"Ahhhhhhh! Nice! I'm fuuuuuull!"
Izuku grinned as Yamato flopped back in her chair. He was really starting to enjoy Thatch's cooking, and she clearly felt the same way.
A week had passed since their arrival on Winner Island, and the start of their training. Jozu and Marco were still dominating them, but every battle brought with it a new insight, a new trick, a new success.
Granted it also brought a lot of bruises, blood loss and battered bodies, but both of them were already used to that kind of training.
"Mademoiselle et monsieur!" proclaimed Thatch, carrying on like a maitre-d in some fancy restaurant. "I trust breakfast was to your satisfaction?"
"Totally!" declared Yamaato, grinning from ear to ear. "Your breakfasts are always the best, Thatch!"
"It was great!' added Izuku, rising from his reverie.
"Ah, well," Thatch said, noting the very tall pile of empty plates. "There is no better compliment for a chef than an empty plate, or several in this case."
"We should take her to Baratie some time!" Teach called out. "Let's see Zeff try and feed her half so well!"
The pirates roared with laughter. Thatch gave a theatrical shrug.
"It's tempting…but I'm a little worried how Izuku might react to their Sous Chef." Thatch chuckled, more so when he saw Izuku's puzzlement.
"The Baratie?" Yamato asked. "What's that?"
"Famous sea restaurant in East Blue. One of the best I heard. Former pirate runs the place," Thatch replied. "He's a grump, but knows how to make a fine pork pate and filet mignon." He smirked. "So, how's your training going, by the way?" he asked. "You've been tearing up the island a whole week now."
"We're getting better!" Yamato replied, beaming.
"Yeah, but…" Izuku's heart sank, and he looked down at his hands. "My Haki hasn't awakened though."
It wouldn't come. He could feel the difference in his opponents' blows when they used Armament Haki. But no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he wanted it, it just wouldn't come!
It was like trying to master One For All, all over again.
"Ah, don't worry about that!" Thatch assured him with a pat on the shoulder. "Haki doesn't come the same way or for the same reasons every time. For some it comes almost immediately, while others take years to make it work. It's just…well…just something that happens, and you won't really know how or why until after it's happened. I wish I could say more."
"No, it's okay," said Izuku, forcing himself to smile. "It's fine, Thatch. I understand exactly what you mean."
He didn't, but couldn't say it out loud.
"Papers!" It was Haruta, entering with newspapers under his arms. "I got papers!"
He began strolling around the mess, dropping off papers at the tables. Izuku took one, and looked up and down the front page.
"Hey, it's the Reverie Edition," he said, noting the banner.
"Oh? Open it up!" asked Yamato, perking up. Izuku laid it on the table so Yamato and Thatch could see.
"Let's see…" He paused, reading the opening summary. "A Princess Vivi and King Cobra of Alabasta were in attendance. So was a King Wapol of Drum, Elizabello from Prodence, King Burger of Ballywood…oh! Bach's in here!"
"Flip through to him!" Yamato was clearly excited, practically leaning over his shoulder. Izuku turned over the pages, until they came to a full-page report on Reichen Bach's appearance at the Reverie meeting. There was a picture of him, clad in one of his blue and gold uniforms, and a lot of text.
"It says here…he made a speech about the blockade to the Council of Kings, and about accountability and oversight in the Marines," Izuku said, squinting down at the text.
"Ouch!" hissed Thatch. "That's gonna ruffle a lot of feathers."
"You think so?" Yamato looked surprised.
"The Admiralty don't like being criticized, ever." Thatch glanced at Izuku. "Any more after that?"
"Well…" Izuku read on, squinting to make out the small text. "It says…Bach proposed new internal security measures to stop someone like Baker in the future. More base inspections, more background checks, formal protection for Marines who blow the whistle on their superiors."
"Neat!" Thatch looked impressed. "How did that go down?"
"Uh…" Izuku read some more. He had never been one for newspapers or politics, except where All Might was concerned. "It says…the Admiralty issued a joint statement thanking him for his consideration, but declaring that such measures would not be appropriate or proportionate."
"Ha they are pissed!" proclaimed Thatch. "I wouldn't wanna be in Marineford right now!"
"They are?" Yamato looked confused. "But…they're being so polite."
"Yeah, in the hall where everyone can see," explained Thatch. "But behind closed doors? After some snot-nosed young Royal told them to clean up their act? They'd be flipping tables! They'd have steam coming out of their ears while screaming their heads off!"
"But why?" Yamato asked. "He's got a right to complain, hasn't he? They let him down."
"They did, and that just makes it worse," Thatch went on. "He's in the right and they know it, and the other kings know it too. They don't want another Baker causing trouble for them or their own."
"Yeah, it says here they backed him up." Izuku pointed to the text. "But…isn't that dangerous? Angering the Marines like that?"
"It can be, but the Marines also have to maintain some level of decorum with the various allied nations," mused Thatch with a smirk. "Read on. What did it come to?"
"Well…" Izuku read some more. "It says there was a few hours of negotiations…then the Marines agreed to a…simplified package of reform. Also, due to the continuing threat of piracy and their location deep in the New World, Doyle has been authorized to expand its defenses. It says…warship-grade artillery?"
"Oh wow!" Thatch looked like a kid in a candy store. "They let him have that?! That's gonna grind some gears!"
"It will?" Izuku looked confused. Thatch paused, then gestured towards the seat next to Izuku. Izuku nodded, and he sat down; leaning conspiratorially over the paper.
"The Marines want to be the only fully equipped military force in the whole world," he said. "If they had their way, the kingdoms would have nothing but palace guards with fancy spears, little more than glorified wall decorations. In reality, the world doesn't work that way. Some kingdoms have armies, weapons, and technology of their own. And that's all because of ancient privileges, or because they squeezed out concessions at Reverie meetings. The Marines hate that, and they hate having to make those kinds of concessions. If Bach just straight-up asked, they'd have thrown it in his face."
"So…" Yamato's brow furrowed as she tried to process it all. "If I'm getting this right, he hit them with something they hated even more, and they bargained him down to letting him have some more weapons?"
"That's about the size of it. Though calling it some is downplaying it a bit." Thatch looked positively triumphant. "It never would have worked normally. But the Marines had egg on their faces they couldn't wipe off, and Bach had the other kings behind him. And a few big guns for his forts aren't a huge concession in the greater scheme of things. It's not like he's looking to overturn the World Government. Bach played them like a fiddle, and got exactly what he wanted. He's Bay's son all right." There was pride in his eyes.
"There's something else here," Izuku said, reading on. "It says…Vinsmoke Judge, King of Germa, was there with his sons…Prince Ichiji and Prince Niji…the latter attending for the first time. It says…King Judge was the first to back Bach's motions, and was seen talking with him afterwards."
"Hmmm…" Thatch cupped his chin and eyes narrowed in thought . "Germa Kingdom huh… Well, I guess I can't blame Bach for playing nice. But I wonder what those Vinsmokes have in mind."
"Who are they?" Yamato asked, looking more than a little frustrated at still being so out of the loop..
"The Kingdom of Germa is basically an army with a kingdom," replied Thatch. "With the kind of fighting power that gives the Admiralty a collective headache. They had an empire in the North Blue hundreds of years ago, but these days they make a living doing mercenary work, taking down kingdoms for cash and favors."
"And the World Government lets them?" Izuku asked, eyes wide. "They sound like a Private Military Corporation!"
"Like I said, ancient privileges. Germa gets away with it so long as they don't attack anyone aligned with the World Government, or generally do anything to piss them off. Plus, word is they've got some advanced technology, and they share it with the Government to stay on their good side. I bet they attended the Reverie to find potential clients. War is their trade after all."
Izuku read further down, looking for any more info. Then he froze.
"What's wrong?" Yamato asked, seeing his reaction.
"It says here…there was much talk of the mysterious warriors who aided Doyle in its hour of need," Izuku said, his blood running cold. Yamato paled again, as she understood his meaning.
"Mysterious warriors eh!" Thatch barked a laugh, and clapped them both on the shoulders. "Looks like your legend is spreading, my young friends. Now rest up! You got more training to do."
(X)
Two weeks later
"I…am…so…tired."
Yamato never thought a wooden deck could feel so restful. She did not often feel so tired as this.
"Me too," agreed Izuku, lying next to her on the deck. "This training is hard."
It had been too. Day after day of fighting, each bout ending in battering, pain, and unconsciousness. Then came Marco's healing, Thatch's delicious food, and yet another bout; each one just a little longer than the last.
"Yes, but we're getting stronger though, I know it," insisted Yamato. "At first we could do four bouts in a day; now we're down to two."
"I know." Izuku stared up at the night sky. "I think I've gotten better at fighting, at least. Marco's always catching me off guard. But…"
He trailed off. Yamato turned her head to look at him, and saw the look on his face.
"Izuku?" she asked, worried.
"I still can't control my power any better," Izuku admitted. "My control is still plateauing at 55 percent. No matter how hard I try, I can't push beyond it."
He sighed.
"It's fine," insisted Yamato with a grin. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You'll break through it, sooner or later. Then we'll achieve our dreams!"
"Dreams, huh?"
Yamato blinked, taken by surprise. She sat up and looked around, wondering who had spoken.
"Tis I!" declared Marshall D. Teach, sitting cross-legged on one of the deck hatches nearby.
"Oh, Teach," Izuku greeted the older man. "Can't sleep?"
"Nah, I sleep up in the crow's nest," admitted Teach, then laughed. "Too crowded for me down there. Plus, it counts for my share of lookout duty while I'm up there."
Now it was Izuku's turn to blink. Teach chuckled, and Yamato let out a laugh.
"So," Teach leaned forward, hands on his knees. "You kids got a dream, do ya? Something more than takin' down the old dragon?"
"Yes." Yamato beamed, as her old enthusiasm rose again. "We're going to travel the world, and see as much of it as we can. And while we're at it, we'll help anyone who needs it, with smiles on our faces."
"No matter where it takes you?" Teach cocked an eyebrow. "Or who takes exception?"
"Well…" Yamato faltered, not sure what he meant.
"You're Whitebeards now," Teach went on. "Tat or no tat, bounty or no bounty, you've been seen with us; and we can't stop every spy out there. Sooner or later, word's gonna get back to the Marines, and others, that you're with us."
Yamato felt cold, and glanced at Izuku. He looked even more unsettled than she felt.
"Now don't go wimping out on me," insisted Teach, still grinning his gap-toothed grin. "It just means you're gonna have to make some arrangements. There's not many who can travel this world alone. You said you wanted your own ship, well, you're gonna need a crew too. Good folks you can rely on. Your few, your happy few, your band of brothers."
Yamato liked that idea. She liked it very much. Not just a ship of their own, but a crew of their own too. A band of heroes on the high seas, just like the Whitebeards, or Oden and his Red Scabbards.
Friends.
"A crew…" Izuku was staring straight ahead. "Well, we'll need a helmsman, a navigator, a cook, a doctor, a shipwright or engineer, a master-at-arms…maybe a chaplain…"
Yamato could not help but chuckle. It had been a while since she had seen him like this. There was something nostalgic about it.
"I'd like a musician," she mused. "Someone to play music and sing songs…keep morale up."
Then she paused, as she remembered Uta; all alone on Elegia but for Gordon.
"Yes!" she exclaimed. "We should ask her!"
She saw Izuku's eyes bulge in panic. But then he faltered, as he realized that she hadn't actually named Uta.
"Who?" Teach asked, mildly curious.
"A friend of ours," replied Izuku, mastering himself. "We met her a while back."
Teach chuckled.
"You've got the makings of a great pirate in ya, Midoriya Izuku," he said. "Don't let anyone stop ya from going after what you want. And don't let anyone get ya down for what ya are too, Yamato. Only you can decide what you wanna be. Your friends, your family, they're all here for ya." He patted his own chest. "Me included too!"
"Teach…" breathed Izuku.
"The squalls will come, the days will be without wind," the pirate went on. "But as long as you have your dream, you will never be lost. For this era of dreams will never end."
Izuku stared at him in wonder, and Teach reached out and patted him on the head. Yamato grinned, glad for him to have this moment.
"So, what's your dream anyway?"
"I've… thought about it." Izuku mused. "I wanted to save everyone with a smile, bringing peace to everyone. And I want to see the world too, to go around it and see all of its wonders. So in that case, I…"
He looked up, and Yamato saw his eyes fall on the night sky, with its endless darkness littered by countless stars like a milky sea splattered upon a canvas, and the big full moon.
And he gave his answer, and Yamato and Teach's eyes widened.
"Is that so?" Teach said, a smile of interest and growing intrigue appearing on his face.
"Izuku… I never considered it like that!" Yamato said, shock written all over her face. Izuku nodded.
"Yeah. With bad pirates running around, and corrupt Marines too? Someone has to guide them through dark and uncertain times as a hero who smiles." He took a deep breath. "Saving them, liberating them. Being that symbol?
"That's who I want to be. What I dream to be."
His goal… is that? Beyond Kaido. Beyond exploring the world and saving others as a hero should. She looked up to the night sky, at all its tiny glimmering lights; stars and planets far away and the moon shining bright.
"Zehahahahaha!" Teach laughed. "You my boy," he squeezed Izuku's shoulder, "are going to be special." He gave a toothy grin. "I can tell. I'm gonna be rootin' for ya Izuku."
"And I'll be with you." Yamato assured, smiling bright as she scooted closer to the green haired boy. Her hero. "Every step of the way. After all, we can make both of our dreams come true!" Izuku looked back and beamed.
"Yeah. Together." The two looked back at each other, her amber eyes to his brilliant emerald green.
"Hehe, well, seems like you two got it all sorted out!" Teach gave a cheeky grin. "I'm happy for you both! You're gonna sleep very well tonight. I can tell."
"Teach…" Izuku asked suddenly. "Do you know the stars?"
"The stars?" Teach feigned surprise. "Of course I know them. I know them well. They were my first family."
"They were?" Yamato asked, surprised.
"Oh yes." Teach grinned again. "If you can see the sky, you can see them. And even if you can't see a certain star on a certain night, it'll be back again when the time comes. If you know the stars, you know where you are, and where you're going; every time."
"Could you teach us?" Izuku asked, blushing. Teach barked a laugh, then leant back; looking up at the stars.
"Well… Let's start with that one, up there…"
Big thanks to Juubi-K for writing this up. And of course, IKnowNothing and WildJoker000 for their edits too.
There was a big comedy section in the middle, but offered nothing to the story so we had to axe it. Was like, 1/3 to half the chapter too, but thems the breaks.
But yeah, Anime had "Luffy's Dream" be released and that was beautiful and had good foreshadowing of what it is. Now? Izuku told us of his dream. A dream he has formed since being in this world. What it is? Well, speculate I say. We know. Couldn't find a fitting MHA or OP OST, so if anyone knows better...
Also IKN praised that dream bit too. I am so happy.
But yeah, this will bring us to the end of the Acclimation Arc. The next arc will be heralded at the beginning of the next chapter...