Chapter 59: God Tree Incident
Mary Geoise
Just as the Elders were to continue contemplating what to do next, suddenly a knight burst in with a Transponder Snail.
"This is insubordinate-," said Darwin, formerly known as Warcury while he looked at the newcomer.
"It's gotten worse! It's not just kingdoms being overthrown, but Kingdoms actively dissuading alliances with the World Government! And they're building up traction!," shouted the knight.
"People of Bira. Thank you for gathering at my beckoning. We owe everything to Monkey D. Dragon for liberating Vira and Bira that one time. The evils he helped to extract are attempting to once again reclaim these lands in order to reestablish their despotic and dystopian tyrannies. We now know due to the wanted posters that the Gomu user has resurfaced! Now is the time to protect Mimameid- the sacred tree of our people's ancestral homeland of Vira. The tree of Ohara has died, but it will be reborn- for it is knowledge itself as will our tree in the unlikely case it gets destroyed or even Yggdrasil. What is lost will eventually be found again through rebirth. What we carry are the ideas inherited from what we learned! Do not welcome-," explained a currently obscured figure on the Transponder Snail before Abraham previously known as Mars, used his Conquerors' Haki to turn it off.
"Dragon mistook both Bira and Vira for the same island and ended up causing problems for both nations. We ultimately managed to get a grip hold still on the latter, but the former...," said Germain previously known as Ju Peter.
The room grew tense as the Elders exchanged furtive glances. The revelation of Dragon's misstep had thrown a wrench in their plans. They had been so focused on the prophecy and the threat of the "Nika Fruit" that they had overlooked the potential for a unified rebellion. The mere mention of another sacred tree brought a shiver down their spines, a stark reminder of the power of knowledge and the cost of suppressing it.
"And the Red Hair Pirates are engaging with Imu.," observed Byakuo previously known as Nusjuro. "And Umi is still unconscious."
Midas grew slightly aggravated at the mention of Bira and Vira.
"How close are that merry band of children to Vira?" asked the pudgy Elder.
"Very close, but they seem to be busy. Yggdrasil is now inside their new ship. Despite the efforts of Cortez, they managed to not only get a new ship but ruin the initial plan of overtaking Elbaf.," explained Irene.
"What does that mean?," asked Midas.
"It means, you buffoon, that this situation is now in shambles due to your bumbling.," explained the odango-styled-haired crone.
"Let's take it outside.," threatened Midas.
"Seems like you've continued to be at each other's throats even after your return.," Forza mentioned. "I wouldn't recommend it. Who knows if you might get caught in the storm outside? Or if Teach decides to take out his new toy on us?"
"Two of the Emperors are safeguarding Adam, another is harassing us, and the final one can ambush us at any time. This era has really become chaotic and it's your fault-," said Arcas.
"What's with that? Get rid of it?," asked Howard as he noticed a small metallic, floating device (a drone by modern terms) as it then shot out a light in particular direction before leaving. It left behind a seemingly innocuous zipper.
"Don't be pointing fingers at your peers. As far as I'm concerned, you're all equally involved.," explained a voice, which made them all turn.," said another voice, which made all of the Elders currently awake to turn in the particular direction the new voice was coming from.
In that direction, a man in a white suit appeared in the midair space from a golden zipper floating upwards as it "unzipped" the space as the man appeared.
He was a fair-skinned man of above-average height with a slim build. He had silver chin-length hair with straight-cut bangs covering his forehead. His hair is adorned with a pair of pull-tab-shaped hair clips surmounted on each side of his bangs. He wore a silver mask with a golden zipper in the center covering the lower half of his face. He wore a white suit. His most unusual features were his black sclera eyes with red irises.
"Who the devil are you? A Devil Fruit user?," asked Howard. "More importantly, you've essentially signed your death sentence coming uninvited."
"Zipupupupupupupupupupu. This material... seems to hail from Flevance. Amber Lead...it's normally toxic...but it can be refined two ways...either by sorcery or...," said the figure touching one of the pillars.
Outside of Nusjuro, Midas, Platinum, Malcolm, Garling, Arcas, Acala, and Irene immediately pulled out flintlock pistols.
"How much do you want to pay? You're clearly here for a favor.," said Midas.
"Pay? Favor? That's interesting.," noted the figure. "Let's have short chat. I am hear to a favor to pay...a favor to repay. And we always repay our debts, even if we have to pummel the reaper so we can stay long enough to ensure it happens. Lesser devils try to pretend they don't exist, but we do."
"You're of the Vile Familia!," realized Germain. "The Capone Family managed to wipe you out when he took over the West Blue."
"Our extermination was greatly exaggerated.," said the white-clad figure. "But I'm here for a different reason." He then took a resolute pose.
"You can wipe out all the researchers you want- they brought taboos and understood the cost. Wipe out cities to contain diseases or prevent escalations, but nothing justifies the destruction of the Sacred Tree Sephiroth of Knowledge. Its old body may be gone, but its remnants will take root in its place.," the figure said.
The Elders tensed up at the mention of the "Sacred Tree Sephiroth of Knowledge"- a name they hadn't heard since Ohara's destruction.
"Actually, it is a personal matter. You managed to compromise the boss' honor by hurting what he took pride in.," the figure said.
"Wriririrriririri. You're just thugs hiding behind an outdated sense of honor. It's dead. Just become drug pushers and deliverers of weapons of mass destruction so we can benefit off of you...unless you don't want to be enslaved!," said Fortunatus Wright as he stepped out of the shadows to reveal his unveiled self.
A short man with graying teal hair styled in the typical World Noble hairstyle, large opaque glasses to obscure his eyes, and a crude beak-like upper jaw with no nose or visible nostrils. He wore a dark suit with an olive-green tie. He was constantly drooling from his mouth.
Fortunatus Wright- Warrior God of Ambassadorship- in Truth Slavery.
The drool puddle expanded as it began to take on the texture of adhesive glue as it flowed toward the figure.
"You're Bianco, one of their Capos. You're clearly a son of his because the one I knew about should be older than the undead pirate, Brook.," the drooling figure said.
"Eww, you still haven't learned when not to drool.," complained Ruth.
Notably, Bianco's eyes widen when Brook's name is mentioned. He then tossed something into the puddle as the puddle began to pulsate.
Darwin quickly realized what was going on.
"It's only fair since you took their home and that you lose yours.," explained Bianco.
With a swift motion, he planted the seed into the ground. The Elders watched in horror as a green shoot emerged, cracking through the stone beneath it. The seedling grew rapidly, its vines snaking around the pillars of the chamber and up the walls. The room shook as the tree pushed aside the very structure of Pangaea Castle. The air grew thick with the scent of new growth and earth. The tree grew up, up, up, reaching for the heavens, its branches spreading out and morphing into a pattern that mirrored the sacred tree of Ohara.
The tree grew at an alarming rate, its trunk thickening and its branches stretching outwards, reaching through the walls and into the corridors beyond. The Elders scrambled to their feet, their weapons clattering to the ground as the tree's roots began to coil around them, lifting them off the floor. The once grand hall was now a prison of living wood, the walls closing in as the tree claimed its space and broke through the ceiling.
Being immortals, it wasn't as big of a deal, but it was a massive blow to their egos for this to happen in their own territory.
The tree grew more and more, each second that passed was a declaration of war. The vines wrapped around them, squeezing tightly, the Elders' eyes widened as they realized that the tree was not only growing rapidly, but it was also changing the very essence of the place they had called home for centuries. The castle groaned and creaked as it was reshaped by the unyielding force of the tree. The walls that had once been a bastion of power now bent and cracked under the pressure of the wooden embrace.
It sprouted into a familiar shape of a tree with a thinner lower half with a larger upper half with a circular edge protrusion to separate the halves- the Tree of Knowledge before it mutated into a Sephiroth-like design- this one bluer than the green Yggdrasil of Elaph.
"This...this isn't possible! How?!" exclaimed Wright.
"I think that's least of your concerns.," explained Bianco while he opened up more zippers as more of his compatriots emerged.
Next Chapter: Dark Freedom
Author Notes: The Vile Familia make their move- while brutal, there's hints that they're not nearly as bad as the Capone or especially the Doflamingo Pirates in terms of being villains. They also seem to have a deep connection to Ohara and Brook of all people. It is poetic justice that the reincarnation of the Tree of Knowledge of Ohara manages to take root and overtake the land that saw to its predecessor's unneeded destruction.