This was it.
Izuku might or might not…no! Izuku was there! Yamato knew that for certain. That was why she had to fight, to keep Kaido distracted!
She leapt up with a roar, swinging her club.
Kaido parried with the barest flick of his wrist. A motion that looked as effortless as breathing. Yamato had only a moment to see her father's eyes, and then he swung blow caught her dead center, hurling her out into the main hallway. She backflipped as she landed, landing on her feet and twirling on her toes.
"Narikabura!" she roared, a burst of blue Haki leaping from her club as it swung. The blast flew at Kaido, who drunkenly walked straight into it.
It didn't even stop his stride.
All around her, the doors lining the corridor were opening; those inside looking out, no doubt wondering what the noise was. Yamato ignored them, charging at Kaido in a dead sprint.
"The first lesson I'll impart..." Kaido slurred as he swung a lazy strike. Yamato jumped over it, flipped, and brought her Armament-enhanced club down on his head. The blow struck, but Kaido's only response was to grunt at her efforts, looking up with a brow raised. She landed, gritted her teeth, then turned and charged, even as Kaido's arm rose to backhand her. Her Observation Haki was clicking in on all cylinders, and Takeru rose, the strike sending her flying into the opposite wall.
"...is of knowing your *hic* limits," Kaido groaned. "Knowing your place in the natural order of the world."
Kaido strode towards Yamato as she struggled free of the cratered wall, splinters and debris falling off her.
"Shut up!" she yelled, charging at him. Kaido was ready, and their clubs clashed, their steel ringing like a thunderclap. Yamato felt her hands shaking, but she kept her grip, barely. She flipped up, somersaulting over Hassaikai and striking again. But Kaido was too fast, and her attack met only the ringing steel.
"When one knows one's place on the food chain, focus comes to them," Kaido growled. "You, my foolish child, do not know yours."
Yamato glared into his yellow eyes. She hated those evil eyes, as she hated his evil words.
"The second les-*hic*-son."
Kaido swung. Yamato caught the blow, the force driving her down the hall. She could see Jack peeking around the door of his lounge.
He held up a drink by way of encouragement.
She wanted to spike him out of a window, but she had bigger problems.
"...is that focus, brings the clarity of a nigh-unobtainable dream," Kaido went on, striding towards her, swaying more from his drink than anything that she did. "The only way to make that dream a reality… is to reach a place where you can never be touched. Never be harmed. That is the fruits that focus brings."
"Then you're a coward!" shrieked Yamato. She charged at him, violet lightning crackling around Takeru. Hassaikai crackled in turn, its lightning a darker violet, dark and malicious. The clubs met, the blow reverberating through the castle, shaking it to its foundations. Yamato's sandals dug into the floor, scoring deep as she was pushed back, glaring up at her leering father.
The man looked as if he was standing in a gentle breeze, the ground under him holding without a crack as he held her at bay.
He wasn't even taking this seriously!
"The third lesson…" Kaido glowered. "...is that to obtain that focus, one must become stronger. To cast aside anchors and chains that would hold you back, from reaching...*hicuuulp*"
He sighed/belched, the stench of sake making Yamato blanch.
"Greater heights!"
He swung, so hard that Yamato's arms shook, driving her back across the floor. She yelled in pain, her arms shaking.
"And I will reach that height! By taking your head!" Yamato yelled. Kaido scoffed, hefting Hassaikai onto his shoulder.
"Will you now? My stupid child," he sneered. "As you are now, you will never overtake me. Not with the anchor you carry, and the chains you willingly place on your person!" He pointed at her. "If you think yourself strong then-"
"I'm leaving."
"Hmm?"
Kaido paused, and turned. Black Maria was stepping over the ruins of the door, with as much dignity as the situation would allow. Her courtesans scuttled behind her, cowering in fear; as much of Maria's obvious annoyance as of the battling oni.
"Ah, Maria."
"My buzz is gone, my lord, and I do not want to involve my girls in your familial dispute. I hope you understand."
She took a moment to rearrange her kimono.
"We can always share a bed tomorrow."
"Mnnngh..." Kaido rolled his eyes. "Very well, do what you…"
Yamato's club caught the back of his head, yet didn't even make him move as he responded with a swipe from his hand, sending the girl flying down the hallway once more.
"...want, Black Maria," he uttered.
"Way to be a buzzkill, Yamato," Black Maria hissed. She turned and marched away, her girls hurrying behind her. Yamato ignored her, glaring at her father as he walked towards her, the ground shaking under his footsteps.
"As I was saying... If you think yourself strong," The man rose up, looming over her, not even a scratch on him from any time she had struck him.
This was starting to feel familiar. No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, she could never make him bleed. Never make him hurt!
She couldn't even make him move unless he allowed it.
That first strike was a surprise yes, but a courtesy in the end, a congratulations of forming this plan in his eyes.
That curtesy is gone now.
"Then you are gravely mistaken, my foolish child."
"I am strong! I will be strong!" Yamato yelled, running forth. "In my own way! Not yours!"
She reared Takeru back.
"You crappy old maaaan!"
She swung, Armament coating Takeru, the full two-armed swing.
Kaido caught it with his thumb and forefinger. Yamato held on, as Kaido swung her around his head.
"Then I shall impart a fourth lesson!" he roared, and threw Yamato down. Her body exploded with pain as she struck the floor and continued going, hitting the lower floor and rolling down the corridor.
(X)
"Everyone get back to your chambers." Jack the Drought called out from his lounge. "Lord Kaido will resolve this shortly."
The Headliners retreated, closing the doors. The massive anglerfish-man sighed, closing his own door. Now, maybe he could enjoy his time with his woman and get some lines in.
The door clunked shut, followed by many others in the hall.
And over in Kaido's vacated chamber, a vent opened.
(X)
Yamato groaned, as she tried to stand up.
She was down on the main floor. Pirates were peering out of doorways and windows, and around corners.
She gritted her teeth. She had to keep fighting! She had to give Izuku more time!
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result!" Kaido's voice boomed.
Then he landed, the floor shaking so hard that Yamato almost fell down again.
"It's Lord Kaido!" someone gasped.
"And he's fighting who?"
"Leave it," muttered a Headliner. "It's just another spat with the Young Master, just carry on."
"Tell me, Yamato," boomed Kaido. "What do you expect to happen in challenging me time and again? If you were to cast aside that stupid ideal, and your pathetic insistence on being Kozuki Oden, I would train you as you need. Until the world would fear your name, you can acquire whatever your instincts desire, and people would give you the respect you would deserve, as befitting my heir."
"Kozuki Oden... was not pathetic!" she yelled, her voice hoarse. "He gave you that scar, didn't he?"
Her anger flared, burning like a fire inside her. Her anger, and something more, something deeper. Losing herself in the thrall of battle. To avenge Wano. To avenge Oden.
"That's why I will defeat you!"
She had never wanted it more. She had never wanted anything more, not in all her life. She had to defeat him! She had to leave this island! She had to save Izuku!
"Here and now!"
It erupted. Power burst out of her, waves of blue washing over the floor. Lesser pirates began to collapse, foaming at the mouth. Her club glowed with the same light.
Kaido blinked in surprise as the wave of power passed over him, and then lifted Hassaikai from his shoulder.
Then he smiled.
"Worororo~" Kaido slurred, his annoyance gone, something like excitement gleaming in his yellow eyes. "It seems I touched a nerve, huh? Enough to let you finally use it. It's a power befitting and proper of my heir."
Yamato glared, her blue aura fading and coalescing into Takeru. Lighting crackled around it, leaping out all around, searing into the walls and ground. Those pirates still conscious scattered, running for their lives.
"I am Kozuki Oden..." Yamato glowered. "I will not toil, will not falter come what may. And I will... surpass you!"
She gripped Takeru, and leapt at Kaido, the walls around her disintegrating as her power erupted.
"YOU SHITTY OLD MAAAN!"
"Come on then! Prove it to me!" Kaido exclaimed, face twisted into a demonic smile, eyes alight, arms wide. He has never been this eager and excited before.
"SHINSOKU!" Yamato roared, veering towards Kaido like a missile, Takeru brandished high. "HAKUJAKU!"
She swung, her black illuminated club striking Kaido in the gut, and hurling him back. The wall caved in as he struck, the gusting winds making her hair fly. Pirates screamed as they were caught in the maelstrom.
Yamato slumped to her knees, breathing hard.
"Mnnngh..."
A rumble echoed across the floor, and Yamato's eyes widened.
"Worororo… finally… you have made progress…"
Kaido emerged his outline on the wall clear, stepping through the hole he had made.
On his body, there was no mark, no evidence that anything had happened.
Yamato's mouth fell open. That…that had been everything. She had put everything into that strike!
"But, it's not good enough." Kaido said, frowning slightly, "I had such high hopes for that strike, I let down every guard that I could, and even that barely got through. Oh well... However, for your efforts I would be remiss not to return the favor."
Hassaikai crackled with dark violet lightning, and Yamato brought Takeru to bear, willing her heart to calm itself. "After all, you put a little spice into this night!"
He leered at her, as his eyes boring into her.
"Now let me show you the difference between us, between one who is free, with chains broken, his anchors cut!"
He brandished his club. Yamato forced herself to her feet, though her whole body was full of pain.
Yamato roared, pouring Haki into Takeru, and charged at her father as he took a step forward.
"Kaidoooo!"
"Kongo" Kaido said, his voice echoing on the wind as he swung.
She saw the club move and the world seemed to stop.
She couldn't dodge.
"Kabura!"
A violet shockwave erupted from Hassaikai. Yamato felt it wash over her, her father's Conqueror's Haki burning into her, even as she raised Takeru to block.
And then she flew. And flew. She felt walls disintegrate as she flew through them, vaguely heard cries of terror and surprise, people scampering out of the way.
And then she hit again. Stone, cold and hard, the inside of the Skull Dome's outer wall.
And then she fell, and hit the floor, Takeru landing with a clang beside her.
She gasped for air. Her lungs tightened, her arms and legs convulsing with pain. Lightning crackled along her body, burning her tormented flesh.
Pain. There was only pain. It hurt to breathe, to live, to think.
She could feel the floor bouncing. She looked up, through the blood dripping down her crown. And there was Kaido, his shadow blocking out the light.
His fingers grasped one of her horns. She hissed in pain, squirming at his touch.
But she couldn't move, it felt like every bone in her body was broken.
"Now do you see the difference? My child?" Kaido asked, his eyes bearing down on her, his voice rumbling with authority. "Now let me ask you, once more. Cast aside your ideal as Kozuki Oden. Forsake it, forsake your foolish crusade to save Wano, while posing unconvincingly as a man. Do so, and you will be free, and you will become so strong, you will be second in this world, only to me..."
Yamato struggled to breathe, as his words resounded in her skull.
To be his heir.
The heir to this cruel monstrous Empire. To forsake those people in Wano…
She couldn't find the strength to breathe. So instead she spat, bloody spittle landing on Kaido's cheek.
His eyebrow twitched. He dropped her, only for his palm to cover her face, and the world spun as her back was used to fold the ground under her. Yamato screamed a soundless scream as she lay there, crashing against debris at her back as she cried in agony.
"You think you will be free!?" he roared. "Look at our horns! Our mighty forms! Our unnatural strength! We are Oni, Yamato! Every battle, every brush with death, these things make us stronger! But we are among the last of our kind! The Flying Six! You! And me! We are all that is left!"
He glowered down at her. But there was something in his eyes that didn't belong there. Pain, and hate.
"Even if you leave this island, you will never be free! The world will hate you, fear you, and will hunt you down; as the World Government did long ago to our kind. They will never love you, no one will."
Yamato seethed in pain, taking deep breaths, trying to recover. But it was hard to do as she looked back at her father. Never has she had seen him so… vehement about this.
"You can serve someone nobly in the name of homeland, duty and strength… " His eyes looked to the side, as if recounting a memory. A bitter painful memory. "And in the end they will sell you out because of who you are! Humanity. Merfolk and Fishman. Mink-kind. All will forever and always fear us, unless they use you for their own ends!" Kaido roared, pointing his finger at her. "They envy us! Despise us!"
Yamato coughed, breathing as she was on her knees now, arms shaking with pain to keep herself as she glared up at her father.
"In all the world, you have only me." Those horrible yellow eyes bored into her, into her soul. "I am your world, and no other will say otherwise. For you are my child, the one and only thing in this world I truly possess outside of my strength and my ambition."
Yamato wanted to retort, to tell him that he was wrong. For he was wrong; she knew that now, more than ever.
For she had seen it, in a pair of soft emerald eyes.
But she kept silent. There was nothing to say. Kaido sighed, and took a deep breath.
"You think that glaring at me with those defiant eyes will make you Kozuki Oden? Yes, Oden gave me this scar. It will never fade."
He patted the cross shaped mark upon his chest. The only time someone had wounded him and left their mark.
"However, if you believe that he would have killed me during that battle…you are sorely mistaken. It ended the way it did because those Kurozumi rats got in the way of a good deathmatch."
He growled, hefting Hassaikai upon his shoulder.
"Regardless... Let me impart upon you a fifth and final lesson."
A dark grin began to form.
"If Kozuki Oden, the man you wish to become, couldn't surpass me... what hope do you have as you are?"
And then the world went quiet.
Yamato had tried so hard, for so long, to blot out her father's words. The cruel jeers of others, the mocking whispers behind her back, which fell silent whenever she turned around. She had always held firm, always persevered; as Oden did when he hung onto Whitebeard's ship. Through all those battles, as a Whitebeard and then as a Roger Pirate. And again when he came home, dancing in the streets like a lunatic, that his enslaved people might live another day; and one day be saved.
And last of all, in the oil pot, his retainers upon his back.
But this...
Her eyes widened up at him... her blood running cold.
She was Kozuki Oden, a great man, she called herself.
And yet…
It was crumbling. That thing she had built in her heart, that she had sustained and protected for so long; that had sustained her through years of darkness, and loneliness, and pain.
What hope…does she have?
How can she climb… the unclimbable?
Defeat the undefeatable?
Kill the immortal monster, who was her only flesh and blood?
He smiled down at her. And that smile was worse than every blow he had ever laid on her.
"Hn. I allowed you to be called my 'son' to indulge you. I would have rather liked a son, but alas… your mother passed when she gave birth to you. You are my daughter, my heir, the Oni Princess of Onigashima. Only when you accept this will you be able to surpass Kozuki Oden; a loser, a failure. Do not follow the path of a failure. Become who you are meant to be, my child."
He turned away.
"For as you are now, you will never leave a mark upon me."
He began to walk away, then paused, chuckling darkly.
"Worororo... this was a good night! A good bedding with Maria and the ladies, and this! Haaa…But... I should get some sake to go... I'll go to the cellar, grab some…then find a lounge. I wonder if King's in too… he better have some lines to spare…"
And he left, stepping through the holes he had made with his only child.
Yamato stayed on the ground. Her white robe was tattered, revealing bruised and bloodied arms. She began to walk, supporting herself with Takeru, fighting through the pain in… everywhere. Her vision was hazy as she limped. Thankfully no one was around, everyone too preoccupied in staying out of their scuffle, or too drunk to care.
Inside her broken body, her heart was at war. Why!? Why was she letting her father's words get to her like this!? Why now?!
She shook her head. She had to focus. She had to keep going.
Focus!
That's right… she lost sight of her goal during the thrall of an all too familiar battle.
'Remember why you chose to fight him,' she told herself mentally. 'Not to surpass him as Oden tried. But for…him.'
She forced her hand to her eyes, at her watch, praying that it was still working.
3:10 in the morning. Somehow, it lasted throughout the battle by miraculous fortune.
She was on the opposite side of the Skull Dome from her room, and the western beach was just beyond it.
She had to get there. That was all she had left to reach the rendezvous point, where she had first found him. It will be long and painful and arduous going down from the top floor to the bottom, but it can be done.
She lifted her head, smiling a smile that none would ever see.
"I hope… no..." she murmured to the empty stairwell, as she made her way down.
Kaido had hurt her, in a way he had not managed for many years. Her body was near-broken, and she felt little but pain.
But she had done her part. And she could only move forward. Through the pain. Through the words bounding in her head, feeling the fire of determination blossom within her.
"I will meet you there. Wait for me, Izuku."
(X)
Izuku flew down the pipes, following the chalk marks he had left.
He had done it! He had the key! And now he had to go! He had to find an empty room, and sneak out of the dome!
"Go left." Nana murmured. "I remembered a storage closet that was empty."
Izuku took the advice, turning left and racing down the pipe. He had never felt so alive! Never before had he been so close to death, to utter destruction.
'To think she fought that…thing…for all these years,' he thought. Yamato, the woman who was his only friend in this new world.
He was glad of her. So very glad of her. Grateful doesn't begin to describe the feeling he had inside him.
Izuku's heart swelled within him. He had to get her away from Onigashima, away from her father, and the Beast Pirates, and all the evil that festered in its dark depths.
"She is brave,," Hikage agreed.
"But it can't be called fighting," the Second said in a dour tone, "He was playing with her, never once taking her seriously even with everything that she threw. It had more in common with a parent stopping a child's tantrum than anything of substance."
"Yes, she is Kaido's daughter." Yoichi affirmed. "Family tends to go easier on each other when it comes to spats like these. I would know..." His voice drifted off.
"There's nothing we can do for now, except to go to the rendezvous," the Second User replied. "We have what we need. Collect the travel essentials first."
"Yeah, Yamato did her job." En added. "We must hurry."
"Of course." Izuku replied, patting his pocket where he had stowed his prize. He had swapped it with a piece of debris of about the same size, so Kaido might not notice right away. But time was of the essence.
They had to get out of here.
"There." Nana said, as Izuku saw the vent, the dark room illuminated only by the light from the door crack.
He unfurled his Black Whip, the tendrils reaching out and lifting the latch. He slunk out, closing the vent behind him, and descended to the floor with a sigh.
"Izuku, you're doing great. We are so proud of you… words can't describe it. " Nana assured him.
"Thank you," Izuku said with a soft smile.
He took a deep breath, and eased the door open. The lights were on, and there was no rampaging Ulti. And no sign of Malice either. Pirates were passed out drunk, and he could hear murmurings from behind other doors; no doubt other pirates were still partying. He looked about, wondering where he was, and saw a sign on the wall.
Third Floor.
He glanced at his watch. It was 3:50.
He strode off, trying to act natural, like he was just another pirate. All the same he glanced about, alert for danger, as he stepped onto the Live Floor. It was only somewhat less busy than it had been before; with many pirates lying around, crashed out drunk. Others staggered from one door to another, alone or in groups. Inside the buildings, he could hear music and merrymaking.
Izuku paused. If he cut straight across he would reach the western side faster. But he would be clearly visible to anyone who happened to be watching. Best not to risk it.
He stepped onto a pagoda, and dropped down into the castle's shadow. He moved quickly along the wall, under the awnings. After a few minutes of jogging and careful pausing, he made it to the other side.
Not a challenge, nor even a glance, came his way from the pirates. THey were too drunk, or too busy getting drunk.
Perfect.
He looked at his watch. 4:05.
(X)
It took a bit, but finally, Izuku had reached Yamato's side of the dome. He knew he had, for the corridors were as derelict as he remembered. The further he continued, the fewer and fewer pirates he encountered. He dashed up a flight of stairs, past some crashed-out pirates, and reached a familiar hallway.
This was her floor. This was where her room was.
He reached her room at a jog, sliding the door shut behind him. The dust he and Yamato had carefully arranged on the floor was undisturbed, and the equipment lay on the bed, right where they had left it. No one had been inside.
"All right. Now for the beach."
Izuku stepped over to the bed, and gathered up the backpacks, log poses, and goggles. This done, he stepped over to the window, and looked out. It was still dark, a heavy fog hovering all around.
He stepped out, activating Float as he went, and descended into the fog.
They were going to leave this place. At long last!
(X)
Across from Yamato's door, a wall panel slid open, and Spytand Malice stepped out.
"The beach…for what?" he asked aloud, as he reached into his hiding place and drew out the bazooka. He stepped up to the door, steeling himself. Got him.
"You shouldn't be in the Young Master's room Dek…"
He trailed off. There was no one there. He could see footprints in the dust in front of the door, but nothing beyond.
"Where did he go!?" he hissed.
He looked around the room, but there was nothing to see. He looked under the bed, tore off the covers, even glanced into the bathroom. But there was nothing obviously amiss. He looked again, wondering if he could have missed something.
Those crates…
He stormed over to the crates and pulled them aside. His heart leapt as he found a futon lying behind it. A futon that looked like it had been used recently.
Was this Deku's bed?
Only the window remained. He stepped over, and looked out. There was no sign of anything, just the usual thick fog. Had this Deku tried to climb out?
Then he looked down, and saw something on the stone sill. Something white. He brushed his finger over it, and it came away on the tip.
Chalk. The sill was marked with chalk. But why? The window was over a thousand meters above the ground! What could be the reason?
Unless…
Then he saw it. There was a distortion in the fog, a hole, slowly disappearing. What could it have been?
"The beach," he growled. It was his only lead now. He shouldered his bazooka, and clambered onto the sill.
"Geppou!"
He leapt into the fog.
(X)
Izuku landed upon the beach, and checked his watch. 4:25.
He looked around. Yes, this was the right beach, the one where Yamato had found him. This was the rendezvous point.
But Yamato wasn't here yet.
Izuku shook his head. One last thing to do, and all the better that she wasn't there.
With the gulls crying overhead, Izuku scuttled behind a rock, and began to pull off his Beast Pirate uniform. It wasn't the most embarrassing outfit he had ever worn, but it was the one he would least miss.
This done, he reached into his backpack, pulling out his old uniform. His green bodysuit with the white trim, the iron knee pads and iron-soled boots, and Gran Torino's cape as his scarf.
Yes, this was his real costume. A costume he was proud to wear, and it felt good to wear it again.
Even if it needed a good clean, and a lot of mending.
With his costume on, he looked up. In the distance, across the sea, he could see the faint violet light of dawn. His watch read 4:30.
"Please be okay, Yamato," he whispered, almost in prayer. He stepped out from behind the rock, and leant on a nearby tree. Beside him, a brook fell into a lagoon below, the sound curiously soothing. He glanced up at the Skull Dome, its eyes glowing with menace.
He felt sorry for anyone who had to face it head on. There could not be many armies or fleets in this world that could face such a nightmare cheerfully.
Izuku jumped, as he heard something. He spun round, and there was Yamato, emerging from the darkness. Her clothes were torn, and she was limping, but she was alive!
"Yamato!" he cried, his heart leaping as he waved. Yamato saw him, a bright smile erupting across her face, as she turned towards him.
Then his heart sank, as he saw her clearly. Her white robe and hakama were tatters, her sleeves torn away to reveal muscular arms. Her flesh was bruised and bloodied.
"You're hurt," he said.
"It's all right," she replied, grinning. "I knew this would happen."
Her eyes were bright, and Izuku's heart leapt to see them.
"I'm just glad you're okay, Izuku. Did you get it?"
"Yes, I did."
Izuku reached into his pocket and pulled out his prize; their prize. A simple stone key, as long as a serving spoon. But Yamato's mouth was agog, eyes wide, at the sight of it.
"Got the key," Izuku said, awkwardly. "In his pocket, right where you said."
Then he faltered, as Yamato fell to her knees, a hand covering her mouth, tears running down her face.
"I... I never would have imagined... this day would come. I believed in you but... this is all so... surreal."
She lifted her arms, the cuffs rattling with the chains. "I'm... I'm going to be free… I'm going to be free…" She looked up, her eyes filled with light and gratitude. "Izuku how... how can I ever thank you...?"
Her voice was hoarse, quavering. She covered her mouth again as she sobbed with joy.
No, not just joy. But grief too. Grief for the wasted years, the wasted life, trapped on Onigashima.
"It's all right. We did this." He said, laying his hands on hers. Hers were so much bigger, yet covered in scars and calluses, so much like his own. His green eyes looked into hers. "I couldn't have done this without you."
"Even so... I... I never dreamed of this... Izuku, you're a miracle..." She took a deep breath. "You're... my hero."
Izuku's heart was aglow, for the first time since had come to this strange world. Saving Xandra had been important to him, but not like this. Even when he had heard Yamato's tale, and told her his, he never would have imagined her eyes could be so bright.
Yes, even through the sickening despair and soul-crushing fear that had tormented him this night. That despair and fear, that now seemed like just a memory.
He would do it all again. For her, he would do anything.
"Come on, let's go," he said. "Hold up your hands."
Yamato beamed like a young girl on Christmas morning, holding out her shaking wrists.
"I still… can't believe this is happening."
"It is. Just hold still." Izuku laid a hand on hers, and aimed the key for the first shackle, sliding it into the lock.
"Now, you are…"
His head blazed, his Danger Sense blazing like a new-born star. He saw Yamato perk up too, her eyes wide and hard.
"Yamat…!"
An explosion buffeted him, roaring in his ears, hurling him away. He looked up, just in time to see Yamato vanish over the cliff edge, a dark shape wrapped around her. He heard her scream as she fell, and a splash below.
No! Not the water! She couldn't swim!
"Yamato!" he shrieked, scrambling towards the cliff edge, One for All activating as he slid along the sand, avoiding what was coming his way.
The tree fell, sliced it in two.
"Well, I never saw this coming," drawled a cruel voice.
Spytand Malice stepped out from behind the rocks. He wore his black coat like a cape, revealing a muscular, scarred body. His hair was blonde, with a pronounced widow's peak. His face was stern, and without feeling, as he fixed Izuku with two red eyes.
"At first I thought you were lovers," he went on. "But stealing Lord Kaido's own child? That's a new one, Deku. I have to hand it to you."
He smiled a cruel smile, and tossed the object he was carrying - what looked like a flintlock bazooka - away.
Izuku gritted his teeth, and glanced down the waterfall. Yamato was in the lagoon, head and body above water, writhing in some kind of net.
"Izu...ku!" Yamato cried out weakly, and coughed. "I'm... okay! Just...ahhh... damn... seastone and the water...cold!"
"Oh relax, she's in a seastone capture net," Malice oiled. "Can't kill her after all, or else it'll be my head that rolls, and not yours."
Izuku glowered at him. Yes, this was Spytand Malice, the newest of the Flying Six. Yamato had told him about this man, that he had once been a Vice-Admiral of the Marines, condemned for some unknown crime.
"You will not leave this place," Malice went on. ". I will present you both to Lord Kaido, and he will reward me. He will permit me to fight one of the All-Stars, and I will take my place by his side."
He took off his coat, it fluttering to the side as he stood in his pants and combat boots.
"Of course, I alone will take the glory," he said. "I won't let anyone else steal what is mine."
"That's not happening," retorted Izuku, with all the determination he could muster. "Yamato and I are leaving this place…"
His heart roiled as he remembered the slaves, and their suffering. He remembered what Yamato had told him, of the slaves on Onigashima, and the people of Wano. He remembered his eyes meeting Kaido's in the Live Floor. And feeling his presence drown him…
Never again.
It may not be now… but one day, one day soon. He will…
Surpass him!
"And one day we'll return, and I'll destroy Kaido myself!"
Malice stared at him for a moment, and then barked a hysterical laugh.
"You!? Destroy Kaido!? You haven't even beat me yet! I, who was a Vice Admiral of the Marines!"
Izuku's lip curled, his stomach churning. He hadn't been a serving Hero long, but there was one thing he knew. If there was one thing Heroes and police officers hated, more than anything, it was one of their own who had fallen from grace. He had never understood it, not until much later, not until he had learned that even Heroes could fall.
"Yamato me about that," he said, glaring. "She told me you were a Marine, once. You fought for law, and order, and justice."
He felt sick. He felt dirty. Just looking at Malice made him want to scream.
"Why!?" he demanded. "How can you do it!? How can you stand with them!? You've seen what they do!"
But then he faltered. He had expected some vicious smirk, or more laughter. But Malice's smile was gone, as was that arrogant swagger. He just looked…angry, resentful, as if Izuku had somehow insulted him.
And the look in his eyes…he had seen it before.
"If you've seen this world," Malice growled. "You wouldn't have to ask."
His lips curled, revealing teeth lengthening into fangs.
"If you knew what their Absolute Justice was, what that justice served? "
His eyes changed, turning into reptilian slits. His whole body bulged, his clothes shifting and tearing as he transformed. His head lengthened into a dinosaur's muzzle. His legs grew and bent, a mighty tail reaching from his back.
"You think you can touch Kaido as you are now!? You insignificant whelp!"
His skin turned green, the flesh becoming scales.
"Know this! I am Spytand Malice! Of the Flying Six!" he roared with devilish pride. "I was a Vice Admiral from Marine HQ! My bounty is 303 million Berries! What can you, a mere child, compare to that!?"
His fangs grew longer and longer, gleaming like swords.
"I will claim my place as an All-Star! And when Lord Kaido begins his war, I will be his spear! We'll overturn this world, and I'll stand on the mountaintop, among the mightiest of all!"
And Malice loomed over Izuku, as a massive green-scaled Tyrannosaurus Rex; bigger even than Ulti and Page One. His tail swung, smashing a nearby rock into dust.
"And you will be nothing but a bare skull upon the road behind me!" Malice growled, slitted red eyes glaring down at him. "Make your prayers to your god boy! Stealing from an Emperor of the Sea will not grant you a quick death!"
Izuku stared up at him, his soul steadfast and firm, and something else. Why had those eyes unsettled him so?
"I don't care!" he snapped, driving down whatever fear he had of him. He had no time for this, not for his mad rantings or his dark dreams. "I'll stop you! I'll stop all of you! One day! I will bring all of you down!"
And he would. He had to. He didn't understand Malice, nor did he know much about the World Government he had once served, and now so clearly hated. But that was no reason to let Kaido have his way!
"We will leave here!" He took a deep breath, remembering everything.
Everything he'd seen, Everything he couldn't stop.
The death. The pain. The despair.
His emerald eyes glowed, bright as steel, as he stared back into those malevolent blood red orbs. "And you aren't going to stop us!"
The dinosaur stared at him, and charged, a snarling roar erupting from Malice's maw.
And there you have it, chapter 14 is in the books. With more pictures this time! Not sure what audio clips could work here, unlike in Chapter 10. But yeah, we in the climax now. Izuku vs Malice! And right after Yamato got dunked on by Kaido. And things have begun to take root too.
For those who don't know, Malice is based off of Colonel Silver from the Red ribbon Army in Dragon Ball, but with Blonde hair. While his Dragon Dragon Fruit: Model Tyrannosaurus Rex is an Ancient zoan, and based off of Sharptooth from the first Land Before Time movie.
With the One Piece manga, Yamato isn't joining the crew(yet as of 8/19/22) so she can still be played around with and not mess with the Straw Hats and whether or not they join. As for whether I liked her joining or not, I mean I would have been cool if she was, but I'm not took broken up about it. Honestly, Carrot deserves to join to fulfill Pedro's last will. Just being shoved off to Zou because Dogstorm and Catviper are gonna retire seems silly to me.
And Law is compensating for something. He shouldn't be doing the dumb things Luffy's doing because Kidd's a troll. But yeah, Wano is at an end.
Again, big thanks to Juubi-K for his polish and IKnowNothing for his edits. Fixed up so much good in here. Hope you liked the pictures added in, or did you prefer it being more hyperlinked? Let me know below, and I'll see ya in the next one.
Which should be in 1-2 weeks, as I'll get to writing on the next one Monday or so.