"Oh oh! An ice cream shop! Let's go to that one next!" Yamato called out, as she led the way down the busy street.
"That one? We just had the lobster and those sandwiches!" Haruta laughed.
"She has an appetite." Izuku smiled, happy to see Yamato in higher spirits this morning.
They had spent the better part of the day exploring Melville, and visiting every restaurant they could find. Izuku had done some shopping, checking out some handy items like eyeglasses, a few select Transponder Snails, and other essentials. He had bought some gloves and sunglasses, if only to help with around the ship and to better hide his identity outside of his yellow cape scarf.
"I'll say," Haruta mused. "If what you told me about her is for real, I wouldn't mind trying to spar against her sometime!"
"If you want a spar I'm down, although I… don't exactly use swords." Izuku scratched his cheek.
"Expanding your combat repertoire wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, Izuku." The Second User spoke matter of factly. "When's the next time someone like the Finalem brothers comes around?"
The emerald hero winced, not having a good counter. And Haruta seemed to agree.
"Don't be so stubborn Izuku! You'll be fighting against pirates and Marines who use all sorts of weapons down the line!" Haruta declared. "It'll be more like a game of tag with us. Me with my sword sheathed, and you, well, using whatever you got."
"Well, if you're down for a spar later on, we can do just that. I need to see how strong I am compared to the Commanders. If I can't beat one of you guys, I'll never beat Kaido." He looked down at his fists.
"Perfect, I mean to stand among the world's greatest swordsman one day and any practice I can get is welcomed!" Haruta pulled out his saber, flipping it around, and showing off some stabs and slashes. "I always take the time to spar with Vista. He and I have been dueling ever since I joined."
"Did you ever get any wins against him?" Izuku asked, as they reached the ice cream shop. Haruta scoffed.
"Pffft, not one. Vista's always beaten me. Heck, the first time we spared, he'd pinned me down before my sword was half drawn. Sure I improve every time, but it's never enough. He's the Flower Blade for a reason."
Haruta sheathed his sword, and sat down at a table. "The only one who could ever beat him was Oden, at least in our crew. Outside, the only one was the Dark King Rayleigh from Roger's crew."
Izuku's eyebrow went up. Oden had mentioned Vista one or two times in his journal; commending him as a prodigy of two-sword fighting, and for his popularity among the ladies.
"Roger's First Mate?"
"Yeah, heard Rayleigh whooped him a new one back in the day, when Oden joined us." Haruta sighed. "Make no mistake about it though. I'm gonna surpass Vista, and then I'll be gunning for Mihawk!"
"Seems like you have your dream figured out. Nice." Izuku smiled, while Haruta grinned and rubbed his nose.
"Taking it one step at a time. Can't just rush in blindly. Gotta know when I'm ready ya know?"
"I know the feeling. As I am right now… I don't think I can do anything against Kaido's All-Stars." Izuku surmised. "Malice was a tough fight."
"Comes with the territory, dude," Haruta replied with a smirk. "The higher your profile, the bigger your bounty. And the bigger your bounty, the more seriously people take you; and the harder your fights get. The guys who last the longest either make up for their weaknesses somehow, or they're just-."
The two gaped at what had just landed on the table between them. It was an ice cream sundae, a literal mountain of ice cream; about the size of two pillows stacked on top of eachother.
"Did I miss anything?" Yamato asked, as she sat down and set to work on her cold treat.
"Just talking about well, Izuku here having a bounty," Haruta commented awkwardly.
"Yeah, you're lucky Izuku," Yamato said , as she began to wolf down the ice cream.
"Wish I never really got one, but it is what it is," Izuku mused. "I wonder why you didn't get one. Mine was clearly a sketch, but they should have photos of you on hand or something."
"Maybe Kaido doesn't want the Government knowing he has a family." Haruta crossed his arms. "Least that's my guess on things."
"Or he is doing it because he won't give me one." Yamato pouted. Izuku could see people looking their way; though his Danger Sense was silent. "I'll have to get a bounty on my own."
"Yamato," Izuku said sternly. "Remember what we talked about?"
He gave her a hard look, and Yamato blinked.
"Oh." She paled just a little "Doyle…"
"Best we keep under the radar as much as we can," insisted Izuku firmly.
"Relax, you're among friends and family," Haruta reassured them. "No one on this island will sell you guys out."
That did seem to ease Izuku's mind a little, yet he couldn't help but keep on guard, especially if his Danger Sense went off.
"Hey mommy?" A small child was pointing at them, his other forefinger up his nose. "Doesn't that tall lady look like that Crone?"
"The Crone?" Yamato tilted her head, taking a napkin to dab her lips.
"Victor!" snapped a woman, who appeared to be the boy's mother. "I'm sorry, he's young. Please excuse us."
She tugged her son along, and vanished into the bustling street.
"Who's the Crone?" Izuku asked.
"Some old resident on the island." Haruta paused, then lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper; leaning in close for effect.
"There was talk of some kind of witch living on the outer edge of the island. Some parents use her to scare their kids and stuff like that." He shrugged. "I asked Pops about it. He says she's just an old hermit living on her lonesome, fishing for food and shopping in town for essentials. She's super shy, apparently, and likes to keep to herself."
"I wonder why he said I looked like her though," Yamato pondered, taking another swallow of ice cream as Izuku looked towards the harbor. The breeze was nice, but it was getting stronger.
"Hmm…the winds howling." Haruta closed his eyes, and Izuku could see people whispering amongst themselves.
Then he saw it. Far away to the west, as the sun began to fall. Thick white clouds, looming in the sky; their undersides gray and dark.
"That's a typhoon forming," the Third said.
On cue, a siren wailed. Haruta opened his eyes and stood up, as people began to scamper away.
"Crap, I knew it," he hissed.
"Hurricane!"
"We got to get to the shelters!"
Izuku stood up, as did Yamato; looking in dismay at her half-eaten sundae. "A hurricane? Oden mentioned those! Those are nasty storms right?"
"You bet. Come on, we gotta head back to the Moby Dick!" Haruta grabbed his bag. "Pops will want us to help out around town!"
Izuku activated his Float, and coiled his Black Whips around Yamato and Haruta.
"Hang on!" he called, as he flew away towards the harbor. Around him, people were lugging sandbags into position around their doors, and fastening heavy-looking shutters over their windows. For a moment, he missed his old world; with its weather satellites and meteorologists. A hurricane like this would have been predicted days in advance. Judging by the heavy shutters, and how quickly people were reacting, this had happened to them before. Probably many times before.
They reached the Moby Dick, and Izuku set Yamato and Haruta down on the deck. The crew were hard at work, tying up the sails and moving any loose items below. They weren't panicking, but there was urgency in the air that he hadn't felt there before.
"Go down and help out!" he told his friends. "I'll see what I can do about that hurricane!"
"What!?" Haruta looked at him as if he lost his mind. "The hell are you talking about dude!?"
"It's okay! Izuku changed the weather with his punches!" Yamato beamed. "He can probably dislodge that hurricane with a one-two jab!"
"Maybe in the Blue Seas, not in the New World! Those are different beasts man!" Izuku could see pleading in his eyes. "We gotta tie down the ship and help the townsfolk!"
"You do that! I have to try and stop that storm!" Izuku glanced down at his attire, patting his gold necklace. It had been a long time since he'd done Hero Work out of costume. It reminded him of that time with Gentle Criminal. He smirked at the memory. "It's going to be all right!"
"Izuku, hold on!"
But he was already flying, heading straight for the rumbling clouds.
(X)
Haruta cursed. Yamato glanced at him, perplexed by his reaction.
"It'll be okay!" she insisted with her usual smile. "He can change the weather!"
"Not against a named hurricane," retorted Haruta, glaring up at her.
Yamato paled as she looked out over the roiling sea, to where the hurricane was looming ever closer, a familiar green spark flying towards it.
"He'll be okay. I know he-"
"Yamato! Haruta!" They turned, and saw Marco hurrying towards them. "You're back! Where's Izuku?"
'He went into the storm! He's going to dislodge it with his punches!" declared Yamato. "He can do that!"
"Maybe on an island high above sea level. Not this!" He bit back a curse as Whitebeard came strolling towards them. He was as calm as a cup of water.
"Pops!" cried Marco, turning to him. "Izuku's in the storm! I'm going in after him!"
Whitebeard's eyes widened in what might only have been surprise. Then he nodded. "Go."
Marco nodded, and his body turned blue. Yamato and Haruta stepped back as he transformed, his blue phoenix form leaping into the sky, and flying towards the storm.
"Now listen up!" Whitebeard yelled, all eyes turning to him. "Divisions 1 through 4 will help the shipwrights and any crews in the docks! All ships to be anchored, all loose objects tied down! Divisions 4 through 16 will go through the city, and make sure no one's left in the open! Get anyone you find to the shelter at Mt Hermann. I'll handle the storm myself when Marco gets back!"
"Right!" She looked to Haruta. The boy nodded in turn.
"Let's go! Twelfth Division! With me!" Haruta called out. The men shouted back, and followed him down the ramp. Yamato leapt off the deck, and landed on the dock beside them. As they hurried up the main street, she could see the other Division Commanders fanning out along the docks and through the streets. There was Fossa, Jiru…
…and Izou, with his division.
Immediately she looked away, staring straight ahead, trotting alongside Haruta while fighting the urge to look in Izou's direction. The wind was picking up, making the buildings groan.
They were going to help people in need, to save them from danger. This was like the Hero stories Izuku had told her about.
The work went in a blur. Most of the locals were already off the streets; but there were still some needing help; getting sandbags into place, or a flapping shutter secured. Others were struggling with young children, or the sick, or the elderly. These individuals they helped to the shelter.
"Wait…" Yamato paused, as a thought popped into her head. "The Lonely Crone…I should check on her! Haruta!" she called out, and the boy looked her way. "I'm going to help out that old lady!"
"The Crone? Alright, go get her, but be careful!" he shouted back. The girl nodded, and broke into a sprint down the deserted main street. She was on the edge of the island, but with her speed she would manage just fine.
But wait…which edge of the island was she on?
"Crap…not good." Yamato's mind quickly started to panic, only to recall how quickly Izuku lept into danger and took a breath. "Just stay calm, if she lives alone, then she's probably on a part of the island with virtually no people so…."
Yamato closed her eyes and focused her mind. The world around her went silent, as if the storm wasn't happening. She could sense the people around her, glowing figures in her mind's eye.
"No, not there. She's gotta be further away, away from all the other people."
She reached out, extending her mind further and further, but there was no one to be found.
Then, finally, one presence; a few miles away.
"Okay, no time to think. Time to be a hero"
(X)
Izuku narrowed his eyes.
The storm was wild, more so than he had expected. The maelstrom raged around him, buffeting him with wind and rain. The wind hammered him with blow after blow, while rain splashed over his face, running into his eyes. If only he had brought his goggles.
Out of options, he wrapped his Black Whip around his face, leaving a thin visor to see through. He flew on through the clouds, his soaked clothes flapping against his cold flesh, freezing him to the bone. He heard the rumble of thunder, and his Danger Sense buzzed.
Then he saw it.
He had seen storms before, from a distance or in pictures. But never up close, and never like this. A vortex of roiling black cloud, crackling with lightning, twisters of water coiling up from the ocean below.
The cold reached his heart. Haruta had been right. This was no mere summer storm he could disperse with a punch or two. This was biblical, a thing of legend; nature's fury made manifest. This was a destroyer of cities, a ruiner of nations.
And he was facing it alone.
"You're never alone Izuku. We are always here with you." Yoichi spoke with confidence, earning nods from the other Vestiges.
"Yeah, now let's kick some Cumulonim-ASS!" Daigoro practically roared with excitement, actually managing to make the young hero forget his fear.
His arms glowed with the energy he had slowly siphoned into them. Around his body, Black Whip braced, readying itself for the onslaught. Fa Jin charged.
"Faux 100%," he growled, and drew back his fist, aiming at the nearest twister. "Texas Smash!"
He punched, the energy pouring into the air and compressing it into a bolt as dense as stone. The bolt flew, flying into the cyclone and blowing it apart. His arm vibrated with bone-shattering force, the Black Whip undulating as it absorbed and compensated.
One down, but many more to come. Izuku could see them, whirling like dancing snakes, reaching into the heavens; as the hurricane continued on its way, unmoved by his defiance.
He looked down at his legs, where the glow was stronger. He focussed, digging deep, picturing the egg in the microwave. In the back of his mind he could see Melville, the Moby Dick in the harbor. All those ships, all those people.
Focus…focus…55%...
"Faux…110%...Shoot Style!" He kicked out his right leg, pumping his arms, charging them with Fa Jin. "St Louis Air Force!"
Green light erupted from his leg, slicing into one twister, then curving around into another, and another, and another. On and on it flew, twister after twister flying apart in showers of water and bursts of wind. It reached the main vortex…
…and then it was gone.
Izuku roared and flew forward, charging straight into yet another cyclone; glowing like an emerald star in the gloom. The wind howled around him, and the water drenched him like a mighty wave. He thrust out his arms, glowing red with Fa Jin's power, Black Whip clenched tight around them.
"SMASH!" The energy erupted, and the cyclone disintegrated. As the water flew away, he saw another cyclone nearby. He punched, punched again, and again, his air bolts blasting cyclone after cyclone.
But yet more cyclones appeared. Izuku could see them, rising up from the sea as the twisters reached down. Lightning cracked above him, striking down from a vortex the size of an island; the black clouds rumbling as if in triumph; as if to mock him.
That was his true target. That was where he had to go.
Izuku smiled, as he kicked out his legs, charging them up. "I'm not done yet!" He readied his right leg, his Danger Sense buzzing harder. "St. Louis Air Force!" He kicked outward. "SMAAASH!" The red-emerald air blast erupted like a wave, heading straight for the Eye. The blast struck, and Izuku's eyes widened as ripples spread from the impact point.
And then vanished, as if they had never been.
The wind was screaming. Izuku felt small objects hitting him, and he veered away as a sheet of white flashed dropped through the sky; like sand falling from a truck. But Izuku knew it wasn't sand.
Hail. Even in this humid environment, this hurricane was unleashing hail too!
"No!" he yelled, amid the storm's roar. Lightning flashed and cracked, as if the storm were a beast roaring a challenge.
"Missouri Air Force!" he lashed out, hands slicing the air, emerald crescents flashing towards the eye. But again they vanished into the darkness, and again he had to dodge another flurry of hail.
It was quickly becoming apparent to Izuku that even as far as storms go, this one was far more potent then any he'd heard of back home.
His clothes were drenched, sticking to him, weighing him down. The wind roared in his ears, making them ache. He had to wrap Black Whip around them, shutting out the cacophony. All the while his Danger Sense was working overtime to help him avoid the many pieces of hail, some the size of basketballs.
And then his eyes widened, as he saw something within the eye.
Sea Kings. Flailing helplessly amid a cloud of debris. Had the storm ripped up an entire island? Were even Sea Kings not immune to its power?
He backed off, charging his legs to attack again. His Danger Sense screamed, and he flew back. Lightning flashed down, ozone filling his nostrils. He looked left and right, up and down, his vision constricted by the Black Whip. All he could see was more twisters, more than there had been when he started, rising from the churning ocean with every moment.
How in the heck did the people of this world survive this weather?
Izuku roared, lashing out again and again, railing and beating at the eye with all his might. Again and again the clouds rippled, but nothing would pass through. His Danger Sense screamed, and he leapt to one side, barely avoiding a flailing Sea King the size of a cruise ship, as it flew out of the cloud. Hail came after it, hammering into his Black Whip, ripping his clothes, beating and tearing at his near-numb flesh. Blood spurted from a thousand cuts, and Izuku wrapped his Black Whip around his arms to shield them.
Still the wind howled. Still the thunder roared. Still the lightning crackled, and the sea roiled. All as if he wasn't even there.
He backed off, and glared at the storm, gripping his fists. He would not give up yet. He could not give up yet.
"I won't let you!" he growled, and took a deep breath. His body glowed red, green lightning crackling around him stronger than before.
Then he took up, flying up and into the clouds. If he couldn't break the storm from below, he would try from above.
He flew into the black miasma, the wind whirling and howling around him, the lighting crackling and flashing. Higher and higher he flew, his Danger Sense burning ever brighter. It flared, and he dodged, lightning flashing past. He dodged again, and again, his ears ringing, his nostrils filling with the smell of ozone, his whole body burning with static.
Keep going up! Keep going up!
And then he was through, into a patch of clear and quiet sky. He looked around, seeing the bright blue sky above him, and the dark mass of clouds below.
And there it was. The vortex of the eye, a whirlpool of darkness; with a cloud of debris swirling around it. Rocks, trees, buildings, Sea King carcasses.
Izuku hissed as he dodged an uprooted tree. Then a massive rock. Then a shark. He swerved and ducked, arms and legs glowing bright red, until he made his way to the very center, and looked down at the Eye.
"Air Force!" he bellowed, as he saw the mass of darkness below him. 55% wasn't going to cut it.
"Midoriya…" the Second warned.
"That hurricane will destroy Melville. I have to stop it!" He dived down, his arms and legs blazing green and red; ignoring his body's agony. He aimed with one leg, twirling fast as he built up speed. A cloud was forming up around him, a glowing red and green twister, twin lights glowing within.
"Air Force! Faux… 200%!" He focused on his left leg as the combining lights began to mix, becoming blue. Going to his max, what he perceived at 100%, braced by Black Whip and enhanced by Fa Jin.
"NEW MEXICO!" And he kicked down, as a landmass the size of a small mountain veered towards him. "SMAAAAAAASH!"
The blue blast flew, slamming into the mountain and shattering it, flying onward into the Eye. The backlash buffeted Izuku, and he felt the pain in his leg; vague and distant through his adrenalin high, yet he didn't care.
Then he stared, as he saw the Eye reform itself. Unharmed. Unfazed.
Izuku felt his Danger Sense roar, and he dodged another mountain, this one covered in coral. He flew away, dodging more debris, glaring down at the tempest.
And yet more cyclones appeared, turning from white to black as they rose.
"What the hell is with this storm!?" Izuku yelled, flying to avoid more debris. All that, and he had only made it fluctuate! But if he could get three shots off in rapid succession, that should do it.
Right?!
"I won't… lose to youuuu!" he roared. His friends, the only family he had now, were in Melville. If he failed, they would not survive; not against a horror like this.
More and more cyclones emerged. Izuku winced, his broken leg flailing, pain spiking through his body. He had to get rid of them!
"Faux 200%-"
A burst of blue fire flashed past, destroying the Sky Twisters. Izuku turned, and his heart leapt as a bright blue Phoenix soared through the sky towards him.
"Marco!" Izuku cried.
"Izuku!" Marco yelled back, barely audible over the storm. "Izuku, come on! We have to go!"
"I can't!" Izuku's voice was hoarse. "The storm!"
"Pops is gonna handle it! Now come on!"
Izuku almost tried to argue, but another glance at the storm forced him to admit this was out of his hands.
Marco banked around him, flapping his wings. Even at near top speed, he was in perfect pace. Izuku fell in alongside him, and they flew away from the eye; even as more Sky Twisters formed ahead of them.
The green haired hero eyed Marco for an answer, and the Phoenix pirate nodded, signaling what to do.
Izuku charged his good right leg to 55%, and braced with Black Whip and Fa Jin. Marco's wing began to bulge and swirl in its blue fire.
"Air Force!"
"Blue!"
"SMASH!"
"BIRD!"
Emerald radiance and blue fire flashed forth, blasting the twisters apart. Beyond them, Izuku could see a clear blue sky, and a gleaming sea. They flew on, bolting for the gap while they had the chance. Izuku flew fast, faster than ever before; faster than when he had Yamato on his back.
And they were out; through the gap and into the blue sky beyond. Behind them, the black hurricane rumbled and growled, as if angry to be denied its prey. Izuku could see Melville in the distance, and ahead of it the faint outline of the Moby Dick. Marco changed, reverting to his human form; though blue fire wreathed his arms which became wings, and legs; all of which ended in talons.
"Grab my Snail in my pocket," Marco urged. Izuku reached in, patting his pockets until he found the snail; pressing the button.
The Snail clicked, and the face changed.
"This is Teach!" The long nosed pirate grinned as Izuku pointed the snail towards the blonde Phoenix. "What's up Marco!"
"I got Izuku out of the storm. Tell Pops to swing away."
"Swing away?" Izuku asked aloud.
"You got it!" The Snail went limp. Marco banked away, and Izuku followed; and they veered around towards the island.
"Take a look, Midoriya Izuku," Marco said with a smirk, and Izuku fixed his eyes on the Moby Dick. He felt the air go still, and for just an instant, his Danger Sense flickered.
The ocean split, cleaved in two, as if by the Staff of Moses. The clouds parted, cut in twain. Izuku's mouth fell open as he saw the immense eye of the storm come apart; the skies bright and blue beyond.
It was dispersing.
Goosebumps rose on his cold, wet form. The air was quiet, and entirely still; as if the very wind had crouched down in fear.
And then a gust blew over him, almost blowing him away.
"Whitebeard… did that?!" Izuku gasped.
"Yeah. He neutered the storm," Marco replied, smiling.
"But… how?! From his Devil Fruit?!"
"No." Marco looked back. "That's just Pops. And his Haki too."
His Haki. The Color of the Conqueror. The same power Kaido possessed.
"Jesus Christ..." The Second User was stunned, the other veteran heroes sharing his sentiment, finally understanding the true scope of what the title of Emperor meant in this world….and a proper taste of what to expect when they finally confronted Kaido.
It was a sobering revelation for sure.
Izuku looked at his wet hand. If only he had Haki…
"Come on, we still got a job to do," ordered Marco. "Yamato and the others are taking care of the town. They're ferrying the folks to the shelters just in case. It's just a tropical storm, but it pays to be careful. Still…"
He turned towards Izuku, eyes suddenly hard, and shifting one of his wings back into a hand, smacked the young hero upside his head.
"Izuku, what the hell were you thinking!?" he demanded as he got back to flapping, his hand turning back into a wing again. "Did you seriously think you could handle a hurricane!?" Izuku winced, suddenly feeling like he was being lectured by Aizawa again.
"I thought I could! All Might was able to back home!" he pleaded, drowning in embarrassment.
"And your leg?!" shrieked Marco, pointing his finger at the aforementioned and visibly bleeding limb. "Don't tell me you used 100%, after what your mentors and doctors in your world told you?!" As if on cue, the pain returned with a vengeance, making Izuku groan.
"Come here," Marco ordered. He waved a wing, and blue flame washed over Izuku's body.
"I had to do something!" insisted Izuku. He felt small and foolish, and it hurt. "I thought I could handle it!"
Izuku looked down, watching as the bruises and cuts caught fire in blue, and slowly vanished.
The pain in his leg was fading. The bone was set in place, and the red welts and slashes, visible through the torn cloth, were slowly disappearing.
So this was Marco's healing power. To think it could heal him so quickly, after all that!
"I don't know how things are where you're from, but this is the New World!" Marco retorted sternly. "The weather here will chew you up and spit you out if you're not prepared! What did you and Yamato do when you ran into nasty weather?!"
"We just went around or over it!" Izuku sighed, realizing fully he'd messed up and looked back to Marco. "I'm sorry for going off on my own like that. I guess it was just…force of habit. I didn't understand how strong that storm was. It won't happen again, I promise. And thank you for saving me." He looked back, his eyes looking directly at the blond.
Marco sighed, and then smiled wearily at him; as if he were a troublesome child he just couldn't stay mad at.
"Well you know now. You were only trying to help, and I know you'd do the same for me. For now, let's go check on the shelters at Mt. Hermann. Yamato and Haruta should be there, and they might need some help."
"Thank you, Marco." Izuku nodded. "I'll apologize to Pops too. He had to hold off because of me." He felt a pit grow in his stomach, as he realized what he had just said and the implications. But Marco put a hand on his shoulder, and squeezed it. Izuku glanced at him, his eyes warm.
"He forgives ya, believe me," he replied with a smile. "Gotta say, nice kick too." He winked, transforming into phoenix mode. Izuku bashfully smiled.
"Let's go. I'll handle the upper shelters. You the lower."
"Right!"
Izuku turned towards Mt. Hermann, and accelerated, with Marco right behind him.
(X)
"Get the people to the shelters!" Izou shouted. Around him, his men were working fast; helping the elderly and infirm up to the Mt. Hermann shelters. The storm was gathering in strength, darkening the horizon like a solar eclipse. But Izou had faith. Pops would take care of it, even if he only weakened the storm instead of dissipating it.
He looked up the mountain road to where the shelters lay; carved out of natural caves inside Mt Hermann. The first rain was starting to fall; first a trickle, then a shower, then a downpour. He could only hope the the shelters had good drainage.
"Commander!" Izou turned, seeing Malaki trotting up the road towards him. Behind him came more pirates, carrying small children on their backs. "Haruta's division has finished! All that's left is us!"
"Good work Malaki!" Izou nodded, patting him on the shoulder. "Get the men to one of the spare shelters, and ride this out!" He looked out, seeing the faint outlines of cyclones within the storm; lit up by the lightning.
If they had not been there, the city would have struggled to evacuate. And the shipyards would have been flattened. Small mercies.
"Understood. I'll go to the ones below and make markers for them to follow." Izou nodded, and Malaki trotted off. Izou looked at the scene around him; at the road carved out of a slope, surrounded by trees, shrubbery, and boulders.
Fossa, Jiru, and the others had done their part. They had to do this orderly and quickly so as to not cause chaos. And out of the corner of his eye, he could see many of his fellow Whitebeard Pirates running down the road to get to the spare shelter. Those fast enough, or reckless enough, were running for the city, hoping to get back aboard the Moby Dick and ride out the storm.
They had handled worse. Worse than what that storm could do after Pops was done with it.
Speaking of…
"Why isn't Pops taking care of that storm?" he mused aloud. "He should have cut it by now."
He could see the hurricane inching closer and closer. The rain was coming in hard, the wind picking up. Izou had to step under a tree to avoid it.
What was taking Whitebeard so long?
"Get to the shelter!" Izou shouted, seeing the last of his group struggling up the mountain. Gritting his teeth, he stepped out into the rain, the ground turning to mud beneath his feet. His feet slipped and caught in the mud, but they made it to the shelter entrance; where his men piled up their sandbags.
"Okay, to the shelter below!" he ordered. The men obeyed, struggling back down the muddy path until they reached their own shelter. It was a great tube, the size of a ship, cut into the mountainside. As they filed through the door, Izou glanced back towards Melville, at the black morass of cloud that was still approaching. Where was Pops?
He heard a rumble overhead. But it wasn't thunder.
"Wait! Waaaait!" Izou looked up from closing the door, and froze.
Her.
Yamato was trudging up the hill, her clothes drenched and splattered with mud. In her arms lay what looked like a bundle of rags; but Izou could just make out arms and legs.
"I got one! This old lady by the shore!" Yamato called out. Then she hesitated, as she saw Izou's glared.
…
"Give her to me," he ordered, mastering himself. Yamato handed the old women into his arms. She was shivering, and what little skin he could see was pale and lined. She hardly weighed anything at all.
It was a miracle she was even still breathing at this point.
Izou handed her to Malaki, and then turned back to the door.
"Wait, let me come with you!" Yamato called out and Izou looked inside. The shelter was looking full. "I can help!"
"We can't. Go to another shelter." Izou said, looking back. "We're at capacity."
"I won't take much room! Honest!"
"We are full." Izou hissed as he pressed on the button to lock and seal the shelter from the outside. "Go to another shelter, and that's an ord-"
Thunder crashed right overhead, and a bolt of lightning struck the shelter's metal front. The shock hit Izou, throwing him away from the door in a cloud of smoke. He felt someone catch him, and heard the door swing shut. He felt the mountainside rumble, and looked up to see earth and rocks tumbling down, covering the entire entrance.
And Yamato was holding him.
Izou dragged himself away, ignoring the burning pain, and rounded on her.
"Look what you've done you imbecile! Now we're both stuck outside! And they're caved in!"
He turned to the rubble, and tried to dig it away with his bare, scorched hands.
"Y-You would have been trapped too!" Yamato countered, stepping past him. "Come on! We gotta dig them out!" She got onto her knees and began to dig with her hands.
"Get lost! You only make things worse!" he snarled.
"Let me help you!"
"I REFUSE!" Izou yelled, rage boiling over within him.
"Well I refuse your refusal!" Yamato yelled back. "I'm going to help you and your men inside there, whether you want it or not! That's what… heroes do!"
"I gave you an explicit order which you disobeyed!" Izou roared, as the girl tore at the rubble and mud with her bare hands. "And now you do this!?"
"I helped you!"
"You got in the way! You are too much to handle!" Izou barked. The rain poured down, the mud running in rivulets all around them, hammering and soaking him. His whole body burned from the lightning bolt. It hurt and he was so angry!
"I only wanted to help!" shrieked Yamato. "I couldn't leave the old lady alone, and I had nowhere to go! The town was already flooded! I have a Devil Fruit power! I'd drown."
"Excuses! You know what happens to pirates who disobey orders!?" For a brief moment, his hand twitched towards his pistol.
"How was me helping you disobeying orders? That door wouldn've crushed you!"
Izou's fingers twitched, aching to close themselves around his pistols and pull them out. A rumble drew his eyes up the slope; but it wasn't thunder.
It was mud. A wave of mud, sliding down the mountain towards them.
"Mudslide!" Yamato grabbed his arm, and tugged him into the crevice she had dug out. He hit the door with a thump, and Yamato pressed in against him; mud and water crashing down over her back.
She… touched him! Like that!
"I only want to help!" cried Yamato. "I want to know you Izou! I want to be your friend! We both want to help Pops! We both want to defeat Kaido, and free the Land of Wano!"
Izou could bear no more Around them, the whole mountainside was slipping away, trees and rocks sliding past, the mud running like a river. Above them the shelter front groaned as it broke away, bending forward under the weight of the mud. Yamato rose to her full height, and caught the front with her hands, holding it in place. Her muscles bulged with the effort, her sandalled feet sinking into the mud below.
"We're… crewmates! It's what I want to do!" Yamato hissed through gritted teeth, as Izou looked into her amber eyes. "It's what… Oden would have done!"
…
Deep inside Izou, something snapped.
Haki poured into his leg, hardening it. His leg kicked out, catching Yamato right in the face. She flew back, crashing into the mudslide with a yell. Black tendrils flashed down from the sky, holding her fast and lifting her out of the morass.
Izou rose to his feet, his mind a blank, as Izuku landed in front of him; the tendrils setting Yamato down.
"What…" Midoriya Izuku shook as he straightened up, "The hell is wrong with you?!"
For a moment, Izou hesitated. There was murder in the boy's eyes as he marched right up to him.
Then he saw Yamato on her knees, looking down at the ground stunned; a bruise on her cheek. And the rage came again.
"Get out of my face, brat!" Izou hissed. He was not backing down! Not for that monster! And not for that brat!
"Do you have any idea what you're doing!" Izuku barked, green eyes bright with fury. "You're a Commander, and this is how you treat your men! Your crewmates!"
"You're no crewmates of mine!" Izou's hand was on his pistol. A part of him knew this was madness, but he couldn't help himself. And he didn't want to!
The mountain rumbled again. Izuku's Black Whips leapt up, lacing together into an umbrella above him, his arms raised to brace it. Mud and earth ran over it, rumbling and rattling as it slid away down the mountain.
"If he was still around…" Izuku snarled, baring his teeth. "If Oden and Kiku were here, how would they feel, huh?! What would they say to you?!"
Izou was a fast quickdraw. He prided himself on it. It was how he made himself such a name amongst the Whitebeard Pirates. In close quarters marksmanship, he was the best.
And he didn't need ammo to use a pistol up close.
The pistol came up in one smooth movement. He saw Izuku's eyes widen, his arm falling to block; but too late. The pistol caught Izuku on the side of the head, sending him staggering backward. Yamato leapt to her feet and caught him, steadying him in place. The Black Whips wobbled above them, but did not break.
"Neither of you deserve to say their names!" he roared, his mind lost to rage. "Never say their names around me! Never! You've brought Wano nothing but harm! You don't belong in this crew or anywhere! You're…!"
And then he froze, as he saw Yamato's eyes as she rounded on him.
Above him, the thunder roared and the lightning flashed. Yamato's eyes were no longer amber, but a cold blue. She was snarling, her teeth lengthening into fangs. Her eyes glowed with fury, and with hatred. Her horns were beginning to grow, straighten out while her hair grew longer and wild.
And Izou's fury was gone. Now there was only fear; the fear of a tiny, frightened marsupial from which his species had evolved. His primal instincts were screaming at him to run, to hide, to get away from those fangs, and those horns; from the apex predator in front of him as her presence washed over him like a wave.
This… this was the manifestation of his and Kiku's nightmares.
"You..." He uttered weakly.
She was shaking, her muscles bulging, eyes sharpening as her nails began to sharpen into claws.
He was right. She was a demon, and here was the proof. She would rip him to pieces, and then destroy the Whitebeards from the inside out; just as Orochi did to Wano!
He had to destroy her! She had to die! Now!
"MONSTEEEEEER!" he shrieked, pointing his pistol and pulling the trigger.
And then a blue flash filled his vision, and pain filled his world as a steel ram slammed into his stomach. He tottered backward, and slumped against the cratered iron door, sliding down to the ground.
The last thing he saw was a man, standing over him, his first clenched.
(X)
Izou groaned, as his eyes opened.
He sat up, and tried to move his arms, but they were slow and heavy. He tried again, and heard the clink of chains.
Chains?
He looked down at his arms, and saw manacles around his wrists and ankles; with chains binding them together, and leading to the wooden wall of the Moby Dick's brig.
They had put him in chains?
"Hey! Let me out of here!" he shouted, rising from his cot and dragging himself to the bars. He grabbed at the bars, and tried to look down the hall; but no one was there. The other cells were empty too, some of them full of boxes and barrels; food and drink for the Melville residents.
The Moby Dick's brig was rarely used. That was the sort of ship it was.
"Pops wants to see you," said a grim voice. Izou looked, and saw Namur emerge from the darkness. His heart clenched as the Mako Shark fishman unlocked his cell and stepped inside.
"What did they tell you?" he demanded, as Namur unlocked the chain to the wall. "The cow, and her little snake! What did they tell you?!"
They had lied! They had to have lied! Why else was he lying in this cell?!
Namur did not reply, but clamped a heavy hand on his shoulder and steered him out of the cell; walking him along the corridor and out of the brig. Izou glanced at a port hole as they passed. It was dark and damp out there, rain running down the glass. But from what he could see, the town was mostly intact.
Mt. Hermann was a mess though.
"Is my Division okay? Did they-"
"We got them out. They're fine" Namur replied. "Same with that Crone too."
He said no more, but pressed him on through the silent ship; his chains clinking on the deck. That in itself was unsettling. There should have been people up and about, even at this time of night. What was going on?
They reached a door leading up to the main deck. Namur paused, and unlocked his manacles.
"Namur…" he uttered, but the fishman walked off without another word. Izou felt a cold weight in his stomach, but there was no getting out of this. He took a deep breath, opened the door, and stepped up to the deck.
The deck was empty, a soft breeze making the sails crackle; the moon high in the sky. Whitebeard stood by the railing, looking out to sea, Murakumogiri by his side. Marco was there too, turning to glare at him as he approached. Izou trudged onward, and saw some bags by the ramp leading down to the harbor. A backpack, two smaller bags, and his shamisen; neatly stowed in its leather and silk bag.
It hit him like a bullet.
"You're serious?!"
"You have to ask that?" Marco asked, straightening up and stepping towards him.
"Twenty-six years… twenty-six years I've been on this ship," Izou muttered. "And I'm being kicked out!"
"No. Grounded," Marco corrected. "Which is tame compared to what we could do. You broke the ONE rule that ALL pirates on this sea follow!" He barked, raising his finger.
Whitebeard remained silent, like a statue looking out to the sea.
"Those two are no brother and sister of mine on this crew!" Izou growled, "She was about to attack me!"
"After you pulled a gun on her and pulled the trigger!" Marco barked back as he lifted his arm. "I know, I kept the receipt!"
Izou's eyes widened, as he saw the bullet wound in Marco's bicep. A wound that should have healed by now on the Zoan user's accord.
He didn't heal himself…? For THEIR SAKE?!
"Why?!" demanded Marco, grabbing him his kimono, glaring into his eyes. "Do all that, after what Pops and Thatch said?!"
Izou did not reply. He was still too stunned by it all.
He was being cast out!
"Thatch and I talked while you were under," Marco went on darkly. "And the men confirmed what he told me. Yamato has done nothing but try and make peace with you, yet all you ever did was shove her away."
"She uttered Lord Oden's name!" Izou hissed. "I would never forgive her or her pet viper for saying his name! Or Kiku's!"
"Oh my god…" Marco uttered, walking away as he ran his hand down his face. "I can't fucking believe this."
"They're turning you against me!" pleaded Izou. "Just as Orochi did to Lord Oden's court! To Wano! It's happening all over again!"
Marco's eyes hardened as they turned on him.
"Izou…"
"She's a monster! I saw her! She's a demon!"
Marco's eyes were angry, his hands clenched into fists by his sides. Whitebeard said nothing.
"I will never forgive the Oni for what they have done to my people!" Izou snapped back. "My country is dying! The way of the Samurai going extinct! All because of monsters like them! All because Lord Oden took in that fucking snake Orochi and dared to show him mercy!"
He was shaking, boiling over with rage; a worse rage this time. Why could they not understand?!
"They're marked, wanted! Kaido will learn of this, and he'll come for them! We'll all burn, because you couldn't see them for what they are! " Marco was marching towards him, fists clenched and blackened with Haki, but he didn't care. "They're too much to handle! The Oni are nothing but a mistake to this entire world!"
TAP
Whitebeard's naginata butt came down on the deck, hard. Marco stopped, fists curled, glowering with anger. Izou glared back, ready to fight.
"Pops told you to drop it… and you didn't," Marco hissed. "Worse, she tried to talk to you, and you spat in her face."
"She tried to atta-"
"Quit it! I saw it!" Marco snapped. "I tailed Izuku to check on the shelters. I saw your fucking stunt! And what's worse is, you have the gall to try and lie about it!"
Izou shuddered with every breath, his fists clenched so hard his palms almost bled. He wasn't lying!
"I would have understood, if you didn't want to be their friend," Marco said coldly. "It would have been sad, but I could have lived with it. No one was asking you to be chummy; not with your past. But you couldn't settle for that, could you? You just had to make something of it, didn't you?"
He took a long, harsh breath.
"I don't know who you are any more," he said, tone low. "This thing you are now, is not my brother Izou. So fuck off." He pointed to the bags; lying forlornly by the gunwale. The two were silent, Izou standing were he stood as Marco sighed.
"You will always be my brother, Izou," he went on. "The door is open, and it always will be. But it's open for my brother, not this thing you've become. Either you change, or that door is shut."
He was being cast out. He was being replaced!
By that demon and her pet!
"Change?" he almost shrieked. "Change?! You demand that I change?! For those demons?! They have destroyed my country! They are wiping my people out! Men! Women! Children! There will be nothing left! They had the whole world, and they destroyed my country instead! I will never forgive them! Never!"
Silence reigned over the deck, Marco breathing hard through his nose as Izou breathed hard through his mouth.
"If…this is it…then say something, Pops!" He rounded on Whitebeard. "Look at me! Look me in the eyes and kick me out! Or are you a cowa…!"
Then he froze, his heart sinking, as Whitebeard turned to face him. The strongest man in the world, the noblest of the Four Emperors, was crying.
"If he was here… Oden would be heartbroken," Whitebeard said, in a voice not his own. A voice that was old, tired, sad.
Izou slumped to his knees. He could not bear this. It was too much! To see him like this!
And he had done it.
He fell on all fours, looking at the floor as it began to be peppered with tears, unable to breathe.
"My men…" Izou's voice sounded foreign even to him. Weak, hoarse, unsure. "Will they… be okay?"
"They'll be reassigned. The Sixteenth Division has been dissolved. We told them that you needed a break," Marco stated.
Izou stood up, head lowered. He could not look at either of them, or anyone.
"Derby will keep an eye on you," Marco said. "He'll tell us when you've changed. And don't get any funny ideas about getting on one of our allied ships. They've been told about you."
…
"Did you hear me?"
"I did."
Izou turned, and walked towards his bags. He picked one up, hefting it over his shoulder and carrying two others and his shamisen under his arm.
He knew why this was happening, not before the whole crew. The shame of it all, the sadness, it would have been too much. He got to the ramp, taking his first step downward.
"Oden would have liked them, you know.," Whitebeard said, making Izou stop. "As would Toki. I pray you take that to heart, my son."
Izou felt the tears swell up as he turned away, and strode down the ramp.
He couldn't do what they wanted. He could never forgive the Oni and their sycophants. The nightmares and tales of yore in his childhood have come to pass.
And yet, in trying to stop it happening again, he had lost everything.
Again.
He paused on the silent, empty harbor, and looked back at the Moby Dick. Marco stood at the top of the ramp, looking down at him; barring the path to the place that had been his home for most of his life.
He couldn't go home. Again.
(X)
Yamato watched from the deck at the back of the Moby Dick, hidden from sight as Izou vanished into the darkness of the city.
"It was for the best," Izuku murmured, standing beside her. "Still…"
Yamato said nothing. She was just glad he was all right.
Her hands tightened on the gunwale. She had allowed Izuku to get hurt…because she was stupid.
"I…I'm not sure I can forgive him," Izuku mused. "But a part of me wants to talk to him. I mean, he knew Oden longer than Whitebeard after all."
She felt her heart clench, but ignored it. Her horns itched again, and she reached up to scratch them at the base. They were curved, red and exotic…
Heavy.
"Yamato?" She looked down, and saw Izuku looking up at her. The boy, her best friend in the whole world with his eyes full of concern.
"Don't care," she uttered, in a voice that sounded foreign to her.
She turned and strode away, not bothering to look at Izuku. That was not the Izou Oden had known. The Izou from Oden's journal would not have done what he did.
Had Oden lied? Or had Izou just changed? Twenty-six years was a long time; plenty of time to change.
Yes, that was it. Izou had changed. Oden would not have lied.. He never lied once in his life.
Just like Kaido.
Yamato gritted her teeth, her anger bubbling within her as she strode down the stairs to the lower decks, and along the corridor to the crew quarters. She rubbed at the base of her horns, trying to soothe the maddening itch.
She was free. Free of him, free of his influence. She was no longer in chains and shackles.
Her eyes stung, tears running down her face. She didn't notice them falling, landing on the floor as tiny icicles. She strode into her cabin, slammed the door behind her, and threw herself onto her bed. She screamed into her pillow, willing the rage and shame and misery to leave her and torment her no longer.
She was free.
Yamato was free.
So then why didn't she feel that way?
Big thanks to IKnowNothing , Juubi-K and WildJoker000 for their edit and polish.
So yeah, nice and happy fun Acclimation Arc? Melville a place of exploration and relaxation? That took a left turn didn't it. But yeah, Izou gets the boot. Yamato is a big sad with WB and Izuku is caught in the middle of it all.
This has been built up the moment Izou called out Yamato on their first meeting, and this was the only natural conclusion with Izou doubling down despite Yamato's attempts to make peace. And as you can clearly see, she has a line. And Izou crossed it.
We have an arc in mind for Yamato. If Izuku's arc in the Hunt for Whitebeard Saga was him getting over his view of pirates(certain pirates at least). Then Yamato's you can take a gander when we finish the Acclimation Arc and go into the next big one. Her idolization of Oden is going to be addressed here.
And that Deck scene is how you break someone like Izou. Of course, it won't be the last of him. He has his own issues and journey to tackle.
I can safely say that we are just at the halfway point of the Acclimation Arc. We have another medium sized chapter coming up next, then two big fights, then a few more chill ones to take us into the next Big Arc. So far so good.
Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this one. We'll see you next time.