Shiki's powerful flying slash ripped through the air as it continued on its path toward Gambit. Gambit, now imbuing his Busou-shoku no Haki into his scythe, deflected the flying slash, sending it toward the pillars that held his men. The pillars were destroyed by Shiki's attack and came crashing down - Gambit's men now free. As that was happening, Shiki looked at Manaka, clearly uncaring of the fact that Gambit's men had been freed, and instead focused on inquiring about Gambit. Manaka started to tell a story - a story of a Kingdom, and a Prince. When Manaka was finished, Shiki burst out laughing with a grin almost as wide as his very face.
JIHAHAHAHAHA!
What a story eh?! We got a mighty Prince over here, leading some ballers!
Hilarious!
Shiki said, mocking the situation and the fact that Gambit had had such a secret to his name. A secret that not even his own men were aware of, and one just perished without ever coming to know of it.
I wonder how the fallen one would feel about this news, jihahahaha!
Shiki said, referring to KG.
Hey, you guys sure you like this guy?!
Shiki shouted toward LeBron and the rest of them, referring to their ''leader'', Gambit.
How about you come join a real pirate?! Not some fancy Prince in disguise!
Shiki said, taunting.
So, Manaka? Since you know this guy, what do you suggest we do with him?
Shiki said, now slightly more serious, though still barely holding in his excitement and laughter for the information that had just come to light.
Remnants of the Past III
Manaka finished and asked Shiki if he wanted to continue the story of the Hiraya Kingdom and of the Prince. Landayan, he was listening to the young girl expressed her disgust towards him; he could feel her rage, wrath, anguish, and animosity! She's no longer the kid he once cradled on his shoulders.
Back to the Present
Lebron and the others were staring at the ground, still trying to fathom the situation. Deep breath and even deeper exhale. You could hear the audible panting and throbbing of their chests. They couldn't address Shiki's offer. Not a single word they'd utter. Gambit was closely looking at them then he turned back to Shiki and then Manaka who was about to answer to his master.
"We don't need him here but he had been taught something back in the Kingdom that may be valuable to our possessions. Beast Mastery Master Shiki. That ability will be advantageous in controlling the beast. However, I am not certain whether you wanted to tame them or let them be wild and unleash them. To be honest, I don't know what your plans are."
Lebron and Pierce would try to remove the earth spear impaled into KG's chest, just slightly below his own heart. He wasn't breathing. He got no pulse at all. All they saw was the former MVP's big smile poured in blood.
"I would not do that if I were you!", yelled Manaka who was now trying to descend, thanks to Billy.
"If the prince would not comply, not only his then pirate playmates would suffer but the town itself.".
Turning back to Shiki, "And Master we need the navigator Teodoro Bagwell, too. I am sure you've seen him maneuver their ship passing through the dark clouds just 7 miles before the bottom of Merveille. He'd be an asset. And if none of you shall follow, do know how cruel we are."
The descending Manaka seemed to do something to the mechanical gloves attached to her right hand. The previous metallic play cards that she snatched off Gambit suddenly recycled, turning them into her very own weapons, sharp and long nails - almost a needle in appearance. She pointed the palm of the gloves towards the ballers and would fire just enough amount of it to force them to slide back.
Gambit would try to stop her but she trusted Shiki would do something to him.
Supposing that Gambit would be attended by his master, the nails would dive to the earth. Pierce would then be grabbed by Amare, throwing him off the incoming shrapnels, while Lebron was tossed by Bosh away from the projectiles. The two would be absorbing all the nails into their bodies, paralyzing them for 1 turn. The rest of the team would fetch KG's body, but the nails were fired at a very wide area of effect, they would be hit before they could even duck or bend down. "Shooting Stars!!!"
Shooting Stars: Once Manaka is positioned above the intended target, she releases a shower of dozens of nail drops from her mechanical gloves, which she calls "Shooting Stars". These drops are sharp enough to easily pierce through wood and flesh alike, paralyzing or acupuncturing the target at will.
AOE but no DPR. You can either be paralyzed or acupunctured.
Paralyzing all the ballers, Manaka was up for something more horrendous, "BILLY!". The huge yellowish bird would respond by fashioning a screeching chirp off his duck-like beak "Awwwrrr Awwwwrr". Suddenly, Billy would begin to charge himself with lightning after Manaka briefly got off his back, and rapidly, he unleashed a disastrous stream of bolt towards the already dead KG, displaying nothing but cruelty.
"Manaka! If you still have a grudge towards me for what transpired in the past. Go ahead! Take me instead. They do not deserve this punishment.", Gambit begged Manaka.
Aramis and the Patrolling Knights
"I am not sure how I should respond to this but KG's group needs help! I should get there! Reynolds! Do you copy? Team, please secure the perimeter and assist him."
Reynolds and the Townsfolk
"Go Aramis! I needed to stay here. The town may be in trouble.", Reynolds responded.
An elderly came to ask Reynolds who suddenly became acquainted with all of them just by showing up and smiled at them. "What is happening right now? Will we be safe?"
Reynolds: "Not sure about your definition of safe. Pretty sure we're in trouble. That's why I'm staying here."
Lady: "But first, we need to find my granddaughter. She's been missing since this morning."
T-Bag's Location
Elsewhere in the Snowy Portion of the Land, T-Bag and the other rope users were now sprinting towards the elevated portion of the land which was very close to the nearby island where Gambit was at the time. They might be able to get there using their abilities but if they'd arrive just in time was a big puzzle for all of them. "Double time!", T-Bag ordered.
Suddenly, a kid with such short red hair appeared while they head for the elevated cliff, lying almost half-dead in the snows. "Hey! Sir T-Bag, look!", Manu yelled T-Bag.
"Be careful! It might be a beast.", Shaq said. Kobe then knocked his head. Then the two fought in the background. Yelling at each other, saliva throwing up.
Timmy bent down and stared at the kid, and though faint, she seemed conscious and tried to open up her eyes. "Take it easy kid.", he said while looking at her large round brown eyes, saddened by her thinness. But he couldn't be more surprised when he saw strange feathers linked to its arm.
"Now that's odd.", Parker added.
Timmy would only look at him with his blank face. And then, he carried the kid and wrapped his arms around the child and partly squeezed it as if it were his own kid. He normally did this when he was still balling when hugging a ball as if it's the last one on planet Earth.
The entire team would halt briefly until a decision had been made. "Aight! Timmy, Parker, and Manu, it seems you have fallen to the kid. Radio Reynolds and learn about this. We go."
Spurs: "Aye!"
Edit: Deleted anything that has a relation to Mera-mera no mi and changed the back story following free change.
A powerful past etched deep into the hearts of all involved, seemed to be surfacing. A mighty bond that they all shared, especially Manaka and Gambit. And from what it seemed, throughout the years, that bond had morphed into Manaka's hatred for Gambit. Shiki observed these interactions, before asking Manaka what she thought they should do with them. Manaka explained what she had earlier explained to Indigo. Apparently, Gambit possessed a strange ability or skill to control beasts. With such a skill, Shiki could harness the might of his beasts and finally have them take over the world. It seemed like fate to Shiki. The fact that on the same day that a number of problems arose with the beasts, a solution also came to his land.
Without waiting around, Manaka attacked. She saw the ballers trying to recover KG's dead body, and attacked them with her flying nails. Her companion, Billy, accompanied her in her endeavor, unleashing powerful bolts of electricity down at the ballers. When Gambit tried to move, Shiki would fly into his path, forcing him to stop. Gambit pleaded with Manaka, saying that she should take her rage out on him, and not on his men. Upon hearing those words, an idea occurred to Shiki.
Is that how it is then...
Shiki said, glaring at Gambit.
Here is your choice then. We can put Kairouseki handcuffs on you and take you with us while all of your men leave Merveille... or you can try to fight me, and lose all of your men in the process.
After your men have left the island and you behind, you will show us the secrets of Beast Mastery. Once that is done... we might just release you as well. That way, you and your crew will reunite eventually, all alive.
Shiki said, elevating his right leg and pointing the sword at Gambit.
Choose now, young pirate kid. Choose well.
The choice was Gambit's. He could fight, and lose it all. Or he could tell his men to leave Merveille, stay behind, share his knowledge of Beast Mastery, and then perhaps even get to leave himself. The choice that would forever change the course of the lives of Gambit and his men, was now firmly in his hands.
Remnants of the Past IV
Gambit tried to stop Manaka from doing her wicked vengeance but as Shiki intercepted, he watched everything before his very eyes. His men being rained upon by dozens of dozens of sharp nails, paralyzing them. KG, aside from the impalement of the enemy's weapon, had himself caught by fast charging stream of lightning coming from the beasty bird. When the attacks were successful, Manaka landed safely back to Billy's back.
He pleaded, but to no avail. Now as his men all lied down on the ground for the second time, Shiki offered something he could not refuse. A glimpse of the past peeked once more.
"General! Don't do this! The people. T- they love you! Respect you. I, too.", Gambit pleaded.
"It's too late, young prince. It's written down in history that the elven tribe was once the ruler of this kingdom. You, royal blacksmiths, were just mere forgers of our weapons, plowing soils, and most of the time, our foot soldiers. There was no honor in what they did in the past. Nothing but tools! Pawns! That's who you are and will always be. If only not because of the part elven blood that flows down through your veins, you won't become a righteous heir. And that's why you have to die!", the General said, angry, full of hatred towards the entire clan of Royal Blacksmiths.
"If I die, would you promise not to harm my people? My parents?", he asked the general.
"You still think that you're entitled to trade with me? Tomorrow, we shall have our duel of death, your highness. Rest well."
And before the bars of the cell rammed its own cage where the prince would remain prison over the night, the general added depths to his suffering, "Your parents were long gone in this world."
"?!!?"
And whilst he recalled his past, Shiki's voice echoed into his ears, asking him for an irrevokable price. "Choose now, young pirate kid. Choose well."
Certainly, Gambit wouldn't want the enemy pirate to harm his men nor claim T-Bag as another hostage. There's no other option. If he fights then history will only repeat itself. If he makes a sacrifice, things might have changed. Glaring back at the Golden Lion, the prince would make a decision, "Leave my men out of this. Take me.". And then he shared a death stare at Manaka who didn't even blink nor back down.
Edit: Deleted anything that has a relation to Mera-mera no mi and changed the back story following free change.
A story decades long, all culminating in this one moment. If Gambit's past wasn't what Gambit's past was, perhaps his decision now in the present would have been different. Everything in Gambit's life up until this moment, culminated in Gambit's decision, and in Shiki's success. Shiki grinned, hearing Gambit's response. Gambit wanted Shiki to leave his men out of this, and take him instead. Music to Shiki's ears. Looking down at Gambit's men, Shiki shouted.
You heard your boss. Get out of here. You can take your friend with you.
Shiki said, referring to KG, who'd passed away already.
If everyone behaves nicely, your Captain will come back as well.
Shiki said, reiterating that he had no need to hold Gambit prisoner for life. As such, it was in Gambit's subordinates' interests to leave peacefully. After all, this deal wasn't bad for them.
If they all left, with Gambit the only one who stayed behind, Shiki would motion with his hands. A pair of handcuffs would float out from his clothing and float toward Gambit. If he extended his arms forward, the handcuffs would cuff around his wrists. The presence of Kairouseki in the handcuffs would immediately go into effect, robbing Gambit of his power. Since he was up in the air, he would also lose the strength to keep flying, so he'd momentarily enter a freefall before Shiki took control of the cuffs around Gambit's wrists, essentially ''hanging him midair by the cuffs of his hands''. Perhaps somewhat uncomfortable for Gambit, both physically and for his ego, but in this manner, ''hanging by something invisible'', Shiki would transport Gambit back to his lair.
The trip would take a few minutes to say the last, with Shiki floating right beside Gambit. Proud of how he had conquered this pirate group, Shiki asked grinningly.
So? What the hell made you think raiding Merveille was a good idea? Why did you come here?
Remnants of the Past V
The sun rose in the east, big, round, and tangerine; gentle formations of clouds lingering. Rays of the morning star shone down on the calm waters of the historic ocean, paralleling the very beam of the celestial body. And just like a whisper trapped within a cave of wonders, it glistered incandescent light across the shore of Hiraya, piercing through the forest, and now, casting a shadow of the castle to the southeastern direction, signifying its time. Prince Landayan, as he sat by the concrete slab of the prison, laid his back against the wall. Still clasped by a strange chain, moved his head facing the bars.
"Looks like you finally woke up. I bet you had a fine rest, your highness.", one of the guards addressed him. "Get him!", ordered the low-ranking guards.
Moments later, the townsfolks, the General's army, the Lords of the other houses, rallied in front of Central Park. The stage that was built to host different events such as festivals, weddings, and different ceremonies would soon become the home to bloodshed. The general would address the people.
"My beloved people! Your prince! Landayan Morrow!"
BACK TO THE PRESENT
Gambit was held by Shiki, restraining his wrist with the same made of shackles. The Gold Lion would have expected himself to be weakened by it but the pirate prince knew better.
Manaka on the other hand utilized her mechanical gloves to harness all the remaining metals from Gambit's arsenals. Extracting his metallic wings, including his belts and holsters. And the Kalakab (the shaft of his scythes), slipped off his palm involuntarily.
As Shiki let him afloat, Gambit would not look back to his crew. KG lying down there, attended by no one. Bron and the rest of them, now conscious, confused with the turn of events would only look away as their commander abandoned them. Rose and Rondo in tears. Bron and Pierce in total agony as Wade punched the soil in despair.
Contrary to the melancholy below, soaring into the main island of Merveille, the legendary pirate would display his curiosity towards the prince, and he would respond, "I only have two directions, erase the old. Change the world. If that means, building a weapon of destruction. I shall conquest. And your the next step in fulfilling that."
Edit: Deleted anything that has a relation to Mera-mera no mi and changed the back story following free change.
With Shiki, Manaka, and Gambit in tow now floating back toward the lion's den, Gambit was asked why in the world he had decided to come to Merveille with hostility. A great pirate like Shiki was not often challenged, so he found it amusing that such a small pirate crew - in terms of crew member numbers - would ever dare come attack him. Gambit answered, saying he was going to erase the old, and change the world. ''Erase the world''? Did he mean erasing the pirates of the previous era, which would include Shiki? That was how Shiki interpreted it, and it caused him to start laughing outloud.
Jihahaha! Erase the old he says! That's rich!
Shiki said, though he couldn't help but see something in common with Gambit's plan.
Well, erasing is something I want to do as well. Jihahaha!
After some time, the group would reach the lion's den, a castle fitting of a great pirate.
Floating down, Shiki would land, followed by Manaka and Gambit. The trio would walk, entering the castle. Shiki would lead them down a number of corridors, until eventually, they would reach a large facility inside the castle. Once there, Gambit would become privy to one of the birthplaces of the powerful beasts that he and his men had fought. Perched inside tanks filled with a strange liquid, the beasts seemed asleep. Shiki pressed a button, the only button he knew in this facility without having to consult Indigo, and upon pressing it, one of the tanks suddenly started to rise. Liquid came splashing out, and when the tank raised completely, all that was left was a platform with a beast on it, surrounded by puddles of liquid.
After a few seconds, the beast's eyes opened, and it started to growl and look around. This one was weaker still, but Shiki had a purpose for reviving it. Turning toward Gambit, Shiki spoke.
Well? Let's see your Beast Taming... that's what it was called right?
It's not a Devil Fruit's ability, so you should be fine with those handcuffs on.
Shiki said with a grin on his face. Now, it was time for Gambit to show his value to the one who currently had his fate in the palm of his hand.
Landayan was born a child of the meadow. His mother died in childbirth, an elf; his father, a Knight and the head of the royal blacksmiths for the King of Hiraya was sentenced to death as soon as Landayan was born. A crime that would have not been unraveled had the attempt to rebel against the kingdom not transpired.
Afterward and as a child of rebellion, though innocent, he would be released to the wilds and be fed to the menagerie of the king in a nearby forest northeast of the palace - all so to stop a potential threat. "We must do this Magiting. It's only between the two of us. His father might have been a Morrow but our House shall not allow a traitor."
At his disposal, the Mighty General Magiting Ninquelótë and King Sapiro witnessed what could have been his greatest mistake. The infant, surrounded by wild animals, bores, tigers, bears, and hyenas chuckled, flapping his tiny hands. A chuckle that would echo through all the chamber of beasts, mesmerizing them as his diamond emblem shone upon their existence.
"Your Highness.", General turned to the King who was by his side during this journey to the forest. "The boy possesses what the great Lord Hisoka, your ancestor had." The King would find immediate redemption of himself.
Seeing this, the King and the General would later collect the boy but the beasts would not allow them to re-enter. Protected by these fanged creatures, it would require an internal war between prey and predators. And after a series of carnage, thanks to tons of farm animals they brought it, they would retrieve the child.
Unbeknownst to all the people of Hiraya, the King and Queen would not have a child. Fortunate Landayan would find shelter in the house of the lord. "You should keep the child Your Highness.", suggested by Gen. Magiting to the royalties.
"But this boy is the son of my fool cousin! We cannot keep him. It will be a disgrace and dishonor to our ancestors who fought for freedom.", the King rebutted.
"But Your Highness, the child shall not pay for the sins of his begetter. What occurred in the past have vanished the moment his father left this world. The child does not constitute what that demon did.", the general continued.
"The general was right, my dearest King.", Queen Lira's insight. "I will love the boy like my own son. Raising him as a fine prince.", cradling the baby with her own soft palms, smiling at him like a mother who just begotten her own son.
Growing up, the royal family would do anything in their own power to not allow the prince to liberate the beasts. He would be supplied with false teachings in order to treat the beasts but weapons. Among all the beasts of the distant forest: lions, apes, fell-deer, and things that were less known, one would deem the most superior of them all. When the lad was seven, he would discover the shelter of this creature when he was lost in the woods one night with his attendants after an ambush made by the wolves. He was dragged to the core of their cave. A dragon would emerge in his wake.
The beast spoke, though its mouth moved not. Its words: a plea for freedom. Only the prince would hear. It seemed that he was able to hear voices of the unknown. The two would stare at each other, the dragon's eyes ingrained into the prince like it was possessing him. Words the boy would utter, "How long have you been living in this cave?". Wordlessly, the beast responded, and over time their bond strengthened until the boy found he could hold up his end of a conversation—could in fact speak now to all the creatures of the King's menagerie. The two and along the other beasts segregated from the people would then form an endearing friendship but it would soon be over.
After a year of sneaking off the castle to get to the dragon and other beasts, the King, the General, and his army discovered this. An attempt to eradicate the beast would ignite. The beast would fight back. The rising of the wolves commenced, followed by the radical bores, and then the dragon who embodied fire. "Don't kill them! They're friends of mine. They're but kind to me.", the young prince pleaded.
"Destroy them!", the King ordered.
As soon as the female wolf was killed before his eyes, a rage came over the boy knowing that she left her pups. He unconsciously invoked the animals of the forest to rebel and threw open their oppressed freedom to set them amok on the palace grounds. He incited the innate strength of the beasts, commanding it beyond his will. An uproar followed in conjunction with the demonic wail coming off their mouths, dragon breathing fire across the woods. Everything went too fast that even the general and his army couldn't do a thing. But the prince, seemingly quite resistant to fire it was breathing in as he stood just a little behind the flaming dragon unscathed.
The entire army was mauled in the mayhem. In the chaos, a beg for stoppage would come when the general's son, Maliksi was killed by the rampaging dragon. The King, the general, and less than a dozen of soldiers survived. The General, courageous enough to deal with him would force himself to fight the dragon alone. "You took my son. I shall kill you!"
And then a gigantic fireball would be unleashed. The general would counter using a flaming sword attack. A clash of might burst open across the forest. A hot gust of air ramified so violently. When the fog cleared, the general found an opening. Striking with his sword the neck of the creature. It fell to the ground. They thought they won. Grinning, the general slightly lowered his stance but the dragon's head re-emerged.
"??!!"
He knew what he had to do. "We surrender.", the general said. "Your Highness. Perhaps it's time that we head back to the castle.". The King would comply. The prince would then follow, too. As he turned to the beasts, the flare surrounding the dragon's body would retract.
Resorting to the last option, the King and the general would discuss. They would use the royal blacksmiths' technology in order to capture him. The key to the plan was the prince himself. And one day, the general, the king, and the prince headed back to the cave, offering a truce between the two parties. Landayan was holding a box. "My father and the general wished to give this to you as a sign of peace." As soon as he offered the box, hundreds of shackles exploded forward the dragon. He thought he could tank it but the moment he blocked one, it quickly restrained him, weakening him in an instant. The dragon turned to the prince, anguished but not displaying any hurt of betrayal. He was fooled. The rest of the beasts couldn't fight back as they lost their alpha. The dragon, he was dragged in chains to the center of the palace by the soldiers hiding behind the woods and was sentenced to death. But as soon as the head fell right before the prince's eyes, he burst into agony and pain, unleashing a distorted sound across the area that would knock most of the people there.
Over the coming months, the boy would train under the command of a Tiefling Master the art of assassination, metal card throwing, and stealth every night. At daylight, he studied science and many of its branches, including but not limited to botany, zoology, and technological advancement under the supervision of a Dwarven Master. Above all, swordsmanship under the General himself. He would soon fade away from engaging with beasts and any sort of wild animals to try to protect them.
Back to the Present
Held captive by Shiki, they flew to a castle, lesser ornamented and cheaper in physique than his home. In there, a shelter of creatures he once endeared. Enthralled as he might be, he must contain himself not to bring back the past. The gold lion would then mock his goal in piracy. People would laugh when your dreams are rich. Perhaps, he would have done the same with Shiki had he been the first one to ask. The legendary released a lone beast, still puddled but he could feel its emotion. He responded, "One has to be brought into submission."
As Gambit was thinking about his past, the beast started to appear out of the shadows, gradually revealing its body. A bull-like creature, but great in size and immense in strength, showed itself to its master, and Gambit. But, the beast was young to the world, and unknowing of who stood in front of him. Shiki, Gambit, random person, all was the same to the beast. But, fortunately, it was Gambit who the beast chose to attack, likely due to the fact that Shiki had positioned himself a few meters behind Gambit. Shiki would have no trouble disposing of the beast, but that was not the idea here, so he wanted to minimize the likelihood that the beast would choose him as an attack target over Gambit.
With that working out to Shiki's favor, he simply observed with a grin on his face. Gambit spoke, stating that submission was how one subjugated a beast. Shiki raised an eyebrow, finding that comment odd. Submission? There was nothing special or profound about that. Anyone can do that. There must be something else. Something that made Gambit and other Beast Masters different. He continued to watch.
The beast, acting to its bestial instincts, pounced forward. Almost instantly, it was upon Gambit, towering over him. Raising its front right leg, the beast came down onto Gambit with its foot, aiming to crush him under its weight. A simple but instinctual and threatening attack. How would Gambit deal with this? Subjugation couldn't just be it. Hurting the animal too severely was also not it. After all, they needed the beast to be healthy and fight enemies.
Shiki didn't see a way to solve this. But then again, HE wasn't a Beast Master. And so he was here to learn the secrets.
Still, inside the room where a beast was kept in, Shiki asked the prince a question he thought would have an easy response. He turned to the legendary pirate, "When I was young I asked a dear friend of mine, he was the strongest I had seen. Why was I able to reason with creatures? He couldn't know the answer. It's still a mystery. The secret remains a secret for both of us."
As he talked, he glared at the beast who was fast approaching casting its giant right paw onto him. And as it cast a shadow upon him, Gambit could only block the heavy pound by the beast, denting the floor underneath him. He would try to reason with the beast but to no avail. He never tried since the death of the dragon.
Pushing the attack above him, Manaka was looking at him in disgrace. "This is nonsense! Shiki! He is holding back. It seems that the prince charming doesn't intend to cooperate."
In Gambit's head, I was trying. Gyaa...
With one final push, the Gambit would be able to deflect the beast with all his might. "I. I couldn't do it."
The bull-like beast, unleashed from its prison, a tube filled with strange liquid, it finally breathed the air of life. Instinctively, the beast knew to fight, for that was all these beasts were made for. The bull raged, charging Gambit. With its front foot, the bull came crashing down onto Gambit. Shiki's eyes narrowed, trying to catch every detail of Gambit. Did he move? Did he use Conqueror's Haki? Did he say something to the beast? Was it just eye contact? What was it?! Shiki had to know. Much to his annoyance, however, the sequence that followed enraged him. Gambit blocked the beast's attack in a struggling fashion, and claimed that he could not control the beast. Up above, Manaka looked at Gambit and realized what was happening. Gambit was not holding up to his end of the bargain. He came here with zero intention to show his ability to Shiki. When Manaka shouted, revealing Gambit's plan, a visible look of rage appeared on Shiki's face.
WHAT?! THIS SCOUNDREL!
Realizing that he had been tricked into letting the rest of Gambit's crew off of the island, Shiki grit his teeth and clenched his fists. His eyebrows furrowing, Shiki roared.
IS THAT IT?! I SEE, PIRATE KID. THAT IS YOUR CHOICE THEN!
Shiki roared, and the whole building started to shake. Whether it was an earthquake or something else, was anyone's guess. But Manaka knew. This was Shiki's rage. This was Shiki's power.
Raising his arms and unclenching his fists, the whole building, as well as tons of soil and earth around it, started to rip itself out of the rest of the island and floated up into the air. Making sure that Gambit's crew could not reach him to come back and help, Shiki would make this Gambit's lonesome grave. A legendary pirate. A legendary rage. A young pirate was about to face both.
Flustered to what had just transpired, Shiki roared like an alpha lion ready to devour its prey. He wouldn't let a newly emerged pirate trick him inside his own den. Frustrated at what the pirate prince had just showcased, he didn't have a second thought. The Golden Lion had shaken the entire building, dismantling it from its core as soon as he raised his arms with palms open! Gambit would try to balance himself from the soaring castle while Manaka managed to elevate with the help of the giant bird.
"If you end me here, you would not be able to unravel the mystery of beast mastery. But if an all-out war is what you seek, why don't you eat your balls and uncuff me here and let's see who's more evil between the two of us. Hehehehe. The pirate kid you're mocking about or a legendary pirate humbled by the pirate king himself! COWAAAARD!! SECOND GRADE PIRATE OF THE OLD! THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE AND THAT'S THE VERY SAME THING I SAID TO REDFIELD BEFORE I KILLED HIM!"
The lion's den, that is, Shiki's palace, started to rise via a mysterious force. Something unknown carried metric tons of palace right up into the air like it had no weight. And yet, one could feel it was heavy - if the whole thing came crashing back down, that would not bode well for anyone inside. Whether that thought had crossed Gambit's mind yet, or not, remained to be seen, but it was definitely something that was of a huge threat to him. Gambit, seeing that Shiki's wrath was overtaking him, decided to add to the fire. Taunting him, insulting him, and challenging him, Gambit clearly thought it was a good strategy to enrage a legendary pirate to the fullest extent of his rage possible. And he succeeded. Unfortunately for Gambit, these notions did not get him uncuffed. Shiki, in his rage, wanted Gambit dead. He was not looking for a fair fight to measure their abilities. He was looking to kill Gambit. A clear difference between a seasoned legendary pirate, and a young spring chicken who seemingly still had honor to worry about.
Gritting his teeth angrily, Shiki spoke as he moved his hands in a couple of gestures.
Fool. You will meet your end here, handcuffed at that.
Shiki said. His hand gestures suddenly caused a number of basketball-sized chunks of rock to be ripped from the floor, walls and ceiling of the palace. A good 20 of them or so. Imbuing them with black Busou-shoku no Haki, Shiki swung his arms and sent all of those projectiles crashing at Gambit from all directions simultaneously.
Gambit's eyes widened in both mystique and horror! The prince did not only taunted the legendary pirate but made him explode into angry cannonballs. Still perplexed whether his ability involved gravity or not, there's only one certain thing, and a man who had read books about devil fruits would quickly recognize it. "Is this your devil fruit power? Hehehehehe. Interesting."
But as soon as he responded to Shiki and a minimal gesture, tons of rocks fashioned in the air. Magnifying its destructive capabilities, the pirate clad them with black Haki. Swinging his arms across the air, 20 hard rocks in a rapid fashion came crashing down omnidirectionally. If Gambit is wise, he would time the incoming barrage so perfectly so that they would avoid its prowess. If he's courageous, he would attempt to endure the massacre and witness the aftermath.
Suddenly, something inside Gambit has awakened. A natural ability that most people believed he already had had. However, he had not faced any person who attacked as quickly Shiki, and now's the time to showcase that to the world. The opponent was honorable and our prince had to give his all.
Spreading his Precognition across the palace, Gambit predicted the trajectory of the earth barrage. With a second left before the impact, he bent his knees as quickly as he could and leaped into the air. The 20 rocks rambled against the others, followed by an explosion.
The powerful barrage unleashed by the lion ripped through the air, nearing Gambit. However, in the very last moment, Gambit acted, jumping out of the way and letting all of the boulders crash into one another. Landing a distance away, Gambit was safe, but not for long. As he told Shiki that he could show him something more impressive if he just took the handcuffs off, Shiki denied the man's request while moving his arms around once again.
Sorry, kid. But you'll have to get someone else to do that for you.
Shiki said. The 20 broken down boulders all started to move and mesh against one another, compacting through sheer force into one larger boulder. Even though Gambit had smartly managed to get the 20 boulders to destroy one another, the materials were now all smashed together to form one larger boulder. Black Busou-shoku no Haki clad the boulder, and Shiki threw his arms forward, sending the now significantly larger boulder flying at Gambit. Would the pirate kid simply avoid again? Or would he actually show some fangs this time around? Shiki wanted to see that, for it would reveal to him how to approach the battle from here on out. As a head to head fight, or as a predator hunting down a fleeing prey?
Gambit, with the aid of his advanced precognition, managed to avoid the lion's barrage; an attack that almost destroyed KG's crew. However, while mid-air, the pirate prince witnessed how the lion himself harnessed the fragments of the previous attack and fashioned them into one massive element, surmounting the physique of the former.
"?!!", an expression which implied that Gambit knew he'd be in trouble. Still using his advanced observation Haki, the prince realized how swift the attack would be and with its size, it's impossible to evade in his current situation. He had to smash the mountain into gravels. The question was how.
*SMASH*
In no time, the commander of the enemy ship was mauled by the roaring lion soaring into the roof, ramming Gambit's arms while he attempted to block it, smashing his way into the ceiling of the palace, dented himself in the process.
"Gambit!!", Manaka yelled. Seemingly showing a little bit of passion which she quickly recalled. "That's what you get for mocking the greatest pirate of the old age."
Slowly falling, Gambit looked at the maiden he once adored, he still cared for her. Without any words to say, the prince's eyes begged for forgiveness.
Manaka's eyes rolled in rivers of tears. She felt it.
Gambit, despite the fact that he was handcuffed, managed to deal with the Lion's Barrage, due to an overwhelming proficiency in Kenbun-shoku no Haki. However, that was not enough against a legendary pirate. This time, an attack came that was not avoidable, even if Gambit saw it coming. The size was too large. Smashing all of the debris from the Lion's Barrage into one giant boulder, Shiki sent it smashing into Gambit. Gambit was slammed into the ceiling with great force. As he was suffering through the pain, Manaka called out to him instinctively. He looked at her, and she teared up. However, both of those interactions fell on blind eyes and deaf ears, for Shiki was too focused on simply destroying this novice that came barging into his territory playing pirate. At least that was how Shiki saw him at the moment, and one could not blame the old pirate.
With the boulder having crashed into Gambit at full force, it was time for Shiki to finish this fight. Clenching his fists, the whole palace started to shake and break down. Many a large boulder was smashed together, creating one truly terrifyingly massive boulder. From the massive boulder, a massive shadow cast down, almost blocking out the sun. This shadow represented the end of Gambit's life. And this floating piece of land would be his grave.
With a grin on his face, Shiki spoke.
Land a good punch on me first before you call yourself a pirate, kid.
And with that, he swung both of his arms downward, sending the gigantic piece of land right at Gambit. With his hands cuffed, was this the end of a young pirate that had the potential to, one day, become a legend?
Lion's Reckoning: S+-rank
DPR: 120: 7. Town Level + S+:+5 = 12. Large Country Level
Having been crushed to the height of the palace by Shiki's enormous strength, Gambit fell down still with his hands cuffed. Hitting the floor, the legendary pirate once again harnessed yet a much more massive collection of concrete, debris, and soils of the earth, fashioning them all together to form a colossal boulder. And as it cast a shadow upon the ground, Gambit looked at it closely, slowly picking up himself, he gathered his full strength in order to block and destroy the incoming. Eyes darkened, and so as his entire body with Hardening Haki.
The pirate above him grinned and mocked him for what he thought was the last time. And in a matter of split seconds, the boulder hit against the pirate prince. The impact reverberated across the land, resonating tremendous echo which would venture to the entirety of the main island and the ones below it. Crashing sound of the rocks, it impaled through the ground and pushed through to further depths.
T-Bag at this point had finally reached the battlefield where the fallen ballers were in, slowly gathering themselves up. Distressed with what he'd seen, bloodied KG. He quickly turned to the rest of the rope users, "Everyone! Tend our comrades!". Then he thought, Where are you Gambit?
As the rope users were attending to ballers, Aramis had also made his way to the wasteland. "T-Bag! what's going? No! KG!"
While the forces were gathering, a boulder coming from the main island above them was quickly pushing down. So huge that they almost thought an eclipse was occurring at the time. The boulder continued to fall and broke into the lower island. Completely destroying its edge before making its way to the waters of the New World. *SPLOOSH*
"GAMBIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!", wolf cried T-Bag. "No! No!"
Back to Manaka, flustered with what she just witnessed, couldn't determine the appropriate response. Certainly, agony and pain were revolving within herself. Will redemption play its part or victory should be renounced.
The massive, mountainous boulder rammed into Gambit in what look like a scene that would end the young pirate before his story ever truly broke into the world stage. Handcuffed, the legendary pirate Shiki seemed like he was just too great of an enemy. The mountainous boulder slammed through a part of the island, breaking it off, and the boulder, with all of the broken debris, metric tons of it, came crashing down into the sea below. Manaka watched in horror as Gambit had been given an apparent death sentence.
As for the legendary lion, the pirate Shiki, floating high up in the air with his arms crossed in front of his chest, he stared down at the depths of the sea. With a serious look on his face, he remarked in victory.
These young pirates don't know the consequences of challenging a true pirate. Now, all he is is a deadman.
Shiki said, floating away. And with that, the day ended. The sun proceeded to set, and Shiki's flying island floated off into the horizon. Merveille, that is, the physical land, had been scarred from the great battle, part of one of the islands even broken off from Shiki's attack, but the legend came out victorious. As for T-Bag and the rest of Gambit's men, was now a time for mourning?
--------------------------
Book 1: End
--------------------------
-------------------------- Book 2: Lord Gambit Has Fallen! Enter Prince of the Deep! --------------------------
Courageous, Lord Gambit headed to Merveille in an attempt to out throne a legendary pirate of the old. With ten of his men on occasion, they broke through the island and encountered some extraordinary creatures - titanic beasts. Having gotten past the wilderness, they part ways in order to scout the vicinity. Little did they know, it was a trap by the king of the savannah himself, the Golden Lion, Shiki! As they divided their force, the lion roared down to the earth, humiliating the entirety of the ballers association. Enraged, the commander himself catapulted to the location of the carnage, meeting a dear old maiden from an ancient kingdom. Demented, remnants of the past shattered his will to conquer. And on the second round of the clash, the Lord has fallen, carrying a boulder of wrath, despair, and solidarity.
Submerging to the depths of the dark new world waters with his hands cuffed by mysterious stones, Prince Landayan "The Gambit" Morrow would've not met a new morrow. A bizarre figure would emerge.
"Kairyu Ipponzeoi!"
The unknown figure harnessed the ocean current around him, allowing him to create a very powerful force which he would send towards the boulder Gambit was heavily laid under. Almost unconscious, he was still able to witness how the shadowy figure manipulates the waters before blowing the boulder away from him. Freed, the strange folk maneuvered towards Gambit so swiftly. Carrying the prince, taking him to a place somewhere in the deep.
Kairyu Ipponzeoi (海流一本背負い Kairyū Ipponzeoi?, literally meaning "Sea Current Lifter"): A technique used by the user performed after Mizugokoro. He heaves the current upward, where it erupts from the ocean surface as a towering stream of water. (81 Mastery, 61 Strength) Destructive Potency Rank: B
Back in Merveille, T-Bag and the rest of his troops ventured back to the village where Reynolds and other crew were waiting. Timmy and the other Spurs were also there and told them that the child was a resident. Thereon, they would learn from the villagers that Shiki had been governing that entire archipelago for years, experimenting on beasts using a strange flower called IQ. They were told that a certain scientist partnered with the pirates to create a formula that enabled the beasts to mutate in an extraordinary manner.
"I wonder what Gambit was up to. Shiki, IQ, and the beasts. It just didn't make sense.", Aramis said as he turned to T-Bag.
Sitting on the porch, T-Bag was resting his elbows on his knees, cigarette on his right hand. After a single puff, he addressed Aramis, "There are a lot of mysteries surrounding him. Now you guys know he was a prince but that-"
Everyone's captivated with his pause, lending all them ears to him. "Yeah! I know about that secret. It was a long time ago. He was a prince back in North Blue in a kingdom called Hiraya. He already burned that past of his. Too much suffering and mishaps. Bad decisions after the other. But let me tell you this, I've known Gambit as Gambit and not that some kind of bitch ass Prince Landayan like what that girl has divulged. And before anything else, I still believe that he is alive. I have faith. He is our commander! Strengthen your wills. Rest. Tomorrow, we ambush like wolves in the forest."
On the main island, Manaka was locked inside her laboratory, settling herself in an open window, wandering out in the sky. And as the stars twinkled, she was thinking about her true north. Brother, please guide me, she prayed.
Back in the village
"Mister!!", said a middle-aged woman, looking for T-Bag. "It's about your friend. He just-"
T-Bag and a bunch of others immediately rushed to the room where the lady was headed at.
Edit: Deleted anything that has a relation to Mera-mera no mi and changed the back story following free change. Also, the new stats are below.
Statistics:
90x5=450
Strength: 55+36+5=96 [+25=121]
Speed: 63+18=81
81x2=162
- Movement: 81 [+25=106] [+20 when using Vampire suit] [+20 using Crimson Leap]
- Reaction: 81+5=86 [+25=111] [+15 when using COO]
Vitality: 50+36=86
86x2=172
- Stamina: 76 [+25=101] [only because Gambit is a chain smoker and having sex every night]
- Durability: 96 [+25=121]
Haki: 73+27=100
100x2=200
- Armament: 100
- Precognition: 100 [+20 = 120]
Martial Arts: 50x2=100
- Goddamn Death Scythe: 100
Mind: 50x2=100
- Royal Science: 100
Devil Fruit: 100 [+20=120]
For NPCs, will do please check out the crew thread.
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