Twilight, The Storm, To become free.
Even though this story could have happened a long time ago, that no time, no distance, would properly be able to describe its length. It is happening right now. Right as you read these words.
It is a story of adventure, mystery, dreams, revelations, change, the Natural and Unnatural. Above all, just as with all hitherto society; a story of Struggle. Against those on top, and those on below. Those seek, and those that hide. Those that hurt, and those that save. The Powerful. And The Powerless.
Treachery, Malice, and supposed Neutrals who refuse to side, are crushing society for all its worth.
This is not just the decay of a system.
Night has fallen on history itself.
Everything is moving to its places.
Society is sinking.
Dawn, is a night away.
And you are hearing the rest of it.
*
Wealth, Fame, Power! Gol D. Roger, the King of The Pirates, obtained this and everything else the world had to over! For nearly 40 years he sailed the ceases and tossed the world into a frenzy!
But above all else, perhaps his greatest treasure, and greatest achievement.
Was his Death.
"Gold Roger!" A Booming voice echoed out. Vice Admiral Falcon D. Jack, clad head to toe in the best suit he could adorn himself in, with a flapping Navy Coat hooked onto his shoulders by a simple brass clasp to make it a cape.
The elevator to the scaffold clicked in place. Jostling the man that stood tall at over 8 feet tall. Eyes closed as his lips held a small smile. Large bushy mustache that curled off his skin and into curved crescents. His face was square and angular. Skin a dark peach to lightest brown.
"So called king of the pirates!"
He wore the same clothes he was captured in. A simple powder sea blue cotton shirt with a deep v neck. Brown pants, and Dark Boots. Black Cape he typically wore, with embroidered gold stitching and accents was long gone. Now a dark red trench coat hung loose on his thinning frame. Sickness and Starvation had sapped nearly all the once impressive half ton of muscle on his body.
His hands adorned in rings of glistening jewels, wrists in bracelets of turquoise beads, rubbed one another as he wiggled in the Ironwood Bondage.
"You are guilty of Piracy, Treason, Conspiracy against the world government and her people, Destruction, Mayhem, Murder, Thievery and Terrorism."
"Piracy is an enemy to all man kind. And it is the duty to of the World Government, and the ever benevolent Marines" He looked to Fleet Admiral Rex behind him, Jack held a trepidation as he spoke the words.
"To protect the citizens of a decent and civil nations of its banner." He let the crowd cheer. He let the crowd look in awe, and mutter to themselves. Jack wasn't supposed to. Be he did anyway.
"Ugh…Hurry up. Feet are going to sleep in this position!" He smiled a bit of a grimey toothed smile that still shown with charisma and energy despite their grime.
Jack huffed, turning to the Pirate King and Near life long Rival he grimaced a scowl of quickly flared anger before dissolving into a softer look. "You knew this was what would happen."
"That I did Vice Admiral. More ways than you think. And it about to be everyones too…~" He cooed with layered tone of meaning to his voice.
Leaning back up. Jack breathed and continued the rehearsal "For a man who sought to use information of history recklessly, and to bring up horror upon the good people of the world. The only just consequence; Is Death!"
The entire crowd began to go silent. The bootfalls of the Executioners holding their Executioners Blades in their hands was the only thing heard as they went through the flair of flipping them around in front of them once, then at each side before slamming their feet down in two quick stomps followed by the but of the pole arms before letting them harshly rest with force on their shoulders, palms holding the bottom.
The half pirouetted. Sliding on their dominant foot, and holding the Blades horizontally to then bring up into a over shoulder thrust. Blades coming down to cross between his scruffy neck.
But before Jack could give the order. A voice boomed. Then one, and another after that! Voices all throughout the crowd all called out!
"Pirate King! Where is it!"
"You're treasure!"
"The final island?!"
"The End of the World!"
"Where is it!"
"Eheheh…Ahahaah!" Roger chuckled. Neck grazing the blades without caution. Reeling back and letting his throat howl! "Wealth, fame and power huh! Thats what I got! But its so much more!"
"You want it! You can have it! Go find it! Free yourselves! Take to the seas! Only there can you have a chance at it! I left it all in One Piece!" He declared with a palpable sense of pressure. No. It was pressure. It was Haki! A blast that forced his words to be heard and felt by all who he could see and those that heard him. Including even those on nearby islands and through the broadcast!
"Egh…heh…" Blood trickled down his nose. That was all he had in him.
But it was enough. A cacophony of screams and cheers of confusion and excitement from over 3 million people in a single plaza square that flooded through the Allies and Roads of Louge Town! But it wasn't just them. It was all across the world!
Amongst the Crowd in Louge were prominent people in the coming years; Hannibal Wolfheart, De Leon Tizona, Barbary, Sparrow, Bonney, Hornigold Rackham, Falcon D. Tigre, Louis Garrick and Asashi. So many faces. Faces that were worth their salt in the coming two and a half decades, were there.
Gol D. Rogers words sent countless to the sea in search of a dream.
He ushered in a Golden Age Of Piracy!
This is a world of Pirates!
But that was all 26 and a half years ago.
*
Four Years.
Four Years was what had been declared the time for the Red Sash Pirates to Regroup, Stronger, Smarter, Better than ever. All 9 Members were spread throughout the world doing just that.
And It will be shown well what happened in that time. If even on in small snapshots of time in the immense stretch of months. Proof to their growth.
The world is changing quicker now more than at any point in Known History.
"Gum Gum!" Leroy leapt through the air! A Scowl on his face, his gum gum fruit expanding his fist and then his entire arm! Gaining mass and increasing power by an order of magnitude! Then he fueled his blood through his body, speeding it up now on command! Another dozen fold increase in strength as he used 'Full Throttle' "Titanic Hyper Shot!"
He slammed the fist through the air! Moving it as fast as he could as the sound barrier was violently ruptured by the impressive meteoric speed! It hit The ground! Causing a Massive Quake! Shattering the peak of the mountain! Utterly reducing it to rubble and dust. Leaving behind a shower of shards and a flattened plateau many kilometers wide.
"Fuck!" Leroy was pissed! His fist snapped back, causing him to twirl in midair as Carbon Dioxide left his mouth in a cloud, steam coating his body and trailing behind him while he landed.
"That all you've got? That was you're 5th all out attack. If you don't rest, all other attacks are going to be weaker and weaker. Thats just a fact of any fighter no matter their strength." Zeke asked, analyzing the movements and language of the Captains body. He could feel his emotions too.
"Fine by me…Don't matter if I pass out! I'm gonna fucking get you!" He snarled with an anger that was so palpable that Zeke felt it in his aura.
"Its been 1 month since Azar. Tack on a week or so since Desamare. You're stronger. Certainly. But you're hitting your peak. Your Haki is Begging to be let out. I can feel your emotions in your Aura without you using Conquerors, or me utilizing Observation. You're too angry."
"And?!" Leroy snapped. "If I'mma fuckin meet my crew, I gotta be stronger. Don't matta how angry I am! Besides! You wanted to help me right?! I ain't go seekin your ass." His word were genuine. But he knew deep deep down unconsciously he'd regret the words.
"I could just go find Rogers other Crewmate! He's probably a better swordsman than you anyway. Don't get why you can't just force it out of me!" He stood and balled his fist. And like a petulant child he stopped his food.
"Enough!" Zeke flinched. Tensing his body for a brief moment. Eyes widening, and pupils dilating. A Gust of white that moved like an amorphous sharp cloud. Crackling with Red Lightning. It hit Leroy in an Instant. His feet gave out as his knees buckled, sweat forming and his heart skipping a beat as if like when a persons heart drops! Conquerors Haki.
"You are being to brash. To volatile. To ready to snap at any infraction! I know…I know I'm sure it felt like you were fine already when we started 3 weeks ago after you talked with you Grandmother. I could feel it on you." He took a knee in front of Leroy who was slack on both his own.
"Invading my Privacy now huh?" Leroy Jeered. Not even moving his head to look. Merely eyeing him through his brow.
"Anger is a flash in the pan. Unless its focused. Understood. Guided. Think about everytime you were in rage. Can you tell me one?" He tilted his head.
"Raven…The Citadel." Leroy couldn't help himself. He loved to talk. Even if he was angry.
"And you had a goal. It was focused." Zeke put a hand on his shoulder. "
In an attempt of mindful disarmament. Zeke chuckled. "Heh…Funny you say that Smollet Barrow would be a better swordsmen. I'm not even a swordsman! Well. I dabble now. But it was never my way. I was Rogers Right Hand. Literally. I was the crews Martial Artist. Roger was the Swordsman through and through. Arrow on the other hand. Well he had his own unique way of doing it." he smirked.
"What you felt before. Was probably just another stage of grief that felt like closure but was only momentary help." But that disarming did not work as entailed. Even if it pleased Leroy to learn that info.
"Bargaining." He pulled his shoulder away curtly and stood and walked away. Far more simmered but still boiled. "Fuck would you know about it." He walked off back to the Cabin where Arnie and Freddie where.
Leroy. Knew the stages of grief well. And it hurt him worse now because of it. He hated it. But knew it was what was needed. He knew he was on anger. But he couldn't help himself. No amount of maturity would keep someone from facing those stages if there was grief. Just mattered its scale. And Leroy was a very large man.
"Hey there he is! Future revolutionary and mover!" Freddie raised a glass as he sat around an extinguished fire pit. Arnie across from him.
"Fuck off." He slammed the door open. Both looking at him worried and flared looks. But before he slammed the door shut behind him. He slowed. "Hah…Sorry."
The door gently shut.
"Angers getting worse." Arnie said. "We need to start his training so he can have something to funnel it into." He crossed his arms.
Zeke approached from out of the thicket hands in his pockets. "The higher and hotter. It means that it's reaching its peak. You're right. But he also needs to focus it. Control it. Temper it and keep it in until he can use it or safely let it out in a scream rather than a punch."
"And. Needs to learn to mediate it and learn what to be mad at and whats making him mad in the first place" Freddie said ever the Philosopher.
"Today was his bench mark. He's fully healed. And healthy. For the most part. Besides well…The Scars." Pulling his hands from the pockets Zeke ran a hand through his hair. "Starting tomorrow the training will start in full swing. He'll be dealing with way more than just a brand new concept to tackle."
Zeke sat down, pulling a brass flask with the Jolly Roger of The Roger Pirates etched in the metal. An open mouth sneer smile of a skull with crossed bones and a swirl of cloudish flame behind it in a pale yellow color.
As for Leroy. He laid in his bed. The room was large and spacious. Even had a TV. Books. A Desk and supplies for writing and drawing. Freddie had suggested he draw or write out his feelings, put a label to it all.
He wheezed lightly as he breathed deeply. The scars werent just on his skin and muscle. But organs too. He was lucky. Low was a good surgeon. The superheated air of Kuroryu's Plasma Logia, burned and blistered his throat and lungs. Leaving permanent scaring. And decreasing his stamina permanently. If he fought or moved for too long. More than an hour or few hours, he wouldn't be able to draw in proper breath.
"I'll have to do what Zeke said…" He pouted and put a hand on his chest "Pace myself. Doesnt fucking help when im so angry and throw everything I have constantly…Difference between pacing, using all out and strong force, and just letting it all out in a full sprint. Could be helpful. Even if it means fights will either need to be quicker or longer depending. Working with it to my advantage, is the best way to win in this small scenario." He rolled onto his back and fell asleep.