Pony Piece: Yonko Journey

by Theblondeknight

9) The Once Peaceful Home: Fisher's Evil

The village Twilight had envisioned was, admittedly, worse off than the real deal.

Though the homes had been plundered and left half opened with gaping wounds, and the shops and stands in the town and at the chaotic docks were abandoned or under constant renovation, the business of the island went on...under different management. Fisher's goons, like those of Smoker and Buggy before him, came in different forms, but Twilight was grateful none of them were giants. So far as they could tell, the natural resources and supplies still being shipped to the island were put to use in the construction of war ships, but there might have been ulterior uses hidden from their view.

Beside her, Mu's hands were almost drawing blood from his own palms. Rari and Kari were both looking down, and she couldn't help notice the streaming tear coming down Rari's face. Benn Beckman was watching many places at once from within the brush, and Rainbow, who had volunteered to go along with Applejack to get another angle, was making eye contact. Twilight turned her attention were it was being directed.

In the middle of the run down street, full of debris, stood a tall man with a scar running over his eye, longer and deeper than the small scars Shanks bore. Other than that, his image was impeccable, a clean suit and tie, trimmed hair and excellent posture. it was almost as though a mannequin had inserted itself into a human dream. All the same, he had a glare in his eyes, a glare that made Twilight afraid.

"He's the one," Mu accused.

"The one?" Beckman repeated.

"The man who drove us out. The man who dragged our families away screaming in the fiery night. He reports right to Fisher himself," Mu explained.

"I doubt it's as simple as getting to him to get to Fisher though, right?" Twilight asked.

"The way I see it, we won't draw Fisher out until we make enough of a fuss. We three haven't been able to do that yet....but with you lot with us..."

"I can pound him into the dirt," Beckman stated flatly.

"That's good, saves us from having to be pounded in the dirt!" Kari piped in with a slight cheer.

"Quiet..." Mu simmered, though he did not retaliate physically.

"We should probably go to town on those warships too," Rari added.

"Watch the language there," Mu scolded with as much restraint.

"We shouldn't have much of a hard time with that," Twilight offered, "but maybe we could save one...for us?"

"Agreed," The three said in unison.

"So we'll strike tonight?" Twilight asked.

"That works, I need to report back to Shanks," Beckman said.

"OK, it's a plan. A couple hours after dark, we strike!" Mu announced eagerly.

---

News was that Jewelry Bonny fled town that very same night the wandering man had appeared. That suited him just fine, too much commotion wouldn't do. No point in getting all worked up about the past. Really she should thank him, but oh well. What could one expect of these Supernova youngsters?

He was due to move out the next day, but then he received word of a delay in the form of two young men he knew worked for Red Hair. No use slugging it out in the wild waiting for his new students. So long as everything stayed quiet it would actually be nice. He could spin some story over the transponder snail later on.

And so he found himself laying on a reclining chair, under the bright sun, enjoying the calm buzzing of silence. He would hear in very hushed tones the amazement of passerbyes, but he was not truly bothered until the sun was at its highest point above him. A different sort of man came with the noon heat.

"You...are worth a lot of money, aren't you?"

"Am I?"

"That's right...and seeing as you've practically gifted yourself to me...."

"You wanna fight with me? Not really in the mood."

"You're strong, I know, but so am I, and I'm not alone."

"......Weren't you with Jewelry Bonney last night?"

"She's a coward, but I'm not. We'll take you on and get that bounty reward!"

The reclining man noticed he was indeed surrounded by thugs, each one with a weapon in hand. The man speaking with him curled a large fist and grunted lowly as it lit up red like fire, then turned black as a cannon ball.

"Oh ho. Haki, huh?"

"Surrender or we'll pound you into the dirt."

"You know who I am you say. Then you know this isn't too bright."

"It doesn't matter what you were, what you are now is in trouble!"

---

Night had fallen, and with it came a lush tropical wind. Fisher's new domain was decently lit by candle and lantern and the occasional bonfire for the perimeter guards to keep warm by. The group of attackers was to be headed up by Twilight and Benn Beckman; Shanks himself had volunteered to investigate, but rumors of the Navy nearby had drawn him away. Some of their men had accompanied him, but most were remaining with the ship. As of now, it was still undetected, but with both captains away, leaving it sit would not do.

The plans had been forged, the patterns of the enemy exposed and studied. Fisher's Lieutenant was, according to the trio, going to be in a meeting at the shipyards tonight. It was the perfect time to take two birds with a single stone, wipe out the warships and capture Fisher's right hand. Ideally, they were to head out as the meeting was commencing and proceed with the ambush when the Lt. was on his way out.

So, as they crawled through the brush and hid within the shadows under the crescent moon, they waited. Everything was going well, the meeting was underway and the figures inside had settled at a table, none of the guard patrols had come close to spotting them. It could not have been a more ideal situation until a dark presence made itself known; was it Fisher himself?

The small dread and anxiety Twilight felt before every challenge had welled up in full force; she hadn't felt this bad since Shanks introduced her to the power of his Conquering King's Haki. She felt cold above all else. The only small relief was short lived: It was not just her, Rainbow and Applejack and even Benn Beckman were shaking themselves, breathing deeply, shivering, rubbing their eyes, or holding their stomachs.

Mu, Rari, and Kari had all fallen down and were unconscious; was it Conqueror's Haki after all? Who could have it to such a degree of potency? Just what was hiding in the dark with them, and how long could they take it? Others were already falling down. Twilight fell into the damp earth and wretched several times. Benn Beckman, who was taking this attack the best, was almost on his knees.

"Get away..." he muttered, and stumbled into a nearby tree trunk.

Twilight fought to move herself, and she slowly rose, but others did not fare as well; Rainbow was out now too, and Applejack was crawling out towards the beaches. Shaky step after shaky step took Twilight farther than most, but now her vision was going past the triple, and she hit something that felt like the ground, but by her eyes could not possibly be. Either way, a darkness was coming over her, and it seemed the island itself was being torn away as something far more nefarious was put in its place.

Yet when she was up, she was surrounded by friends inside the ship.

"Are you OK?" Fluttershy asked, rubbing a wet towel across her captain's forehead.

"I'm not sure....I have no idea what happened," Twilight recalled and adjusted to the brightness of the doctor's cabin, "but my head hurts."

"Well you're the first to wake from the group who went to the town," Rarity reported, "I'll have Pinkie bring something to help."

Twilight near shuddered at the thought of what Pinkie Pie would prescribe for a headache this bad. But there were more pressing matters at hoof for the moment.

"What about the town? About Fisher and his men?"

"No one is quite sure," said Fluttershy, "we were barely able to get you and the others away. Something awful is happening there."

As she recollected herself, Twilight found that although the more crippling symptoms were gone, she still felt that underlying dread, pressing against her willpower to once more overtake her. Something awful indeed. Perhaps Fisher himself was there, perhaps he had somehow found out everything; mayhaps he even spread the word about the Navy being around to divide them. On the other side of the token, they had no idea who he was or what he looked like or what his goals were or how we would go about them. All they had was a name.

"Twilight!"

Spike and Pinkie Pie and Rarity had all come through the door, and the dread within was contained a bit more; the darkness did not reach this far away, yet.

"This should bring you back to speed!" Pinkie announced happily, only after Twilight started drinking did she add in the disclaimer: "If you only drink a few sips!"

Twilight took the cup away immediately, gagging on the overly sweet drink inside. It was almost as bad as Pinkie's lemonade, which was about as lethal to your sleeping habits as a dragon was to straw in any amount more than a cup.

"Thanks," She said, placing the cup on the stand beside the bed; she was here so often she got deja vu standing back up.

"You were out almost all night!" Spike exclaimed, unable to hold it in any longer.

"Was I?" She asked, recalling how long she had been unconscious the last time she faced down the Conqueror's Haki.

They reviewed what they knew and moved up to the deck, watching the sun slowly come up from under the waters. Something odd was pecking at Twilight's mind the entire conversation, but she never gave it too much attention. With the matters of the innocents harmed by Fisher and his designs, and their current predicament of not being able to approach the island, and the fact that many of them were out of commission at the moment took up all her focus. Still, she always felt it there, pecking away and trying to be discerned among the mass of data dropped into her hooves.

"What can we do about waking the others?" She changed the subject after a brief quiet.

"Give them some of Pinkie's 'up-to-speed drink'?" Fluttershy suggested.

"They can't drink anything though, and besides, it's even more potent in injection form...they might never sleep again," Pinkie warned.

"It comes in a shot too?" Rarity asked for clarity.

"Aside from that," Twilight took back the focus of the conversation, "We really need all hooves on deck. As soon as we're spotted, we'll be in big trouble."

Another brief pause gave her the chance to close her eyes and run through a possibility, but the deafening silence her friends were giving made it harder to concentrate on her idea, and besides that, the anxiety inside was welling up faster now. She knew why when she opened her eyes.

"I think it's too late for that!" Fluttershy cried and pointed to the horizon, where a slew of Navy ships were coming in with the golden glimmer of the morning sun.

"The rumors were true..." Twilight muttered in horror, "The Navy is here."

She counted at least six ships, all filled with soldiers to the brim, and speeding at their vessel. Whether or not they had come for Twilight and her friends or for Fisher was inconsequential now: they were here, and would attempt to subdue or kill them all. Her fear broke through her will when she heard the shout from a pony in the crow's nest.

"Three more in the rear....including Vice Admiral Smoker's ship! And.........and..."

She flew up to meet him, her heart already racing for their ill equipped battle in front of them, "And what?" She demanded.

The terrified pony closed his eyes and whispered the rest: "And...there's an Admiral's vessel in the center."

The chill was back, and Twilight felt the tears of duress well up in her eyes. She landed shakily and breathed with long, deep, inhales and short, bursting exhales. She closed her eyes and shook her head and felt the choke in her voice as she rallied her crew; what else could a captain due in such a situation?

"We have to..."

All the other words died before they made it out. What did they have to do? What could they do? Twilight was a shaky match against a Vice-Admiral, what could a full Admiral do to them at their current, broken strength?

"We have to do whatever we can!" She shouted, "no matter what happens, protect the ship and our friends. If worse comes to worst, surrender!"

There was absolute quiet as the dread in her exploded and found the others. There was nothing else to say, except the most important thing: "NO MATTER WHAT...STAY ALIVE!!!"

As they braced themselves, the enemy's voice rang out over the small divide between them.

"Equestrian Pirates! Surrender yourselves to the justice of the World Government! If you lay down your arms now, we will only execute your captain!"

Twilight had a hard time swallowing those words....so she was wanted DEAD, not ALIVE...and surrendering would not change that.

Pinkie shouted back, "WE'D NEVER!"

"....Then prepare for the wrath of the Marines...as dispensed by the Admiral himself!"

Fear was broken by joy for a small, fleeting moment, and Twilight looked upon her friends with tears. Her words were expected, but not needed. They would always fight when needed, and they would never sell her out. Somehow, in all this mess of adventure, she had almost forgotten. She took up swords with her magic as the cannon balls blasted at them.

Smoker was the first enemy aboard, flying overhead and darting right to Twilight. His jitte burned and solidified to black and one of Twilight's swords was blown right over the side, while the other went to offense, swiping at his form but batted away each time by his haki-empowered weapon. They broke off and before they could come to blows again, Pinkie went wild with her mallet, and spike let out a true battle cry as his whole right arm expanded exponentially, aging hundreds of years in seconds.

The giant claws could have broken the ship in half, but Spike was careful only to swipe at the marine. His new power was awe-worthy, and gave Twilight pride, and hope of coming out of this encounter alright.

For his part, Smoker disbanded his body into his namesake and shot himself over to take out the source, when Spike roared again and his arm was de-aged at an incredible rate, while his head grew larger, his teeth sharper, and his eyes massive and anger-filled. It was frightening to see him swallow the Marine whole, but as other marines climbed aboard, her attention was split.

The woman Tashigi found her, and brought her sword to bare, flying in like a shooting star, clashing blades with Twilight in a fierce encounter; once her speed was slowed down, however, she became easier to manage, and Twilight pushed her aside with a wave of magic. A little more swordplay left Twilight in a position to blast her right back to the ship she came from, but Smoker had fought his way out of Spike's massive jaws.

He took the jitte and smashed it into Spike's throat while his head reverted to its original state, and the dragon spit blood.

Twilight moved to fly to him, but she found herself completely trapped as another marine woman extended black cages from her arms.

"Hina has you now! There is no escape!"

Try as she might, Twilight could not shake the cage around her, and the struggle was rapidly wearing her out. The cage shot back to Hina's arms and Twilight received a hard punch in the muzzle, but the restraints stayed firmly around her. She lit up her horn and fired a suction spell, almost a black hole to suck in the enemy; many marines were caught, but Smoker and Hina were not among them.

"Get away from her!" Pinkie screamed, slugging the mallet at Hina and knocking her down, but not taking the restraints away. Twilight redoubled her efforts to break through the cage, but freezing, shattering, and heating did not work. All the while, Spike was knocked down and chained up by Smoker. Yet still more marines flowed onto the ship, now lit ablaze by cannon fire.

Where was he? Now was the time he was supposed to show up, wasn't it? Why wasn't Shanks here? Wasn't he supposed to find the Navy before the Navy found them? Why was this happening now of all times, while he was MIA?

While Pinkie Pie and Hina squared off, Smoker turned his attention to Twilight as a subordinate grabbed the captive Spike, crying out for help in the sea-stone chains around him. What to do now?

Heating didn't work, freezing had no effect. No vibrations or strength could seem to shake them off, but there had to be a way. Changing the matter would never work before Smoker got her neck between his jitte, there was something that had to be done NOW.

Almost by instinct she used her magic, and knew that the answer was expansion. She picked up on it from Spike, no doubt, but did not consciously process the idea until the pressure was too great. She expanded the material and increased its size so that she slipped right through the bindings. Her shield cracked but held under Smoker's onslaught.

"You're mine!" He assured her, whacking away with ferocity.

"Give Spike back!" She returned summoning the jitte she had stolen from him and battling it out with sea stone, which would be more effective against him than her, though he was more skilled with it. No matter what, though, she could not lose. Not until Shanks came to save the day.

"He's in the hands of justice now, and soon you will be too," Smoker said amidst the ringing of the same metal fighting itself.

She managed to land a blow on his leg, but his arm was already mid-flight, and whirled around her backside, breaking her shield and catching her on the back of the head. His fist wrapped around her throat the exact same way it had when they first met each other and she knew it was almost over for her, when a miracle happened.

"No!" A shaky voice called, and a black leg swept across the White Hunter's face, blowing him away.

"Applejack!" Twilight called gladly.

The former farm-pony helped her friend and captain back to her feet, "I reckon I couldn't lay idle while the rest of y'all fought for our lives. Let's do this!"

"You're really sure you're up to this?" Twilight felt required to ask.

"I have to be, so let's get it done!"

"Alright!"

They re-entered the chaos of war atop the burning deck, and somehow hope took root and flourished. It surely wouldn't be long until Rainbow was up too, and then Benn Beckman and the others, and by then Shanks must surely be back for them. Marine after marine fell to them, until they found Hina and Pinkie, still struggling with each other.

The mallet flew high but was dodged, swept low but was backed away from, and went right to the marine's face, but never came back. The cage tendrils erupted once more from Hina's hands and wrapped around the hammer, which was discarded and Pinkie now open to attack; the kick-strike combination from AJ and Twilight's jitte saved the pink pony, and they formed a trio as Smoker found them all again. He had blood leaking from his nose and scuff marks on his face, but overall was simply more angry.

But three-on-one was an advantage for them. They were actually beginning to hold the Navy off. Smoker's weapon rang against Twilights, he avoided Applejack's kick, let the mallet fly through him, but could not land the blow on the party pony. They traded blows, one after the other, but slowly the ponies made ground while Smoker did not, save for one blow to the side of the head on Twilight. He was beaten back but not subdued by Pinkie and Applejack.

But as she rose, Twilight found a new horror. The nagging sensation that had been nipping at her mind the whole time finally revealed itself. Amidst the cries and clashes of battle, she discovered a frightening reality; there were no humans fighting with them. They had disappeared. The Red Force was here, everything seemed to be as it was, but all the Red Hair pirates were gone.

Ponies were being beaten and killed, but only marines bled and burned as humans. Where were Yasopp and Lucky Roo and Rockstar? What happened to Benn Beckman, and where had Shanks gone? All around her the defenders were ponies, each and every one, and they were badly outmatched, she found, as the Admiral strolled onto the deck. His jacket, worn like a cape, fluttered in the morning battle breeze.

His sword was unsheathed, his words commanded the attention of everyone, most especially Twilight, whose entire world was crumbling around her at the sight of him.

"Listen up," The Admiral commanded with a quiet and powerful voice, "this battle is over. You pirates are beaten, if you need me to prove it I will. Your ship is burning, some of your comrades are already in chains aboard our ships. You have exhausted yourselves while we have men fresh and waiting to fight. I will see Justice served today. Twilight Sparkle, as Captain of this pirate crew, will be executed publicly and the rest of you will be sent to Impel Down to serve your sentences. Your days of running amok in defiance of the World Government are over."

Twilight was weeping, disbelief and extreme terror overtaking her all at once. This could not be, and yet here it was. The one-armed Admiral. Red Hair himself. Shanks.

"We....we won't be swayed! We'll fight till the end!" Applejack shouted at the man who was somehow totally unfamiliar to her.

"I'm sure you will," Admiral Shanks said in cold return, "So let's make this the end."

Twilight braced herself as best she possibly could, but there was no getting over this nightmare come true. There was no defense to this power that was so very, very far beyond hers. With a single blast of his Conquering King's Haki, the Red Haired Admiral knocked them all out, and Twilight could practically feel the chains around her as everything went to black.

---

Sure enough, the chains were there when she awoke. It didn't matter though. Of all the things to ponder and feel sorrow and anger and confusion about, some binding was very low on the list indeed. So much was wrong with it all it defied her sense of everything.

The aftermath had broken Twilight. Everything she thought she knew was a lie. Vice Admiral Benn Beckman and Rear Admiral Yasopp watched her constantly, while her friends and crew were left to the devices of these marines, headed by Admiral Shanks, who had announced over the ship that Enies Lobby was half a day's travel away, and from there the crew would be taken to Impel Down and their imprisonment; Twilight would not be accompanying them, for headless pirates served no purpose in prison.

The pains of it all were numerous. Firstly, there was no justice in this, they had committed no crimes of piracy, only protected and aided those who asked while searching for their home's ensured safety. All the ponies that had died in the name of "justice" and all those who would, were blood on her conscience, not that she would have it any longer than her life.

Then there was the fact that Shanks had beaten them like the insignificant pirates they were, with a thought and a glance. From the first moment they had met no matter what he had told her and no matter how much she tried to like and admire him, she was always wary of him. His power was too immense to be trusted, she knew.

Fisher had been forgotten, left to stew in his vile plans; all that mattered was that Twilight and her friends were captured, taken off to be dealt with like the great menace they were. What a disgrace! What a shameful world! When those charged with protecting society call evil good and good evil, there was no place for individuals who were good. And so, Twilight must be executed, her friends must rot away over the years in an inhumane environment surrounded by true monsters.

All she could ask was how it had turned out so wrong.

"How? Why? What happened!?" She demanded of the Admiral as he escorted her off the ship.

"Keep walking," he told her.

"I thought-"

"I said be quiet."

"NO!"

The guards escorting her in chains kept the brisk pace until Shanks turned.

"Words won't change anything now. It's time to accept the truth of the world. Pirates are evil, and must be punished."

"I'm no pirate. I've never been a pirate!" She shouted as they moved onwards toward the execution stand.

"Going mad won't get you out of this one," Shanks told her calmly.

"I'm not mad! I'm not crazy! Everything is all wrong! This isn't how things are supposed to be! STOP! STOOOOP!!!"

As they climbed the stairs, she attempted multiple times to escape, but running was futile and struggling made them yank her along harder. She fought them as best she could, but they were still moving up towards the stand all to quickly. The transponder snails on the other side of the platform were running and she saw the red spray as the pirate in front of her was dealt the justice of the World Government.

"STOP! THIS ISN'T RIGHT! THINGS ARE DIFFERENT! THIS IS ALL WRONG! HELP ME! CELESTIA, HELP ME!!!!"

"Twilight Sparkle, captain of the Equestrian Pirates, wanted dead by the World Government, bounty of 340,000,000 berries. Captured by Admiral Shanks."

"PLEASE! PLEASE TELL ME SOMETHING OF THE TRUTH REMAINS!! THIS CAN'T BE REAL!"

The guard went on, "Twilight Sparke, for your crimes against the world and the World Government, including but not limited to murder, plunder, assault, property damages, and willful rebellion against all established laws, you are hereby stripped of any and all rights you once possessed. You are now sentenced to die."

The words would no longer come, but she cried deeply and loudly, and struggled against the chains with all her worth, but it was never enough. She looked him in the eyes as the order was given and the swords were raised. Shanks. He was no Celestia, no true leader, no friend of any kind. He was filth worse than Discord, Nightmare Moon, Sombra, Tirek, or any of the rest.

And yet his eyes were not monstrous like theirs. They were a different sort of evil. A grim embrace of the world of pirates and marines, both containing men and women in their numbers who would sell you over to the Reaper himself for a good enough reason in their heads. Had it all been a lie before she found herself here? Was there anything left in the world that was ---------

The next name was called promptly, and the Admiral Shanks stepped away to speak with his cohorts.

Author's Note:

Wow....this was seriously delayed, and for that I apologize. Things got real hectic and overbearing in life, and I was putting work into other fics on other sites, not to mention putting hours and hours into playing my latest addiction: Overwatch.

That said, I love One Piece and I knew I had to get back to this, so I apologize again for the late update, this has not been forgotten!

Kind of a weird chapter, huh? I actually was going to do a one-shot about Shanks as an Admiral some time ago, but it never panned out. I thought since it fit so nicely with the story going on here at the moment, I'd just throw it in.

Thank you for reading! Much love! Next chapter will hopefully be out sooner than a month later...

-TBK

Comments

[Daxen123]

What the fuck just happened?
Illusion devil fruit?

[Theblondeknight]

7681114 What indeed...?

[PetuTheViewer]

No offence to you but these nightmare chapters and plotlines are somewhat of a sore spot for me.
I have read enough of them, that when a chapter starts promisingly and then halfway through I actually figure out it's one of those plots, it just pisses me off. Sorry but it's one of the many cliches that I would happily see dead and buried.

[Theblondeknight]

7693096 Well I appreciate that feedback. Maybe my gravitation towards it comes from Naruto (Itachi has long been my favorite character) and I feel it fits an anime setting. Maybe its because many writers use it. Oh well, we all love and hate things, and I'm certainly glad to see you've stuck with this story so far, I hope you continue on with me.

Either way, thanks for the review, I always love to read what the readers think of my work.

[PetuTheViewer]

7694439 Yeah, my comment was not meant as a criticism of your writing in general. Your writing in this story has been of a rather high standard, especially for an anime crossover (their reputation in terms of writing quality is almost as bad as the displaced was at its worst), but rather just this one plotline.

I will keep reading this as the quality so far has been so good and the ending of this chapter did hint at the plotline being done with.

As for the reason for my dislike of this nightmare plotline. It might at least partially come from how I view mind-control etc. As in it is one of the worst things you can do to a another sapient. I view it as a form of rape and in someways worse than any physical rape can be. Someone who has been mind-controlled like that can never truly know they are free of the control again. Whoever controlled them might just be giving them false hope for their own sick satisfaction. For example, how is Twilight going to be able to make sure that when she wakes up it isn't just the start of another similar nightmare? Whatever is giving her the nightmares could just be making any scan spells she uses to give false negatives etc.

[Theblondeknight]

7695473 Well that's reassuring, my ego and I appreciate that.

I too put a high value on personal freedom, and I think this works because one of the main goals of many characters in OP is to be truly free. It just makes this power all the more deadly.

But I know exactly where you're coming from, me, I can't stands it when a character has their power stolen/temporarily locked away/what have you. Just feels so disrespectful...