Kill One Hero
A crossover story between Kill La Kill, One Piece, and My Hero Academia
Preamble
Heya! After writing 33 chapters of Kill One Hero, I decided to update the preamble. Go ahead and skip straight to the story if you want to get into the action, but if you want some extra details to ease you in, feel free to read on.
How will the crossover work in this fanfiction?
Kill One Hero as a fanfic has My Hero Academia as the most prominent base for its early story, with One Piece being used extensively for world building, and Kill La Kill's not yet being used, but instead merely foreshadowed (though past Chapter 33 the events of Kill La Kill start to gain some more focus).
I feel this clarification is needed as the first seven chapters of this story focus pretty heavily on the One Piece side of things when that's not where this fanfiction will be until much later, which you'll understand when you see this story's timeline placement.
Does this fanfiction get better?
My biggest regret with this fanfic is not giving it the bombastic opening it deserves.
If you're lukewarm on the fanfic, I'd recommend giving Chapter 20 a read, as it is one of the best chapters I've made in this fanfic, gives you a good idea of what the 'vibes' of this fanfic are, and is a very easily accessible chapter due to it's primary usage of Izuku and Bakugo, two characters who have a relationship which is recognizable, albeit albeit different from the one in the canon MHA story.
Chapter 20 is also when the bulk of the changes to the canon start to occur, and the story 'gets good'.
I hope this preamble has prepared you better to read Kill One Hero, and I hope you enjoy the fanfic!
Chapter 1 - Dreams
This Chapter Contains Spoilers For:
- One Piece: Minor Romance Dawn Arc Spoilers, Minor Alabasta Spoilers, Minor Post-Enies Lobby Spoilers
- My Hero Academia / Kill La Kill: Spoilers for characters introduced early on (~Ep. 6 of Kill La Kill, Ep. 1 of MHA)
The sun was setting on Musutafu, Japan, and all seemed to be peaceful. People were driving home from work, and birds were flying through the air.
But, to those who kept up with the dangerous world of piracy, an event of unforeseeable consequence was about to take place.
Wealth, fame, and power. Gol D. Roger, the "King of the Pirates", had obtained this, and everything else the world had to offer… but now, he stood in between the pristine edges of two silver blades, forming an 'X' to his chest... which were prepared to fly up and slice off his head! But, the infamous pirate only smiled at his precarious situation, ready to leave his final words, and inspire piracy all around the world!
"You want my treasure?" The man began, "Well then you can have it! A little piece of everything in the world is waiting… but be warned, you'll have to search the entire world to find it!"
The moment his speech finished, Gol D. Rogers' life was quickly cut short… but after such a speech, cheers erupted from the plaza. His speech marked the beginning of a time known as the Great Pirate Era!
22 years after the beginning of the Great Pirate Era, just another pirate by the name of Monkey D. Luffy begins his quest to find the One Piece, setting off from his hometown of Foosha Village to wherever his small dinghy could take him.
Having just departed and beaten the local sea beast which was in the waters surrounding his village, Monkey D. Luffy put his foot up on the side of his boat and began to talk to himself.
"First things first… I gotta find a crew!" Luffy said to himself, "About ten men should do… oh, and I'll need a pirate flag!"
Unable to hold his anticipation inside of him, Luffy decided to express his excitement by jumping up into the air, forcing his arms and legs inwards, as he began to shout, "Look out world, cuz you're looking at the man who'll be…" as he continued his speech, Luffy spread his arms and legs out violently, "THE KING OF THE PIRATES!"
Once Luffy landed, the tiny boat the future king stood on shook from the intensity of the aforementioned motion.
"Oh… whoops. I don't wanna accidentally break this thing." Luffy noted. Gazing out onto the ocean, a vast expanse of sea awaited the boy, and he wondered just where he would go next. Luffy smiled at the thought, deciding to lie down, and attempt to even mildly calm the storm that was welling up inside him.
"Oh man, I wonder just where I'm gonna end up... Ah… yeah!" Luffy said, thinking aloud, "I wonder how that one kid I met way back in the day is doing!"
Thinking back, Luffy recalled a time over nine years ago, where after the piracy of Red-Haired Shanks had a great influence on him, Luffy's grandfather, Monkey D. Garp, sent Luffy to Musutafu, Japan, in the vain attempt to make Luffy into a suitable candidate to become a Marine.
Blue skies, green fields, and thick, lush forests were plentiful on Dawn Island, the very same island that Monkey D. Luffy had grown up on… and the very same island he'd shortly be leaving.
"But Gramps! I don't wanna go over to Japan! I wanna stay here with Ace!" Luffy shouted, attempting to loosen himself from his Grandfather's grip via his Gum Gum powers. His grandfather was presently dragging him outside of the forest and into Windmill Village, and didn't waver after Luffy's plea whatsoever.
"You little scamp… I don't care what you want! I'm doing this because you keep babbling on about wanting to become a pirate!" Garp argued, "So you're gonna get re-educated in Japan, no matter what you want!"
"Gaaahhh… but I don't wanna!"
Despite the young boy's cries, in time, he was forced to leave the "peaceful" island where he grew up. Also in spite of his previous cries, the boy was captivated by the method of travel he and his grandfather took to get to Japan.
"Woah… this airplane is so cool!" Luffy exclaimed, pressing his face against the window.
"Yep. Hard to believe how advanced technology has become." Garp calmly stated, picking his nose in the process, "It's unfortunate we can't use these things on the Grand Line."
"Well, why can't you gramps?"
"Well, the Grand Line causes these types of machines to go haywire due to their island's unique magnetic field." Garp stated, "That's why you'll have to use a good ol' fashioned ship once you become a Marine."
Instantaneously after Garp said this, Luffy confidently responded,
"You mean once I become a pirate!"
"WHY YOU LITTLE-"
Enraged, Garp hit Luffy on the head. Due to Luffy's Gum Gum powers, his head expanded downwards and hit the floor of the airplane they were riding on, to the horror of the others who rode on the airplane.
A short while later, Luffy and Garp arrived at Mustafu, Japan. Garp yawned, while Luffy was enamored by all the technological wonders and busy streets present within the city of Mustafu.
"Luffy." Garp began, "You'll be getting picked up by a friend of mine."
"Oh, so are ya gonna ride back home on one of those airplanes again?"
"Eh… maybe."
"Can I come with you?"
"No way… now scram, you little brat."
Luffy looked back at his grandfather, who walked away from the boy. Suddenly, as if deciding on a whim, he launched himself into the air, heading to an unknown destination. Luffy simply stood there, alone outside of the airport.
"Hm... what to do-"
"There are two things that you need to know…" Stated an unknown voice, instantly commanding the attention of a confused Luffy. Identifying the figure who the voice belonged to, Luffy saw that it was a man.
He had black hair, trimmed in a way that made him look like a soldier, but contrasting such a serious appearance was a red mohawk on the top of his head, pointing stubbornly upwards. He wore an overly serious look on his face, a white lab coat, and a black shirt. (he also has pants and shoes but they aren't very relevant)
"One, I'm only doing this because I owe your grandfather a big favor." he stated, "Two, I don't babysit brats very often… so you're gonna follow my orders and listen closely."
Luffy simply stood there, mostly confused. There was a brief silence between the two.
"Are you gonna say anything kid-"
"You talk funny, mister."
Instantly enraged by the demeanor of Luffy, the unknown person had considered saying something back for a split-second, but he then remembered that he was speaking to a child, and he calmed himself down.
"I can't believe that you're such a brat…"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"I said you're a brat! Now get a move on, I ain't got all day."
The unknown person wasn't be interested in having an argument with a child, and Luffy, uninterested due to the lack of a reaction from said unknown person, decided to follow him. Not before turning back towards the airport one more time however, contemplating if he could find a way to sneak back into an aircraft and ride back to Foosha Village.
Since it was nighttime, the unknown person took Luffy to his apartment, as it was just about time for both of them to go to sleep. Unlocking the door, the unknown person began to speak,
"Alright brat, you can sleep on the couch, the bed's mine-"
Interrupting the man was the snores of Luffy, who had passed out the second that they had gotten to the apartment. The man squinted at the boy, clearly unable to process the fact that Luffy had fallen asleep right then and there. The man decided not to wake the boy, and put Luffy on his couch to sleep, as per his word. The man then decided to go to his own bed. Laying there, he thought to himself,
"Man... what a weird kid."
The next morning, the man awoke to a sort of smashing sound in his living room.
"Just what the hell is that noise?" The man mumbled.
Quickly getting up out of his noticeably clean bedroom, he exited out of his door, and after shutting it, he peered to the right. Once he did, he saw none other than Luffy in his living room. The boy was shouting, "GUM GUM… PISTOL!" before utilizing his rubber powers to attempt to hit a salt shaker, which was positioned on top of a stool in front of him… though so far, Luffy had only succeeded on hitting the countertop to the left, the fridge further back, and the wall to the right.
"What the hell are you doing?" the man asked with only a hint of aggression.
"Oh! Hey mister!" Luffy responded, "I was practicing my Gum Gum moves, since I gotta be strong if I wanna be a Pirate!"
"Garp really was right… you're dead set on being a pirate, huh?" the man said, mildly intrigued.
"Yep!"
The man walked out of the hallway which housed his bedroom and bathroom. As he looked to the left, he found his kitchen mildly damaged, and straight ahead, he saw that his couch had been noticeably roughed up… but all in all, his apartment was mostly fine. The man breathed in a sigh of relief.
"Say mister, what's that thing up there?" Luffy said, pointing towards the TV up on the wall.
"That's a TV kid."
"A what?"
"A television. It lets you see the news, shows, and other stuff."
"What are shows and other stuff?"
The red-haired man began to be sick of the Straw Hatted boy's constant questions.
"There are two things that you need to know…"
"Do you always say that?"
Now annoyed, the man then quickly snapped back, "Alright kid. You've gotta get ready for school, and I've gotta get ready for work. We'll be leaving in fifteen minutes, so don't dawdle."
"Where do you work, mister?"
"Some place with my sister and a few others. Stop asking questions for now kid, I'm tired."
After the pair somewhat quickly got ready (Luffy basically just stood there doing nothing while the man picked up his slack), the man then drove Luffy to work in his car. As they passed by car after car, Luffy was bewildered by the act that was extremely simple to the man.
"Woah... this car thing is incredible!" Luffy exclaimed, "Just how does it work, old guy?"
"Kid... I'm not a mechanic."
Luffy then curled his right hand into a fist, and smacked it onto his left palm, as if he were resting his fist on it. He had come to a conclusion.
"It must run on magic then!"
Eventually, the pair arrived at the school Luffy was to attend, and after Luffy got out of the car, the man begun to speak.
"There are two things that you need to know,"
The instant the older man began, Luffy's face quickly cringed.
"One, you best be here by the time that school ends… 15:15 sharp." the man began, "And two, don't make any trouble at school… I have important stuff to do, so I can't just be babysitting some brat all day."
Luffy remained standing still, not saying anything.
"You got that kid?"
"Got it."
"Good. Then go inside and learn a thing or two. I'll be here when you're done."
The man drove off, and after he did so, Luffy then turned around, and absentmindedly looked at the academy which would be housing him for an indefinite period of time.
"Welp… guess I gotta go in there." Despite his statement, Luffy continued to stand still, contemplating whether or not he actually wanted to go inside. Luffy's previously neutral face then turned into a frown, as he stated, "Do I really gotta go in there…"
"Uh… h-hello there!" an unknown voice said from behind Luffy, his already squeaky voice cracking at the end of his previous statement. "U-um… I haven't seen you around before… Are you new around here?"
The boy who had confronted Luffy was even shorter than Luffy was, and was even younger as well. He possessed both dark green hair and green eyes, the latter of which were large and beady, and below them, he possessed freckles. He wore a celadon colored shirt, with green shorts, white socks, and red shoes.
"Oh, yeah. I just came here with my Grandpa, cause he said I have to go to school." Luffy quickly responded.
"Oh!" the green haired boy exclaimed, "Then… you must be pretty nervous… What grade are you in?"
The conversation paused momentarily, as Luffy had to count what grade he was in on his fingers.
"Third grade… or something like that."
"Wow! You're two years older than me then… I'm in first grade!"
Suddenly, another voice interjected…
"Heh. Seems like someone's talking to that crappy Deku!"
The person who made that observation was a spiky blonde haired student, with bright red, sharp eyes. He wore a blue shirt, red pants, and green shoes.
"G-good morning Kacchan!" The boy named 'Deku' nervously spouted, gaining the attention of Luffy, but only the contempt of the other boy.
"Get outta the way, nerd."
The so-called, 'Kacchan', then passed by 'Deku', moving past him as though he were just a fly.
Before 'Kacchan' was even out of range, Luffy then loudly stated, "That guy seems like a big jerk!"
"He's… he's actually- anyways! My name's Izuku Midoriya, what's yours?" the boy asked, smiling as he did so, clearly trying to ignore what just happened. Luffy then smiled back.
"My name's Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates."
Izuku Midoriya was taken aback by this claim, "What?! A pirate?!"
"Yep!" Luffy said, "I wanna be a pirate just like Shanks… he's who I got this Straw Hat from!" Luffy then pointed to his head.
Izuku Midoriya was unsure what he should think, as he quickly muttered under his breath, shocked, "Woah... to be able to say something like that…" he paused, realizing he was speaking aloud, and then said, "Well, classes are about to start. You know where yours is?"
"Nah. I never bothered checking."
"W-what?! You better head to the principal's office to find it then! I'll take you there!"
"You really have the time to do that?"
"I'll be just fine!"
After the conversation with Izuku in the morning, Luffy was able to become fast friends with the boy, but after Izuku helped Luffy find where he was to go, the two departed for their respective classes. In class, Luffy almost instantaneously fell asleep due to a lack of interest in anything remotely educational… and well, the teacher's lack of excitement about their subject didn't help either.
Later, during the first recess of the day, Luffy found an isolated space near the garbage, and began practicing his Gum Gum moves. Izuku, who had been searching for Luffy, saw him training, as Luffy was finally able to land a hit on the garbage can he was aiming for.
"What are you doing, Monkey?"
Luffy then took notice of Izuku, and turned towards him, "Oh, I'm practicing my Gum Gum moves on this trash over here."
Luffy then resumed his attention to the trash can, as he yet again shouted, "Gum Gum… PISTOL!"... but his next move missed again, ending his hot streak of one.
"Aw, dang it." Luffy muttered. Meanwhile, Izuku stood timidly in the corner. Luffy noticed this, and asked,
"What's the matter? Gotta poop?"
"H-huh?! Oh, no, I don't…" Izuku shut his eyes after saying such, and kept them held shut, as if afraid of seeing what was right in front of him. Izuku slowly opened his eyes, and afterwards asked, "You… you said that you wanted to become the Pirate King… right?"
Luffy quickly responded, saying, "Yep. It's a part of the promise I made with Shanks."
"T-then…" Izuku paused, not sure if he wanted to proceed, "Do you think that it's possible… I could become a hero… even without any superpowers?"
Luffy began to stare blankly at Izuku, which caused the latter of the two boys to panic.
"W-well… say something!" Izuku begged, flustered.
"You're being dumb!"
"H-huh?"
Luffy, deciding that the matter at hand didn't require it fully, returned his attention to the garbage cans in front of him.
"I can't say if you can or can't become a hero because you aren't one yet." Luffy began to say, "It's something you gotta try and do yourself."
"B-but…"
"I didn't have any powers when I was born either." Luffy noted, causing shock to enter Izuku's face, "But, I was still able to get these powers because I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit… and my brother's even stronger than me, without any powers either!"
"B-but…"
"What's there to say 'but' about?" Luffy flashed a wide smile at Izuku, "So long as you think you can do it… who else can prove you wrong?"
After contemplating and realizing the true meaning behind Luffy's relatively simple words, tears began forming on Izuku Midoriya's face, but he quickly wiped them away, not wanting to seem like a crybaby in front of Luffy.
"I-I'll try my best!" Izuku was able to get out.
Smiling faintly, Luffy continued to prepare an assault on the trash cans in front of him, as he then shouted out "Gum Gum… Pistol!" once more.
"O-oh… your powers…" Izuku noted, causing Luffy to pause once more, "They look pretty similar to those of a pro hero… Eel-Boy! He once said in a video that he aimed by…"
Rushing out of school once the day ended, just like any other kid, Luffy confidently shouted "I'm free!" once he had left the building's walls, afterwards thinking aloud, "Now what was I supposed to do out here again?"
Luffy stood still for a moment, as if almost on queue, his stomach rumbled.
"I'm pretty hungry…"
Luffy, instantly responding to his stomach, then began to walk away from the school, wanting to search for food, but a voice made him stop dead in his tracks.
"Now just where do you think you're going, kid?"
Luffy then looked behind him, and saw the red-mohawked man who was taking care of him for the time being.
"Oh, hey mohawk guy. I was gonna go look around for some food."
"There are two things that you need-"
Luffy began to chant, "I want food! I want food!", clapping his hands to the rhythm of his speech.
The mohawk man sighed, before beginning his speech, "I told you to wait here after school had ended."
Luffy looked at the man, uninterrupted, as in an instant, Luffy's face changed. Luffy quickly bowed, and muttered under his breath a simple,
"I'm sorry."
"You don't look sorry!" the man yelled back.
It took the man and Luffy not very long to return home. Once they did, the man sighed after a long day of work, walking towards his couch and plopping himself on it. Luffy, unsure of just what to do in the odd place that was an apartment, followed suit, climbing up and sitting down on the couch. The man looked over at Luffy, yet the boy said nothing, forcing the man to begin the conversation himself.
"You were asking what a TV was earlier, yeah?"
Luffy looked blankly at the mohawked man, and said, "I did?", which caused the mohawked man to squint at Luffy, before responding,
"Y-yeah… you did."
"Oh. Cool. What's a TV then?"
"Well… why don't I show you? I was just about to watch the news here now."
Luffy smiled, as he responded, "Oh, sure!"
Though it was an odd set of circumstances that brought them together, it was the moments like this one that was able to bring both Luffy and the mohawked man closer during their brief time together.
Later in the evening, the mohawked man decided to take out Luffy to play outside at the park. The park he took Luffy to wasn't a traditional one though, but one with various pieces of exercise equipment scattered throughout. The man intended for Luffy to play here while he worked out, but while the man did so, he noticed that Luffy seemingly was just continuing to attempt to use his 'Gum Gum Pistol'.
After observing the boy casually for a while, the man decided to interject, "You know kid…" he began, "Regardless of whether or not you've got a quirk, spinning your arm around like that's not how you throw a punch."
"Yeah, and you think you know better, mister?" Luffy shouted back, angered by his methods being questioned.
"Yeah… I think I do." the man replied calmly, "As opposed to swinging your arms wildly like that, you want to…"
Across several more days, Izuku Midoriya and Luffy's caretaker aided the boy in strengthening the fundamentals behind his Gum Gum Pistol, but on top of this, the bond between them was also strengthened.
During their training, Izuku asked many questions about Luffy's way of life in the East Blue, including those about Devil Fruits and Marines. Luffy answered many of Izuku's questions, and even asked some questions of his own about heroes, as well as some school stuff he didn't get, which Izuku tried to help with, despite being two grades below Luffy.
Meanwhile, beyond just helping with Luffy's training, the mohawk man showed Luffy the wonders of Japan, taking him to places like a shrine and noodle stand. On the only weekend Luffy spent in Japan, the man even took Luffy into work to meet his sister and business partners. One such business partner was Isshin Matoi, who noted that he had a daughter who was around two years younger than Luffy, and had a very similar personality to him.
Thanks to the encyclopedic knowledge of Izuku Midoriya, as well as the teachings of the combat experienced mohawked man, Luffy was able to nearly perfect his Gum Gum Pistol in just a week.
"That's nine in a row, Luffy!" Izuku excitedly shouted, as Luffy quickly set up the trash cans he was aiming at once more, "Only one more hit, and we'll meet your goal."
Luffy smirked, as he prepared his next move. He took a fighting stance, and while throwing his arm back and stretching it, as well as lifting his leg like a baseball pitcher, he shouted, "GUM GUM…" and then, in an instant, he threw his leg down, and extended his arm forwards, finishing the title of his move with the line, "PISTOL!"
In the blink of an eye, a powerful blow hit the trash can, causing it to recoil backwards, and have the contents of the bin spill out on the ground.
"Ten! You did it Luffy!" Izuku noted, excited for his friend's accomplishment.
"Heh! Couldn't have done it without you, your brain really helped out a ton!" Luffy swiftly responded, "Plus, that old guy back home didn't hurt to have around either."
Izuku was just glad that he could help his friend. Due to his victory, Luffy excitedly and rapidly tapped his feet on the ground, and then jumped up, saying, "Oh boy, Ace won't believe it when I show him just what I can do now!"
"Ace? Who's Ace?" Izuku asked inquisitively.
"Oh, did I never tell you about Ace?" Luffy questioned, "Well, he's the brother I mentioned earlier, and well…"
On this day, Luffy would tell Izuku about Ace, though he made sure to not talk about a certain boy who wore blue in the process, knowing that the story would probably be too sad for Izuku to hear.
Later that day, when the man came to pick Luffy up, Luffy excitedly spouted to him about his new and improved aim,
"Yo, old man! You'll never believe it! I finally perfected my Gum Gum Pistol!"
"Oh yeah?" the man responded, "Well, let's go to the park then. You'll have to show it to me."
When they arrived at the park, Luffy showed the man his Gum Gum Pistol, succeeding in hitting a stationary target fifteen times in a row.
"Not bad at all, Luffy." the man said, "But, you know your opponents aren't just gonna be stationary targets, especially at longer ranges, right?"
Luffy, excited by his progress, was angered by the man seemingly undermining it, as he yelled, "Oh come on old man! I can hit these targets now, ain't that good enough?!"
"Luffy." the man chuckled, as the beginning of his speech caused Luffy to shut his mouth temporarily, "There are two things that you need to know." The same cringed face that Luffy made only days prior returned to Luffy's face when the man began.
"One, you're the one who wants to become the King of the Pirates… and that goal requires no less than excellence in combat." the man then continued, "Two, don't get me wrong, I am proud of your progress… but I'm just preparing you for what your next steps to improve are."
Luffy's cringe face then evaporated, turning into one of excitement and joy.
"So then mister, does that mean you're on board with me becoming a pirate?"
"W-well… I mean, I still want you to become a Marine, don't get me wrong-"
Even though Luffy had perfected the aim of his Gum Gum Pistol on stationary targets, the boy continued his training, intent on completely perfecting the technique as quickly as he could.
However, not all was as peaceful as it seemed, as just a few days after Luffy began his new training, Izuku wouldn't show up at their traditional meeting spot.
"That's weird…" Luffy said, thinking aloud, "He's not the type to be late for no reason… where could he be?"
Curious, Luffy left behind the secret spot which held the memories of his and Izuku's journey to perfect the Gum Gum Pistol… for the last time.
Going out into the courtyard, Luffy explored around the playground, eventually finding another hidden area which he didn't know about… and saw Izuku, together with that, "Kacchan" from earlier.
"So Deku, it seems you've been helping that third grader." Kacchan began, "Even though you know that he insulted me, right on his first day of school."
"K-kacchan…" Izuku mumbled.
"Don't try and play that card with me, Deku! We all know you're what you're trying to do, you quirkless, wannabe hero!" Kacchan confidently spouted, with his entourage behind him, laughing, "Now, here's the deal. You're gonna cut ties with that craphead, and then, you're gonna bring him to me so I can beat him up! That's gonna be your only use!"
"Damn Bakugo, you're crazy!" one of his friends spouted behind him.
Seeing this outside the alleyway, Luffy, more than anything, was focused on the tears of Izuku, knowing that they were the tears of someone with grit, yet, it was buried underneath a childlike fear.
"O-okay, I'll do it!" Izuku cried.
"Hah! Didn't take much to convince you… gotta wonder if you and that kid were ever even friends in the first place! Hahaha!" Kacchan said through laughter.
"Now… Gum Gum…" Luffy began, causing Kacchan to turn around, ready to question just who the hell would bother messing with him. Before he could, Luffy finished his attack with a shout, propelling his arm forwards as he shouted, "PISTOL!"
Suddenly, a rubber arm propelled itself towards Kacchan, which he narrowly dodged, dropping Izuku in the process.
"Get your hands off my friend!" Luffy shouted, as his arm retracted back to him, ready to strike again.
"Your friend?" Kacchan got out through restrained laughter, "This crappy Deku was just about ready to sell you out to me, and you still consider him a friend?!"
Izuku looked down at the floor through tears, unready to accept the reality in front of him.
"Shut up!" Luffy shouted, causing Izuku to look up in surprise, "I don't care what you think, and I don't care what he said! I'm friends with him cause he's a good guy, and I know that he'd never go behind my back like that!"
The tears which had momentarily stopped then proceeded to continue to well up in Izuku's eyes… except this time, they were for a different reason. They weren't tears of sorrow, but rather, tears of joy for the fact that someone believed in him that much, "Luffy…"
Suddenly, Kacchan's entourage rushed towards Luffy, featuring one boy with red, devil wings, and another who could extend his fingers… that's all the information Luffy's brain had time to process, as Luffy simultaneously hit them both with a twin pair of Gum Gum Pistols from afar, knocking the pair out cold.
"Not bad… you took out the extras." Kacchan cheerfully stated, "But, you'll have to do better than that against me."
Kacchan ran towards Luffy, and as Luffy processed this, he then shouted out, "Gum Gum, Pistol!" utilizing the move, but Kacchan was able to dodge due to the predictability of the move.
With Luffy's arm outstretched, Kacchan took the advantage. Getting up close, Kacchan attempted to punch Luffy, but Kacchan's punch sank right into Luffy due to his Gum Gum powers. Kacchan merely smirked at this, as he then yelled out, "Take this!" as he unleashed a powerful explosion, causing Luffy to take damage, and be hurled backwards.
"Luffy!" Izuku yelled, as Kacchan turned back towards Izuku.
"It seems that friend of yours was all bark, and no bite, Deku." Kacchan confidently said, smiling at the green haired boy, who was lying, terrified, on the ground, "Getting someone else to fight your fights for you… that's not very hero-like, is it?"
"Shut up, you jerk." A voice calmly spoke from behind Kacchan, as Kacchan turned around, eyes wide. He realized that Luffy, despite being hurt from that last explosion, was still standing tall right behind him. It reminded Kacchan of All Might.
"You're… you're still standing." Kacchan nervously said. Luffy ignored Kacchan, as he began a speech that only he understood the true meaning of.
"You can punch me, blow me up, even spit on me for all I care…" Luffy said, "But… nobody, and I mean nobody…"
Luffy, pausing momentarily, readied yet another Gum Gum Pistol, as with determination, he shouted out, "HURTS MY FRIENDS!"
Kacchan smiled at this with a drop of sweat falling down his face. He was nervous.
"W-well, no big deal..." Kacchan thought, "I avoided that last punch he threw at me, so this one should be a piece of-"
But, when Kacchan tried to move in order to ddoge Luffy's attack, he was unable to.
"D-deku?" Kacchan questioned.
"Sorry Kacchan…"
To Kacchan's surprise, Izuku had grabbed him from behind in a full nelson, leaving Kacchan completely vulnerable to Luffy's Gum Gum Pistol. This attack hit Kacchan square in the face, and it hit him hard, leaving a bruise on the boy's face.
"You… you worthless Deku!" Kacchan shouted, shoving Izuku back, as he rushed towards Luffy once he was free, "I'll never back down! I'll always keep standing, that's what it means to be number one!"
Luffy, deciding not to comment, rushed towards Kacchan himself. The boy readied his explosions, and in turn, Luffy readied his attack, shouting out, "Gum Gum…"
Kacchan was ready, but once Luffy reached a close ranged position, he'd shock Kacchan, yelling out, "Bullet!" Before Kacchan could unleash an explosion which would have surely finished off Luffy, the surprise change of attack up from Luffy hit him square in the chest, as Kacchan was recoiled backwards… The attack had less of a charge-up than the Gum Gum Pistol, and came at him faster than he expected. And due to that, Bakugo was now out cold.
"L-Luffy…" Izuku said through tears, staring at the other boy, who offered a swift response,
"Don't let any jerks like that stop your dreams… no matter what!"
Izuku, who had never had someone fight for him before, continued having his tears flow… but as quick as he could, he wiped them away. After all, this wasn't an occasion he should be crying at… because he had found his hero.
Of course, despite the heroic nature of the eight year old Luffy beating up the six year old Kacchan, the school which Luffy attended saw the incident at face value, and even if they didn't, they would have surely expelled Luffy regardless.
Returning home after getting expelled inside the mohawked man's car, the man asked Luffy,
"So, what was the reason that you got into that fight?"
"My friend was getting beat up by that Kacchan guy, and telling him that he could never achieve his dreams and become a hero, so I beat him up." Luffy asserted. Due to Luffy's reasoning, the mohawked man smiled.
"Well, even if it was inevitable that you'd get kicked out of school, I'm at least glad you went out like you did…" the man stated.
"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!" Luffy snapped back in an instant.
Shortly after collecting the minimal belongings Luffy possessed, the man and Luffy both arrived at the airport, as Luffy saw his grandfather waiting for him.
"Gramps!" Luffy confidently said, rushing towards him with his arms spread out, as his grandfather returned the favor. The pair ran at each other, and once Garp was in range of Luffy, he smacked Luffy clean in the head.
"You little brat! It hasn't even been two weeks, and you already got yourself expelled?!"
"Sorry gramps, but it wasn't for me."
Garp sighed, "Alright brat… get to the plane."
Luffy, who had previously been hiding it, was no longer able to hold back his excitement, shouting, "Yay!"
"There are two things you need to know."
Luffy, now realizing that he was to be leaving the man behind, looked behind him.
"First… We never introduced ourselves. My name is Tsumugu Kinagase, a scientist working with Life Fibers… and you are?"
Luffy smiled back, and asserted, "Monkey D. Luffy! And I'm the guy who's gonna be King of the Pirates!"
"You little-" Garp said, raring to give Luffy another beating before being stopped by Kinagase putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Second… the next time we meet, it doesn't matter what you are, whether you're a pirate, a marine, hell, even a hero… you better be the damn best of your trade."
Luffy's smile grew even wider, his eyes automatically shutting in the process, "Of course, old guy!" Kinagase returned the smile. After a brief pause, Luffy opened his eyes, as his smile parted slightly enough to allow him to do so, "Anyways, I'll see you sometime later!"
Luffy then ran backwards into the airport, leaving both Kinagase and Garp behind.
"So… you see it too, Kinagase?" Garp stated.
"Yep. That boy's gonna make something of himself some day… you should've seen just how determined he was to master that move… the, 'Gum Gum Pistol,' I think it was."
"Bwahaha! That's my boy!" Garp laughed, and then continued, "To be fair to Luffy, I didn't think school'd be the answer to his streak of piracy… I mean, I remember that I myself flunked out of the first school I attended in three days."
Kinagase only smiled, and there was a brief silence between the two… they had said all there was to be said.
"Well Kinagase, I don't know when I'll see you again, but I'll have to repay you for taking care of Luffy."
"No worries, he was a good kid."
"Hah! That's the first time I've heard that."
Garp then turned around, ready to leave, but he was stopped one final time by Kinagase.
"Garp…" Kinagase began, as Garp turned around, "Let's go out for drinks sometime."
Garp smiled, "Of course. My treat."
The old man then walked into the airport, noticing quickly that Luffy hadn't stayed put, and had rushed off somewhere. Kinagase, in the meantime, only smiled.
"Oh yeah... the lab." Kinagase reminded himself, "I should probably get going there... after all, we're only a few weeks away from finishing the prototype for the Kamui. We don't have a second to waste."
Back in the present, Luffy, after reminiscing over a much less detailed version of the tale that has just been told, then said to himself,
"Oh yeah! There was that old geezer too! I'll have to find my way back over to Japan and meet him after I become King of the Pirates too." Luffy said this as though it was something completely casual, but then continued, "I wonder how his old lab partners are doing!"
The boy continued to sail onwards regardless, relaxing as he did so. Contrary to his expectations, he'd be returning to Japan sooner rather than later, but for now, his journey was just beginning!
END OF CHAPTER NOTES
Yay! The first chapter's over and done with!
Hello all, I'm ShockingShoes, and I've been writing Kill One Hero casually for about 3 months now. I'm quite excited to finally have this story published, and am equally excited to see what you all think about it!
If you have any questions about Kill One Hero, I would love to answer them in these end of chapter notes... sort of like the SBS in One Piece!
I'll call it, the SQS, the Shocking Question Showcase!
Kill One Hero will be releasing whenever I feel like it, for the most part. If I released these chapters weekly, I'd have half a years worth of chapters already stored up from when I casually wrote the series, so this series will be coming out at a somewhat consistent schedule, I reckon.
In any case, I'll be trying to maintain a good balance of fan-service and original content in this story, so please enjoy it, even in the off chance it doesn't see completion!