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OP84: Complications.
🕑 Added 2023-09-16 18:02:58 +0000 UTCThe Grandline, Paradise. Jaya, Mock Town.
A man covered in cloaks wandered across the streets concealing his trace in the dirty alleyways, it was Mr 1 who continued to curse his bad luck and wonder where Crocodile was during this harsh junction. The tables had turned in this pirate town where now, there were marines everywhere.
'The legendary Vice Admiral Tsuru and Rear Admiral Momousagi's disappearance in Jaya...'
It was the main article in the newspapers of today. An admiral and a vice admiral had been sent to personally retrieve them together with a fleet of marine warships that could frighten any rookie into submission. They could mess around with anyone they wanted but they shouldn't have touched Tsuru.
"Where are you, Mr 0!" All he knew was that Crocodile had eavesdropped a conversation between an informant and the one he believed was Dracule Veyron, the youngest rookie that caused chaos in Sabaody two years ago.
He didn't know what they were discussing but whatever it was had prompted Crocodile to board that ship undercover, nevertheless, he should have been back already.
...
In a certain bar of the black district, two individuals were sitting opposite to each other. One was a woman with her exposed legs crossed, she slammed the table with a massive tobacco between her fingers. Her buxom body could hardly be concealed beneath her crimson red jacket accompanied by a tight-length skirt.
In front of her was a man wearing a purple tuxedo and long coat, his hair was purple as well... he had a massive construct appendage in the form of an arm, one he wasn't yet used to. Around them, there were at least twenty marines apprehending pirates left and right.
A newcomer entered the bar, it was a beautiful lady with long dark blue and marine captain attire.
"Admiral Zephyr, Vice Admiral Sakazuki" She saluted both of the seating officers with respect, one was an admiral, the other an admiral candidate who had already been accepted for the spot and would be taking it soon.
"Have you found anything? Ain?".
"There is not a single trace left of them, we have found an abandoned hut where the criminal we know as the Demon Child seemed to be staying according to the stories of the captured pirates, but... no trace of Tsuru or Momousagi".
"We're wasting time here, teacher!" The woman in the red dress was already irritated, she had a bit of a rough temperament but being stand-by on this filthy island wasn't doing her a favour.
"I told you that patience is a virtue, Sakazuki... do you know anything about 'him', Ain?".
"Peter Hornigold seems to have sailed from Jaya at least a week ago... his destination unknown".
Zephyr scowled, "We arrived two days ago, the whole island has been researched and there is no trace of them, docking here is useless but going anywhere else without traces is even more useless... as such, the clever move is to stand by here until we attain any new information".
Little did Zephyr know that they'd get all the information they wished for in a bit.
...
*CHA!!*
A massive discharge of lightning lit up the whole town, both Vice Admiral and Admiral regarded one another before getting right into action, using rokushiki to flicker through the air faster than anybody else.
When they reached the centre of the two, that was when they found him.
"Dark Mantle Veyron..." Zephyr landed together with Sakazuki. The centre of the town was devastated with sparks of lightning still flickering across the field. In front of him was the boy from the wanted poster who requested nothing but his corpse to be delivered to the G1.
At his feet, there were three tied ladies. Tsuru and Momousagi together with one lady he recognised but didn't expect to be here as well, CP0 agent, Stussy.
"Hmph!!!" Gion twisted in raw anger with tape on her mouth while Veyron's foot stepped on her, 'You're going too far brat! I didn't agree to this!'.
'Bear with me for a while, Gion, we have to make this realistic~' He didn't know why but it was oddly comfortable to bully this uptight girl.
Stussy whose mouth was also taped looked at them in raw jealousy, 'Why don't you step on me, master!?'.
As for Tsuru, she tried to become invisible to not be associated with those three lunatics but alas... her devil fruit didn't have that power and thus she could only bear the shame.
...
In front of the eyes of the marine, this was more than a little heinous crime. His stepping on Gion was like him stepping on the face of justice.
Veyron regarded the two individuals in front of him whom he didn't recognise. One looked very much like an admiral he didn't know as for the latter, that woman was literally smoking hot, she had tobacco in her mouth and one could tell she was one who would smash your mouth if you said the wrong words to her, that said... Veyron thought she was a bit familiar but didn't think too deeply, since this was a different timeline compared to the original One Piece he thought there were bound to be different characters.
"You already know my name so how about we introduce ourselves?~ any of you make a wrong move and I'll slice their throats".
Youbi floated until it was pointing at Gion's neck.
"Let's not get violent here, pirate. We don't want that... I'm Admiral Zephyr".
"Vice Admiral Akainu!".
It was then that Veyron's eyes literally left their sockets, he had to look at her again, once, twice before comprehending what was going on, 'It is not only my mom!'.
Somebody else had turned into a woman, Akainu no less!
'Does that mean this other man... could he be Ivanvok!?'
Everything was possible now in Veyron's mind, of all people that could turn into a woman, it had to be the most masculine out of the three admirals.
"Akainu!? You?!"
"Got a problem with that, kiddo?!".
"You look... different".
"I'm no friend of pirates... take your feet out of her or else-" The woman's arm turned into magma ready to attack, once again confirming that she was indeed the cold-hearted admiral that in the future would be one of the main antagonists.
"Take a step back, Sakazuki" Zephyr ordered without asking for approval and Veyron witnessed in disbelief how the woman retreated like an obedient puppy.
'Who is this fellow? even Akainu is paying attention to him.
"You're Dark Mantle Veyron. Given the intensity of your crimes we should have already engaged against you but it is possible to negotiate. Tell me exactly what do you want to let them go?"
'He's rather rational'.
"I don't want much... just hand over all your goods, this is a robbery".
"..."
Veyron detected Tsuru's dead glare towards him and sighed in outrage, 'I have to make this believable alright?!'
The task was simple, he couldn't make it look like they were friends or knew each other, the plan was to make everyone believe they were his hostages but for that, there had to be something he wished out of the marine.
His gaze fixed on the appendage on the man's arm, "That thing, was it made by Vegapunk?".
"... Indeed, why?".
"If you give me that arm, I'll give the three of them back to you".
Zephyr's brows furrowed at his odd request. While Sakazuki lost her patience.
*WHOOOSHHH!!*
A giant fist of manga shot towards Veyron as simultaneously two marine captains subordinate to Zephyr attacked from either side of him.
A spark of red lightning left Veyron's body and everything came to a stop.
!!!
Ain and Bins found their bodies stopped still, unable to move regardless of what they did. Sakazuki's magma fist came to a stop like time had nothing on the boy. As for Veyron, he looked at them in annoyance and boredom.
Zephyr's brows furrowed even further when he realised that this boy was not someone they could underestimate, he had defeated his disciple Kizaru, and he knew Kizaru's weaknesses and strengths... he could have been just a little brash. But the boy also fought Garp and survived to tell the tale.
That was a massive achievement and now once again he was showing prowess.
"If you make another move, missy... I'll slice all of their throats and it will be on you".
"Tch!"
Akainu was ready to fight a bit more, but she couldn't do it when the lives of three hostages were in Veyron's hand.
The boy moved a single finger upwards and the magma fist flew past the horizon, faraway from his reach.
"You've got a very troublesome devil fruit, brat... it is my arm you want? very well".
*PUAG!*
Tsuru managed to easily remove the tape from her mouth.
"Zephyr".
"Tsuru!".
"He killed Peter Hornigold..."
!!!
The man and Sakazuki's countenance changed a hundred and eighty degrees once that information was given, everyone's face in fact, because they all knew the man's past with Admiral Zephyr.
"The man that slaughtered your crew and took your arm... is dead".
Instead of feeling rejoice, an ominous aura was released by Zephyr with his glare fixed on the confused Veyron. He redirected his arm towards the appendage, intending to remove it... the complex emotions in his chest couldn't be contained.
Rage, disappointment, helplessness. The objective of his revenge was now dead, and the one to kill him... had been a pirate.
'So Peter Hornigold had some story with this Admiral... I don't know anymore'.
"It seems you're all having fun with my son".
!!!
The tapping of boots resonated in a silent town in which the attention of everybody was redirected to the source of the noise.
Veyron's whole body shivered in joy and deep emotions when the tapping finally stopped, revealing the figure that could frighten every single pirate or marine.
"It is the marine hunter, Hawkeye!".
"Dracule Mihawk...or should I call you-" Zephyr grunted, he had received a communication not too long ago during his docking in Jaya. A new Warlord had been appointed.
"One of the seven warlords of the sea, Hawkeye".
Being addressed didn't interest her one bit, her eyes were fixing and glaring at the only person she cared for in this run-down town.
"Mom".
