It was a late afternoon. The Sun was preparing to settle and the sky soon turned an Orange hue. The day had been peaceful and calm for most people on the island, something to which the beautiful weather had surely contributed. Pastellano remembered having a nice morning with delicious Breakfeast. He remembered thinking that they had managed to get their Merchant to stay on the island for the next three months. He remembered that being thanks to the the Thug.
Those thought's had now disappeared, along with the good feeling he had this morning. Instead, he felt nothing but cold rage as he watched the other members of the Gambino family, his future subordinates throw him dirty looks. His own father looked at him with cold eyes, waiting for everyone to settle down in the room. And that thug... was nowhere to be seen.
"Pastellano. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
The cold tone his father had used did not intimidate him. It only angered him more as he thought about the cause of this entire issue. Stubbornly facing the ground, he shook his head. There weren't any excuses he could make. None which would be accepted.
"Pastellano." His father's voice grew stern. "I believed you and the grunt had persuaded our merchant to stay. So tell me. Why did i suddenly get news about the merchant's departure?"
More headshaking.
Pastellano would not admit any guilt. He had been fooled by those two, and there was nothing he could have done against that. Blaming him for this situation was unreasonable.
But that did not matter. One of the first things he had learned was that responsibility brought both benefits and backlash.
Every good thing was thanks to the one in charge and every bad thing was because of the one in charge.
A simple system which's weight Pastellano experienced for the first time. But still, to admit guilt to that was ridiculous. How could he have predicted this?
The hushed whispers of his father's advisors and subordinates resonated through the room. Criticizing comments laced in false understanding.
"Pastellano is still young, perhaps our expectations were too high,"
"Giving young Pastellano command over this situation might have expecting too much. He is barely out of his teens after all."
More and more comments made themselves heard, passive agressive attempts to make themselves look more wise. His fists clenched and a single whisper escaped his lips.
"You would not have done any better..."
Yet it went unheard as his father simply allowed the comments to keep flowing, clearly waiting for him to start explaining himself. Pastellano forced himself to calm down with a few breaths. He had been born in this game, he knew his way around the board. This was the first time he had failed at something of this nature, but he could salvage it, IF he played his cards right. Step 1. Taking accountability. He raised his head, calmly facing every person in the room, noticing the absence of a few people. More cards he could play when it would come to shifting the blame away from him.
"I apologize. I have throughoutly failed the task you have adjourned me, father." He apologized to his father and no one else. "I will explain myself and accept any punishment you consider necessary."
The punishment would not be much. This failure might have been big, but the merchant's merchandise had already allowed them to regain ground by attacking more families. It was less a matter of survival and more about profit. A redeemable failure.
His father looked at him, his gaze unchanging to any untrained eye, yet subtly softening at his son's apology.
"Will you finally explain yourself?"
Pastellano nodded. "That day, when Momonga announced his departure, both me and our grunt truly tried to discourage him. Momonga seemed determined, but a comment from our grunt managed to have him rethink. He had asked momonga to equip him with a few items and wait for three months as to have him prepare a few contacts and deals with people in the Grandline. Momonga accepted the offer."
He knew how ridiculous he had been. Caught up in the relief of Momonga's reconsideration, he did not overthink why Momonga would want the thug to come along with a few items. It was not likely for him to know anyone on the Grandline and he highly doubted the thug to be powerful enough to serve as a bodyguard. There was not much of a reason for Momonga to want him along. Unless maybe their friendship? It seemed unlikely. But that was not important now. What truly was important, was not making himself look like a blind and deaf fool in front of his father and the entire family.
"Our grunt and Momonga were on good terms and that most likely influenced his decision..."
He soon got interrupted as his father raised his hand. "Momonga left alone. This grunt of ours should still be on the island. We already sent out a few search parties."
That startled Pastellano a bit, but he did not let it get to him. He did remember Momonga talking about strength. Perhaps this was his way of seeing if that thug was worthy to sail with him.
Pastellano settled by simply raising his eyebrow. "Truly? That seems foolish. Does he not fear our retaliation?"
It might have seemed like the merchant had gotten out of their reach, but the underworld in this world ran deep. There were plenty of bounty hunters and Killers in the Grand line. Having the Merchant hunted down and killed had to do with money and nothing more. Unfortunately for the family, money was currently better spent on resolving more immediate issues. The thug was one such issue. Pastellano could not be sure if the thug had been abandoned by Momonga or if this truly only was some kind of twisted survival test, but that man was sure to be hunted down. He might get the chance of explaining himself, but no matter what he'd say, the punishment which would follow would be severe.
"He did not just escape. That ice-sword disappeared from our treasury. We found Kuino's body underneath some tarps. Knife wounds."
That caused everyone to breath in a sharp breath. Kuino was no weakling. He was the male counterpart of Kuina, who had been a clumsy plot device to create a backstory for Zoro. No one had ever believed he'd die another way than tripping while walking up the stairs. Yet, here he was, fallen in battle. There was no way for a weakling like that thug to have taken him down. Unless...
"Momonga's items... The knife must have had some special power..."
Carlambino exhaled as he leaned back in his seat. "That thug does not have many possibilities to leave. Many islands here are under our jurisdiction. But he will most likely try to get into the territory of another family. But back to your failure. For now we will simply..."
BAM! The door was opened as a messenger barged into the room in a highly unorthodox manner. He was panting, as if having sprinted all the way from the city towards the mansion. One of the guards, who should have been at the main gate followed into the room, worry etched on his face.
"You better have a damn good reas..." the one speaking got interrupted. "THE MARINES ARE MOVING! I-It's the Commodore of the M-Marines! SOMEONE TRIED ASSASSINATING HIM IN BROAD DAYLIGHT!"
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Earlier the same day. (2pm)
Activity was slowly bristling in the city. Many people had been on break and started making their way back to work. The Marines were no different, much to a certain thug's disappointment.
"Damn it, i shouldn't be hesitating this much!"
Yet he couldn't help it. He still vividly remembered coming close to decapitation the day prior and that memory had been enough to have him delve into a cycle of procrastination. He had originally planned to perform his fake-or-perhaps-not-so-fake murder attempt by noon, while everyone was on break. The Marines would relax, he could sneak in wearing clothes that would expose a small tattoo in the form of the Gambino family symbol. He'd do it in broad daylight, fail and run away while making sure everyone would see the tattoo. It was a Masterplan the likes this world had never seen before. No way it would fail.
Yet, he had now passed that Deadline. Most Marines were now back on their post.
"FUUUCKK! Whatever, maybe it'll play in my favor. All the Marines now have food in their stomach. They can't run very fast anymore and their breathing will be so heavy that their aim will be off as well. Everything is perfect."
He smiled. Yes. This was exactly how everything was going to go.
"Alright! Let's go!"
With that, the mission finally started.
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Inside a certain Commodore's spacious office, two Marines were currently watching their superior wailing and begging for his wife to stop. These professionals kept a straight face as they watched their Commodore force another "Vegetable" down the hatch, his wife not letting her eyes stray off him as she brandished a tablespoon. They had witnessed the whole thing and had decided that their safety took precedence. Commodore Jonathan's wife, Jessica had caught him sneaking a piece of broccoli out of the window. He had barely had the time to use Tekkai but it had proven to be futile as the tablespoon overpowered it, creating a big black lump on Jonathan's head.
He was now forcing down his vegetables one by one, trying to get the two guards who had brought him his documents to help him out. Those two however, were serious and hardworking Marines as their gazes soon diverted towards the window, making sure that no intruder was trying to break into the office.
...
...
...
Which got them into an even more awkward position, as the guards watched some random guy "sneakily" crawl along the roof of the barracks.
"Uhhh, Sir?"
Hope filled the Commodore's gaze, while the look in his wife's eyes darkened.
"Yes, do you need me for something urgent?"
Jessica remained silent as she watched the guard point out the window.
"There is some random dude on the roof of the barracks..."
"Is that so? Well then, my apologies dearest Jessica, but it seems i have some work to do. Please, feel free to finish my meal in... Wait WHAT?"
Both Jonathan and Jessica stormed towards the window and soon spotted said perpetrator.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Jonathan. That guy just slipped."
"... Yes Jessica. He did."
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"GODFuckinDAMNIT"
The thug desperately held onto the edge as he slowly pulled himself back up. He had not used the pace of the wind, deciding that he'd need it to flee afterwards and that decision certainly seemed to try to get him killed. Still shaking a little from the shock, he soon continued his determined crawl towards the far edge of the roof. He had spotted a window there which he could use to enter the main building. It only took a small jump to enter and he suppressed a jubilant scream.
Click!
He immediately raised his arms as he broke out in beads of sweat. Two rifles were pointed at him. One poking directly into his ribs from the left and another aiming at his head from the right. His target only stood a bit further away from him, with a women.
'Damn, does this already count as assassination attempt?'
That was the first thought which flew through his mind as he considered making a run for it back where he came from.
"So, dearest visitor. Am i right in assuming you did not simply lose your way in the city while touring?"
His target's sarcastic comment had the corner of his mouth twitch a little. He responded. "Ah, i'm afraid your assumption is a tad bit off the mark. I was actually looking for a nice place to eat! I must have taken a wrong turn because of this delicious smell! Say, could i have a bite?" A bashful laugh accompanied his comment as he pointedly eyed the plate of food on the desk.
The Commodore stared at him for a moment.
Then at the food.
He hesitated a little.
"Alright."
"NO."
Both Marines visibly jumped up as their attention was momentarily diverted. The thug acted immediately. He simply grabbed the hilt of his short sword which immediately bathed the room in ice and snow. Both Marines found themselves frozen solid. An icy mist headed towards the Commodore and the woman, but the Commodore suddenly grabbed her and disappeared.
"Holy crap that guy is fast!"
He barely noticed the door open when the man had already left the room. Hesitating a little, he headed towards the window.
[Freezing Burst]
An even larger outburst of Ice and snow happened, soon forming a staircase towards the lower floors of the Main building. He immediately ran down, only to slip on the ice, fall down and slide down the stairs, arriving at the 2 second floor.
"A slide next time..."
Running into the building through the window, he only spotted a few Marines who were promptly frozen solid.
"Goddamnit, where did he go?"
Not knowing where that Commodore had fled to, he simply sprinted back up the stairs (of the building, not the icy ones) as he planned to leave the Marine base the same way he had entered. He just arrived on the Commodore's floor when it happened. An explosion shook the building and a wave of fire and smoke escaped the office of the Commodore.
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Outside the building, the Marines were in disarray. The commodore had suddenly sprinted out of the building with his wife. His expression was serious. He called for someone to bring him Ainz's items just in case.
He was not much of a fighter. His mind had always been his greatest strength and he was capable of Tekkai, Geppo, Soru and a very shaky Rankyaku. Facing this Assassin was dangerous, especially given the fact that he had Ainz's strange weaponry.
His brows furrowed. The idea that Ainz sold his stuff to criminals was troubling. But he did not have time to consider that now.
He gave his men a curt order. "Guard the exits of the Main building. He is not leaving."
His men saluted before following through with his orders. Someone had just brought him the small red staff which he pointed at his own office.
'To make sure he doesn't go back the way he came from.'
[Fireball]
His office exploded and the icy staircase crumbled.
'I'll try not to deal much more damage to the building...And it's better to catch that guy alive anyway.'
Another wave of Ice left the building, creating a makeshift bridge. The Assassin sprinted, or rather slid along the bridge.
Jonathan immediately jumped up with Geppo, pointing his staff at the assassin who immediately raised his short sword in response.
They then just stood facing each other. Jonathan could clearly tell that the man in front of him was no experienced swordsman. He held that short sword like a knife and had no real stance.
'My perfect match.' was his satisfying thought.
The Marines soon followed the thug, using his very own bridge. He was now surrounded. Jonathan smiled a little before speaking.
"My my. I did not expect to experience an assassination attempt today. Did i anger someone?"
"Carlambino sends his regards."
The assassin's voice was shaky. Using the ice ability must have had sapped his stamina. He did not look like he could keep fighting. Jonathan still raised his brow. He had not expected to get a straight answer. A diversion perhaps?
Shink! The short sword of the Assassin went back into his sheath. He instead grabbed two knifes and sank into a low stance.
'So... He knows how to fight with knifes. Nothing incredible. Let's see if we can capture him.'
Jonathan simply gave the order and several Marines immediately approached the guy who in response immediately headed for the Commodore. He immediately brought down a rankyaku which was somehow blocked by the small knife in the thug's left hand. But despite his failure, he was more than strong enough to fight with the guy as they engaged in something more akin to a scuffle than a real fight.
The other Marines did not wait long before joining their fight, surrounding them and pointing their weapons towards the assassin.
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'Shit, no escape.'
Completely boxed in by the Marines, the thug's mind was already racing. Frankly, the word hesitating might have been more accurate.
He knew he would have to use the deathpotion in order to create an opening but he simply disliked the idea of using it on regular Marines.
The Commodore already looked at him, seemingly waiting for his next move.
'Guess i'll indulge him then..'
Pop! That was the sound of the small vial being opened. The thug only hesitated a little before sprinting straight towards the Commodore and throwing the content of the vial.
Both the Marines and the Commodore had the good sense of moving as he threw the potion towards them, but they did not do so fast enough.
In an instant, the many marines behind the commodore collapsed as the thug immediately sprinted through his opening.
Until he ran into a wall.
Said wall, was the should-be-dead body of the Commodore who stood in front of him like a fortress. The thug had expected him to fall over like the others did, but instead received a punch into the gut from the Commodore who had a rare instance of shock and anger on his face, along with the black smudge of the poison.
"...What...MomoNGA!" The thug's exclamation changed from surprise and disbelief to Frustration and pain as the Commodore's punch nearly hurled him to the ground.
'The poison failed? ... Thats it. I'm leaving.' [Pace of the Wind]
The Thug ran. Moving as if he were carried by the wind as he simply ran past the Commodore whose eyes had turned arctically cold. Yet he did not follow, instead simply giving his Men an order.
Bullets soon wheezed past him was he immediately jumped from the rooftop, right into the street outside of the base. The impact of his landing nearly triggered the shockwave of his [Pace of the Wind] and it took every bit of willpower for him to stop it from detonating. He still needed the speed, he needed to...
Fire suddenly entered his vision as a Fireball exploded into the thug's face. The [Pace of the Wind] detonated, containing the explosion and saving him from what he was sure to be a certain death. The Commodore was already on him with Soru, throwing a punch packed with Anger which send the thug tumbling back. He barely managed stay on his feet and drew the lightning knife as the Commodore engaged for a second punch.
[Overcharge]
The Knife only left a shallow cut in the fist as they collided and the Commodore collapsed, his blooshot eyes still fixated on the thug with a burning intensity.
"I...haaah...I have to..."
Out of breath and panicked, the thug did not even spare another second as he bolted. The Marines arrived on the scene, immediately checking on their still-conscious but unmoving Commodore.
The Assassin sent by the Gambino family had escaped.
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Back to the evening in the Gambino estate...
"WHAT?"
Loud exclamations and chaos ensued as everyone present immediately stood up.
"The Marines are moving? Against us?"
"Damn it we didn't do anything!"
Carlambino's eyes had widened in shock as he seemed to piece together the situation. His fists clenched.
"Damn that Grunt..."
Pastellano had already gotten to the same conclusion, but he only felt numb. The thing he had prepared for his entire life... inheriting the position of family head... being one of the rulers of the families of the west blue, had just crumbled in front of him.
"SIT DOWN."
The family head's thundering voice was ignored, as he was forced to repeat these words three entire times before everyone had settled. The tension in the atmosphere was more tense than ever as everyone listened.
"THAT GRUNT. It was most likely him. But we will get to that later. We need to gather everyone and prepare means for evacuation. The Marines won't need long to find out all our places on the island. Someone will go and try to explain that we were framed."
He turned towards the messenger. "Is it rear admiral strawberry?"
Pale, the messenger shook his head. "It's the commodore who gave out the order. They are currently apprehending everyone who deals with us, unraveling the location of all our bases. They seem to be planning to strike everything at once."
"Give the order to evacuate every outpost. They are to regroup at the mansion and prepare. Tell them that this is the day the Gambino family fully takes over the island." He then turned towards his advisors. "You guys, take you most trusted fighters, change into civilian clothes and we'll meet at the harbor. Our ships are hopefully untouched. We'll hijack one if they aren't. We're leaving."
No one refused as orders were barked into Den Den Mushi and messengers sent. The Grunts of the Gambino family slowly mobilized, but their numbers heavily diminished. Many understood that the Gambino family could not truly hope to win this battle and deserted instead, hiding out at civilians or trying to find a way off the island.
The storage rooms of the estate were cleaned out as everything of any use or value was taken. The Napalm scroll was taken by Carlambino who dragged his son towards a small carriage which would head to the city.
The command of the mobilizing force was given to a normal grunt, someone who did not have the brains to understand the depth of their situation who immediately promised to do his best in exchange of "becoming family head."
The carriage left before the Gambino family's force arrived, after leaving the future "family head" with a crash course in how to stall a battle. Not that it'd help much.
The distance from the Gambino estate and Daizu was not very long, barely above an hour. They soon saw the city and their moods immediately dropped as they saw the smoke coming form the Docks.
"No problem. The Marines force will be spread out. We'll break through their base and take on of their ships."
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Several hours earlier, after the Assassins escape.
A grim mood had settled over the Marine base.
Morris was one of the Marines tasked with collecting his comrades bodies. Part of the assigned medical team had collapsed and died after inspecting the bodies. Someone had confirmed that the liquid was not to come in direct contact with anyone, so gloves were a necessity. The reason why the commodore had not been affected by it? Unknown. Nevertheless, the Commodore had to wash of the liquid by jumping into the sea, and make sure to get a new change of clothes.
Morris silently carried the body of a nameless Marine he had never talked to, towards the Medical office who needed the body for autopsy.
His thoughts turned back to what had happened, that Gambino family assassin who tried to kill the Commodore, The strange items he had used... The battle.
...
The Poison.
Their Commodore's obvious anger. His defeat. Brought by someone who fought like an amateur with special powers.
And Ainz Ooal Gown.
The one who must have sold them those items. He exhaled.
He had misjudged the man. It was obvious that Ainz was the cause of this. An enemy.
6 Marines died because of that strange concoction and the icesword. The two frozen marines had been obliterated by the Commodore's fireball. Which wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for that assassin having Ainz's items.
Arriving at the Medical office, he simply dropped off the body and was about to head back when he suddenly heard an explosion.
Determined to not just act as a bystander this time, Morris sprinted towards the Docks along with many more Marines who had the same thought.
They only found a fire propagating on some of the empty civilian/merchant ships, as the Commodore pointed the red staff towards another ship.
[Fireball]
The ship promptly exploded. A captain soon seemed to try to talk the Commodore out of using the powerful staff for such a trivial task, but it seemed futile as another explosion took place and it's flames greedily consumed the ship.
Morris could relate with the Commodore's anger. He was most likely using up the 10 fireballs as a petty act of revenge against Ainz. Another Captain soon chimed in and managed to take the staff away from the clearly angry Commodore.
Morris was angry as well, huffing as he heard one of the Marine captains estimate the staff to have 5 shots left. Ainz's items deserved no appreciation. Another Officer soon noticed Morris's inaction and ordered him to go get explosives to destroy the rest of the ships.
The Commodore stared at the burning ships, the fury in his face having vanished, instead bearing a more regretful look, something Morris took in before complying with his officer's orders.
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"Understood Jonathan. I give you permission to finish off the Gambino family."
Strawberry's expression remained stoic as he heard an explosion through the Den Den Mushi. He had just received the News of the attack on his Commodore, but he trusted him in properly resolving the situation. He had clearly heard the Fury in the voice of his subordinate but that was something he could understand. Death was nothing new when it came to being a Marine, but every loss still hurt.
He sighed as he hung up. He had left the same Morning as the Merchant, only slightly later. Was it a coincidence? Or did the Halfdead have a connection with the events? He'd have to poke around a little.
"Things are getting more complicated. I'll need to gain some information today..."
A certain not-his-favorite-island was in front of him and he and his men visibly deflated at the prospect of visiting that thing again.
Someone murmured.
"Is this just or did the place get even more dark..."
Strawberry did not answer but he found himself compelled to agree. The corruption they had seen on the island had been limited to the island and the sea. The weather had been beautiful though. Now? The sky way gray and boring, only bringing a little wind. His navigator's had warned him of the coming storm, but it was not supposed to be a very strong one anyway.
'I'll never understand how these navigator freaks can distinguish a cloud from another and predict the weather thanks to that...'
Dismissing those thoughts, he and his men soon landed on the island. Their wariness instantly grew.
"Something changed."
A quick surge of Observation Haki confirmed it. The amount of animals on the island had lessened. Instead, the sea in the vicinity of the island was teeming with small sharks.
"Only sharks and birds... teeth and eyes."
He instantly signaled his men and the researchers to be more careful while on the island. The corruption seemed to have worsened, and Strawberry had a gnawing theory appearing in his head. His team soon split up, a few researchers and soldiers started to collect small samples, trying to avoid the presence of the undead birds.
Strawberry's team soon arrived at the tree, finding the figure of the halfdead kneel in front of it once more.
"Rear Admiral Strawberry. You have arrived."
Having grown accustomed to the raspy voice, Strawberry did not recoil or react in any way. He was silently evaluating the halfdead. It seemed like it had grown slightly stronger, but Strawberry was still sure of his victory if it came down to it.
"There are only a few topics to be addressed today."
Strawberry allowed his hand to rest on his weapon. It depended entirely on the halfdead whether he'd draw it or not.
It seemed unaware, it's back still towards the Marine.
"We shall first address a mission granted to you by our Master."
Strawberry raised his eyebrow at that. He'd actually have to do something...
"You are to find an island in the Grand Line. An island for our Master to settle and gather his strength. A stronghold."
"You want to move into the Grand Line? It's a rather dangerous place, you know?"
He wasn't sure what to think of that. The fact that Gecko Moria was most likely this Half-dead's boss was likely, but that was only because he was the only who had the power to revive the dead. If the Half-Dead and Moria were to move into the Grand Line, it would place them right where the World government wanted them, creating a sacrificial force for the Marines to break into the New world when the time came.
The Marine was currently stretched thin and the Fleet Admiral had ordered the troops in the New world to be pulled out. There was just no point in throwing Marines into this dangerous Sea, especially when the other sea's needed protection as well. Only very few Marine bases were still active there.
But this whole situation was only temporary. The Marines were planning to retake the New World at a certain point and the Shichibukai would be the spear to force their way in. If the spear was destroyed, even better. Just as long as they created an opening for the Marines.
"This one's Master will bide his time, but this one cannot afford to do the same. Power is lacking and improvement comes slow."
"Alright. I will do as you say."
"Excellent. Then, the next matter is about a certain pirate."
Strawberry immediately perked up. This was finally a clue for him to confirm the half-dead's master's identity.
"Compile every bit of information you find about Kaido. The information may be reported through Den Den Mushi."
Strawberry allowed himself a smile as he nodded.
As expected. Moria was most likely the Master.
"I should probably let you know about something. Our Master Gecko Moria..." The Half-dead's face immediately contorted, as if displeased at him. "... is currently being contacted by a few colleagues."
The half-dead was listening attentively, although the scowl on it's half rotten face did not diminish.
"The Marines are currently preparing something called the "Warlord of the Sea" program. It's an idea to form an alliance of sorts with a few strong pirates."
"..."
The half-dead remained silent, the scowl on it's face being replaced by a contemplating expression.
Strawberry continued, ignoring the scowls on the face of his men in the background. They had been informed about this, but no one was exactly thrilled about the idea.
"The position grants many benefits, essentially making an alliance between the World government and the selected pirate crew. Gecko Moria has been selected and the proposition will be handed to him soon."
"A proposition in order to create an alliance between the current global authority and a powerful pirate crew... Hmmmgh. This one doubts you would have selected pirates who could not be kept in check."
Strawberry's polite smile remained on his face as he watched the creature clearly consider the whole deal.
'Let's see what such an intelligent corpse thinks about this...'
He was no fool. He understood the goal and consequences of the Shichibukai project. But the being in front of him practically oozed out an air of intelligence. He wanted to hear it's opinion.
"The goal is most likely to use the powerful, but ultimately not-threatening as a deterrent against more powerful foes. Alone, a Shichibukai would not carry much power, but that changes if 7 pirates of equal power unite. A power capable of countering against the highest powers. But ultimately futile..."
Strawberry listened as it correctly unraveled the Shichibukai project. He had not fully heard the last sentence but... whatever.
"This one supposes you selected the Shichibukai based on their ultimate goals? Moria holds a grudge against Kaido. The same reasoning will be used for the others, will it not?"
Strawberry nodded as the creature in front of him seemed to lose itself in thought. He noticed it had stopped referring to it's master as "supreme one", most likely having decided that there was no point in hiding his identity any longer.
"And when do you expect Moria to receive his invitation?"
Whoa, he had to tread carefully here. The Admiral delivering the invitation was Sokuon Kato. He and Moria had clashed in the past and the Half-Dead did not need to know that. Especially given the fact that Sokuon would most likely hand Moria a small beating.
"I'm not too sure. Their ship will most likely arrive tomorrow evening. Our Master's..." The half-dead's single eye twitched. "... will most likely receive the invitation this evening."
"Very well. Now, one last thing. This one has found two shipwreck victims in the vicinity of the island. I have no need for them. Take them with you. They await at the beach."
'Shipwreck victims my ass...'
No way in hell would Strawberry believe that the creature in front of him saved two people out of the goodness of it's most likely already decomposed heart. He nodded nevertheless. He'd simply lock them into a room on the ship and do the questioning back at the base.
"Shipwreck victims? I'm surprised you saved them... But well, we'll take them in. We can take care of them for a while and make sure of their identity."
"There would be no point in souring the relationship with you pathe... Marines. Now that Moria will join the Shichibukai, we shall work together more and that means we will have to adapt. If saving humans will led to a more smooth cooperation, then so be it."
'Wow, it must have taken a toll on it's mind to say that. The lengths this subordinate goes through for Moria...'
The rear admiral watched the Half-dead grit it's teeth while saying these words. Clearly unhappy, yet compliant.
"Very well then. I will get off the island. I'm gonna report our ... cooperation to the Marine."
The half-dead stared at him a while before nodding and turning back to the tree.
Strawberry and his men remained silent throughout the trip. The second team was collected and the researchers headed back to the ship as well.
They found two people sitting on the beach.
Strawberry quickly talked to them, and soon noticed something.
'Where is their heartbeat...?'
As a rear admiral, he had reached a physique and awareness which could only be considered superhuman. He was not THE strongest out of his peers, but his Observation Haki was more than enough to notice the lack of heartbeat of these people.
He ignored it. The scientists would look into it in the ship. The two of them were weak anyway. Not a threat.
They soon boarded the ship and set sail. Getting away form that island always was a relief. Both Shipwreck victims were brought and locked into a small suite for "rest," and Strawberry then headed towards the Scientist's team.
"So? Any findings?"
"Rear Admiral. We managed to take plenty of samples and we will only be able to tell more when analyzed. But we can already tell you this. It's bad. The longer the island remains, the worse it will become. It seems to behave like a Parasite of sorts. The Live on the island is infected, and it becomes worse the longer it goes on. I highly doubt a place like this to be salvageable."
Strawberry sighed. This was something he had obviously already considered. But hearing about how bad it really was... But this seemed to warrant a small buster call. Full eradication of the island. He'd have to bring that up at a meeting.
A buster call.
Another sigh.
He had been a rear admiral three years ago. It had been the year 1502 when the Ohara incident took place, and he had been one of the Rear Admirals in command. he had witnessed the former Vice Admiral Jaguar D. Saul defect and turn traitor against the Marines. It was then that he had started to reconsider his interpretation of Justice.
Justice in the Marines was often a rather personal thing. Old mottos often disappeared and reappeared, sometimes along with new ideals. An example were the current rising stars of the Marines. He had seen their ideals crumble or hold up during the Ohara incident.
He had seen Aokiji's (Kuzan) burning justice crumble, as the man fell into self doubt until he rose again, with new changed ideals.
"If this it the length justice has to pursue, then it is not worth chasing." Despite what people thought of his Justice, he still held up the ideals of saving the weak and protecting the innocent. But his new justice fully denied the notion of absolute justice.
He had seen Akainu's (Sakazuki) version of absolute Justice. Absolute justice was split into their own little versions, and Akainu upheld one of it's most brutal versions.
"Throughout Justice." Absolute cleansing.
No quarter.
No compromise.
A form of justice which rose through efficiency, and denied every aspect of humanity. But despite all of it's negative traits, it was undoubtedly the most effective. Sakazuki had been one of the few to not even doubt the incidents at Ohara.
It was a form of justice which could be considered an unstoppable force.
Whenever pirates heard of his presence, they fled, never even bothering to try to take hostages in order to negotiate. They knew it was futile, and that was what made it so effective. In it's own twisted way, it minimized losses. Kingdoms had been saved, just from hearing about the young Rear Admiral's approach.
"Don't negotiate with a Monster. Don't fight it. Run."
Justice taken to the extreme. Strawberry despised it's lack of humanity but fully acknowledged and admired it's efficiency.
Kizaru's justice? It wasn't clear to him. He seemed like a Desk worker most of the time, a complete lack of passion in everything he did. Someone who was in it for the money.
Yet his movements became erratic on occasion. Someone who hid his thoughts, protected justice, but not in an immediate sense. Sometimes even allowing casualties in his own rank before stepping in.
Illogical. The kind of justice strawberry disliked.
He had gravitated towards a more lenient version of absolute justice after the Ohara incident. He saw doubt, fear and hesitation creep into the other's, something Absolute justice was devoid of.
Hesitation meant defeat.
If you allowed Pirates to run because of their Hostages, they would only deal more damage in the future. It was better to turn the hostages into martyrs.
Strawberry sighed as he remained lost in his musings. While he had sharply gravitated towards Absolute justice, he could not help but dislike Sakazuki's attitude. He was a man who ran on pure willpower and stubbornnes. Strawberry was of the opinion that a good plan could save the hostages AND end the pirates.
Sakazuki wouldn't even consider saving the hostages.
In the end. A marine's service to justice was secondary. Saving civilians was what mattered. Justice were just names for the different ways of fulfilling their duty.
There were many more versions of justice. Some people believed that pirates could be reformed, such as the current vice admiral Tsuru. "Cleansing justice."
Others believed that Justice was inherent to an individual, some others did not even follow any kind of Justice.
It varied. He himself had gravitated towards a mix of "Reigning justice" and "Absolute justice."
Reigning justice was a form of justice which acknowledged pretty much all forms of justice, as long as they were indomitable. Strawberry found himself to be agreeable with that notion. While Sakazuki's extremism was important due to it's efficiency, Kuzan's hesitation showed heart and humanity. Both were necessary aspects for the Marine.
Being protected by seeing a Marine destroy pirates with heavy civilian casualties or being protected by that Marine shielding you which his body, in turn having the Pirates escape and wreak havoc elsewhere.
It formed an image.
Inspiration.
Depending on your opinion.
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The human took the bait. Moria's grudge against Kaido was something one of his Albatrosses had discovered.
Useful birds. They did not have much need to move their wings in air, and mostly glided along with the wind. Easy to maneuver and the Lich had managed to send several such birds into the Grand Line.
Many had been destroyed. But this Albatross had flown incredible distance, not having any issue with Stamina. It was currently circling the Gecko pirate's shipwreck from a distance.
"Gecko Moria. A pirate capable of controlling the Shadows."
The Lich had stationed several birds in Daizu in order to listen to the civilians and marines.
"Capable of reanimating corpses. Although rather a crude imitation of true reanimation. Hmmngh. Human puppetry i suppose. Controlled by shadows. Shadow demons wearing a corpse."
Moria was powerful. The Undead did not know how powerful, but the strange shockwaves had nearly severed his connection to his summon several times. He was keeping a distance now, but still had to look out as Moria kept trying to pour out a strange purplish energy. Even if he'd reach the 5th tier, he did not believe it'd be enough to beat him.
But the Lich noticed something.
Despite the power in the energy, it was faltering. Breaking. Every wave weaker than the one before.
The Lich pondered it's options. It had recently learned a useful spell of the third tier. [Dimensional move)
It was arguably the weakest teleportation spell there was. Only usable on a single person and a very restricted distance. Not enough to cross such a distance.
"I cannot contact him yet it seems. But the two humans who joined the foolish Marine's ship will find a way...'
The Lich's thoughts drifted towards another matter. Kaido.
Someone who had managed to not just beat, but rather break a warrior of such promise. The mutterings he had overheard from Moria were pointing at this Kaido being intoxicated during their battle. Definitely not an efficient way to fight.
But, if this Kaido was so powerful, a mere Lich would never be enough. Nevertheless, it was not worried. While it was disappointed of failing it's master in not even being able to take down some human; (Author comment: Doesn't know of his race.) it's master would not grant the Lich a task it could not surmount. And this Kaido would never stand a chance against it's master.
Nevertheless, it wanted information. Given the planned but unpleasant misconception the Rear Admiral had about the identity of the Supreme one, acquiring knowledge about this Figure was important.
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*Sluuurp.
Amidst the fog in the Florian triangle, a certain Admiral was holding his cup.
"Hmmrnh."
The fog was very uncomfortable. He considered punching it away for a moment, but deemed it as unnecessary. He had already done so 4 times and simply came back in a matter of minutes.
Setting down his empty mug, Sokuon Kato adressed the rear Admiral to his left.
"Hey, you wanna give Moria a beating?"
Borsalino, wearing his signature yellow clothes only tilted his head. The question left unspoken.
"That Bastard got away from me last time. I was beating him into the ground but that shadow of his is annoying. You fight him. The Light against the Shadows. It's poetic."
'What the hell do YOU know about poetry?'
The question went through everyone's minds but was wisely left unspoken.
"Hmmmn, well. I do not really feel like doing so... but i will comply if this is an order, Admiral."
Sokuon grinned and nodded. "Good. Then do it."
Borsalino held back a sigh and instead turned his attention back to being a flashlight for the ship navigating through the fog. He usually would have tried to avoid the hassle of work a bit more, but he had already been told of the high chance of promotion and the hefty paycheck accompanying it.
The Silence only lasted a few minutes. Admiral Sokuon, a fresh cup of cafe in his hand stood on the railing of the ship.
"GODDAMNIT. WHEN WILL THAT PALE-FACED NECROPHILE FACE US!"
Nearby Marine just sweatdropped and Borsalino was the one to finally speak up.
"Admiral, we are not here to fight him..."
"I know, i know. But when Marines and pirate meet, they HAVE TO clash. Especially if it's him."
Borsalino's expression didn't change.
"Hmmm, are you angry that you lost last time? Is that why you want me to slap him around?"
Silence on the ship.
"I DIDN'T LOSE!"
"He escaped. Given that you are a Marine, that counts as a loss."
Sokuon send his Junior a resentful look as he considered punching away the fog again, along with the Rear Admiral.
"Shut up. Do your job, Lamp."
Borsalino merely yawned as his form flickered. A powerful light exploded from his body, piercing through the fog. The visibility improved, not by much, but enough to make out the silhouette of a shipwreck.
"THAT HAS TO BE HIM."
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On a shipwreck, the former great Pirate, Gecko Moria was drinking. A lot. His conquerors was broken. He could only feel a fraction of his once powerful will. Several bottles had already emptied, but it wasn't enough to intoxicate a frame as large as his. He was about to open a new bottle, when he froze.
"THAT HAS TO BE HIM."
A loud shout of a person he knew. Moria's emotions remained numb for a moment. Then came the rage. Starting out like a small fire, his growing rage quickly corrupted his entire body.
Veins and muscles were bulging as his body trembled. His eyes bloodshot and his teeth clenched as he wrung out a scream.
Accompanied by his Will.
On the other side, both the Admiral and the Rear admiral sensed the incoming conqueror's Haki. Even the regular Marines did.
Yet, not a single one of them fell. Not a single one of them was knocked out.
"Huh, is that all that's left of the guy?"
Moria did not hear that statement. But he sensed his failure. His failure to knock out even one of the regular Marines. More rage.
Moria's sword had been broken.
He remembered holding his own in the battle, managing himself against Kaido's hybrid form, even having absorbed the shadows of many swordsman and fighters. His sword had managed to block several Attacks and even injure Kaido and knock him back several times.
A feat he had taken immense pride in in the moment. Until Kaido took on his full Zoan transformation.
A single bite. Moria's sword simply broke under Kaido's teeth and the fight continued.
Only it wasn't a fight.
Gecko Moria was being flung around by a drunkely laughing dragon. Slapped around by the tail, his Haki infused fists simply bouncing off the body. Every wound he had inflicted upon Kaido in the first half of the battle had already closed.
Worse than that, Kaido converted back into his human shape at a point, just to pummel Moria with his fist. Moria had managed to absorb several shadows, some of them proficient in Ryuo and different applications of combat, but they were all being punched out of his body as Kaido simply repeatedly pounded his fists on Moria's stomach, until he passed out.
He had not witnessed the rest, but he remembered seeing his crewmates screaming and running in his direction.
Moria's breath hitched as he remembered the events once more. He then tore off the mast of his ship. His 6 meter tall frame stood up, as he performed a single gigantic leap towards the Marines.
BAM! His landing shook the ship as he stared, not just at the Admiral and the Rear Admiral, but the Marines who had not bowed to his Conquerors.
He raised his Mast, which promptly turned black under his Armament.
"Borsalino."
Sokuon's comment had been a little late as the rear admirals form flickered , countering the black mast with a brutal kick.
The Mast shattered.
Moria let out another wail as his Armament coated Mast failed him.
His hands trembled.
Sokuon and Borsalino exchanged glances. What was happening was clear. Even his armament was weakened.
Nevertheless, he remained a powerful enough, which was quickly proven as the black shadow extended and a Doppelman formed.
Moria immediately went to face Kizaru, his Haki still strong enough to deal with the Logia user's intangibility as the Doppelman went for the Admiral.
"BRICK BAT."
A swarm of shadowy bats immediately went towards the crew, herding them towards the other side of the ship.
"Yasakani no Magatama"
Several small beams of light scattered the bats.
His frustration interfering with his Colour of Observation, Moria took several Kicks to the head, before letting out another scream.
Sokuon, who had created a single clone in order to hold down the Doppelman immediately shifted his attention. Moria's ultimate move was one which proved troublesome, even to him. It was an ability which allowed him to absorb all the shadows in the nearby vicinity, bringing a drastic improvement in Strength and size.
With both Borsalino and Sokuon here, they would obviously be able to take him down, but the problem were the casualties and the fact that the Ship would most likely sink under his weight.
Sokuon's physical abilities surpassed that of Moria, but the difference lied in Skill. Moria was a swordsman. In the past, Sokuon had needed several Clones in order to fight with him, a testament to his skill and strength.
But without a sword? His Haki failing him? A single clone would be enough to restrain him.
"Wonder if that guy's gonna keep being a swordsman..."
Sokuon kept watching as Moria and Borsalino exchanged blows. Borsalino did not seem to struggle too much as another "Light speed kick" flung Moria back a few meters.
"Their fight is not as climatic as i expected..."
He soon saw Moria draw a deep breath. He was about to jump in but it was unnecessary.
Because one of his men finally intervened with sea stone cuffs, simply putting them around one of the distracted Moria's legs.
"Haah, WHaat?..."
It proved to be enough as Moria's strength was visibly drained until he simply passed out.
Both Borsalino and Sokuon watched the Man in amusement as the other Marines cheered him on for "taking him down."
"Well... I guess that's done, hmm?"
Sokuon nodded. "Yeah, even easier than expected. Let's wait here till he wakes up."
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"GRAAAHH, WHEN IS THAT BASTARD GONNA WAKE UP?"
A scream tore through the ship. Moria's eyes shot open and immediately fought against his restraints.
"FINALLY, he woke up!"
"Hmmm, So perceptive~"
"Shut it, you overgrown flashlight."
Gecko Moria stared at the two, gritting his teeth.
'Why is everything going wrong...'
Sokuon suddenly cleared his throat.
"Ehem, Ehem. Wait Borsalino. I'll say it.
I, Sokuon Kato hereby invite the pirate, Gecko Moria to the Shichibukai project! The benefits of joining consists of a frozen bounty, collaboration between said pirate and the Marines, and you won't land in Impel down! So. Do you accept?"
Gecko Moria's mind went blank.
Then he lashed out.
"AS IF I'D BELIEVE THAT. Just kill me and be done with it."
Sokuon and Borsalino exchanged glances.
"I'm not joking. The proposition was issed by the World government. The main goal is to have you take care of pirates so that we don't have to. In fact, it's all about opposing the Yonko."
The Pirate fell silent at that. His anger was still very much noticeable on his face, but he was finally thinking.
'Fight the Yonko...? ... KAIDO!'
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Hello and apologies. I originally wanted to have a fight here but i realized that i did a small mistake. So big fight reported. This chapter was originally meant to have 13 k words, but i haven't finished the second part yet.
As you can tell, i used a new format. Tell me if you prefer the small lines or big lines for separation.
Idk what you think about a powerful Moria. I think that Moria must have been a menace in the past, so i think this is accurate. Note that Kaido was drunk during the fight, and still kind of playing around. So while Moria kept up, things could have been even worse if Kaido would have been serious.