//------------------------------// // Side Chapter, The Heaven Trembles; Thack vs Mia, A Fusion Show Down! // Story: The Displaced Tournament - Presented By Hetap // by Uncle Iroh //------------------------------// Side Chapter, The Heaven’s Trembles; Thack Vs Mia, A Fusion Showdown! Massive trembling shook the entire Colosseum. The Shadow Man tripped over his feet. “What the fuck?” Eric cursed quickly getting to his feet. “That felt like it came from the ring.” Immediately Eric ran to the stands to investigate the disturbance, in the ring Eric found two people he had no memory of seeing prior.  Meanwhile, Phoenix had been training inside the gravity chamber.He felt the large vibrations under his feet, and teleported off to investigate. Though, what he found was something quite odd to him. “What in Faust’s name is happening,” Sombra said running in after the Shadow man “Two fusions are dueling it out,” Nightmare responded, almost shouting at the sound of clashing fists as she ran up the steps towards him. “Fusions?” Eric said confused “What’s going on? Who’s fighting now?” Rainbow asked entering the stands behind Luna “The fusion of Thanos and Black is fighting the fusion of Shiva and Maud! The earth pony wanted to know what fusion was like, and Shiva agreed to fuse with her. Then Black got an idea that could skip his long sleep by fusing with Thanos.” “Maud? The Maud?” Rainbow asked not believing the dark Alicorn. “OUR Maud?” “Don’t believe me, look closely at the fusions, you’ll see the similarities!” Nightmare continued to shout, the fight escalating quickly. “How’d they fuse in the first place?” Eric asked Nightmare, soon seeing the slight anger in Maud’s and Shiva’s new form. “And better question why are they fighting?” “Black’s Token made it possible! His tokens are his potara earrings!” Nightmare explained. “Thack insulted Mia, but I believe it was Thanos’ personality.” “Oh now it’s all making sense now,” Luna said pinching the bridge of her nose. “If there is anypony here he hasn’t angered in this place, then it would be a miracle.” “Gotta agree with you there, but we should talk about this later and get to safer ground, this fight is escalating too quickly!” Nightmare suggested to the three. Immediately a large crack formed in between the Alicorn and the Shadow Man. “That’s a wonderful Idea.” Eric said forming a pair of wings on his back before grabbing those who had no wings with shadow tendrils “Kodo, grab!” Nightmare ran to the shakened pup. He quickly grabbed her hand, Nightmare spreading her wings and taking off into the sky next to Eric. Looking back down to the stadium, Nightmare chuckled nervously, “I don’t think the stadium is gonna survive this…” “I would have to agree with you, Nightmare” Sombra said, keeping his fathers sword in his hand. "Maud is a strong adversary. Combine that with her Devil Fruit, Haki, and Six Powers she is a force to be reckoned with. I was rather surprised she didn’t obliterate the ring further in her fight with Entity.” “What I’m surprised by is how we were not being blown aw-” Nightmare was interrupted as a clash of fists had created a devastating shockwave. This pushed Nightmare backwards a good 10 feet. “Let’s not forget that now Shiva has the Diamond-Diamond Fruit giving Mia’s attacks much more power than Mauds Tremor attacks” Eric said doing his best to keep his grip on the non-flyers. “Also,” Kodo stammered out. “Her pack link lets her deal back the damage she’s taken. It’s almost like that status promotion thing Phoenix did with Mom. Every hit Thack gives Mia is only going to ensure Mia’s next hit hurts twice as bad!”  “Honestly I should’ve seen this coming,” Ed appeared. “Thanos and Black have extremely similar mindsets at times so it makes sense that they’d mesh very well.” "God darn it Thack…" Nappa shook his head before offering Ed some popcorn, "Popcorn?" “Thanks,” Ed gratefully accepted. “It’ll be a good fight as long as the fusions hold. I never did figure if Black’s tokens had the time limit. If they are from super, then they should mean this fight may only last as thirty miniyue to an hour,” the turned their heads to see Thack go fly by. “Or until they run out of energy,” Ed snapped and a red aura covered the field. “After Asta fought with the goddess, I was able to develop a barrier designed for this sort of fight so we’re good now.” "Quick question, do you think you can handle both of them?" Nappa asked the Sage, "They're pretty damn strong." “Not in my human form,” Ed noted. “They may give me a run for my money in my first form, push me to the limit, maybe go form two but they’d still lose. I may link to Truth but I’m the one in control unless I relinquish that control. And trust me,” Ed looked at the field. “You’d rather I stay in control.” "Imagine a Perfected Super Saiyan Rose Burst Man White Hot Edition Kaio-Ken times ten?" Nappa laughed, "Yeah… That's… Scary." “Forget the Kaio-ken times ten, what about the times 50 Kaio-ken?” Nightmare said nervously as Mia had now begun to be pushed back. “Oh you wanna see scary?” Ed raised an eyebrow. “You should watch my fight with Eric then. Then you’ll see scary. I’m uber pissed at the fucker and plan on putting him through a much worse fight than Black had when I was in my first form.” “I know your pissed and I will take everything you can dish out” Eric said to the Alchemist “...Are you sure about that?” Lucci turned to the Shadow Man, “From what I hear he’s the strongest out of ALL of us?” “I am aware of that” Eric answered the Leopard Assassin “You know how Thanos’ has the most raw strength out of everyone here?” Nappa said looking at Thack evade an attack from Mia. “I think that changes if Maud and Shiva fuses…”  “It just might,” Kodo said with a grin. “Mom’s not a good fighter on her own, but she’s an amazing supporter in a pack. Her pack link allows her to absorb not just magic, but now ki as well, and she prefers channeling that energy into her allies rather than keeping it for herself like Tirek would. Even in this fusion form, she’ll be increasing Maud’s strength and skill higher and higher every time she manages to snare Thack with her link. And even if Thack’s got the energy to spare, every time he hits her, she’ll just channel the pain from the attack right back into him. So every hit from her is not just Maud and Mom, but also Thanos and Black’s strength added on.”   “Still, it would drastically change if I undid my seals,” Ed said as everyone’s head shot to the other side to follow Mia go flying across the field this time. “This is going to be like this old pong games the old timers used to play way back in the early nineteen hundreds.” “You can say that again, but Thanos has a form of Tekkai that counters Mia’s ability to push back the force to Thack,” Nappa informed the young pup. “Even so,” Kodo insisted. “I saw the fight between Maud and Entity. And Mom’s loyalty to her family is on par with the ancient wolf packs.” He nodded. “Thack made a serious mistake using family to provoke her.”  His words were proven true when Mia shot back across the field, and sent Thack skidding with another devastating punch that left a trench in the field, even as Thack leaped back to his feet. “Shouldn’t we stop this?” Rainbow asked fear gripping her being seeing her friends destructive battle “Ryker will deal with it, or whoever this Bullet guy. He’s probably one of his allies, any leads on him?” Lucci turned to the group with a raised eyebrow. “Will he deal with it before or after they destroy the colosseum?” Eric asked keeping Lucci and Sombra in the air “Yes.” Nappa and Lucci say at the same time, answering Eric. “Eric can always drop you Leopard Man,” Luna said to the assassin. “A few words, Geppo, and Ki flight.” Lucci countered, sharpening his nails with a… Nail File? “You know you and Rarity would get along, you both use those girly nail files” Mocked Rainbow before Eric looked at her “Says Miss Spa Mare,” Eric mocked with a glare causing the mare’s face to turn a shade of red. “I am a Leopard, I have to keep my nails sharp! My only other options are to claw someone, and dig my claws into their bones. So Rainbow Dash, Nail Files, or Bones?” Lucci frowned, getting into his Hybrid form before going back to his normal form. Down below, Thack responded to Mia’s punch with a kick that sent her into the wall with such force the stands above started to part with massive cracks, Pulling herself up, Mia felt something on the corner of her mouth. Dragging her wrist across the corner of her mouth Mia found a small spot of blood. “Making a female bleed? How shameful of you, Thack,” Mia glared at the Titan Saiyan “You know there was a wise Italian that once said, ‘Equal Rights, Equal Fights’ and I don’t discriminate.” Thack chuckled as Mia begins to feel the floor heat up, “No matter what gender, race or ethnicity you are, you’re going to get your ass kicked by me.”  “An equal opportunity asswhoper?” Mia asked, leaping off the ground and ensnaring him with another link. “You would do well in the Outlands of Equestria. Though I hope you’re less perverted than some of the animals out there.”  Mia covered her arm in both Devil Fruit powers before bringing it down on the Titan Saiyan causing the ring to split in four parts, Thack was sent flying into the arena’s wall. Thack then used steam to boost himself and to try and not hit the wall, fortunately it worked. “Alright, if you want to play it that way…” Thack covered his fists in Ryou Haki, enhancing it with Tekkai Go and his Netsu-Netsu No Mi. Thack grinned getting in a stance that mirrors Vegito’s, “Then we’ll play it that way!” Thack shot off to Mia, flickering, reappearing and disappearing all over the arena before delivering a devastating uppercut to Mia. As Mia was shot up, Thack grabbed her leg with a grin and spun around before throwing her far, trying to give her the same treatment they had given Thack. But Thack felt the same injury that he had given Mia, Thack looked to Mia with a quizzical look before snapping his fingers. “You must be using an ability that makes me feel the pain I give you, right? Because I sure as hell know you did not uppercut me in the chin,” Thack smirked, crossing his arms. “However, I have an ability just like that, Tekkai Utsugi. Thanos has mastered the art of Tekkai so that he can move freely while having it activated.” Though it didn’t show, the form of Tekkai was now activated. “So, you can avoid feeling what we feel?” Mia mused sadly. “How close-minded.” She grinned, lifting a glowing golden string of a pack link that she had managed to hook onto his shoulder. “Oh, well, at least you’re willing to share something with us.”  The link glowed golden, and Mia used it to fling herself back to Thack at top speed, socking him in the gut. As Thack felt her fist bury in his gut, he felt not only her strength, but the strength of Thanos and Black behind the punch. Thack was sent flying back however he stopped himself and deactivated Tekkai Utsugi. "Cheap ass mother fucker," Thack scoffed, before analyzing her to try and find a weakness. 'Let's see… If I use Tekkai Utsugi, I feel the pain of both Thanos and Black plus her strength on top of it. There must be some way I can avoid that. Wait, can she counter Ki Blasts?' Thack planned before smirking. Thack charged up a Ki Blast in hand, both purple and yellow started to morph together to form a Yin and Yang symbol.  "I think I may have found a way to take you down without harming myself." Thack took a step forward, the ground shifting to Thack's will alone. Thack then shot off to Mia like a rocket appearing in front of her only for Thack to pop up at her side. Thack shot the destructive Ki blast and sent her careening into a wall, this time Thack felt no pain. However, Mia’s claws found the ki blasts, and crushed them down. Her arms glowed golden as she absorbed the residual energy, and she grinned darkly as her entire body was coated in diamonds. “Diamond Body,” Mia whispered before bolting to the Titan Saiyan, vanishing from his view.  Immediately Thack felt a pain from his back. Mia, with the aid of the Shave Technique, had run behind the fusion and pierced his body with all ten of her fingers. “Ten Finger Diamond Pistol,” Mia said, pulling her fingers from Thack’s back and using the Moonwalk to gain some distance from the fusion. Thack stumbled forward wincing slightly, "You strike me behind my back? Not very honorable, at least I had the common decency to not strike a man behind his back." Thack chuckled, Thack used Tekkai Go, an enhanced version of Tekkai making his body tougher. It was Tekkai Go vs Diamond now. “You insult my family and you have the nerve to talk about decency?” Mia asked forcefully. evading the Titan Saiyan. “Tempest Kick!” the fusion said backflipping adding more power to the technique A gust of wind was fired at Thack "The Japanese version is better! Rankyaku!" Thack went to a handstand and spun around, Thack fired off his version of the air slash. The techniques collided with each other causing a massive gust to blow both parties back as their bodies were sliced by the opposing kicks Thack did a backflip before landing on his feet, skidding to the side of the ring. The Fusion winced from where the attack made contact, “A very impressive attack, how about we finish this warm up?” Thack said, as he grabbed Thanos’ infinity blade, then coating it in Armament Haki. “You’re on, Titan,” Mia said her body forming a thicker layer of Diamond with at the same time being covered in a white aura “This is bad,” Eric said worry creeping in his voice "Gura-Gura No Mi aura?" Lucci said, his right eye twitching slightly in fear. “We need to stop this fight now,” Eric said attempting to move in before being blown back by a shockwave. "HOW?!?!?!" Lucci looked to the Shadow Man, clutching his head. "Thack insulted Mia's family, that's a death sentence!" “This will not be good for this planet!” Sombra stated, his eyes showing fear. “That’s Mauds full body Tremor! Every move she makes will cause whatever touching it to crack.” "No shit Sherlock." Nappa frowned, "Well, might as well start digging a grave for ourselves." Black’s black and purple aura surrounded Thack as his power began to increase. The fusion’s aura then moved its way to the infinity blade, sharpening the edges as the blade began to hum like a lightsaber. Mia made a single step towards the opposing Fusion, this caused the air around her leg as well as the ground beneath her foot to crack severely causing the entire planet to quake. At this, Thack smirked as he stuck his infinity blade into the ground, the Armament Haki and Ki disappearing. [insert https://youtu.be/K1vTM37LnoY or some other cool OST] “You're gonna love this… trust me. What you see now is my normal state.” "Dear. God." Lucci's pupils shrunk, Fujitora waltzes in, before sensing Thack. "Oh… Oh no." Fujitora put up a hand to his forehead in pure unadulterated fear. Instantly, Thack transformed into a Super Saiyan God, his hair turning blood red along with his eyebrows and eyes. He also started to emanate more steam “This is a Super Saiyan God combined with Netsu-Netsu Steam Man." "Call the ambulance!" Lord Twigo clutched his head and started running off. Shortly after, Thack’s hair turned pink with his eyebrows and eyes doing the same. Bright blue flames had started to form on the fusions back.“And this is Super Saiyan Rose combined with Thanos’ Burst Man, Blue Hell Edition. In simpler terms, let's call this Super Saiyan Blue Inferno." "What's he doing?!" Katakuri jumped down from the heavens and fell between Eric and Lucci. “He’s being stupid thats what!” Nightmare hissed as the pressure became heavy, she was starting to have a hard time breathing now. Thack grinned, looking at the stunned Mia. He frowned as veins had started showing up on the fusion’s forehead. “Get Ready…” Thack hunched over, “This… next level… goes way beyond Super Saiyan Blue Inferno!!!” Thack began to roar to the heavens, the stadium and arena began to crumble beneath him as his aura turned into a sphere, pulsating a devastating amount of power. It then began to shake the planet, alerting the civilians to the massive power being  thrown around. Mia narrowed her eyes with a hum. “Impressive power,” she mused, another pack link forming in her claws. “Let’s see what I can do to replicate it.” Swinging her link like a lasso, she hooked him once again. Her link thickened to the size of a rope, and pulsated with power. Mia grit her teeth, her fur spiking and turning a similar bright blue.  But the tremendous increase in pressure had begun to take a toll on the pack link, it slowly being pushed away before snapping, causing Mia to gape in dumbfounded shock. Thack continued to roar as his hair slightly grew in size, the blue hellish flames growing in size before turning pure white. Thack began to struggle as the flames flickered, feeling the growing pressure on his body. He lifted his head to the sky, letting out one more burst of power, yelling to the heavens as there was a bright flash of light. The pressure knocked Mia off her hooves, sending her flying off the ring and into a wall. Mia shielded herself with a barrier, growling up at Thack’s new form. Thack’s body was now more the size of Thanos now, a pink aura surrounding Thack with a white aura to top it off. Thack’s hair had a white outline on it, similar to Ultra Instinct, lightning flew around the Fusion like it would if Black went Super Saiyan Two. Thack grinned, “This… Is Super Saiyan White.” His voice was echoey, more than it was before. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKkizg0NuK8 ] Mia groaned, a small dart of light forming her claws. “Not sure if I’m about to put my hoof in my own mouth,” Mia admitted. “But since you’ve got so much brawn, it makes me curious…” She flung her small dart, and like a humming bird, it zipped right through the aura and into his mind.  Instantly, the scene shifted. Thack found himself in a different stadium. Instead of blue or dark skies, a cavern enclosed the whole arena in shadows. The stadium was packed with red-eyed, jeering forms, all of them frothing at the mouth and chanting, “Blood-BLOOD-BLOOD-BLOOD!” Before him on the blood-strewn sands were several shadowy creatures, with similar red eyes and white teeth. “How’s your brain?” they all asked. “You can’t just ask that to someone, it’s like asking how’s your heart, you don’t actually know.” Thack chuckled, tapping his head with a finger, “If you’re asking about this big noggin, it’s fine.” “You sure about that?” echoed around him, before a heavy blow to the back of his head sent him spinning.  “God fucking damn it, can everyone stop with the mind tricks for once!?” Thack roared as he got to his feet, the personality of Thanos, again, has shown itself. “Shiva nor Maud is capable of teleportation, so this must be a Genjutsu. Damn Genjutsus…”  Instead of responding, Mia went for another attack. Feinting a charge, she slid under his arm and delivered a hard mule kick with her hooves. the blow dealing more damage from their respective Devil Fruits, causing a crack to form in the back of the fusions thick skull Thack growled as he stood back up to his full height, but he calmed himself. Taking a deep breath before exhaling. He closed his eyes, letting his mind loose. Mia circled the fusion before going for an attack, she tried to kick the fusion again. But Thack moved out of the way, taking Mia by surprise, only to feel a sheering pain in her gut. Thack had delivered a devastating punch into the fusion’s gut, cracking the diamond armor. Mere milliseconds before she was launched away, Mia grabbed his wrist, and her pack link twined around it, glowing golden and absorbing more of Thack’s ki before she was launched skyward, letting the link shred as she went into the air. Flipping backward into a recovery stance, Mia cracked her neck before standing straight, flicking her arm Mia forms a white and green Ki blade over both of her arms.  Thack rotated his wrist where the link had grabbed him. He hit his head softly a few times, opening his eyes he no longer saw the illusion disappear. He glared at the fusion, the clearness in his eyes sending a wave of frustration through Mia’s features. “You use that shit against me again,” he warned. “Then I’m going to stop going easy on you.” But Mia had a new look in her eyes: a rage that Maud had never seemed capable of. With an almost defiant gleam in her eyes, she launched link after link like Spiderman, practically cocooning Thack in a glowing ball of light. With a mighty heave, Mia pulled a glob of energy that nearly split the seams of her link entirely. Kodo stood up as the glob of energy entered the fusion’s body. “What are you doing?” he screamed up at her.  Lightning flashed from the fusion’s form. She was concealed in light. Her links shredded from the pressure, and Thack was pushed back as she tried to condense the energy down.  “I… will… match… you,” began to echo like a chant. “I… will… SURPASS… YOU!” “MOM!” Kodo shrieked. “YOU’RE TAKING TOO MUCH! THINK OF MAUD!” Almost like she could hear him, a small ball of energy deposited the shaken earth pony next to Eric. While relatively unharmed, there was a fear in Maud’s eyes that had never been there before.  “She’s trying to go Super Saiyan God,” Maud reported, worry in her voice. “She’s going to rip her body apart if she keeps going!” “STOP IT SHIVA!!!!!!” Fujitora cried out running down the stairs and jumping down to the arena, “You’re harming yourself, stop it Shiva!” Kodo lunged forward. Despite the energy trying to blast him back, he managed to fire off a dark pack link that managed to just barely touch the second sun his mother had become. “MOTHER, STOP!” he screamed. “I’M NOT WORTH THIS MUCH DAMAGE TO YOURSELF!” “I HAVE TO MATCH HIM!” her voice echoed back. “I HAVE TO SURPASS HIM! BECAUSE…” Everyone felt her despair fall over them; like a storm cloud with icy rain.  “Because what am I worth otherwise?” she whimpered.  Kodo tried to yank the energy from her core. His link thickened like rope as he tried to pull the energy away. “Everything!” he insisted. “You’re worth everything!” “But I’m not as strong as him…” Shiva whimpered. The energy around her pulsated as her voice took on a bout of hopelessness. “I’ll… never be as strong…” The ball of light exploded. Thack was flung nearly through the arena wall and out the other side. The members of the audience were pushed to the outside. And in the center of the rubble the stadium had become, Shiva plummeted and hit the ground hard.  The Diamond Dog was a mess. Her gem studded armor had been disintegrated; her once beautiful white fur blackened and burned to ash. Her skin was scorched and riddled with wounds where the energy had punched out of her pores. Her eyes were shut, and her chest didn’t move. Kodo was the first to reach her side. And when he put his ear on her chest… he heard no heartbeat.  “N-No…” Kodo whispered. “Not again…” He tried to pack link with her, but the link fizzled out as if she was already a corpse. “H-Help…” he mumbled, before looking at the stunned audience members. “HELP!”  “UH I- C’MERE BOI!!!!” Nappa ran to the rescue, on Shiva’s side he starting to pump Ki in to her, basically trying to restart her life. Pulse after pulse, Nappa started to go Super Saiyan 2 to put more energy into Shiva. Nappa went down to feel her heartbeat, nothing, Nappa poured more energy into Shiva. Nappa went down to check… He felt a heartbeat! It eventually continued like normal and Nappa backed away. “DOCTORS DEGREE MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!!!!” Nappa laughed, grinning ear to ear. Despite his declaration, Shiva still didn’t move. And when Kodo nosed at her, he got no reaction. “C’mon, Mom,” Kodo whispered. “Wake up. Think of Celine; you can’t leave her alone like this. Wake up!” He desperately pack-linked with her, but she still didn’t move. “She’s most likely unconscious due to the stress of absorbing that much power.” Nappa turned back to the dog, Nappa shook his head, “This is why I don’t like when people push themselves.” “That’s what I don’t get,” Kodo admitted. “Why’d she push herself like that? She’s always been so careful.” He looked down in guilt. “Was it… because of me?” “No, it’s our fault.” Nappa admitted, “We’re all so stronger than her, Entity, Sombra, hell even Kyle may be stronger but… She realized that she can’t destroy a mountain in one punch, she can’t destroy the moon, she can’t cause an eruption with just her fists alone. She feels like she’s… Worthless, though that is not the case. Shiva has the potential to be stronger than all of us. However I’m not sure she wants to train with us who have YEARS of experience in combat.”  Kodo felt her brow. “Even if she wanted to,” he noted. “I don’t think she’ll be able to. At least… not for a while.”  “Indeed, I think it’s fair to say this… No more fights in our free time. Look how the arena has suffered, look how we’re changing, we’re falling into Ryker’s hand by being more and more competitive.” Nappa looked to the stands, the arena, the fighters… “No. More. Fights. In our freetime!” As the other fighters processed Nappa’s words, Kodo gathered up his mother. “I’m gonna take her to the medical bay,” he said, easily hefting her up despite the size difference. “Hopefully, she’ll wake up soon.” He tottered off with her body. Meanwhile... Black looked to Thanos with a glare that pierced into the Titan’s soul, “You and I are gonna have a talk later,  “Pfft, don’t, I’m just gonna lock myself in my room for… Meh, a few years.” Thanos walked towards his room. Thanos was taken by surprise when Black appeared in front of him, holding the Titan by the throat. The Saiyan held a ki blade milimeters away from Thanos’ throat. “I’m starting to get sick of you. Remember when you wanted to stop the joking act and wanted to be serious for this tournament… stick to that promise then… John…” Black growled, before letting go off the Titan, walking away as he went to go looking for Shiva. “This is not a joke, I’m… I’m locking myself up. I’ve done enough damage.” Thanos sighed, he stood up and walked to his room. “...Can… I need to check on her.” Fujitora said as the earth beneath him rose up and he went after Shiva. “You're all idiots,” came Ed’s voice from everywhere. “You all never took into account how compatible you are with one another,” He explained. “Potara fusion is not fusion of two individuals together like the fusion dance does where the individuals must be in sync on every possible level to create a whole new being. No potara is the force fusion of two that takes the best qualities of both to create a pseudo entity where both souls are still present within the fusion at all times. Due to your high compatibility with each other this led to gleaming things from one another that were extremely personal,” The alchemist appeared out of the air. “It would be best if you didn't fight in a fused state right now, especially with what happened. If you want to fight that badly then fight as teams. Work through your shit before you jump back into the fray of things, but what do I know?” He shrugged. “I’ve only been around a few millennia,” Ed faded away like dust in the wind again. Fujitora, Black and the others found Shiva in the medical bay. Kodo resting beside her, a pack link glowing between them. Shiva was still out cold, her expression set in a grimace like she was either still sore or suffering from a nightmare. Kodo, however, only had a look of sad resignation. “She’s locked herself in her own mind,” he mumbled as the others approached. “It’s like… I don’t even know; I’ve never seen her do something like this before.”  “Curse it,” Fujitora sighed rubbing his forehead, “This is the worst thing that could happen on a day like this. The. Worst.”  “Who knows? She could have a mental breakdown. That would be worse than this.” Arkham Knight said, now being noticed for he was leaning on a wall, like a cool guy. Kodo barely noticed. “Nah,” he said. “I’d notice if that was the case.” He tilted his head. “She’s just… well…” He lifted another pack link up, conjuring up what was going on in her head: an image of the Canterlot throne room. There, Shiva paced back and forth, garbed in white queenly robes over her usual armor, links going out the various windows like a spider web.  “Yes, I’m aware that diamond dogs aren’t dragons,” Shiva was saying. “But I’m wondering if the power can be transferred. Dragons get stronger the more treasure they have, so why shouldn’t diamond dogs?” She paused, turning to another link like it was a cellphone. “Oh, good; Celestia. You’re finally back. Tell me, how strong would you theorize Day Breaker to be?” She grimaced as her link to Celestia pulsed and beeped. “Yes, I know it’s a form you’d rather keep under wraps, but you brought it out for my son; surely you can at least donate the power to defend us all from something that could destroy all of Equestria with a pointing finger.”  “Huh, that’s rather… Adorable that she’s in her mind. It will most likely give her something to cope with after this whole fiasco.” Arkham Knight said with a somewhat look of curiosity under his mask. “Pretty much,” Kodo agreed, stroking his mother’s paw as she snorted in her sleep - probably ‘Celestia’ still being coy with her.  Arkham Knight inhaled through his teeth, “I could make her tea when she wakes up, does anyone want some tea?” Arkham Knight asked everyone, looking around. A mist sweeped over the room, and it soon died out. Zabuza appeared next to the Knight out of thin air with a tea set. Suddenly the wall next to Arkham Knight melted, making a doorway, and out came Akainu and Necrozma. “What the hell happened here?” Akainu said, using his magma to light his cigarette.  “Uh… Why are you three here?” Necrozma points to Zabuza, Arkham Knight, and Fujitora. “Don’t ask.” They all respond before drinking their tea that suddenly appeared in their hands. “What’s this, a party?” Phoenix teleported in and stood next to Kodo, looking over his mother. “Uhhh, what did I miss?” Kodo shook his head. “I barely understand it myself,” he admitted. “Mom used these… earrings from the Dragon Ball world to fuse with Maud. And then Thanos and Black fused as well. And their fusion started talking bad about me. And the fusion with my mom in it freaked out.” He indicated his mother. “At first, it was just a regular fight. But then my Mom went berserk; started trying to absorb way more energy than she was capable of. Screaming about how useless she was compared to everyone else.” He lowered his head. “Now she’s in some sort of coma; locked herself up in a memory where she was Queen of Equestria and researching ways to get stronger.”  “I see,” Phoenix spoke with a frown. “That explains the tremors.” Sighing, he kneeled next to Kodo, but didn’t make eye contact. “Kodo, do you reckon your mom would be pissed at me if I delved into her mind to speak with her?” Kodo shrugged. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “She’s never been like that before; I mean, yeah she was never the strongest dog in the ring, but… she’s never let it bother her like that before. I don’t know if it was just her fusing with Maud or something else, but…” He sighed. “If you’ve got some way to snap her out of it, I won’t complain.”  “Got it, though, I’ll need to lay down just in case. I’ve never done this before so I’m not sure whether my body will go limp.” Phoenix began laying on the floor, and thought over his choice of words. “And don’t worry, this is safe.” “I’ll take your word for it,” Kodo noted, settling between them. “You don’t need me linking you to her, do you?”  “That won’t be necessary.” Phoenix thought of his target, before closing his eyes and diving in. He found himself in the Canterlot Throne Room. Shiva, dressed as a queen, was still pacing back and forth. Links were spread out across and out the room like a massive spider web, pulsing and glowing as various blobs of magic were sent back and forth. “Yes, exactly,” Shiva said with a wagging tail. “You managed to combine all four alicorns’ power into Twilight. What if we tried something similar… but we added the magic of every pony on top of it?” Her ears flattened as whoever she was linked to responded. “No, that’s not ‘exactly what Tirek wanted!’ Don’t be ridiculous!”  “That would result in a magic overload, Lady Shiva.” Phoenix stepped towards her with his hands in his pockets. “The vessel being used would surely die. Living or not.” Shiva glanced distractedly at him. “Oh, good, another one,” she said, sending a link out to him. The link formed a bracelet around his wrist. “I’m sure you’re aware of the threat that plagues our nation. Rest assured, we’re doing everything we can to figure out how to combat it. Ideas are surely appreciated.” Her ears perked. “Oh, like getting Tirek from Tartarus. Somehow, he held every pony’s magic ‘without’ dying. Perhaps there’s a way to take his durability…”  Yet, as she spoke, the link tried to carry Phoenix out a window and into a white void. He simply sliced the link off with the side of his hand. Despite slicing her link away, Shiva didn’t even notice. She settled on her throne, completely lost in her own world. “Yes, Maud’s got a point. Maybe if we make ourselves completely unremarkable, no one will be interested in us.” She grimaced. “No, that won’t work: talking ponies and dogs living together? That’s way too interesting.”  Phoenix tilted his head at the plan destined to fail, before brushing it off. Squatting down slightly, he did a few stretches before seemingly vanishing. A moment later he appeared in the same spot, with all the links around him slowly falling to the ground in sliced up pieces. He whistled at his work. Shiva tilted her head briefly, before sending all the links right back out again. “Celestia, hanging up on me is not going to make this problem go away. I know you’re used to foisting your problems on Twilight, but this is one problem she can’t handle on her own.”  “Okay, if you don’t answer me, or even pay me any mind, then I apologize for what I will do.” Phoenix stated as the newly linked pack links fell to the ground once more. Shiva growled, ready to send out the links again, before a voice drew her gaze.  “Mom!” Kodo barked, appearing at Phoenix’s side.  Shiva finally turned, her eyes briefly warming as they settled on Kodo, before Kodo indicated Phoenix. Instantly, Shiva’s fur bristled, her tail tucked and a haunted look came over her. She shuffled backward, as the throne room completely shifted into a diamond dog cavern. Shiva vanished into a cave that shined with a pink light, as very… ‘erotic’ sounds began to emanate from inside. “Uhhhh……..” Phoenix pointed to his chest in confusion and tilted his head, before turning round to see who she was addressing. Kodo already had his back turned to the sight. “Like I said,” he noted. “It’s like she’s trying to keep herself locked in here. Minute I brought up the tournament…” “YES!” Shiva’s voice cried out from the cave. “OH, BY EVERYTHING SACRED, KEEP ME IN THIS HEAVEN!” Phoenix sighed. “Kodo, make sure you never do what I’m about to do.” Phoenix strode inside the cave, before a SLAP sounded. An enraged bark boomed out, erasing the diamond dog cavern and creating a fighting pit in its place. Shiva bristled and snarled before Phoenix, now looking more like a feral wolf. However, seconds before she could lunge, Kodo got in her place. “Easy, Mom,” Kodo said gently. “We’re just trying to help.”  Shiva’s eyes widened at her son’s appearance, before she chuckled brokenly. The fighting pit glitched and shimmered, bars like a cage forming around her. “But no one can help,” she whispered. “It won’t be enough. No matter what plan I come up with… no matter how much power I pull… it’ll never match up to them.” She couldn’t even point at Phoenix without shivering. Phoenix looked around the place, slightly confused, and looked to his feet. Satisfied with the conclusion he came to, he looked back to Shiva. He took a step towards her slowly, and reached out his hand for her to take.“Power aint shit and you know it,” He slowly knelt down in front of her. “Cool your jets so we can talk.”  Shiva shifted on her haunches. “What’s there to talk about?” she asked. “I can’t protect what’s mine. I can’t even help protect. Everyone else is so much stronger, and… I’m not...” Phoenix cut her off. “You’re not YET.” He got up from his crouching position before taking a few steps back. “I get what’s going on now……” He pinched the bridge of his nose, before summoning a kunai. “Why is it always me……” Phoenix mumbled with a frown, before launching the kunai at Shiva. Shiva barked and cowered down as the kunai shot at her. “You’re in feral mode.” Phoenix stated, annoyed that he had to deal with it. “Well, if I can’t get through to you with words…” He didn’t finish, but instead shot towards her, placing her in a headlock. “I’ll force you to listen!” Shiva merely keened, barely struggling against him, like she already knew it was pointless. Realising just how serious the situation was, and that he couldn’t use his normal methods, Phoenix released his grip on the dog and leaped back. “Huh. Well um…….. Here goes nothing.” Phoenix teleported in front of Shiva, looking her directly in the eyes, before wrapping her in a hug. He held her head tight, despite his hatred for physical contact, and stroked her fur. “Always me…..” He mumbled through his teeth, pissed at how fucking needy this woman was. Shiva heard his thoughts. Her ears flattened. “Sorry to be a burden,” she said numbly. “I just… don’t understand why I’m here. I’m a supporter… but I couldn’t support Maud. Thack called my link ‘shit.’ Like it’s nothing. And I can’t go into different forms like he can.” She looked up. “Why am I even here if I can’t contribute anything?”  “Shiva, you’re here, because that bastard Ryker wanted you here. And now that you’re here, I’m pretty sure no one here wishes for you to leave. And if they do….. They can answer to me, Kodo, and Fujitora.” Phoenix finally finished by holding her tighter. “There’s no need to be so concerned about ‘supporting others’ or ‘becoming stronger’, just become the person you want to be.” Man, I should be a therapist, Phoenix thought to himself, surprised at how empathetic he could be despite his douchebaggery.  Briefly, Shiva’s ears remained flat in doubt. She looked back as a memory formed: her surrounded by diamond dogs. Leering at her with an ominous light, until she seized the biggest and scared them with the pack link. Yet, before Phoenix could protest, the image changed: it showed the same dogs, now surrounded by gems, with Shiva on their shoulders. Hailing her as an Alpha. A Queen. As Phoenix watched, some of the dogs shifted, into Fujitora. Into Phoenix. Even into Eric. “They...  don’t like me just for my magic,” she whispered, almost like she was trying to convince herself. “They like me… for me.”  Releasing her from his embrace, he nodded, before patting her head. “As touching as this is, if you start crying on me, I’m subbing out for Kodo.” Phoenix said in a sarcastic tone with a big toothy grin, trying to make light of the situation. Shiva chuckled. “No need to worry about that,” she replied. “Dogs don’t have tear ducts. We literally are incapable of crying.”  “That’s where you're wrong, Shiva.” Phoenix said, taking a step back. “Tears still flood on the inside, no matter how well you hide it.” Shiva hummed in thought, before letting her mindscape fade away into light. During the mindscape... “Looks like the alpha is having a nervous breakdown,”  Ed said as he appeared next to the pup. “Perhaps if I directly linked your emotions to hers she’d listen more,” He looked to the youth. Ryker walked out of a portal next to Ed with tea. “Bout time you showed up.” He looked back to the diamond dog alpha. “Perhaps I should give her a few more endless bags with other gemstones for her pack? That would help ease her mind at least a bit.” “Sup, I just wanted to see what was going on.” Ryker yawned before sipping his tea like a Bri’sh person. “So I hear that the arena is fucking gone, I decided to make a new one. If you want to check it out then go on ahead.” “I'll be facing off against Eric in the Endgame battlefield,” Ed held up a hand. “You know, since I may or may not have Dr. Doom slaving away in my lab, you can fight him in the actual tournament. But make sure you beat his ass before winning.” Ryker held a fist to Ed for a fist-bump, grinning evilly. “I have no issues with the good Doctor and he happens to be a friend of my baby brother so that’s a no,” Ed said flatly. “I have beef with Eric and more importantly you,” he scowled. “I don’t take being pulled away from my girls lightly, especially when one of them is pregnant.” “Ah, I apologize, you were the first thing that came to mind. Congratulations on one of your girls being pregnant by the way.” Ryker then sits down on mid-air, taking another sip of tea. Before they could respond, Phoenix and Shiva awoke, Shiva instantly turning to Kodo. Mother and son touched noses softly, their tails wagging before Kodo gave up on pretense and hugged his mother in relief. “Never pull something like that again,” Kodo whispered, his voice cracking.  “Fuck me!” Phoenix began panting for breath the moment he woke up. “That really drains a guy.” That was all he managed to get out, before falling back to the ground in a panting fit. “Not into guys thank you,“ Ed commented. “I know someone would among my ranks, her name starts with a T and I think she would like your d-” Ryker was slapped by Katakuri who had a rolled up newspaper. “Stop that!” Katakuri growled. “Here’s a spray bottle too,” Ed handed the mochi man a good size bottle full of water. Katakuri then sprayed it onto Ryker who hissed. “God damn it what did you do Ed?” Ryker turned to the Sage with a “Why tho.” look in his eyes. “Uhh, when’d you guys get here?” Guess I can’t sense presences whilst in that state, Phoenix thought. “Quick question, what was that insane amount of trembling?” Necrozma asked, looking among the Displaced. Shiva swallowed nervously and sunk down in her bed, before Ed thankfully answered Phoenix’s question first. “I’m everywhere,” Ed shrugged. “I’ve been able to go wherever I want in this world since I figured out his void signature,” Ed pointed at Ryker on the floor being beaten with a newspaper. “That is a very satisfying sight I tell ya what.” “Only because I allow you.” Ryker mused, waving his finger, Katakuri continued to hit him with the newspaper, “Also, Katakuri that’s enough.” Ryker then appears before Katakuri and flicks him on the head, sending him flying through a wall. Everyone heard crashing sounds and an “Oof!” “Well… Get fucked Katakuri.” Akainu laughed, walking out the door to go and laugh at Katakuri in his face. “I’ll be heading out for now,” Ed waved. “I have students in another place that actually summoned me for help,” Ed glared at Ryker.”And trust me Ryker, it's not cause you allow me. I needed Truth’s help before, now I don't…” He walked through a portal and it closed on itself. “Facking horsefucker.” Ryker’s emerald eyes glowed before going back to normal, “In any case if you want to see the new arena. Follow me.” Ryker left the Infirmary with a sip of tea. Arkham Knight following not before stopping next to Kodo. “Oh and If you think you can take me on… You are sorely mistaken.” Arkham Knight then left, followed by Zabuza, and Necrozma. Fujitora remained with the dogs. Kodo watched him the Knight with a raised eyebrow. “Oh… kay?” he mumbled, turning back to his mother, who shook her head with disappointment.  “Is he really trying to form a rivalry with a one year old dog?” Shiva asked. “In his defense he was broken down and rebuilt again, we’re all so stronger than him so he’s trying to find someone to fight. Kyle is too weak and he’s a cut above the rest, that’s why he’s with us.” Fujitora commented sipping his calming jasmine tea. Shiva chuckled, glancing down at her claws. “Once, I would’ve said that was crazy,” she said. “But… considering what I did… maybe I can see where he’s coming from.” “Yeah, what happened?” Kodo asked. “Why’d you keep going like that?” Shiva’s eyes didn’t leave her claws. “I don’t… really know,” she admitted. “It was… strange.” Kodo leaned forward. “Because of the fusion?” he asked.  She nodded. “It was deeper than a pack link,” she admitted. “I wasn’t just in Maud’s head. It was like I was Maud and she was me. And then when Thack started insulting you… it was like he was insulting Maud’s sister.” She shrugged. “And then when he threatened me about the link… it hurt. Cuz he’s got all those forms, and the link’s the only thing I’ve got. I couldn’t hold back.” She huffed. “Not that it really mattered… he was too strong for either of us…” Kodo touched her claw. “Mom,” he said gently. “It doesn’t matter. You have nothing to prove.” “But Kodo,” Shiva said, leaning against the backrest. “Dogs have to contribute to the pack. I’ve always prided myself on my pack link being able to contribute magic; to make dogs stronger and helping them…” “But that’s not all you are,” Kodo insisted. “There’s so much more to you beyond how much power you can take or how strong you are.” “Indeed, you are so much more than who you are… That doesn’t make sense.” Fujitora said to himself, “I’m not good at being inspirational.” Shiva chuckled, resting a paw on his hand. “You’re just fine the way you are, Issho,” she assured him, before Kodo rested his paw on hers. “Practice what you preach?” Kodo asked  She laughed, before nodding in agreement. “And so am I,” she offered teasingly. “In any case, have a good day again if you would like to train in swordsmanship I would love to-'' Fujitora was cut off as a wall was broken down… Again. It was Lord Twigo! “Did somebody say… Train in swordsmanship?!” Lord Twigo asked, pointing his golden sword to the heavens. Phoenix had finally gained his bearings, and was able to focus on what was around him. “Fuck that was not fun……” He mumbled under his breath before standing up. “What’s this about swords and training? My mental capacity seems to be non-existent right now.” Phoenix stated, rubbing his temples.  “Fujitora and Lord Twigo were asking if we wanted to train in swordsmanship,” Kodo explained, his claw brushing the sheath of his sword as he glanced at Shiva. “I still think you need some more rest, Mom…” He turned to the two sword masters with a grin. “But I’m more than willing to learn.” “Let us go to the… uh… To the uh…” Lord Twigo put a hand to his chin, “Hm… Fujitora would you mind-” Fujitora grinned. “Nah, I wouldn’t Kodo, you’re going to be the first dog to go to the moon.” Fujitora walked out of the infirmary, Lord Twigo following him, “Don’t worry Lady Shiva, I won’t harm him. Much.”  “I’ll join you,” Shiva promised, starting to rise, only for her legs to remain non-responsive. She glowered at her legs. “Right after my body decides to get with the program.”  “I would join you guys,” Phoenix chimed in. “But for some reason I’m shattered after that.” He panted for a second, before gaining a face of realisation. “Oh wait.” Slipping his ring off, all of his earlier exhaustion vanished. “Forgot about that…” He began to follow the others. “Phoenix?” Shiva said before he could leave. “Thank you. For… all that back there.”  Phoenix turned his head back to Shiva, before pulling a toothy grin. “Anytime!” He thought for a second, before turning back to the rest of the group. “Hey guys!” He shouted down the hallway. “Ima stay back! Not like I need to train in swordsmanship, and we wouldn’t want our gracious Queen getting lonely!” Phoenix then turned back around and smiled at Shiva, before pulling up a chair and taking a seat. They were outside of the arena, for the first time since they had arrived here, and there was a little plate the size of a truck. Fujitora and Lord Twigo were on top of it. “We’re going to the moon, come, let us embark on our quest for power!” Lord Twigo clenched his fist and threw it to the air, dramatically like the chad that he is. Kodo chuckled as he climbed on board. “The Luna from my world thought that dogs worshipped the moon,” he noted. “She said we would always be howling at it.” He snorted. “I’m pretty sure I broke her heart when I told her the whole thing was just a coincidence; that wolves howl to communicate with each other, and that we’re just more active at night than in the day.” “To the moon!” Fujitora unsheathed his hidden blade that was concealed in his walking stick, the plate started to levitate and it shot off to the skies. As it reached the clouds, everyone but Fujitora hit the plate unable to withstand the pressure as it ascended above the clouds. It then stopped, Fujitora pointed his blade at the moon and it became closer… And closer until it was but a hop, a skip, and a jump away from getting onto it. “Tada~” Fujitora laughed, Lord Twigo got to his feet, shivering slightly. “God I hate it when you do that.” Lord Twigo rubbed the back of his head, Fujitora shrugged at this. Kodo, however, bounded off and onto the moon. “This is totally wicked!” he cheered.  “Indeed, though the tides are going to be higher, I do not see any other repercussions to this.” Fujitora jumped from the plate and onto the moon, Lord Twigo following him after. “Okay,” Kodo said, calming himself. “So… how’s this going to work?” He hesitantly reached for his sword. “Do I use actual steel, or are there wooden swords anywhere? Or…” “Actual steel, after all the real thing is always better than the fakes. If you want to I could get sticks.” Fujitora offered, Lord Twigo waved Fujitora off. “Don’t mind him, he’s just worried that he might harm you. How about you show young Kodo a demonstration, but use it on me, my armor is overpowered.” Lord Twigo suggested, Fujitora looked to Lord Twigo then to Kodo. “Wanna see something cool?” Fujitora grinned. Kodo nodded eagerly. “Alright then, get into position.” Lord Twigo walked a few meters away and Fujitora was as well a few meters away from him. Fujitora then sprints at the Holy Knight unsheathing his blade, Fujitora then appears behind the Knight. Sword between his legs unsheathed, Fujitora then slowly sheathes the blade. “Ittōryū Iai: Shishi Sonson!” Lord Twigo received a vertical cut onto his armor, not harming his armor but it did knock the knight down. Fujitora walked over to Twigo. “Ta da~” “That’s one of the many techniques of the Ittoryu style or the One Sword Style if you will.” Lord Twigo said as Fujitora helps him up, “Fujitora here is from Japan, he was so fascinated in the ways of the Samurai he became one.” “So cool,” Kodo whispered. “So, if you would like to have a spar with me, Lord Twigo, you can. Though you can’t harm me, I can harm you which is why I brought a wooden blade for me.” Lord Twigo sheathes his Golden Great Sword and brings out a wooden sword that was hidden inside of his armor. He coats it in Armament Haki. “Come at me young Samurai.” Drawing his blade, Kodo activated his devil fruit. Turning into a cloud of smoke, he feinted with a lunge, passing by in a flurry of smoke before zooming around, forming a circle. Briefly, he spun around like a tornado, before lunging out from a random direction, his blade ready to carve across Twigo’s armor just like Fujitora had. However the young pup failed to realize he was not dealing with the run of the mill opponent, he was dealing with a Holy Knight. Lord Twigo raised his blade high and swiped down, making a colossal air slash that could match the height of Katakuri. It made a trench in the moon not very deep though. Kodo barely managed to dodge, his devil fruit allowing him to dodge in a cloud of smoke. Trying to take advantage of the Holy Knight’s swipe, he went for a swipe at his shoulder, careful not to go for a killing blow.  Lord Twigo sidestepped the attack, being trained in Observation Haki he was somewhat good at it. Lord Twigo went for an up slash, his wooden blade being coated in a demonic aura before doing so. Kodo soared with the smoke away from the attack, sweeping low for a slash at the Holy Knight’s legs. Lord Twigo saw this coming, he had seen enough of Karate Kid to realize he was trying to sweep the leg. Lord Twigo hopped above the attack and struck the pup with two of his mighty boots. Briefly, Kodo tumbled across the surface before turning to smoke and righting himself. He skidded across the ground, before taking his sword in his teeth and running back to them on all fours. “I’m getting Zacian vibes from this.” Lord Twigo said to himself while clenching  his blade, Lord Twigo shot off like a rocket to Kodo and instead of attacking him… He appeared behind Kodo. “Ittoryu: Chimei-tekide wanai jikkō.” Kodo was hit by a series of blows, Lord Twigo had hit him so fast the attacks had not registered yet. Even when Kodo turned to smoke, the blows continued to pummel him. He flung himself away, but still shook his head, trying to clear the impact of the blows. “Right,” Kodo grumbled, clutching his head. “Showed me that right at the start,” he mumbled. “Sorry didn’t quite catch that, would you mind repeating yourself?” Lord Twigo laughed before then appearing and disappearing all over the place. Going so fast he made ten afterimages, they then surrounded Kodo. ”Which one am I choose wisely and you win!” Kodo hummed, lifting his sword and shutting his eyes. His nose twitched, scenting the air, sensing ki and picking up where the real Lord Twigo was. Picking up on the scent of Lord Twigo, Kodo locked onto one of the after-images and lunged. Lord Twigo was actually hit by Kodo, for the first time in this match he was hit! Lord Twigo stumbled backwards, clutching his chest. “Nice shot young one, however that was your first blow on me. Now I think this concludes the spar as of now, good fight.” Kodo lowered his sword and gave a bow of respect. “Thank you for your lesson,” he said gratefully. Lord Twigo rests his wooden sword on his shoulder, “Now, what have we learned?” Lord Twigo raised an eyebrow, “That offense can be risky,” Kodo offered. “And that sometimes it is better to wait and listen before striking.” “Have you ever heard of the swordsman that couldn’t cut anything but he could cut steel?” Lord Twigo takes a seat on the moon he then sticks the wooden blade on the ground. Kodo copied his motion, only for his blade to bounce off the ground. Blushing sheepishly, Kodo opted for sheathing his sword before settling on the ground. “I haven’t heard of that particular swordsman,” Kodo admitted. “The swordsman could feel everything as it was living, sense their presence, if a rock would fall down onto him unexpectedly… He would evade the attack. He had the power to cut through steel and the breath of all things. Unable to cut a leaf yet could cut a chunk of rock.” Lord Twigo informed the young pup, “Only some can do this, Fujitora can cut through my armor but chose not to. If you fight someone with say… Steel or Sea Prism Stone armor, you wouldn’t be able to cut through it unless you had that ability.” “Right,” Kodo agreed. “Because Devil Fruit Users are weak to Sea Prism, and I’m still… well… starting out.” “To hear the breath of all things and connect your inner purpose, that is the miraculous power to cut through steel. Should you ever fight someone with strong armor like me or Arkham Knight, make sure you learn how to cut through steel.”  Lord Twigo jumped to his feet and looked around, “So, who’s hungry? I hear the ramen shop has a new special.” Fujitora immediately appeared at Lord Twigo’s side. “It is decided, ramen time.” Fujitora said as the plate from before moved towards them. “Ramen?” Kodo asked, hopping onto the plate. “I’ve never had that before.” “You’re going to love it, trust me.” Fujitora walked onto the plate, Lord Twigo following him afterwards. “Say goodbye to the moon.” Fujitora then made the moon ascend but Katakuri was on it. “Wait Fujitora, I’m on here! Get me down for christ sake GET ME DOWN!!!!” Fujitora just grinned as Katakuri ascended to space. “Oh, don’t worry about him, we One Piece humans can breathe in space.” Fujitora turned away from where he ascended the moon and went on down to town. Kodo had now got a closer look, the houses were similar to that of Ponyville’s. There was a tiny ramen shop and a bar next to it, the ramen shop mirrored that of Naruto’s. When they reached it, everyone but Fujitora saw a black scaled dragon there, with orange hair. “Oh, it’s you guys! How are you two doing, and who’s the newbie?” The orange haired dragon looked over to Kodo. “He’s one of the fighter’s comrades, he says he never tasted the beauty of ramen.” Fujitora informed the drake. “That my friend, is going to change awfully quickly. My name’s Arthur by the way, the Dragon of the East some call me.” Arthur turns around and begins to cook up some ramen for the trio. As he worked, Kodo started rummaging in the bag Ed had given his mother. “How much for the ramen?” he asked. “Are you with Fujitora?” Arthur turned to the pup with a raised scaly eyebrow. Kodo glanced at the blind swordsman. “Uh… yes,” he replied. “Then it’s free.” Arthur went back to his work, going through cabinets for items and what not. Kodo’s jaw dropped in awe. “A dragon giving something away for free,” he whispered. His tail wagged. “This place is awesome!”  “Well, for you see we dragons are not like other dragons. We’re actually born with an Eliatrope all the time, thus being twins. There is no dragon without its Eliatrope, mine is sleeping in the basement. While your dragons are greedy and only have one form, we have several, Human, Hybrid, and Full Dragon. Kind of like a Zoan Type Devil Fruit.” Arthur told Kodo as he put noodles in a pot and put it in the sink, he then started pouring hot water on it. “Cool,” Kodo noted. He tilted his head in though. “If you don’t mind me mentioning, the dragons in my world aren’t exactly greedy for no reason; they have a magic in them that gives them a power boost the more treasure they have. Granted, the power goes to their heads if they aren’t careful, but it sure does intrigue my pack.”  “Hm, that’s a first, you Displaced are quite amazing.” Arthur comments right before the bar’s door next to the ramen shop bursts and out came flying a white blur. The white blur slams into a building behind them, Lord Twigo looks back and spots Entity, covered in blood, out came a bulky man with long hair. Kodo would have mistaken it for a Minotaur but it was a human. “Douglass Bullet… of course.” Lord Twigo shook his head and turned back to Arthur as Bullet closed in on Entity. Kodo could barely tear his eyes away from the man. “Douglass Bullet?” he whispered. “He’s a man obsessed in combat, I guess you could say it’s kind of his fathers fault for constantly beating him and forcing the man to kill. Bullet is a soldier, ending an entire war with just him alone, all he knows is combat. And I guess Entity pissed him off or Bullet wants to see what he’s made of.” Fujitora sighed just as Arthur gave them their bowls of ramen. “Eat up you three, I got noodles for millennium.” Arthur laughed, putting hands on his hips as a show for his pride. And his pride was well-earned. One sniff of the dish in front of him caused Kodo’s eyes to dilate in sheer bliss. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to lunge and start devouring the ramen - bowl and all. Carefully and gently, he used the chopsticks nearby to scoop the noodles into his jaws. His leg started thumping like he was getting a belly rub.  “Life… is beautiful…” Kodo whispered in ecstasy. “So unfortunate that it can be taken away.” Lord Twigo sighed as they heard a punch being thrown and Entity grunting. They all heard a bone crack and they winced. Kodo wisely kept his head down and focused on his ramen. “So uh… Nice weather we have out here.” Arthur said looking up at the sky trying to steer away from the beatdown that was currently happening. “Very,” Kodo agreed, wincing as he heard a hard THUD from behind him. He took another bite of ramen. “This stuff’s incredible. How do you make it?”  “Very simple just use some spices from the farm, and-” Arthur was cut off by a swear, “Some fire… The water was made from the Spring of Life, the water enhances your abilities ten fold and relaxes your body.” Kodo almost spoke before a scream cut over him. “Sounds useful,” he mumbled. “Infernal Twin Drake Attack!” The party heard as they felt a wave of heat hit their backs. “Very useful, I found it when I was talking to Ember, the Dragon Lord at the time. We were having a nice walk when I tripped and fell in a hole, and boom, I found the Spring of Life.” Arthur said right after they heard weapons clashing. “Ember?” Kodo mused. “The Dragon Lord at the time?” He hummed. “She’s the current dragon lord in my time.” “You guys must be a few thousand years in the past, it’s been a while since we saw dragons like Ember. Since Evolution is a thing and our dragons and their dragons started to mate…” Fujitora then jumped as there was an explosion that went off behind them. Kodo had jumped for a different reason, his face bright red under his fur. “I’ll take your word for it,” he said with a nervous chuckle. “Ah… I see that you are not used to words that go around… “That”, so let us steer from this. Would you two mind telling Kodo the tale about how you were taught by the swordsman that could hear the breath of all things?” Arthur raised an eyebrow, Lord Twigo cleared his throat. “Well, many years ago there was this swordsman that hailed from parts unknown. He had the strength to cut a cliff with just a casual swip of his blade, he was the strongest swordsman known to all.” Lord Twigo began, “One day he traveled to our lands, seeking for someone worthing to challenge him, he and Fujitora crossed blades and in the end, the blind swordsman could not match him. He decided to teach us everything he knew. The One Sword Style, Two Sword Style, and Three Sword Style. He had a bunch of swords in a bag that was as small as a purse, but his legendary sword was none other than the Dark Blade, Yoru.” Kodo tensed at the mention of a dark blade. “I’m guessing Yoru was the most dangerous of the blades,” he noted. Lord Twigo nodded. “You would be correct, Yoru was so powerful it could even leave a mountain tumbling with just a swipe of it. But beware, it is one of the Cursed Blades.” Lord Twigo said spookily. Kodo nodded in understanding. “So… it has some sort of demon attached to it, right?” he asked. “O-Or it brings misfortune to those who wield it.”  “Both of your guesses are correct, Yoru comes at a cost, you will not be able to hold back against any foe, no matter the age, the height, or the gender. Let’s say you want to have a light sparring session with… A friend and you go for an attack, it would create a devastating slash that would make a trench deeper than the Mariana Trench.” Lord Twigo told the pup, probably knowing Kodo would not understand what the Mariana Trench is. Indeed, Kodo was unable to hide his confusion. “So that’s… pretty deep, right?” he guessed. “The Mariana Trench is 10,034 meters deep.” Lord Twigo put it in simpler terms, “Back to the swordsman, that kind of power even left Ryker surprised, so Ryker decided to use his blade… Enma the blade that can cut through Hell. Or Tartarus. In your case.” Lord Twigo then dug deep into his meal, using his chopsticks like it was natural to him. Kodo shook his head at the power level. “Okay, but why would he want to cut through Tartarus?” he asked. “I mean, if it was to kill every demon that dwelled there, that’d be one thing. But if it didn’t kill them, and they got out…” Kodo shivered at the mere thought. Lord Twigo let out a hearty laugh, “Kodo, my young boy, I’m not saying he would but rather it could cut through Tartarus. The blade is also a cursed one, it can steal someone’s Haki, if any normal swordsman touches them… Well they would turn into a husk.” Lord Twigo informed the pup. Kodo nodded in understanding. “So, don’t touch the blade,” he summed up.  “If you are weak, however, you can overcome it if you have a strong will. Ryker and the Swordsman clashed. Their battle shook the Heavens and the depths of hell itself, but in the end the swordsman lost. It was his first battle he had ever lost, 12,745 wins and 1 loss.” Lord Twigo grinned just remembering the duel, Fujitora as well, Fujitora held up his empty bowl. “Another round please!” Arthur took the bowl, smiling. “Another round coming up!” Arthur then went off to his work. Kodo watched, his ears twitching in curiosity, but unsure of what to say. “In the end, the swordsman had taught us and left for adventure, off to try and find more swordsmen like Ryker, which ends the tale of the swordsman that could hear the breath of all things.” Lord Twigo finished his tale, they then heard a smack. Fujitora went to his feet. “Okay, you two stay here I’m dealing with this.” Fujitora turned around to stop the conflict that was happening.  Kodo spun to watch, suppressing a grin as he remembered times where his parents had to break up fighting pack mates. Douglass Bullet had his colossal hand around Entity’s neck, “Ya think you can stop Ryker now brat?” Bullet tossed Entity aside and covered his right fist in Armament Haki. “It’s been fun kid!” Right as Bullet was about to slam his fist down on Entity, it was stopped by Fujitora’s blade. “That’s enough Bullet, don’t you see you have beaten him enough already?” Fujitora pushed Bullet back with a bit of Gravity. Bullet crossed his arms. “Do you wanna fight, old man? Because you and I sure as hell know you can’t beat me.” Bullet grinned, trying to taunt Fujitora to engage in combat. Kodo’s grin faded, and he nearly stood up, only for Twigo to wave him back, keeping him from taking a risk he shouldn’t.  “You know… I have worked on a technique that can destroy this planet as we know it. And more importantly, destroy you, so do you really want to take that risk, Bullet?” Fujitora used his Devil Fruit to levitate Entity, Fujitora pushed the Minecraft man towards the ramen shop. “Oh? Then show me!” Bullet shot off at Fujitora like a rocket, Fujitora was caught by surprise and took a step back. Bullet cocked back a fist and was about to slam it into Fujitora… Only for a blade to block the blow. The wielder of that blade was Ganondorf. “Okay, as much as I would like to see you two fight, that’s enough Bullet.” Ganondorf sheathed his blade Bullet just crossed his arms and turned around. “Hmph, since you’re my best buddy, I can't hurt you.” Bullet then notices Kodo from the corner of his eye, “Oh? Who’s the dog? One of your friends Fujitora.” Kodo and Fujitora clenched their blades. “If you lay a hand on him… I will drop a damn meteorite onto you.” Fujitora clenched his teeth, Bullet just scoffed. “Try me!” Bullet shot off like a rocket once more to harm the young one, clenching his fist, covering it in Haki. Kodo, however, was ready, and dodged into smoke, darting away and behind Bullet as he shot past him. Kodo reformed with his sword at the ready. “I got no quarrel with you, sir,” Kodo said, his ears flat. “Just walk away.”  “Kahahaha! Oh really?” Bullet approached the pup popping his knuckles… And then being rendered unconscious by Katakuri via chopping his neck. “I apologize, I think it’s time I escort him to his home. Again, I apologize.” Katakuri bows before turning into a donut shape and rolling off with Bullet in hand. Fujitora wiped the sweat off his forehead, while Kodo lowered his sword with a sigh. “Are you okay?” Fujitora asked, his hands shaking from pure fear. Kodo sheathed his blade, trying to still his trembling claws. “Well, he didn’t hit me, so… that’s good,” Kodo replied. He looked up at Fujitora with concern. “Are ‘you’ okay?”  “Uh… Physically yes, mentally no.” Fujitora sheathed his blade, Ganondorf just looked at the two and said nothing. Kodo spared the Gerudo a glance.  “Thank you,” he noted to Ganandorf. “For helping Fujitora.” “You are welcome, however if it actually turned to a fight, me, Fujitora, and Twigo would lose. It was a miracle Katakuri was here to aid us and caught him off guard.” Ganondorf sighed in relief, sheathing his blade, Twigo just nodded, having a noodle moustache. Kodo glanced at where Katakuri had taken Bullet. “Why did he want to fight so much?” Kodo pondered. “He’s already one of the most powerful people here, isn’t he?” “Yeah but Katakuri is far more stronger, you know how I said his father made him a killing machine, born for war? I was not joking.” Lord Twigo reminded Kodo, “Not to mention he dreams of surpassing Katakuri. He has a Devil Fruit that allows him to make his ship into a giant mech, he can also make the mech turn into a giant rock golem. The size of a mountain, the strongest warrior he fought was someone named Cloven Diamond, and he killed that man. Punched a hole in his chest.”  Kodo swallowed. “So… not a good idea to provoke him?” he asked. “Yes.” They all said at the same time, Entity got to his feet, leaning on his Netherite Scythe. “Thanks for the… Help…” Entity squeaked before falling flat on his face. “...I’ll just take him to the infirmary.” Lord Twigo picked up Entity and walked towards the arena, Ganondorf following him. It was now just Fujitora, Kodo, and Arthur there… With the addition of the locals. “So…” Kodo broke the silence. “More ramen?” “More ramen!”