Chapter 50: Men Marked by Flames
Mary Geoise
"S-Sorry.," Rayleigh said with Ace- the sword of the Pirate King stuck in his body. Rockstar was shocked by this blade being apparently used by the enemy, but he immediately realized this wasn't the mood to bring it up.
"Hongo...," Shanks said to his doctor, who shook his head.
"Whatever this religious leader is now...what's inside of him when he did that to Ray...it's something beyond me.
Shanks then glanced at an incredibly large and muscular dark red-skinned man with black sclera eyes and red irises. He wore a dark blue tank top with matching arm bands with gold trimming. He wore purple pants with black boots. However, there were hints he wasn't human due to the stubby horns above his forehead and pointy ears on top of his unusual eye and skin color.
Ale- Red Hair Pirates' Helmsman.
"Angels and sinners don't mix...which means...," the red-skinned man said in a guttural voice as he shook his head.
"I've lived for two decades near an auction house yet I didn't do anything for the slaves outside of token gestures...in fact, I've closed myself away from the world if Roger didn't goad me into going on that adventure...it was fun, those awkward but enjoyable moments.," Rayleigh explained as he vomited blood.
Shanks' expression grew solemn.
"I...I just stood there as they took our son from us!," Rayleigh cried with a rare sign of vulnerability.
"Y-you had a son?! Is it Mihawk? The sideburns match!," asked Gab.
"He didn't inherit either of our looks...yet they still found us...thinking back to God Valley...we should've let Xebec kill this fraudulent pope when we had the chance...things would be worse, but better than what they are now...," the Dark King replied with a pained smile, his voice trailing off as he coughed up more blood. The revelation of their shared son hit Shanks like a sledgehammer, his eyes wide with a mix of shock and regret.
"If Roger isn't leading us...we're aimless and just go with the tide despite our ambition...that's why he didn't trust us with Ace...we just stood there as he got executed...I let the son of my friend die...and didn't try to reach before...," added Rayleigh as his vision became blurry.
Rockstar and a few others cried for Rayleigh.
go...I've got so much to answer for before that...but...I put my stocks in Luffy...," Rayleigh said as his body went limp. Abruptly, the Dark King's body exploded into blood, leaving nothing but a skeleton.
"It was droning on and on. Instead of focusing on a withered simian, why not focus on the most perfect being?," asked Imu, the pope of the World Nobles responsible for killing Rayleigh.
"Why do you have Roger's sword?," asked Shanks, as his body trembled.
"Because I stole it from his cold hands.," Imu answered bluntly.
"So you met him?," asked the Red Hair.
"Several times. In fact, I know more about what's really like than you ever did.," the pope replied. "How he planned on cheating death to use Garp's grandson as a vessel...but that didn't pan out...Luffy's more like that transvestite child of Kaido. Oh...did that hurt your self-image of your dad? After all, the firstborn really loves the father, jealous of any attention- putting down his clown younger brother and letting the actual son to die so HE can-"
Shanks used Divine Departure- He imbues his sword, Gryphon with Supreme King Haki and then swings his sword horizontally, creating a powerful Haki-imbued slash attack to strike his opponent with a a burst of dark lightning-like energy, slicing Imu vertically in half along with several of the buildings. The World Nobles around him collapsing from the intense will. The ground trembled and cracked under the weight of the Haki, sending a shockwave that echoed through the city.
"So who was that wackjob?," asked Rockstar.
"His existence was rewritten as Figarland Umi subservient to Nerona Imu...but the truth is the reverse- that guy was Figarland Imu and the lion snake was Nerona Umi.," explained Limejuice.
"How bright you are. I bet you all know this.," Rockstar commented with a nervous smirk. Building Snake gave a noticeable glare as did Beckmann, whose eyes widened.
Only Nefertari D. Lily and Nerona Imu get officially named with the other 18 being only nominally referred by their family names including the Donquixote. It does line up with what our buddies say...but why isn't he surprised when he said this, let alone learn about it..., thought the first mate.
"We should head out. The other Elders are likely going to have to clean up the mess.," Yasopp mentioned.
Lucky Roux then noticed how Shanks remained still and prepared for anything.
"Because of Teach huh?," Beckmann noted as he pulled out his flintlock rifle to gun down the body of Imu till it was just blood puddles. He then flicked a match to incinerate the puddles to evaporate them.
"H-Hopefully, he doesn't come back as a ghost to haunt us.," Gab mentioned.
"The Elders can regenerate and by proxy, this guy if he's one of the founders...we gotta if it requires some part of the body to remain...because...we'll need to know...What the hell are we up against...and the right call to make when we find out.," explained Hongo.
To their astonishment, the smoke proceeded to reshape into the form of Imu, but now with a halo in junction with his wings.
"The Glint-Glint?," asked Punch.
"No, it's too soon...Also...the halo seems like a refined version of an Awakening...," observed Building Snake.
Imu then remarked, "To be this careful to resume your lackadaisical ways...is sinful." He smirked as his body fully formed. Noticeably, his voice had an echo compared to how normal it was beforehand.
He then had his feathers fire as projectiles onto the streets, unconcerned with the unconscious bodies of his fellow World Nobles. The flurry of feathers shot out with the force of cannonballs, tearing through buildings and the pavement. Shanks watched with subtle disgust and horror as the pope demonstrated his newfound power, more importantly, skewering through their bodies.
"Oh come off it. You're only seeing things from a narrow limited lifespan. When you live for centuries, you come to see that they're indistinguishable from one another.," Imu said as he hovered in the air, his newly demonstrated power emanating around him.
He then saw that from Shanks' group, a humanoid toucan flew towards him. He has a black pompadour, a red-blue striped tank top, matching armbands, purple shorts, and brown shoes. He had wings on his back instead of his arms.
Horika Rum- Shipwright of the Red Hair Pirates.
No indications of human traits...therefore...he must be..., thought Imu.
"It seems like you're infinitely more compassionate and less bigoted than your dad.," noted the pope.
"Sorry for getting you all involved. The World Government wants to hunt you all down for arbitrary reasons.," Shanks said to his non-human crew-mates, which began to irk Imu, being ignored.
"You Whiffet...ignoring HIS word is vainglory. True Halo!," Imu snapped as his halos split into several, honing on the Red Hair Pirates. He generated a white forced field sphere to block Rum's punch.
"True Holy Sphere!," declared Imu.
A large, stout robot with a pointy nose, determined blue eyes, a silver mohawk, bolts on his thick neck, and wearing pine-tree pattern blue shorts grabbed and crushed the halos.
Soda Perry- Boatswain of the Red Hair Pirates.
"Oooh, shiny! What's this?!" exclaimed Soda Perry, his metallic hands glinting in the light as he caught the incoming halos. His eyes lit up with curiosity, the gears in his head visibly turning as he studied the strange new power. The halos squirmed in his grip, their energy pulsing with divine might, yet the childlike robot remained unfazed.
"It's not donuts.," explained Lucky Roux, which made Perry sad as he pulverized them into light particles that were absorbed back into Imu.
"What kind of hybrid is this?," asked Yasopp as he fired rounds that honed in on the barrier in hopes to creating a weak point.
"He's a Theo. Think of them as being above Mythical Zoans. Test out what kind of material weakens him. Then you know what kind of plant he's relying on right now.," explained a centaur deer Mink with a furry mane collar and massive antlers.
Tony-Tony Cobbler- Surgeon of the Red Hair Pirates.
"I want to see that reindeer with a disproportionate bounty after this.," he explained. "He's got to know."
"About not being raccoon dogs?," asked Yasopp as he tilted his head.
"You know damn well, I'm a reindeer Mink. And so is he! Damn brother of mine putting up bravado when being a totally bitch in hiding it from him!," complained Cobbler as he leaped to kick the sphere, which began to freeze up.
Imu gritted his teeth as he phased out of the barrier, with him noticing an old man with fairly dark skin, a prominent forehead, and a big nose. He's bald on top of his head but has long gray hair flowing down from the back of it to his shoulders, with a cropped mustache and beard. He has a rather large belly, especially in comparison with his slim limbs. On his chest is a red tattoo, though it's largely obscured by his shirt.
He has a light purple captain's coat hanging off his shoulders, frayed along the bottom edge and the wrists with golden trimmings, and with two lines of buttons on the front. The edges are torn and covered in holes, suggesting he has used it for a very long time. Underneath he wears a royal purple vest and a blue sash tied around his waist, tucked in the left side of which he carries an elaborate flintlock with a green gem in the handle. His pants have vertical orange and tan stripes on them, and each leg has a slim rope tied around it just below the knees. He wears purple shoes with a similar shade to his vest. He carries with him and seems to lean on an old gnarled wooden cane.
Scheidner- Cooper of the Red Hair Pirates.
He flung dust onto Imu's wings...which deactivated as he plummeted to the ground.
Imu upon realizing someone managed to make him touch the mere ground as mortals, became literally unable to form a coherent sentence.
"I was annoyed you dragged me out of retirement, but...I can't stand this bastard insulting them.," Schneider remarked as he kneed Imu in the gut as the latter's eyes bulged out in disbelief.
Imu then began to convulse violently as his eyes darted in all directions.
"You heathens. Heathens...Heathens! HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS!HEATHENS! FORCING THE SUCCESSOR OF GOD ON THE SAME LEVEL AS MORTALS IS HERESY!," Imu hollered as he began to transform.
A Jerboa Mouse Mink dressed in green sorcerer garbs complete with a witch hat grabbed the crew, showing surprising amounts of raw strength as they gained distance from Imu's expanding size.
Otrson Lager- Diplomat of the Red Hair Pirates.
"Any attempts of wrapping this up quickly just vanished. To be forced to fight with potential hostages underneath...how saddening.," Lager noted, sensing the slaves till underneath the land mass.
Shanks patted Lager before focusing on what Imu had turned into- a massive sphere that was slowly unraveling its full design.
A colossal single-eyed pale lavender-skinned spherical creature with sides covered with indigo colors that expanded into a pair of three wings covered in eyes on either side of the sphere- six in total. A silver-perwinkle tail emerged from behind the sphere. And a golden halo emerged above the sphere. It grinned with a smug expression.
"Angel-Angel: Truth Vegetable. Imummumumumumumumu. I have to say, I'm getting rusty...this body used to have all its limbs...now all I have...are EYES!," Imu declared as he fired a barrage of white light energy at the Red Hair Pirates.
Shanks' crew ducked and dodged, using their Haki to navigate the incoming beams of destruction. The buildings around them didn't fare as well, crumbling under the divine onslaught
Imu...stop messing around...you've already done a number on our kind and blasted it to kingdom come!, spoke Byakuo's voice.
"Silence. My truth can just alter this situation. Just sit back as I deal with...You sycophants of my divine glory!," Imu complained.
"Who he be yellin' to? He going senile? Or becoming a wing ball of holy bullshit make him high off his ass?," asked a red-nosed drunkard old man with a brown open crop jacket over his shirtless upper torso, green sash over his waist, and shoddy brown pants stitched with patchwork. He had white hair standing to the sides with a brown headband and sandals. His eyes were closed as he began to drink.
Calimocho- Brewmeister of the Red Hair Pirates.
"In any case, this needs to be wrapped up immediately before he starts noticing other people and targeting them in his blind zealotry.," complained a hammerhead Fishman with blue armbands and purple pants while shoeless. Notably, he seemed more like an anthropomorphic hammerhead shark than a hammerhead-human hybrid like Dosun
Kudaku- Ocean Navigator of the Red Hair Pirates.
Shanks nodded as his Haki flickered as flames, covering his body before dissipating as it revealed his armored form-
A blue armor with crimson flame trimmings, his left arm being "restored"- ending with a blade instead of a hand with a red cable connecting the lower arm guard to the shoulder armor, a flickering cape seemingly made of flames, a red ankle-length mane of hair with a lion face worn over a human skull mask with three scar markings over the left side of the face, and unfurled scarlet wings.
"Armament Regalia: Blazing Lion King."
"It's been a while since you've used that.," Ale noted.
Shanks then turned to Imu whose single red iris shrank as it seemed to read Imu's mind.
"Wretch...you're this elusive Man Marked by Flames?"
Shanks said nothing as he unleashed Red Emperor- a torrent of unrefined Fire Nature Haki at the spherical Angel.
The flames turned the skies red with an explosion.
N-No...we've been thinking this wrong...it's a group effort! The Red Hair worked with others! The Man Marked by Flames is a collective!
He then caught a surreal vision of Whitebeard, Shanks...and Dragon, this draconic figure, the blue-haired woman, and the shadowy mafia boss just prior to the Marineford conflict.
Next Chapter: Passing the Torch
Author Notes: This chapter kicks off the Red Hair vs. Imu fight with the latter showing his divine might as an Angel.
With all of the Man Marked by Flames theories going around, I decided to go out of the box to make it a group effort since everyone is thinking of a singular person.
On a side note, with the revelations of Shamrock, I've decided to make Shanks even more likable due to the revelations of the latest chapter. I myself even bought into the evil Shanks theory with the older edition of my OLD WORLD fanfic, which I deeply regret now. And add more non-human members to have a more diverse crew and make him a parallel to Big Mom who wants inclusivity but is actually a bigot deep down.
More revelations will come next chapter.