WARNING: We do not own Kamen Rider or amy of the series featured here. They are owned by Toei and Shueisha, Luckyland Communications, Konami, Bird Studio, and the like.
Cody Aldrich is owned by Striberx
PREVIOUSLY ON KAMEN RIDER JUMP…
'Wonder if I could see these worlds someday too?'
"O~hohoho! Did I do that? Well, chalk it up to yet another blunder by you, monkey."
"Because this is not only your destiny, but your inheritance."
"Henshin!"
"So… what brings a young Marine lad, like you out here?"
"Uhh, excuse me?" Cody asked, confused as to what he was just asked.
It was only the first day in his journey across the J-Universe, and already he was left trying to scramble for some kind of alibi. After all, who would believe that he was a boy from another world who had just become a Kamen Rider.
"You heard me. What's someone like you doing in a place like that shop over there?" the woman who just asked him that question, Nojiko, the adoptive older sister to Nami of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Cody looked back as he tried to think of something. He thought he'd just be running into the worlds, get their assistance and move to the next. But no, this was on true Xenoverse levels of dimensional travel as he was now in certain timelines of the J-Universe. And one wrong step could destroy it without even needing to worry about the other worlds colliding.
"Uhh, new recruit? Freshly assigned to this island?" Cody had to physically fight his own face from twitching like mad.
"Heh, seems like they got in another greenhorn." Nojiko snickered, "Relax kid, I'm just messing with you."
"R-Right sorry… First day jitters…" Cody said, softly panting from the stress of this.
"Still, if you need anything, the sheriff's office is a walk away." she noted before leaving, allowing Cody to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Man, this is gonna be harder than I thought…"
(SONG: Fighting Stars - Hironobu Kageyama, Akira Kushida, Hiroshi Kitadani - J-Stars Victory Vs)
/PRELUDE/
The current scene quickly changed as a showcase of various manga panels began to fly by before the panels quickly transformed into Koma Cards that Cody quickly grabbed onto as he lifted them into the air to create the title.
/Sono toki kaze ga umi ga hoshi ga
Otakebi ageru yatto kono hi ga kita to/
Soon, it makes a quick change to show Cody riding on the Skychaser, ink trails following his bike while he rides through the panel barriers. As he rides past one barrier, Kamen Rider Jump appears on the other side.
/Shijou saikyou mucha na Heroes
Mashoumen kitte Power kisou no sa/
It then cuts to the manga shop where Kay is currently organizing the manga on the shelves, Morgan is at the counter talking to certain customers, and finally it shows Trunks as the after image of Great Saiyanman 3 briefly appears before Jamie flies into the camera and crashes into it.
/Rival wa jibun shin no shousha wa
Kako no jibun ni yoishire wa shinai/
As the scene shatters, it shows the Venoms invading the current world as Kane and Galena smirk while silhouettes of the Suzuri appear behind them.
/Kitaenukarete nao kitaenuki
Asu no kiseki wo tsukuru/
Then it cuts to Cody and Trunks confronting them while the astral projections of the 25 Jump heroes briefly appear by their sides. He then throws up the Anchor Lever, which has the Jump Koma Cards inside it and slams it into the Handora Driver, turning it to make the wheel spin.
/Go! Fighting Stars!
gachi de kachi ni yuke
Fighting Stars!
Hade ni yattsuke/
After a brief flash, Kamen Rider Jump and Trunks fly forward against the Suzuri, starting by destroying the Marine Suzuri with the PenScanner while he fought off the Inkborn that were starting to emerge.
/Go! Fighting Stars
chikara awaseteke
Saa arashi ga kuru/
Meanwhile Trunks cuts through the Akatsuki Suzuri and Hollow Suzuri with his sword before letting loose a god ki-powered Burning Attack against an incoming Nomu Suzuri.
/Go! Fighting Stars
tomo ni kakenuke
Fighting Stars!
Jump misetsuke/
Soon, more Suzuri emerged from the black ink which led Jump to quickly open up his Onryo Case and take out several Koma Cards, rapidly changing into the One Piece, Saint Seiya, and Demon Slayer Koma-Rizes as well as many more in silhouette.
/Go! Fighting Stars
ore ni makasetoke/
Then, as the dark shadow emerged to try and attack him, striking him as flashes of the other worlds begin to vanish, each one fading from the multiverse and even his own mind, before a flash of Kay laying lifeless nearby startled him.
/Go! shouri mezashi ike!/
With determination, Jump flew up and quickly performed his Rider Kick on the mysterious blob, causing a bright light to shine. It then showcases a brief montage of the 25 Jump heroes doing their signature poses before ending on Cody catching the Jump Hero Journey Koma Card and leaping back as a brief burst of light appeared to reveal his allies
ISSUE 2: AHOY THERE! WELCOME TO PIRATE WORLD!
Meanwhile, within the comic shop, Kay was left shocked by what she saw out of the window.
"Did we seriously enter another world?" she asked Trunks, who was currently observing the data being displayed by Jaime.
"Seems like it. Glad he's being careful here in Pirate World. Treading the grounds of the past of each reality could cause irreparable harm to the entire world we stand on…" the future warrior grimaced, remembering the words of Chronoa, the Supreme Kai of Time.
"In other words, we can't meddle in the affairs of these worlds." the young girl realized.
"Correct… at least ones who know these worlds or even outsiders like me." Trunks nodded but looked to her, "But since you're from Earth, the focal point of the J-Universe? As long as you know the risks, you can freely travel."
"Wow, I didn't think we'd start off in the world of One Piece." Cody observed as he walked back in to take a breather.
Kay quickly shook her head, "Cody, this is no time for cosplay." she grumbled.
"It's not! This world... added this onto me." Cody stated.
"It's to prevent someone as powerful as you or me, from messing with the timeline of this reality." Trunks revealed, "The Handoma Driver's camouflage system gives the proper attire and job of whatever is assigned to you."
This made the young boy stroke a non-existant beard while pondering what Trunks had just said, "Marine Cadet, Cody Aldrich. Looks like this is the role given to me by this world."
Meanwhile, on a ship heading towards the island…
"There it is! I found the Going Merry, she docked it over there!" someone shouted as a slim tan-skinned teenager with medium-length black curly hair, prominent lips, a long nose, and wore an olive green plaid bandanna, a blue and white striped armband on his left arm, along with special sniper goggles one has a pair of clear rectangular goggles, brown overalls with a white sash and no shirt underneath called out after spotting the caraval known as the Going Merry.
"Hey, what's the meaning of this!" a tall muscular man with lightly tanned skin, a white short-sleeved henley shirt, a green haramaki, black pants, and black boots roared from the door he was strapped to, "Untie me now!"
Just then, a man with short black hair that sported a black tattoo on his left cheek, and wore a set of sunglasses a blue hooded jacket with a purple undershirt, tan pants, boots, and a watch on his left wrist checked the map, "Hmm, that certainly is a rather strange place to dock the ship. It's a little off from the Cocoyashi Village marked on this map."
"Hey, are you morons listening! I said untie me!" the moss-haired man roared again.
"That's enough. Look at yourself, you're about to faint from yelling!" The long-nosed man, Usopp of the Straw Hat Pirates, reminded his fellow crewmate Roronoa Zoro, "You were an inch away from death after you lost that duel with Mihawk, remember?" He then crossed his arms, "Just leave it to me! I'll bring that girl back!"
The man in blue was left confused, "Aren't you suddenly cheerful now that you know we're not going to Arlong Park…"
Back with Cody, he was walking through the village and observing it's citizens. He could not believe he was in the world of one of the most popular manga. He had to be dreaming at this point.
'Man, this looks better than the sets on the Netflix show…' he thought to himself.
Just then however, Cody noticed a kid with a green beanie, an orange hood, and purple shorts running with a sword in his hand. Confused, he decided to quietly follow her to see what the rush was. That was when he saw something horrifying.
Dozens upon dozens of houses just torn off from the foundation and left upside down. He recalled seeing this sight in the manga, but nothing prepared him to witness this sight in real life. It's then that he realized what he had just stumbled into, as he saw the kid, Chabo as he could recall, quickly stand his ground whilst Usopp was running away from something.
"Puhahaha! You think you can catch up to me!? I'm a master when it comes to running away!" the long-nosed man cheerfully boasted.
Cody had to slap himself just in case he wasn't seeing things. Sure enough, that was the sniper of the Straw Hats he was seeing. Just then, the kid got in front of Usopp with a furious glare in his eyes.
"I found you, Fisman…!" Chabo snarled, "I'll avenge my dad's death!"
The kid then tripped Usopp, which prompted Cody to quickly rush into help before the sniper could get himself killed.
"Die yo-"
Cody grabbed the boy's hand before he could bring the sword down.
"Hey! Stop that, he's not a Fishman!" the blonde quickly told him.
"Grr! Let me go!" the kid hissed, trying to pry Cody's grip away from him.
Nojiko, having noticed the kid's disappearance, tried her best to find the boy. She was surprised to see this Marine rookie catch on before her.
"Look, while the nose is a bit weird, he's just as human as you and me." Cody said.
"Hey! My nose is perfectly normal!" Usopp snapped comically before finally noticing the boy's attire. "Hold on, a Marine?!" he gasped.
"Do you really need to freak out about that now?" Cody questioned the sniper.
"Get back here!" the four heard as everyone looked up to find a rather pudgy man with blue fish scales instead of skin, frog-like hands, and a weird purple Hawaiian shirt and green pants running towards them.
"You there, suspicious human! Finally gave up, did you now?" the Fishman laughed.
"It's the opposite, I've resolved to take you on!" the sniper shouted.
But, before the sniper could fire a shot from his slingshot, Nojiko took out a rubber mallet and smacked him across the head.
"Don't harm the Fishmen, you moron!" the older woman snapped before the sniper fell to the ground unconscious.
"Looks like we'll need to try and get out of here, now!" Cody yelped as he quickly grabbed Usopp's body and began hightailing it with Nojiko and the kid.
"Hey! This is your fault, human!" The Fishman snapped at them.
"Put it on the bill then!" Nojiko snapped back as they fled.
But as the three ran, an unknown figure watched them flee. Afterwards, it spread it's large ink-dripping wings and took to the skies.
"Jus…tice…" it droned.
After they reached a small house built by a tangerine grove, Cody sighed and put the unconscious sniper down.
"Whew, we lost him." the blonde sighed in relief.
"Yeah, glad we were able to get out of here cityslicker." Nojiko agreed.
"Yea-hey, I know my way through the country!" Cody growled in his defense.
"Then explain to me how many times you got lost on the way here?" the woman pointed out.
"I just uh… never been to this place before!" Cody knew this was a white lie as yes, he knew of this place, he just didn't know how to get here.
"Mhm…. your eye twitches when you lie, you know?" Nojiko pointed out.
"Grk!" he froze.
Luckily, a screaming Usopp rose up and turned towards the three, still dazed from the rubber mallet hit.
"T-This place is…!?" he gasped.
"You're finally up huh?" Nojiko said before welcoming him and giving a brief introduction to herself and Chabo.
"Hey wait a sec, you're the one who knocked me out!" Ussop snarled, "Are you the Fismen's lackey?!"
"Not really, we hate the Fishmen here just as much as you do." Cody reassured him, 'Well, the Arlong Pirates to be specific. I'd say a word about Jinbei but I don't know if that'll have any consequences in the future…'
It was then that both Cody and Usopp heard Chabo explain his reasoning for hating Arlong and the horrors he had committed to his home village. It was enough to make Cody's fists shake in rage. Chabo also told of how he tried to go to the Fishmen's base of operations, Arlong Park, but was stopped by Nami. Hearing all he needed, Cody just sighed.
"Kid, let me ask you a question. Would your dad look you in the eye if he found out his son had become a killer?"
That question sent his glare right at the blonde, angering him greatly.
"What do you know? You're just a stupid Marine!" Chabo snapped at him.
"More than you think…" Cody said rather ominously.
"Well at least one of us has their head screwed on right." Nojiko sighed, "Honestly, if you want to pursue that selfish revenge quest then go ahead. Just letting you know that witch as you called her and I saved you from becoming fish food twice now!" She then walked away and let out a long sigh, "Get out of my house once you're done with the tea. I hate naive brats like you,"
Cody had to stay silent as he watched Usopp berate Nojiko for being too harsh on Chabo, only for the woman to turn it back and state her reason for not liking how brats like Chabo mindlessly run into trouble for selfish reasons.
"T-Then what am I supposed to do then…?" Chabo cried, "It's so… frustrating!"
As the boy cried, Cody couldn't help but think back to the days when he was his age, stubbornly trying to find his parents on his own and nearly getting killed for it.
FLASHBACK
Cody was in a hospital bed, frowning as he was bedridden for a few weeks. His leg in a cast, some of his body bandaged up, and stitches on his face. He was currently being scolded by Kay this time as he tried to tune her out.
"Seriously? You had to piss off the Medichis?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" she snapped but Cody could barely hear her.
"They said they had info on my parents… do you expect me to just sit by and not check it out?"
"I know, but that's one of the strongest mafia families in Manhattan." Kay reminded him.
"They were just posers. And lied to me… So I taught them a lesson…."
The young woman was not convinced, "You mean you got your ass handed to you until the cops showed up?"
Cody crossed his arms, "I could have taken them!"
"They broke your leg! UGH! Why are you always so stubborn?" Kay growled with frustration.
"Wouldn't you be if your gramps up and vanished?" The blonde reminded her.
"That's different! Yours is-" Kay quickly shut her mouth, knowing she just hit the wrong button as she turned away before sighing, "I just… I just get tired of you being so self destructive. They wouldn't want this."
Cody said nothing as he ended up stewing over what her best friend had just said.
"Ahh! The Going Merry! What is it doing over there…!?" Usopp cried out, snapping Cody out of his thoughts.
"Huh, wait what?" he asked.
When Cody looked around, he saw that Chabo was gone while the sniper had just noticed the Going Merry being moored at Arlong Park. The blonde quickly realized that, while he was reminiscing about the past, Chabo had just left to go to his mother and Nojiko had just revealed to Usopp that this very property used to be Nami's home as well.
"Uh, what's wrong Usopp?" Cody asked.
"E-Erm, I forgot that one of my crewmates got himself unfortunately caught by the Fishmen!" Usopp recalled, "And he was already on the verge of death. I just hope he didn't provoke them and get himself killed…"
'So Usopp and Johnny still used Zoro as a scapegoat before we got here. Good to know.' the blonde thought.
"There you are!"
Looking up, Cody turned and immediately paled at the sight of a rather confused yet also disappointed Kay standing there with his arms crossed.
"U-Uh… hey Key!" he hesitantly greeted his best friend.
"Cody…" she sighed before grabbing the blonde by the ear, "Just what do you think you're doing?" she snapped.
"Doing what I can to get these powers back. What are you doing here?"
"Trunks said that we shouldn't interfere in this world's story." she said, "And yet here you are inserting yourself into stuff you shouldn't get involved in."
"I can't help it, okay? I saw the kid running off with a sword and thought that was a bit suspicious. I didn't think I'd end up here!" Cody argued.
Nojiko, watching the two argue, rolled her eyes and smiled.
"Well ain't you two cute?" she observed, making Usopp shake his head before patting the blonde on the shoulder.
"Cody, my guy. My condolences." the sniper said.
"Huh? For what?"
"You have to put up with such a crabby girlfrie-"
*WHAM!*
"Who said I was his girlfriend!" Kay snarled after smacking Usopp to the ground with a punch.
"N-Noted…." The sniper groaned, his body twitching from the hit.
"Now come on, we need to get going." the young woman sighed before giving a brief bow, "Sorry about that, miss."
"It's fine. It is surprising to see a good Marine here." Nojiko reassured her.
Cody felt a tinge in his heart when he heard he was a 'good' Marine. After all, being a good Marine means sacrificing everything for the sake of justice. What he's seen of the Marines would be the furthest thing from being considered 'good', especially to the people.
"I'm not a good Marine. Just a decent one." the blonde corrected her.
Kay took notice and gave a slight smile before softly elbowing him in the side. However, that's when the group noticed people were running away.
"What? Again?" Nojiko asked, "But he just collected tribute."
"I don't think this is just the Fishmen being angry." Cody muttered.
Soon, the four hid as they saw someone arriving at Cocoyashi Village with several other Fishmen in tow. It was a large and rather muscular sawshark-like Fishman with light blue scales, long black hair that reached down to his shoulders, an wore a brown Ushanka, a short-sleeved, unbuttoned yellow cabana shirt decorated by many black lightning-like spots, Bermuda shorts which are brown in the manga and green in the anime, a purple sash around the waist, and simple sandals.
Cody shook his fist as he saw the Sun Pirates tattoo on the fishman's left pec; a reminder of the crew that this monster, Arlong, had left behind. But he also knew of the atrocities that the dreaded Fishman has done, ones that were only a cycle of hatred and revenge.
"W-Who is that?" Usopp got out, sweat rolling down his face in fear as he could feel the bloodlust from this Fishman.
"Arlong…. The captain of the Arlong Pirates…." Nojiko frowned with disgust.
From there, he and Kay saw things move like clockwork. Arlong had arrived due to hearing about Gen, the scarred sheriff of Cocoyashi Village, still having his sword. The Fishman pirate proceeded to boast about the villages under his rule and even boasted about his need for wealth. This has been a scene Cody had known to heart.
However, that heart soon dropped when Arlong spotted the comic shop.
"Huh? I've never seen a place like that before." the sawshark pondered, turning his gaze towards Gen who began sweating bullets, "Say, you said you didn't have any money yet somehow you have a brand new building posted up here."
"I-I swear to you, Arlong! I never saw that place before!"
Nojiko and Usopp quickly caught onto the fear that the two newcomers were gripped with. The former of course had met Cody at that place, but Usopp knew just from both of their expressions that this was a place close to their hearts.
"Grandpa is still in there." Kay realized.
Cody was not exactly worried about Trunks fighting Arlong. After all, he helped beat foes who were way stronger than the arrogant Fishman. But it was Arlong could potentially do to the old sea dog that made him scared.
Sure enough, inside Trunks was not exactly impressed with the Fishman's bragging. He's heard better boasts from the Androids, Babbidi, and of course Zamasu. So what Arlong was shouting felt standard, yet the future warrior couldn't risk his existence being discovered here.
That's when Gen got knocked onto his feet and lifted by his collar, "First I find out you're possessing a weapon, and then I see you got a new building up. If that doesn't scream rebellion, I don't think anything else will cut it."
'A weapon?' Cody questioned with confusion for a moment, 'Right, Gen still has his sword with him.'
"And so, to make sure there aren't any more rebels like you…" he then grinned his many rows of teeth at the shop, "How about I bury you with that little shop!"
Kay immediately ran out, as did Nojiko, much to Usopp and Cody's shock.
"You can't destroy my home!" Kay snapped with a frown on her face, "And what gives you the right to even do any of this, you walking sushi bar?!"
"Huh? Who the heck are you?" he snarled.
"Kay, are you crazy?! That guy's a walking buzzsaw on legs!" Cody shouted after moving in to try and stop her from getting herself killed.
"Heh, what do we have here? Some Marine greenhorn trying to 'save' the people?" The Fishman pirate chuckled as he gave his glare.
"K-Kid… don't do it…" Gen tried to warn him.
"Listen, I know you two are new around here. So let me give it to you straight." Arlong snarled, "I've already stated the mere act of possessing weapons is a clear intent to rebel, so I have no choice but to kill this man for the safety and security of my lands. And now, what do I see? Two bratty kids trying to muscle in on my turf."
"Sounds to me that you're afraid." Cody spoke up, "Doesn't sound like the man who sailed alongside Jin-."
"Jinbei is a fool!" the Fishman Pirate snarled, "A government dog to an inferior master."
"No… He just knew there was a better way than revenge against those who did you wrong. You're just continuing the cycle." Cody huffed.
"What do you know, you're just a kid." Arlong snapped.
"I know a lot more than you think… Tigershark would be ashamed of you…" Cody stated with a smirk.
"Then how about I make an example out of you?" he chuckled.
"Good, I was waiting for a chance to try this out." Cody declared as he leaped back and strapped on the Handoma Driver.
"Heh? What are you? A Germa 66 wannabe?" the Fishman laughed.
"No, just a passing through Kamen Rider. Remember that." he then loaded up his lone transformation Koma Card.
JUMP HERO JOURNEY!
"Henshin!"
KOMA-RIZE: JUMP HERO JOURNEY!
Soon the ink and manga panels appeared and formed around him before the newly named 'Kamen Rider' gained his armor, surprising most of the Fishmen that were watching the fight, as were the few onlookers nearby.
Usopp, after he had gotten a good perch, was amazed by the transformation.
'Oooh! Wait until Luffy sees this!' He thought to himself.
With a smirk, the transformed Cody quickly ran into action, throwing a strong punch which the Fishman caught though it did make him skid back a bit. After pulling his hand back, Cody quickly moved into deliver a quick series of punches as he went on the offense.
Of course, the cheers of the Fishmen did what they could to try and boost Arlong's sense of confidence and strength. Yet with each hit, the Fishman understood he was slowly being outclassed in terms of strength.
"Tsk, you seem pretty tough for a greenhorn." Arlong snarled, "How about I up the ante…"
He then took a step back and quickly shot himself at the Rider.
SHARK ON DARTS!
Cody's eyes widened as he tried to dodge out of the way, but his nose was able to leave a bit of a gash on his side, leaving him snarling in pain. Arlong on the other hand easily stopped himself and stopped as he smirked at the Rider. With a smirk, the Fishman landed a strong blow to Cody's stomach, earning some laughs and cheers from his fellow kin.
"But a greenhorn is still a greenhorn."
"Then let's see if you can even see with that small head of yours." Cody said, as he moved back a bit as he drew out a card, one that was assigned to his Base Form, but showed the armor becoming invisible as he swiped the card on the scanner on the right of the device.
CONCEAL!
After resetting and pulling the lever, Cody quickly vanished with a brief shimmer. Arlong was surprised to see this trick.
KOMA-STRIKE: CONCEAL!
The Fishman pirate looked around before he felt a strong right hook to his face, knocking some of his teeth out. He tried to swipe at the boy however, while he could not see him. Arlong, like many sharks, could smell blood. He them smirked as he quickly performed a strong roundhouse kick… that knocked Cody right into Nojiko and Kay's arms, right out of his transformation.
"I will admit. You did well in fighting me, for a human." he chuckled as he approached the downed Rider, "But, your toys can only take you so far against my natural strength."
Cody growled as he was about to head back into the fight, but it was clear that this fight was over. Arlong was ready to strike the boy down when…
EXPLODING STAR!
A firework was fired out to knock the Fishman pirate back. Arlong's crew was shocked before one of them spotted Usopp standing on the top of the roof he was on… legs still shaking in fear. It didn't take long for the sniper's courage to quickly fade upon seeing Arlong lift the house next to the comic shop with his bare hands and toss it at the sniper.
Nojiko and the rest of Cocoyashi Village were left horrified as Arlong's men were forced to retreat back to Arlong Park in order to keep their enraged captain from destroying what they built up. However, the Fishman Pirate was not done with Cody just yet.
"Bring the girl..." Arlong ordered, pointing to Kay.
"What? She didn't do anything wrong!" Nojiko snapped, only for her and Cody to be tossed aside.
"She did. She stood up to me, just like your little hero." Arlong roared, grabbing Kay by the neck as he looked to Cody, "You have twenty fours hours to come get her. Otherwise, you'll see her head soon. SHA-AHH-HAAA!"
"KAY!" Cody growled as he tried to reach her but was stopped.
"Hey, wait! You're still injured!" Nojiko shouted.
That was when Morgan finally got out as they saw the injured Cody try his best to stagger to his feet.
"Kid, you doing alright?" the old man asked.
"They took her… They took Kay." Cody snarled in both anger and regret.
Trunks then took out something from his pocket, a small green bean. Cody nodded and quickly downed it, instantly healing him up.
"Glad you packed a Senzu Bean, boss." the blonde thanked him.
"Heh, with this journey? It makes logical sense." Trunks smirked softly.
"Wish I could have been strong enough to stop Arlong from kidnapping Kay." Cody sighed in defeat.
"You're still new to this power. You'll figure it out the more you fight." Trunks reassured him, before patting his back, "Just don't lose yourself."
"Speaking from experience?" Cody asked, as the Time Patroller nodded before heading back inside.
"Long time no see, everyone."
Cody's ears perked up as he, and the rest of the village, turned to find Nami standing there.
"Nami…?" Nojiko gasped. "What are you doing here? To think that you of all people would stroll through the middle of town."
"Oh, nothing." The cat thief sighed, "Just curious what all the ruckus I heard was about. Guess it was Arlong." She then turned towards Cody and Morgan. "Who are they?"
"They're… new here…" Nojiko could only say.
It was then that Nami noticed the Marine uniform Cody was wearing and leered curiously at him.
"So, what's your story?" The future navigator asked.
"Just a new Marine stationed here…" Cody said while hiding the Handoma Driver from the cat thief, "Saw someone in trouble and tried to fight off that Shark jerk but the bastard was too strong. So now he has my best friend, and I need to go after him to save her."
Nami sighed, he reminded her of the current crew she was trying to distance herself from. But, that look of regret, she felt like she had seen that look before.
"Come on then, I'll see if I can convince Arlong to let your friend go." she sighed before walking away. She briefly stopped and looked back at Cody, "Well? You coming or what?"
The blonde had to comply and quickly went to join her, with Morgan giving a nod to him to be safe. As the two walked, Cody noticed the Arlong Pirates tattoo inked onto Nami's right shoulder.
"Surprised to see a human working in a pirate crew of Fishmen." he observed, feigning ignorance.
"Says the Marine who thought it would be a good idea to fight a Fishman." the cat thief threw back.
"And let him kill an innocent man simply because he's afraid of a rebellion? Of course I'd fight."
Nami's fists briefly shook, Cody could tell that, even if she never saw Gen hurt due to his own intervention, that same regret still lingered in her. That's when he noticed Usopp being dragged by the neck by another Fishman, this one a sillaginidae-like Fishman with blonde hair, rather noticeable lips, and a blue vest and navy blue shorts. Usopp quickly looked to Cody and struggled to call for help.
Meanwhile…
"Hey, let me go!" Kay shouted as Arlong had slung her over his shoulder.
"Be quiet, girl! I'm sure whoever's living in that store will pay big bucks just to get you back." he chuckled
"We barely have anything. It's nothing more than a place to read..." Kay frowned.
She also wanted to leave out that the money at the store was virtually useless in this world since she didn't know how American dollars could translate into berries, but she didn't want to give away the possibility of other worlds to this piece of garbage. But, those thoughts came to a stop when she felt herself get dropped by Arlong.
"What's the-" Kay stopped herself upon noticing the slew of Fismen strewn around the large lounge area, slain.
"Just what on Earth happened here!?" he roared as he cradled one of his kin in his arms, "MY BRETHREN!"
Kay felt sick. She had never seen this many dead bodies in the area, so the stench was enough to nearly trigger her gag reflexes.
"Roronoa Zoro!? The Pirate Hunter?!" Arlong gasped as he was informed by the Fishman he was cradling that Zoro, the man they had captured just moments earlier, had gone and defeated all of the Fishmen Pirates that were keeping watch of Arlong Park.
Arlong then snapped to Kay as he marched over and picked her up once more by the neck, "YOU! You and your friend did this! To lure me away so that Zoro can slaughter me brothers?!"
"I… didn't do any… of this…" Kay gasped, trying to break free from the sawshark's grip.
"LIES! You humans are always liars... Well, your friend will be greeted by us soon. And then he'll watch you die." Arlong growled before letting go of Kay, as the girl gasped and coughed to breath.
"Chu…" a noise was heard as Arlong turned his attention towards the Fishman holding Usopp arriving, with Nami and Cody noticing them entering the area.
"I finally caught him." the blonde Fishman explained, "I could have killed him, but I thought you'd feel a lot better if you killed him yourself."
"That pipsqueak ain't nearly enough to satisfy my rage…" the Fishman Pirate snarled.
"R-Right!? Then why do-Wait, Kay?!" Usopp gasped, "What the heck are you doing here? And where's Cody?"
"Chuu… Wait a minute, what happened here?" Chew asked.
"But, how did the pirate hunter escape? Have you considered this line of thought Arlong?" a manta ray Fishman wearing a dark blue gi and a black belt, Kuroobi, asked. "Maybe Nami purposely brought him here, so he could try to take your head?"
"No, I think this little brat was the one who did it." Arlong snarled as he glared at Kay.
"I don't know, Nami did dive into the water to save him." one of the Fishmen pointed out.
"Betraying people is her specialty after all." Kuroobi pointed out.
"Alright, that's enough!" Nami snapped as she and Cody arrived.
"Cody!" Kay gasped with relief.
"Hmph, you recover quick, boy." Arlong huffed.
"Let Kay go, Arlong!" The young rider demanded, "You said you wanted me to come, right? Well, here I am!"
Nami quickly stated her case as she snapped at Arlong. The Fishman Pirate, giving a smirk, looked to the navigator and shook his head.
"Of course, my bad, my bad. I apologize for doubting you." he chuckled, "Considering you've been nothing but a loyal crewmate for the past 8 years, you're certainly more than justified to get angry at us. We were a little too rash, but we believe you."
Then, he held a knife to Kay and Ussopp's necks.
"The ones we actually need to get rid of right now, are Roronoa Zoro, his companion, and these two brats!" he chuckled with laughter.
Nami was left shocked while the blonde was gnashing his teeth with rage.
"The bounty on my head is the highest of all the East Blue at over 20 million Berries. Considering that, it's only natural that a well-known bounty hunter would come for me." he chuckled while dangling his knife near the girl's neck, "What I didn't expect was for the Marines to send some no-name in to try and play hero, only to get one of his own into my clutches."
"Kay has nothing to do with this!" Cody snapped.
"Tell me, Kamen Rider?" the Fishman Pirate laughed, "Where oh where is that bounty hunter you brought here? He's not the most classy guy, if he thinks he can sneak in here and cut my brothers down while I was away…"
"Bounty Hunter? Sorry but I've never even seen the guy." Cody said with a frown.
"Y-Yeah, we really have nothing to do with this Zoro guy! Please let us go!" Usopp panicked.
"Chu… I'd advise you stop with the lies." the blue Fishman, Chew, groaned, "It's undeniable that you personally attacked Arlong as well, saving that Marine from dying at his hands. There's not a chance we'd let you free."
"Just… please… let her go." Cody pleaded, "I can take her place if you want. Just don't hurt her."
"Hoo? You're risking your head over hers? And what makes you think I'll accept it?" Arlong questioned.
"B-Because if you don't, then you'll be losing out on a big paycheck!" Usopp shouted, "Yeah, Ms. Kay and Cody here have a lot of cash that could keep your place loaded for years! Plus, keeping us alive will mean that my best bud Zoro will come here to save us!" The sniper then turned to Nami, "Please, say something!"
Kuroomi observed the troubled look the future navigator had as she tried to think up a plan. Cody on the other hand looked to Kay, who was giving him an "Is this guy serious?" look. After all, while her grandfather's comic shop did have some cash, it wasn't in the millions.
"Why not also my Driver?" Cody offered to the Sawshark, earning their attention as they ignored the shouting Usopp had. "You already saw what I could do with it… why not trade it over Kay's life? With it, you'd be even feared among my fellow Marines."
Arlong thought about it. The power Cody displayed with that belt was rather impressive. Perhaps he could give the device a shot? However, before he could give an answer, all of a sudden an octopus Fishman with six arms and wore a bathing suit arrived.
'Right, Hachi is still a part of Arlong's crew. He and Camie haven't yet reunited.' the blonde thought.
"What's this!?" Hachi gasped before being told of what Zoro had done.
"Damn right! Like I would ever let the guy who offed my crewmates go scot-free!" the octopus Fishman snarled, "Why that Zoro! I'll kill him!"
"So you don't know anything about where Zoro could've gone to?" Kuroobi asked.
"Nope, nothing! The only one I remember meeting was this rather suspicious lone swordsman." Hachi muttered before realizing, "Could it have been him!?"
"SO YOU DID MEET HIM, YOU DUMBASS!" the surviving Fishmen pirates roared in unison.
"Wow… not the brightest coral in the reef." Cody grumbled as he watched Hachi get lambasted by his crewmates.
"By the way, who are they?" Hachi asked as the octopus Fishman pointed towards the blonde, the young girl, and the sniper.
"They're Zoro's companions." Arlong explained, "Even though they're just humans, two of them thought they could take on us Fishmen." the sawshark Fishman then smiled at Cody, "In fact, that greenhorn put up a pretty good fight after he got out his fancy toy."
That's when Nami quickly smacked Usopp aside, like Cody had expected. That's when he watched the two fight with Nami showcasing her proficiency with a staff while Usopp tried to use trickery to fight her off. In the end, Nami quickly ran in and went for a stab at the sniper, hitting him dead on. But Cody could notice that she was stabbing her own hand instead. He said nothing as he feigned ignorance of seeing the sniper 'fall'. She then turned her attention towards Cody.
"Now then, Arlong said you had something that could be used to even the odds against the Fishman." Nami said before giving him a bit of a wicked, yet also slightly attractive look, "You wanna spill the beans, sailor boy?"
Cody had a soft blush from her gaze but coughed to regain his composure before letting out a nervous chuckle.
'Damn my teenage hormones!' he thought. "U-Uh yeah, I do…" He said, holding up the Handoma Driver in hand.
She then grabbed it an examined the device. It was interesting to her; this device was unlike anything she had seen in her whole life.
"My apologizes for doubting you. You are truly one of us." she heard Kuroobi say.
"One of you? Don't lump me together with the likes of you." She sighed, lowering the device to turn her gaze towards the manta ray Fishman, "There's only one reason why I joined this crew, and that's to raise 100 million Berries and buy Cocoyashi Village from you. Consider me as more of an ally."
That was when Kuroobi showed the map that indicated where Nami had that pointed at the village. At first, the Fishmen thought it was a treasure map but Arlong told them to give it back. Cody sighed as he watched Arlong lie to Nami that he wouldn't break a promise involving money. He knew what was coming up next, but he also knew that Nami wouldn't trust his word over Arlong's if he tried to call the sawshark Fishman out for lying.
She then walked away with both the map and the Handoma Driver in hand, leaving Cody and Kay to the mercy of the Fishman pirates.
XXX
At the outside of Arlong Park's walls, Johnny was left horrified by what he had seen. Not only did he see Nami kill Usopp, but she now has given… whatever the heck that device was to Arlong. He needed to go warn Zoro. The man in blue made a mad dash for wherever Zoro was when he heard the moss-haired swordsman's voice.
"The hell do you think you're doing!?" he heard him roar.
'B-Big bro Zoro!' he thought.
Rushing to the scene, he saw what was left of a ship alongside Luffy, who unlike the one Cody had seen in his dreams, was two years younger and wore a red vest with three gold buttons with no x scar underneath, light blue denim shorts cuffed just above his knees, and tan sandals. Alongside him was a young man with blonde hair that covered one of his eyes, and wore a black, double-breasted suit with golden buttons and a tie together with a long-sleeved buttoned blue shirt, and black shoes.
"What do you mean? We've obviously come to get Nami back." the rubberman explained, "Haven't you found him yet? And where's Usopp and Johnny?"
Zoro's ears perked up, "Usopp? Oh crap!" he then quickly began to run, "Now's not the time to be slacking! That idiot got himself and a couple of teens caught by Arlong! If we don't hurry up they'll be-"
"He was already killed!" Johnny spoke up, getting everyone's attention.
"What?! Who killed Usopp?" the smoker, Vinsmoke Sanji, questioned in shock.
"B-Big bro Usopp was murdered by Big Sis Nami!" he cried out.
That got Luffy pissed, with the rubberman grabbing Johnny.
"Say it one more time, and I swear I'll kick your ass!" he roared.
"Luffy, stop!" A man wearing a black shirt with a green coat, red headgear, plaid yellow boxer shorts over unshaven legs and dark shoes yelped, "It's not as if Johnny's the one at fault here!"
"Well he's making up bullcrap!" Luffy argued, "There's no way that Nami would kill Usopp! We're crewmates!"
"It's fine if you don't want to believe it! But I saw it with my own eyes!" Johnny said.
"Just who did you call crewmates, Luffy?"
Sure enough, the group saw Nami standing there, glove covering the stabbed hand she was currently holding the Handoma Driver with, and staff in the other.
"What did you come to this island for?" she questioned him.
"What are you talking about?" Luffy asked, now calm, "Aren't we crewmates? We've come for you, of course."
"Well you're nothing but a nuisance." the future navigator sighed.
Johnny then saw the Handoma Driver and was left shocked, "I told you she's a witch! If she means she can get her hands on the treasure hidden in her village, or that weird machine in her hands, she'll gladly join the Arlong Pirates and even kill! She's a cold-blooded witch through and through! You've all been deceived from the start, and I swear I saw her stabbing Usopp!"
"Hm? What does it do?" Luffy asked.
"Gives some weird armor and on par of a Fishman's strength along." Nami explained with a roll of her eyes.
"SO COOL! LET ME TRY IT!" Luffy said with delight.
"Don't waste your breath." she sighed as she placed the Driver to her waist, but the belt didn't appear, "It won't work for me and more than likely not work for you."
"Maybe you're just not trying hard enough? Let me try!" Luffy asked once more.
"Why does it matter? The last guy who used it wasn't enough to beat him." she said, "No matter how monstrously strong you may all be, you're no match at all for the real monster."
"I could care less about that. Where's Usopp?"
Nami smirked, "At the bottom of the ocean."
Zoro snarled and tried to attack Nami but Sanji, ever the gentleman, stepped in for Nami's defense. Nami once again tried to say that she told them that they shouldn't mess with the affairs of this island. Unaware of course, of Jaime monitoring the whole situation after the robot parrot detected someone outside of Cody activating the Handoma Driver.
"Sir? What should we do?" Jamie asked Trunks.
At the comic shop, Morgan was left very, very worried about his granddaughter and the boy. Trunks on the other hand was left stumped on what to do. He could go out there and try to retrieve the Handoma Driver and save Cody and Kay, but that would mean going up against Arlong. As much as he wanted to fight the Fishman, he knew that he nor Cody are not the ones destined to beat him. Luffy was.
Not to mention, there was an energy signature that worried him. The signature of a member of Venoms.
"I… I don't know…" he admitted.
Morgan then placed his hand on Trunks, as the Future Saiyan looked at him, "Trust in them… and have faith." The elderly man smiled, wanting to show that it will work out for them all.
"Thanks." Trunks said.
That's when the old man smirked, "You know, I can see a bit of that boy in you. Always trying to look out for others, and clinging onto hope no matter how dire the situation is."
"Clinging onto hope… Heh… yeah." the Time Patroller nodded before responding to Jaime, "Just do your best to keep watch and stay out of site. It'll work out in the end."
"Okay then. But just to inform you, the Suzuri is circling the island." the robot parrot informed them.
"I know, I know." the Time Patroller sighed as above the skies, the mysterious figure was still circling the island.
"Jus…tice… Jus…tice…" the beast droned.
(SONG: History - mariana - Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls)
/PRELUDE/
As the current scene turns into a manga panel, the page began to slowly turn until it stopped at a page that showcases Cody standing in a white void.
/Mekurumeku mugen no toki watatte tatakai no TONNERU kuguru tabi
Onsoku de soumatou no akari ga meguru yo/
Cody soon begins to walk forward, causing some paint splotches to appear with each step he takes. He takes in how lifeless the place is as he tries to press forward.
/Ushinatta mono bakari wo kazoete kuyashi garu kokoro no katasumi de
Te wo nobashi nakitai hodo motomete iru kimi no Bright smile/
He then notices Kay, Trunks, Jaime, and Morgan join his side, their steps bringing more color to the void.
/Tasogare no sora mite michibiita kotae
All right kibou nara te no naka ni aru/
As the color returns, visions of worlds colliding and life being lost, flash in front of him. Villains of the Jump Universe snicker and cackle with delight as they seem to try to overpower the young Rider to have him lose.
/Kowareochite yuku toki no naka de RIARU na itami ni
Yume to (ai to) shitsui (akui) naimaze ni naru keredo/
But a soft hug from Kay soon begins to breath more life before the heroes of Jump appear, their powers fusing into one as Cody takes up the Handoma Driver and changes into his Kamen Rider Jump form.
/Konoyo no kako kara asu no saki no PEEJI wo hiraite/
As the five stopped, they soon noticed that the white void was now a vast open field with clear skies.
/Ima wo (shirushi) kaete (yukeru) sekai ni Love you so
Inori (komete) egaku History/
With a smile, Jump and the others watched as the skies clear up, revealing a hopeful future.
/My history/
The scene ends with the group looking up at the sky before the manga closes to showcase 25 inert symbols as the camera zooms back to show that the manga is resting on Cody's desk.
NEXT TIME!
"Come on, we gotta get out of here somehow!"
"Help me…"
"I'll show you the true meaning of freedom!"
ISSUE 3: CREWMATE'S TEARS! UNLEASHED JUMP PISTOL!
"Think on high, and you'll see everything coming!"
Striberx: Phew! Another "Issue" finished! Yes, we're cutting each chap into a two parter and if you all know Decade then you all know how that idea goes.
HackerEX: And as shown by this chapter, we're currently in the Arlong Park arc. And hoo boy did we have to cut a lot just to get this arc down into two chapters.
Striberx: Mhm we can't always go one for one with these stories after all. Some things have to be trimmed and cut down. So for those expecting such long winded, written way to add the entire manga/anime arc? Sorry but we can't do that. Brightside, this'll allow us to try and think of new ways to make the Manga Chaps different.
HackerEX: Also, before you ask, yes we're aware of how strong Xeno Trunks is and we're trying out best to avoid having him be a "Get out of Jail" free card.
Striberx: Mhm, this was my idea. I knew if we had Trunks with them completely, it could ruin not only suspenseful moments but also an easy way to just beat the badguy, especially Xeno Trunks. So we gave it the same rule most time travel stuff does. "Don't interfere with the past." Trunks, for the most part cannot interact outside of the shop. The ONLY times he will, is if it involves other world enemies appearing in or something that changed the timeline, kinda like how in Xenoverse they had corrupted/dark powered versions of other characters.
HackerEX: Which as we'll see next chapter, will come in the form of the Suzuri. More on them when we get into next chapter. Also we had him lose his first full fight as Jump for one simple reason. To avoid making him too OP. I mean we're planning on him gaining a lot of Jump heroes' powers, but we aren't gonna make him invincible.
Striberx: Mhm, unlike how Decade is where he's kinda a Gary Stu in terms of nearly everything? Cody here is just a dork. While yes he still has some secrets left to show? We ain't pulling a full Decade here. Same goes for our versions of "Final Form Rides" those are simply attack cards than anything.
HackerEX: Or as we'll call them, Koma-Strikes and Koma-Collabs. Anyhow, next time Cody and Kay try and find a way out of Arlong Park while Nami ends up having to try and find a way to keep the Handoma Driver out of the Marines' hands.
Until next time, see ya!