression, to depression.
"...this collar..."
Suddenly, a giant explosion occurred around the man's head, as Izuku and All Might watched on, horrified.
"Woah…" Luffy said, surprised by the events that had transpired before him.
"Slaves wear collars tied to a chain." Hacchan quickly explained, "If you break the chain and run, then the collar will explode shortly after!"
After the remains of the explosion faded away, only the charred body of the former pirate remained.
"That's… horrible!" Luffy stated.
Everyone was on the same page.
Even despite the explosion, the pirate still attempted to get up. His will to go back to his family alive was the only thing that kept him that way… but even so, he wasn't able to last for long.
"WAH! A RUNAWAY SLAVE!" a passerby yelled,
"Get away! Don't have anything to do with him!" another joined.
"Everyone! Off your bubble bikes!" Hatchan commanded, as everyone followed suit.
As if to express just how meaningless the life of the slave was, a dog arrived, with a helmet on to ensure that it didn't breathe in the air of common people. It panted, made its way to the half-dead body of the pirate, the one who didn't understand just what being a pirate would mean, nor the dangers that would lie at the gate of the New World… and the dog simply urinated on their dead body.
"Is that them?" Luffy asked, looking at the dog.
"Get on your knees. Whoever it is, don't make eye contact!" Hatchan ordered, as everyone decided to follow, at least for now, "And don't touch that pet dog there, it belongs to them. They're right behind it!"
"Oh…" Luffy said, as an intentionally ignorant, jovial, and cruel voice broke through the atmosphere.
"Oh dear... father! Another one broke!" the first Celestial Dragon said casually, as if the death of the man right in front of her meant nothing, because to her, it didn't.
"Did you give it the sedative everyday?" the second asked in a similar tone.
"Yes, but he was so stupid that it didn't work… I need a new one!"
"You're just no good at training them! I dare say, you're breaking through my collection of pirate captains at an alarming rate!" the father responded.
"This one was just no good." The daughter said, as she walked up to the nearly dead body of the pirate, and in her arrogance and anger, kicked it, "A grown man WEEPING about his family?!"
All Might and Izuku were barely able to keep it together, and to his left, All Might also noticed Luffy's own expression.
"He can't even move…!" the pirate had muttered underneath his breath, a bright hot fury welling up inside of him for a man he had never known.
"It makes me sick." the second celestial dragon said, as she shot the body of the pirate, ensuring his death after his swift and painful humiliation.
Izuku's body, ignoring the potential consequences, began to move without him thinking. Before he could progress further, however, Hatchan stopped him.
"Remember your promise." he whispered calmly, also looking upon the Celestial Dragons with a glance that showed he detested them.
Catching wind of this glance, Izuku obeyed, and got back down.
"That… they really did kill someone." Izuku said, horrified by the sight that he had just witnessed.
All Might, now shocked that he didn't heed Hatchan's earlier warning, felt terrible. He had let the teenage Izuku Midoriya, on the very same day he finished his training, a day which should be one of celebration, experience something cruel enough to match his own life's cruelest moments.
"I wonder if he actually died." Luffy said, with a serious face, "The navy took him away."
"Even if he lived, he's a pirate. He'd be thrown in jail anyways." Hatchman said.
"How come nobody can meddle with the Celestial Dragons… you warned us earlier Hatchan, but why?" Izuku asked.
"If you harm a Celestial Dragon," Pappag began, "They'll call in a special navy force with a Navy Admiral, someone who's just as strong as an Emperor of the Sea… the kind you Seven Continent folk sometimes see on the news."
"You mean like Aokiji?!" Luffy questioned.
Izuku just sat there, horrified. These people... they could do something just as cruel as the worst villains in Japan... and then they were protected by the law?
The Straw Hat crew asked more questions, but Izuku tuned them all out. He had made up his mind about something.
"Kid." All Might said, addressing Izuku, "I'm sorry you had to see something like this and… I think we should go back up to Japan."
Izuku contemplated this momentarily, but he still decided to maintain the previous position he had thought up himself.
"No… just because we leave all this behind, that doesn't mean anything." Izuku asserted, "On the day we randomly decided to come here, we saw a man die in front of us. Imagine all the days we missed, and all the people we couldn't save."
"...Kid…" All Might said, wishing that such a bombshell wasn't dropped… no, he was wishing that he didn't drop the bombshell on Izuku so early.
Though, despite having his eyes opened to just how cruel the world was, a certain innocence still remained in Izuku's eyes… His desire to save people was still there, only now, it was stronger than ever; it was backed by the cold, harsh truth of reality, and his desire to make it warmer.
"I want to see more." Izuku said, "I want to see just how deep this darkness runs, because I want to change it! After all, if I can't save… the people who are right in front of me…"
All Might looked on at Izuku, and saw that same fire that he saw back on the day he first chose his successor.
"Then how could I ever call myself a hero!"
On that day, Izuku Midoriya made a promise to himself… that no matter what, he would save those who were hidden from the reaches of society. He vowed that he would grow stronger, and learn about every part of this world that he could! To save everyone… even those that nobody cared to save, that, to Izuku Midoriya, was what it meant to be a hero.
END OF CHAPTER NOTES
And Chapter 5 has been completed. A bit of a shorter one today, and this chapter doesn't have any action as well! Am I losing my edge?!
Well, I'm not here to doubt that, but this chapter is still an important one in the grand scheme of things. Beyond foreshadowing and introducing plot elements which will be used in later events, it also brings up the main conflict within this story: the Seven Continents vs the Blue Sea, something which fuels almost every element of the later plot.
I can't say a lot without spoilers, so I'll just leave it at that now.
Thank you to hdzalex084 and MossyDuck for your positive reviews of the series! I'm glad to see that the Sabaody Archipelago arc is meeting both of your expectations, and going forwards, I hope to surprise you with how I go on with this story in the best way possible.
Thank you MaximumRhapsody as well for your big suggestions on how I could incorporate Kill La Kill more into this fic. A lot of the ideas you brought up were super helpful, especially in regards to Satsuki Kiryuin recruiting heroes for allies, which I forgot I actually did something similar to a few chapters after this one. Without you, I would have completely forgotten about that plot thread and wouldn't have expanded on it! Thank you very much for that!
A lot of your other suggestions were also quite helpful as well, and I will leave one spoiler for this story here in regards to one of your suggestions…
You mentioned that Satsuki would be looking for someone to teach her Haki… however, Satsuki Kiryuin is not that ill informed. She knows about Haki. I'll leave it at that.
Thank you naedinefebruary2.0 for the review, as even though I can tell by the way you've worded your review that you're more interested in selling your commissions than my story (which, I mean, everyone needs to buy food so I get), I still do appreciate the kind words you left within your review... even if they're potentially CTRL+C CTRL+V'd from a template XD.
* = In the original story, Hacchan goes in depth about how bounty hunters, human traffickers, and infamous pirates are in the Sabaody Archipelago. There's no reason to include this part in this story, but it still has relevance to the events of One Piece proper, so assume that he told Luffy and the rest of them this while they were riding the Sunny down to the Archipelago.
** =(it's technically mass but Luffy doesn't know that)