5) The Cry of a Victim: Encountering a New Foe
The small island formation turned out to be good for everything the ponies needed it to be...except in providing a better sense of direction. The scroll with the partially drawn out image, their only clue as to where they were supposed to go, hadn't changed at all. Twilight, torn between confessing this problem and looking as incompetent as a captain could, and frustrated in her mentor for lack of clarity, had opted to forgo the supply trip. In her stead, Spike, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash oversaw collection.
"Well, they're not zap apples, and they're definitely not as good as gems, but these taste amazing!" Spike exclaimed, holding one out for Rarity, who took just long enough for Rainbow to dive from above and take it.
"It isn't...it can't be....is this a devil fruit??"
Spike had evidently not thought of that possibility, and spat out the bite he had just taken, looking mortified.
"Is it!? Please don't be!!" He pleaded, dropping the fruit and beginning to shake.
"I don't think it is," Rarity assured him, "There are certain signs a good navigator can read while voyaging to tell one where a devil fruit may be growing. From what I've been reading with Twilight, they tend to grow alone, stealing all the nutrition from nearby plants and landscapes. All this lush fruit around...it couldn't possibly be."
"Oh...bummer," Rainbow sighed, dropping the fruit to the ground, where Spike reacquired it happily enough.
Rarity giggled, and the throng moved onwards, taking note of the baskets collected and the extra wood loaded onto the small boats. Fluttershy had joined them a short time later with extra baskets and a list straight from Pinkie's galley, documenting everything she wanted for an "emergency" situation. It looked suspiciously like things from a cupcake recipe. Still, everything was proceeded as planned, and the guard lieutenant made her report on schedule.
"We've gotten almost a full stock, but there's been some commotion near a forest trail," the guard reported.
"I'll check it out," Rainbow answered, flying off at once in the direction indicated by the guard.
"So rash..." Rarity said to herself.
"Where's Fluttershy?" Spike asked suddenly.
"Hence the commotion," The guard returned, some worry showing itself.
"Get another rope on this one! Quickly!"
"What a catch! I've never seen anything like them before!"
"Let's hurry guys, the boss is expecting us!"
"And on top of catching those runaway fishmen, this is amazing luck!"
"Please...let us go!" The netted guard begged, bleeding and exhausted from the beating she had suffered moments before.
"I still can't believe they can talk! What a find!"
"They're too chatty, they need to learn they don't speak until spoken to!"
A vicious whipping ensued across the captured ponies, among whom Fluttershy was weeping and cowering in the midst of, but remained less harmed than the guard who voiced herself and others that resisted. The pirates smirked and watched the scene unfold with pride. From the distance, Rainbow observed the events with horrified outrage. By the time Rarity, Spike, and the other guards arrived, she couldn't hold herself back anymore, and just as the first of their captured friends was hoisted into the arms of one of the thugs, Rainbow zoomed out.
"Let them go!" Rainbow screamed as she bolted into the face of the pirate who picked up the outspoken guard, and knocked him out cold.
"Another one?"
"Get them all!"
"I'll go for the Princess!" one of the guard entourage notified, running towards their rowboats, as several of the pirates followed suite, retreating towards their side of the shore.
"It's up to us now," Rarity told the guard, leading them out in the second wave charge.
Confusion as to their arrival complicated matters, and nets, bullets, and assorted tools of harm flew, swung, and darted around the wilderness of the island, the grassy hills and lush trees dancing to the tune of the battle.
Shanks had yet to appear today. Whether he'd partied too hard with his crew or was actually doing something very important or personal, Benn Beckman wouldn't let on, but Twilight's attempt to speak captain to captain were still waiting to be realized either way. She was preparing to return to the Red Force and investigate the state of affairs once more when a distant cry caught her attention. Turning to the cool sea breeze, she found a single rowboat beating fiercely against the mild waves. The guard manning the vessel was shouting out for help, and Twilight stretched her wings to their full span, and leaped into the air.
"Princess! Princess!!"
"What's happened?"
"Princess! I-I mean..Captain Twilight! Their's been trouble, an urgent situation on the isle!"
Twilight wasted no time in grabbing hold of the guard and taking off into the air, weighed down by the guard's extra girth, but inspired by the need of her friends. Just a little longer.
The battle was quickly turning sour. Despite their resolve, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Spike had found the words of both Shanks and Twilight proven true. They needed to hone skills applicable to the pirate world; tricks and talents that would work in Equestria weren't usually good for more than a decent distraction here. A few of these hunters were haki users, their fists or swords emblazoned with the hardened, black screen of the Color of Arms.
Fluttershy was one of few ponies still wrapped in a mess of netting, but many other ponies were falling to exhaustion, fear, or the power of the hunters. Rarity was edging her way closer to her captive friend, but she was quickly surrounded by sea poachers. Only a few had nets; the others were ready to go in for a kill, if need be. Hardening her resolve, she opted not to fall into cowardice, and shot a screen of bright light from her horn, which allowed her to run forward in a mighty (and dashing, if she was allowed to say so) battle cry, and bucked one of the hunters in the gut, to which he stumbled, but did not fall. So much for her dignity.
Rarity teleported back, but was not in the same league as Twilight, and needed to wait approximately five seconds before attempting another teleportation; the goons around her would give her, at best, three seconds. She ducked a sword swing, rolled from a ground-pounding punch, and leaped over a whip's snapping attack, but before a net could tangle her, Spike came to her rescue.
It was better than in any dream he had ever fantasized about. His fire, less an emerald blaze and more of a green spurt, was just enough to turn the netting into ashes, and the charred waste fell to the ground around the unicorn, who shot her protector an adoring grin. Spike almost forgot he was in a fight that would drastically change his life. Before another hunter's sword came down on him, he darted to the side and unleashed another mouthful of flame; the hunter was stronger than the net, it seemed, and he absorbed the heat and pressed on, looking as though he had a fairly large, but entirely manageable, sunburn.
"A dragon too!? What a weird day!"
The hunter jumped at Spike, and Twilight's assistant had just enough time to slide under the attacker's feet, where Rarity ran to his side and teleported both to the outskirts of the battlefield. It was not a glorious sight, far from it in fact, it was now clear the ponies had a very slim chance of winning, and barely greater a chance of escaping without leaving friends behind.
"We can't keep this up...I'm not sure how long everypony else has got in them," Rarity told the baby dragon.
"Yeah....this isn't too good."
"Thanks for saving me."
"Thanks for saving me back," Spike replied, a slight red burning atop his scaly cheeks.
"We can't let everypony else take the brunt though. We've got to get back into the fight."
"I'm ready any-"
BOOM.
...time...."
BOOM.
Spike couldn't help but let his mouth hang open as all the ponies and pirates in the battle ceased fighting. It was coming on again, you could feel it in the ground if you focused on it.
BOOM.
It was getting louder. Stronger. Something very bad was happening, but the pirates weren't worried in the slightest.
BOOM!
They were smiling. Laughing.
BOOM!
The wilderness was rumbling, the pirates were retreating. The birds in the distance were scattering like winter had come full force in a span of 10 seconds.
BOOOOM!
"Rarity...Rarity, what's going on!?" Spike stuttered, clinging to the leg of his adoration, which he would simply melt doing were he not so frightened.
"I...I don't know..."
BOOOOM!
Fluttershy was literally rising and falling as the shaking continued, still trapped in the netting, but unable to escape from the certain and proud doom approaching. Then, from above, Rarity found the source of the disturbance.
BOOOOM!
"A g....g....giant...."
"A giant? A GIANT?" Spike turned his head and jumped behind Rarity in the time it took for the white unicorn to blink. The monstrous legs of a muscular man were coming closer and closer.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
"Boss!"
"Boss, we got a great catch today!"
"Down here, boss!"
The hunters were shouting and jumping and waving their arms wildly to attract the giant's attention. He was at least as large as any dragon the pony crew had ever seen, probably bigger, and bore many scars and bruises. He had a large and flowing beard the size of a swimming pool, and curled up and poised to the strike, his fist was the size of a building. The top of his head was coated in a helmet that may have once actually been a small building, it was hard to tell. His clothes were trashy and torn, but had clearly been made for a creature of his size.
"Not my crew! Not my friends!"
Twilight zoomed in and shot a flurry of spells that sizzled in the air and reddened the giant's fists as he absorbed the attacks, but he did not back down, and had clearly not been stopped. His voice was deep, like Spike would imagine a dinosaur's rage to be.
"What took so long!? Can't you fools nab a few baby horses!?"
Twilight, still flying swiftly around the giant, summoned a portal above her head, and drew four swords from within it. She spun each of them around in perfect synchronization, and displayed a level of skill that, while surely far from masterful, had shown she had taken Shanks' words and her own admission more seriously than the others had.
"Never mind, I'll do it!"
The giant threw back his fist with surprising speed, and Twilight braced herself, preparing to counter-attack at once; in the blink of an eye, the giant's fist soared forward, but suddenly, something dropped from high above even the giant's head, and collided with his fist, which slammed into the ground so hard and powerfully, he could not immediately pull it free.
From the smoke, a strange and armored warrior stood tall, and his voice rang out to every pony and pirate dog in the isle.
"I am the great champion of the forest far away...HERACLES'N!"
Heracles'n was apparently not a name renowned through the world, for most of the hunters looked surprised and confused, rather than in awe or afraid. The armored champion posed like a super hero, basking in the glow of the sun and looking composed and powerful, while the giant tugged until his hand came free and the earth shook again.
Twilight was prepared for anything at this point, but it was the giant who took first action.
"Get that freak!"
The goons rushed the mighty champion, but he did not move, not even did he flinch, until the hunters were inches from him. Then he sprung into action like a blur, clobbering and dismantling the hunters like wild beasts, beaten to a pulp. In a matter of seconds, eight pirates were down for the count, or longer than that, and the battle odds had shifted greatly. The question was why he chose to help the ponies, but Twilight was content to wait with her question until the threat of the giant and his goons were gone. She flew to attack the giant, Rainbow Dash flanking her.
On the ground, the hunters continued to gang up on the strange warrior Heracles, with no more success than the first eight had achieved. A punch to the face, a kick to the kneecap, an elbow to the gut, a toss to the side, a headbutt through the air and into a rock which shattered from the impact; Heracles was unstoppable.
"Do not despair strange and innocent creatures, I will aid you in this battle for freedom'n! I am the great champion Heracles'n! Fear me, hunter scum'n!"
Extreme vanity and hopeless showmanship aside, Heracles had captivated the ponies and amazed them into silence. This unexpected savior was quirky, but so were most things in the world beyond the Great Blue Sea. He was strong and wanted to help them, no complaints were to be found.
The giant was simmering with rage, and growled as he swatted at the odd forest champion, who evaded with minimal difficulty. After a few successive failures, Heracles'n took action.
"Pony defenders'n! Combine powers with me to smite this unworthy foe'n!"
Soaring forwards, the hero hurled his mighty fist into the giant jaw, and the hunters' boss was thrown upwards, head barreling through the clouds. Rainbow needed no second chance, and rocketed through the white haze in the sky to deliver another attack, which was far less impactful, but still strong enough to force the giant into a more level and horizontal position as he fell back down. As Dash sped away, Twilight followed up with a massive magical hammer, which caught the helpless giant like a nail head and crushed him into the island. The trees and hills shook worse than ever before, and the giant was stuck in a snug crater that matched his size and shape almost exactly.
Rainbow and the others cheered, but Twilight sought out their savior at once. Heracles'n was tearing up the net that had once bound poor Fluttershy, who was blushing and profusely thanking the forest champion. Twilight joined them at once and gave the hero's ego a double portion. When the pegasus and alicorn finished, he turned to Twilight.
"Thank you for the kind words'n, but I have to wonder what a band of pirates this weak is doing here'n. These waters are not for the needy'n."
"Yes, we're...uh, relatively new here. We've actually been traveling with another crew, but we didn't expect to meet these hunters here while we foraged for supplies."
"So you are pirates then, eh?"
"Not necessarily by choice, but...under the circumstances, yes, we are the Equestrian Pirates."
"To make it in the New World, you need more strength than you have. I'm sorry, but I cannot voyage with you'n. If you want, I can escort you as far as my home forest. The Grand Line may be more suited for pirates of your skills'n."
"Actually, we-"
"I insist'n. You were extremely lucky that I found you before things got too bad'n."
"Really, we'll be fine with-"
This time, the Princess was cut off by a ringing boom far louder than any before it. The waters on the horizon were being thrown around like the splashes in a bathtub. It took a minute of dread and keen eye-work to make out the shape of another giant. And then, to Twilight's massive horror, a third giant as well.
The sunlit afternoon and perfect skies reflected a false face. Inside the exclusive and isolated mansion, the faces of the five most important men in the world were grim. Two sat on a sofa, another two in the chairs on either side, and the fifth stood behind the rest, each on mulling over the troublesome events of the past few days, staring intently into the floor, the ceiling, or the walls.
"Discretion is key," The oldest, bald man told the others, being on the left side of the couch. He sighed loudly as he cleaned his sword.
"But if they do indeed sail with that man...of the Four Emperors..." The old man with curls in his hair and a walking stick mused, sitting beside his older companion on the couch.
"Then discretion would be a wasted effort," The man with a bald head but a flowing mustache finished, standing behind all his fellows.
"Then the next move is the most important," the man with the longest beard noted, sitting to the left of the couch.
"Perhaps providence has shown on us. Smoker wants another go at them," The youngest of the five brought forward, his blonde hair a striking sign of his sure youth.
"Then we should grant his request, with more capable allies to aid him, of course," The man standing behind the others suggested.
"Yes," The bald and clean shaven man agreed.
"The Righteous Thief has proven himself a most potent weapon. Keep him close by. Dragon can wait," the man with the cane told the others.
"A dangerous sentiment. The Revolutionaries have always been our greatest problem, especially when Dragon revived them," The oldest scolded.
"And they face no distractions like the power struggle sure to come within the ranks of the Four," The blonde haired man said.
"But the Thief has committed himself. He won't like being switched over to another assignment. Not again, at least," replied the man with the longest beard.
"But still...Dragon can only do so much. He doesn't know what Red Hair knows. Nobody knows what Red Hair knows, except perhaps the few remaining Roger pirates that continue to elude us," The man with the shaggy hair and cane argued.
"You mean fossils like Rayleigh and Crocus?" The oldest asked.
The blonde haired man laughed, "Some might call you a fossil."
"Still....in the end, we face many opponents, but our agents can only be in one place at a time....maybe it would be best to keep things going on the current course...just a bit longer."
The two giants who swam ashore were twice as large as the one Heracles'n had helped the ponies take down. Worse still, they were in an uproar at the sight of the third's defeat.
Little brother....WHAT HAPPENED?! the first, wearing horns fashioned from some long dead ancient animal screamed.
Die, worthless scum!! the second, with flowing hair long and wide as a black waterfall bellowed.
Unlike the smaller giant, these two were armed, the horned one carrying a giant's longsword, the blade itself stretching beyond the white clouds above. The other swung a club down at the ponies, the sheer girth of which was enough to bury the Star. Twilight created a large dome which fractured into dust upon impact, but bought enough time to let everypony escape unharmed.
"Pop Green!"
Heracles'n flung something from his belt, and as the other giant swung the longsword down a bursting plantlife latched onto his hand, cutting into his thick skin enough to draw blood. The forest champion went a bit overboard, however, and upon rushing up to break the blade, he found himself knocked away like a fly swatted out of the air.
Lying defenseless in a crater of his own, Heracles'n was saved by Rarity, who levitated him up into Rainbow's path, and she and Fluttershy carried him away as the group scattered from the giants. Twilight flew in to support them, after all, the hero of the forest was quite heavy. With that help, the three were able to pick up enough speed to evade another club swing.
Twilight scolded herself for not bringing more help. She always felt like she had something to prove these days, to Shanks, to her friends, to Celestia...and more than anything, to herself. But Shanks was right, her magic just wasn't enough anymore. The others had always depended on Twilight to do her part, but she had quite a bit of learning to do before she could be depended on again. The same was true of them all, and from now on, her policy was all honesty, sticking with Shanks and his crew like bees on honey.
A paralysis spell held the club at bay, but the longsword could not be attended to in time, and again they were forced back. Rarity, Spike, and the others down below attempted small distractions, but Twilight continued to hold the focus of the giant pair. They had to get help now. Waking up in time to contribute to their escape, Heracles'n dropped down and unleashed more of his odd plant-based weapon, slowing down the giants a little bit more.
As the ships came into view and a few more hopeless spells fell apart in front of the giants, so too did the exact man Twilight knew would arrive. He was odd and more lax than she appreciated at times, but when he was serious, Shanks was there whenever one might need him, as Twilight was learning first hand.
"Die, bastards!"
Shanks was a red blur, leaping into the path of the overhead swing of the giant's longsword, matching the massive blade with his own sword, and like magic, the instant the metals collided, the giant's sword exploded into jagged pieces. Shanks fell back to the earth as the giant was slingshotted clean off the island and into the ocean from the impact.
Twilight was like everypony else, mouth agape at this awesome power. He hadn't been trying at all in their skirmish. She suspected Heracles'n was just as captivated, for he was abnormally still and humbled. The other giant was left sheepish and stuttering to atone for his mistake, but Shanks was already dealing with him. Another quick dash and he disappeared from sight, only to show up a second later behind the monstrous man. The club was split in half, but Shanks' blade was untouched, not so much as a nick on it.
The giant was holding his breath, afraid to move.
"Wait for it..." Shanks said matter-of-factly, stowing his sword at his side.
The giant moved his head and looked down over himself, intent to see what he should be waiting for, and just as he did, a red surge of power tore across his stomach and he crumpled onto his frontside, thick, giant blood leaking all over.
"Poor giants never stood a chance," One of Shanks crew observed, walking over with his weapon slung on his back. Twilight believed his name was Yasopp.
He was joined by Benn Backman, Lucky Roo, and Rockstar, among a few others. Shanks smiled at the pony party, nothing that none of them had been too badly injured. Then he turned to the stranger.
"Y-Y-You......Akagami....." Heracles'n tripped over his words, and then himself, as he moved forward to shake hands with the Yonko.
"I don't believe we've met before," Shanks greeted, smiling his usual grin.
"I am the mighty CHAMPION of the GREENSTONE FOREST on the BOIN ARCHIPELAGO....HERACLES'N!!" The beetle-armored man shouted, as though his honor was to be judged on how loudly his words rang out into the air.
"What's his deal?" Rockstar quietly asked Lucky Roo, who continued to munch on his drumstick with a shrug.
"Pleased to meet you," Shanks returned. He then turned to Twilight.
"Seems your crew isn't as ready as we thought."
"You're right," Twilight admitted instantly, "We're not ready at all. We need to meet up with whomever you have lined up to teach us soon, because we're completely lost. We...we don't even know where we're supposed to be going. We would almost certainly be dead by now if you hadn't found us......Thank you."
Shanks smiled a bit brighter, a bit more goofier. Whether he knew it or not, Twilight could tell the map had revealed a bit more by the magical vibrations within the pocket locker she stowed it in. She also knew it would not be complete the next time she opened it, but progress was progress, and she was glad.
"My pleasure."
"Just do us the favor of not getting yourselves killed, or worse, captured," Benn Beckman added, "especially by cronies of the World Government."
"Akagami.....Shanks...." Heracles'n was still murmuring to himself.
"You don't mean to say these are Marines?" Rarity questioned from the side.
"Hmph. Haven't gotten to the power structure of the world just yet, huh?" Beckman replied.
"Look at their tattoos. They're the henchmen of another kind of World Government henchman," Shanks explained.
She hadn't noticed before, but Shanks was right, they all bore tattoos of the same insignia, though they came in different shapes, sizes, and colors. When none of the ponies said anything, Beckman continued.
"The bigger giants were probably the captains, but this was a scavenging and hunting crew, who somewhat recently swore allegiance to one of the Seven Royal Warlords..."
Shanks picked up the statement there, "And a good old friend of mine...Buggy the Clown."
"WHAT!?!?"
The ear-piercing scream of frustration was audible to those above and below deck, and even those entering the space around the large and luxurious ship called the Big Top.
"They'll die flashy deaths, those bastards! Dispatch the main fleet, we've got another S-Class assignment!"
"Yes, Captain Buggy!!" the chorus of obedient replies sang.
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HERACLES'N
I freaking love that guy, but I'm glad twilight and the others are finally realizing just how outmatched they are right now, and buggy seems like he perfect enemy to take down since he isn't really that strong( although they probably won't "take him down" more like defeat him and he'll act like he was going easy on them and let them go as possible allies maybe)
7262787 Always glad to see another Heracles'n fan, lol. He seriously needs to make another appearance with Usopp, ha ha. They just work so well together.
Man, that was cool.
7263112 Behold, I have a way for Heracles'n to remain, teach Applejack the ways of the Pop Green, I'd love to see how that stuff interacts with Earth Pony magic.
7346501 Glad you liked it!
Hmmmm, that's a pretty good idea. I just finished up another chunk of the next chapter, and I'll admit, Heracles'n has not returned yet....but don't expect it to stay that way forever!! I'll keep your suggestion in mind, it was rather brilliant my friend!