A/N:
" ": Dialogue,
' ': Thought,
[ ]: System, Akasha, Minerva,
"Italicized text": Telepathy,
| |: Artificial Intelligence,
{ }: Bounty Posters & News Headlines,
"Bold text": Deathborns.
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Narrator POV
All over the world, a large majority of the Marines were scrambled and sent out with one directive – find and rescue the now missing World Nobles. Under the orders of the Gorosei, Fleet Admiral Sengoku also put out a bounty for Dante, with only his appearance as he remembered it being a clue for any who'd search for him. But as the singular crime that he had committed was so severe in the eyes of the law, Dante's bounty was elevated to an insane degree.
{???. Wanted Dead or Alive. 7,750,000,000 Beri}
While the price was definitely jarring for someone's first ever bounty, the inability of the Marines to even place a name for him shook everyone who looked at the posters. But his singular crime, which was listed on his posters immediately turned off those who had been interested in the bounty, as they felt that someone who could so very easily abduct so many World Nobles simultaneously was not only powerful, but also, in their opinion, insane beyond any form of reason, and they weren't about to risk their lives against someone like that. Not to mention, it was also the absolute highest bounty ever placed on anybody in recorded or erased history.
Naturally, this meant that the task of looking for Dante also fell on the shoulders of the Marines, and this caused the already heavy weight on Sengoku's back to increase. With them unable to identify Dante or anyone that he could have been involved with, save for Kuma, they had very little to work with. The higher-ups of the Marines tried working with 'Big News' Morgans to find out whatever they could about Dante, but were shocked to find that even he had no information.
This was truly shocking for them, as most, if not all information that would reach the public passed through Morgans first. It also caused chills to run down their spines, as they began to understand that the only reason they had an image of Dante's actual face was because he allowed them to. They also understood that they would very likely never find the World Nobles that had gone missing.
The only relief that they could get from the situation was that very few of the living World Nobles were left alone, with the only commonality amongst them being that they either didn't enslave others, or that they actively tried to improve the lives of those that were under their care, with the most notable of them being Donquixote Mjosgard. It was the tiny silver lining in this dark, cloudy time.
…
Location: Grand Line, Paradise, Open Ocean
In the more hostile of the two IDs that Dante had created, the World Nobles were going through hell. They were all sent to different parts of the island that served as their prison when Dante abducted them, and so experienced different kinds of torment, even without the Deathborn Elves chasing them down.
Those that dropped in the tundra biome had their skin flayed by the ice shards and speedy winds, and died from hypothermia so extreme that their corpses had entirely frozen, becoming more ice than anything else. Sometimes, there were flashes of power that intensified the cold and the winds, which could end up causing icicles to fly and impale those that were unfortunate enough to be caught in them. Other times, there were avalanches that carried tons of snow and solid ice, that either buried the World Nobles in said snow, or killed them with sheer bludgeoning force.
Those that dropped in the miasma biome prayed for a chance to breathe clean air, as the fumes of the land were so caustic and corrosive that the helmets that they normally wore over their heads had been broken down, leaving their heads exposed. The corruptive air infiltrated their bodies, necrosing their tissues and making them die slow, agonizing deaths. The corrosive pools that were littered across the biome were death traps that would melt anyone caught in them down, not even leaving bone.
Those that ended up in the volcanic biome felt like they were thrown into an inexhaustible inferno. The land here was modeled after the Middle Stratum of the Great Elroe Labyrinth, and made to have an even more hostile environment, without the presence of monsters. The heat from the ground melted their shoes and burnt the skin of their feet. And if they didn't keep their feet off the ground for long enough, the heat would eventually reach their bones, causing them to fall and eventually get cooked by the land itself.
The air was so hot, it fractured their helmets and got into their noses, making them feel like their lungs were being directly attacked by fire. And if any of them was clumsy enough to fall into the magma, they would be incinerated, not even leaving ashes behind. The heat made them severely dehydrated, as it would cause them to sweat most of their moisture out and it would vaporize almost instantly, so quite a lot of them had lost their lives to the environment.
The World Nobles in the jungle biome had a similarly horrific experience, as many of the plants were actively carnivorous, leading to many of them being eaten by inhuman maws, which was a horrifying death in its own right. Some were caught by roots and vines that mercilessly drained their bodies for nutrients, and others in their hunger, were lured by the smell of delectable food, only to suddenly end up in a vat of acid that dissolved their bodies. If it wasn't clear to them before, it was now – this land was made to kill humans.
All of this was before the torment that they suffered at the hands, blades, magic and arrows of the Deathborn Elves was even considered. Even in death, the habits of the Elves never left them, as they played around with and tormented their prey, wanting them to fall into despair before ending their lives. Dante had told them to hunt down the World Nobles however they wished, and they had taken to it with sadistic glee.
This was possible because upon entering the land within this ID, every single World Noble was entrapped in the cycle of death and respawning that Dante had imposed onto it, meaning that every single one of them had died multiple times, with no hope of escape in sight. For some of them, the pain had driven them mad, making it so that even if they somehow did escape, they wouldn't be able to live as members of society in any degree.
Meanwhile, over in the hospitable ID, the former slaves had been healed of all the wounds and mutilations that had been inflicted upon them by the World Nobles throughout their enslavement. Dante had placed a clone of his to educate the on the truths of the world that the World Government had hidden, as well as helping those that were born into slavery shed the mindset of a slave that had been forced onto them by the World Nobles.
They had their every need provided, giving them their much-deserved respite from the evils of the World Nobles. Since none of the people here, regardless of their race, were actually maligned, the community that they had formed was peaceful and harmonious. It was a situation at the extreme opposite of the World Nobles' experience, giving the impression of heaven and hell.
Meanwhile, on the deck of the ship, Kuma, Ginny and Bonney were standing right beside Shiraori and Saya, seemingly getting ready to move away. "So, I deal with the Revolutionary Army, and you deal with the Emperors." Shiraori said to Dante, who was flipping through a book. "Yup. But it's really only Eddie and Shanks. I'll take care of Charlotte and Kaido later, maybe even take their Devil Fruits to see how they'd be in someone else's hands." He said, then closed the book.
"You two have fun alright, but not too much." He said as he placed a soft kiss on his wife's lips and a peck on his daughter's head. A second later, Shiraori, along with Saya, Kuma, Ginny and Bonney, vanished from the Leviathan's deck. Dante looked at the IDs, lightly tapped the one with the World Nobles, causing it to ripple, then vanished from the deck as well.
…
Location: Grand Line, New World, Open Ocean
The Moby Dick is the flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates' Grand Fleet, as well as their main ship. Being the ship of one of the Yonkō, seeing it in any part of the sea was something that almost no one wanted to experience, as it would most likely be a precursor to the destruction of their ship. At least, that was what the masses had been led to believe.
Edward Newgate, or as he was more commonly known, Whitebeard, didn't care much for the way he was seen by the masses, as he treated the members of his crew, as well as the allies under him, as his own family. He had sailed the seas for almost 5 decades, even being one of the very few people who could rival Gol D. Roger in his heyday. He had consumed one of the most powerful and destructive Devil Fruits, and mastered its use, only short of its awakening.
His achievements were great enough that the opinions of those he viewed as rabble were treated as nothing more than a passing breeze. He only cared for those that were under his care, and those who cared for him. Anything else held no importance to him. Not the members of other Yonkō pirate crews, not the members of the World Government, nor the members of the Marines, save for Monkey D. Garp.
But every once in a while, something or someone would draw his interest. A few weeks ago, it was the pirate now known as Straw Hat Luffy, who he learned was the younger brother of Portgas D. Ace, who was one of his own. Now, there was this unknown person who had seemingly abducted so many of the World Nobles in one fell swoop. In all his years as a pirate, he had never come across a Devil Fruit or ability that was capable of this. Not even when he was still a member of Rocks' crew. So, despite his regular apathy towards other things, this particular person had truly piqued his interest.
What he hadn't expected, though, was that very person suddenly appearing on the deck of the Moby Dick, right in front of him. In his eyes, the man was quite short, standing at only a few inches shorter than 7 feet, but his Observation Haki told him something entirely different. This man, with his uncomfortably perfect appearance, felt like a monster unlike anything he had ever come across. Even Rocks and the other powerful pirates of that period felt unbelievably tiny when compared to this man. Whitebeard's senses were taut with caution, not wanting to miss any possible attacks that the man may make.
"Perfect Cure. Rejuvenation." The man said, and Whitebeard suddenly felt his body… heal. The damage that came with his lifestyle and the battles he had fought throughout his life was seemingly being erased. The nurses who ceaselessly monitored his health were shocked, as they saw his vitals improve, and most of the apparatuses that were used to lessen the effect of the damage to his body fell off him.
"Gurararararara!!" Whitebeard laughed loudly. "This is quite a gift to bring for a greeting. Who are you?" He asked the man. "The name's Dante Invictus. You could say that I wanted to meet up with you to talk about… your sons." The man, Dante said, then snapped his fingers. As the snap sounded, two familiar figures suddenly appeared on the deck. One of them a confused, but battle-ready Ace, and the other a scraggly, disheveled Teach.
"Huh? What the?!" Ace said, confused as to how he was suddenly back on the Moby Dick. As his head swiveled around, Teach eventually came into his sights, and his anger flared vehemently. "You bastard!!" He shouted as he turned his right arm into flames and charged at Teach, ready to kill him, only for the flames to revert to his regular arm. Even with this, Ace didn't stop charging towards Teach, as he was intent on beating the man to death.
Right as he reached Teach, he suddenly found himself on the other side of the deck, far away from the former holder of the Yami Yami no Mi. As his mind reeled in confusion, Ace found himself back in front of Teach once more. While he definitely wanted to beat Teach, he decided that finding out whatever was causing this strange phenomenon was a greater priority.
"You know, I don't know if I should call you shrewd or magnanimous, Eddie. You went ahead and adopted the biological sons of both your rival and your former captain. And you haven't once told either of them about their fathers as you knew them." Dante said, as he sat down and created two bowls large enough to hold 300 liters of fluid. The other members of the Whitebeard Pirates began murmuring amongst themselves, wondering who Dante was referring to.
"Ehh, their fathers' pasts shouldn't be their burdens to carry, so there's no point in telling them." Whitebeard said, watching Dante pour out what smelled like wine from a pitcher that didn't seem to exhaust its contents into the bowls. "I feel the same way as you, Eddie. But unfortunately, the rest of the world doesn't see it the same way we do, mostly thanks to the World Government. So, while choosing to not burden them with their fathers' legacies is kind, not letting them know of the danger they face in the world because of their fathers is cruel to them, whether done inadvertently or not." Dante responded, handing over one full bowl to Whitebeard, then filling the other.
"Hey, Pops! What the hell is this guy talking about? And who the hell is he, anyway?" Ace asked, feeling like he should be involved in the conversation between the two white-haired men. "Hello, Ace. I've been wanting to meet you ever since Luffy left for Skypeia. I got a reason to do that since I wanted to visit this guy." He said while pointing at Whitebeard, and returned the pitcher into his inventory.
"Wait, you've met Luffy?" Ace asked, but was suddenly interrupted by a shriek. "Stay away!!! Stay away from me!!! Why'd you come after me again you monster?!!" Teach shouted as he backed away from Dante in terror. "Hello, Teach. Don't worry, I know I said that Ace would be the one to take you out, and I don't plan to change that. But I feel that both of you should have a bit of a history lesson." Dante said, then lightly waved his hand, putting Ace and Teach in large, comfortable sofas.
"Tell me, Ace. What do you actually know about Roger, beyond what the World Government has given to the public, of course?" Dante asked Ace, who was ready to berate the late King of Pirates, until he heard the latter part of Dante's question. "What do you mean, 'what the World Government gave to the public'?" Ace asked. "Hmm. So, nothing." Dante said, having received his answer.
"Teach, what do you know about your father?" He asked the large, round-bellied man, who flinched in fear. "I… I… I… I didn't know my father." Teach mumbled out, his voice quaking with fear. "Hmm. Well, it's time you two actually learned about your fathers, as well as the pirates of their time, and how piracy became the way it is now." Dante said, but rather than jump into a long tirade explaining the time period, he simply funneled the information into their minds.
Ace saw the life of Gol D. Roger, from his first days of piracy all the way until the day he was executed. Teach saw the life of Rocks D. Xebec, from the day he first set sail until the day he died at the end of the God Valley incident. The pair saw their fathers' lives unfold, with ambition, chaos, revelry, battle, and more filling their days. They saw the events of the God Valley incident take place, until the last pirate fled the place.
Ace saw Shanks be adopted by the Roger Pirates, and he saw the beginnings of the man who was known to the world as the World's Worst Criminal, Monkey D. Dragon, Luffy's biological father. Teach saw his father build his crew through Davy Back Fights, even having Whitebeard and Big Mom as his crew members as a result of him winning ones against them. He saw his father's friendship with the late King of Elbaf, Harald. And most impactful to him were the final moments of his father, who had his body and mind taken over by Imu, the head of the World Government, and was used to try and kill all the pirates and Marines present in God Valley.
As the information settled in their minds, the two shook, feeling that everything they thought they knew was nothing more than a well-fabricated lie. After all, it had deceived them and the world at large for so long. Whitebeard saw the light of realization in their eyes and sighed, knowing that the pair had now become more likely to go down a road of vengeance than simply continue living as pirates, no matter how high-profile they were.
"Well, leaving those two behind, how satisfied are you with the Gura Gura no Mi, Eddie?" Dante asked, now looking back to Whitebeard. "Heh, it's been working pretty well for me for the past forty-odd years. Why do you ask?" Whitebeard said, wrapping his hands in the signature vibrations that his Devil Fruit had granted him. "Well, what if I could give you one that fitted you more, and was by no means less powerful?" Dante asked, his voice giving off the feeling of a tempting devil.
"What if I could take out the Gura Gura no Mi and give you the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu?" He said, and Whitebeard's eyes flashed with recognition at the second Devil Fruit he named. "And what makes you think that you can defeat Kaido, let alone kill him and take his Devil Fruit?" Whitebeard asked, despite the pressure that he felt from Dante. He could feel that Dante was far more powerful than Rocks when he was alive, but he hadn't had any interactions with Kaido for years, ever since he took over Wano eighteen years ago, so he couldn't be entirely sure that his former crewmate hadn't surpassed their captain.
"That bit of pressure that you feel from me… that's what I've allowed your feeble senses to grasp, Eddie. If I wanted to, I could just kill Linlin and Kaido from here, with nothing but a wave of my hand. But their own karma will come soon." Dante said, and Whitebeard immediately felt his spine chill. The pressure he felt from Dante had vanished from his senses, yet his sense of danger was blaring in his head, telling him to do anything but attack, or he'd die.
"I believe you understand now." Dante said with a smile, and Whitebeard nodded. Just as he did that, a shout went out once again. "I'm gonna kill you, you bastard!!" Ace shouted as he lunged at Teach, his flames flourishing around his body once more. Teach, still shaken by both Dante's presence and the knowledge that had just been bestowed on him, had his Observation Haki blare out a severe warning , but before he could dodge, the flames engulfed him, quickly scorching his skin before he could put up his Armament Haki in defense.
"Yo, Ace! Calm down! You'll get him, but wait for a bit." A sleepy-faced, blonde-haired man with some stubble on his chin said, turned his arms into wings made from blue flames, and pulled Ace away from Teach. "So, how are you gonna deal with that?" Dante asked Whitebeard. "That is for me to decide. But still, I thank you for your help." Whitebeard responded, his tone solemn. "All right, then. My offer still stands. By the way, Ace, your Striker is in the hold… And also, Sabo's alive." Dante said, then vanished an instant later.
Ace was shocked by yet another revelation, so much so that he had entirely put away his flames. He had so many questions that he wanted to ask, but the person he knew could give him answers was gone. He was overwhelmed by multiple emotions: rage at Teach for his murder of Thatch, shame and regret for treating his father and his legacy just how the World Government wanted, anger towards the World Government for deceiving him for so long, and happiness upon learning that his sworn brother that was long-thought dead was actually still alive. But over all of those, he was immensely grateful for Dante's actions today, and wasn't sure that he'd ever be able to repay him for this.
…
The Red Force, the ship used by the Red Hair Pirates, was smoothly bobbing with the ocean's waves, and the crew on the ship was partying as they often do, downing casks of alcohol and tearing through multiple kilograms of meat. They were heading over to Whitebeard for Shanks, their captain, to have a talk with him over some drinks, which were kept away from the crew's 'party stash'.
Under the noise of their revelry, Dante appeared right beside Shanks, his eyes moving back and forth as he looked at the faces of the crew members of the Red Hair Pirates. "It's fun, isn't it, Shanks?" He said, letting only the captain hear his voice. "Here's a small gift. You can thank me later." He said to Shanks, then grabbed the stump where his left arm used to be. Before Shanks could react, Dante cast a healing spell, causing his arm to regrow in a flash of light, and on the bicep of the newly grown arm was a tattoo.
The tattoo was of a circle with two bones placed in a plus that overlapped with it. This was what Dante had come to the Red Force for, the mark of a Shallows Covenant. He placed his hand over the mark, then pulled it off, his mind having already finished analyzing it, then vanished. Shanks, who had heard Dante's earlier words, looked around for the source of the voice, but found no one, only to feel something strange.
His left arm that he lost almost eleven years ago, the same arm he gave up to save Luffy, the same arm he sacrificed to cut himself of from Imu, was there, in pristine condition, and more than anything, it felt familiar, as if he had never lost it. His face went pale with fear as he pulled his sleeve up, then became relieved, as he didn't see the mark of the Covenant that had been placed upon him by Imu.
He didn't know who had done this or why they had done this, but he silently thanked them, even as his arm caught the attention of his crew members. While he was informed of the major things happening around the world, Shanks had the feeling that the world was soon about to experience that dawning of a new age. What that meant for the world, only time would tell.
…
OMAKE: The Funeral Doesn't Have To Be The End
Twenty-nine years have passed since the Hero Himmel's passing. The mage Frieren was accompanied by her friend's disciples, Fern and Stark, with the most recent addition to their party, gambling-addicted priest Sein, having separated from them. They were currently having a rest stop on the Offen Mountain Range, with Frieren continuing her trend of habitually long sleeps. Stark, who had finished his regular morning training, had returned to find that the two ladies were still asleep.
Taking it as them simply needing a bit more rest than usual, he busied himself preparing breakfast, but even after he was done, neither of them had come up from their sleeping positions. He checked on Fern and noticed that her face was flushed and sweaty. He immediately moved to wake Frieren, so that she could help him take care of Fern, who he had noticed was unwell. After some minutes of prodding, the thousand-year-old elf finally got up, and checked on Fern herself, while Stark went to fetch some water.
Some time later, as she was nursing Fern, she and Stark heard the sound of footsteps approaching their camp. The two went on guard, as they hadn't sensed anything until whoever or whatever it was had gotten close enough for them to hear, and they had no idea what its intentions were.
As the sound of footsteps got closer, the two saw a handsome, dark-skinned, white-haired man, a rare sight here in the north, and he was dressed in a red coat, white shirt, black pants, and black boots. "Hello. It seems that I didn't miss you guys." The man, Dante, said, then turned over to Fern. "Oh…" He began, then vanished. "… poor girl. That fever's really beating you up, huh?" His voice came from right beside their ill companion.
Frieren grabbed her staff and aimed it at him, a spell to incapacitate him already being woven as she turned, but froze as she saw Fern's condition improve. "There. Now, you shouldn't get ill for a while." He said, stepping away from Fern. "Don't worry yourselves so much. I mean you no harm." He said, then turned to Frieren. As she made eye contact with him, she went into a daze for a few seconds, then regained her bearings.
She put her staff down, then checked on Fern, who was still laying on the sleeping bag. Her temperature was back to normal, her skin had lost the sickly flush, and her breathing was now regular. "If you have truly healed her, then why's she not out of bed." Frieren asked, and before Dante spoke, she got her answer in the form of an audible growl, coming from Fern's stomach.
Some more time passed as they placated Fern's hunger, and the trio, now fed and well-rested, turned their undivided attention to the stranger that seemed to come out of nowhere. "How has a mage as powerful as yourself gone unnoticed? If nothing, at least, Serie would have known about you by now, but in all the time I've known her, she's never once mentioned someone like you." Frieren said, her mind momentarily going back to her encounter with Kraft.
"I'd be surprised if anyone even had an idea of my existence, given that I'm not from this world, but that's of little importance now, Frieren." Dante responded to her, glossing over what was without a doubt, an insanely impactful revelation. "You still miss him, don't you?" He said, and even without hearing any names, Frieren knew exactly who he was referring to. After all, only one man had left such an indelible mark in her mind, and that was none other than Himmel.
"What does it matter to you?" She asked, her hand tightening around her staff's shaft. "Well, let's say that there existed a magic to perfectly resurrect someone, would you use it to bring him back?" He asked her, and she went silent, unable to turn away from the fact that she deeply missed Himmel and would do almost anything to have him back. But at the same time, she felt like it would be… unfair to Heiter, who had also passed away.
"The fact that you can think of using such power for other people makes me believe that my choice won't be wrong." Dante said, then stood up, as if to leave. "Before you leave, go ahead and try visiting the Icicle Cherry Blossom Tree. I've left a nice gift for you there. It's the least that you deserve after all you've done for the world." He said, then abruptly vanished.
Understandably confused yet intrigued, Frieren, Stark and Fern all continued their adventure, exploring the Offen Mountain Range, all the while having their minds be occupied by the stranger's words. Stark reminded Frieren of the herbs they had planned to pick to help treat Fern's cold, and so the trio also picked medicinal herbs as they moved through the mountains.
They found a man living in a cabin deep in the mountains, and Frieren mentioned that the last time she was there, there was an entire village, to which the man revealed that there hasn't been a village in that area for decades now. The cold of the mountains was becoming harder to bear, so they asked if he would allow them to stay with him until it subsided, and he agreed.
Throughout the time they stayed in the cabin, Frieren's mind was still occupied by Dante's question and parting words. She wondered who else she would use such magic to bring back, and just what it could be that he had left at the Icicle Cherry Blossom Tree. Eventually the cold outside subsided to a bearable level and the trio thanked the man and went on their way, heading towards the Icicle Cherry Blossom Tree.
After some more exploration, they eventually found the tree, and it was gorgeous. It was much larger than a regular Cherry Blossom Tree, and its flowers, which bloomed in wintertime, were light blue, as opposed to the regular pink. Like its name suggested, the Icicle Cherry Blossom Tree had bits of ice also hanging from its branches. And while they all noticed the beauty of the tree, Frieren had her attention drawn by the shirtless, unconscious man laying at the roots of the tree.
The blue hair, the mole underneath his left eye, the face that she couldn't forget. Seeing him alive and young made her unknowingly tear up. "H… Himmel?" Frieren said, subconsciously walking closer to him. Right beside him was a red envelope, and when she touched it, it flew into the air, then let out a bright flash of light. When the light subsided, an image of the stranger that came up to them back then appeared.
"Hey, Frieren. You like my gift?" The image said with a smile. "Pulling his soul from your world's afterlife required a little persuasion, but I got him here for you. And this time, you don't have to worry about him dying anytime soon." He said, then the image changed, showing an outline of a human body and a written description beside the image.
"I understood that simply bringing him back as a regular human would mean that he'd just die of old age in less than a hundred years, so I gave him a better body. Himmel is the first member of a species of humans known as High Humans in this world. If they don't put any effort to getting stronger, they have a natural lifespan of just a bit over 1,500 years, but if they do get stronger, they can live to even be over 5,000 years old. I believe that's long enough for you two to make up for lost time. Cheerio." The voice of the stranger said, then message let out another bright flash of light, as it vanished and was replaced by two crystal spheres that slowly fell into Frieren's hands.
Right as they dropped into her hands, his voice came out clearly. "Huh, I guess I really woke up in Heaven, if Frieren is here. It's really a shame that I couldn't confess to her earlier. But I guess this will have to do." Himmel said as he stood up and walked over to Frieren and hugged her. With teary eyes and shaky arms, she returned the hug. "Oh, Himmel. You're really back." She said, then for the first time in decades, let out an unrestricted cry, her heart overwhelmed with joy.
Chapter End.
Word Count: 5,353
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