God of Creativity

I like to create things

[godofcreatitivity]

Looks like the Z Warriors have a new threat…….!!!!!!!!!!

In this new universe of Dragon ball Join Goku and his four Brothers Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan and Trunks as they embark on their most dangerous adventure yet when a mysterious Kryptonian girl crash-lands on Earth, Who is revealed to be the cousin of the famous superheroes Superman, it is decided that she will be given to the care of Goku and his four brothers in train her into honing her abilities, only to discover she possesses powers rivaling their own. However amidst all the training a dark godly force, by the name of Darkseid: tyrant of Apokolips, Makes his appearance as he seeks out the girl in order to use her as the perfect weapon for universal conquest. With the fate of the multiverse on the line, the Saiyamen and their Autobot allies must face an unstoppable ancient power, and challenge their bonds as a family in the most dangerous mission of their lives.

[godofcreatitivity]

Chapter 1: The man who would be king of the pirates. (Redux)

One Piece The Movie

(the following is a nonprofit fan based parody any characters form one piece is owned by Eiichiro Oda, Toei Animation Co., Ltd., any characters from super Mario are owned by Nintendo, any characters from troll hunters, are owned by DreamWorks and universal

Disclaimer

Some of the characters found in this story and / or universe does not belong to me, but are intellectual property of their respective owners. Any original characters in this story are my intellectual property.

Story nonprofit created fan and fan without compromising the original work.)

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Chapter 1: The man who would be king of the pirates. 

(Ice Kingdom) 

Rising from the heart of a frozen wasteland, the grand citadel glows with a soft, ethereal blue light, as though it were sculpted from solid ice and enchanted by ancient magic. The architecture is vast and majestic, a crystalline fortress composed of numerous domes and towers, each one crowned with frosted caps that shimmer beneath the northern lights that faintly dance across the night sky.

Encircling the citadel are multiple outer towers, spaced like sentinels, each flying a tiny red flag that flutters gently in the snow-laden winds. The walls connecting them are high and thick, constructed from the same luminous ice, and dotted with glowing arches that hint at hidden passages or reinforced gates.

At the center, the main structure rises in layers like a frozen cathedral, the largest dome crowning the peak of this architectural marvel. The entire kingdom gives off a serene but imposing aura, like a sacred fortress untouched by time, preserved in the heart of winter. Snow whips gently across the icy ground, muffling sound and adding to the mysterious, solemn atmosphere of this isolated kingdom, bathed in moonlight and frost.

The wind of the snowy fields blows Bristley as lava pours from a massive airship filled with magma, ready to descend into the ice-covered kingdom. 

Giant spike, bald anchors crash down onto the field as the horrifying airship crashes in front of the entrance of the ice like kingdom. A terrifying fortress suspended in the sky, the floating fire castle looms like a volcanic storm frozen mid-eruption. Hewn from jagged black stone and fiery rock, the structure pulses with seething molten energy, as rivers of lava cascade down its slopes like burning blood. Every edge and tower is sharpened like the teeth of a monster, designed to pierce the heavens and strike fear into anything below.

The central structure is shaped like a massive, mountainous spire, surrounded by flame-belching towers and battlements that glow with an inner heat. From its core flows a constant surge of lava, pouring down like a blazing waterfall and illuminating the haze around it with an ominous red-orange glow. The molten channels carve pathways between dark towers, reinforcing the impression that this is not simply a castle, but a living engine of destruction.

Enveloped in a permanent storm of ash, fire, and smoke, the sky around the castle is darkened, occasionally pierced by lightning or glowing embers. Its underside appears torn from the earth itself floating above the world like an airborne chunk of apocalypse, suspended by some unnatural force or ancient sorcery.

When it moves, it does not drift; it invades. The glowing light it casts is not warm, but suffocating, its presence signaling conquest, ruin, and overwhelming heat. The floating fire castle is more than a fortress; it's a harbinger of annihilation, dragging hell across the sky.

Nearby buildings are crushed and melt to water when the burning kingdom lands on the ground, blithering all within its way. 

The entrances of the lava Kingdom open, standing within a giant horrifying armored soldiers.

Towering, monstrous, and encased in brutal black armor, these warriors embody the essence of living destruction. Their massive, muscular builds are enhanced by thick, jagged plating that looks forged from volcanic rock tough enough to deflect blades and crush bone with ease. Each figure is coated in dark obsidian-like skin, veined with glowing green cracks of energy, like corrupted magma pulsing just beneath the surface.

Their helmets resemble the skulls of ancient beasts, with sharp, angular visors and curved horn-like protrusions, giving them an appearance somewhere between medieval warlords and infernal demons. Beneath the helm, glowing eyes ranging from bright green to eerie yellow pierce through the darkness with unrelenting malice. These glowing slits offer no humanity, only the promise of bloodshed.

Their broad frames are layered with thick armored plates covering the chest, shoulders, and arms, adorned with jagged markings and glowing runes that pulse with a sickly hue. The spiked pauldrons and massive forearm guards suggest they are designed not only for defense but also for overwhelming offense in close combat.

Weapons are almost always clutched in their hands: gigantic spears, serrated axes, and cruel swords, all made for cleaving through defenses and splitting shields in half. Some are seen dragging their weapons behind them, the sheer weight of their arms making even basic movements thunderous.

They move in packs, like a single-minded war machine silent, disciplined, and relentless. These creatures exist only for domination, built to serve a darker master and march across the battlefield with no fear, no hesitation, and no mercy. Their presence alone casts a shadow over hope, and wherever they march, ruin follows.

Then horrifying winged creatures flew from the tops of the castle onto the ground, where the formation was being created. 

The stone skin of trolls can be any color, from black, to purple, and to grays and greens. All trolls have koala-like noses and multiple horns on or around their head. Covering their whole bodies are tattoo-like linings carved on their bodies, which span from their face to their legs. Lots of trolls are large, tall, and bulky, around two to three times the height of a normal human. Trolls are also known to have hair, which is usually styled in eccentric ways, and some trolls have fur that cover some of their body. Lots of trolls also have reptile-like tails, though they don’t seem to serve any purpose.

Group by group they begin to lunch out of the entrances running in multiple formations. They scout the area to make sure there are no further dangers or obstacles that stand in their way as they make their way to the entrance.

Winged creatures ascend from the airship, and make their way to the ground in a steady formation. 

A  terrifying and hideous figure awaits them on the ground holding a staff after stepping out of the portal on the front lines.

Towering and gaunt, this warrior appears as a nightmarish sentinel part troll, part phantom, forged from stone, shadow, and something far older. His physique is thin but powerful, with a broad, armored chest and long, sinewy arms that move with unnerving precision. Despite his lean frame, there’s muscle packed beneath the gray, cracked surface of his skin, skin that resembles weathered stone, broken by visible crevices and fissures glowing faintly with blue gems embedded within, like fractured veins of magical ore.

His head is tall, elongated, and skull-like, evoking the eerie image of something long dead but never truly resting. Two massive horns curl outward from the back of his head, wrapped in tattered fabric, giving him the look of an ancient executioner or cursed war priest. His face is dominated by deep, sunken yellow eyes, their sclera pitch black orbs that glow from within with malevolent intelligence. These eyes can detach and move freely, scouting or surveilling independently like cursed sentries.

A pronounced underbite juts from his lower jaw, revealing jagged fangs that protrude even in silence, while his small, dark nose is barely visible against the carved structure of his face. Around his limbs and feet, vines and roots twist and grow, as if the forest itself has tried and failed to reclaim him. Despite his stone form, he moves with ghostlike speed and precision.

His right shoulder is armored with a pale, bone-colored pauldron, and a leather vambrace wraps tightly around his right forearm, marked by battle and ritual. His left arm remains bare, save for two golden rings circling his wrist, glinting with each movement. Across his chest runs a single leather strap, connecting to a belt at his waist, from which hangs a rugged loincloth and a small pouch likely carrying tools of dark trade or ancient relics of forgotten hunts.

In his hand, he clutches a crooked staff, gnarled and ancient, more a relic than a weapon yet heavy with curse and intent. Every step he takes stirs unease, as if the earth forgets how to breathe in his presence. A hunter, a warrior, a shadow made flesh he exists between death and duty, and the scars of that burden are carved into every inch of his body.

Next to him appears flames, an almost human bird- like figure with their own staff. A towering and enigmatic figure, this being radiates a mystical presence both regal and fearsome. Their skin is ash-gray, smooth yet otherworldly, adorned with Inuit-style tattoos etched like embers across their cheeks and brow. Their face is angular, with high, sculpted cheekbones, and short red hair that curves in a sharp, symmetrical fringe across the forehead. From behind, a thick tail of hair cascades down, tied neatly with a golden ornament, glinting like a relic of ancient nobility.

The eyes when visible glow like molten fire, a piercing reddish-orange that mirrors the flames they command. Normally, however, these eyes remain hidden behind a black blindfold marked with red runes, veiling sight but enhancing mystique. When stepping beyond their dark sanctuary, they wear a bird-like skull over their head elongated, stitched, and bone-white like a ceremonial mask worn by a high priest of flame.

Their physique is both graceful and imposing: a narrow waist, slim arms wrapped in pale blue wrappings, and strong, muscular thighs, hinting at immense power beneath the ceremonial garb. Draped over their shoulders is a grand feathered cape, black as void, flowing like wings in a storm. On each shoulder rest massive red wooden pauldrons, designed to resemble open, glaring eyes as if the flames see through all, even when the wearer cannot.

Their robes are deep crimson and adorned with golden patterns, flowing down into black pants that fade into dark crimson near the feet, wrapped in tattered bindings. They carry a staff crowned with a glowing crimson crystal, bound in leather and sharp bones, a conduit of elemental fury and ancient magic.

Neither clearly male nor female, their voice shifts and echoes, sometimes deep with ancient authority, other times sharp and ethereal. Wherever they walk, the scent of smoke, the flutter of feathers, and the whisper of forgotten fire gods follow.

Once all of the soldiers and winged soldiers are in formation, the second figure starts,“ BEHOLD ”, the figure begins to say,” THE KING OF THE TROLLS”,. The figure slams their staff to the ground and stands for information along with all of the other soldiers. 

The entrance to the massive airship begins to open and a massive creature emerges from the flames. 

He is an enormous, hulking beast, towering above nearly every other creature on the battlefield. His body is forged from jet-black stone-like skin, rough and jagged as obsidian, with a texture that looks like it could scrape flesh from bone with a single brush. Each movement he makes sends a tremor through the ground, his muscles rippling with raw, ancient power.

His horns curl menacingly around his face, twisted and uneven, almost disfigured. The right horn is chipped, a battle-worn fracture that only adds to his brutal appearance. Framing his face are glowing yellow eyes with smoldering red-orange pupils, burning with primal fury and relentless hatred. His snarling mouth reveals rows of razor-sharp fangs, ready to tear into anything that dares challenge him.

Across his body are the macabre trophies of his conquests skulls, bones, and remnants of the fallen tied crudely to his leather belts and straps. These are not decorations but warnings, proof of a long, bloody legacy. On his forearm, a thick leather brace binds his immense strength, while two massive bone-like weapons rest over his shoulders, strapped down like ancient tools of destruction.

His very presence exudes dread. He is not simply a warrior or a monster; he is a walking extinction event, forged in the darkest corners of war and cruelty, bred only for chaos, domination, and death.

The figure slowly walks past his troops as he makes his way to the very front of the formation 

Once he’s at the front of the formation, he begins to roar,” OPEN THE GATES!!!!!!!!!”

And as if on queue the doors of the ice-like kingdom slowly begin to open as the monstrous soldier stands ready, awaiting for battle in a stance, awaiting for the enemy to strike. 

The doors finally begin their stop the soldiers are cautious one slowly they see multiple figures with giant shadows, emerging the troll leader, stands rocky as his soldiers do the same ready to begin the first strike

Small in stature but commanding in presence, these anthropomorphic penguins stand upright with rounded, chubby bodies cloaked in sleek, icy-blue feathers. Their bellies are a lighter shade of frosty white, creating a classic contrast that highlights their regal and martial attire. Despite their soft, plush-like appearance, their expressions are serious and resolute, with wide, round eyes that sparkle with purpose and pride.

At the center stands a distinguished figure clad in a thick, fur-lined navy-blue cloak that brushes the icy floor. A golden crown rests atop his smooth, rounded head, its polished points catching the frosty light. His demeanor suggests royalty poised and focused, with a quiet authority.

Surrounding him are his guards, each wearing dark tactical belts and chest sashes, evoking a militarized aesthetic. Their outfits are fitted with buckles and pouches, suggesting utility, despite their toy-like size. Their yellow-orange beaks protrude from their rounded faces, and they possess small flipper-like arms and short legs, each movement deliberate and unified in defense of their realm.

Together, they form a striking blend of adorable charm and icy defiance, like miniature warriors born of winter, standing firm in the face of greater threats

But once the real image of the figures is revealed in full, the troll army, rippled with multiple eager faces ready to slaughter. 

However.surprising fact that the enemy that the trolls were about to face were not in fact, multiple hideous, battle ready, monsters like them or giant warriors…………but instead penguins? 

As the main door of the Ice Kingdom opened, it revealed small, rounded, and deceptively soft in appearance, the defenders of the Ice Kingdom emerged with disciplined strides. Their icy-blue feathers caught the pale aurora light, bellies frosty white, beaks yellow-orange and sharp with determination. Despite their plushlike frames, their movements were unified, their eyes resolute. They were soldiers, tiny ones, but soldiers nonetheless.

The trolls shifted uneasily, their snarls breaking into bewildered growls. A few even let out low chuckles. “This is the defense?” one spat. “Birds?”

The snow hissed. Steam rose as the Leader troll, colossal and obsidian, trudged forward. His molten breath spilled from between jagged teeth, his every step cracking the frozen earth. The battlefield hushed beneath his weight.

With a solemn step forward, the Penguin King raised a flipper and pointed it squarely toward the invading force. His voice, though high-pitched, was crisp with dignity. “How dare you set foot upon these grounds, Bular.”

Across the field, the air cracked with heat as The Troll King: Bular The Butcher stepped forward looking massive, obsidian skinned, and horrifying. The snow beneath him sizzled and hissed as his molten breath escaped through jagged teeth. The beasts behind him fell silent as he towered over the entire field, muscles flexing beneath armor carved from shadow and bone.

With a low, rumbling exhale, Bular threw his arms wide and smirked with savage amusement, "(Chuckles) King Penguin… it’s been too long”, he said, taking a few steps forward.

The king of the penguins scowled at the troll king, completely unwilling to return the hospitable mode.“You're not welcome here.”

The troll king waved off the cold greeting with a grunt of false remorse.

“Yes, yes… noted. Duly noted. And unfortunately ignored.” He turned slightly, gesturing with one clawed hand toward the massive, armored army behind him. “So I brought my own… welcome party.”

The moment he said it, the armored troll soldiers raised their weapons in sync, an ocean of black steel and flickering green flame, ready to descend at a moment’s notice.

The penguin king narrowed his eyes towards the army, lifting his beak slightly. “State your business, beast.”

The troll king let out another chuckle, amused at the penguins pathetic attempt at being intimidating,  stepped closer, each motion rumbling the frozen earth beneath him. “Ah yes thank you, you see… you have something I want. Something I’ve been searching for… for a long, long time.”

As he continued talking he scanned the gathered defenders with a calculating squint, eyes glowing like twin furnaces.“I actually sent a messenger here a few days ago and gave you ample time to prepare it. But…uh” He tilted his head mockingly. “I don’t see it. Do you see it anywhere?”

He turned to his right side to ask none other than his right hand man of this army: Angor Rot stood motionless, clutching his shadow staff tightly as he just as quickly and coldly answered,”No I do not”,staring daggers at the enemy penguins.

The Penguin King squinted angrily at the monsters as he stood firm, flippers clenched at his sides, cloak whipping in the wind.“You’ll find nothing here. I have no intention of surrendering a tool of destruction to the very creature who would burn this world—and every other he steps into.”

The troll king’s grin faded into a blank stare that lingered for a few moments before he closed his eyes as he inhaled and then exhaled calmly before reopening them again before nodding his head a few times.“Hmph…you know I thought you might say that”, He then simply Shrugged his shoulders,”Oh well good thing there's option b.” 

He raised his claw and Motion for his Royal Demigod advisor that stood To his left  next to him.

Bellroc raised their staff, getting their king’s signal, the crimson red crystal at its tip glowing brighter with each passing breath. Their voice, twisted with layered tones, male and female, young and ancient, rang out across the frozen field with the weight of fire and prophecy, “You have been given your warning. You know what we’ve come for. Continue this defiance…”,They paused, raising their hand as flame sparked at their fingertips,“…and your kingdom will be reduced to boiling steam and bone.”

The Penguin King stood unwavering and unaffected by this threat. 

His flipper tightened with tenseness, but he continued to stand with the courage of giants. “You’ll find nothing from us. Not today. Not ever. If it’s blood you want, then come take it.”

A hush fell over the entire ice field.

All of the penguins looked nervously towards their king, wondering if he was sure it was a good idea to refuse the troll king.

They all knew more than well what he was capable of, especially when he was in a state of  unbridled rage.

 Who knows what this monster could be capable of when provoked?

 Well actually they would find out real soon

Because soon after the penguin King had said that, heavy footsteps boomed behind Bellroc as Bular the Butcher trudged forward, towering high above all. Flames shimmered in his jagged eyes, and his breath came like a furnace. He stared down at the penguins, however it wasn't with rage… but mild irritation.

He sighed, shoulders slouching slightly, pinching his nose,“You see this?” he muttered aloud, speaking mostly to Bellroc,“This is exactly what I didn’t want today. Stubborn little plushies. I’ve got a dozen kingdoms to raze, a council to destroy, and one extremely unstable portal to open-”, he turned to the penguins and motioned his hand towards them,“And yet… here we are.”

He pointed at them with one thick finger, eyes narrowing,“You could’ve made this easy. All I asked for was one. Simple. Thing.”

He turned to his forces and raised his massive arm,“Instead, you’d rather throw away your lives protecting something you can't even begin to fathom.”His voice boomed louder, crackling like thunder through smoke,“You call me the warmongering monster. But yet here you are slapping my hand away out of spite.”

His lip curled into a half-snarl, half-smile,“(chuckles) And this is after I come here so graciously to ask you for the second time for an item that is rightfully mine in hopes to avoid any need for conflict”, he pointed out as he chuckled and a half amused and half aggressive manner. 

 Bular then placed his hand on top of his chest as he continued,”I do this out of the kindness of my heart and you think you can just stand here and blatantly provoke me into throwing the first blow and starting a war?”He then leaned forward and pretended to whisper to them,” I’m sure I'm not the only one that thinks that  sounds kind of hypocritical”.

He then began to shamingly shake his head in disappointment.,“Think that you could have had the chance to end this peacefully..”, then his tone dropped ,“But if you Insist on forcing  my hand…”,He once again turned in motion towards his entire army, who stood there anxious for a battle.“…then we will just peel your soon to be puddled kingdom to its bones until you beg me to stop by giving me what we so politely asked for.”

The words hung in the air like black smoke.

Even the wind seemed to pause.

The Penguin King’s feathers bristled, not from the cold, but from rage. He could hardly believe the audacity radiating off these beasts across the battlefield. This towering warlord, responsible for burning cities to ash, leveling kingdoms, and butchering innocents, children, stood there with the gall to act inconvenienced, as if this siege, this cruelty, was some minor detour in his busy day.

The Penguin King held his ground, chin raised, flippers clenched.

He knew what was to come.

He had no intention of handing anything over to this monster.

He knew that his Kingdom would be wiped off the map as a result of this.

But that didn't matter not now not ever not while he was still alive to cause more destruction and harm to innocents

Even if their Kingdom may fall, others will rise against this monster.

And if he could play a part in making sure this monster's downfall is certain, then this was a risk he was willing to take.

No matter the cost.

And it would seem that his soldiers were getting that memo as well, as they tightened their grips on their weapons.

The fear in their eyes soon turned to.Brave anger as they began glaring at the monstrous army.

They knew exactly what was at stake here, and they were more than prepared to fight for their cause.

His voice cut through the burning wind like a blade of ice,“Then you'll be waiting quite a long time, monster. Because this ‘puddle’ has no intention of giving you anything other than an opportunity to watch you bleed.”

And behind him was a hundred tiny soldiers, who were now motivated more than ever before to fight for their Kingdom, banged their shields in unison, ready to defend their home, even against the firestorm.

The tension snapped.

A sharp gust of wind swept through the icy field as the Penguin King raised his flipper high into the air, his cloak billowing behind him like a royal banner caught in a blizzard. His sharp eyes gleamed with unyielding resolve, and a grim, confident smile played on his beak as he looked over his loyal soldiers.

He took a breath and roared with all the command he could summon as he pointed his formally raised flipper towards the enemy forces,“ATTACK!!!”

The penguin army surged forward, waddling in tight formation, flippers pumping, battle cries squeaking through the icy air. 

Every one of them wore the face of sheer determination, as if they were charging into history. 

Their tiny feet pattered against the frost as they closed the gap between them and the towering infernal army.

And once they had finally made it to the front lines, it was there that they then revealed one of their secret weapons they would use to win this fight..

Snowballs.

Perfectly packed spheres of glistening snow.

Shimmering white, frosty orbs raised high in unison. With a mighty group shout, each of the penguins stopped in place, reached down, grabbed a glob of snow and shaped it into the perfectly rounded snowballs.

Once they were complete they hurled their snowballs at the enemy ranks, flinging them like divine projectiles meant to turn the tide of war..

Thud. Paff. Thunk.

The snowballs smacked against the blackened armor of the troll soldiers, crumbling like powder against stone. One landed square on a troll’s faceplate and simply dusted off, leaving only a faint speckle of snow that quickly broke apart on impact..

The trolls unfortunately did not flinch at these attacks.

The horde stood like statues, hulking, glowing-eyed statues of death with their weapons still at their sides. 

A few cracked smirks  at this pathetic attempt at an offensive attack.

Despite how pathetic it looked the snowballs  continued to be hurled at the trolls. At the point where the Penguins pulled in a catapult that launched a giant snowball right at one of the troll soldiers.

Unfortunately that amounted to it basically doing nothing to the troll as it completely disintegrated upon impact leaving the troll completely unfazed. 

But soon, the penguins began to slow, their tiny arms tiring, their supplies of snow thinning, breath puffing visibly in short bursts of exhaustion. A few collapsed onto their bellies, panting. Their little war cries faded into winded wheezes.

And still, even after all that effort, the enemy didn’t budge an inch.

 If anything they looked more annoyed that they had to sit through that display rather than to actually be fighting themselves. 

The last snowball crumbled against a troll’s chest and fell to the ice with a soft plop.

Across the battlefield, the trolls stood motionless, unmoved, their obsidian armor glinting under the red glare of lava fires. Some blinked slowly, others exchanged blank looks, and one particularly large troll yawned. A few even looked... bored.

Anything but impressed to be honest.

One of them scratched his shoulder with the tip of his spear.

Bular himself didn’t even bother to smirk, he just looked mildly annoyed, as if someone had tracked snow into his throne room. He crossed his massive arms, eyes glowing faintly like two dying suns, and tilted his head.

“Well,” he said flatly, voice carrying across the field as he brushed off some leftover snow residue from his shoulder, “that was… definitely ‘an’ attack.”

The Penguin King stood frozen, both figuratively and literally as he took in the sight of the completely unfazed army.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah this… this was bad, like very bad.

He’d put everything into that assault  and it hadn’t even made them flinch much less scratch them.

Okay, sure, maybe the whole snowball plan wasn’t exactly foolproof. But in his defense, it had worked once against the Ice Goats in the southern valley. Those guys hated snowballs.

But these trolls? 

These were walking volcanoes statues, literally. 

They’d arrived in a floating lava fortress!

He stared at their blackened armor and realization finally started to sink in.

Oh no. Oh no no no no.

He’d just challenged a horde of psychotic murder giants to a snowball fight.

“Oh stars,” he said in his said, eyes darting nervously. “We are so dead.”

He glanced at his soldiers who were still panting, and valiantly scooping snow, some proudly trying to form new snowballs despite trembling flippers. 

Their tiny bodies steamed from exhaustion, their faces flushed red with effort and pride.

He wanted to scream stop to them,  tell them they’d done enough, that they’d completed their objective. 

But he couldn’t, not when the evacuation tunnels beneath the kingdom were still filling with civilians who still needed more time to escape the wrath of the trolls. 

He needed to buy them more time, any tiny bit he could.

You know exactly what those monsters would do to them if he had gotten past their defenses,  and this King couldn't let that happen, not to his subjects. 

His heart hammered in his chest, faster than it ever had before. 

His eyes darted to the trolls’ towering silhouettes.

He could feel their eyes on him the way predators stare at something small that doesn’t know it’s already dead.

The King inhaled deeply and straightened his back, forcing his expression back into one of regal defiance.

It was over not by a long shot; they still had more than enough tricks  up their flippers.

So with that  the Penguin King stepped forward once more, flipper raised again, his voice booming across the field with defiance and royal pride.

“THAT…” he said, drawing breath, chest puffed proudly,“…IS BUT A TASTE OF OUR FURY!”,A silence followed with the wind and the fading hiss of lava dripping in the distance. He lifted his chin, voice unwavering,“DO YOU YIELD?!”

The words echoed, hanging in the air with the weight of ancient challenge.

For a moment, just a moment, the battlefield was still.

Then came the sound.

A low rumble.

Not from the earth.

But from the chest of the troll king himself.

He began to laugh.

First a low, rolling chuckle. Then it grew into a deep, resonant cackle that thundered across the frozen plains like an avalanche of molten mockery.

He took one heavy step forward, cracking the ice beneath his heel, and tilted his head with a grin full of glowing fangs.

Bular stepped forward, each footfall caused a mini-earthquake in the ground so powerful that the penguins could feel it from where they were standing.

His molten eyes burned brighter, reflecting the King’s defiance in their glow. “Yield?” he repeated slowly, savoring the word. His tone was almost playful as he bent low, his massive hand grabbed the tiniest bit of snow off of the ground and picked it up to rub it between his index finger and thumb as he let out a chuckle,“After you throw snow at fire?”,as said snow finished turning into water, he flicked it off his hand before shaking his head as he looked back to the Penguins,”No I don’t think I do”.

And with that, Bular turned slowly toward Bellroc, his eyes glowing faintly like twin suns behind storm clouds. With a heavy nod, he gave the signal.

Bellroc responded immediately, slamming the base of their blazing staff into the ice with a resounding BOOM. 

A ripple of purple energy exploded outward, tearing across the battlefield like a shockwave of invisible thunder.

 The entire army of penguin soldiers suddenly levitated into the air, their tiny flippers flailing as startled gasps escaped their beaks.Hundreds of small, round bodies lifted off the snow, suspended helplessly in midair. Their flippers flailed, feet kicking uselessly. For a single absurd moment, they all hung there, frozen mid-yell.

Then with a sharp flick of Bellroc’s wrist, The entire army of penguins was hurled sideways with a deafening crash. Tiny figures flew like scattered snowflakes, slamming into frozen walls, icy spires, and the shattered remains of their own catapult. The sound of impact rang through the tundra like the shattering of glass.

Dozens hit the ground hard, their armor clinking, their cries echoing weakly.

The snow that once blanketed the battlefield was now stained with smudges of soot and feather.

Bellroc didn’t stop there.

They turned, eyes hidden behind the bird-skull mask, and pointed their staff toward the heart of the Ice Kingdom, the great citadel that rose like a crystal mountain crowned in blue.

“Let them witness the end of their false sanctuary,” Bellroc whispered, voice splitting into two overlapping tones, one male, one female, and perfectly inhuman.

The crystal atop the staff flared with a fiery pulse, the staff unleashed a scorching jet of flame, roaring through the air like a serpent of heat. The blast slammed into the outer wall of the kingdom, and ice exploded into steam. Towers began to melt and collapse, their elegant shapes deforming under the sheer heat of Bellroc’s magic.

Chunks of glittering frost rained down, crashing into the courtyards below as Bular watched with glee, his jagged mouth curling into a wide, malicious grin,“What a beautiful sight.,” he rumbled.

The few penguin soldiers, still conscious,  watched helplessly in horror as their home was  being burnt to the ground.

One young soldier, barely more than a recruit, clutched his chest in anguish. His flippers trembled as he whispered, “No… no, no, no…” The reflection of the inferno danced in his eyes. 

He could not comprehend that this nightmare was real, that his kingdom was being erased.

 Before Any of them could even get the chance to get up and check on the state of his home, the ground trembled beneath the penguins’ feet.

A loud, pounding rhythm echoed through the frost as the Gumm-Gumm soldiers began their charge to intercept them.

The penguins, seeing the enemy charging towards them, hastily and fearfully began scrambling to regroup with their comrades, their feet slipped in the slush as they tried to reform a line. 

A few, desperate to do something, reached down and scooped up handfuls of snow. Tiny flippers packed the melting frost into crude snowballs, their breath ragged from the heat still rippling in the air.

They hurled them with all their strength. The snowballs burst uselessly against the advancing giants, turning to white mist before even striking.

It didn't take much for the gum gum trolls to use their giant claws to grab the Penguins and hold them down; they barely looked like they were expending much strength; this is probably due to the Penguins small sizes. 

(Author's note: Like literally guys I googled this shit the Penguins were about the size of the gum gum trolls hands that's how you know they were royally fucked)

A few managed to bite, others slapped their flippers at glowing armor—but nothing stopped the onslaught.

One gum-gum lunged forward, his clawed gauntlet sweeping through the ranks like a scythe. 

Another soldier’s chain lashed out, wrapping around a penguin’s waist and yanking him screaming into the air before slamming him into the ground with a sickening crack that split the permafrost.

One soldier swept his clawed arm sideways, sending half a dozen penguins tumbling across the ice like toys. 

Another snatched a penguin by his cloak and tossed him into a snowbank; the little warrior tried to crawl back out, only to be pinned beneath a stoned foot.

The green glow lit the battlefield like a sickly firelight.

 Every blow left streaks of neon green glow across the white ground. 

The sound of clinking steel and squealing panic mixed into a single, horrifying chorus.

“Capture them!” one Gumm-Gumm troll barked, his voice a grinding growl of stone. “The King wants them all taken alive!”

The order rolled through the ranks, and the assault shifted from slaughter to seizure. 

As the penguin soldiers stare up at them, they see their reflections, those tiny, trembling shapes mirrored in the trolls’ armor like prey already trapped in a predator’s gaze.

The battlefield had grown eerily still save for the crunch of Bular’s heavy steps carrying him a few toward the towering gates of the Ice Kingdom, its crystalline spires glittering in the dying twilight.

The Penguin King staggered backward, his cloak torn, snow matted with soot. 

He watched in horror as people were being dragged into chains, his soldiers, his friends, his kingdom all in mere minutes.

His narrow eyes burned with a cold, deliberate fury and the sight knowing he had to do something.

The Penguin King stood up from where he was thrown,  untouched alone atop a shattered outcrop of ice, the winds howling around him like a warning from the gods themselves. His fur-lined cape whipped behind him, but he didn’t flinch. 

With a slow, deliberate motion, the king reached beneath his cloak and retrieved a small silver whistle, its surface etched with swirling frost runes symbols older than the kingdom itself. The metal glinted in the twilight as he brought it to his beak and blew.

The sound was unnatural.

A high, haunting shriek, like the scream of an arctic banshee, cut through the war cries as all eyes turned in his direction. 

There was nothing but sheer silence for the first few seconds.

Before any of the trolls had the chance to charge over and shut him up….. the castle responded.

From deep within the glacial citadel, echoes stirred as the walls of the inner sanctum cracked not from collapse, but from emergence. Shimmering fissures opened along the ice-wrought architecture, bleeding cold mist and a faint hum of magic.

And then suddenly all around them, the snow began to rise

It twisted and turned as if inhaling itself, coalescing into great towers of white and blue, condensing and shaping. Within moments, the battlefield trembled not from troll feet, but from the birth of titans.

And that was when they appeared…..

The battlefield quaked as new forces entered the fray, towering ice-born titans that dwarfed even the penguin king, who had summoned them. These were the Ice Monsters, conjured guardians of frost and fury, each one carved from the heart of winter itself.

They loomed as hulking behemoths of compacted snow and jagged ice, their massive bodies shaped like grotesque parodies of men. Their joints were fused not by sticks or sinew, but by crystalline slabs of glacial ice that cracked and groaned with every heavy movement. The ground beneath them trembled as they walked, each footfall booming like the collapse of an avalanche.

Their hands ended in long, sharpened icicles fingers like translucent knives, gleaming with the deadly sharpness of frozen talons. With each flex, those jagged claws caught the faint light of the frost runes, refracting it into an eerie, otherworldly glow. Their elbows and knees bore thick shields of ice, jagged like armored plates, and with every swing, these icy protrusions threatened to smash through bone or steel.

When roused to greater anger, the Ice Monsters transformed into something even more terrifying. Spikes of ice erupted from their broad backs, bristling like porcupine quills or the ridged spines of ancient beasts. These crystalline growths caught the moonlight, turning their silhouettes into monstrous, bristling fortresses of living ice. Their jaws gaped wide with snarling roars, fanged with frozen stalactites, their open maws echoing with guttural, thunderous bellows that chilled the blood.

Their eyes burned with a hellish glow, sockets lit by an inner blue-white fire that pulsed in time with their rage. When they struck, their claws tore through frost and flesh alike, each blow carrying the weight of a blizzard’s fury. Even their breath misted the battlefield like a stormfront, adding to the chaos of snow and cold swirling about their massive forms.

And yet, for all their horrifying presence, there were not one, but many. Ice Monsters advanced in unison armored titans of winter, claws and fangs sharpened to butcher, spikes rising with their wrath.

( author's note: basically this was the  ice monster from Frozen but five of them) 

The five colossal Ice Monsters freshly summoned, steaming with raw magic took their positions behind the Penguin King. Their jagged silhouettes dwarfed him, towering like living glaciers poised for war.

The Penguin King raised his flippers high, cloak snapping like a battle flag in the polar wind motioning towards his stronger Army, “Behold the Full taste of our fury, monster—!”

The Ice Monsters did not wait for his command. 

With a collective roar that cracked the very air, they immediately lunged forward as one, claws slashing, icy fists hammering, their crystalline spikes glinting like death itself under the pale northern sky.

A chorus of guttural, bestial roars tore through the air as they stampeded straight for Bular.

Snow erupted behind their galloping forms. The ground shook violently with each gargantuan step.

The field shook as all of them charged straight for Bular, who simply just grinned.

That monstrous, molten, jagged-toothed grin stretched slowly across his obsidian face as he spread his arms wide like a king welcoming worshippers.

They descended on Bular with primal fury, their collective roars shaking the very citadel walls.

“Now this…” he rumbled, voice vibrating the air,“…THIS is more like it.”

The first Ice Monster lunged with a bellowing scream, slamming its entire body into Bular’s torso like a living avalanche.

SLAM.

The impact drove Bular backward and down, carving a trench into the frost as both titan and troll crashed into the ground.

Another monster leapt forward with startling speed for its size, smashing its jagged elbow straight into Bular’s jaw.

BAM.

A third slammed in from the left, stabbing its icy head and antler-like spikes into his ribs.

CRASH.

The fourth lunged from above, diving like a collapsing glacier and burying Bular completely under a mountain of fists, frozen claws, and supernatural frost.

The fifth simply ran up and started punching Bular in the face over and over again

WHAM! WHUMP! WHAM!

Soon they all joined in, forming a gleefully brutal circle as they kicked, stomped, tackled, smashed, and hammered Bular beneath a living avalanche of enchanted frost.

The Penguin King stared from where he was standing off to the sidelines, completely stunned.

A flicker of hope danced in his chest.

One of the penguin guards looked up with wide eyes,“We’re winning…?!”

It was heard about how unstoppable of a beast this butcher was, Years they had never heard any stories of anyone being able to so much scratch him.

And now their beasts were able to attack them down and beat him senselessly.

Another penguin rubbed his eyes with his flippers,“They’re actually beating him! They’re beating BULAR!”,he yelled while being held down by one of the trolls. 

Despite those snow beasts being about the size of the gum gum soldiers they looked as if they were doing a remarkable amount of damage to the King of the trolls. 

The Ice Monsters were relentless, blowing chunks of hardened magma-rock off his armor, denting his obsidian plating, pressing him deeper into the ice with each merciless strike.

The penguin King almost felt the urge to celebrate as his heart thudded with rising optimism.

But then…

He saw something the other penguins did not.

The enemy army,the Gumm-Gumms soldiers, didn't look worried or concerned in the slightest.

They stood with arms folded, bored expressions hidden behind their helms, as though watching someone try to punch down a mountain.

Everyone of them had this casual look on their face while watching this beatdown, bored and unintimidated like their leader wasn't being pulverized.

The Penguin King’s breath caught.

Why were they acting like this wasn’t a threat?

Like this wasn’t dangerous?

Like this beating meant nothing?

It was almost as if this seemed like a waste of their ti-

A terrifying realization hit him like a dagger of ice.

His pupils shrank,“Oh no… no, Stars above…”, he quietly whispered to himself.

Before he could warn anyone—

Bellroc’s voices, smooth and cold as obsidian, cut through the frost. “My lord,” they called calmly, staff glowing red-hot, “it would be wise for us to move this along. The plan must stay on course.”

From beneath the pile of snow monsters, a muffled voice answered a deep, rumbling growl saturated with amusement,“Mmffh—yeah… give me a sec—”

And then…… 

It happened.

From within the heap of snow a burst of orange fire exploded upward from the center of the writhing snow pile.

Two massive, curved swords the same brutal blades once strapped across Bular’s back erupted from the snow pile, spinning through the air with unnatural force. They glowed with a sickly orange hue, as if alive and hungry for blood.

One blade cleaved straight through the neck of the nearest Glacier Beast when it popped out at first.

SHRRRRK!

The creature’s head popped free in a shower of ice, collapsing instantly into a mound of scattered frost

The sky pulsed with tension.

Suddenly, a hand—black obsidian stone, wrapped in cracks of orange—shot up from beneath the chaos.

Then—

SNAP.

With the snap of his fingers the floating blades froze mid-spin.

The blades then jerked mid-air, turned, and flew straight back to him like wolves to their alpha.

A hush of dread swept across the battlefield.

The Penguin King’s flipper trembled.

“Oh no…” he whispered.

The pile of Ice Monsters erupted outward as Bular rose, swords in hand, shoving them off like overturned furniture. 

Snow cascaded from his shoulders as he picked himself up off the snow, the frost cracked and fell away from his armor.

He stood tall once more in a towering, furious, yet thrilled demeanor, while his eyes blazed brighter than ever, orange light burning in crazed spirals.

He cracked his neck and stretched his arms before rolling his shoulders as if to warm himself up.

He then dragged the massive blades across the ground, carving sizzling lines of molten orange in the ice.

Bular smirked arrogantly As he then stared daggers right at the Penguin king,“So is that the full taste of your fury,?” his smirk quickly turned into a snarl,”Because it was very undercooked for my liking.”

The remaining four Ice Monsters roared, hearing this, positioning themselves around him, extending their ice spiked claws while flaring with blue-white light.

Bular stepped forward into a battle stance, planting both swords behind him in their sheaths As he then got into a battle ready stance.“Let us turn up the temperature, shall we?.”

And justice like that, the massive creatures, each one towering like icy titans, charged once again toward the revived troll king, their fists raised and glowing with runes of ancient frost. Their hollow howls echoed like winter storms, snow trailing behind them like cloaks of vengeance.

But Bular, a towering, monstrous, gleaming with obsidian skin demon didn’t flinch. Instead he stood tall amid the shattered battlefield, glowing with veins of orange light, his twin swords humming like beasts eager for blood. Steam rolled from his nostrils with every breath. The glow of the fire around him illuminated his monstrous grin.

Instead, he cracked his neck once—pop—to the left.

Then again—pop—to the right.

A low rumble escaped his throat, not of anger… but of delight.

The first Ice Monster lunged, its fist hurtled down toward his head ready to try and crack it open.

But Before it could get the chance to make contact, Bular, with a thunderous laugh, jumped Into the air, flipping forward in a single, fluid motion. The icy fist shattered into the ground where he once stood, splitting the battlefield open.

He landed behind the beast in a crouch, the snow hissing beneath his molten feet.

SHING—!

Both of his blades flew free in one swift motion and were tightly gripped in his hand as two more Ice Monsters charged him from opposite sides, claws glowing with runes of deep blue frost.

When they tried to attack him with their claws, Boular used his swords as a means of protecting himself, before just as quickly going on the offensive. 

CLANG! CLANG!

Sparks of orange and shards of ice exploded through the air as metal met magic causing the ground to shake from the collision.

Bular twisted, roaring as he shoved both creatures back, then pivoted—slicing clean through the arm of the one to his right.

SHRRRRK!The severed limb hit the ground, shattering into a thousand icy fragments.

Before the second could recover, Bular rammed his shoulder into its chest—BOOM!—sending it sprawling across the battlefield like a ragdoll.

Unfortunately, one of the beasts managed to catch him off guard as a huge, frozen fist slammed into his jaw.

THWACK!

The blow echoed like a cannon blast as Bular’s head snapped to the side, shards of ice flying from his shoulder plate.

The Ice Monster didn't wait for the monster to respond as he.swung again, but this time, Bular was ready. He sidestepped the strike, grabbed the beast’s arm mid-swing, and ripped it from its socket.

CRACK!

The sound tore through the field like lightning in a storm, the Ice Monster shrieked as its arm burst into a mist of frozen shards.

However, Bular didn’t stop there.

He swung the severed limb like a club, smashing it straight into another charging monster.

SMASH!

The makeshift weapon connected with its chest, the impact caving it inward and sending chunks of glittering frost scattering across the snow. The creature fell backward, roaring in agony as steam hissed from its wounds.

Bular’s laughter boomed through the Field as he threw the severed arm away and.lunged towards two of the other snow monsters winding his clawed hands back. 

Far behind the front lines, a few Gumm-Gumm soldiers shifted uneasily. Their glowing eyes followed their king as he single-handedly dismantled the summoned giants.

One stepped forward, clutching his weapon nervously as he addressed the right hand man of the army,“Commander Angor Rot, should we… assist the king?”

The dark figure draped in shadow and bone armor didn’t move. Angor Rot stood still as death, his bone-white staff planted firmly in the frost, the faint glow of its embedded purple and blue tints, resembling that of a quartz crystal, casting a shadow across his carved face. His eyes, yellow and sharp, did not even glance at the soldier.

He simply lifted a finger and shook it left from right,“No.”

The soldier blinked, unsure he heard the order correctly,“But, my lord, if we joined him—”

“He doesn’t need your help,” Angor said coldly, interrupting the gum gum. His voice carried no doubt, only irritation. “You lot focus on the penguins.”

The soldier.Then began to speak in protest,“But—”

However, Angor Rot finally turned his head, his eyes burning through the slit of his helm,“Was that unclear?”The glow from them made the soldier flinch as the words hit harder than any blade.

The Gumm-Gumm soldier froze in response, armor rattling as he stood at attention, and stepped back instinctively, “…No, sir.”

“Then get back to work,” Angor muttered, turning his gaze back to the chaos. “And pray he doesn’t see you standing idle.”

The soldier quickly scurried off immediately, barking orders to his comrades. The trolls turned once again to their grim work, binding, dragging, and silencing the last of the penguin army.

Angor Rot didn’t bother to watch them. His eyes stayed locked on the distant fight where Bular danced among the ice monsters.

One of the ice beasts lunged forward at the monstrous troll, its jagged fist shot toward him with enough force to crush stone.

But Bular caught it, his black claws clamped around the monster’s wrist. 

With a single heave, he yanked the creature off balance, roaring as he lifted it by the face and hurled it aside like a ragdoll.

The beast’s body crashed into the frozen ground, splitting apart into shards of shattered frost.

The next snow creature charged, claws glowing with enchanted blue light. Bular spun, bringing the back side of his hand around in a savage backhand. The impact sent the creature flying backward, jaw torn completely off in a spray of icy mist.

Another one came from the opposite side, roaring as it swiped at him with massive claws.

Bular ducked in response, slammed his horned head upward, and headbutted the monster right in the face.

CRACK!

The impact sent the creature back a few feet as fractures webbed across its frozen skull.

One creature, desperate and enraged, lunged from behind, wrapping its huge arms around Bular’s chest, trying to restrain him in a bear hug.

Bular laughed with arrogance, knowing this wouldn’t hold him.

With a guttural roar that shook the battlefield, he flexed every muscle in his massive frame until the creature’s arms snapped like twigs.

He then reached behind and grabbed the beast by the throat, squeezing until glowing blue cracks crawled across its face.

The sound was horrific,  like glass breaking underwater. 

Then, with one final squeeze—POP.

The head burst apart in a mist of powdered snow.

Still gripping the body, Bular spun on his heel and flung it across the battlefield. The limp corpse crashed into the remaining monsters, shattering all three in a blizzard of shards and fractured ice.

Only one Ice Monster remained, it staggered backward, icicles flickering, before its chest began to glow bright blue.

With a roar, it conjured a barrage of ice shards that shot out like arrows, dozens of them, streaking through the air like frozen daggers.

They hit Bular in a storm of relentless percussion.

THUD! THUNK! CRACK! THUD!

The shards struck his chest, shoulders, and arms but he didn’t even flinch.

He stepped forward slowly through the barrage as each shard that struck him shattered instantly, turning to mist before it could pierce his hide.

 As the troll got closer he reached his arm forward, before the Ice Monster could react, Bular grabbed it by both arms and wasted no time, with a deafening roar, ripping the creature in half.

The sound was wet and horrifying, a violent tearing of matter that filled the area. The monster’s head to groin split open, collapsing into vapor and snow, disintegrating in his grasp until all that remained was mist.

Bular threw the remains aside like trash and turned his burning gaze toward the distant figure of the Penguin King, the small, trembling ruler who had summoned this doomed army in desperation. 

Their eyes met across the chaos.

The king couldn’t breathe. His heart hammered against his ribs as Bular started walking toward him, each footstep shaking the earth.

Snow fell in silence. The only sound was the hiss of molten fire cutting through the cold.

As Bular made his way over to him he tried to be the voice of arrogant reason in his Psychotic way,”If I were you I'd yield”, he then opened his arms wide to motion to their surroundings ,”There's nowhere left for you to run…….”, He gestured to the piles of crushed frost that had once been the king’s summoned beasts,”.....And nothing left you can throw at me.”

For a moment, Bular almost seemed sympathetic. His expression softened, or tried to, as he stood with his swords sheathed across his back, arms hanging loose. 

He said as he suddenly stopped and placed his hands on his hips. Then he lifted one hand, palm open, fingers curling slightly as though asking for something to be handed to him. His voice dropped to a low rumble that carried a strange, patronizing warmth.,”Give me the peace.” 

The Penguin King stumbled back a step, gripping the silver whistle tight. His breath came out in sharp gasps as he raised it again to his beak.

He blew.

The whistle’s shriek tore through the air, high and haunting.

Bular closed his eyes and let out a sigh of frustration,“...........Or I guess I’ll take it from what’s left of you.”

The snow began to swirl again, violently this time, spinning in massive vortexes. The fragments of the fallen Ice Monsters , every shattered piece, every broken chunk,  began to tremble, then rise.

The snow twisted, fusing together into a single massive form as its shadow blotted out even Bular’s massive figure.

The ground quaked as it took shape,  legs like mountains, arms like glaciers, a single blue rune burning at its chest like a heart of ice.

(Author’s note: Basically the ice monster from before but bigger)

Its gaze locked onto Bular.

He looked up at the towering beast.

Then he chuckled.

A deep, rolling, amused sound that made the penguins’ blood run cold.

Bular rolled his shoulders, dragging his twin swords behind him as though they weighed nothing,“Ahh… there it is,” he said, voice rumbling like shifting mountains, “Your big, desperate, final move.”

He cracked his neck, a loud POP that echoed through the valley.

The giant roared in fury, pounding its chest like a frost-shrouded titan.

Bular didn’t even bother to blink.

He simply turned his head toward the Penguin King, grin full of glowing fangs,“You might as well extinguish this little need to resist against our advances,” he said calmly, almost bored, “All you’re doing is slowing the inevitab—”

—WOOOOOSH—SLAM!!!

He never finished his sentence.

Because at that exact moment the colossal Ice Monster’s massive hand came crashing down on him with the force of a falling mountain.

The impact boomed across the field, snow erupting in a shockwave.

The ground cracked, spiderwebbing in every direction.

The Penguin soldiers gasped, flippers flying to their beaks for protection against the debris.

For a heartbeat, everything went silent.

A stillness washed across the battlefield.

Penguins dared to hope.

Had it worked?

Had the monster actually—?

But then the snow settled.

And the truth froze the world in place.

Bular stood beneath the giant’s palm.

Completely unmoved, not even a scuff on his armor.

His feet were planted firmly in the snow, steam rising lazily from where the frost touched his molten skin.

One massive hand of his own gripped the titan’s wrist holding it in mid-air.

Stopping the blow entirely.

He hadn’t even been pushed back an inch.

He looked up, molten orange eyes glowing, expression utterly unamused.

He then sighed a deep, tired, disappointed sigh as if the attack had physically bored him,”Alight…….terms accepted”, he said as an Orange furnace-light burst from deep within his chest.

Cracks,thin at first, began ripping across his torso, racing up his neck, down his arms, splitting across the backs of his hands. The glowing fractures pulsed brighter and brighter, glowing like liquid suns burning beneath his skin.

The molten cracks spiderwebbed out across Bular’s body, each one glowing hotter, whiter, brighter, until the orange nearly burned white-hot. His entire frame began to vibrate—low at first, then violently, like an unstable furnace beginning to overload.

The light in his eyes flickered……..

Once.

Twice.

and then—

Then Bular roared.

A guttural, primal, monstrous bellow that shook the foundations of the Ice Kingdom.

And with a forward lunge—BOOOOOOOOOM!!!

A shockwave of orange fire exploded from Bular’s body, hurling outward in a circular burst.

The Ice Titan’s entire hand disintegrated into shattered dust and snow.

The creature stumbled backward several meters, bellowing in agony as his arm was reduced to a watery stub.

And Bular?

He was already moving.

Without hesitation, he reached behind his back, his stone muscles shifting, and ripped one of his massive swords from its sheath.

The blade now glowed with dim orange veins with his touch, hungry for blood.

With a single, effortless motion—

FWOOOM—!

He hurled it through the air with all his might.

Aimed right for the monster.

The sword pierced the titan’s chest like a spear through snow, sinking deep and erupting a crater of shattered frost and dimming runes.

The colossal beast staggered backward, nearly toppling due to the power of the attack.

Bular lifted two fingers and snapped.

SNAP.

The blade stopped mid-motion, frozen inside the titan’s chest, keeping it upright from falling and obeying its master.

Bular pulled his arm back as if grasping invisible reins.

And the sword obeyed.

It dragged the Ice Titan forward, screaming in a grinding rumble, forcing the mountain of frost to lurch toward Bular unwillingly.

The Penguins’ hearts sank deeper with every step the giant was forced to take.

Bular drew in a breath, a deep, volcanic inhale.

His body tensed, muscles bulging, orange cracks brightening until his entire lower half glowed like molten stone about to erupt.

He bent his knees and the ground beneath him liquefied from the pressure.

Then—KRA-KOOOOOM!!!

A second shockwave blasted out, launching him skyward like a blazing projectile.

He rose through the storm of snow and ice straight toward the titan’s face, right to eye level.

His right arm snapped back, fist glowing, cracks dancing like living lightning.

The closer he flew, the more violently the fist shook, vibrating, pulsing, overflowing with destructive energy.

Even the Gumm-Gumm soldiers paused, admiring in awe of this beautifully destructive sight.

The Penguin King felt his soul turn to ice in fear of what was about to happen.

Bular reached the titan’s face.

And he struck.

THRRAAAASH—!!!

The impact was silent for a split second.  

Too powerful for sound to catch up.

Then—KA—BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!

A blinding explosion of orange fire and white frost erupted outward.

The shockwave blasted across the battlefield, flattening snow, uprooting ice towers, shattering the remains of the courtyard, obliterating what was left of the Ice Monster, and carving a massive, gaping canyon straight through the heart of the kingdom.

The valley glowed molten orange, stretching for miles like a scar left by a god’s wrath.

When the smoke cleared……………..nothing remained of the titan.

Only the echo of its death cry.

Bular dropped through the air, freefalling through the fading embers of the explosion.

He twisted, rotated, then slammed into the melted earth—THUD-THOOM—landing on all fours like a feral beast, claws burying into molten rock, molten cracks glowing across his entire form. 

Steam rose in violent, swirling plumes around him.

The Troll Army soldiers erupted in roars of admiration, pounding weapons against armor, chanting their king’s name.

“BULAR!” “BULAR!” “BULAR!”

Among the few remaining penguins, silence reigned, total, suffocating silence.

The Penguin King’s feathers stood on end.

His strongest weapon, his kingdom’s last hope, was erased.

Bular stood, rising slowly, towering, monstrous eyes glowing pure molten orange, fangs bared in triumphant growl.

He turned back toward the Ice Kingdom’s gates, his molten orange eyes locking once more onto the Penguin King, who still stood firm despite everything.

He looked up at the Penguin King.

A long, slow, victorious smile spread across his face.

Bular then began to make his way over to the fallen king, each step he took carved deep footprints into the melting snow, the ground hissing beneath him. His huge, horned silhouette loomed like a nightmare born from the darkest pits of the Earth.

The Penguin King’s breath hitched, knowing what was coming.

The civilians, his people, his children, were still running through the last secret escape tunnel beneath the ruined throne room. If Bular reached the artifact… if he claimed the piece… then there would be no more worlds left to flee to.

His flipper trembled as it tightened around the whistle.

He had to fight back………..

He just had to……

Even if he didn't survive if he could just hold them off just a little longer……

He clutched it tight, raising it to his beak.

He drew in a desperate breath—

And Bular saw.

The Troll King let out a deep, irritated growl, one that vibrated the snow at the Penguin King’s feet.

This stubborn little bird was still refusing to die, it was completely wasting his time.

Well that was about to end now!

He closed the distance in two massive strides.

The Penguin King barely managed to take in half a breath—

WHAM!!!

The backhand struck like a meteor.

The king flew through the air, spinning helplessly before crashing down hard, rolling across the ice until he skidded to a stop right at the feet of Angor Rot.

Angor Rot looked down at the fallen monarch with barely a trace of interest, his glowing yellow eyes flickered with something closer to pity… and boredom.

The Penguin King coughed, clutching his ribs, trying to rise but even with all his strength and pride… he couldn’t get more than halfway up before collapsing again into the snow.

Bular rolled his shoulders, cracking stone-like muscles as he approached.

He glanced down at the Penguin King, his expression flat, tired, irritated,”I think… we’ve dragged this battle’s climax on long enough.”

He stepped closer—

And froze.

There, at his boot, lying half-buried in the slush…The whistle.

Knocked from the Penguin King’s grasp from the force of the hit.

A slow smile crept across the Troll King’s tusked mouth.

He leaned down, claws clicking lightly against the metal as he plucked the relic between two fingers.

The tiny whistle looked almost comical in his enormous hand, but Bular’s eyes gleamed with interest as he turned it over, inspecting the glowing frost-runes.

He flicked it slightly, testing its weight,”Hmmm……..this little trinket could be useful.”

He straightened, raising his voice so Bellroc could hear over the crackling flames and distant groans of the dying castle,” Bellroc!”He tossed it casually,” Catch!”

Bellroc extended one hand lazily, the whistle floated toward them, caught in a soft shimmer of violet flames.

They studied it closely, their expression shifting from curiosity… to fascination,”Hmm… A frost-summoning conduit with an ability to conjure soldiers from the environment around it…”They glanced at the battlefield, at the crushed remains of ice beasts, the shattered kingdom, the massive number of their own soldiers they already had on their side,”In daylight… this could save us hundreds of troops………interesting.”

They slipped the whistle into the folds of their robes, the runes glowing faintly against the smoke-stained fabric,” We’ll study it later.”

After handing it over to them, Bular surveyed the battlefield.

Penguins in chains.

Buildings melted.

Ice towers shattered.

The Ice kingdom, once shimmering with icy blue light, was reduced to melted ruins.

Yup today was a good day.

He once again made his way over to the spot where the penguin king was lying and bent down just enough to still look down on him,”So this was the full bluntness of your fury?” He mockingly asked, not even bothering to hide his smug satisfaction.

The injured king could do nothing but stare up at the bastard, enduring his blatant arrogance and mockery.

Bular then looked left and right of the area before looking back down at the penguin king continued,”I was going to give you a two on my kingdom surprise list but that last little tid bit earned you a nice two and a half for effort."

He put up two fingers and a bent thumb, which sparked cruel laughter between the gumm-gumms, finding it hilarious how their leader could find humor even after a  victory.

And he didn't stop there,”And hey if you have any other surprises for me up your tiny little sleeve, I'd be more than happy to see them.”

And then…….as if on cue…….the palace itself began to respond.

From the highest of the shattered domes, the ice started to melt, glowing from within as if lit by an unseen sun. Chunks of crystalline walls slid free and crashed below, revealing a radiant pulse of shining, blinding light that poured out from the heart of the ruined citadel.

The trolls froze in place.

Every penguin, every Gumm-Gumm soldier, even Angor Rot, turned to stare.

And Bular…

Oh yeah, he knew that light.

He had hunted this glow for decades, through caves, ruins, entire realms. 

And now, at long last, the thing he had sacrificed entire species for…

It was right there.

Bular’s lips curled into a jagged smile,” (low, triumphant) …Finally.”

The Penguin King saw it too and all the color drained from his face,” (horrified whisper) No…No—NO!”

With a desperate cry, the Penguin King lunged forward, slipping across broken ice. His instincts screamed. He didn’t care that most of his army lay in chains. He didn’t care that he was bruised, bleeding, and barely standing.

If Bular touched that object………..everything was over.

But the king didn’t make it far.

A clawed hand grabbed the back of his head.

SLAM!!!

Angor Rot shoved the king’s face into the snow with effortless cruelty.

The king choked on ice, struggling, but Angor held him easily with one hand, forcing him to watch.

The Penguin King’s muffled scream went unheard beneath the grinding snow.

Bular stepped through the rubble like a god descending a broken throne. Penguins in chains were dragged away at his sides; he didn’t even look at them. His attention was locked solely on the radiant glow.

Bellroc followed behind, staff blazing with violet flame, their eyes reflecting the brilliance.

Bellroc raised their staff and slammed it into the snow as a wave of purple energy surged outward, lifting slabs of broken palace debris into the air. They spun slowly, forming a rising staircase of drifting, glowing ice platforms.

Bular ascended them with heavy, deliberate steps.

The higher he rose, the brighter the light became. His silhouette was framed in gold, purple, and molten orange. His horns cast monstrous shadows across the city’s broken walls.

There, nestled in the last surviving alcove, was a floating yellow Question Block, glowing like something sacred.

The trolls knew this relic all too well.

It was a source of power.

Of weapons.

Of rare items born from magic beyond their world.

But this block…

This one held something far more valuable to Bular.

It Bular a few more steps before he finally reached it.

He stopped, staring into the glowing white question mark as if mesmerized by its pure shine.

Then he reached out with one huge hand and gently plucked the block from the air.

While he held it in his palm it almost looked as if he were studying it.

The Penguin King strained against Angor Rot’s grip, voice raw and breaking,”NO! NO—STOP!!”

Bular didn’t even turn or acknowledge what he was saying at all.

His fingers began to tighten around the item.

CRACK.

A fracture split across the block as it began to start cracking.

CRRUNCH.

The metal bowed and twisted as it was beginning to cave.

CRRRRACK.

The glow rippled violently as the box finally started to give.

And then—SHATTER!!

The entire Question Block exploded into fragments of gold, scattering like burning confetti in the wind. 

The trolls shielded their eyes as the light burst outward.

When the light faded…

Something sat in Bular’s palm.

A stone.

Not very large, but it was carved with ancient symbols that hummed like whispered prophecy. A piece of something older than any kingdom on the map.

The Penguin King stared at it with total despair,”Oh no…Oh no… no no no…

A wild, triumphant grin spread across his monstrous features.

Then he threw his head back and LAUGHED.

A deep, echoing, victorious roar that shook the broken palace walls,” YES! YES!! AT LAST!!“He raised the stone high, letting its glow spill across the army,”(bellowing to the heavens) I FINALLY FOUND IT!!! THE FINAL PIECE!!! THE LAST PIECE OF THE BRIDGE!!!“His voice echoed like a quake.

Trolls beat their weapons on the ground in thunderous celebration.

The Penguin King closed his eyes, sinking his head back into the snow.

Bular stood on the highest ruin, stone in hand, glowing like a god of fire and conquest,”(snarling triumphantly) NOW WHO THINKS THEY CAN STOP ME?!?!”

His laughter rumbled like an earthquake, shaking the scorched remains of the palace.

The trolls below bellowed in victory.

The penguins cried in despair.

And the Penguin King, still pinned to the snow beneath Angor Rot, felt his heart break.

His kingdom was dead.

His armies were destroyed.

And now the entire world itself was in doom’s grip.

Bular’s final triumphant roar echoed.

And then—

CUT TO BLACK.

(One Piece World: Water 7)

In a small town in a land far far away from the Ic kingdom, the air inside the courthouse was heavy, as if the walls themselves carried the weight of the world’s judgment. 

The courthouse of this sleepy Water 7 town had the kind of hush that made every footstep sound like a verdict. It was a low building of salt-streaked wood and brass fittings, the kind of structure that remembered more winters than anyone in the gallery. 

Inside, the air lay thick and heavy, the heat of breath and wax and old varnish making everyone move a little slower, speak a little quieter. Candlelight guttered in wall sconces. The benches creaked as the 20 townsfolk shifted forward, curiosity and dread making a soft chorus of movement.

“Did you hear? They say he was pissing on the town well at dawn,” a woman in a headscarf whispered to the man beside her, the words folded tight like contraband.

“No—no,” muttered an old boatwright, leaning in so far his spectacles nearly fell. “That’s not the worst of it. Someone said he tried to barter with Tontatta miners for a keg of grog. He—” he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial rasp, “—asked them if they’d ever seen a whale fall out of the sky.”

A guy near the aisle snorted. “Oh please alcoholics like him’ll say anything when they’re black out drunk. I saw some homeless man half an hour ago staggering down the canal like he’d been swallowed by a sea snake.”

“Is it true it was one of the Straw Hats?” a matron asked, fingers twisting the edge of her shawl. “A yonko’s crew in chains? I don't know about you guys but that doesn't sound like some small-time alcoholic crook.”

Gossip ran like water through the gallery like a wild-fire, one woman fretting that the straw hat Captain’s reappearance here would bring more trouble than the islands could handle. An older man, who’d once fought on a merchant runner, squeezed both small hands of the children beside him and told them under his breath that if the Straw Hats reappeared, the town would be toast. The bench was a stage for a hundred little dramas: a jealous lover, a bored soldier, a merchant tallying losses in his head, a bored scribe copying names into an endless ledge, all speaking in hushes.

Ten jurors sat in their box, shoulders squared and faces imperturbable, but the eye could catch the twitch of a knuckle here, a whispered nod there, small signals exchanged with the economy of men who’d learned the currency of lies. Half of them were no ordinary jurors; beneath their plain coats were the quick glints of navy insignia, the hidden seams where orders could slip through. They were planted, sentries of pretense meant to sway the illusion of law into a weapon of strategy. In order to lure in the real target of this whole court case bullshit. One of them, a broad-shouldered man with a scar running like a river through his cheek, kept looking at the den-den mushi placed on a side table, fingers worrying the stem as if it were a live thing.

And At the center of this whole plan, sat the judge’s seat, a looming chair carved from black wood, its high back casting a shadow over the courtroom floor.

Upon it, Jaygarcia Saturn rested with calculated stillness. He and the other four elders are a council of the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons that make up the head of state for the World Government. They essentially hold the greatest authority over the entirety of the world; the only exception being the mysterious sovereign Imu whom they answer to as king of the world in secrecy. Jaygarcia was acting as judge for the accused that was about to stand before him in the defense seat. His presence was ever so commanding even without words. His scarred face was half-hidden beneath the shadow of his black hat, his white dreadlocks cascading past his shoulders. He leaned upon his cane, not because he needed it, but because the weight of authority seemed more tangible when carried like a weapon disguised as a walking stick.

Saturn’s deep, gravelly voice finally broke the tension,“Ensure the broadcast lines are tested again. I want every snail in Water 7,and every whisper beyond it, to hear the weight of justice in this room. I also want eyes and ears watching every section of this town and this courtroom for any signs of him.”

One of the jury members, a burly man with a scarred lip, nodded quickly. “The den-den mushi have been placed, Elder. The transmission will begin the moment the accused is seated. We already have him being escorted to the room right now as we speak”

Saturn’s single visible eye narrowed. He let the pause stretch until the man swallowed hard,“Good. We cannot afford another embarrassment. Actually after what happened in wano with Kaido and the beast pirates.” 

The navy guard nodded at him in a confirming response before walking away back to his station.

The air inside the chamber was stagnant, weighed down by the smell of polished wood, candle wax, and the faint tang of iron from the shackles waiting to be locked on the accused. 

Saturn sat like a statue at the judge’s bench, his posture unyielding, his dreadlocks spilling over his shoulders, the black hat resting low on his brow. The scar across his eye caught the lamplight, drawing a faint white line over his weathered skin. He rested both hands over the knob of his cane, tapping it ever so slightly against the floorboards, the sound hollow, deliberate, unsettling.

He didn’t need to speak to command the room, yet when his gravelly voice came, it carried through the courtroom with the weight of an executioner’s axe.“Remember,” Saturn said, his eye narrowing at the jury box, “The whispers outside these walls are as important as the judgment inside them. All that must reach the people is that the pirate hunter, the so-called King of Hell, was captured and brought to trial.”

A murmur rippled through the gallery, quickly stifled when Saturn’s gaze swept across them.

One of the jury members cleared his throat nervously, his voice thin and wavering. “Elder Saturn, forgive me… but some of us wonder if this is wise. The Straw Hat  pirates have toppled two warlords, defied the Navy’s justice at Enies Lobby, defeated Big Mom’s forces and Kaido himself. If he truly The kind of threat Everyone is always  rumoring him to be… isn’t luring him here dangerous beyond—”

Saturn’s cane struck the floor with a sharp crack. The sound silenced the man instantly.

“Dangerous?” Saturn repeated, his tone dripping with disdain. “Everything is dangerous when left to fester. These titles… pirate…  emperor of the sea… these are just masks a boy wears. And masks can be ripped away with the adequate amount of force.” He leaned forward, his single eye glinting with a cold fire. “The world must see the so-called ‘savior’ crushed under the weight of his own loyalty. ”

He leaned back again, letting the silence return, only his thoughts grinding forward like heavy gears. 

A Buster Call would have been more effective against the emperor of the Seas pirate crew, yes,  with the simple, ten ships, endless firepower, and the assurance of annihilation The perfect offensive attack against the post-war pirate crew. But that would create too much of a spectacle and it would scatter the Straw Hats before they could be cornered.

Besides the military couldn't afford to look perfectly bad adding a buster call would only cause massive scale destruction that, unfortunately, they didn't have time to deal with at the moment. 

No… the plan demanded subtlety and secrecy and it needed to be kept far away from the public until they were ready to publicly address the situation. 

A courtroom  is their best way of making it look like they were trying to do this fairly and to not stir the public into the straw hat Pirates favor. 

It was a stage, and Saturn intended to script the ending to better uphold him and the other Celestial dragons.

The situation happened to take a turn and it got ugly and violent, a few human  casualties wouldn't affect them that much. people die every day and these pathetic ants would prove to be no exception 

Still, he could not ignore the unease gnawing at the edges of his mind.

He had studied the reports, every reckless charge, every miracle escape. 

Straw Hat Luffy never abandoned his crew under any circumstances. 

He burned down Enies Lobby for a single crewmate, shattered Marineford’s order to reach his brother. 

And he's narrowly escaped from the Navy countless times making them look like fools.

Thankfully this time he thought about this nice and clearly he took notes from all the other failings to capture the straw hats from before and now he's made the perfect plan.

Beyond the bench a guard shifted, he wore a sash studded with small pieces of sea-prism stone, white-frosted slivers set into leather, and they glinted with a cold, hard light. 

A bucket of water guns sat under the nearest tables: an odd, practical instrument against Devil Fruit powers, small barrels and tubes, their nozzles clean and pointed. The Navy had not expected visitors like this and had prepared anyway, They were able to pull together everything they had. 

Sure it may have looked silly but it would definitely get the job done when it came to this devil fruit user. 

And of course there was Saturn himself who with his own power should be more than enough of a fight for the straw hat crew if they show up. 

Saturn’s lips curled upward in something caught between a smirk and a snarl  just thinking about the success of this mission. 

And today will be the day that he ends their little journey. 

The man lowered his gaze, nodding, though the tension in the room only thickened.

Outside the great doors of the chamber, the faint clink of chains and the heavy steps of boots echoed down the corridor.

 The guards could be heard from outside dragging their prize from his cell, though the doors remained closed as they made their way to them..

Saturn shifted slightly in his chair, adjusting his grip on the cane. His expression was unreadable, but in the depths of his eye, a spark of unease lingered.

“Bring him in,” he said finally, his voice low but cutting through the silence like a blade. “And let this plan go into motion.”

The gallery leaned forward, the jury stiffened, and the candle flames flickered as though the air itself were bracing for the arrival of the King of Hell.

The iron doors creaked open, groaning under their own weight, and the sound alone sent a ripple of unease across the gallery. 

The chains rattled first, harsh, metallic clinks echoing like war drums, before the figure himself stepped into the light.

A hush fell over the room.

The man who emerged was unmistakable, The King of Hell: Roronoa Zoro, first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates, a living legend in his own right. His green hair, shaggy and untamed, caught the lamplight as he stepped forward, his scarred left eye shut in permanent mystery, his jaw set in a scowl that could cut deeper than any blade. He wore a long, dark green coat, open at the chest to reveal his powerful frame, his torso crisscrossed with faint lines of battles past. The muted red sash at his waist, which usually held the weight of three swords, the infamous trio that had torn through Marines, pirates, and emperors alike.

Every guard at his side was trembling, as their armor clinked from the quivering of knees barely holding their stance.

“Keep him steady,” one whispered, his voice breaking Holding one of the swordsman's chain tightly..

“I—I am keeping him steady,” the other hissed back, his knuckles white on the chain links. “It’s him that doesn’t move!”

The irony was sharp, Zoro walked as if the chains were decoration, Completely uninterested in anything that was going on in that current moment

He carried the aura of a predator so certain of his strength that a cage was nothing but an inconvenience.

Whispers ignited among the crowd of twenty in the galleryAs they watched the infamous Pirate hunter Enter the courtroom..

“That’s him… that’s really him,” a dockworker muttered, hat crushed in his hands. “The demon of Wano…”

A woman beside him grabbed his sleeve. “They say he cut Kaido,” she whispered, breath trembling. “Like completely scarred him for life.”

An older man, face furrowed with old sailor’s wrinkles, shook his head. “They say he split a mountain in Wano clean in half, just to get a better view.”

“That’s not true!” the woman insisted. “They said he cut through King's skin like it was paper.”

A teenager leaned in, eyes fever-bright. “I heard he once drank an entire bar dry and still fought ten Vice Admirals with one hand tied behind his back and the other doing push-ups.”

“That’s stupid,” someone scoffed. “He’d never waste time doing push-ups, have you seen that guy's physique?”

“That’s what makes it impressive!”,Teenager shot back. 

Rumors spilled over rumors, some half-true, some fabricated from drunken nights and pirate songs

Some spectators leaned forward, their eyes wide with morbid fascination, others shrank back, averting their gaze, as though staring too long at the swordsman would draw his wrath. Parents held their children’s shoulders tighter, afraid even the boy’s breath could slice them.

The jury box wasn’t much steadier. Several jurors swallowed nervously, their eyes darting from Saturn to Zoro and back again, silently praying the swordsman wouldn’t suddenly decide to break free.

Five looked like actual townsmen: a baker with flour still dusted into the creases of his fingernails, a bookkeeper with ink on his cuffs, a retired shipwright with broad shoulders and an old injury that made him favor his right leg.

The other five wore the same costumes, but the mask slipped if you looked closely enough. Their backs were too straight, their shoulders too even, their eyes too sharp. Beneath their sleeves, the faint trace of Navy stencils showed at the edges of their cuffs. Hell they won't even trying to hide the fact that they smelled like bacon. 

One of those men swallowed hard as Zoro passed within a few meters of the box.

On a table to the side, a large den-den mushi sat on a small cushion, a neat brass headset framing its shell. Its sleepy eyes were half-lidded, but its antennae twitched, sensitive to vibrations and voices. A small glowing bead of light traced slowly along the rim of its shell, rhythmically pulsing as it synced with the transmission lines outside the courthouse.

The guards flanking him shook visibly, their grips tightening on their rifles though they dared not raise them. One wrong move from the swordsman and they knew they’d be corpses before their triggers were even pulled.

Zoro’s presence alone was crushing everyone in the room because they knew  this was the man who scarred Kaido, who split mountains with his blades, who once challenged Dracule Mihawk, the world’s greatest swordsman, only to be defeated and then train under him. 

Saturn barely moved, his silhouette was a carved shadow in the judge’s seat, hands folded on his cane like a man who weighted his words with iron as he watched Zoro’s approach with cool, predatory interest.

A guard near the bench swallowed audibly and tried to straighten his uniform as if posture could armor him. He kept his hand on his rifle, not to aim, only to feel the rough wood. “If he moves—” the words died in that cold hush, because everyone in the room already knew how that sentence ended.

Zoro’s face did not change, he stayed the same bored and unimpressed expression all the way down till he finally reached the center of the floor and paused as if taking inventory. The chains drooped and made a lazy clink that sounded like a challenge rather than a restraint.

He looked up, his gaze swept the gallery until it landed on the child with the doll; the kid flinched and hid his face. 

That response simply caused the swordsman to just roll his eye and  yawn, like a slow unbothered.

This stretch of his jaw that made the nearest soldier flinch as though it were the beginning of a roar, As he turned back to face the front of the courtroom.

From the judge’s bench, Saturn watched intently as he studied the swordsman brought before him.

“So,” Saturn said at last, his voice rumbling through the chamber, “this is the man they call the King of Hell.”

Zoro raised his head lazily, his single visible eye glaring back at Saturn with no shred of fear,”Yo”, He said nonchalantly with no respect for the authority that stood before him,  like a warrior annoyed at being forced into a board meeting..

“King of Hell, vice captain, monster of the Worst Generation…” Saturn continued, leaning slightly forward. “I must say you gained yourself quite a title during your time at sea, haven't you? And yet here you sit in chains.”

Zoro tilted his head, the faintest smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I mean, yeah, you know, every now and again, life hits you with its surprises.” He casually responded while shrugging his shoulders.

There was a slight bit of irritation on the Celestial Dragon's face at being so blatantly and casually spoken to like this.

It wasn't something he was very used to, not at all really.

He was not accustomed to being spoken to like that by a pirate of all individuals.

For the sake of the plan, he forced his fingers to remain still on the cane instead of grinding it into splinters.

At Zoro’s right side, close enough to sweat on his sleeve but far enough to avoid an elbow, stood a thin, nervous man in a tattered black coat.

His hair was slicked back with too much cheap oil, and his collar was frayed. He clutched a stack of parchment and a half-dried quill in shaking hands, eyes bouncing between the judge, the jury, and the mountain of a swordsman he had somehow been assigned to “defend.”

He looked like he wanted to be anywhere else in the world.

This was the “lawyer” in name only.

No one in the room believed this man would protect Zoro from anything.

He was there because the image of justice required a defense, someone to nod and look overwhelmed.

He licked his lips nervously and whispered, “M-Mister Roronoa… i-if you would please, try to—uh—answer respectfully, we m-might—”

Zoro didn’t even look at him  or acknowledge his existence.

The lawyer swallowed the rest of his sentence and stared down at his own shoes.

Saturn tapped his cane once, the hollow tok commanding silence. His gravelly voice rolled out with the weight of finality.

“Let the record state,” Saturn began, “that the Water 7 Navy Court is now in full effect. Temporary judge, Jaygarcia Saturn of the Five Elders, presiding over the case of The People versus Roronoa Zoro.”

The room shivered at the formality of it as the words hung heavy, sealing the swordsman’s presence into the annals of history.

The den-den mushi’s eyes snapped fully open, its mouth moved in slow mimicry as it relayed each word across the lines running along the canals and rooftops of Water 7.

Outside this room, people were already gathering around public receivers, whispering:“A Yonko’s right hand… on trial?”

“Defendant,” Saturn said, leaning forward, “step forward.”

Zoro’s lips curled into a faint scowl, but he shuffled forward when tugged by the chains. His heavy boots thudded against the courtroom floor. Each step echoed, a sound that drew the eyes of every person in the room. When he finally stood at the center, his broad frame straightened, he looked less like a prisoner and more like a warrior entertaining a pointless game.

The moment Saturn lifted his hand, silence swept across the courtroom like a commandment sent from heaven or hell.

A naval staff member hurried forward, crisp coat immaculate, eyes lowered in reverence and fear. He carried a stack of weathered papers, the edges frayed, the ink darkened by years of printing faces worth killing for.

With ceremonial care, he set the papers before Saturn, then moved down the line of the jury, placing one sheet before each juror. As the posters touched wood, the room felt as if it inhaled all at once.

Then—

GASPS.

Whispers.

Choked breaths.

One juror actually dropped his sheet with a panicked clatter.

It slid across the floor to Zoro’s feet.

A hundred eyes followed it.

Bold black letters glared upward:

WANTED Roronoa “Pirate Hunter” Zoro 1,111,000,000 Berries

Zoro's wanted paper.

A bounty with too many zeroes.

The jurors stared like men who had mistakenly volunteered to sit beside a keg of gunpowder.

It was on full display for everyone to see.

Gasps rattled through the chamber. One juror dropped the poster in shock, his lips moving as though counting zeroes. Another muttered, “Over a billion… just for one swordsman…”

“He’s not even the captain,” another hissed.

A third man, who had fought in the Navy long ago, whispered hoarsely, “A billion is reserved for monsters. World-enders.”

The first juror corrected him in a trembling voice,“…He’s the King of Hell. That’s worse.”

Saturn’s voice cut through the noise like a blade.

“Let it be known,” he said, tapping the cane against the poster with deliberate weight, “This man, standing before you in chains, is not simply a pirate. He is the combatant of the Straw Hat crew. A swordsman who has carved his name in blood across the Grand Line. One of the so-called ‘Worst Generation.’ The man they whisper of as the King of Hell.”

His cane tapped the poster as if to punctuate the words,“Remember what you hold in your hands. One billion, one hundred and eleven million. That is not a number given lightly.”

More whispers.

“He’s the one who used Conqueror’s Haki in Wano…”

“They said he tanked an attack from two Emperors…”

“Cut a mountain clean in half—no, two mountains—”

“No, that was Trafalgar Law—”

“Shut up, both of you! He’s looking this way!”

Zoro’s eye didn’t even twitch, but the subtle roll of annoyance was unmistakable.

Saturn’s lips curved upward in a thin smile, and with deliberate slowness, he raised another sheet of parchment. This one, larger, carried the bold caricature of another man. Straw hat tilted forward, wide grin, scar under his eye.

“Roronoa Zoro is not merely dangerous by his own hand,” Saturn declared, holding up the poster for all to see. “He is the vice captain of an Emperor. His captain… Monkey D. Luffy.”

The poster fluttered as Saturn turned it outward.

This one the crowd was far more familiar with.

WANTED Monkey D. Luffy 3,000,000,000 Berries

The room erupted as this time he pulled out Luffy's wanted Poster.

(Continue to part 2)

[godofcreatitivity]

Chapter 1: The man who would be king of the pirates (Redux 2)

One Piece The Movie

(part 2)

Gasps, whispers, disbelieving laughter.

Gasps. Barks of disbelief. Laughter born from shock.

“Three billion?!”

“That boy looks like he feeds chickens! How does he have THREE billion?!”

“That’s the new poster? I thought someone said the printer messed up—his face looks… different.”

“I heard he fought Kaido on the roof of Onigashima.”

“No, I heard he beat Kaido on the roof.”

“That’s impossible. Kaido wasn’t human.”

“Neither is he!”

Zoro’s head tilted, his lone open eye glanced sideways at the poster.

And finally— a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

He felt a brief warmth settle in his chest.

His captain deserved that number.

Every last berry.

He’d earned that title the hard way, through pain and grit and stubborn, stupid, brilliant will.

Watching these idiots gawk at it was… satisfying.

The room continued buzzing like a disturbed hive until Saturn tapped the paper sharply.

Tok.

Silence smothered the noise like a blanket.

“Do not be deceived by childish expressions,” Saturn said, voice dropping low, drawing everyone’s attention back under his grip. He held Luffy’s poster aloft between two fingers as though it were an artifact,“Behind this grin lies a menace the world has not witnessed in centuries.”

He then listed the crimes slowly, each one like the toll of a death bell,“He has defeated Warlords…Toppled Emperors…Burned the flag of the World Government at Enies Lobby…And Interrupted in execution at Marineford Causing an all out war.”

Then the cane swung toward Zoro,“…and this man is his right hand.”

Zoro did not rise to the provocation.

He didn’t need to.

His slouched posture, the lazy roll of his shoulders, the way his half-lidded eye barely acknowledged the room.

To be honest he wasn’t listening anymore.

His headache thumped behind his temple from too many cups last night.

All the Lantern light was killing his eyes almost as much as the hangover was.

Saturn’s droning voice blurred into one long, boring hum.

He tilted his head backward slightly, letting the iron collar bite into his skin as he exhaled slowly.

Should’ve stopped drinking after the thirty ninth glass….

He could have cut his way out of this shitty situation.

But the truth was that he was way too tired to care at that moment.

Onigashima had taken more out of him than he’d ever admit aloud.

And though he healed, the fatigue lived deep under the muscle.

He pushed himself far beyond any limit he had ever done prior and like Chopper suggested for him and Luffy that they should take it easy for a little while and not get into any big fights.

This vacation was supposed to give them a chance to relax after what happened at Onigashima.

If he hadn’t been drunk, he still might have let the Marines take him.

Not because they could but because fighting off thirty Water 7 marines sounded like more effort than he wanted to spend while hungover.

He huffed quietly.

Sanji would laugh his curly-brow ass off if he saw him right now.

Zoro’s gaze drifted away from the noisy jury and trembling guards. His eye slid upward, settling on the old man presiding over this entire farce.

The old man sitting there, Jaygarcia Saturn, was different. Zoro couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something coiled beneath that thickset frame, something heavy that pressed against the room like a hidden blade.

Even through the haze of a fading hangover, Zoro felt it, a presence pushing on the air, thick and heavy, like something alive.

The Marines? They were nothing. He could feel their fear in every shaky hand, every quickened breath. They weren’t worth his time.

But the old man? That was something else like pressure that felt real. 

The pressure radiating from Saturn wasn’t human.

Zoro didn’t need to know the details to recognize danger.

Most people didn’t sense it, but Zoro was different. His instincts had been honed, sharpened against death over and over again. Even half-drunk and chained, he felt the wrongness under Saturn’s skin.

Zoro flexed his wrists just enough to make the chains creak, the metal was strong, layered with seastone, but he knew he could break them Considering the fact that he wasn't a devil fruit user.

This old man was a lot more powerful than he let on.

That's probably why, from the rumors he had heard in the cells, why the Grand Elders were so feared.

And he just had to go, causing a big ass commotion when the whole point of this stop had been to lie low for two weeks like he and Luffy agreed upon. 

Yeah, that lasted… what? Twelve hours?

Maybe thirteen?

He damn sure knew it wasn't long. 

Trouble always had a way of finding them. 

Hell people scattered like flies the moment he walked into the bar earlier and didn’t even give him the chance to sit down before clearing out, whispering his name like it was a curse.

By the time he reached the docks, half the city already knew he was here.

 It didn’t help that Water 7’s streets twisted and turned like a maze. 

Every left turn led to another canal, every bridge to another dead end and he’d wandered for nearly an hour just trying to find a damn drink

Not that he’d admit he was lost. Never.

 Because there was no reason to because he didn't get lost, the city was like a maze.

Maybe he should have listened to some of Frankie's family members and gone with them instead of going on his own, they might have been able to make him look not as suspicious, though he probably would have ended up putting them in danger, if he did.

Saturn’s voice cut through his thoughts, the words heavy, formal, accusing,“—charges including but not limited to piracy, affliction with the Straw Hat crew, rebellion against World Government property, aiding and abetting hostile nations, the slaying of—”,Saturn’s droning voice clawed its way back into Zoro’s half-drifting consciousness.

Something about charges, crimes, affiliation, specifically, and things that Zoro had now done in his adventures with the Straw Hats.

Zoro blinked, barely paying attention.

He wasn’t even sure what they were trying to pin on him. 

Did it even matter either way?

He was a pirate. 

The world had pretty much already made their decision about him before he even had a chance to enter this courtroom.

He stared upward blankly, a faint pulse of dull annoyance behind his eye.

And the World Government was as corrupt as they could get.

They'd stick any charge on him at this point.

He pulled in a long breath through his nose and exhaled quietly, like someone enduring a boring lecture rather than a formal trial meant to determine life or death.

His hangover had finally faded, but the boredom was still going strong.

Saturn didn’t notice, or worse, didn’t care that Zoro was barely paying attention. 

The Elder’s expression remained severe, authoritative, unyielding as he continued reciting charges with ritualistic precision.

The words washed over the room like cold water, dripping with accusation,“…participation in incidents at Sabaody Archipelago, violation of international law in Dressrosa, unlawful combat in Wano, destruction of sacred government property in Enies Lobby—”

Zoro scratched his cheek with one bound wrist, unimpressed.

Sacred property? 

It was a bridge and it attacked us first.

He wasn’t even sure what they were trying to pin on him.

 Pirates didn’t get fair lists.

 Once the World Government hated you, you got stamped with anything convenient.

Murder? Sure, why not.

Kidnapping? 

He raised a brow. Ok that one was new.

Public intoxication? Okay, maybe he’ll give them that one.

Either way it wasn't going to matter once the World Government got their claws on it..

And the worst part about this whole bull shit case, he didn't have his weapons on him.

His eye flicked two feet away, beside the clerk’s desk, lay a black rectangular case. He could feel the presence of his blades inside, almost humming to him.

Wado Ichimonji.

Sandai Kitetsu.

Enma.

The weight of them pulled at his focus. 

He was ninety-seven percent sure that’s where they’d stashed them, locked away and guarded like treasures.

Guarded by two Marines who kept glancing between it and Zoro as though expecting it to burst open.

Thankfully they hadn’t thrown them into the sea.

He rolled his shoulders again, the chains groaning. 

He would definitely be getting them back, that was for sure, real soon.

For now, though, he sat silently, the crowd studied him like a caged beast, and he let them. 

The more they trembled, the easier it would be later once Hangover was finally go-

Wait 

Hold on.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait and………..

Yep, it was gone.

The last remnants of his headache slipped away entirely.

Took long enough considering it was killing him.

Now he could finally finish up with this little charade whenever he wanted to. 

But for now, he had to keep this little charade going as long as he could, and he knew just how to do that.

So he decided to speak,“Actually.…I have something I’d like to say in my defense.”

Chains groaned as Zoro leaned forward slightly, his visible eye locking onto Saturn’s with an almost lazy sharpness. 

The Elder’s eyebrow lifted a fraction, surprise breaking through regality.

“…I’m sorry?” Saturn asked, as if a pirate interrupting him was a concept too absurd to immediately comprehend.

Zoro said flatly,“You never asked me if I had anything to say in my defense. And I’m pretty sure people out there,” he tilted his chin toward the gallery, “would like to hear my side of things.”

The room rippled with nervous whispers.

Murmurs exploded instantly.

“He’s actually talking—” “What’s he planning?” “Is he trying to escape?” “No—this is the King of Hell. He doesn’t try anything.”

Saturn’s jaw flexed faintly underneath his beard.

He could have ignored it and dismissed the swordsman as wasting time, but something in Zoro’s delivery gnawed at him. 

A mix of boredom, irritation, and dangerously calm made Saturn pause.

Curiously, he shifted forward slightly, wondering what a lowly pirate would have to say for himself.

“Very well”,He leaned forward, cane resting heavily in his hands,“…The court will indulge the defendant,” he said slowly, “Speak.”

Zoro straightened, only a little, still scowling, still looking as if he’d rather be anywhere else. His voice was calm, measured, but every word dripped with sarcasm and disinterest.

“Alright so first off, I’ll be honest with you,” he started, “I wasn’t really listening to much of this bullshit so bear with me here cause my hangover’s been killing me so everything's just kind of been blurred out. But uh yeah this trial’s been… been a huge drag so far in my opinion.”

The jury stiffened, someone in the gallery let out a nervous laugh before quickly silencing themselves.

“Second,” Zoro continued as if reading off a list, “Just so you are aware, all I was trying to do was get a drink. It's not like I was out setting peoples houses on fire. I think all of this is a little overboard for just trying to get yourself something to drink .”

He let the words hang, his gaze sweeping lazily across the room.

“And these murder charges?” He gave a derisive snort. “I mean you know anyone I've actually killed other than all those bounties I was hunting back in the day. If anything, that was the only time I was actually killing anybody.  And last I checked, that's kind of the opposite of a crime if you're doing it for the service of the military or whatever.”

The jury exchanged glances. Saturn’s grip on his cane tightened, but he allowed the swordsman to continue.

And Zoro wasn’t finished.

“I'm going to be 100% honest,” Zoro said, shrugging against his chains, “I don’t even remember the last time I killed someone. Although that may be due to all the alcohol so don't fully quote me on that last statement but don't write it off either.”

His visible eye narrowed, flicking toward the jurors. “And another thing, half of this jury is wearing Navy uniforms under those robes. Not exactly what I’d call fair representationI mean you're not even trying to hide it”,Zoro pointed with his chin,” That guy literally has the fucking navy symbol sticking out of his belt, I know I'm not the only one who sees that.” 

Every eye followed.

Sure enough,a gold Navy crest gleamed at the juror’s hip.

The gallery erupted.

“He’s right!” “They’re wearing uniforms!” “That’s cheating!” “This whole thing is rigged!”

Another juror tried to discreetly cover his cuffs.

 Zoro let out a sigh of frustration before he continued,”“So yeah where’s the normal civilian representation? Or at least someone who doesn’t want my head on a wall? Cause from where I’m sitting, they all look pretty invisible.” 

The gallery murmured again, louder this time. 

The jurors shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

One juror actually slumped in his chair, defeated.

Saturn’s face twitched again, micro-expressions of irritation flickering like cracks in stone.

Zoro turned to the trembling skeleton masquerading as his attorney at last, the man shrinking in his seat. “And you. My so-called defense attorney, Mr whatever your name is, I haven’t really  seen you do much to defend me against any of these charges?.”

The lawyer cleared his throat nervously, “M-Mr. Roronoa, it— it isn’t personal,” he stammered,”It's just that we haven't really gotten to that part of the trial you sort of been interrupting him the whole time. and it’s simply that the evidence is… overwhelming, and— and factually—”

Zoro cut him off with a snort, rolling his shoulders. “Overwhelming evidence? Oh yeah him rolling out my wanted poster and a scroll with a list of charges that may not even be true is a hard case to argue against”,he said sarcastically playing towards Saturn's stand,” What's next, gonna bring’n one of my old sword mentors in here and tell him how much of a bad student I was?”

The silence that had settled was shattered by Zoro’s low, cutting voice,“By the way… I have yet to see any witnesses to the supposed crimes I’ve committed. So what's the word on them?”

The remark earned a few uneasy chuckles from the gallery. 

Even some of the jurors shifted in their seats, glancing around as though they’d suddenly noticed the lack of anyone who had actually seen Zoro commit the things listed on the scroll.

Someone in the gallery coughed nervously.

A juror scratched the back of his neck, suddenly very aware that the witness stands were empty.

Another whispered, “We… don’t have any… do we?”

The lawyer, already shrinking into his chair, pressed his parchment against his chest and looked away, as if pretending not to exist.

Saturn didn’t hesitate to respond, it came like a whipcrack.

TOK!

His cane struck the floor with such force that dust leapt from the cracks between the planks. The lamps overhead rattled  in their metal sconces.

His gravelly voice followed, slicing through the courtroom air. “Oh, well that’s an easy one,” Saturn said, his tone thick with mock patience. “You see, the witnesses, especially from all of your captain’s endless list of criminal escapades, have grown to such a large amount we wouldn’t have had time to gather all of them to fit them in this courtroom.”

He smiled thinly, a serpent’s smile, leaning forward just enough that the scar over his eyelid gleamed in the lamplight. “And besides… you’re a pirate. You know exactly the kind of crimes you’ve committed. So this little ‘wrong place, wrong time’ excuse of yours is a load of, excuse my French, bullshit.”

A collective inhalation rippled through the gallery.

Even the jurors stiffened at the profanity.

Saturn didn’t care when he was a god among insects and he meant them to feel it.

Zoro had them right where he wanted them, shaken, distracted, and staring directly at him instead of noticing the distracting cracks forming around their so-called justice.

“Oh, so these crimes are me doing your job?” Zoro asked dryly as his eye slid lazily across the jury box.

A few people in the gallery gasped as if he’d just challenged a thunderstorm.

“Because last I checked, half of what you’re accusing me of was me saving islands from tyrants trying to take over the world and all the seas. Isn’t that what you’d call a vigilante?”He tilted his head.

“By that logic, I should be getting an award for the last two years.” After he said that a ripple of muffled laughter traveled through the back of the room, a few Marines shot up straighter, faces flushing red.

Zoro smirked without humor,“And unlike you, I don’t hide in the shadows behind the Navy’s muscles pretending to be gods. And unlike you…”,He cut Saturn a sidelong glance,“…I don’t need to send a bill to anyone after I fix their world. People actually thank me for helping them, hell where do you think half my drinks come from.”

A louder burst of laughter this time, though quickly smothered.

Saturn’s nostrils flared,his knuckles whitened around the head of his cane until the carved wood groaned.

But Zoro kept going as his tone hardened, his voice steady. “If anything, I’ve done more of your job for free than you’ve ever done yourselves with actual full wages. I can’t remember the last time I personally saw a Marine save anyone. All I’ve seen since becoming a pirate… is us, the Straw Hat crew, cleaning up your messes while you lot sit on your asses stepping on whoever you want just to keep your power.”

Saturn’s nostrils flared, his knuckles whitening on the head of his cane as he barked back immediately.“ You know nothing Boy, of the navy or the celestial dragons! The World Government has made it its top priority to protect the world. We maintain order and the seas from falling into chaos.”

But even as he spoke, the words rang hollow in the air.

The jury’s eyes flicked toward one another nervously, doubt gnawing at the edges of their fear.

“Really?” Zoro cut in, right through Saturn’s speech like a blade through rope. He leaned forward, his chain links groaning, his eye gleaming sharp.

“One of your precious Celestial Dragons tried to shoot me dead in the street,” Zoro said slowly, voice laced with venom, “for shits and giggles.”

The room exploded.

A storm of gasps. Hands covering mouths. Disbelieving shouts. Even the jurors recoiled, limbs rigid.

Whispers spilling over one another.

 “A Celestial Dragon?!”

 “Tried to shoot him?”

“And when my captain knocked that bastard out cold,” Zoro continued, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade, “the Government tried to kill us all in retaliation with a buster call. Plenty of innocent people were in that area who could’ve been killed!”

The entire courtroom convulsed with shock.

A woman in the gallery covered her mouth, shaking.

 A guard whispered, “No… that can’t be—” before being elbowed silent.

CRACK!

Saturn slammed his cane so hard the bench shuddered.

“That is absurd!” Saturn thundered, his voice shaking the lamps on the walls. “The Celestial Dragon in question reported he was assaulted by your captain! It is our sacred duty to protect them. They are the chosen blood of this world! And as the Government, it is our job to defend them!”

The jury nodded weakly, but their eyes betrayed unease. 

The gallery muttered louder, the image of an untouchable aristocrat shooting at pirates for amusement gnawing at their thoughts.

Zoro rolled his eye and snorted mockingly. “More like it’s your job to protect them while they walk all over everyone around them.” His tone dripped with contempt. “While the World Government props them up, tears the world apart, and lets people suffer.”

He raised his shackled wrists slightly,“And who’s left cleaning up your messes?”

His eye burned, his voice steady, unshakable. “The Straw Hats. My crew. The people you call villains are the ones actually saving the world while you hide behind your excuses.” 

A few guards lowered their rifles subconsciously.

“Those islands you claim we destroyed?” Zoro went on,“Every single one was already enslaved, terrorized, or crushed by world nobles, tyrants, or pirates hiding behind your coat of protection.”

Another wave of gasps erupted. 

Zoro leaned in forward causing some of the navy soldiers to flinch thinking he was going to do something, his voice sharpened like the edge of Wado Ichimonji,“And you did nothing but watch.”

The chains groaned as Zoro leaned forward, his voice suddenly cutting through the murmurs like a blade through silk,“You two-faced bastards can say whatever you want  to the public, to the jury, to the people in this room. But me, along with everyone else across the seas, know the truth.”

Gasps rippled through the gallery. A few jurors froze in their seats, wide-eyed, their quills scratching to a halt on their notes.

The courtroom was breaking under the weight of truth it wasn’t meant to hold.

Zoro’s eye burned, sharp as steel. His tone was low, dangerous, but each word carried,“The truth is none of you give a shit about justice, or safety, or even stopping the pirates that actually hurt people.” 

He shifted his weight forward, the chains biting into his wrists, rattling like steel fangs,“You sit high in your towers, hidden, protected, and untouchable while the rest of us walk through the hell you helped create.”

The gallery erupted into whispers, louder than before.

Some faces flushed with anger, others with fear. 

A few dared to nod faintly, though they quickly stopped when they noticed Saturn’s eye scanning the crowd.

Zoro tilted his head back slightly, raising his voice so every corner of the courtroom could hear,“All those supposed crimes you just read? Horseshit, you know it. I know it. And whether they admit it or not,  everyone in this courtroom knows it.”

The lawyer beside him nearly fell out of his chair, his pale face turning toward Zoro as if begging him to stop.

 The guards tightened their grips on their rifles, beads of sweat rolling down their temples.

Saturn’s cane CRACKED against the bench so violently that dust drifted from the rafters but even the thunderous strike couldn’t drown out the echo of Zoro’s accusations, still ricocheting off the walls like ricocheting cannonfire.

The gallery wouldn’t settle over what the swordsman just said.

“He’s lying—” “Is he?” “I heard about Alabasta… the World Government did nothing—” “Hush! Don’t say that out loud!”

The jurors shifted in unease. 

A mother in the third row clamped a hand over her child’s mouth.

An elderly shipwright stared at the floor, face pale as wood ash.

A young woman in the second row bit her lip until it bled, eyes darting between Zoro and Saturn like she was watching two storms collide.

Zoro leaned back in his chair, chains rattling as he exhaled slowly through his nose, like a man bored of a sermon.

His voice steadied, colder now, his tone almost dismissive,“Maybe you’ll convince people to call me a monster of a pirate and they may even believe your propaganda.”

His eye narrowed into a glare that locked straight onto Saturn,“But one day, even if it isn’t because of me, someone’s gonna cut through your lies. Just like my captain cut down that bastard, Kaido.”

A silence fell so heavy it seemed to dim the lanternlight.

No one dared to so much as breathe until either one of them said so.

For the first time since he walked into this courtroom, Saturn’s composure began to fracture.

 His jaw clenched, the scar across his face twitching as his cane shook in his grip.

His voice rumbled, lower than before, but it carried the venom of a cornered beast,“You dare…” He hissed as he rose slightly from his seat, dreadlocks shifting like living shadows,“...You dare stand in the presence of the World Government and claim we are the villains?”

His eye burned with barely contained fury,““You are a pirate. A murderer. A creature who walks hand-in-hand with chaos. And you have the audacity to lecture this court on truth?”

His cane slammed again, the sound echoing like thunder,“You have no truth. You have only blood. Your legacy is dishonor and death. History will remember you as nothing more than an ant beneath my boot!”

Zoro smirked, because now he knew his plan was working.

Saturn was rattled.

The courtroom was stirred.

The guards were distracted.

And Zoro could already see the black case holding his swords, all he had to do was keep pressing.

That way he could go and grab his swords with ease from that case they have them inAnd catch everyone off guard before they could have a chance to stop him.

These bunch of idiots were dumb enough to even bring it to the same court room he was in.

Zoro turned his eye toward the jury, then to the gallery, sweeping across them with the confidence of a predator surveying trembling prey,“You see the difference between me and them?”

He jerked his chin toward Saturn,“I don’t hide behind titles. I don’t waste my time pretending to be something I’m not. I’m a swordsman and pirate. Everything I am is right in front of you on full display, so what ya see is what ya get.”

 “But these guys?” He jerked his chin toward Saturn. “They’re killers hiding behind a horseshit flag.”

A woman gasped loud enough to echo.

A man stood halfway up, pointing as if to accuse Zoro of blasphemy, but Zoro’s eye locked on his, and the man sat back down immediately, trembling.

Saturn leaned forward, dreadlocks cascading over his shoulders like a lion’s mane. 

His scar gleamed like a brand, and the carved cane shook with how tightly he gripped it.

“Hm, mm…” Saturn hummed, voice low and cutting. “And here I had you Straw Hats pegged for nothing but a group of fools. It seems I was mistaken.”

He rose slightly from his seat, his looming presence suddenly oppressive. “However…” His single eye burned, the scar across his face twisting with his sneer. “It appears all of you, the defendant, the jury, and the commoners gathered here are under a misconception..”

He leaned forward, eyes blazing, voice dropping into a tone so cold it made the guards stiffen.

His voice dropped to a cold whisper that carried through the silent chamber like smoke,”Do you honestly think the World Government would ever view pirates like you as protectors or anything but vermin?”

A ripple of tension swept through the courtroom.

Even the air seemed to thicken.

Zoro’s single eye narrowed, muscles tightening subtly beneath the chains.

Saturn stepped forward, voice rising,“This may come as a surprise to you, swordsman, but you, these people, and  the entire world outside this room?”

His lips peeled into a chilling grin,“You are nothing but playthings to us.”

Saturn spread his arms slightly, as though revealing an undeniable truth,“We, the Celestial Dragons, do with you what we please both how we want and when we want.”

He chuckled, the sound dripping with cruelty,“You may think your little speeches hold weight. That your little empty ideals matter.”

His voice intensified, hammering into every corner of the room,“But let me clarify something for you, Roronoa Zoro, NONE of it matters.”

He leaned forward until his shadow draped over Zoro like a shroud,“What you do. What your captain does. What any pirate dreams of accomplishing.”

He raised his cane,“We rule the world.”

The cane slammed into the floor.

CRACK!

Lantern flames wavered from the sheer force.

“And no number of toppled tyrants will ever change that. Pirates are outcasts. Filth. Meant to be beheaded where they stand”, he continued.

And The Celestial Dragon wasn’t done.

He inhaled slowly, making sure he was still somewhat composed, then exhaled venom,“To be entirely honest, this entire charade exists for one reason: to capture your captain.”

He then points his finger right at the vice captain,“You, swordsman… are a pawn.”

He leaned in, single eye gleaming with malice, “And when the time comes… I will have your head on a silver platter. That is how easily I wipe out a life.”

The gallery recoiled, horror flashing across once-doubtful faces.

Even the Marines exchanged nervous glances.

Then Saturn rose to his full imposing height, his voice booming,"In this world, I decide who lives and who dies. I am the god you pray to, even if you don’t know it. I am the highest authority in both body and mind. I command the Navy. I shape nations. I dictate fate.”

He pointed the cane downward like a judgment, “You pitiful commoners exist only to serve us Celestial Dragons. You are dogs and we are your leashes.”

The room held its breath for an excruciatingly long time before he finally continued.

Saturn finished with a sneer so cruel it chilled the marrow, “No amount of twisted words will ever change that.”

The room went cold.

Not metaphorically or rhetorically or poetically or theoretically or in any other fancy way, it was genuinely cold, as if the very air had thinned in the wake of Saturn’s declaration of supremacy. 

The temperature dropped enough for the gallery to pull their shawls and sleeves tighter.

The jurors sat rigid, hands trembling over parchment. 

Their pens hovered uselessly above ink pots. 

No one knew what to write anymore. 

No one knew if they were even supposed to.

The gallery’s murmurs rose like a nervous tide:

“He… he said it openly.”

“He thinks he’s a god.”

“Are the Celestial Dragons really like that?”

“I always heard rumors, but—”

“Shh! You’ll be killed!”

It was obvious, painfully, horrifyingly obvious that no one in this courtroom agreed with Saturn’s words.

Not the civilians.

Not the lower-ranking Marines.

Not even most of the jury.

But what could they do?

This was the world.

This was the power above all other powers.

 This was the face behind the World Government, cruelty with a crown.

And at the center of it all, the only one speaking fearlessly was the man in chains.

And here, at the center of it, the only person with enough spine to speak against it was the chained swordsman.

He leaned back in his seat, chains clinking casually, like this was a tavern dispute and not a supernatural politician admitting he viewed the world as cattle.

Truthfully?

Zoro had expected this shit, he could bet on it.

He’d seen enough of Celestial Dragons to know what came out of their mouths before they even opened them.

Nothing Saturn said shocked him in the tiniest bit.

Now Zoro could have gotten angry and upset over it, but he still had a plan to try to get out of there, and there was nothing in this world that could provoke him enough to mess that up.

Zoro leaned back, chains clinking in lazy percussion. “You’re right,” he said so calmly that it sounded obscene in the charged silence. 

The single sentence landed like a verdict of its own.

The words dropped into the silence like a cannonball.

Heads snapped toward him so fast a ripple of motion swept through the benches.

Even Saturn’s practiced face blinked, the elder’s composure cracking for the faintest fraction of a second. 

For a fraction of a second, disbelief flickered across the Elder’s face.

The old man grew colder beneath that flash of surprise, but he did not lose control, well not yet anyway.

Zoro pushed out another breath and continued, voice low, sardonic,“There’s no point in me trying to plead my case. Since the second I walked into this room, you’d already decided what I am.”

He glanced lazily at the gallery,“Who I’m supposed to be. Where I stand in your perfect little world.”

He rolled his shoulders, chains rattling with a dull metallic groan,“There’s no point fighting that.”

A woman in the front row inhaled sharply, clutching a rosary until her fingers turned bone-white.

Zoro’s visible eye drifted to the briefcase beside the clerk’s desk, humming faintly with the presence of Wado, Kitetsu, and Enma, and back to Saturn, the grin at the corner of his mouth slowly curdling into something sharper,“So if a murderer is what you think I am… I shouldn’t have any problem going along with it. If that’s the version of me you want, I’ll play along.”

He let the implication hang, and then with a casualness that sent a fresh wave of panic through the courtroom he said, very plainly, “You know what? Since we’re on the subject, how about we do this—?”

A few Marines flinched automatically.

“I could reach for a sword in that case. The guy guarding it keeps it real close, almost like he thinks it makes him safe, should be easy enough to get it from.” He flicked his chin once with the faintest gesture.

 “Take one of my swords out and decapitate the piece of—”He cut himself off with a bored, short laugh, letting the sentence die in the imagination of every horrified soul in the room.

People rose from their seats in panic.

Mothers shielded their children.

A chair toppled when one of the jurors hopped up from his seat in a reflexive state..

A clerk’s quill dropped and skittered across the floor.

Guards screamed orders but tripped over each other trying to aim rifles they weren’t brave enough to fire.

Saturn’s cane slammed down with the might of a God.

CRACK! 

The sound was enough to settle down the court and get everything back in order, well, mostly.

However despite him trying to maintain some order in the courtroom, even Saturn was surprised.

He had expected defiance.

But to agree with him and turn his own logic into ammunition to boldly imply an imminent assassination in his presence?

That wasn't exactly something he was fully expecting, if at all, really.

Seriously, these pirates nowadays were starting to make him more curious by the second. 

He could only wonder what the Straw hat captain was like.

“What have we here?”He tilted his head, dreadlocks shifting like coiled serpents,“Our prisoner has grown some backbone.”

His voice was ice wrapped around a blade,“You feel comfortable enough to threaten my life now do you?”

“Well, I'll have you know, This court will take no tolerance of open disrespect and forced threats. Defendant—” he began, voice thundered, “—do I make myself cle-?”

Zoro interrupted, not with fear but with a bored correction,“Oh no. It’s not a threat, your honor.” 

His tone practically oozed disrespect, “I genuinely, with every fiber of what’s left in me, believe it’s going to happen in the next five minutes.”

Every head snapped toward the courtroom doors.

A murmur swept through like wind in tall grass:

“Five minutes?”

“Something’s coming—”

“Did he mean… someone?”

“What does he know?!”

OK now he was starting to irritate the celestial dragon.

He wasn't about to sit here and allow this blatant threat to go unpunished

Especially from a peasant such as a swordsman.

If he thinks he could come here and begin a joust with a celestial dragon., well, he was in for a rude awakening. 

Saturn leaned forward, face a mask of warning, but beneath it the beads of sweat at his temple glinted like the first sign of a storm. “You will—” he started, furious, then forced the authority back into his tone. “You will not dictate the proceedings here. The authority belongs to me and me alone, and only I will decide if or if not Order will be maintained.”

Zoro’s grin widened faintly.

He had him right where he wanted him.

Zoro only let out a lazy snort. “You can tell them that, if you want. But it doesn’t feel very… enforced upon me.”

He shrugged, the movement small but deliberate enough that the chains protested. “I’m nothing but a filthy pirate, remember? Your rules don’t apply to me.”

Zoro went on, the grin widening into something dangerously playful,“All I can do is tell you that something crazy is going to happen.”

His voice dropped to a cold murmur that carried to every corner of the room,“And when it does, this room is going to erupt.”

He ticked off predictions like they were mundane facts,”This isn't just any type of crazy event either, it's a type that'll cause disorder and disarray within this entire room. People will scream their asses off. Guards will panic before pissing themselves. And the next thing you know—”

He nodded toward the judge’s bench,“I’ll be standing right where you are, mall my Chains will be snapped like twigs, ill have my swords, all three of them, from that convenient case right there—”

Two guards jerked backward instinctively.

“And i’ll have one blade…”, He raised his hand as far as the shackles allowed, mimicking the movement,“…right up against your throat...”

Zoro finished with the softest, deadliest line yet,“....ready to gut you like a fish.”

The courtroom had gone so still after Zoro’s prediction that the air felt tight enough to tear.

Every breath, every shifting coat, every small tremor of a juror’s hand sounded like a drumbeat against the suffocating silence.

Even the ceiling fans seemed to turn more slowly, as if the machinery itself feared provoking the swordsman.

Zoro sat there unbothered, eye half-lidded, waiting.

The Elder leaned back in his chair, posture straightening in one fluid, practiced motion. 

His face was a mask of polished marble, the faintest twitch in his lips the only crack in the veneer.

He let the panic marinate.

Fear was the language the World Government had spoken for centuries.

And Zoro had spoken it fluently.

He'll give it to the young swordsman he could make quite a threat sound intimidating to the normal person.

But Saturn wasn't a normal person.

That's where his first mistake was. 

He intended to speak louder.

Saturn casually leaned forward, interlocking his fingers on top of his cane, staring down at the swordsman,“Well now… isn’t that a peculiar vision you have?”

His voice rolled through the room like smoke in a sealed chamber.

The Elder Elder began theatrically, mockingly, scanning the room, eyes darting from door to door, looking under his desk, peering down the aisles as though expecting something, anything, to leap out of the shadows.

The gallery watched him with horrified fascination.

Seconds ticked by.

Aaaaannnnndddddd ……….Nothing.

There was absolutely nothing.

Saturn clicked his tongue softly and smiled,“Well… if I didn’t know any better, I’d say that was all just a massive hoax.” 

A few nervous people chuckled, not because it was funny, but because laughing felt safer than silence.

Those same people instantly regretted making a noise.

Saturn continued, voice rising with patronizing grandeur,“I will give you credit, however. Fine wordplay. Very dramatic. Especially the bit about gutting me like a fish.”

Zoro just blinked at him, unimpressed.

Saturn turned to the room with a sweeping gesture, as if presenting an exhibit at a museum,“As you can see, nothing has happened. No chains breaking. No swords drawn. No… unscheduled executions.”

His cane tapped twice sharp, hollow tok! Tok!, a rhythm to reassert control,“We will not be intimidated by a braggart in chains.”

The words ricocheted off the walls, steadying the gallery even as their fear lingered like smoke.

He inhaled, lifting his chin with regal superiority,“Well, as much as I would love to entertain the soon-to-be demise of your little crew, the work of the World Government cannot, and will not be halted because of a pir-”

RUMBLE.

It rolled through the floorboards like a beast turning in its sleep.

Everyone froze.

A few gasps slipped out.

One man in the back whispered, “What was that…?”

A guard tightened his grip on his rifle.

Another rumble, deeper, more insistent, made dust trickle from the beams overhead.

Zoro slowly lifted his gaze toward the ceiling, lips curving, not into a smirk this time, but into the faintest whisper of acknowledgment.

Right on time.

The single syllable of Saturn’s proclamation was cut short by a deep, rolling RUMBLE that slithered up through the foundation of the courthouse like an earthquake whispering laughter.

The courtroom froze as every head turned towards the door

It felt like the world itself had inhaled and refused to exhale.

Saturn’s jaw clenched, the thin veneer of superiority flickered, not gone, but undeniably shaken.

His cane tapped once. Twice.

A precise rhythm, an attempt to reseal control over the room as if he could hammer order back into the planks beneath them.

What the hell was that

He watched the faces around him: jurors with blanching cheeks, guards whose breaths had shortened.

 He saw, too, Zoro’s smirk, small, impossible, and utterly sure and felt the first real prick of irritation.

“Sergeant,” Saturn said, voice carefully level but edged with iron, “your men — step outside and report. Immediately. Find the source of that disturbance and secure the perimeter.”

The sergeant, a broad-backed man who had been the very picture of composure minutes earlier, swallowed and gave the curtest of nods. 

His boots thudded on the planks as he bounded to the doorway, helmet under arm, voice lowered as he barked orders that were already metastasizing into a nervous chorus out in the antechamber,“A-Aye, sir.”

He rushed to the double doors, two guards with him, helmets under their arms. 

Their boots thudded in panicked rhythm as they disappeared into the hallway.

And then—RMMMMMMMBLE.

Worse this time.

 The kind of sound storms made when rolling over the horizon.

The windows rattled.

 Dust drifted from the rafters.

 The entire courthouse groaned as though pushed by invisible hands.

But beneath the rumble… another sound emerged.  

At first faint, distant, like chanting underwater.

And the unmistakable clang of weapons striking wood. And the blaring of horns used only by Water 7’s shipwright guilds.

The gallery began to buzz in terrified confusion.

“What is happening out there?!”

“Could it be pirates? More Marines? Rebels?”

Saturn’s fingers tightened around his cane.

He did not let the panic show, but the tremor travelled up his cane and into the bone in his hand. 

He had felt many dangers in his lifetime, rebellions, mutinies, uprisings, but none of those were this raw, this immediate. 

There's no way this boy could cause this much of a complication for them, could he? 

Moments later, the sergeant reappeared, only this time with a line of Marines crushed behind him, as though they were using their bodies to plug a sinking ship.

His helmet was gone, His hair was wild, His breath came fast and shallow, and his face was pale. He gave Saturn a short bow and reported in a voice that tried to be steady.“Your Excellency— outside— by the southern quay— a crowd, sir. Dozens… then hundreds. They surged in from the docks like a wave. They’ve broken through the perimeter. They’re trying to enter the building. I’ve stationed men to hold the doors but… we won’t last long.”

They've broken through the perimeter.And are trying to enter the building.. I’ve ordered men to hold the doors.But I don't know how long they could hold out.” He swallowed the last words as if they tasted ash.

The courtroom rippled with panic after hearing that.

Saturn felt the edges of his plan, so carefully laid, begin to tremble.

He began to quickly start trying to brainstorm any solutions on how to deal with this.

 Reinforcements? A buster call? A total lockdown?

No. No.No, no, no, no, no. 

He couldn’t escalate too quickly, not unless he wanted everything to transform into chaos.

He forced his shoulders to relax, his jaw to unclench,“Arrest and capture any individual who enters. Anyone who trespasses is to be subdued immediately. Get this situation under control.”

The sergeant saluted again and rushed back out.

Zoro watched all of this unmoving, his chain links producing a deliberate, slow rhythm. 

He knew each tremor of the planks under his boots like a map. 

He knew it all too well who was probably leading this little party. 

At that Saturn’s face, so carefully composed, tightened for an instant into something sharper than anger: recognition. He swallowed the look and spoke to the gallery instead of to the sergeant. “Remain civilized and keep this court under control! Figure out what's going on outside and Oh, contain it immediately!”

But his command was drowned beneath the rising roar outside.

BOOM.

BOOM.

BOOM.

Like the fists of giants pounding the courthouse walls.

The sergeant returned again, breathless.“There are flags,” he reported. “The Straw Hat flag, sir. They’re armed. And they’re tearing through our men like a tidal wave.”

Saturn’s cool reserve almost snapped, but he held it as he thought.This plan was starting.

Outside, the noises intensified as boots hammering like war drums, the metallic scream of rope pulleys and grappling hooks being thrown.

He had to figure out a way to capture this boy before he became a nuisance, but that wasn't going to help him if he didn't know where he was coming from. 

It didn't take long until suddenly.There was a bang outside the court room door. They had already broken through the perimeter, entered the building and were now trying to break the door down.

Saturn felt that heat. He felt his plans fold and re-form under the pressure. 

Saturn’s composure began to waver for the briefest moment.

Zoro noticed this and his smirk grew,“Sounds like your schedule’s getting a little crowded.”

Saturn ignored him, though his grip on the cane tightened until his knuckles strained white.

His mind raced as he tried to figure out any way to get this situation bac- 

BOOM

And a huge brawl began.

A slam struck the courtroom door so violently that dust rained from the ceiling beams.

Guards jumped back,”“They’re ramming the door!”

The gallery surged away from the entrance like a wave recoiling from the shore.

Two jurors screamed,“Brace it! BRACE IT!”

Several men threw their bodies against the wood, stacking benches, chairs, anything they could find.

Their boots scraped across the floorAs they were trying with all of their might to keep that door closed.

Their grunts mixed with the roaring chaos on the other sideAs the much larger.Kraut was.Managing to push through their defense. 

Saturn rose slightly from his seat, cloak shifting like a shadow, heat simmered under his skin.

This is not how this trial is meant to go at all. 

And there would only be for so long until that door finally started to-

BOOM. CRACK. BOOM.

The hinges strained as splinters shot across the floor.

The gallery was losing their minds. 

“They’re coming inside!”

“Protect us—someone—!”

But unfortunately the Marines were already losing their footing.  

The barricade shuddered as benches scraped forward an inch… two… three…

Saturn felt his plan fold, like paper crushed beneath a boot.

People weren’t listening.

The room was dissolving into panic.

Order, his order, was slipping beyond reach.

He opened his mouth to command the evacuation—

But the door exploded before the words even formed.

KRAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!

The double doors blasted inward with the force of a cannonball as Wood shattered and Metal hinges tore free and spun across the floor like deadly shrapnel.

The front line of Marines flew backward, crashing into desks and the jury benches.

Ink pots burst and Scrolls scattered.

 A cloud of dust, smoke, and splinters swallowed the room.

Through it came Water 7.

Not the tourists or gentle civilians of midday commerce but the shipwrights, the dock workers, the carpenters, the fighters, and the loyalists who hadSupported the Straw Hats in their fight in Marine Ford years ago and lived to spit at the World Government for it.

They surged into the courtroom like a tidal force.

Boat hooks raised like spears, Wrenches and mallets brandished as war hammers, Ship chains swung like flails, Smithing tongs clamped like iron jaws, Sailmakers wielding needles longer than forearms, and Carpenters holding sharpened planks like greatswords. 

And leading them were the loudest shouts:

“FREE THE KING OF HELL!!!” “ZORO!! ZORO!! ZORO!!” “STRAW HAT ALLIES—FOR WATER 7!!!”

Marines scrambled backward, weapons up but hands trembling, trying their best to get some distance away from the civilians in order to avoid being overwhelmed.

Unfortunately, that plan would fail as the civilians had no intention of soldiers in edge over them or their numbers.

It didn't take long for them to make their way inside the courtroom, turning it into complete chaos as a wild brawl erupted immediately.

A shipwright slammed a guard through a bench after running up to him and picking him up..

A sailor cracked a mallet against a Marine’s helmet.

A carpenter hurled a tool chest like a battering ram.

A woman from Dock 3 bashed a guard over the head with a bucket of nails.

A masked figure swung through the broken frame of the door on a rope, kicking two Marines square in the jaw.

And at the front, a massive Galley-La foreman smashed a guard aside with a timber beam and roared,“YOU DON’T TOUCH OUR HEROES!!”

Behind him another man shouted,“FREE ZORO!! THE STRAW HATS SAVED ROBIN! THEY SAVED US ALL!!”

Another voice,“WATER 7 STANDS WITH THE STRAW HATS!!”

At this point, it was pretty clear which side the crowd was on. 

The room became a maelstrom of fists, metal, and bodies.

Marines swung rifles like clubs and workers swung tools like war hammers.

It got so bad to the point where a harpoon embedded into the wall inches from Saturn’s head.

The elder ducked using his observation haki, eyes blazing with killing intent,“HOW DARE YOU—!!”

The roar tore from his throat, heavy with authority and fury, but it died halfway as something far more offensive caught his attention.

And it was Zoro, who was just sitting in the middle of a courtroom that had devolved into a riot, but he sat like a king on a ruined throne, watching it all with a lazy, satisfied gleam in his eye.

He snapped his head toward the destruction, rolling his shoulders as if warming up before a sparring match. His grin widened, sharp and knowing, like someone who’d already read the ending to the book everyone else was still panicking through.

“You know,” Zoro said casually, almost conversationally, his voice cutting through the din just enough for Saturn to hear, “I can’t help but say I saw this coming.”

He tapped a finger against his chin, pretending to think it over, then shrugged.

Chains rattled as he cracked his neck, muscles shifting beneath his coat. He glanced down at his right wrist, turning it as if checking an invisible watch,“Well…” he said lightly, lifting his head.

“Guess it’s showtime,"and then he moved.

Thankfully for Zoro, most of the guards that had been stationed around him were already gone, dragged into the chaos at the doors. Only two remained, both shaken, both distracted, both very much unprepared for what came next.

Zoro turned left.

CRACK.

His elbow smashed clean into the first guard’s face.

The guard dropped backward with a wet grunt, collapsing into a heap, clutching his mouth, which was hit in the process.

The second guard reacted too late, panic flashing across his face as he swung his rifle like a club.

Zoro ducked effortlessly, the movement smooth and economical, and drove his elbow straight into the man’s stomach.

The guard folded instantly, air blasting from his lungs in a choked wheeze as he clutched his stomach.

Zoro then grabbed him by the collar, pivoted once, and threw him bodily over the defense table, sending wood and parchment exploding outward as the man crashed to the floor.

Then, with an almost effortless pullSome of his might, snapping the chains away like old rope.

Metal screamed, cuffs split, iron rings skittered and bounced across the floor. 

Zoro straightened as the last restraint fell away, rolling his wrists, flexing his fingers.

Oh yeah.

That felt good.

He stretched his arms, rolled his shoulders, worked the stiffness out of his neck with a satisfied grunt. 

Whoever had restrained him had at least had the decency not to overtighten them, “small mercies” he guessed.

A guard nearby saw it happen and screamed, voice cracking with terror,“OH NO—HE’S FREE!!”

Panic rippled through the Marines like a disease, as heads snapped toward him with eyes widened. 

How could they not panic?

Roronoa Zoro…… The King of Hell….. Straw Hat Luffy’s right hand……..

Was now loose in the middle of a riot.

Zoro didn’t even spare them a glance.

His eye was locked on something far more important.

The black briefcase.

Two paces beyond a fallen clerk, lying on its side near another overturned table that had his swords inside it.

Wado. Kitetsu. Enma.

He could almost feel them calling to him, that familiar weight humming in his bones.

The guard who’d been carrying the case had dropped it in the chaos, abandoning it to try and stem the tide at the doors.

Now it sat there unprotected ripe for the taking.

All Zoro had to do was reach it.

Unfortunately, the guards realized that too.

“GET HIM!” someone howled near Saturn’s bench.

Rifles snapped up as fingers tightened on triggers.

Zoro’s instincts flared, his Observation Haki painted the future in brief, brutal flashes.

Before the first shot could fire, Zoro kicked the table in front of him upward, flipping it vertically just as bullets tore through the air.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Lead bit deep as the table shuddered under the impact as Zoro ducked behind it.

“Keep firing!” a guard shouted, “Don’t give him time to move!”

They fired again though unfortunately they were too slow for the swordsmen..

Because behind the table, Zoro wasn’t hiding.

He grabbed three of the thick, solid wooden legs of the table, which weren’t flimsy sticks, but dense, reinforced beams, and snapped them off one by one with brutal efficiency.

He spun two into his hands and slid the third into his mouth.

The guards edged closer, heartbeats pounding, rifles raised, hoping he’d been pinned down.

Which unfortunately was a huge mistake on their end.

Zoro kicked the table outward, sending it crashing into them like a battering ram.

Guards toppled over each other, bodies slamming into the floor like scattered pins.

Zoro burst forward as he leapt, landing heel-first on one guard’s face, smashing him flat before pivoting mid-motion.

A second guard rushed him but Zoro swung a chair leg straight into the man’s gut, the impact folding him in half.

Another came from behind and Zoro turned and cracked the wooden leg across his skull, dropping him instantly.

A third charged head-on and Zoro brought the leg down like a hammer, BOOM, smashing the man into the floor.

He flowed through them.

A sweep kick sent two guards skidding across the floor into a pile of shattered benches.

One swung a rifle but Zoro caught the arm, locked it, smashed the man’s face with the chair leg, and threw him like trash into a heap of bodies.

A gunshot rang out and a bullet hissed past Zoro’s ear.

He ducked without thinking, already knowing where it came from.

He looked up And saw that one of the guards had his rifle pointed at him from a distance. 

Before the man could fire again, Zoro threw one of the chair legs.

It smashed into the guard’s face with a dull THUNK, bounced off, and—

Zoro caught it mid-run.

He closed the distance in two strides and knocked the guard flat with the remaining leg.

His attention locked on the black briefcase two paces beyond the nearest fallen clerk, the promise of cold steel and remembered weight right in his grasp. 

And he was gonna make it there no matter what.

Saturn’s panic didn’t show at first.

Not the way it would on a lesser man, scrambling backward from the bench. 

Saturn had lived too long, crushed too many rebellions, watched too many “impossible” threats die choking on their own pride.

But panic still found him.

It crept in through the smallest cracks with the twitch at the corner of his mouth, the way his knuckles whitened around his cane, the fraction of a breath he took too sharply when Zoro’s path lined up perfectly with the fallen briefcase.

His gaze snapped from the overturned benches to the black case lying like a gift on the floor.

Then back to Zoro.

He’s going for the swords.

And he’s going to get them, unless—

Saturn’s worry curdled into something heavier, sharper.

 He rose from the judge’s seat with a calm that didn’t match the chaos, his silhouette unfolding like a guillotine being lifted into place. 

The cane in his hand was no longer a symbol of office.

It was a weapon.

He lifted it once and slammed it into the floor.

The sound itself was ordinary, wood and iron striking wood,  but what followed wasn’t.

A pressure swept through the chamber like an invisible tide turning violent. 

It didn’t come as a gust or a wave so much as a presence, a dominance that rolled outward from Saturn in an instant and filled every corner of the courtroom, pinning the air itself to the walls.

Conversations died mid-syllable as shouts strangled into silence.

A guard near the door froze so hard his rifle slipped from his hands and clattered to the floor with a metallic clang that echoed like a funeral bell.

Then a room full of knees buckled.

One Marine’s eyes rolled back as if someone had yanked the strings holding him upright, he collapsed face-first onto the planks.

A civilian woman staggered, tried to grab the bench, missed, and slid down into an unconscious heap, her flag slipping from her fingers like it had suddenly weighed a thousand pounds.

Two more guards dropped and a juror’s quill slipped from numb fingers, scratching a dark line across parchment before it fell.

 Ink pooled and bled like a wound all over.

Bodies began to fall in waves, Marines, townsfolk, and clerks started toppling into each other, slumping over benches, crumpling beside overturned tables.

The entire riot ended with a thud like a battlefield going quiet after the last cannon fires.

For a heartbeat the only sounds left were the soft creak of settling wood, the faint hiss of candles, and the slow, controlled tapping of Saturn’s cane as it lifted an inch from the floor again.

Saturn exhaled through his nose and in that sudden emptiness, he finally looked satisfied.

Until—

Zoro’s boots scraped forward half a step, staying upright.

The pressure hit him too, he’d felt it bloom the moment the cane struck—but instead of breaking him, it merely tested him. His jaw tightened. The muscles in his neck flexed. His shoulders lifted as if he were taking on a heavier weight.

And then something answered.

A second presence flared up in the room, different, but just as real, like a second storm front colliding with the first.

The air between them crackled with tension so sharp it felt like it could slice skin.

Candles guttered papers on the clerk’s desk shivered, edges lifting, then slapping down again as if the room itself were breathing too hard.

Saturn’s eyes narrowed as Zoro’s visible eye sharpened.

Two wills pressed against each other with raw certainty.

For a long moment, the courtroom wasn’t a courtroom anymore.

It was a cage, inside it stood two predators, measuring which one would make the other blink first.

This was the power of SUPREME KING HAKI.

Saturn’s lips curled, not quite a smile, not quite a snarl.

“Well,” he murmured, voice low now, no longer speaking for an audience, because the audience had become a sea of unconscious bodies, “So it’s true.”

He tilted his head, studying Zoro the way a collector studies a rare blade, “It seems the stories about you Straw Hats… aren’t just exaggerated drunken sailor gossip as I originally presumed.”

Zoro let out a breath through his nose, a smirk tugged at his mouth, but it wasn’t lazy anymore,“Yeah,” Zoro said, voice rough around the edges from exertion and adrenaline as he removed the table leg from his mouth. “Kinda happens when your crew beats an emperor of the sea.”

Saturn’s eyes flicked, quick as a blade-draw, around the room, then back to Zoro.

“Well.Was not expecting your captain to put on quite a show for us this afternoon.,” Saturn said. His tone was almost conversational—like they were discussing a game board, not a massacre of morale scattered across the floor, “You should be proud.”

Zoro’s gaze drifted to the case too.

It was right there, close enough to touch.

The latch glinted in the candlelight like a promise.

Zoro’s fingers flexed once at his side, an unconscious itch for steel.

Then his eye returned to Saturn.

“Yeah, well. That unpredictable nature of his…….,” Zoro said, and there was something cold in his voice now, something that promised violence without needing to shout. “.......has always been a highlight of his personality. Even if it can make him look like a complete idiot sometimes.”

Saturn’s cane tapped once against the floor.

“You seem strained,” Saturn observed, voice smooth as silk wrapped around iron. “Breathing hard. Sweat on your brow. And yet…” his smile sharpened, “still standing.”

Zoro’s grin widened a fraction. “Yaeh, I’m pretty stubborn like that.”

“Yes,” Saturn corrected softly. “It is quite the interesting quality you pirates have..”

It sounded like the cruelest compliment imaginable.

Saturn stood unbowed in his place, the cane still ringing in his hand. 

Staring down at the swordsman, waiting for him to make another move. 

Zoro was doing the same on his end, waiting to see what this old man would pull out of his ass

He looked up at Saturn and saw, reflected in that old man’s narrow eyes, the same fierce, blank measure he’d seen in a blade or in the eye of a charging beast: a king’s presence.

It was a wonder why people were so afraid of him.

Saturn’s voice lowered into something private, something only meant for the one man still conscious enough to hear it.

“Whats wrong, swordsman?” Saturn asked,“You were so adamant about retrieving your weapons.” His chin tipped toward the case. “Well? Go on. Take them.”

Zoro’s eye flicked to the latch again.

Then back to Saturn.

And in that look, the humor shifted into something predatory.

“Oh, I’m getting to it,” Zoro said. His tone was calm, but the calm of a man holding a knife behind his back. “It’s just…” he rolled his neck once,“this little staring contest is more interesting than I thought it’d be.”

Saturn’s mouth curved. “You think this is a contest?”

Zoro’s grin widened just enough to show teeth. “Don’t you?”

There it was, an almost playful insult buried under the threat. 

Zoro’s gaze swept Saturn’s face, then lingered just a little too long on the elder’s eyes,“…But if I’m being honest,” Zoro added, voice dry, “you might have an advantage.”

Saturn’s smile thinned. “An advantage?”

Zoro tilted his head. “Yeah. You’ve got both your eyes.”

For a half-second the air sharpened again.

Then, unexpectedly, Saturn gave a low chuckle like the sound of a blade being drawn halfway from its sheath.

“Pirate humor,” Saturn murmured, “I would call it pathetic.”

Zoro’s shrug was lazy, but his stance wasn’t. “Call it whatever you want.”

Saturn stared down at him from the judge's seat, The environment felt like the edge of a cliff.

“You have been entertaining,” Saturn said, voice smooth, almost polite, “But unfortunately… you cannot be allowed to leave this courtroom alive.”

Zoro’s reply came instantly, a humorless snort,“Aw,” he said flatly. “That sucks.”

He glanced toward the briefcase again, then back at Saturn, eyes hard,“Just when we were starting to enjoy each other’s company.”

The sarcasm was so thick it could’ve been cut with one of his swords.

Both of them understood what came next.

Neither moved, they stood in a courtroom filled with unconscious witnesses, surrounded by the wreckage of Saturn’s perfect plan.

His cane hovered slightly off the floor, poised like the first strike of a bell.

Zoro’s hands Tightened around the Table legs, cautious enough to dare Saturn to react first.

Silence hung between them like a held breath, two wills facing one another over a black case, when a sound cut through the hush and the static of a thousand dropped voices.

Zoro stood near the black case like a wolf at the edge of a trap, shoulders rising and falling in slow, controlled breaths.

Sweat gathered at his hairline and slid down the side of his face, catching on the scar that sealed his left eye.

His fingers hovered, just a few inches away from the latch, close enough to feel the promise inside without touching it.

Across from him, Jaygarcia Saturn remained upright, uncollapsed, unshaken—at least on the surface. 

His cane was planted into the floor like a spear, and the iron cap at its tip had bitten into the planks hard enough to leave a small, spiderweb crack. 

His hat shadowed most of his expression, but his single visible eye watched Zoro with the patient cruelty of an executioner who enjoyed the pause before the drop.

For a breath, neither moved.

Then the hush broke.

With…….. laughter?

At first it was faint, so faint it almost sounded like a hallucination left behind by the clash. 

A single ripple of sound drifting down the corridor like a misplaced note at a funeral. 

It didn’t belong in a courtroom or anywhere near a Five Elder.

Saturn’s brow creased.

 The muscles in his jaw tightened, then loosened, as if his face couldn’t decide whether to sneer or listen. 

He turned his head slightly, angling his ear toward the sound like he was trying to catch a whisper behind a wall.

Zoro’s expression changed into relief, realizing who this was. 

The corner of his mouth tugged upward, small and sharp, “Tch,” he murmured, voice barely above a breath. “Took him long enough.”

The laughter came again, clearer now, rolling closer, it carried with it the damp salt scent of Water 7’s canals, the groan of dock wood, the muffled chaos of bodies moving in the hallway beyond. 

It didn't sound like desperation.

It sounded like someone was having fun.

Saturn’s eye narrowed. 

For the first time, his control didn’t feel like a wall, it felt like a pane of glass with a crack running through it.

He looked to the courtroom doors.

Then back to Zoro.

Then back to the doors again.

The laughter swelled, then abruptly—

Stopped.

A clean, unnatural cutoff. Like the world inhaled and refused to exhale.

Even Zoro’s smile thinned, not in doubt, but in anticipation, like he recognized the timing of a punch before it landed.

A heartbeat passed.

Then—

BOOM.

The doors burst inward so violently that the brass fittings screamed. Splintered wood snapped off the hinges and skittered across the floor like thrown knives. Dust billowed in a thick, rolling wave, swallowing the doorway and turning the air into a smoky veil.

And through that smoke, a figure dropped from above.

Falling in like a cannonball.

Feet hit the floor with a heavy THUD, boards flexing under the impact. 

Dust burst upward in a ring around him. 

For a fraction of a second, the outline was all anyone could see: shoulders squared, stance wide, head lowered.

Then the laughter returned, full-volume, echoing off the courtroom’s wooden ribs,“SHISHISHISHI—!!”

Zoro’s grin widened like he’d been waiting to hear that sound for hours.

Saturn’s eye sharpened into something colder than anger. 

It was the sudden, sickening confirmation that the plan had worked too well.

The dust began to settle.

And there he was.

Emperor of the Sea Straw Hat Captain: Monkey D. Luffy.

He wasn’t the scrawny, reckless kid the world remembered from old posters, the one who looked like trouble wrapped in a grin. Two years had carved him into something harder. He stood slightly taller now, his body visibly more muscular, not bulky but honed, thicker neck, broader shoulders, stronger arms. His chest was more defined, and right across it, unmistakable even through the haze, was the X-shaped scar, a brutal, permanent reminder of Marineford that looked like it had been carved into him by fire.

His outfit was familiar, but changed in a way that felt like a warning.

The straw hat was still his, worn and beloved, its brim slightly bent like it had survived a hundred storms. He wore an open, red three-quarter-sleeved cardigan with gold buttons, hanging loose to expose his scarred chest. Light blue shorts sat low on his hips, and a yellow sash was tied at his waist, the tail of it hanging off his left side like a banner. His sandals scraped softly against the floor as he shifted his weight.

He reached up, slow and deliberate, and set his straw hat properly on his head.

The motion was so calm it felt violent.

When Luffy lifted his face, the smile was gone.

His eyes locked onto Saturn.

And the air changed.

It wasn’t just anger, it was something denser, hotter.

Veins stood out against his temple and forehead. 

His jaw was set. 

His posture looked relaxed at first glance, but Zoro knew better. 

It was the stance of someone who could explode forward at any second.

Saturn, Jaygarcia Saturn, one of the highest authorities alive, felt his throat tighten in a way that annoyed him more than fear ever could.

Because he had seen that look before.

In men who didn’t care who they were standing in front of.

In men who only cared who was in their way.

For a moment, the courtroom was nothing but the three of them: the elder, the swordsman, and the captain.

Saturn’s cane creaked slightly as his grip tightened. 

His mind moved like gears.

There he is.

The boy that had been disrupting order since the moment he crawled onto the sea. 

The boy the world had begun to whisper about like a myth. 

The boy who had survived things he shouldn’t have survived and won battles he had no right to win.

Saturn’s lips parted, already forming words, something sharp, something holy, something meant to crush—

And then Luffy’s stare flicked sideways to Zoro.

And in the blink of an eye, that terrifying, murderous seriousness vanished like it had never existed.

A goofy, bright grin spread across Luffy’s face so fast it was almost insulting,“Oh!” he said, like they’d run into each other at a market. “Hey, there you are, Zoro! You okay?!”

Saturn’s expression stalled, caught between disbelief and rage.

Zoro, still breathing a little hard, lifted one hand in a lazy wave like he wasn’t standing in a courtroom full of unconscious bodies and shattered doors,“Hey, Luffy,” he said casually. “Yeah, I’m good. Y’know… another blackout drunk situation.”

Luffy blinked. Then his brow furrowed like he was doing serious math,“Again?” He planted his hands on his hips. “Zoro, that’s like… the third time. Not in a row, but still! How do you get that drunk?!”

Zoro shrugged, chains now gone from his wrists, arms loose at his sides. He nodded toward Luffy’s stomach like he was pointing out an obvious truth of the universe,“I dunno,” Zoro said. “Same way you clear out an entire restaurant. When you’re put in front of a buffet, you can’t just turn away from it.”

Luffy froze.

His face turned thoughtful in the most dramatic way possible, finger going up to his chin as if Zoro had just delivered ancient wisdom.

“Hm…” Luffy hummed, eyes narrowing as he considered it. “That’s… true.”

He nodded to himself, satisfied,“Oh yeah,” Luffy concluded confidently. “Makes sense.”

Zoro’s smirk deepened, like he couldn’t believe that actually worked.

Meanwhile—

While those two were talking. 

Saturn just sat there.

Staring.

Watching the two most wanted pirates in the world casually chat like they were in the Sunny’s kitchen arguing about chores.

His eye twitched.

Not from fear.

From pure, furious disbelief.

They were ignoring him.

Ignoring the Five Elders.

Ignoring the courtroom.

Ignoring the unconscious bodies.

Ignoring the fact that Saturn had just declared himself a god not five minutes ago.

The insult cut deeper than any blade ever could.

How dare this pirate simply ignore him?

Jaygarcia Saturn felt it crawl up his spine like a sickness.

How dare these pirates speak over him, dismiss him,as if he were some dockside drunk shouting nonsense into the wind? As if he were a nameless commoner, another insect scuttling beneath their feet. He was not of this world in the way they were. He was an Elder. A Celestial Dragon. One of the Five who stood closest to Imu themself. A hand that shaped history with a gesture, a voice that ended bloodlines with a word.

He was above them. Above their dreams. Above Joy Boy. Above rebellion, above hope, above consequence.

And he would not be treated like background noise.

Saturn drew in a breath, deep and deliberate, swallowing his fury and letting it ferment into something far more lethal. Authority hardened his spine; menace poured into his veins,“YOU!”

The single word cracked across the ruined courtroom like a whip.

Luffy and Zoro stopped mid-conversation.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, they turned.

Saturn was on his feet now, posture rigid, presence swelling as he let every ounce of his will press outward. 

His coat fluttered despite the still air, the floor beneath him groaning faintly in protest. His eyes burned with fury, veins standing out along his temple as his voice climbed higher, louder, echoing off shattered walls and fallen beams,“WE MEET AT LAST—!!”

He threw his arms wide, as if presenting destiny itself,“MONKEY D. LUFFY!”

The name boomed through the chamber, heavy with years of obsession, fear, and rage.

This was the nuisance, the infection that had spread through the world unchecked.

From East Blue to the New World, from whispers to war, this was the face that had haunted reports, shattered plans, humiliated admirals, and toppled emperors.

Saturn had waited for this.

He had planned for this.

“I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT,” Saturn roared, his voice swelling into a grand, venomous oration, “FOR FAR TOO LONG, TO BE RID OF THE HEADACHE THAT IS YOUR EXISTENCE!”

He pointed a trembling finger at Luffy, accusation and execution wrapped into one gesture,“BY ORDER OF THE WORLD GOVERNMENT, IT WILL BE MY PERSONAL PLEASURE TO WIPE YOU OFF THE FACE OF—”

Yo, Zoro,”The interruption was casual.

Luffy hadn’t even looked at Saturn.

He turned his head slightly toward his vice captain and pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the red-faced Elder like Saturn was a piece of furniture in the way.

“Who’s this old guy?”,The words landed like a slap.

Saturn’s mouth hung open for a fraction of a second, just long enough for disbelief to curdle into pure, unfiltered rage.

Zoro blinked.

Then blinked again.

“Oh… yeah, hold up,”He squinted at Saturn like he was trying to remember where he’d seen him—tilting his head, tapping his fist against his forehead repeatedly as if knocking loose a stubborn memory.

“Fuck… fuck… fuck… come on…” Zoro muttered. “C’mon, old guy, what was your name again?”

He paused.

Then waved it off,“Ah, forget it. Doesn’t matter.”

Saturn’s face flushed a dangerous shade of crimson.

Zoro shrugged and turned back to Luffy, completely dismissing the Elder’s existence.

“Anyway, this dude apparently wants us dead. Made up this whole fake trial and everything just to lure you here. I think,” he added thoughtfully. “I was still kinda hungover through half his speech, so I might be missing details.”

“Ohhh,” Luffy said, nodding like this was fascinating new information.

He turned back toward Saturn, eyes bright with curiosity rather than fear,“Really?”

Saturn was shaking now, not with weakness, but with fury so intense it threatened to tear him apart.

And then Luffy’s face lit up.

“Oooo,” he said, grinning wide as he looked back at Zoro. “Should I send him flying?”

Zoro shrugged.

“Yeah,” he said easily. “Go ahead, Cap.”

The two of them smiled.

Together.

Saturn’s eye twitched.

How—how—was this laughing child supposed to threaten him? 

This boy looked like someone who treated the world like a playground a.

What could he do to him?

The answer came faster than thought.

Luffy bent his knees and jumped.

The air exploded.

Wood cracked under the force of his launch, dust and splinters kicking up as Luffy shot forward, body coiling midair like a spring released. 

His arm snapped backward, stretching, stretching, stretching whipping past the broken doors, past the antechamber, all the way down the corridor in a blur of motion.

The punch came screaming back like a meteor.

Saturn barely had time to register it.

There was no time to dodge. or counter.

Just to feel the impact.

A single, absurd, devastating CRACK as Luffy’s fist smashed into Saturn’s face.

The Elder flew.

For an instant there was no sound but the echo of that impact and the thin rattle of the old man’s body sliding against shattered masonry; the influence of his Conqueror’s Haki ebbed like a receding tide.

His hat went spinning one way. 

His cane went tumbling another.

 His body tore through the judge’s bench like it was paper and punched clean through the far wall, stone and plaster erupting outward in a roaring cloud.

 The sound echoed like a cannon blast across Water 7.

For a heartbeat, the world held still.

Then the dust settled.

Saturn’s presence, his crushing will, his suffocating authority, drained from the room like water from a cracked vessel.

Luffy snapped his arm back with a loud THWAP and landed lightly on his feet.

He planted his hands on his hips, chest rising and falling, that familiar grin plastered across his face.

The trial, the world’s attempt at a quiet, surgical capture, was over in the moment a laughing boy chose to throw a punch.

(End of chapter)

Author’s note: Hello everyone, welcome to the redux of One Piece the movie.

and i know i've been away for a long long long long long time

I know I said I wouldn't, but to be honest, life happens.

Had a few tragedies, a few ups and downs.

And tons of life changing experiences.

For one, I started college.

so as you can see my schedule is a lot more crazier

Just getting this done was a trial of its own.

And so it was a little hard to get these stories out, especially with the stories I have that are in the works that.I will be revealing.In chapter 22.

now obviously some of you guys were probably wondering what was the point of redoing chapter

Well, obviously three years later, looking back on this project, I was left disappointed of how.I rushed its production instead of taking my time and making sure everything was written to top quality.

So knowing that I could do better, especially with all the experiences I had with making the story, I decided that Chapter 1 needed to be a proper introduction to this story and to give it the respect it deserves, I went and added.In a whole bunch of content that should have been in there to begin with.

Something to give you guys.A lot more interested in the story, especially for newcomers I see come and go.Because of how badly the original 1 was poorly written.

Obviously some of the events are changed and better explained.

If it wasn't obvious already to you, this is.A parody project based off of the event of the Super Mario Bros 2023 film, except with One Piece characters Luffy and Zoroin character C instead of mario and luigi

If you guys are new, you'll know that this story is not going to be directly one to one with the original movie.

Similar events will happen in this project.But.The story events will be completely different and how some of those similar events turn out will be different and given much more different dialogue character moments.An overall different story.

And though I hate it, chapters are sometimes going to take long here and there.

I have a lot on my case.Here in the real world.

God of Creativity Studios has currently been going through tons of renovations trying to make this.Thing of ours real.

So I have a few announcements I'm going to be making over the.Remainder of 2025.

All of my public sitesAnd social media will be given the same announcements.

You should get more information on.That in chapter 22 as well.

and i know what you're all thinking

The Super Mario Galaxy movie.

Will that also get a one piece light project?

Well, you'll have to wait for that answer too.

For now, enjoy this remake of Chapter 1. Hope you enjoy 

Chapter 22.Should be.Out within the next couple of days.

It took quite a while, but it's finally almost done.

Chapter 23.will be given a little while before it can be brought out to the public

Enjoy and I'll see you around. 

[godofcreatitivity]

One Piece The Movie

(the following is a nonprofit fan based parody any characters from one piece is owned by Eiichiro Oda, Toei Animation Co., Ltd., any characters from super Mario are owned by Nintendo, any characters from troll hunters, are owned by DreamWorks and universal

Disclaimer

Some of the characters found in this story and / or universe do not belong to me, but are intellectual property of their respective owners. Any original characters in this story are my intellectual property.

Story nonprofit created fan and fan without compromising the original work.)

Chapter 22: Departure

(The Mushroom Kingdom: Peach’s Castle)

The golden light of morning poured through the tall stained-glass window, casting rainbow patterns across the polished pink stone floor of the guest chamber. Outside, birds chirped in gentle rhythm, and the Mushroom Kingdom buzzed with the soft sounds of a kingdom awakening.

Inside, however, the only sound was the loud, rhythmic snoring of one Monkey D. Luffy.

He was wrapped in thick, cloud-like blankets that had somehow cocooned around him in the night. One leg hung off the bed, his hat asked, and a snot bubble had formed from his nose, inflating and deflating with each breath.

The bed beneath him was absurdly soft so soft it made him briefly dream of sleeping on cotton candy clouds or Chopper’s puffball form during a prank gone wrong.

He was sleeping quite peacefully that was until the snot bubble suddenly popped causing him to jolt awake.

POP!

The snot bubble burst, and Luffy shot upright with a snort, his eyes blinking wildly,“Huh—what?!”

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, stretched his arms out wide with a huge yawn that echoed around the elegant chamber As his mouth stretched wide, and then scratched his back with both hands like a bear on a tree trunk.

It took him a solid ten seconds before his eyes landed on the surroundings, —the regal pink walls, the tall crystal vases, the golden-framed mirror, and the silk curtains lazily swaying in the breeze,“This ain’t the Sunny…”,Once he was done he retracted his arms and began scratching his back.

It took him a moment until it all slowly came back to him and he remembered the situation he was in.

Zoro.

Vanellope.

The warp pipe.

His face dropped slightly,“Right…”,For a moment just a moment the usual Luffy joy flickered, buried under something a little more focused and quieter.

But just as quickly as he remembered the situation, he just as quickly as he had forgotten about it because after a moment of struggling to escape the blanket’s clutches, he sprang to his feet, threw on his straw hat.

He swung his legs off the side of the bed and scanned the bedroom he was given in the Princess’s castle.

And it was, without a doubt, one of the coziest, weirdest, and most colorful rooms he’d ever crashed in.

He then got up off of the bed and walked towards the center of the room, jaw slack, eyes sweeping from one corner to the next with a rare moment of stillness.

The room was hugely spacious, like way bigger than his cabin on the Sunny. High ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and golden trim lined the walls. Velvet drapes, mushroom-themed furniture, and a plush red carpet led toward the double doors at the far end. It smelled faintly of strawberries and fresh bread. The walls were high and arched, coated in soft pastel tones that shimmered with faint enchantment. They were a soft pastel pink with mushroom patterns subtly etched into the trim, like the designers couldn’t decide between “fairytale royal” and “kindergarten whimsy.” The ceiling arched high above in a dome shape, painted like a soft blue sky with fluffy white clouds, making it feel like he was sleeping outside on a clear day. A chandelier shaped like a giant Star with pearl black eyes hung from the center, glittering with soft golden light that flickers like sunlight on waves. Golden trim bordered everything, from the chandelier above to the dresser drawers across the room. Sunlight poured through a massive stained-glass window depicting Princess Peach holding a star-shaped wand, casting kaleidoscopic colors across the floor.

The floor itself?

Marble and mostly Sparkling like someone waxed it with sugar.The banners hanging along the wall had the Mushroom Kingdom’s crest, another yellow star nestled inside a red-crowned mushroom and gently fluttered, even though there was no breeze. There was this constant smell in the air too.

And the bed was huge,a circular mattress big enough for three or five Luffys to sleep starfish-style across without bumping elbows. A massive, circular mattress with pink sheets, puffy pillows stacked like a cloud tower, and a royal canopy draped above it all in flowing golden fabric. The frame was trimmed with gold and little mushroom carvings, and the plush bedding was a vibrant mix of reds, creams, and soft whites. It was all absurdly soft and smelled faintly like strawberries.

Near the foot of the bed was a thick red carpet shaped like a Fiery like Flower, also with eyes, and off to the left, a small round table sat next to a wide window, which opened to a balcony overlooking the Mushroom Kingdom courtyard. The stained-glass windows above it featured depictions of princess Peach in an angelic pose.

Luffy hadn’t paid much attention, but Zoro would’ve definitely made fun of the overly dramatic art.

In the corner sat a mushroom-shaped wardrobe, which looked like it might come alive and talk any second. It had tiny gold handles and squeaky doors that creaked like they were trying to hold in a sneeze every time you opened them.

A little shelf near the bed held an assortment of oddities: a vase of Fiery Flowers, a bomb shaped alarm clock (thankfully It didn't look like it was active), and a framed photo of what looks like a royal picnic With all these little mushroom guys.

Luffy had spent a few nights in tons of different Castles over the years of him being a pirate but this one was definitely the most different of them all.

As he was still checking out the layout of the room, he walked across the pink-marble floor and opened the balcony doors wide. A burst of warm wind hit him in the face as he took in the Mushroom Kingdom in full daylight for the first time. Down below, colorful toads bustled through streets shaped like a candyland daydream, different toads walked by each other hauling mailbags, and faint music played from somewhere that smelled suspiciously like mushrooms, go figure.

As Luffy stood on the balcony, he peered down at the Mushroom Kingdom below.

The kingdom was slowly returning to its usual vibrant self.

Toads bustled about, repairing stalls, sweeping up debris, and chatting animatedly.

The signs of the recent chaos caused by those weird turtle soldiers and that monstrous, chomping ball of teeth were still evident.

The fight with those little turtle guys yesterday really did a number on the city, especially that giant ball with a mouth and a chain.

Though these little mushroom guys did a good job of showing that it didn't bother them much because here they were again going about the regular lives repairing their Kingdom almost as if it was all just some crazy party.

Luffy watched as the Toads worked together, their resilience and spirit shining through.

The streets were lined with colorful market stalls being put back together, and the cheerful, determined chatter of the mushroom folk floated up to him.

A small grin tugged at Luffy’s lips.

He admired their tenacity, it reminded him of his own crew and all the people they’d helped over the years.

Though the circumstances of this situation were definitely a lot different than they usually are.

This time well at least from what he was able to gather he was in a whole nother world without the rest of his crew it was only him and well wherever Zoro was.

Sure they've been in bed situations before plenty of times especially when they've all gotten separated but now this time they weren't really going to have any of the well more intelligent members of the crew here with them they were kind of on their own.

He already tried using his transponder snail last night to see if we could try to contact the others.

Though that didn't exactly go well because all he got on the other and was static with no response on the other end.

So not even long distance communication could help him find out where his buddy was.

Well one thing was for sure despite the difference in the situation they could always rely on the old fashioned way.

Which was by long-distance traveling to look for his buddy until he found a hint of him.

And thankfully he would have someone to help him with that.

The princess.

She had been super nice to him after the fight with those turtle guys yesterday.

Even after she threw him at a wall and a few guards knocked out by accident when he Broke into the castle to go and see her, she still helped him fight them, offered him a room, let him have some fun in an outdoor floating training course, and promised to do everything she could to help him find his friends.

Oh.

There it was again, thinking about his old friend from back in the day brought up a reminder of not only his current situation but mostly now about his missing friends as well.

As he continued staring out into the mushroom kingdom's toad town one thought was the only thing that seemed to be clouding his head at that moment. “Where’d you guys end up?”

He remembered Zoro yelling at him to grab the rail.

Vanellope had tried to glitch over but lost momentum.

The whole world had twisted into a swirl of fire and smoke and sound.

Luffy stared blankly for a moment, the distant memory of his crewmates’ fates still replaying in his head.

(Flashback:

It all happened so quickly, the speed that they were going at and the sudden force of the split pipes caused Luffy to accidentally let go of the ship’s rail. But instead of going into the same direction as his two friends, he was sent through another.

Luffy looked on in horror as he soon realized that he was going down another pipe and being separated from his friends. He threw and stretched out his hand in a hurry to try and grab hold of the ship, but alas it was too late.

He was already too far down to be able to reach them in time “ZORO, VANELLOPE”!!!!!!!, he cried out to his friends as they went further into the pipes.

Zoro and Vanellope were in too much shock and were moving too fast to be able to respond.

Luffy watched as they both sucked into a much less friendly looking pipe.

The clouds around it were foggy and filled with lava, the pipe at South looked as if it was made from stones that came from magma.

He could do nothing as he saw both of his friends enter into the terrifying pipe. He tries his best to reach out to them, but to no avail.

They were gone and he couldn’t do anything about it. But he didn’t have time to be sorry, because suddenly he turned to his front, and saw that he himself was about to enter another pipe.

He looked around to see if he could find anything to grab, but there was nothing

What are you got right in front of the pipe he grabbed onto one of the sides of it trying to hold on it’s tight as possible.

But the force of the pipe was so strong that he let go quickly and was sucked into this new pipe.

He didn’t know where he was going on the other side of that pipe, and he sure as hell didn’t know what was waiting for him on the other side.

End of flashback:)

Luffy then blinked, snapping himself out of his thoughts.

Though he mind still lingered on that devastating site

The sight of his friends being sucked into that fiery pipe as they were split apart away from each other.

Zoro, Vanellope, the Thousand Sunny, all of them are gone.

Sucked through that green lava pipe into who knows where.

Then the blinding light.

Then the silence.

Then……nothing.

Just this place.

This colorful, weirdly friendly kingdom of mushroom people…this colorful, fungus looking, sunshine-soaked world that looked like it belonged in one of Usopp’s bedtime stories.

He exhaled slowly, eyes drifting to the soft morning sun filtering through the stained glass,“…Hope you guys didn’t land somewhere worse,” he mumbled, before standing up and cracking his back like it was just another day on the sea, “And you guys better be okay because we still gotta finish our vacation, damn it.”

All he could do was hope that his three friends were somewhere safe and weren't hurt.

But before he did that……..

he should probably get something to eat.

He momentarily took his mind off of all of the tragedy to finally take a real look around the room he’d been given.

Up until now, he’d been moving on pure instinct, going through that green pipe, crash-landing into a giant mushroom, making his way through the Mushroom Kingdom, And fighting a bunch of evil Turtles.

But now, with no battles to distract him, no immediate danger to punch, and his stomach only mildly grumbling instead of full-on roaring

Then—

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAUUUUULLL.

There it goes…..

His stomach let out a monstrous roar that echoed across the room like a war cry.

Luffy blinked, then placed a hand over his belly,“Oop. Better get me some food.”

Another second of silence.

Looks like you need to start fueling up if he was going to get this adventure on the road.

He had to make sure he got his fair share of meat in order to be ready to kick this Bular guy's ass.

But, first things first………….FOOD!

Then he grinned ear to ear again, As he turned away from the balcony and went back into the room, closed the doors and stomped toward the grand double doors like he was about to crash a royal wedding.

But before he could go and grab for the handles, there was a knock at the door.

“Master Straw Hat,” came Toadsworth’s muffled voice. “Breakfast is ready, if you’re awake.”

Luffy’s stomach answered before he loudly screamed,“FOOOOOD!!!”

He shot out of the room in a literal blink of an eye like a cannonball, arms swinging, bare feet slapping loudly against the marble as he tore down the hallway with all the subtlety of an earthquake.

His straw hat bounced slightly with each stride, and his eyes sparkled with anticipation like a kid on the last day of a candy sale. Leaving a trail of Fire right after him, and face planted straight into a mushroom-painted wall with a thud.

The impact made him flatten completely on his front side like a piece of clay.

Well actually in this case rubber…….

It scared the dickens right out of Toadsworth who had luckily moved out of the way in time before being hit by any of the doors as he then planted his back to the wall next to the door..

“Oh good heavens!”,he exclaimed, clutching his chest and in complete shock as the door that was about to impact him had just stopped coming at him almost centimeters to his face, his mustache and particular.

It took him a long time to grow that seriously especially because he wasn't even sure that toads could grow mustaches.

Not only that but Luffy also ended up startling two nearby Toad guards who jumped about a foot in the air.

After Toadsworth had done a quick sweep of himself to make sure he wasn't injured he then fixed himself up, tidying up his mustache, his bow tie, his vest and the rest of his outfit before carefully using his cane to push the door back into place.

He then turned and saw where Master Straw Hat had ended up.

Right in the wall as he had heard the loud THUD from earlier.

He watched as Luffy then slowly slid down to the floor almost like a sort of slug leaving drool marks on the wall.

That was going to be fun for all the cleaners of the castle to clean up.

He then slowly made his way towards the straw hatred individual almost to check and see if he even still had a pulse.

And just when he was about to poke the young glad with his Cane suddenly heard something from the pirate.

“…I’m okay!” he loudly muffled, thumb raised from the floor.

Oh well that checks.

Luffy then hopped up off the floor and has to be expected his entire front half was completely flattened.

So he placed his hand over his nose and mouth and reinflated himself like a balloon at a Carnival.

Wow and Toadsworth thought he had seen everything this world had to offer.

Once Luffy had finished reinflating himself he quickly scanned the area until his eyes darted right at the old mushroom himself.

He grinned wide, still a little dizzy from the impact but already full of that unshakable Luffy energy. “Oi, old mushroom dude! Did you say breakfast?!”

Toadsworth blinked, dusting a speck off his vest. “Er… yes, Master Straw Hat. The royal kitchen has prepared a rather modest selection this morning. Fresh pastries, mushroom stew, pancakes, eggs, waffles, and, er… , per Her Highness’s instructions.”

That was all Luffy needed to hear.

“FOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!” he bellowed, his voice echoing down the long, ornate hallway like a war horn.

Before Toadsworth could react, Luffy zoomed past him again in a blur of bare feet and rubber limbs, knocking the poor butlers out from under him in the process and causing the nearby guards to dive out of the way.

Toadsworth spun slightly in place from the gust of air Luffy left behind. “Good heavens… I've never seen anyone so excited about refreshments.”

And with that he then chased after him which wasn't exactly easy since he wasn't the age but he used to be, especially since he didn't really have legs so made it quite challenging.

As Luffy darted down the hallway, weaving past startled servants and tripping over a stack of porcelain plates carried by a terrified Toad chef.

Causing him the land face first into the floor.

Though once again there was a moment of silence before he then hopped up, reinflated his face and went about his journey to the food court wherever it was.

The chefs just stood there in place completely silent, he was too startled about what had just happened to speak

The palace halls had known all kinds of chaos, but none of it, none of it, could’ve prepared them for Monkey D. Luffy tearing through the castle like a meat-seeking missile.

“FOOOOOOOOOOD!!!”His voice shook chandeliers and made paintings tilt on their hooks. One poor Toad servant dropped an entire tray of teacups just from the sheer volume of the shout.

Toadsworth wheezed behind him, one hand holding his hat and the other gripping his cane with mortal desperation. “S-Slow down, Master Straw Hat! The dining hall is this way! No, that—oh heavens, now he’s on the ceiling!”

Indeed, Luffy had ricocheted off a bannister, launched himself off the wall, bounced onto a passing trolley of newly carved royal statues, and was now sprinting along the ceiling like gravity was a suggestion.

Meanwhile, a terrified line of Toad servants spotted the young pirate coming right their way in a dangerously fast fashion.

“He’s coming back this way!”

“Brace for impact!”

“Why is he foaming at the mouth!”

One poor Toad chef, carrying a delicate tower of fruit tarts, turned a corner just in time to see the Straw Hat bullet barreling his way,“Oh My Go—!”

CRASH.

The cart exploded into a sugary burst of cherries, cream, and horror as Luffy bounced off it like a trampoline, his momentum only increasing.

Toadsworth finally caught up just in time to see Luffy flatten like a Looney Tune into the floor again. He lay there, motionless, face embedded in the marble, a single cherry perched delicately on top of his hat.

The hallway went dead silent.

Toadsworth, panting like he’d just outrun a herd of angry Yoshis, leaned on his cane and stared at the human-shaped imprint in the floor,“Oh dear heavens above, he’s broken the—”

Luffy suddenly popped up with a massive SPROING, face reinflating like a balloon animal and voice chipper as ever.

“Still good!”, He then looked around checking out his surroundings before frowning, “Where’s the food court again?!”

Toadsworth, blinking slowly as he finally started to catch up to him, took a moment to straighten his vest and pat down his mustache, which was now comically frazzled.

“…Right this way, Master Straw Hat,” he said with the patience of a war-weary general, “If you’ll kindly follow me at a slightly more survivable pace?”

“Oh it looks like it's over there !” Luffy pumped his fist and then took off at that same breakneck speed.

“OH FOR GOODNESS SAKES!” Toadsworth shrieked, stomping his tiny foot once before he started waddling after him again. “I am far too old for this…!”

Behind them, the hallway was a disaster zone, flattened carts, broken statues, frightened toads clinging to the walls like cats in a thunderstorm.

As they vanished around the corner, a pair of Toad guards just watched in stunned silence.

“Should… should we do something?”

The other guard shook his head, eyes wide. “Nope. I like my job. I like my life. I like my spine unbroken.”

And somewhere in the chaos, Luffy’s laughter rang out like a battle cry of pure joy,“BREAKFASTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!”

He continued his wild, hyper-charged rampage through the castle halls, his sandaled feet slapping against the polished floors with cartoonish speed. Curtains flapped in his wake. Chandeliers trembled on their chains. A passing Toad butler yelped and dove into a potted plant to avoid getting flattened.

Then, suddenly, he skidded to a stop, nearly spinning a full 360 degrees, when he spotted a couple of Mushroom Kingdom staff members huddled near a tapestry.

“Oi! Mushroom dudes!” he bellowed, arms thrown wide, voice echoing through the castle halls as he then ran towards them. “You guys know where I can find the food in this place?! I’m starving!”

The Toads stared at him like he was a living hurricane. One of them, wearing a red vest and little glasses, fumbled with a clipboard. “Uh—uh—yes, sir, Mr. Straw Hat, sir! If you follow us we can escort you to the royal dining room, or lunch—wait, what time is it? Uh—Chef Toadsamsey is preparing the kitchen now—”

“I WANNA SEE IT!” Luffy shouted loudly to his face, completely interrupting him, as he grabbed the poor Toad by the shoulders, nose twitching wildly. “TAKE ME TO FOOD!”

The Toad squeaked, Before passing out, the poor little guy's face turning almost completely white and shock

The young pirate simply stares at him blankly before shrugging his shoulders carefully placing him on the floor and continuing his search for the dining hall.

He used his nose which was what he could consider one of his greatest tools as a means of looking for this said food and he knew he was getting closer based on the smell of freshly made pancakes.

Luffy grinned, bouncing behind them like a kid who just got told there was a candy buffet waiting.

Without needing to be told twice, Luffy dropped the poor Toad, who wobbled unsteadily before scurrying ahead like his life depended on it. Luffy practically bounced along behind him like an overexcited rubber ball, arms swinging, feet barely touching the floor.

Luffy skidded around a corner, arms flailing for balance as he slipped a bit on the polished floor. “Woooah—! Whoa-ho-ho! Slippery!” he laughed, recovering just before he collided with a very startled Toad maid carrying a stack of folded towels.

“Oh! M-Master Straw Hat!” he gasped, nearly dropping the towels.

“WAAHH—FOOD!” Luffy shouted, zeroing in on the tray like a hawk. His nose twitched, catching the unmistakable scent of butter and syrup. “Hey, do you know where I can find some food?!”

“U-Um, well, no—Wait yes I do if you head down this hall and take a left I mean no right then you'll make it to ther—!”

As soon as the words left the Toad's mouth Luffy immediately bolted in the direction that he had suggested.

Leaving the toad maid completely speechless after this extremely strange interaction.

The maid stood frozen, mouth agape, unsure whether to scream or bow.

Luffy ran down the hall with lightning speed almost causing things to be knocked over and broken if not for Toadsworth who was luckily there in time with a few other toes to catch all of the vases, paintings and artwork pieces that were almost shattered on the floor..

“Sorry!” he said between huffs, waving at them as he kept moving. “I’ll get my own breakfast, don’t worry! Thanks, Mushroomheads!”

He turned the next corner and continued tearing through the castle like a storm made of rubber and hunger Following the exact instructions that the tow made had given him. His stomach let out another loud growl, reminding him what this mission was all about.

“Man, this place is huge,” he muttered, slowing for a moment to peer down a side hall. “Hope I don’t get lost before breakfast…”

He paused in front of a massive set of double doors carved with mushroom insignias and lined with shimmering gold leaf. From behind them came the unmistakable scent of sizzling eggs, toast, and something fruity. He sniffed the air like a bloodhound. “Bingo.”

He shoved the doors open with both hands, revealing a bright light on the end of it that temporarily blinded him until his eyes finally adjusted only to be greeted by a mostly empty dining hall… mostly.

The royal dining hall of Peach’s Castle was nothing short of breathtaking. Though the outside of the castle gave off a whimsical, pastel fairytale charm, the interior of the breakfast hall held a warm regality that blended elegance with the Mushroom Kingdom’s quirky flair.

The room itself was massive, shaped like a rotunda, with high vaulted ceilings painted to resemble a morning sky soft blues brushed with streaks of peach-pink clouds, as if the dawn itself had been frozen in time overhead. Sunlight beamed through wide arched windows adorned with golden trim and little flower boxes that bloomed with fire flowers and smiling sunflowers, swaying gently despite the still air.

The long breakfast table, a polished oaken marvel with curved legs carved into toadstool patterns stretched nearly from one end of the room to the other, but was decorated with such abundance it looked like a banquet was about to begin. Plates of stacked pancakes drizzled in syrup, colorful fruit arrangements cut into star shapes, bowls of hot porridge with cinnamon steam curling from them, and platters of fluffy scrambled eggs and mushroom omelets (he politely ignored those) were arranged with cartoonish perfection. At the center was a gigantic silver dome tray, currently covered, but if the smell wafting from it was any clue, it was likely filled with a dessert of some kind, something Luffy's nose would surely zero in on immediately.

Chairs of all sizes were placed along the table, clearly designed to accommodate guests from various kingdoms; some were tall and sleek for humanoid guests like Peach, while others were small, rounded, and cushioned, with gaps for stubby mushroom feet. The high-backed seat at the head of the table bore Peach’s royal crest, an engraved golden crown with a soft pink heart beneath it.

The walls were decorated with hanging tapestries depicting scenes of the Mushroom Kingdom’s victories and celebrations: Princess Peach holding a golden star above his head, Toads waving flags, and Peach standing at the balcony of her castle with a soft smile. Crystal chandeliers hung overhead, but instead of candles or electric lights, they sparkled with glowing power stars that floated lazily within the crystal cages, giving off a soft, magical light that shimmered like sunlight on water.

In the corner of the hall, a quartet of Toads in polished white uniforms played soft classical music on whimsical instruments one played a cello carved from a warp pipe, another strummed a lyre that looked suspiciously like a stretched-out Koopa shell. It was a sound of gentle cheer, nothing too loud, perfect for easing into the day.

The air was rich with the aroma of warm maple, buttered toast, sweet fruits, roasted meats, and something… strange but tempting, maybe those new "1-Up muffins" the Toad chefs were always trying out.

And at the far end, standing beside The main chair, was a toad chef, adjusting his chef's hat and nodding approvingly as breakfast was set. He About his head in motion for Luffy to have a seat.”Ah you must be Master straw hat please have a seat breakfast is served”, he said politely..

“WOOOOOOAH!” Luffy’s jaw, practically unhinged, “I GET ALL THIS?!” He charged the table like it was a battlefield and he was leading the cavalry.

The chef nods his head as he once again motions for the young straw hat to take a seat and enjoy the meal.

Oh he didn't have to tell Luffy a third time.

He didn’t even use a chair.

He just dove straight into the nearest platter of sunny side up eggs, stuffing four into his mouth at once, eyes closed in pure, blissful ecstasy, “MMMMMMM!”

He chewed, swallowed, grabbed a waffle, folded it like a taco, and crammed that down next.

Toads peered from behind the kitchen doors, watching in horror and awe as the Straw Hat pirate devoured enough food for ten people in under two minutes.

Toadsworth, who had finally been able to catch up to the young straw hat as he burst into the room, dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief as he started catching his breath from all the running. “Good heavens…”

Luffy sat cross-legged on the table, his cheeks bulging like a squirrel. “Sho gooood,” he mumbled. “This place is amazin’!”

After a few more minutes of pure chaos and grease, he finally leaned back, arms still holding a pancake and a waffle covered in syrup , a blissful expression on his face, “Maaaaan. This is hittin the spot.”

Toadsworth adjusted his monocle as he finally caught up to the Straw Hat boy, wheezing just a little and placing a hand on his rounded mushroom cap as he tried to catch his breath.

“Gracious me,” he muttered under his breath. “How does one human move like that before breakfast?”

Toadsworth frowned, straightening his jacket and clutching his cane just a little tighter.

He had been the Princess’s loyal steward for decades.

He’d seen war, diplomacy, parades, and invasions.

He had endured Koopas, Kremlings, and cosmic horrors.

But this?

Watching a young man-child who had just the night before sprinted across the ceiling using only his feet and enthusiasm?

This was new.

And in all honesty…..he just couldn’t understand what in the Star Spirits’ name the Princess saw in this boy.

Yes, he seemed kind.

Yes, he had helped during that brief Koopa ambush at the outskirts of the kingdom.

Yes, the Toad soldiers said he “moved like a blur” and “punched through an entire troop carrier like it was a bubble.”

But still……

Toadsworth just didn’t know what to make of him.

This Monkey D. Luffy fellow was less of a hero and more of a… culinary hurricane. A walking appetite powered by rubber and recklessness.

And yet, as the boy polished off the last of the syrup with his fingers (at least on one of his many plates) and let out a satisfied “Ahhh!”, smiling as if the world was exactly the way it should be,Toadsworth realized something he hadn’t expected would take this long for him to realize

He didn’t understand him, not one bit.

Toadsworth watched Luffy as he somehow managed to Scarf down a whole plate full of Pancakes that were topped with another plate full of sunny side up eggs making a giant therapy yellow yolk mess, which he used his extremely large mouth and tongue to lick up clean as he then shoved his entire hand in his mouth licking that clean as well. “IT’S DELICIOUS!”

The old steward blinked. “Y-You barely even chewed any of it you just shoved it down your air hole…”

“YUP AND IT WAS DELICIOUS!” Luffy shouted, already digging into another mountain of food before him.

Toadsworth sighed, rubbing his temples.

This was the boy who was supposed to protect the Princess?

Princess Peach had made it very clear, this trip to Kong Island was important.

Bular’s war machine was growing, and the kingdoms were running out of time.

But now they were bringing along a man whose biggest concern seemed to be how many sausages he could fit in his mouth at once?

Toadsworth muttered under his breath, “He’s a clear case of mental disability mixed with a bottomless stomach in a straw hat, not a bodyguard…”

He didn't show a single sign of even understanding the severity of the situation or just how much danger they all were in.

Maybe there was a tiny percentage more to him than the sloppy eating and wild shouting.

Maybe, just maybe, Princess Peach saw something Toadsworth couldn’t.

Still, as he watched Luffy somehow swallow an entire roast ham bone and all, he couldn’t help but seriously have doubts about that.

There was no way he could just allow this boy to go on this important Mission with the princess without giving him a serious talking to.

Toadsworth is going to have to try his best to keep up that conversation with the young man, though it was proving to be a challenge… a very messy one.

Especially when he was seated at the royal breakfast table literally creating food War 3 there for all of the Toads to have a front row seat to see.

But sometimes in life they are forced to play with the cards they are giving.

Toadsworth, standing prim and proper at Luffy’s side with a folded scroll of daily updates, cleared his throat politely. “So, Master Straw Hat, the Princess wanted me to inquire—”

“MMMGH?!” Luffy didn’t even look up.

His cheeks were stuffed like a chipmunk, hands busy dual-wielding a Crunchy waffle and a fork overloaded with scrambled eggs.

Bits of food flung into the air with every word he attempted to say through it.

Toadsworth flinched as a stray piece of sticky pancake landed on his monocle. He removed it calmly, wiped it clean, and tried again, “Ahem. Yes. As I was attempting to say… the Princess wishes to know if you recall anything unusual about the portal you were pulled through. Any clues that might aid us in locating your friends. She would have asked you this question yesterday after training but due to everything you informed us you had been through up until this point she figured it would be best for you to gain some rest before answering some questions”

Luffy paused, not because he was thinking, but because he needed to burp.

Which he did.

Loudly.

To the point where it shakes the entire room, startling all the Toads around them.

“Uhhh… the water turned weird,” he said after swallowing, slapping another pancake on top of his meat mountain. “And this creepy guy in a white suit showed up on the Sunny. Said he wanted to take me somewhere. Zoro didn’t like him, so we tried to kick his ass.”

“Ah,” Toadsworth muttered, adjusting his mustache. “Violent first impressions. Lovely.”

Luffy continued without a care in the world. “Then the ocean turned into a toilet swirl—WHOOSH!—and I got sucked through some glowy pink cloudy tunnel thing! Next thing I know, bam, I’m shot outta that glowy tunnel and I land right on one of those big mushrooms.”

Toadsworth nodded, jotting down notes on a tiny clipboard. “Fascinating. Highly irregular. Highly.”

As Luffy reaches for another plate, mind you, just straight picking it up and shoving it down his throat, Toadsworth Slightly turns away and disgust before turning back towards the pirate again, gently, “And… you are absolutely certain that you and your crew came through the same portal?”

“Yep!” Luffy wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve, leaving a lovely smear of syrup across his cheek. “We were all hanging on the Sunny! Me, Zoro, and Vanellope!”

“Zoro and Vanellope,” Toadsworth repeated, scribbling the name down. “Those are the comrades you've been talking about right, yes?”

Luffy with a mouthful of food not at his head before swallowing, “YEAH! That's them. Those are my friends.”

Toadsworth blinked. “… really?”

Luffy smiled and nodded before grabbing another piece of waffle.

Luffy slapped the syrup-dripping waffle into his mouth like it owed him money, chewed twice (if that), and began talking mid-bite, because of course he did.

“Zoro’s my first mate!” he grinned proudly, cheeks bulging. “Green hair, Grumpy face, and carries, like, way too many swords. He’s always yelling at me for getting lost, but he’s got the worst sense of direction outta anyone I know! Seriously, the guy could get lost in a hallway with only one door!”

Toadsworth stared at him in disbelief as Luffy laughed heartily at his own story, nearly choking on a mouthful of ham before punching his own chest to clear it.

“Sounds… reassuring,” Toadsworth muttered, scribbling reluctantly on his clipboard.

Luffy nodded enthusiastically. “He’s super strong, though! Can cut through anything! One time, he sliced a building in half just ‘cause it was in his way. That’s why I know he’s okay. There ain’t no way a dumb portal’s gonna stop him.”

Toadsworth hesitated. “And the… other one?”

“Vanellope?” Luffy lit up again. “She’s the best! She’s small, like Toad small, but super fast and she can glitch through stuff! Like ZIP—VWOOM—gone! She ate a devil fruit too like me, giving her the power to glitch herself anywhere”.

“I see,” Toadsworth said, looking like he almost regretted asking. “So, we are attempting to locate a swordsman with no sense of direction and a small, glitching… child?”

Luffy's smile grew brighter as he still was in the middle of chewing,”Yep”.

Toadsworth sighed deeply, setting the clipboard aside as he glanced at the destruction zone that used to be a breakfast table. “And you are all part of… a naval fleet?”

“Nope we’re pirates!” Luffy declared with pride, pumping a syrup-covered fist into the air. “Straw Hat Pirates! The best crew on the seas! Well, at least me and my friend Zoro are. And once we find our ship, we’re getting back out there!”

There were a few moments of silence from Toadsworth as he stared blankly at Luffy.

He just stood silently beside the syrup-soaked table, on the outside, he remained composed, chin high, mustache neatly curled, monocle polished to a shine.

But internally?

Internally, he was screaming.

He had listened, oh, patiently listened to the young pirate’s account of how he and his friends arrived here.

A mysterious man in a white suit?

A swirling whirlpool?

A glowing pink tunnel in the ocean?

They were all sucked through a warp pipe, mind you, and landed in entirely separate locations across dimensions.

Obviously that's what the young pirate was trying to say, but he didn't know how to word it correctly.

Toadsworth’s right eye twitched faintly.

Simply watching Luffy, still seated cross-legged on the table like a sugar-fueled deity of chaos, as he gave another triumphant “MMM!” before licking whipped cream off his own elbow, “This pancake’s amazin’! You sure your chef ain’t part of my crew?”

Toadsworth did not respond. Not immediately, anyway. He was too busy trying to calculate the probability of success when their primary source of information couldn’t tell them which way he fell through a dimensional portal.

He pressed a hand over his brow and exhaled silently through his nose.

This was ridiculous this was absolutely ridiculous

This boy expected them to look for individuals with that kind of Lazy description.

Not only that, he gave them a passport description of the man who put him in the situation in the first place.

Which didn't help because they didn't know anyone with a white suit.

And the cherry on top was that this boy didn't have the slightest idea where his friends currently were so in short they had no idea where to look.

How were they supposed to go chasing their tails on two individuals that may or may not be dead?

Individuals of which sound as if they were made of the imagination of the Mind and not of actual reality.

Why, what sort of person would risk their sanity to go and put that sort of task on their shoulders willingly?

And this boy expected them to do that and save their own Kingdom at the same time.

He had to have been out of his mushroomsaken mind if he really thought that was going to be possible.

Toadsworth didn’t say any of this aloud, of course.

But oh boy did he want to.

Because he had to be honest with this boy before they made him any more false promises like this.

There just wasn't enough time for them to go on for them to start an entire search party so no he wouldn't exactly give the young boy the honest answer.

At least not yet.

He still had to keep the facade.

He gave the Princess his word that he would see this mission out to the end.

Her voice in matters of diplomacy, protection, and now, apparently, babysitting an interdimensional pirate with the attention span of a bouncy ball.

He was still mustering the mental strength to translate this absurd recounting into something useful for Peach’s diplomatic council.

Instead, he adjusted his tie with a trembling composure and gave a tight-lipped nod. “Ah yes, Master Straw Hat. That was… very enlightening.”

Luffy beamed, holding up a fork with three different breakfast items impaled on it like a kebab. “Glad I could help!”

Toadsworth gave a slight bow of his head, concealing the deep, bone-weariness in his soul while Luffy sat cross-legged at the grand breakfast table, constructing what might’ve been the most structurally unsound “burrito” in history, an egg, pancake, syrup, and jam roll-up that sagged under its own weight as he tried to fold it.

His tongue poked out the side of his mouth in concentration, his fingers sticky with syrup and yolk.

Then, without looking up, he asked through a full mouth, “So when’s the princess gonna be ready? I’m almost all fueled up an’ ready for adventure!”

Toadsworth, who had just been handed a fresh pot of tea by the palace staff, adjusted the monocle on his right eye, glanced at the mess of breakfast carnage before him, and exhaled softly.

He set the tea down on the polished sideboard and approached the table, cane tapping lightly against the floor.

“Ahem. well Master Straw Hat,” he said with deliberate care, folding his hands over the handle of his cane. “Her Highness is currently within the Royal Throne Room, finalizing the last of the preparations for the diplomatic journey ahead. She has tasked me with ensuring you are properly fed, briefed, and, well… in a condition suitable for travel.”

Luffy swallowed his latest monstrous bite and grinned. “I’m good to go! Got food in my belly, hat on my head, and I’m ready to go punch some bad guys if they try anything funny.”

Toadsworth didn’t smile.

He didn't laugh frown or even so much as moving eyebrow he just stared at the pirate blankly

He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath before he then set his cane down with a definitive thunk against the marble floor.“Master Straw Hat,” he said sharply, voice firmer than it had been all morning. “I’m going to need to speak to you about something important. Now.”

Luffy, who was in the middle of still chewing on what was left of his food, blinked,“Huh?”

Toadsworth stepped closer, his shadow falling across the table.

“Master Straw Hat… forgive my candor, but I fear you may be misunderstanding the nature of this journey,” he said slowly, enunciating each word like it was a nail being hammered into the table.

Luffy blinked, simply staring at the old mushroom, both his lips tight and puckered and head tilted to his right side, completely confused as to what he was talking about.

Toadsworth then palmed his face in a bit of frustration if we're taking a deep breath and continuing.

“I believe we have failed to make this clear to you,” Toadsworth said, voice crisp as a pressed napkin. “ You and the princess are not traveling for the sake of leisure or wonder.”

He slowly and casually places the teacup beside the table, as if to try to make this more physically clear to him as well,“The Princess is to travel to Kong Island to speak with King Crankus and the Council of Barrels along with other Royal members of each of the other kingdoms. A war council, mind you, one that may decide the very future of this realm. If The princess does not secure this alliance, the Mushroom Kingdom will fall before we can mount a defense.”

Luffy’s brows furrowed slightly. He tilted his head. “Bular… the bad guy whose ass I'm going to kick, he's the one who guys are worried about, right?”

Toadsworth felt an urge to hit the boy upside the head as it seemed as if he hadn't listened to a thing he had said though thankfully he resisted,“Indeed,” Toadsworth said, pausing to look Luffy squarely in the eye. “And while I have no doubt of your strength, yes, I must remind you: strength alone is not enough to safeguard Her Highness.”

He leaned closer, his tone grave,“This is not merely about fending off attackers. You will be accompanying our Princess on a mission that demands strategy, diplomacy, and above all else responsibility. You must understand what is at stake, Master Straw Hat. If she is harmed, if we fail to reach the Kong Kingdom and unite our forces, it will not just be your friends who will be harmed. There will be slaughter on a much larger scale, involving the entire alliance of the Mushroom Kingdom and all the other kingdoms along with it. ”

Luffy sat there, quiet for a moment.

The grin faded, he glanced down at the table, chewing on what Toadsworth had said, and maybe also still chewing a bit of leftover food.

The royal advisor continued,“This is not a game, boy. Bular plans to end the world as we know it.”

Wow not even Nami lectured him this hard.

Though this would usually also be the time where she'd hit him really hard as she was lecturing him or before or after .

His voice cracked, just barely,“Everything you saw yesterday with the Koopa ambush was nothing but a taste of the Carnage that was to come if we fail.”

He stepped back now, giving Luffy room to process the weight of those words.“And yes. The Princess, our Princess, is placing her life in your hands.”

Toadsworth’s eyes bore into him like steel. His voice quieted again, but it carried just as much force.“She believes in you. I for the love of me don’t know why. But she does. And that belief is not something to be taken lightly. So then let me make myself perfectly clear… Master Straw Hat.If you fail in this task, if you allow the Princess to fall under your watch… if you let that monster Bular succeed in his warpath… not only will you lose your chance to find your friends… you’ll lose everything. Entire realms will burn. Entire species will be wiped from history. This kingdom, and every peaceful land it is tied to, will be dragged into the abyss of fire. And you, Monkey D. Luffy… you’ll be the one who has to live with that. I for one, will make certain that the last face you see before the flames take you… is mine”

The room went still.

Toadsworth’s final words hung in the air like a heavy fog.

The morning light filtering through the grand dining hall’s stained-glass windows cast shimmering rainbow shadows across the syrup-slick table, but not even the cheeriest sunbeam could pierce the silence between the old steward and the Straw Hat pirate.

Luffy hadn’t touched his food in over a minute, a new record, probably.

The floppy pancake-egg roll-up sagged in his loose grip, a sugary casualty of the atmosphere.

He wasn’t frowning, but the usual infectious grin was gone.

Toadsworth remained standing, arms behind his back, posture military-straight.

His gaze never left the boy.

He was just waiting for any sort of response, almost unsure if he would even get one from this fairly slow individual

But then—

“Alright,” Luffy said.

There it was.

The young Pirates' response.

He followed up by stuffing what little of the soggy breakfast abomination that was left into his mouth in one bite, crunch, squish, chewed it three times, then swallowed like a cannon shot.

He patted his stomach, stood up, stretched his arms behind his head with a yawn, then looked back at Toadsworth with a grin that was just as bright as usual.

Then he gave Toadsworth a goofy thumbs-upWith his usual goofy smile,“Don't worry old mushroom , If someone’s trying to hurt her, they’re gonna have to go through me and then I'll kick their ass. I promise.”

Toadsworth blinked.

He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came.

Because somehow… impossibly… those words and that stupid hand gesture made something settle in his gut.

Not assurance, no, far from that, he 100% wasn't sure if this boy had any means of actually protecting the princess.

Not calm no no definitely not that he was almost freaking out about this whole situation.

But something that would tell him that the situation was going to be fine for the most part and that he shouldn't worry as much as he was.

Sure he had almost complete doubts in the boy's ability to remember to keep the princess safe but part of him also was saying that maybe things wouldn't turn out so badly and maybe the princess will be able to pull this off.

And it's not like the princess will listen to his pleas and advice on not bringing this boy along so he might as well not even try to prevent it any longer than he already has.

At the end of the day you might as well just accept the fact that this was happening whether he liked it or not and this boy was about to play a bigger role in a kingdom than anyone else currently residing in the same said Kingdom.

It was probably for the best that he tried not to distort that by any means at least for his princesses sake.

So after finally getting that understanding between the two of them, the old mushroom cleared his throat and adjusted his monocle as he then stepped up from his seat. “…Very well, Master Straw Hat. I shall inform the Princess,” he said, turning toward the door. “Get yourself cleaned up, Master Straw Hat. We depart within the hour. ”

He turned on his heel and grabbed the door handle but not before turning back one last time,“And please… for the love of all that grows in the Flower Kingdom try not to touch anything that might be breakable.”

With that, the old steward turned and walked out, his cane tapping, his mind still heavy, but now perhaps carrying a sliver of hope. Just enough to keep going

As Toadsworth exited with his usual stiff dignity, Luffy flopped back into the chair and let out a satisfied burp that echoed off the gold-trimmed walls.

“Man,” he muttered to himself with a lazy smile, “This kingdom’s got some intense Mushroom people.”

He then hopped out of his seat, placed his hands behind his head and whistled as he made his way out of the room.

(Throne Room)

The soft golden light of morning filtered through the high arched windows of the throne room, casting a warm glow across the polished marble floors and pale pink drapery.

Dust motes drifted lazily in the air, dancing through sunbeams like falling stars.

The atmosphere felt serene, almost peaceful as well as completely at odds with the storm brewing inside her.

Princess Peach Toadstool stood at the center of the room, not seated on her throne, but pacing slowly in front of it, her heels clicking softly against the polished tiles rhythm matched only by the subtle crinkle of parchment.

Her elegant pink gown shifted with every motion, swaying slightly at the hem, her white gloves fidgeting restlessly as her lips moved in barely audible rehearsal.

Her crown tilted ever so slightly from her constant movement, the delicate ring of gold shifting with every agitated motion of her head.

Clutched tightly in her white-gloved hands were a bunch of flash cards that were creased, smudged, and wrinkled at the edges from how many times she’d scanned, flipped and re-written them.

Her brows were furrowed in tight concentration, lips pursed in a line of quiet frustration as she took a deep breath and tried once again to deliver the speech she’d been preparing for days.

“(Ahem) We… We must stand united,” she said aloud to no one, other than one of the mushroom toads named Toadminister, her voice echoing softly across the empty room. “If we don’t act now, Bular’s army will continue to spread… destroying kingdoms one by one, until nothing remains. We cannot allow fear to divide us…”

She stopped mid-step, exhaled through her nose, and groaned,“Ugh. That sounded flat.”

This was frustrating.

She's been at this for hours but still she couldn't make it sound right no matter how hard she tried.

She turned on her heel and looked to the only other figure in the room, Toadminster, a nervous, spectacled Toad with a tall stack of notes balanced precariously in his arms.

He blinked behind his oversized glasses, ears twitching as he tried to offer a helpful smile. “Well, um… it was a full sentence this time, Your Highness,” he said. “So that’s progress! Now all we have to do is try to have this message in paragraphs”

Peach stared at him blankly as a response to that obvious suggestion as she began to speak to him, deadpanned, “Toadminster, I’m not asking you to grade my grammar. I'm trying to make sure that this message sounds right and inspirational”

The toad Minister began to panic as he realized that what he had said may have upset his princess and so he quickly stuttered and stammered trying to fix up his miscommunication, “R-Right! Sorry! Just trying to keep things positive!”

She sighed, turning away again to look at the massive stained-glass window depicting her standing elegantly for all the Toads below to see and admire freely.

She needed to remind herself that she was the inspiration for all of the Toads, that the same princess on that stained glass was the same one standing right there about to deliver the most important speech of all time.

With that tiny bit of motivation she turned again to the scroll and started once more,“Leaders of the Unified Realms… I come to you not as a ruler, but as a voice for those who cannot fight. We are facing a new age of darkness, a threat unlike anything our worlds have faced before. Bular The Butcher, The King of the Trolls, A king that does not want peace. He does not want negotiation. He seeks conquest. Subjugation. Annihilation.”

She paused, realizing that that message sounded a little too over the top.

She then frowned before turning to the Toadminister to ask his opinion on it. “Too dramatic?”

“No, no, the drama’s good!” Toadminster piped in quickly, shuffling his notes. “But… perhaps you could soften the phrasing at the start? ‘Not as a ruler’ makes it sound like you’re abdicating your position. And you’re not. You’re asking for allegiance as a ruler, right?”

Peach groaned again and ran a hand through her bangs. “Exactly! I don’t want to sound weak, but I don’t want to come off like I’m demanding, either. We need them to believe in this alliance, not a hostile royal takeover. We need them to believe in me in order to do that.”

Toadminster fidgeted. “Maybe we should go back to the part about mutual interest? The uh shared threat portion? Or maybe what they receive and have to gain by helping in this alliance?”

She thought about it for a moment before she held up a finger, eyes lighting for a brief second as another phrase came to her.

Princess Peach exhaled slowly through her nose, unfurling the scroll again with trembling fingers. She cleared her throat, stood tall, and tried once more,“We must—” she began, voice cracking slightly. “We must unite under—under the common cause of—of… defeating the… the darkness that—”

She faltered with unsureness before just stopping all together,“Ugh! What am I doing?!”

Her shoulders then dropped. Her lips pressed into a line as her hand curled the parchment into a frustrated pile of cards again.

None of this was working.

None of it sounded right.

She was supposed to be the one who would bring all of the kingdoms together.

But how could she do that against a force like Bular when she couldn’t even string together a good speech?

And just to add to the mountain of stress already toppling over her, now she was expected to escort some strange, impossibly loud stranger this Straw-headed individual on a journey to find two friends who were likely… she winced, gone. Missing. Possibly worse.

Either way the odds of finding them in one piece were extremely small and unlikely.

And here she was, trying to save entire kingdoms, and she was being roped into a side quest for someone who treated danger like a freaking picnic game.

Yes, he had saved her people yesterday.

Yes, he fought bravely.

Yes, he had skills that were beyond what she expected.

And yes bringing him along could help her complete her journey to the council meeting.

But It was still just as much of an inconvenience to her current situation now she would have to make sure to babysit him along with trying to save the world from the clutches of the trolls.

It didn't matter how you looked at it, it was a bad situation for not just her kingdom but whole other kingdoms that were relying on this meeting going the way it needed to.

Not to mention the fact that the other kingdoms were as stubborn as this war was.

There's a reason why there hadn't been an alliance in years.

And it was because all of the rulers of the other kingdoms were too prideful to listen the reason especially when it came to suggesting the fact that they would need to work together in order to survive

“Toadminster, I’m wasting my time,” she muttered bitterly. “They’re not going to listenTo this speech. They wish to converse with each other without someone having to micromanage them.”

The Toad advisor adjusted his glasses nervously. “Your Highness, that’s not necessaril—”

“Don’t coddle me,” she cut in, not unkindly but definitely straight to the point. In an extremely tired manner. “You’ve seen how they treat us. Half of them don’t even show up to the Unity Councils unless there’s trade routes or coins on the table. The other half treat me like a figurehead in a candy kingdom rather than a fellow ruler.”

She turned back, expression steeled with anger and doubt battling for dominance,“To them, the Mushroom Kingdom is this cute little fungus land that nobody takes seriously, they don’t see a nation or a fellow kingdom. They don't take us seriously half the time, especially not at the meetings when it comes to something important.”

Her voice dipped low, matching the depressing nature of the situation,“And now I’m supposed to convince them that a literal warlord troll king is about to scorch the ground under all of us? When some of them still don’t even think this threat directly involves them.”

Toadminster opened his mouth to say something but simply turned and looked away.

There wasn’t much he could say that could actually prove that what she was saying wasn't the case.

Because let's be honest she was far from wrong.

The other kingdoms were selfish, proud, dismissive.

Peach had spent years trying to keep diplomacy alive, only for her kingdom to be treated like a childlike flower-scented afterthought of the real world’s politics.

They were belittled in every way by the other kingdoms for no apparent reason other than the fact that the Toads were seen as weak and inferior.

It was a miracle that they managed to even have any relationships with any of the other kingdoms most days when there wasn't a looming threat coming for them.

“And it doesn't help that they all have different reasons for not wanting to participate in this war.” She said with frustration as she circled the room. “The Dwarf Kingdom refuses to even acknowledge Bular’s rise because they claim it’s outside their borders. The Fairy Royals think they’re untouchable because they float ‘above such primitive matters.’ As if Bular can’t grow wings or reach a floating castle when he commands trolls the size of fortresses! The Elf Kingdom hasn’t responded to a single communique since last month. As if ignoring the rest of the world will make the war pass them by.”

Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, fingers crinkling the worn edges of her flashcards,“I’ve written to them, I’ve sent gifts to ambassadors. I've sent countless pleas. I practically begged for unity the last time we held a summit. And what do they do in return?”

Peach almost immediately lifted both arms dramatically, her voice shifting into a series of mocking tones of the Elf King, dripping with sarcasm and false refinement,“‘Oh, Princess Peach, your kingdom is so delightful! But alas, we simply cannot afford to get involved in affairs so far from our own lands.’”

Toadminster adjusted his glasses again, throat bobbing nervously. “Your Highness, I understand how disheartening this is, but perhaps if we just—”

“—Toadminster, stop,” Peach said, turning to him sharply. “I know what you're about to say, but I am tired of pretending this entire situation isn’t the tiniest bit infuriating as much as it is terrifying.”

She stopped, arms still held outward, face darkening with pure frustration,“ Stupid little Mushroom people kingdom, that’s what they see when they glance at our kingdom.”

Peach’s voice dropped back into her own as her arms slowly lowered, her whole body sagging with exasperation. “Instead of helping to stop this war from spreading they’ll simply argue amongst themselves about Bureaucracy.”

Toadminster looked like he wanted to crawl into his own hat.

She walked slowly toward the nearest window again, staring out past the castle gardens to the horizon where the skies turned faintly violet from distant fire smoke residue from yesterday’s attack,“It doesn’t help that a room full of kings and queens are laughing at you the second your back is turned because we choose to live in colorful mushrooms?”

She turned her back again, facing the window. Her reflection stared back at her in the glass, tired eyes, furrowed brow, slumped shoulders beneath a crown that felt heavier by the second,” They don’t see a leader when they look at me, they see a mascot of a cutesy kingdom.”

She then stopped and faced the tall window again.

The light that streamed through it now cast long shadows across the floor.

“We can't afford to not be all on one page and work together at this point. If Bular brings the bridge here and activates it—” her voice hitched for a moment “—Not only will this whole kingdom fall. They’ll have the power to travel to any world they want without the fear of the sun to slow them down and wipe out any enemies in their way. And anyone too scared or too desperate to say no, will join him. Once they become practically Invincible no one will be able to stop them.”

Peach stepped away from the window, her skirts whispering against the polished pink stone as she crossed the great hall.

The hem of her gown caught faint glints of sunlight as she approached the centerpiece of the room, a massive circular table inlaid with a topographical map of their world.

Miniature mountains rose in jagged clusters across the northern regions.

The yellow expanse of the Sand Kingdom glimmered faintly beneath the chandelier’s light, each dune rendered in textured gold.

Emerald-green forests sprawled across the east, dotted with tiny crystal rivers that caught the light like spun glass.

The central lands, her lands, were a patchwork of soft meadows, giant mushroom hills, and the rose-colored spires of the Mushroom Kingdom Castle itself.

Peach leaned over the table, planting both hands on its edge, her eyes locked on the jagged black scar across the land.

And yet while she was staring down at that table her mind went to a familiar person,“And let's not forget about the stretchy cherry on top”.

The toad Minister didn't really need much elaboration who she was referring to.

Obviously it was the same person that had helped save her kingdom yesterday.

Monkey D Luffy.

“Ah Yes princess the young straw-headed boy, I take it that you're finally forcing your concerns when it comes to his situation”, He asked curiously of what the princess had to say about the whole situation.

Didn't hesitate to answer the question,”Well there's not really much to say about it. I just now have to find time to also help him find his friends.”

Yep the toadminister remembered this quite well considering she announced it to the entire Kingdom.

“Oh……well, my dear princess, ‘you’ were the one who made that agreement with him in exchange for his services on your journey”, he knowingly pointed it out .

“He did go out of his own way to aid us yesterday in stopping the chain chomp mid-rampage and neutralized a whole Koopa troop without breaking a sweat,” she reminded her subject. “And with how impressive he was on the training grounds. It would be foolish for me not to obviously bring him along with me.”

However that's when her hand came up to rub at her temple, trying to ease the tension forming there like a stormcloud.

“The problem is that he has the mind of a 10 year old boy. I'll practically have to babysit the whole journey. And on the way taking a few detours to look for his friends, who are likely…” she hesitated, looking around before In towards the toadminister’s direction and whispering, “…lost.”

She then continued to her point,“All while going to beg other kingdoms to start preparing for war. Let's not forget it might have to happen in the opposite of the direction of where I'm going to look for his friends”.

The Toad Minister took a step back as he started to see where she was getting at and he could feel her frustration begin to boil outside her royal persona as her voice began to rise.

“Oh and yes how could I not remember that I have to do this within the very limited handful of days I have to assemble this Royal Alliance before the enemy comes to evade my kingdom”, she took a deep breath as she realized she had said an earful before looking back again towards her subject,” Am I missing anything else”?

The minister quickly shook his head,”No of course not your highness. That seems to be a great summary of our current situation”.

Peach let out a sigh of frustration as she continued to lean on the war table,”It’s not that I don’t want to help him. I do. I truly do. But this isn’t a “help me find my possibly dead friends” sort of journey.”

Though it wasn’t her problem, not really, Peach knew she wasn’t the kind of person who could turn a blind eye to someone in need.

That wasn’t who she was.

From childhood, she had been taught that compassion was a strength, not a weakness, and that leadership meant extending a hand even when it cost you dearly.

But where would she even start?

The most obvious path, from what the boy had described to them, was the Dark Lands… and that was the worst choice for every reason.

It lay in the opposite direction of her mission.

Opposite of the rapidly closing window before Bular made his next move.

And the Dark Lands weren’t just dangerous, they were the very heart of enemy territory.

Troll strongholds, goblin warrens, ogre hunting grounds, and other nightmares that had pledged themselves to Bular’s banner.

And that was just the Troll Army she still hadn't even mentioned the Koopas and the kremlings which had stars knows how many forces backing them up.

She could almost see them in her mind’s eye, moving through a haze of volcanic fog: hulking silhouettes with cruel, gleaming eyes, armor still wet with the blood of the last battle, chanting in low, guttural voices that echoed through jagged valleys.

A gentle throat-clearing cut through her thoughts.

Peach blinked and turned.

Toadminster stood just beyond the edge of the map table, his small hands clasped behind his back in that ever-proper, ever-measured stance he always adopted before challenging her decisions.

His spectacles caught the rainbowed light from the stained glass above, turning them into two pale coins that briefly hid his expression,“Well, with all due respect, Your Highness…” he began carefully, “If you were feeling this way then why did you decide to invite that young, straw-hatted boy to accompany you yesterday. In the plaza. Right after the Koopa attack.”

Peach didn’t answer immediately. She let the silence linger, her gaze drifting back to the miniature expanse of the Mushroom Kingdom carved into the center of the war table.

She then said finally, her tone matter-of-fact. “You weren’t there, Toadminster. You didn’t see him defeat that Chain Chomp and tear through that Koopa troop like they were made of paper streamers.”

Her voice had a note of begrudging admiration, though it was tempered by something heavier.

“I’d be an idiot not to bring him along. The only drawback is…” she hesitated, a corner of her mouth twitching in frustration, “…he’s a literal man-child with the strength of a hundred Sledge Bros and the attention span of a Fire Flower in the rain.”

She stepped around the table, her gloved fingers brushing over the edges of the wooden continents, tracing the lines between her kingdom and the far-off Kong territories.

“Bringing that kind of protection along? Who in their right mind would turn that down for the chance of success. And with those strange… stretchy powers of his, and that immunity to blunt force. .” She glanced at Toadminster then, the corner of her brow lifting slightly. “ I’d rather have some muscle like that with me on this journey rather than to try to walk into this unprepared.”

Toadminster adjusted his glasses again, clearly unconvinced. “We could always send a few of the royal guard with you—”

“No,”The refusal came quickly, sharper than she’d intended, however it looked as if she was able to get her point across. She softened her tone, but not her stance. “The last thing I want to do is belittle the Toads, but let’s be honest, none of them are fighters. Bringing any of you to this event with me would be putting you in danger and could possibly end up slowing me down as a result of that.”

She began pacing slowly around the table, her heels clicking against the marble floor as she continued, “We both know that I'd be the one protecting them, not the other way around like it's supposed to be.”

Her eyes landed on the miniature model of her own castle in the center of the map, its pink turrets shining under the glass dome. “Besides, we need the royal guard here. If another attack happens while I’m gone, someone has to protect the kingdom. This trip needs to be as discreet as we can make it.”

From the look of his facial expressions the toad administer seems as if he was starting to understand where she was coming from.

She stopped pacing and looked directly at him, her expression steeled. “We need to get to the Kong Kingdom as quickly, quietly, and efficiently as possible. The more commotion we cause, the higher the chance we get intercepted. Or worse…” She tapped the miniature model of the Dark Lands with her finger, her voice lowering. “…ambushed.”

Toadminster’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. “I see.”

Peach folded her arms, her gaze drifting once more to the northwest quadrant of the map where the charred terrain of the Dark Lands bled into the edges of Troll territory,”Right now I just can't afford to slow myself down especially when times are as important as these”.

Toadminster adjusted his spectacles and drew in a slow breath, clearly weighing his words before speaking.

“If I may, Your Highness,” he began carefully, “it isn’t that I doubt your judgment. But relying on… such a uniquely educated young man in a matter this dire?”

His brow furrowed as he glanced toward the stained-glass light pooling over the map table. “It was clear from his behavior in the castle yesterday, he hasn’t the faintest grasp of the stakes we face. Our kingdom, the lives of our people, the balance of this world and other worlds, should Bular’s plan succeed… all of it hangs in the balance.”

Peach tilted her head slightly, raising her eyebrow curious as to what he meant, but she didn’t interrupt.

“I mean no offense,” Toadminster continued, his voice softening, “But we cannot simply turn a blind eye to the fact that we are entrusting the safety of the crown and indeed the fate of every citizen to… him.”

(continue to part two )



[godofcreatitivity]

(part two)

The way he said him sounded like it had far too many question marks attached.

As if the thought of trusting someone like Monkey D Luffy with the protection of a whole Kingdom seemed impossible to conceive.

And it wasn't like the princess was fully loaded with other options at this point

Though it wasn’t as if the thought of her plan and her kingdom being put into ruins because she trusted the wrong individual with such an important mission of keeping her safe wasn’t clouding her mind.

It kept her up all night last night, she was barely able to get so much of a wink last night because of how almost non-realistic it sounded.

Even now she was still questioning to a degree why she even made that decision to entrust something like this to someone like him.

And what was worse is that she still didn't have an answer to her question no matter how many times she asked it.

All she knew was that she didn't have any time to think of something else or to take it back now so she simply had to ride the waves and see what would happen.

“I understand where you’re coming from,” Peach said finally, her tone calm but firm, “Yesterday’s announcement was quite…….. unexpected to say at least..”

She let out a low sigh, brushing a stray strand of hair back under her crown. “But time isn’t a luxury I have right now and that same goes for our options.”

Toadminster’s frown deepened, but before he could speak, Peach went on. “And don’t think for a second I’m just letting him run wild. He’ll be on a very short leash. As long as I keep my eyes on him, we’ll be fine.”

The Toadminister began thinking about all she had just said, and after hearing that.

And to be honest, he still felt a little worried about her journey despite what she had.

Told him, but at this point, there was no point in arguing with her about it.

She was going to do this regardless of what anyone thought about this plan.

And arguing with her will only prove to waste more time.

Which as they've stated before, didn't have much to waste.

She was making this decision whether they agreed with it or not.

He and the others had no intention of disrespecting her by questioning her command and competence.

The last thing he needed was her knowing the two most senior advisors in the Mushroom Kingdom had been quietly fretting over such… personal matters.

He exhaled dramatically and stood a bit taller, nodding in a more chipper rhythm now, smoothing out the anxious creases in his vest.

“Well then! Yes, quite right, Your Majesty! Splendid, splendid!” he said with a smile that was just a little too wide. “Let us not let idle speculation cloud the path of duty. The Mushroom Kingdom stands behind you with full faith.”

Peach smiled faintly at that, just enough to show appreciation without cracking the more serious edge to her thoughts.

She desperately wished his optimism was contagious.

Especially during these extremely dark times.

Cause even with her people’s support and this plan in motion… she knew things weren’t going to be that simple.

Preparing for the journey was one thing.

Convincing the Kong Kingdom and Uniting all the other kingdoms against Bular?

That was a whole other battlefield.

One that she herself wasn't fully sure she was prepared for.

Nor was she sure if she would win or not.

Before she could respond to the Toadminister—

CLACK!

The thick white oak doors creaked open, groaning on their ancient hinges. A soft gust of cool castle air drifted in as one of the uniformed Toad guards stepped into the throne room.

He gave a short salute with his spear before stepping aside to allow entry to none other than—

“Toadsworth!”Peach straightened, her formal posture returning instinctively, one gloved hand resting lightly against her waist as the elder Toad approached.

“Good morning, my dear Princess,” Toadsworth greeted, bowing low with the kind of flourish that belonged to centuries past. His monocle gleamed under the morning sun. “I trust the council briefing was enlightening, if not entirely pleasant?”

Peach nodded. “....Yes it was…………Quite enlightening indeed. How’s our… guest?”

Toadsworth’s mustache twitched. “Ah yes, the straw-hatted one. He awoke some time ago and we fed him just as you instructed us to do, unfortunately, the result of doing so ended in the destruction of half the castle hallways and the complete devastation of the royal Dining room.

Peach pressed her hand to her forehead. “Oh Stars”

The ToadMinister placed his hand on his own chest and muttered, “Bless the staff, it'll take them half a day to clean that mess from the sound of it.” as he walked away from the two of them to go and talk to two other Toad staff members.

Peach let out a slow, measured sigh, “Thank you, Toadsworth. And… apologies. I know he’s.… spirited.”

Toadsworth waved it off with a grandfatherly chuckle. “My dear, I’ve survived decades of cleaning up stars knows what comes into this castle every time disaster visits. One hungry pirate is hardly the worst of it………….well maybe a medium percent of it but my point stands”

That earned a small laugh from Peach, but even so, her expression darkened slightly as she turned toward the window,“If only he was the only mess our kingdom had to worry about in these times.”

Toadsworth, seeing the now darkened look on his highnesses face, stepped closer, lowering his voice in a supportive tone,“Princess, it is perfectly fine if you're worried about your mission. But you have to always remember to trust your judgment. And if this boy is evidence of said judgment, then it’s worth the gamble.

Peach knew he was right, she couldn’t afford to have any last minute doubts now.

She made this decision because she felt that it was the right thing to do and now it was time to follow through with it.

She was only going to stress herself out more if she didn’t.

So with that, she cracked her neck slightly and began to recompose herself, brushing a stray strand of hair back into place,“All right. Looks like it’s time to depart.”

She turned to a nearby mirror, being held up by two blue toads who had walked up to her holding it, and gave herself a once-over.

Her peach-pink gown was still immaculate, the brooch at her collar centered perfectly. She fixed her crown, tilted ever so slightly, before dabbing her lips with a peach-colored gloss from a hidden pocket in her sleeve. Then, she neatly tucked the royal letter cards into the hidden seam of her skirt’s side panel and checked her gloves one last time.

No smudges.

No flaws.

Just Princess Perfect.

Once she was finished, Peach quickly turned back to the direction of the doors and regained her royal posture by standing up straight .

Toadsworth chuckled to himself after seeing that before he then motions for her to follow him. “Right this way, Your Majesty.”

The two then left walked out of the throne room, the click of Princess Peach’s soft-heeled shoes echoed along the marbled halls as she and Toadsworth strode together, flanked by a pair of ceremonial guards.

Golden morning light shimmered through high stained-glass windows, different paintings on the walls depicting all types of different.Mountains, toads, locations that had beautiful landscapes.

Peach always loved to admire the artwork in the castle.

It was just something about its elegance that always caught her attention.

Especially since she painted a few of them herself based on any of the landscapes she’d seen whenever she and the royal guard left the kingdom.

One thing other kingdoms weren't aware of about the mushroom kingdom was the fact that a lot of the toads, OK how about this everyone's shocked that the bomber built being launched, herself included, were really talented when it came to art.

Peach loved to do it in her spare time whenever she wasn’t swamped with royal duties.

It helped take her mind off of all the chaos that was happening around the world.

Because despite the stoic appearance she wore for her people, Peach’s mind was already hard at work trying to figure out a solution to any of the kingdom's problems, including this one.

She adjusted the hem of her gown slightly and glanced sideways at her royal advisor, voice smooth but firm,“Let’s start with what I didn’t get in that last report,” she said. “How bad was the actual damage to the kingdom?”

Toadsworth gave a light chuckle, always quick to shift from ancient scholar to walking archive,“Ah yes, indeed, Your Grace,” he said, reaching behind with practiced ease and pulling a long scroll from beneath his robe like a stage magician performing an old trick. The parchment practically unrolled to the floor, trailing beside them like a ceremonial carpet.

He squinted at the fine print through his monocle. “According to the Royal Infrastructure Bureau Toads, and our very brave surveyor, Toadio, damage was mercifully light. The Chain Chomp was rather aggressive, yes, but the Straw-Hatted youth’s, ahem, very spirited intervention ensured it didn’t reach any densely populated areas.”

Peach, hearing that, felt an ocean of relief hearing that.

Everything was happening so fast yesterday she barely had time to think about all the collateral damage that might have happened during the invasion.

She nodded her head to that, “That's good, we managed to stop that thing before it hit the heart of the city.”

Toadsworth nodded back. “Indeed. Call it luck, instinct, divine madness, take your pick. But that boy drove it back within minutes, possibly seconds. Most of the structural impact was limited to outer areas of Toad Town. A few buildings, the one water fountain, and a produce stand were among the casualties.”

Wow, Peach was actually surprised that they were able to contain it as well as they did, especially considering the size of that thing.

But peaches' stress wouldn't be out of the woods yet because before she could feel relief, another thought struck her like a shape blade.

Her voice dropped. “And were there… any casualties?”

The air turned momentarily somber.

Toadsworth continued in his steps, folding his hands over the scroll as his expression sobered. “OH no need to worry, there were no fatalities, Your Majesty. I made certain of this myself.”

Peach inhaled deeply, resisting the secure urge of clutching at her chest, a subconscious gesture of gratitude and tension release.

The last thing she wished to worry about for the deaths of any of her subjects.

Their safety was like the entire world to her and the last thing she wanted was for their blood to be on her hands.

Toadsworth could sense the worry from her so he knew he had to do whatever he could to keep her spirits up for this adventure.

“And before you even think about worrying yourself about the reconstruction, it is already underway!” Toadsworth said proudly. “With only minimal damage to work through, rebuilding is progressing quite smoothly. Our estimate stands at 36% completed as of this morning, and we anticipate full repairs within the week.”

“Even the front entrances?" she asked, knowing full well that the Chain Chomp fight left a good amount of damage near the entrance of the kingdom.

“The main entrance will be last, but the markets are untouched, and no homes were compromised. Thanks, again, to the bravery of our dear princess and her……..strange stretchy acquaintance”, The old mushroom said, cheering for his highness in order to brighten up her mood for this upcoming adventure.

But before she could pivot away from the topic, a detail scratched at the back of her memory. Her eyes narrowed slightly,“There was a Toad…” she said slowly, “during the fight. I remember he was held at knifepoint by that eyepatch-wearing Koopa. What was his name? Trython?”

Toadsworth raised a fuzzy brow, thinking. “Ah, yes. I do recall seeing one with you during the aftermath. One moment…”He rifled through a side scroll pocket and eventually tapped a name,“Ah! Here we are. That was an explorer named Toad, short for Toadwin, go figure. He sustained a few minor injuries, cuts and bruises but his condition is stable. He was placed under the care of a local merchant after the attack. A Mister… Toad Bernson, though most of the locals know him as Bernie.”

Peach tilted her head. “Bernie?”

Toadsworth nodded again. “Yes. An older Toad, Of course, not as old as myself, owns the convenience mart near Shroom Square. Apparently, he’s the one who escorted young Master Straw Hat back to the castle after the chaos.”

She stopped walking, blinking slowly.“…He brought straw hat back for our aid back?”

Toadsworth turned to face her. “Indeed, Princess. It would appear that after we rejected his original plea for our help, our impulsive pirate had wandered off. Bernie was the one who found him, and insisted he return to help the kingdom from the Koopa Troop.”

Peach’s heart gave a subtle, confused but grateful twist.

It was good to hear that her subjects were willing to go to such lengths to protect their Kingdom.

And had it not been for this particular toad, their Kingdom would be reduced to ruins, and she would have to be forced to go along with those koopas to wherever they were going to take her.

It always raised her spirits when she knew how much her people believed in her and were willing to put their lives on the line to protect their Kingdom despite their small stature.

And this involved even trusting someone they had literally just met only a day ago with the safety of the whole Kingdom because of how much they believed in her.

And when she thought about that, that's when her mind had a sudden realization.

Her blue eyes glanced sidelong at Toadsworth, who was currently folding the last of his scrolls into his sleeve, hands clasped behind his back with his usual stately poise.

“…You know,” Peach said casually, lips curling upward in a smirk, “I can’t help but notice you’ve gone unusually quiet about trying to talk me out of bringing Straw Hat along.”

Toadsworth blinked. “Hmm?”

She arched a brow at him playfully. “You haven’t said a word about reconsidering. No dramatic gasps, no ‘Princess, please think of your safety,’ no ancient quotes from past rulers. You've completely given up about trying to convince me of other solutions in the last twelve ours. Care to explain to me why that is.?”

The elder Toad’s mustache twitched, but that didn't last for long as his mood quickly relaxed.“…Yes, well,” he muttered, fiddling with the top of his cane. “It is true that I’ve… opted to withhold certain counsel, for now.”

Toadsworth then paused as he. gave a low, theatrical sigh,“My Princess…” he began, his tone turning solemn. “Let it be said, for the record, that I still do not agree with entrusting a mission of such diplomatic gravity and wartime significance… to a reckless, hyperactive, banana-brained simpleton who eats like a Piranha Plant in heat.”

Peach snorted as her hand flew to her mouth with wide eyes, shocked she actually let it slip out.

Toadsworth continued, voice even but sincere, “However… I trust your judgment on this matter?.”

Peach’s smile softened. She tilted her head, and for a moment, the playfulness faded, “You do?”

He looked at her squarely. “You chose this path with your heart and mind aligned. As my role as the Royal Advisor it is my job to make sure the Queen makes decisions that will prove in the best benefit of the Kingdom. And I refuse to be the advisor who undermines the ruler who’s never given me a reason not to believe in her word. I will always trust that you are making your decisions with the good of our people in your heart. So long as those decisions do not, say, recklessly endanger your life, put your person in jeopardy, and put your life in the hands of someone like-”.

BOOM.

Something slammed *no, splattered full force into the stained-glass wall on the opposite side of the corridor, right in front of them, with a loud squelchy thud that echoed like a pie hitting stone.

Both Peach and Toadsworth jumped back with a startled yelp, the princess instinctively grabbing the edge of her sash and Toadsworth clutching his chest like the world had just ended.

“Oh sweet ancestors of Sarasalan—MY HEART!” Toadsworth gasped, stumbling backward and nearly falling over his cane.

“Stars abov—! What in the world ?!” Peach gasped, taking a defensive step forward, her battle instincts kicking in for just a second.

Their shock quickly dissolved… as they recognized the figure flattened cartoonishly against the shimmering stained-glass mural of herself and the Royal Toad Guard.

Yep, they knew exactly who that was.

Monkey D. Luffy.

Face pancaked against the glass like a child’s sticker, his arms splayed out like a starfish, red vest twisted around his neck, and one sandal hanging from his foot by the strap.

He mumbled something incomprehensible into the glass“Mmmhhhphm mm-mmmph mmmm-”.

Neither Peach nor Toadsworth had the faintest idea what he said.

They both stood there… silently wide eyed

Peach let out a breath of relief, but it was just him and not another ambush, lowering her hand from her chest and sighing like a queen who’d just been told her war horse turned into a chocobo.

Toadsworth exhaled as well, adjusting his monocle with a visible tremor in his fingers.

Then, with a rubbery—POP!, Luffy peeled himself off the window like a suction cup toy, flipping backward midair before landing directly in front of them.

THWUMP!

He landed square on his feet… but his face remained completely squashed—his cheeks pancaked outward, nose flattened, eyes uneven.

“Mmmrrrrhhfff—!” he grumbled, blinking dumbly.

Then he brought two fingers to his nostrils, plugged them, and with a cartoonish inhale through his mouth—POOF!

His face reinflated back to normal like a balloon.

His nose popped back into shape.

His cheeks puffed out then snapped into place with a comic flap.

The only thing left askew was his straw hat, which now sat halfway down his face,“Ahhh, much better!” Luffy grinned. “Hehehe man, that floor was slippery.”

Peach slowly blinked at him.

Toadsworth just blinked out of sync.

He hadn’t even noticed that he had done that in front of them.

Peach cleared her throat sharply, just loud enough to be polite, but with an unmistakable,“Ahem”, edge.

The sound echoed slightly down the corridor soft but firm, like a queen announcing her presence without needing to raise her voice.

Luffy blinked, eyes drifting lazily toward the sound of her voice.

He turned his head with that same carefree grin as if he hadn’t just used his face to remodel her stained-glass window.

“Oh hey!” he said brightly, pointing a thumb at himself. “Sup, Princess? Sup, Old Mushroom Dude?”

Toadsworth flinched, “I beg your pardon?!”

He wasn't used to anyone, just blatantly speaking to him in such an informal manner, especially since he was in the position of the royal advisor.

Anyone who crossed paths needed to speak to him with some respect and dignity.

Yet this boy completely ignored any such means of greeting him?

And talk to him as if the two of them were friends or something.

And honestly, Peach was surprised that Toadsworth didn't hit Luffy with his cane.

Growing up and being raised by him and maintaining a royal composure as well as speaking with respect and dignity was top priority in becoming royalty, which meant everything to Toadsworth raising her.

So to watch someone blatantly ignore those rules, wasn't something he was used to.

Especially since she knew growing up he didn't find it acceptable in the tiniest bit.

Peach raised an eyebrow, folding her arms across her chest. She didn’t say anything at first, just let the silence hang there long enough to make it awkward.

Then, with a subtle nod toward the glittering window, she asked with calm sarcasm, “Well, I see you're using my royal mural as a brake pad?”

Luffy tilted his head to the side with a lopsided smile, completely unfazed, “Oh, yeah, sorry!” he chirped.

He suddenly slapped his fist into his palm like he’d just remembered something super important,“The old mushroom told me to hurry up and get ready” Luffy began, launching into his story like a kid recounting recess,“I was halfway through the hallway and one of those mushroom guards just storms up all like—‘Hurry up, lad, you’re late for the Princess!’ So I went and zoomed outta there.”

He did a literal zooming hand motion, swiping his arm through the air with a whoosh.

And he continued, pacing dramatically now as he told the story, gesturing with his whole body,“And all of a sudden… The floors turned all slippery!”

He slid across the hallway to demonstrate, waving his arms around like he was mid-ice skate,“And then—WHOOSH! My foot flew out from under me—WHAM!”

He clapped his hands together like cymbals to mimic the sound of his body slamming the wall,“Face-first into the glass! And let me tell you…” he paused, rubbing his cheek for dramatic emphasis, “…that mural is way more durable than it looks. My face still kinda feels like a pancake.”

He twisted his mouth to the side and crossed his eyes to prove his point.

The two royal figures stared at the pirate blankly.

And who could blame them?

They didn't even know what the hell he was talking about.

He was completely unpredictable.

And practically catastrophic.

Who knows what kind of damage he did around the castle that they weren't fully aware of.

Unfortunately, that would be Toadsworth's problem to deal with since Peach and this pirate were about to leave.

Toadsworth, ever the portrait of formal regality (albeit with his cane still slightly shaking), let out a long sigh.

He adjusted his monocle, cleared his throat, and gently tilted his head toward the boy now stretching out like a satisfied cat.

“Well, young Straw Hat,” he began, dusting off his coat sleeves and trying his best to hold on to what little decorum remained, “I take it you have concluded your, ah… preparation?"

Luffy beamed like a toddler who’d just won a cake-eating contest. “Yep!” he replied with a grin that practically split his face.

Without warning, he smacked a hand proudly against his stomach with a loud smack,”I'm all fed and ready to go.”

Both Peach and Toadsworth involuntarily flinched from the sound.

…And then blinked.

Because to their utter disbelief, he had a six-pack. A legit, cut-from-stone, fully-defined set of abs that shimmered slightly under his red vest.

For a boy who had consumed enough food to feed a banquet of Toads, it was frankly unholy.

Toadsworth coughed lightly into his fist, hiding his reaction like a true gentleman.

“Well… ahem. I’m pleased to see that you, at the very least, appreciated our royal culinary service,” he muttered with reluctant dignity, offering the barest of nods as was customary to visiting guests, even the chaotic ones.

Peach stepped forward, trying to muster what little grace she could for this surreal interaction. She clasped her gloved hands together, her voice delicate, almost forced,“Ahem…Well, it is good to see that you've accepted our Kingdom's accommodations, Mr. Straw Hat.”

She could barely recall the last time she’d given such an awkward greeting.

Not even Bowser made her feel this uneasy, and he was literally known for stalking her and her Kingdom.

Luffy, meanwhile, looked up casually from where he’d been checking the treads on his sandals and offered her a nonchalant thumbs up,“Oh yeah, Princess! Thanks for the grub by the way.”

Just like that.

No bow.

No formal greeting.

Not even a “your highness.”

Just: “oh yeah.”

Peach stared for a beat too long, her mind rebooting slightly.

She didn’t need to be worshipped, heavens no, but even common villagers bowed.

Everyone at least acknowledged her status.

Yet here was this boy, acting like she was someone he’d just bumped into at the market.

She couldn't tell whether or not she should be offended by this or not.

Still, her political instincts kicked in, and she smoothed her dress while offering a diplomatic smile, albeit one with a twinge of irritation at the edge.

“Well, I'm glad you're doing fine so far. I’ve just about completed all the preparations for our journey,” she said, her tone now drifting into the formal cadence she used for high-level delegations. “I trust that you’ve completed your own preparations as well?”

Luffy gave her another thumbs-up so confidently it nearly knocked his own hat off,“Yup! I’m fed, fired up, and ready to go! Gonna find my friends, kick this Bular guy’s ass, and then chow down again after!”

His words echoed across the corridor like a war cry shouted from atop a tavern table.

Peach’s smile froze as if she were with an Ice flower.

Toadsworth’s monocle almost popped off its chain.

There was a full beat of silence as the absurdity of Luffy’s statement sank in.

And it was other than his lack of acknowledging his language around royalty, but something else.

Not the part about kicking…………….ahem……..”butt”.

The name.

He’d said it out loud.

Bular the Butcher.

In the open.

Saying that monster's name was absolutely forbidden.

In her castle, much less her present.

This news about him completing his bridge was already terrorizing everyone enough, especially with the fact that it was complete.

Anytime a subject about him is brought up, it causes the environment to tense up in fear.

His own loan caused problems that she didn't have time to deal with.

Just as his name alone.

That's how bad the situation was.

Sure that he still wasn't getting the seriousness of the situation.

But she didn't have time to go and slam some more information about this monster into this boy's head.

It was time to go.

Peach’s lips pressed into a tense line and took a deep breath..

Toadsworth looked like he might keel over from sheer anxiety.

Peach composed herself with regal swiftness.

She reminded herself that he didn't know about the situation fully because he wasn't from this world and didn't know the situation.

It was as simple as that so she shouldn't bother making a big deal out of this.

Thankfully Toadsworth was just as desperate as she was to end this little conversation because he soon cleared his throat again, this time more forcefully. “W-Well! That’s… good to hear, my boy. Quite, quite good.”

He adjusted his vest, looking ready to move on from this madness before the pirate said anything more that might cause a castle-wide panic,“Now, if we’re all in agreement, shall we proceed to the front entrance?”

He didn’t wait for either of them to respond.

With surprising speed for his age, the old advisor turned on his heel and began hobbling briskly down the hall with his cane click-clicking across the marble.

Luffy shrugged, popped the rest of his dumpling into his mouth, and casually began following, hands laced behind his head.

Peach stayed frozen for a moment longer, one elegant brow twitching.

Then she let out a breath and followed after them both.

Their footsteps echoed faintly across the polished floor as the trio moved forward.

Toadsworth walked ahead with surprising speed, his little cane tapping rhythmically with each step.

Behind him, Peach’s heels clicked with each stride, her long pink dress flowing regally, while Luffy strolled with lazy ease, hands tucked behind his head, straw hat tilting back just enough for the sunlight to catch his carefree grin.

Luffy was humming softly to himself, off-key, seemingly thinking about meat.

Peach couldn't help but notice his simple, carefree, fearless attitude that he had.

Especially in a situation like this.

It piqued her curiosity, to say the least.

To be honest, she wanted to see why he was so calm even in the pressure this mission was pressing upon them.

She cleared her throat delicately before tilting her head slightly toward him,“Sooooooooooooo… Mr. Straw Hat,” she said, dragging out the word like a reluctant hostess making conversation at a dinner she didn’t want to host, “Are you nervous at all? You know… about our upcoming adventure?”

She raised an eyebrow, lips curling into a smirk of faux curiosity, just to test what kind of nonsense might spill out.

Luffy blinked once, looked over at her with his usual dopily content smile, and casually shook his head,“What? Nervous. No way.”

Peach raised in our brow.In surprise of his answer.

He didn’t even seem like he considered giving more of a thought or a doubt in his mind.

Like you had no reason to be afraid.

Even if he wasn't from this world, he sure should have realized the kind of danger they were about to embark on.

“...Really?” she asked, more incredulously this time.

“Yeah, I'm super excited.!” he replied, that same dopey grin stretching wider and much louder while pumping his first..

She narrowed her eyes trying to figure out what all this newfound excitement was for,”You do realize that this is going to be a life or death situation, with an entire Kingdom of almost indestructible monsters. I mean… this isn’t going to be a sightseeing tour. We’re traveling across hostile kingdoms, In order to gather an army powerful enough to fight against a massive army of Trolls, Koopas, Kremlings…and stars know whatever else”, She clarified as she counted each of her fingers while saying this,” Any one of them could try to exterminate us if they find out about our mission.”

Luffy waved his hand lazily,“Yeah, yeah. I know. It’s got me all sorts of pumped up!”

Peach nearly tripped over her own dress after hearing what just came out of his mouth because that was not the response she was expecting.

Not from someone being briefed on a potential suicide mission.

Her eyes widened as she turned toward him in disbelief, “So you feel excitement about potentially getting slaughtered by a kingdom of trolls?!”

Luffy’s face lit up like a festival Hearing her question, “Heck yeah! This kinda stuff is my jam! I mean, what better way to go on an adventure? Danger, weird new kingdoms, mystery enemies, and food along the way?” He threw both fists into the air like he was declaring victory, “ This is the kinda thing I live for!”

Peach was too stunned to even hide her reaction as her jaw hung slightly open, and her eyes almost twitched with disbelief.

Had Toadsworth explained the stakes properly to him?

Because if he did, he had done a poor job at it.

This boy clearly hadn’t the slightest clue of the stakes that were high enough as it is in this situation.

However, this might have been a fault of her own for not spending enough time with him to explain the situation to him.

To his face, in fact.

However, it didn't seem like he was getting the message even if she left enough hints in the conversation.

Maybe she should ask, just to be sure, “I’m sorry,” she said slowly, “but… do you not grasp what we’re walking into?”

Luffy stared at her before goofily nodding his head.“Of course I do,” Luffy answered with a shrug. “That's what makes it more exciting for me”

Yep, Peach was definitely hearing that right, and she didn't even bother waiting to let him continue,” Is there something you're not getting about me repeatedly saying life or death situation? Because I'm very certain I clarified that for you. Multiple times, in fact.”

“Yeah, I know, Princess.,” he clarified, waving his hand. “But that's all part of the adventure and makes it so fun.”

Peach scoffed.

A sharp, unladylike snort burst from her nose before she could suppress it, a sound so utterly unbecoming of a royal that she immediately winced in embarrassment.

But the damage was done.

Luffy, of course, didn’t notice or didn’t care.

Like, at all.

Luffy, blissfully unaware of the princesses, disagreement, just kept walking down the sun-dappled cobblestone path, arms swinging, grinning ear to ear.

She couldn’t believe this guy.

The two of them had barely left the castle grounds, and already he was talking like they were lifelong comrades destined for friendship bracelets and matching outfits.

Wolfie turned to see her expression, and it wasn’t exactly one that was accepting of what he was saying about the best parts of an adventure.

So he figured he'd just explain it to her.

“I mean think about it!” he said with a chuckle, rubbing his nose with a thumb. “Kicking guys’ asses, eating a bunch of meat, making friends along the way, who could ask for more?

He threw both arms wide, his straw hat catching the wind, and pointed back and forth between the two of them.

“I mean look at us! We’re already halfway there!”,He beamed at her.

CLICK

Peach’s heels clicked to a stop.

She extended both arms abruptly, pressing them across Luffy’s chest like a velvet barricade, forcing him to halt.

He blinked, confused, taking two more cheerful steps before realizing he was suddenly talking to open air.

He looked over his shoulder, blinking, as he also stopped in his tracks.

“Huh?” he turned, confused, eyes wide,“Hey what’s up?”

She was standing still as stone. Her spine perfectly straight. Her entire frame exuded the stiff, composed grace of royalty but her face told another story.

Her expression looked like a porcelain mask, cracked at the corners. Something brittle was hiding just beneath the practiced calm.

Her voice came out softly at first,“…Friends?”

She repeated the word again, slower this time, as though trying it out on her tongue for the very first time,“Friends.”

Her lip curled in distaste.

Her eyes narrowed with cold calculation.

Friends? she thought.

With him?

No. No no no no no.

Absolutely not.

She brought a single gloved finger to her chin, tapping it thoughtfully.

Then she walked slowly toward him, heels clicking, each step echoing like a ticking bomb.

Luffy blinked again, stepping backward cautiously as she advanced.

She stopped in front of him.

“Let me make something very clear for you,” she said.

Her voice dropped into something quiet, dangerous, courtroom serious.

She raised her hand and held her index finger and pinky just barely apart, forming a sliver of space between them.

“This,” she said, “is how close we are to being friends.”

She dropped her hand.

“We. Are. Not. Friends,” she said, enunciating each word like a sentence being carved into stone tablets. “We are not buddies. We are not partners. We’re not even on a first-name basis. You are not my traveling companion. You are not my confidant. You are certainly not someone I intend to bond with on this mission.”

Luffy’s jaw slowly dropped. His eyes went from wide to confused to outright wounded.

“Huh? What’re you talking about?” he asked, his voice rising in disbelief. “That’s the whole point of this! We go on a big crazy adventure, I help you with the bad guys, you help me find my friends, and boom we’re best buddies by the end!”

He threw his arms up like it was common sense,“That’s just how it works!”

Luffy couldn’t understand what she wasn’t getting about this.

Like of course this was how it always went.

The greatest adventures are built off of these kinds of things.

This was only natural to go through those typical phases, everyone knew that.

Peach, however, didn't seem to be too knowledgeable of this, unfortunately.

And although it didn't make sense to Luffy, to her it made perfect sense.

She sighed sharply through her nose.

“That may be how it works in your world,” she said, the bite in her tone enough to freeze the air,“But in this world, we operate with structure.”

She gestured stiffly toward the horizon,“This is a royal diplomatic mission. You are the assigned escort a.k.a the muscle. And I am the diplomatic representative of the Mushroom Kingdom. That is all.”

She turned on her heel and resumed walking with renewed stiffness.

But Luffy didn’t see what her problem was.

Luffy scratched his head, frowning. “That’s weird…”

He jogged forward, catching up beside her,“Why would we go on this whole epic trip and not become pals? That’s just what happens! People bond when they fight side by side! Eat together! Crack jokes! Save each other from bad guys! Y’know, the good stuff! That’s the whole point!”

Peach didn’t even blink nor did she hesitate to respond, “It is the least important point.”

Luffy waved his arms like a man trying to defend the laws of the universe,“But why not? After what we did to those turtle guys yesterday, we’d make an awesome team!”

Peach continued moving forward,“That was a matter of urgency,” she said coldly. “We had no choice but to coordinate in order to protect my Toads and My kingdom.”

She pointed out of the moving windows as they continued down the Halls, toward the smoking rooftops still being rebuilt,“Our temporary alliance was a necessity. Nothing more. And while I will admit your combat contributions were… effective……” she bit the word like it tasted foul “.......this partnership will remain professional.”

Luffy opened his mouth again but thought better of it.

He blinked once, then twice, then simply let out a short little hum and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

It was clear that she's one of those princesses.

It wasn’t the first time he’d traveled with someone super duper uptight.

They usually started out like this.

Bossy.

Snobby.

Kinda scary.

But they always warmed up to him……….eventually.

He shoved his hands into his shorts' pockets, completely unbothered, as Peach walked a step ahead of him, her pace controlled, her posture regal, her eyes forward.

She inhaled slowly, trying to center herself, then, without turning, she said flatly, “And before we go any further, I think we should establish a few ground rules.”

Luffy tilted his head in confusion, “Rules?”

Peach raised one elegant gloved hand like she was in a courtroom.

“Rule Number One,” she declared. “You are not to wander off. Not for food. Not for fun. Not for any reason whatsoever.”

She raised a second gloved finger,“Rule Number Two: You will not ask me any questions. Especially stupid ones.”

Luffy scratched his chin, he was definitely curious about that one, “Like… how stupid are we tal—”

“Rule Number Three!” she snapped, voice cutting him off like a whip, “You do not talk to me unless it is absolutely necessary. Do I make myself clear?”

Luffy straightened up quickly and nodded his head, “Mhm!”

She raised a fourth finger.

“And Rule Number Four: You listen to everything I say. Down to the last letter. I lead. You follow.”

Okay now Luffy was definitely a little afraid of her now.

Which she could obviously sense hence why she dropped her hand, glancing back at him with a stern tilt of her head,“Is. That. Clear?”

Luffy blinked.

This was the first time any princess he was with was ever this bossy.

Sure Vivi may have been a little mean when they first met and other princesses he was on adventures with.

He didn’t know what school was like, but he figured Peach was probably worse than most teachers.

If teachers had words that could probably shatter bones.

Like seriously this woman was stricter than Nami, and Nami had literally hit him on more then a few occasions for way less.

Thankfully she hadn’t punched him yet, which is something he definitely did not want to happen, and that was as good as any sign.

So he straightened his back, nodded earnestly, and gave a goofy salute,“Crystal clear!” he said, voice cheerful.

Peach narrowed her eyes at him, just to make sure that there wasn't any insincerity before she turned away quickly.

“Good,” she said coolly. “Glad we have an understanding.”

And just like that, she kept walking forward towards the entrance.

Luffy just stood there staring at her wide eye before once again carelessly shorting his shoulders as he himself moves forward following her.

They soon approached the grand front doors of the castle.

Massive and regal, the doors stood like silent sentinels, each one carved from rich, mahogany wood with inlaid golden filigree that shimmered in the morning light. The deep panels were bordered by embossed trim, their edges framed by ornate brass corner brackets and floral flourishes. Near the top and bottom, perfectly circular insets glinted like small golden shields, and a pair of heavy brass knockers rested at chest height, unused in years but polished to a mirror shine. Golden engravings formed delicate arcs and curling lines across the surface, sophisticated, elegant, and unmistakably royal.

The doors were set within a grand arched threshold, flanked by white marble columns and accented with polished rose-gold trim. The sunlight kissed the gold borders, sending faint reflections dancing across the floor like ripples on a fountain. Flowers bloomed above in ornate stone planters, their scent drifting faintly in the air. Light leaked through the faintest of seams where the two halves of the door met, and from beyond them came the low hum of a crowd, dozens, maybe hundreds of gathered Toad citizens awaiting a glimpse of their princess.

She paused in front of the doors, a feeling of anxiety creeping inside of her.

This was it.

The mission would truly begin the moment she stepped through those doors.

She exhaled slowly, letting her nerves settle.

The pressure was immense, not just as royalty, but as a symbol.

A leader walking into a multiversal crisis with only a pirate at her side.

Quickly, she did an internal scan: posture upright, shoulders set, chin poised in quiet confidence. She gave a subtle flick of her fingers to adjust her tiara, ensuring it caught the light just right. Her gloved hands smoothed the front of her pink gown, tugging the pleats straight and giving the skirt a small shake. A tiny dab to her cheek, a fluff of her collar, and then she drew up her most practiced smile, the one that had faced political councils, foreign monarchs, and terrifying sieges.

This was her armor now.

She was the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom.

And she had to look the part.

Everything on her end was perfect.

Then… her eyes slid to the side.

And landed squarely on him.

Standing a foot behind her, utterly unbothered by the gravity of the moment, was Monkey D. Luffy.

He looked like he had just tumbled out of a tornado and possibly a trash bin.

His iconic red cardigan was slung off one shoulder, twisted and wrinkled, with flecks of syrup, jam, and what may have been scrambled egg clinging to the sleeves. His shorts were slightly askew, one sandal strapped loosely. His straw hat sat lopsided, tilted at a comedic angle as if it had been fighting a war with his unruly black hair, and lost. Said hair stuck up in three uneven spikes, like a hedgehog had tried to style it with a boxing glove. And to top it all off, he was casually picking his teeth with what might have been a cracker shard.

And the smell.

Dear Stars above, he reeked.

He smelled like he had lost a wrestling match with a stack of unwashed dishes, rolled in forest compost, and possibly bathed in whatever had been under the royal banquet table last night.

From several feet away, she could smell him clearly.

Peach’s smile faltered.

“Oh no. No no no. You are not walking out there like this,” she hissed through her teeth.

With the speed and focus of a war general charging the front lines, she marched straight toward him, her heels clicking with authority.

Before Luffy could even react, she seized both of his arms and spun him around.

“Wha—hey!” Luffy blinked, baffled. “What’re you—”

“Hold still,” she snapped, already brushing off his jacket with both gloved hands, swiping at the worst of the breakfast residue,“Just need to make you look more presentable ,” she growled.

She ran her hand down the front of his shirt, knocking off bits of what looked like… burnt toast?

Maybe.

“We’re about to embark on the most important diplomatic mission of our lives,” she said, smacking his chest with the back of her hand for emphasis. “And you look like a halfway-seduced scarecrow.”

Luffy frowned. “I like this look though.”

Peach froze, slowly turning her head to glare at him.

“Just because you like something,” she said tightly, “doesn’t mean you can ignore basic hygiene.”

She yanked the lapels of his shirt straight, snapping the fabric into place. “When we get to the other kingdoms, you are representing the Mushroom Kingdom, even if you’re not from here.” She fussed with his collar, tugging it so it sat flat. “And like it or not, you’re my escort. Which means you can’t look like you just lost a bet with a compost pile.”

Luffy opened his mouth to retort, but she suddenly licked her thumb—“Hey, whoa—wait what are you—!”

She reached up and scrubbed down his hair with ruthless efficiency.

Luffy thrashed, squawking like a cornered chicken,“Hey—HEY! Are you trying to erase my brain!?”

“Hold. Still.” She smoothed the last few rebellious spikes down and then shoved his straw hat forward to cover the pot mess,“ you’re lucky I don’t have hairspra—and There. Just barely passable.”

Luffy stood there, stunned, hands half-raised like he wasn’t sure whether to fight, flee, or sulk. “Do I really have to go this far just to get some other kingdoms to help?”

Peach didn’t even glance at him as she dusted her gloves off. “Yes. Think of it as… playing pretend. Like a butler. Or a polite pirate.”

He frowned deeply. “But I hate pretending. Especially when there’s no fun in it!”

She stepped back and gave her sleeves a final adjustment. Her voice was calm, but firm. “Well if you want to save your friends… and find your way back home… then you’re going to have to work through it.”

Luffy sighed and crossed his arms, puzzled, “How does me looking nice help us do any of that?”

Peach turned to face him fully. For a moment, the royal mask dropped. Her voice softened, but her gaze was sharp.

“It doesn’t. Not directly.” She stepped closer, grasping his arms, not angrily this time, but with a grounded sense of urgency. “Our objective is simple. Get from point A to point B. Point A is here. Point B is the Kong Kingdom.”

Luffy listened, lips pursed.

“We’re attending a council meeting,” she explained, “to convince the other kingdoms to unite against the Troll King’s army. If we fail… then the Mushroom Kingdom falls. And after that, every other world.”

Her voice dipped lower,“You saw what the Koopas did to us. Well that was just a taste of what’s coming if we don’t stop Bular.”

Luffy blinked slowly, her words finally sinking past his carefree wall.

“So,” Peach finished, locking eyes with him, “we stay on mission with no distractions or impulsive detours and we get to the Kongs without delay. Ok? ”

Luffy nodded goofishly, quite literally bobbing his head up and down lick some sort of weird bobble head figure.

Peach gave a tight nod of approval, turned back toward the doors, and composed herself.

She straightened her spine, placed a hand over her heart for a breath, then lifted her chin and stood tall, every inch a queen in all but title.

She glanced to the side.

“Toadsworth,” she said firmly.

The elderly steward, standing just to the right, gave a small bow and snapped his fingers.

At once, the two castle guards stationed at the golden doors saluted, turned, and gripped the massive handles.

The sound of grinding metal and shifting wood echoed through the entryway.

The grand double doors of Peach’s Castle slowly creaked open with a deep, resonant groan that echoed throughout the courtyards. The soft clank of gold-trimmed hinges met the growing roar outside. A warm golden light flooded in from the outside world, momentarily casting long shadows across the marble floors of the throne room.

The grand double doors of Peach’s Castle slowly creaked open with a deep, resonant groan that echoed throughout the courtyards. The soft clank of gold-trimmed hinges met the growing roar outside. A warm golden light flooded in from the outside world, momentarily casting long shadows across the marble floors of the throne room.

Princess Peach stood tall, framed perfectly in the doorway like a royal portrait come to life.

Beside her, noticeably slouched, grinning, and oblivious to the gravity of the moment, was Monkey D. Luffy.

And before them… was a sight so vibrant, so alive, that it made even Luffy’s eyes widen for a moment in genuine awe.

A sea of Toads had gathered, filling every inch of the vast castle courtyard and spilling into the outer gardens. From above, it looked like the ground itself had become a living, breathing rainbow. Mushroom caps in every color, red, blue, yellow, green, and purple, bounced and bobbed as thousands of Toads chanted, cheered, and waved miniature flags stitched with the royal crest.

The entire Mushroom Kingdom had shown up to see them off.

Some Toads were sitting on others’ shoulders, some blew party whistles with reckless abandon, while a few threw pastel confetti that twinkled like stardust in the morning sun. A string quartet of Royal Trumpeters stood on a raised stone pedestal to the left of the castle steps, their brass instruments gleaming. Silken white banners with the symbol of the Mushroom Crown fluttered from their horns, waiting for the moment to play the ceremonial fanfare.

Just below the steps, a formation of Toad guards stood at attention, shoulder plates gleaming, halberds upright, eyes forward. Their discipline provided a stark contrast to the colorful chaos of the crowd behind them.

Peach took a step forward onto the topmost stair, her pink heels clicking softly against the stone. She was a vision of composure, her royal gown pressed and flawless, a pink silk dress fluttering slightly in the breeze. Her golden crown glinted in the sunlight, and her hands were gently clasped in front of her, fingers intertwined with perfect poise. Gave a bright smile but just enough to show her royal elegance.

Her eyes, calm but stormy beneath the surface, scanned the crowd of her people—her citizens. Her family. For a long moment, she said nothing.

Then she turned her head slightly to Luffy without meeting his eyes,“They’re all counting on us,” she said in a low, even voice, her jaw just a bit tight. “So do me a favor and don’t screw this up.”

She took another breath, composing herself, but then paused mid-step. Her heels briefly hesitated against the marble before she leaned back again,“…No pressure or anything.”

Luffy blinked slowly as he scratched the back of his head and tilted it, confused more by why she was so serious than what she said.

The atmosphere was thick with reverence and tension.

A thousand eyes were on them.

Peach exhaled quietly, without trying to reply, she began walking forward, her heels tapping lightly against the stone as she then descended the stairs with grace, every step light and deliberate, her guards immediately flanking her.

The moment her heel touched the plaza’s main stone, the trumpeters finally struck their horns with thunderous harmony, sending a regal melody sailing across the courtyard.

The crowd erupted into cheers so loud it almost drowned out the music.

“Long live the Princess!”

“Good luck, Your Majesty!”

“Bring the Kongs back, Peach!”

“We love you!”

Some Toads waved bright pink signs with cartoonish drawings of Peach, others held up banners with Luffy’s name scrawled in crayon.

The citizens parted like a tide around their ruler, guided gently by the Toad Guards who marched ahead, creating a path leading down the central boulevard, lined with symmetrical trees and flower beds.

Overhead, the sky was a clear, cloudless sapphire.

Luffy followed, but not with dignity.

He strolled while he waved lazily.

He spun in little circles once or twice and then flailed his arms like a noodle just to make a group of toads laugh.

One small Toad scurried up to him and extended a hand.

Luffy grinned wide and gave him the most intense fist bump in Mushroom Kingdom history, knocking the little guy back with comedic force.

Another group of teenage Toads began chanting:

“Luffy! Luffy! Luffy!”

To which he responded by throwing his arms up like a wrestler, flexing with dramatic flair, then tripping over his own sandal and face-planting into the grass, before bouncing up unbothered.

A nearby guard coughed into his hand, trying to hide his laughter.

Another cracked a small smirk.

“That’s him?” one young Toad whispered to another.

“Yeah… the pirate who punched the Chain Chomp into orbit.”

“He doesn’t look like a hero.”

“He doesn’t act like one either.”

Yet despite the confusion, the cheers continued.

Some toads just stared, wide-eyed, unsure what to make of him.

Others laughed at his antics.

A few even clapped rhythmically, starting a wave of chant-crowd energy all around him.

At one point, a Toad vendor tossed Luffy a Toad plush from across the crowd.

Luffy caught it in his mouth with his teeth, grinned, and flipped it into the air with a head toss before catching it again in his palm.

“That guy’s insane.”

“Yeah, but like... in a good way?”

Peach, meanwhile, remained a steady march of royalty.

As she approached the edge of the inner courtyard, she passed over a white marble bridge that crossed a koi-filled pond.

The tranquil water reflected the trees overhead and shimmered in pastel colors from the tossed confetti.

As she reached the far end, the path widened, revealing the last stage of their journey: a giant green warp pipe, at least three times the size of a normal one, glistening with magical energy.

The pipe pulsed faintly with a low hum, the magical aura around it distorting the air like heat off the desert ground. It had been polished to perfection, its surface gleaming under the sunlight.

The warp ring on top sparkled, ready for the jump.

Two Toad Guards were stationed here, lining both sides of the pipe like an honor guard. Their spear axes were planted in the earth, each one flying a small version of the Mushroom Kingdom banner.

Peach stepped onto the final platform before the pipe but did not yet descend. Instead, she turned to face her people.

Luffy strolled up beside her, late and nearly tripped on the last stair. He recovered with a spin, casually stuffing a mini flag someone gave him into his pocket.

He stood next to Peach with a lopsided grin, arms hanging relaxed, glancing at the crowd like a guy trying to decide which food stall to hit first.

Princess Peach paused at the center of the marble stage, the polished stone cool beneath her heels. The soft murmur of the crowd washed over her like a tide, thousands of tiny voices layered together into one living sound. She stood tall in her flowing royal gown, pink silk catching the sunlight as it shifted with the breeze, her gloved hands gently clasped before her.

Behind her, the green warp pipe gleamed like a silent sentinel, its surface catching highlights of emerald and gold. A nearby tree cast dappled shade across the platform, leaves rustling softly, as if the kingdom itself was holding its breath.

Peach inhaled deeply.

Then she raised both arms with elegant precision, palms open, motioning for silence.

It spread instantly.

Like a ripple through water, the courtyard fell quiet.

Princess Peach stepped forward, posture immaculate, chin high, voice clear and steady as it carried across the plaza,“My Toads…” she began, her tone gentle but resolute. “Our days of terror are almost over.”

A wave of reaction swept the crowd, hopeful gasps, relieved murmurs, little hands clutching tiny flags tighter.

“Our plan is simple,” she continued. “We will make our way to the Royal Council Summit, being held in the neighboring kingdom… Kong Island.”

She took another measured step forward, the gold trim of her gown catching the sun like a crown of light,“There, I will work tirelessly to convince the rulers of the other kingdoms to join us in a unified alliance. One strong enough to push back against the terrifying troll forces that threaten not just us, but all realms. If we stand together… we may yet survive this war.”

For a heartbeat, the crowd was silent before suddenl—

A short, red-spotted Toad near the front suddenly shot his hand into the air like a child in class.

“Wait!” he squeaked. “You’re… you’re leaving?!”

Peach blinked, caught just slightly off guard.

Before she could answer, a blue-spotted Toad waddled forward, wringing his hands nervously,“Who’s gonna protect us while you’re gone?!”

The crowd quickly shifted.

Murmurs rose again, fear creeping back in through the cracks.

Peach felt a familiar, weary sigh rise in her chest, though she didn’t let it show.

Of course not everyone had known.

Between the Koopa invasion, the chaos of yesterday, and the looming threat of war, it was inevitable.

She raised her hand once more, calm but commanding.

“Everyone, please remain calm,” she said,“This journey will only take a few days. While I am away, the kingdom will remain under the watchful care of my advisor, Toadsworth and the full strength of the Royal Guard.”

At her side, Toadsworth stepped forward in full ceremonial robes, bowing deeply with practiced dignity. Several guards struck their spears against the marble in unison—CLANG, CLANG—a reassuring sound of order and protection.

That eased some of the tension.

But not all of it unfortunately.

A green-spotted Toad stepped forward hesitantly, eyes wide with worry. “But… Your Highness… is it really wise to travel beyond the kingdom’s walls right now? What if you’re attacked?”

Peach didn’t hesitate to respond to the question.

“I am more than capable of defending myself against any threat we may encounter,” she said firmly.

Then she turned slightly, gesturing with one gloved hand toward the straw-hatted pirate beside her “And I will not be traveling alone. I will be joined by the very champion who helped defeat the Chain Chomp and repel the Koopa invasion only yesterday. His strength and combat skill have already proven invaluable in defending our realm—”

so then stop mid sentence as she had seen the crowd’s expressions… changed.

Thousands of faces all shifted into the same look confused, uncertain, faintly horrified. Toads leaned sideways, craning their necks to get a better view.

Peach followed their gaze to non other than Monkey D. Luffy.

Picking his nose with pinky-deep excavation, eyes unfocused as if he were daydreaming about meat.

The same hand he’d touched half the castle with. He pulled something out, squinted at it with scientific curiosity—

“…Huh—What?” he muttered, finally noticing the silence.

Peach’s eye twitched just once before she closed her eyes.

And then she inhaled……..

And then she exhaled…….

And then summoned every ounce of royal discipline she possessed.

“…and to ensure the continued safety of our kingdom,” she finished smoothly, smile still firmly in place, voice only slightly strained.

The crowd gave a hesitant and quiet cheer, of a few toads, some of them still whispering awkwardly.

Several Toads exchanged looks that clearly said this guy??

A purple-spotted Toad raised their hand, cautious but respectful, “With all due respect, Your Highness… do you truly believe the other kingdoms will help us?”

Peach turned fully toward them, her long golden hair flowing like a banner in the wind. Her voice hardened, not with anger, but with conviction.

“Yes,” she said. “Once they see the destruction these trolls have caused. Once they understand what is truly at stake. Once they realize that if we do not stand united… then none of us will stand at all.”

The purple Toad slowly lowered their hand.

The doubt didn’t vanish completely, but it bent beneath her certainty.

Peach straightened, the crowd watching her with renewed attention.

Beside her, Luffy scratched his head, completely oblivious to the political weight of the moment.

Princess Peach, after answering what she assumed was the final question, she allowed herself to lower her hands, breathing a quiet sigh of relief.

The courtyard remained restless, but the sharp edge of panic had dulled. Toads whispered among themselves in hushed clusters, some clutching their flags tighter, others nodding quietly as if convincing themselves to believe.

She waited a few more seconds until the last bit of chatter finally died down.

Satisfied, Peach turned her head ever so slightly to the right, toward the pirate in sandals who had been doing everything but acting like a diplomatic escort.

She arched a slender brow.

“Anything else you’d like to add to that…” she said coolly, “…Mister Straw Hat?”

Luffy, who had very much resumed his nose-picking expedition, froze mid-dig.

He blinked as he finally started to muster up some words,“Oh—uh.”

He glanced around like someone who’d just been called on in class without realizing he was in one.

So slowly, casually, with absolutely no shame, he wiped his finger on his shorts.

It took him all of three seconds to decide he did, in fact, have something important to say.

So once he knew, he stepped forward with the kind of confidence radiating from a man who had never once questioned his own logic.

“Yeah,” he said brightly. “Just one thing…”

The silence deepened into pure curiosity.

Then, because of course…

He threw both fists into the air like he was about to start a tavern brawl and shouted,“THANKS FOR THE FOOD, MUSHROOM GUYS! AND NOW…” he grinned wider than was probably legal,“...I’M GONNA GO KICK BULAR’S ASS!!!!!”

His declaration echoed across the courtyard.

For a few moments, there was just a collective, horrified stillness.

This was the first time anyone in the Mushroom Kingdom had spoken that name aloud in public

He didn’t whisper it.

He didn’t hint at it.

He didn’t carefully dance around with euphemisms.

He spoke it loud and clear for all the Toad.

Boldly and casually like it was nothing.

The crowd stiffened as several Toads visibly flinched.

One purple-capped Toad crossed himself.

Another dropped his Mushroom Kingdom flag entirely.

The rule was unspoken, but everyone knew it.

You did not say that name.

It was believed to invite bad luck.

The kind of attention you did not want from a monster who had already brought entire kingdoms to ruin.

And here was this boy, this pirate, declaring he’d defeat Bular like he was talking about a bar fight.

Peach’s internal composure exploded.

She could feel it, the spike of dread, the sudden swell of panic threatening to undo everything she’d just stabilized.

This was exactly what she’d been trying to avoid.

Words that carried weight he didn’t even seem to feel.

She had to shut this down NOW.

Her head snapped toward him, eyes sharp, then just as quickly she turned back to the crowd, her expression resetting into flawless royal serenity like a mask snapping into place.

“Oh yes,” she said sweetly, far too sweetly, “thank you, Mr. Straw Hat. I’m sure everyone appreciates your… enthusiasm and your contribution to the mission.”

At the same time, her gloved hand shot back and firmly grabbed him by the collar and hauled him backward with a strength that surprised even him.

“And why don’t we just, yes, put you right here,” she continued, smiling brightly as she physically repositioned him behind her shoulder, “there we go, perfect, thank you so much.”

Luffy stumbled slightly but didn’t resist, blinking as he was parked out of sight like an unruly prop.

Peach held her smile despite her eternally screaming.

With the immediate disaster contained, Peach turned away from the people and stepped toward her royal advisor at the edge of the platform.

Toadsworth, dressed in his finest ceremonial robes, bowed deeply the moment she approached, cane held close, monocle gleaming in the sunlight.

Peach returned the bow, both deep and respectful, and leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper meant only for him,“…Keep them safe, old friend.”

Toadsworth looked up, and for the briefest moment, his composure shattered.

His eyes glistened as he inhaled shakily, placing a gloved hand over his chest.

“My dear Princess,” he said softly, “you’ve grown so strong… so brave. You make this old mushroom so proud.”

Peach blinked hard, not expecting hims to get as emotional as she was.

For a heartbeat, she nearly hugged him.

Instead, she bowed again, in order to keep this as grateful for a departure as possible.

Toadsworth bowed as well, though his carried far more emotion than decorum.

Then…

Like a switch flipping…

His expression hardened as the sentiment vanished.

He turned sharply toward the straw-hatted pirate menace behind her,“And you,” he snapped.

Luffy, currently balancing on one foot for absolutely no reason, looked over.

Toadsworth pointed his can at him and jabbed him with it, voice ringing with authority, “You are hereby charged with the protection of Her Majesty, Princess Peach. You will ensure no harm comes to her, under any circumstances. Do I make myself clear?”

Luffy blinked blankly at him before his usual iconic smile quickly replaced that blank expression,

He then tipped his hat as he re “Don’t worry, old mushroom. I got it.”

Toadsworth squinted, deeply unconvinced.

“…I suppose,” he sighed, rubbing his temple, “it will have to do.”

With that interaction out of the way, Peach turned.

She stepped toward the green warp pipe at the edge of the courtyard, its metallic rim shimmering softly, its low magical hum vibrating through the stone beneath her feet.

She paused before looking back once more, at her people, at her advisor, at the towering castle behind them.

Then, without hesitation..

She jumped inside the green pipe.

WOOOoooOOOOMP

The pipe chimed as Princess Peach vanished in a swirl of colorful sparkly light.

Luffy watched her go, then turned to the crowd, and waved with both hands,“Seeya later, mushroom dudes!”

He then laughed his goofy ass off,“YAHAHAHA!!”, as he then he bent his knees, launched himself into the air with a wild somersault…

And cannonballed straight into the pipe.

Womp–Womp–Womp—WOOMPH!

Just like that…

The courtyard stood silent as the duo were now gone.

Straight into the green warp pipe they went to defeat that monster.

Toadsworth slowly pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed his brow,“…Stars help us all.”

(End of chapter)

Hey everyone

I just wanted to come by here and let everyone here know that this chapter is dedicated to my late great-grandmother

Who earlier today passed away.

She was 94 years old and lived quite the life.

And she was quite the stubborn woman

She never had a single regret in her life

And she was quite the feisty woman I'll tell you

And one thing she always made sure to tell me and advised me is to always finish what I start no matter what

and I knew from the bottom of my heart that she meant that to apply to All Things even my stories.

Which though I know she definitely wouldn't understand the love of this fandom that I have I know that she would want me to continue my passion as long as it made me happy.

Which it does

So in the loving memory of Muddy Bulluck

Chapter 22 will always remain to be a reminder to me to never give up on my dreams and goals and to fight with all my power to make sure stories like this become a reality for all of us fanfiction lovers out there in the world.

And that is something I will hold dear to the rest of my life

So rest well grandmother knowing that your grandson will continue fighting to achieve all of his dreams

Till the day I can finally get the chance to rejoin you

So now with that out of the way

WE BACK BABY!!!!!!!!!!

And better than ever I might add

Because Now we are finally finished the first part of the dark land Arc

I know it was quite the long wait we're finally getting back to Luffy's story for the time being and where he's now currently at in this journey

I know the chapter took way too long to get out and believe me I would have gotten it out sooner

But I knew for a fact this was mainly going to be a filler chapter just to help transition into the new ark.

And I needed to make sure all the dialogue and character moments match with the characters which took quite some time.

Along with getting into college trying to pursue a directing careers so I can bring these ideas to the big screen.

My life has taken a lot of twists and turns these past few months and I don't regret a single one of them.

Let's just say fanfiction takes a lot longer than I originally thought when making it.

especially when it came to redoing the entire first chapter

which also took quite a while let me tell you.

I knew for a while that I needed to get on that and introduce the story in the proper way not just a rushed mess like the first one originally was.

and in my opinion I think it turned out pretty good.

and now whether or not I plan on redoing some other chapters.

well actually I do

Chapters two and three will the same treatment as chapter 1 giving a proper introduction to the story.

which may take some time so be prepared for the wait.

while we're in here now I also want to reveal upcoming project that's going to be posted alongside one piece the movie

as you already know I've introduced this story in the past

unfortunately I lack the mindset to realize that I should have properly introduced these stories in order

so without further ado

on the next update of One Piece the movie chapters 2 & 23

I introduced:

Iron Man: rise of the Mandarin

In this reimagining of the already popular characters Iron Man, meet a 25-year-old Genius billionaire playboy Philanthropist Tony Stark, aka The Invincible Iron Man, who inherits his dead father's company, creating some of the most advanced technology the world has ever seen.

In this story our reimagining of the Iron Man will be fighting alongside none other than the popular Disney character Queen / princess Elena of avalor.

Based off of both her TV show and a combination of the continuity of all the Iron Man Stories We step right into this reimagined story of both the characters as they share not only a beautiful childhood friendship but a blossoming Romance in a modern-day setting.

But don't worry I know some of you here expect Iron Man to do more than just being shipped with a princess.

That's why this story is also set to be action-packed Adventure as the duo and their friends team up to stop none other than the evil Mandarin, a very known arch nemesis of the Iron Man in both the TV shows and the comics.

And because I'm such a fair guy I will give you all a little teaser plot synopsis on the story

But be cautious because what you see here now is not the finalized version of the story so anything could change.

Red at your own risk my friends:

After 5 years of running the company and 3 years of not seeing her, Tony returns to a famous Kingdom and homeland of one of his only true closest friends since childhood, and old crush, Queen Elena Castillo Florez, ruler of Avalor, In order to promote the newly built and highly advanced starkland that would be opening in an Ancient area in China. Little did he know this production would cause the awakening of The Mandarin , an ancient warlord and sorcerer, after centuries of imprisonment from his tomb, who is seeking to reclaim his ten mystical rings, which grant him god-like power. To retrieve them, he summons four Elemental Demon Guardians-Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind-who will spread destruction across the world.Realizing the catastrophic threat, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Queen Elena Castillo Florez, and their allies embark on a global race against time to locate the rings before the Mandarin does. Along the way, they face the four Guardians, forcing Tony to upgrade his technology, Elena to harness her leadership and magic, and their team to push beyond their limits.

Will not only be a project that will be coming out alongside the one piece the movie fanfiction but it will be the start of an entirely new set amount of universe.

guess Iron Man can always be the one to start out with a bang huh.

not only will this be the start of a new universe but it will be the start of a full movie connected franchise.

you heard it here folks three other fanfiction stories which I've already revealed on all of my social platforms will be coming out right after Iron Man rise of the Mandarin

if you can guess which stories they will be and what order they will come out in.

well you won't actually get anything but you'll be really cool if you do

I enjoy watching all of you try and figure it out.

and now obviously we must talk about the elephant in the room

THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't found any sort of words that can describe how excited I am for this upcoming project especially as a fan of both the games.

hopefully there's romance between Mario and Peach otherwise I'm going to flip out in that theater though let's all cross our fingers and hope that Nintendo doesn't let us down on this one.

now of course this all comes with questions

will one piece the movie be getting a sequel based off the one piece characters in the Mario Galaxy movie.

well if I'm going to be honest that has yet to be decided.

I have people who are working on me with this one piece the movie Project, who help give me ideas and make sure I keep the continuity together who we discuss how the stories events are going to go.

as of right now I do not plan on adapting it until I finish one piece the movie completely which hopefully I don't take too long to do

if however I decide to make that sequel it'll probably be in a phase 2 project which will help kick off phase two.

Just to be clear though one piece the movie is an introduction to my skill as a fanfiction artist it is not a part of the Cinematic Universe that I am building.

And so with that there goes all the updates I can tell you guys about for the time being.

obviously now I have to deal with some personal matters so production for the next chapter will be a little while

That does not mean this story is going to be halted or stopped in any way.

but I'm taking some personal time off to be with family at this time

Production for the next chapter will begin in late January at the earliest

That same applies to the chapter one of the Iron Man story

keep up with my other channels, such as the following:

YouTube: God of creativity Studios

https://www.youtube.com/@GodofCreativityStudios.218/featured

YouTube:It's ya boy Zahki

https://youtube.com/@itsyaboyzahki37?si=NdtMGIzEn-jRRi9W

Instagram: god.ofcreativity

https://www.instagram.com/god.ofcreativity/?hl=en

Instagram:guywilliszahki

https://www.instagram.com/guywilliszahki/?hl=en

Tik tok:@god.of.Creativity

https://www.tiktok.com/@god.of.creativity?_t=8gjnR8ikK9W&_r=1

Tik tok: Zahkiki

https://www.tiktok.com/@zahkiki6?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

X: @Godofcreativity24

https://x.com/CreativityGod24

Thank all of you for all of your love and support these last 3 years they have meant the world to me

oh and before I forget for all of you people who keep messaging me offering to do comic stories

if you want to go ahead and pursue that you can as of right now I do not have the funding to do so and I want to let this story gain more chapters before I think about giving it some visuals

so please stop with the messaging

till next time

Keep an eye out

[godofcreatitivity]

Join the avengers as a journey beyond the stars in order to save the universe from the conqueror himself .

[godofcreatitivity]

Join the avengers as a journey beyond the stars in order to save the universe from the conqueror himself .

[godofcreatitivity]

(part two)

The way he said him sounded like it had far too many question marks attached.

As if the thought of trusting someone like Monkey D Luffy with the protection of a whole Kingdom seemed impossible to conceive.

And it wasn't like the princess was fully loaded with other options at this point

Though it wasn’t as if the thought of her plan and her kingdom being put into ruins because she trusted the wrong individual with such an important mission of keeping her safe wasn’t clouding her mind.

It kept her up all night last night, she was barely able to get so much of a wink last night because of how almost non-realistic it sounded.

Even now she was still questioning to a degree why she even made that decision to entrust something like this to someone like him.

And what was worse is that she still didn't have an answer to her question no matter how many times she asked it.

All she knew was that she didn't have any time to think of something else or to take it back now so she simply had to ride the waves and see what would happen.

“I understand where you’re coming from,” Peach said finally, her tone calm but firm, “Yesterday’s announcement was quite…….. unexpected to say at least..”

She let out a low sigh, brushing a stray strand of hair back under her crown. “But time isn’t a luxury I have right now and that same goes for our options.”

Toadminster’s frown deepened, but before he could speak, Peach went on. “And don’t think for a second I’m just letting him run wild. He’ll be on a very short leash. As long as I keep my eyes on him, we’ll be fine.”

The Toadminister began thinking about all she had just said, and after hearing that.

And to be honest, he still felt a little worried about her journey despite what she had.

Told him, but at this point, there was no point in arguing with her about it.

She was going to do this regardless of what anyone thought about this plan.

And arguing with her will only prove to waste more time.

Which as they've stated before, didn't have much to waste.

She was making this decision whether they agreed with it or not.

He and the others had no intention of disrespecting her by questioning her command and competence.

The last thing he needed was her knowing the two most senior advisors in the Mushroom Kingdom had been quietly fretting over such… personal matters.

He exhaled dramatically and stood a bit taller, nodding in a more chipper rhythm now, smoothing out the anxious creases in his vest.

“Well then! Yes, quite right, Your Majesty! Splendid, splendid!” he said with a smile that was just a little too wide. “Let us not let idle speculation cloud the path of duty. The Mushroom Kingdom stands behind you with full faith.”

Peach smiled faintly at that, just enough to show appreciation without cracking the more serious edge to her thoughts.

She desperately wished his optimism was contagious.

Especially during these extremely dark times.

Cause even with her people’s support and this plan in motion… she knew things weren’t going to be that simple.

Preparing for the journey was one thing.

Convincing the Kong Kingdom and Uniting all the other kingdoms against Bular?

That was a whole other battlefield.

One that she herself wasn't fully sure she was prepared for.

Nor was she sure if she would win or not.

Before she could respond to the Toadminister—

CLACK!

The thick white oak doors creaked open, groaning on their ancient hinges. A soft gust of cool castle air drifted in as one of the uniformed Toad guards stepped into the throne room.

He gave a short salute with his spear before stepping aside to allow entry to none other than—

“Toadsworth!”Peach straightened, her formal posture returning instinctively, one gloved hand resting lightly against her waist as the elder Toad approached.

“Good morning, my dear Princess,” Toadsworth greeted, bowing low with the kind of flourish that belonged to centuries past. His monocle gleamed under the morning sun. “I trust the council briefing was enlightening, if not entirely pleasant?”

Peach nodded. “....Yes it was…………Quite enlightening indeed. How’s our… guest?”

Toadsworth’s mustache twitched. “Ah yes, the straw-hatted one. He awoke some time ago and we fed him just as you instructed us to do, unfortunately, the result of doing so ended in the destruction of half the castle hallways and the complete devastation of the royal Dining room.

Peach pressed her hand to her forehead. “Oh Stars”

The ToadMinister placed his hand on his own chest and muttered, “Bless the staff, it'll take them half a day to clean that mess from the sound of it.” as he walked away from the two of them to go and talk to two other Toad staff members.

Peach let out a slow, measured sigh, “Thank you, Toadsworth. And… apologies. I know he’s.… spirited.”

Toadsworth waved it off with a grandfatherly chuckle. “My dear, I’ve survived decades of cleaning up stars knows what comes into this castle every time disaster visits. One hungry pirate is hardly the worst of it………….well maybe a medium percent of it but my point stands”

That earned a small laugh from Peach, but even so, her expression darkened slightly as she turned toward the window,“If only he was the only mess our kingdom had to worry about in these times.”

Toadsworth, seeing the now darkened look on his highnesses face, stepped closer, lowering his voice in a supportive tone,“Princess, it is perfectly fine if you're worried about your mission. But you have to always remember to trust your judgment. And if this boy is evidence of said judgment, then it’s worth the gamble.

Peach knew he was right, she couldn’t afford to have any last minute doubts now.

She made this decision because she felt that it was the right thing to do and now it was time to follow through with it.

She was only going to stress herself out more if she didn’t.

So with that, she cracked her neck slightly and began to recompose herself, brushing a stray strand of hair back into place,“All right. Looks like it’s time to depart.”

She turned to a nearby mirror, being held up by two blue toads who had walked up to her holding it, and gave herself a once-over.

Her peach-pink gown was still immaculate, the brooch at her collar centered perfectly. She fixed her crown, tilted ever so slightly, before dabbing her lips with a peach-colored gloss from a hidden pocket in her sleeve. Then, she neatly tucked the royal letter cards into the hidden seam of her skirt’s side panel and checked her gloves one last time.

No smudges.

No flaws.

Just Princess Perfect.

Once she was finished, Peach quickly turned back to the direction of the doors and regained her royal posture by standing up straight .

Toadsworth chuckled to himself after seeing that before he then motions for her to follow him. “Right this way, Your Majesty.”

The two then left walked out of the throne room, the click of Princess Peach’s soft-heeled shoes echoed along the marbled halls as she and Toadsworth strode together, flanked by a pair of ceremonial guards.

Golden morning light shimmered through high stained-glass windows, different paintings on the walls depicting all types of different.Mountains, toads, locations that had beautiful landscapes.

Peach always loved to admire the artwork in the castle.

It was just something about its elegance that always caught her attention.

Especially since she painted a few of them herself based on any of the landscapes she’d seen whenever she and the royal guard left the kingdom.

One thing other kingdoms weren't aware of about the mushroom kingdom was the fact that a lot of the toads, OK how about this everyone's shocked that the bomber built being launched, herself included, were really talented when it came to art.

Peach loved to do it in her spare time whenever she wasn’t swamped with royal duties.

It helped take her mind off of all the chaos that was happening around the world.

Because despite the stoic appearance she wore for her people, Peach’s mind was already hard at work trying to figure out a solution to any of the kingdom's problems, including this one.

She adjusted the hem of her gown slightly and glanced sideways at her royal advisor, voice smooth but firm,“Let’s start with what I didn’t get in that last report,” she said. “How bad was the actual damage to the kingdom?”

Toadsworth gave a light chuckle, always quick to shift from ancient scholar to walking archive,“Ah yes, indeed, Your Grace,” he said, reaching behind with practiced ease and pulling a long scroll from beneath his robe like a stage magician performing an old trick. The parchment practically unrolled to the floor, trailing beside them like a ceremonial carpet.

He squinted at the fine print through his monocle. “According to the Royal Infrastructure Bureau Toads, and our very brave surveyor, Toadio, damage was mercifully light. The Chain Chomp was rather aggressive, yes, but the Straw-Hatted youth’s, ahem, very spirited intervention ensured it didn’t reach any densely populated areas.”

Peach, hearing that, felt an ocean of relief hearing that.

Everything was happening so fast yesterday she barely had time to think about all the collateral damage that might have happened during the invasion.

She nodded her head to that, “That's good, we managed to stop that thing before it hit the heart of the city.”

Toadsworth nodded back. “Indeed. Call it luck, instinct, divine madness, take your pick. But that boy drove it back within minutes, possibly seconds. Most of the structural impact was limited to outer areas of Toad Town. A few buildings, the one water fountain, and a produce stand were among the casualties.”

Wow, Peach was actually surprised that they were able to contain it as well as they did, especially considering the size of that thing.

But peaches' stress wouldn't be out of the woods yet because before she could feel relief, another thought struck her like a shape blade.

Her voice dropped. “And were there… any casualties?”

The air turned momentarily somber.

Toadsworth continued in his steps, folding his hands over the scroll as his expression sobered. “OH no need to worry, there were no fatalities, Your Majesty. I made certain of this myself.”

Peach inhaled deeply, resisting the secure urge of clutching at her chest, a subconscious gesture of gratitude and tension release.

The last thing she wished to worry about for the deaths of any of her subjects.

Their safety was like the entire world to her and the last thing she wanted was for their blood to be on her hands.

Toadsworth could sense the worry from her so he knew he had to do whatever he could to keep her spirits up for this adventure.

“And before you even think about worrying yourself about the reconstruction, it is already underway!” Toadsworth said proudly. “With only minimal damage to work through, rebuilding is progressing quite smoothly. Our estimate stands at 36% completed as of this morning, and we anticipate full repairs within the week.”

“Even the front entrances?" she asked, knowing full well that the Chain Chomp fight left a good amount of damage near the entrance of the kingdom.

“The main entrance will be last, but the markets are untouched, and no homes were compromised. Thanks, again, to the bravery of our dear princess and her……..strange stretchy acquaintance”, The old mushroom said, cheering for his highness in order to brighten up her mood for this upcoming adventure.

But before she could pivot away from the topic, a detail scratched at the back of her memory. Her eyes narrowed slightly,“There was a Toad…” she said slowly, “during the fight. I remember he was held at knifepoint by that eyepatch-wearing Koopa. What was his name? Trython?”

Toadsworth raised a fuzzy brow, thinking. “Ah, yes. I do recall seeing one with you during the aftermath. One moment…”He rifled through a side scroll pocket and eventually tapped a name,“Ah! Here we are. That was an explorer named Toad, short for Toadwin, go figure. He sustained a few minor injuries, cuts and bruises but his condition is stable. He was placed under the care of a local merchant after the attack. A Mister… Toad Bernson, though most of the locals know him as Bernie.”

Peach tilted her head. “Bernie?”

Toadsworth nodded again. “Yes. An older Toad, Of course, not as old as myself, owns the convenience mart near Shroom Square. Apparently, he’s the one who escorted young Master Straw Hat back to the castle after the chaos.”

She stopped walking, blinking slowly.“…He brought straw hat back for our aid back?”

Toadsworth turned to face her. “Indeed, Princess. It would appear that after we rejected his original plea for our help, our impulsive pirate had wandered off. Bernie was the one who found him, and insisted he return to help the kingdom from the Koopa Troop.”

Peach’s heart gave a subtle, confused but grateful twist.

It was good to hear that her subjects were willing to go to such lengths to protect their Kingdom.

And had it not been for this particular toad, their Kingdom would be reduced to ruins, and she would have to be forced to go along with those koopas to wherever they were going to take her.

It always raised her spirits when she knew how much her people believed in her and were willing to put their lives on the line to protect their Kingdom despite their small stature.

And this involved even trusting someone they had literally just met only a day ago with the safety of the whole Kingdom because of how much they believed in her.

And when she thought about that, that's when her mind had a sudden realization.

Her blue eyes glanced sidelong at Toadsworth, who was currently folding the last of his scrolls into his sleeve, hands clasped behind his back with his usual stately poise.

“…You know,” Peach said casually, lips curling upward in a smirk, “I can’t help but notice you’ve gone unusually quiet about trying to talk me out of bringing Straw Hat along.”

Toadsworth blinked. “Hmm?”

She arched a brow at him playfully. “You haven’t said a word about reconsidering. No dramatic gasps, no ‘Princess, please think of your safety,’ no ancient quotes from past rulers. You've completely given up about trying to convince me of other solutions in the last twelve ours. Care to explain to me why that is.?”

The elder Toad’s mustache twitched, but that didn't last for long as his mood quickly relaxed.“…Yes, well,” he muttered, fiddling with the top of his cane. “It is true that I’ve… opted to withhold certain counsel, for now.”

Toadsworth then paused as he. gave a low, theatrical sigh,“My Princess…” he began, his tone turning solemn. “Let it be said, for the record, that I still do not agree with entrusting a mission of such diplomatic gravity and wartime significance… to a reckless, hyperactive, banana-brained simpleton who eats like a Piranha Plant in heat.”

Peach snorted as her hand flew to her mouth with wide eyes, shocked she actually let it slip out.

Toadsworth continued, voice even but sincere, “However… I trust your judgment on this matter?.”

Peach’s smile softened. She tilted her head, and for a moment, the playfulness faded, “You do?”

He looked at her squarely. “You chose this path with your heart and mind aligned. As my role as the Royal Advisor it is my job to make sure the Queen makes decisions that will prove in the best benefit of the Kingdom. And I refuse to be the advisor who undermines the ruler who’s never given me a reason not to believe in her word. I will always trust that you are making your decisions with the good of our people in your heart. So long as those decisions do not, say, recklessly endanger your life, put your person in jeopardy, and put your life in the hands of someone like-”.

BOOM.

Something slammed *no, splattered full force into the stained-glass wall on the opposite side of the corridor, right in front of them, with a loud squelchy thud that echoed like a pie hitting stone.

Both Peach and Toadsworth jumped back with a startled yelp, the princess instinctively grabbing the edge of her sash and Toadsworth clutching his chest like the world had just ended.

“Oh sweet ancestors of Sarasalan—MY HEART!” Toadsworth gasped, stumbling backward and nearly falling over his cane.

“Stars abov—! What in the world ?!” Peach gasped, taking a defensive step forward, her battle instincts kicking in for just a second.

Their shock quickly dissolved… as they recognized the figure flattened cartoonishly against the shimmering stained-glass mural of herself and the Royal Toad Guard.

Yep, they knew exactly who that was.

Monkey D. Luffy.

Face pancaked against the glass like a child’s sticker, his arms splayed out like a starfish, red vest twisted around his neck, and one sandal hanging from his foot by the strap.

He mumbled something incomprehensible into the glass“Mmmhhhphm mm-mmmph mmmm-”.

Neither Peach nor Toadsworth had the faintest idea what he said.

They both stood there… silently wide eyed

Peach let out a breath of relief, but it was just him and not another ambush, lowering her hand from her chest and sighing like a queen who’d just been told her war horse turned into a chocobo.

Toadsworth exhaled as well, adjusting his monocle with a visible tremor in his fingers.

Then, with a rubbery—POP!, Luffy peeled himself off the window like a suction cup toy, flipping backward midair before landing directly in front of them.

THWUMP!

He landed square on his feet… but his face remained completely squashed—his cheeks pancaked outward, nose flattened, eyes uneven.

“Mmmrrrrhhfff—!” he grumbled, blinking dumbly.

Then he brought two fingers to his nostrils, plugged them, and with a cartoonish inhale through his mouth—POOF!

His face reinflated back to normal like a balloon.

His nose popped back into shape.

His cheeks puffed out then snapped into place with a comic flap.

The only thing left askew was his straw hat, which now sat halfway down his face,“Ahhh, much better!” Luffy grinned. “Hehehe man, that floor was slippery.”

Peach slowly blinked at him.

Toadsworth just blinked out of sync.

He hadn’t even noticed that he had done that in front of them.

Peach cleared her throat sharply, just loud enough to be polite, but with an unmistakable,“Ahem”, edge.

The sound echoed slightly down the corridor soft but firm, like a queen announcing her presence without needing to raise her voice.

Luffy blinked, eyes drifting lazily toward the sound of her voice.

He turned his head with that same carefree grin as if he hadn’t just used his face to remodel her stained-glass window.

“Oh hey!” he said brightly, pointing a thumb at himself. “Sup, Princess? Sup, Old Mushroom Dude?”

Toadsworth flinched, “I beg your pardon?!”

He wasn't used to anyone, just blatantly speaking to him in such an informal manner, especially since he was in the position of the royal advisor.

Anyone who crossed paths needed to speak to him with some respect and dignity.

Yet this boy completely ignored any such means of greeting him?

And talk to him as if the two of them were friends or something.

And honestly, Peach was surprised that Toadsworth didn't hit Luffy with his cane.

Growing up and being raised by him and maintaining a royal composure as well as speaking with respect and dignity was top priority in becoming royalty, which meant everything to Toadsworth raising her.

So to watch someone blatantly ignore those rules, wasn't something he was used to.

Especially since she knew growing up he didn't find it acceptable in the tiniest bit.

Peach raised an eyebrow, folding her arms across her chest. She didn’t say anything at first, just let the silence hang there long enough to make it awkward.

Then, with a subtle nod toward the glittering window, she asked with calm sarcasm, “Well, I see you're using my royal mural as a brake pad?”

Luffy tilted his head to the side with a lopsided smile, completely unfazed, “Oh, yeah, sorry!” he chirped.

He suddenly slapped his fist into his palm like he’d just remembered something super important,“The old mushroom told me to hurry up and get ready” Luffy began, launching into his story like a kid recounting recess,“I was halfway through the hallway and one of those mushroom guards just storms up all like—‘Hurry up, lad, you’re late for the Princess!’ So I went and zoomed outta there.”

He did a literal zooming hand motion, swiping his arm through the air with a whoosh.

And he continued, pacing dramatically now as he told the story, gesturing with his whole body,“And all of a sudden… The floors turned all slippery!”

He slid across the hallway to demonstrate, waving his arms around like he was mid-ice skate,“And then—WHOOSH! My foot flew out from under me—WHAM!”

He clapped his hands together like cymbals to mimic the sound of his body slamming the wall,“Face-first into the glass! And let me tell you…” he paused, rubbing his cheek for dramatic emphasis, “…that mural is way more durable than it looks. My face still kinda feels like a pancake.”

He twisted his mouth to the side and crossed his eyes to prove his point.

The two royal figures stared at the pirate blankly.

And who could blame them?

They didn't even know what the hell he was talking about.

He was completely unpredictable.

And practically catastrophic.

Who knows what kind of damage he did around the castle that they weren't fully aware of.

Unfortunately, that would be Toadsworth's problem to deal with since Peach and this pirate were about to leave.

Toadsworth, ever the portrait of formal regality (albeit with his cane still slightly shaking), let out a long sigh.

He adjusted his monocle, cleared his throat, and gently tilted his head toward the boy now stretching out like a satisfied cat.

“Well, young Straw Hat,” he began, dusting off his coat sleeves and trying his best to hold on to what little decorum remained, “I take it you have concluded your, ah… preparation?"

Luffy beamed like a toddler who’d just won a cake-eating contest. “Yep!” he replied with a grin that practically split his face.

Without warning, he smacked a hand proudly against his stomach with a loud smack,”I'm all fed and ready to go.”

Both Peach and Toadsworth involuntarily flinched from the sound.

…And then blinked.

Because to their utter disbelief, he had a six-pack. A legit, cut-from-stone, fully-defined set of abs that shimmered slightly under his red vest.

For a boy who had consumed enough food to feed a banquet of Toads, it was frankly unholy.

Toadsworth coughed lightly into his fist, hiding his reaction like a true gentleman.

“Well… ahem. I’m pleased to see that you, at the very least, appreciated our royal culinary service,” he muttered with reluctant dignity, offering the barest of nods as was customary to visiting guests, even the chaotic ones.

Peach stepped forward, trying to muster what little grace she could for this surreal interaction. She clasped her gloved hands together, her voice delicate, almost forced,“Ahem…Well, it is good to see that you've accepted our Kingdom's accommodations, Mr. Straw Hat.”

She could barely recall the last time she’d given such an awkward greeting.

Not even Bowser made her feel this uneasy, and he was literally known for stalking her and her Kingdom.

Luffy, meanwhile, looked up casually from where he’d been checking the treads on his sandals and offered her a nonchalant thumbs up,“Oh yeah, Princess! Thanks for the grub by the way.”

Just like that.

No bow.

No formal greeting.

Not even a “your highness.”

Just: “oh yeah.”

Peach stared for a beat too long, her mind rebooting slightly.

She didn’t need to be worshipped, heavens no, but even common villagers bowed.

Everyone at least acknowledged her status.

Yet here was this boy, acting like she was someone he’d just bumped into at the market.

She couldn't tell whether or not she should be offended by this or not.

Still, her political instincts kicked in, and she smoothed her dress while offering a diplomatic smile, albeit one with a twinge of irritation at the edge.

“Well, I'm glad you're doing fine so far. I’ve just about completed all the preparations for our journey,” she said, her tone now drifting into the formal cadence she used for high-level delegations. “I trust that you’ve completed your own preparations as well?”

Luffy gave her another thumbs-up so confidently it nearly knocked his own hat off,“Yup! I’m fed, fired up, and ready to go! Gonna find my friends, kick this Bular guy’s ass, and then chow down again after!”

His words echoed across the corridor like a war cry shouted from atop a tavern table.

Peach’s smile froze as if she were with an Ice flower.

Toadsworth’s monocle almost popped off its chain.

There was a full beat of silence as the absurdity of Luffy’s statement sank in.

And it was other than his lack of acknowledging his language around royalty, but something else.

Not the part about kicking…………….ahem……..”butt”.

The name.

He’d said it out loud.

Bular the Butcher.

In the open.

Saying that monster's name was absolutely forbidden.

In her castle, much less her present.

This news about him completing his bridge was already terrorizing everyone enough, especially with the fact that it was complete.

Anytime a subject about him is brought up, it causes the environment to tense up in fear.

His own loan caused problems that she didn't have time to deal with.

Just as his name alone.

That's how bad the situation was.

Sure that he still wasn't getting the seriousness of the situation.

But she didn't have time to go and slam some more information about this monster into this boy's head.

It was time to go.

Peach’s lips pressed into a tense line and took a deep breath..

Toadsworth looked like he might keel over from sheer anxiety.

Peach composed herself with regal swiftness.

She reminded herself that he didn't know about the situation fully because he wasn't from this world and didn't know the situation.

It was as simple as that so she shouldn't bother making a big deal out of this.

Thankfully Toadsworth was just as desperate as she was to end this little conversation because he soon cleared his throat again, this time more forcefully. “W-Well! That’s… good to hear, my boy. Quite, quite good.”

He adjusted his vest, looking ready to move on from this madness before the pirate said anything more that might cause a castle-wide panic,“Now, if we’re all in agreement, shall we proceed to the front entrance?”

He didn’t wait for either of them to respond.

With surprising speed for his age, the old advisor turned on his heel and began hobbling briskly down the hall with his cane click-clicking across the marble.

Luffy shrugged, popped the rest of his dumpling into his mouth, and casually began following, hands laced behind his head.

Peach stayed frozen for a moment longer, one elegant brow twitching.

Then she let out a breath and followed after them both.

Their footsteps echoed faintly across the polished floor as the trio moved forward.

Toadsworth walked ahead with surprising speed, his little cane tapping rhythmically with each step.

Behind him, Peach’s heels clicked with each stride, her long pink dress flowing regally, while Luffy strolled with lazy ease, hands tucked behind his head, straw hat tilting back just enough for the sunlight to catch his carefree grin.

Luffy was humming softly to himself, off-key, seemingly thinking about meat.

Peach couldn't help but notice his simple, carefree, fearless attitude that he had.

Especially in a situation like this.

It piqued her curiosity, to say the least.

To be honest, she wanted to see why he was so calm even in the pressure this mission was pressing upon them.

She cleared her throat delicately before tilting her head slightly toward him,“Sooooooooooooo… Mr. Straw Hat,” she said, dragging out the word like a reluctant hostess making conversation at a dinner she didn’t want to host, “Are you nervous at all? You know… about our upcoming adventure?”

She raised an eyebrow, lips curling into a smirk of faux curiosity, just to test what kind of nonsense might spill out.

Luffy blinked once, looked over at her with his usual dopily content smile, and casually shook his head,“What? Nervous. No way.”

Peach raised in our brow.In surprise of his answer.

He didn’t even seem like he considered giving more of a thought or a doubt in his mind.

Like you had no reason to be afraid.

Even if he wasn't from this world, he sure should have realized the kind of danger they were about to embark on.

“...Really?” she asked, more incredulously this time.

“Yeah, I'm super excited.!” he replied, that same dopey grin stretching wider and much louder while pumping his first..

She narrowed her eyes trying to figure out what all this newfound excitement was for,”You do realize that this is going to be a life or death situation, with an entire Kingdom of almost indestructible monsters. I mean… this isn’t going to be a sightseeing tour. We’re traveling across hostile kingdoms, In order to gather an army powerful enough to fight against a massive army of Trolls, Koopas, Kremlings…and stars know whatever else”, She clarified as she counted each of her fingers while saying this,” Any one of them could try to exterminate us if they find out about our mission.”

Luffy waved his hand lazily,“Yeah, yeah. I know. It’s got me all sorts of pumped up!”

Peach nearly tripped over her own dress after hearing what just came out of his mouth because that was not the response she was expecting.

Not from someone being briefed on a potential suicide mission.

Her eyes widened as she turned toward him in disbelief, “So you feel excitement about potentially getting slaughtered by a kingdom of trolls?!”

Luffy’s face lit up like a festival Hearing her question, “Heck yeah! This kinda stuff is my jam! I mean, what better way to go on an adventure? Danger, weird new kingdoms, mystery enemies, and food along the way?” He threw both fists into the air like he was declaring victory, “ This is the kinda thing I live for!”

Peach was too stunned to even hide her reaction as her jaw hung slightly open, and her eyes almost twitched with disbelief.

Had Toadsworth explained the stakes properly to him?

Because if he did, he had done a poor job at it.

This boy clearly hadn’t the slightest clue of the stakes that were high enough as it is in this situation.

However, this might have been a fault of her own for not spending enough time with him to explain the situation to him.

To his face, in fact.

However, it didn't seem like he was getting the message even if she left enough hints in the conversation.

Maybe she should ask, just to be sure, “I’m sorry,” she said slowly, “but… do you not grasp what we’re walking into?”

Luffy stared at her before goofily nodding his head.“Of course I do,” Luffy answered with a shrug. “That's what makes it more exciting for me”

Yep, Peach was definitely hearing that right, and she didn't even bother waiting to let him continue,” Is there something you're not getting about me repeatedly saying life or death situation? Because I'm very certain I clarified that for you. Multiple times, in fact.”

“Yeah, I know, Princess.,” he clarified, waving his hand. “But that's all part of the adventure and makes it so fun.”

Peach scoffed.

A sharp, unladylike snort burst from her nose before she could suppress it, a sound so utterly unbecoming of a royal that she immediately winced in embarrassment.

But the damage was done.

Luffy, of course, didn’t notice or didn’t care.

Like, at all.

Luffy, blissfully unaware of the princesses, disagreement, just kept walking down the sun-dappled cobblestone path, arms swinging, grinning ear to ear.

She couldn’t believe this guy.

The two of them had barely left the castle grounds, and already he was talking like they were lifelong comrades destined for friendship bracelets and matching outfits.

Wolfie turned to see her expression, and it wasn’t exactly one that was accepting of what he was saying about the best parts of an adventure.

So he figured he'd just explain it to her.

“I mean think about it!” he said with a chuckle, rubbing his nose with a thumb. “Kicking guys’ asses, eating a bunch of meat, making friends along the way, who could ask for more?

He threw both arms wide, his straw hat catching the wind, and pointed back and forth between the two of them.

“I mean look at us! We’re already halfway there!”,He beamed at her.

CLICK

Peach’s heels clicked to a stop.

She extended both arms abruptly, pressing them across Luffy’s chest like a velvet barricade, forcing him to halt.

He blinked, confused, taking two more cheerful steps before realizing he was suddenly talking to open air.

He looked over his shoulder, blinking, as he also stopped in his tracks.

“Huh?” he turned, confused, eyes wide,“Hey what’s up?”

She was standing still as stone. Her spine perfectly straight. Her entire frame exuded the stiff, composed grace of royalty but her face told another story.

Her expression looked like a porcelain mask, cracked at the corners. Something brittle was hiding just beneath the practiced calm.

Her voice came out softly at first,“…Friends?”

She repeated the word again, slower this time, as though trying it out on her tongue for the very first time,“Friends.”

Her lip curled in distaste.

Her eyes narrowed with cold calculation.

Friends? she thought.

With him?

No. No no no no no.

Absolutely not.

She brought a single gloved finger to her chin, tapping it thoughtfully.

Then she walked slowly toward him, heels clicking, each step echoing like a ticking bomb.

Luffy blinked again, stepping backward cautiously as she advanced.

She stopped in front of him.

“Let me make something very clear for you,” she said.

Her voice dropped into something quiet, dangerous, courtroom serious.

She raised her hand and held her index finger and pinky just barely apart, forming a sliver of space between them.

“This,” she said, “is how close we are to being friends.”

She dropped her hand.

“We. Are. Not. Friends,” she said, enunciating each word like a sentence being carved into stone tablets. “We are not buddies. We are not partners. We’re not even on a first-name basis. You are not my traveling companion. You are not my confidant. You are certainly not someone I intend to bond with on this mission.”

Luffy’s jaw slowly dropped. His eyes went from wide to confused to outright wounded.

“Huh? What’re you talking about?” he asked, his voice rising in disbelief. “That’s the whole point of this! We go on a big crazy adventure, I help you with the bad guys, you help me find my friends, and boom we’re best buddies by the end!”

He threw his arms up like it was common sense,“That’s just how it works!”

Luffy couldn’t understand what she wasn’t getting about this.

Like of course this was how it always went.

The greatest adventures are built off of these kinds of things.

This was only natural to go through those typical phases, everyone knew that.

Peach, however, didn't seem to be too knowledgeable of this, unfortunately.

And although it didn't make sense to Luffy, to her it made perfect sense.

She sighed sharply through her nose.

“That may be how it works in your world,” she said, the bite in her tone enough to freeze the air,“But in this world, we operate with structure.”

She gestured stiffly toward the horizon,“This is a royal diplomatic mission. You are the assigned escort a.k.a the muscle. And I am the diplomatic representative of the Mushroom Kingdom. That is all.”

She turned on her heel and resumed walking with renewed stiffness.

But Luffy didn’t see what her problem was.

Luffy scratched his head, frowning. “That’s weird…”

He jogged forward, catching up beside her,“Why would we go on this whole epic trip and not become pals? That’s just what happens! People bond when they fight side by side! Eat together! Crack jokes! Save each other from bad guys! Y’know, the good stuff! That’s the whole point!”

Peach didn’t even blink nor did she hesitate to respond, “It is the least important point.”

Luffy waved his arms like a man trying to defend the laws of the universe,“But why not? After what we did to those turtle guys yesterday, we’d make an awesome team!”

Peach continued moving forward,“That was a matter of urgency,” she said coldly. “We had no choice but to coordinate in order to protect my Toads and My kingdom.”

She pointed out of the moving windows as they continued down the Halls, toward the smoking rooftops still being rebuilt,“Our temporary alliance was a necessity. Nothing more. And while I will admit your combat contributions were… effective……” she bit the word like it tasted foul “.......this partnership will remain professional.”

Luffy opened his mouth again but thought better of it.

He blinked once, then twice, then simply let out a short little hum and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

It was clear that she's one of those princesses.

It wasn’t the first time he’d traveled with someone super duper uptight.

They usually started out like this.

Bossy.

Snobby.

Kinda scary.

But they always warmed up to him……….eventually.

He shoved his hands into his shorts' pockets, completely unbothered, as Peach walked a step ahead of him, her pace controlled, her posture regal, her eyes forward.

She inhaled slowly, trying to center herself, then, without turning, she said flatly, “And before we go any further, I think we should establish a few ground rules.”

Luffy tilted his head in confusion, “Rules?”

Peach raised one elegant gloved hand like she was in a courtroom.

“Rule Number One,” she declared. “You are not to wander off. Not for food. Not for fun. Not for any reason whatsoever.”

She raised a second gloved finger,“Rule Number Two: You will not ask me any questions. Especially stupid ones.”

Luffy scratched his chin, he was definitely curious about that one, “Like… how stupid are we tal—”

“Rule Number Three!” she snapped, voice cutting him off like a whip, “You do not talk to me unless it is absolutely necessary. Do I make myself clear?”

Luffy straightened up quickly and nodded his head, “Mhm!”

She raised a fourth finger.

“And Rule Number Four: You listen to everything I say. Down to the last letter. I lead. You follow.”

Okay now Luffy was definitely a little afraid of her now.

Which she could obviously sense hence why she dropped her hand, glancing back at him with a stern tilt of her head,“Is. That. Clear?”

Luffy blinked.

This was the first time any princess he was with was ever this bossy.

Sure Vivi may have been a little mean when they first met and other princesses he was on adventures with.

He didn’t know what school was like, but he figured Peach was probably worse than most teachers.

If teachers had words that could probably shatter bones.

Like seriously this woman was stricter than Nami, and Nami had literally hit him on more then a few occasions for way less.

Thankfully she hadn’t punched him yet, which is something he definitely did not want to happen, and that was as good as any sign.

So he straightened his back, nodded earnestly, and gave a goofy salute,“Crystal clear!” he said, voice cheerful.

Peach narrowed her eyes at him, just to make sure that there wasn't any insincerity before she turned away quickly.

“Good,” she said coolly. “Glad we have an understanding.”

And just like that, she kept walking forward towards the entrance.

Luffy just stood there staring at her wide eye before once again carelessly shorting his shoulders as he himself moves forward following her.

They soon approached the grand front doors of the castle.

Massive and regal, the doors stood like silent sentinels, each one carved from rich, mahogany wood with inlaid golden filigree that shimmered in the morning light. The deep panels were bordered by embossed trim, their edges framed by ornate brass corner brackets and floral flourishes. Near the top and bottom, perfectly circular insets glinted like small golden shields, and a pair of heavy brass knockers rested at chest height, unused in years but polished to a mirror shine. Golden engravings formed delicate arcs and curling lines across the surface, sophisticated, elegant, and unmistakably royal.

The doors were set within a grand arched threshold, flanked by white marble columns and accented with polished rose-gold trim. The sunlight kissed the gold borders, sending faint reflections dancing across the floor like ripples on a fountain. Flowers bloomed above in ornate stone planters, their scent drifting faintly in the air. Light leaked through the faintest of seams where the two halves of the door met, and from beyond them came the low hum of a crowd, dozens, maybe hundreds of gathered Toad citizens awaiting a glimpse of their princess.

She paused in front of the doors, a feeling of anxiety creeping inside of her.

This was it.

The mission would truly begin the moment she stepped through those doors.

She exhaled slowly, letting her nerves settle.

The pressure was immense, not just as royalty, but as a symbol.

A leader walking into a multiversal crisis with only a pirate at her side.

Quickly, she did an internal scan: posture upright, shoulders set, chin poised in quiet confidence. She gave a subtle flick of her fingers to adjust her tiara, ensuring it caught the light just right. Her gloved hands smoothed the front of her pink gown, tugging the pleats straight and giving the skirt a small shake. A tiny dab to her cheek, a fluff of her collar, and then she drew up her most practiced smile, the one that had faced political councils, foreign monarchs, and terrifying sieges.

This was her armor now.

She was the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom.

And she had to look the part.

Everything on her end was perfect.

Then… her eyes slid to the side.

And landed squarely on him.

Standing a foot behind her, utterly unbothered by the gravity of the moment, was Monkey D. Luffy.

He looked like he had just tumbled out of a tornado and possibly a trash bin.

His iconic red cardigan was slung off one shoulder, twisted and wrinkled, with flecks of syrup, jam, and what may have been scrambled egg clinging to the sleeves. His shorts were slightly askew, one sandal strapped loosely. His straw hat sat lopsided, tilted at a comedic angle as if it had been fighting a war with his unruly black hair, and lost. Said hair stuck up in three uneven spikes, like a hedgehog had tried to style it with a boxing glove. And to top it all off, he was casually picking his teeth with what might have been a cracker shard.

And the smell.

Dear Stars above, he reeked.

He smelled like he had lost a wrestling match with a stack of unwashed dishes, rolled in forest compost, and possibly bathed in whatever had been under the royal banquet table last night.

From several feet away, she could smell him clearly.

Peach’s smile faltered.

“Oh no. No no no. You are not walking out there like this,” she hissed through her teeth.

With the speed and focus of a war general charging the front lines, she marched straight toward him, her heels clicking with authority.

Before Luffy could even react, she seized both of his arms and spun him around.

“Wha—hey!” Luffy blinked, baffled. “What’re you—”

“Hold still,” she snapped, already brushing off his jacket with both gloved hands, swiping at the worst of the breakfast residue,“Just need to make you look more presentable ,” she growled.

She ran her hand down the front of his shirt, knocking off bits of what looked like… burnt toast?

Maybe.

“We’re about to embark on the most important diplomatic mission of our lives,” she said, smacking his chest with the back of her hand for emphasis. “And you look like a halfway-seduced scarecrow.”

Luffy frowned. “I like this look though.”

Peach froze, slowly turning her head to glare at him.

“Just because you like something,” she said tightly, “doesn’t mean you can ignore basic hygiene.”

She yanked the lapels of his shirt straight, snapping the fabric into place. “When we get to the other kingdoms, you are representing the Mushroom Kingdom, even if you’re not from here.” She fussed with his collar, tugging it so it sat flat. “And like it or not, you’re my escort. Which means you can’t look like you just lost a bet with a compost pile.”

Luffy opened his mouth to retort, but she suddenly licked her thumb—“Hey, whoa—wait what are you—!”

She reached up and scrubbed down his hair with ruthless efficiency.

Luffy thrashed, squawking like a cornered chicken,“Hey—HEY! Are you trying to erase my brain!?”

“Hold. Still.” She smoothed the last few rebellious spikes down and then shoved his straw hat forward to cover the pot mess,“ you’re lucky I don’t have hairspra—and There. Just barely passable.”

Luffy stood there, stunned, hands half-raised like he wasn’t sure whether to fight, flee, or sulk. “Do I really have to go this far just to get some other kingdoms to help?”

Peach didn’t even glance at him as she dusted her gloves off. “Yes. Think of it as… playing pretend. Like a butler. Or a polite pirate.”

He frowned deeply. “But I hate pretending. Especially when there’s no fun in it!”

She stepped back and gave her sleeves a final adjustment. Her voice was calm, but firm. “Well if you want to save your friends… and find your way back home… then you’re going to have to work through it.”

Luffy sighed and crossed his arms, puzzled, “How does me looking nice help us do any of that?”

Peach turned to face him fully. For a moment, the royal mask dropped. Her voice softened, but her gaze was sharp.

“It doesn’t. Not directly.” She stepped closer, grasping his arms, not angrily this time, but with a grounded sense of urgency. “Our objective is simple. Get from point A to point B. Point A is here. Point B is the Kong Kingdom.”

Luffy listened, lips pursed.

“We’re attending a council meeting,” she explained, “to convince the other kingdoms to unite against the Troll King’s army. If we fail… then the Mushroom Kingdom falls. And after that, every other world.”

Her voice dipped lower,“You saw what the Koopas did to us. Well that was just a taste of what’s coming if we don’t stop Bular.”

Luffy blinked slowly, her words finally sinking past his carefree wall.

“So,” Peach finished, locking eyes with him, “we stay on mission with no distractions or impulsive detours and we get to the Kongs without delay. Ok? ”

Luffy nodded goofishly, quite literally bobbing his head up and down lick some sort of weird bobble head figure.

Peach gave a tight nod of approval, turned back toward the doors, and composed herself.

She straightened her spine, placed a hand over her heart for a breath, then lifted her chin and stood tall, every inch a queen in all but title.

She glanced to the side.

“Toadsworth,” she said firmly.

The elderly steward, standing just to the right, gave a small bow and snapped his fingers.

At once, the two castle guards stationed at the golden doors saluted, turned, and gripped the massive handles.

The sound of grinding metal and shifting wood echoed through the entryway.

The grand double doors of Peach’s Castle slowly creaked open with a deep, resonant groan that echoed throughout the courtyards. The soft clank of gold-trimmed hinges met the growing roar outside. A warm golden light flooded in from the outside world, momentarily casting long shadows across the marble floors of the throne room.

The grand double doors of Peach’s Castle slowly creaked open with a deep, resonant groan that echoed throughout the courtyards. The soft clank of gold-trimmed hinges met the growing roar outside. A warm golden light flooded in from the outside world, momentarily casting long shadows across the marble floors of the throne room.

Princess Peach stood tall, framed perfectly in the doorway like a royal portrait come to life.

Beside her, noticeably slouched, grinning, and oblivious to the gravity of the moment, was Monkey D. Luffy.

And before them… was a sight so vibrant, so alive, that it made even Luffy’s eyes widen for a moment in genuine awe.

A sea of Toads had gathered, filling every inch of the vast castle courtyard and spilling into the outer gardens. From above, it looked like the ground itself had become a living, breathing rainbow. Mushroom caps in every color, red, blue, yellow, green, and purple, bounced and bobbed as thousands of Toads chanted, cheered, and waved miniature flags stitched with the royal crest.

The entire Mushroom Kingdom had shown up to see them off.

Some Toads were sitting on others’ shoulders, some blew party whistles with reckless abandon, while a few threw pastel confetti that twinkled like stardust in the morning sun. A string quartet of Royal Trumpeters stood on a raised stone pedestal to the left of the castle steps, their brass instruments gleaming. Silken white banners with the symbol of the Mushroom Crown fluttered from their horns, waiting for the moment to play the ceremonial fanfare.

Just below the steps, a formation of Toad guards stood at attention, shoulder plates gleaming, halberds upright, eyes forward. Their discipline provided a stark contrast to the colorful chaos of the crowd behind them.

Peach took a step forward onto the topmost stair, her pink heels clicking softly against the stone. She was a vision of composure, her royal gown pressed and flawless, a pink silk dress fluttering slightly in the breeze. Her golden crown glinted in the sunlight, and her hands were gently clasped in front of her, fingers intertwined with perfect poise. Gave a bright smile but just enough to show her royal elegance.

Her eyes, calm but stormy beneath the surface, scanned the crowd of her people—her citizens. Her family. For a long moment, she said nothing.

Then she turned her head slightly to Luffy without meeting his eyes,“They’re all counting on us,” she said in a low, even voice, her jaw just a bit tight. “So do me a favor and don’t screw this up.”

She took another breath, composing herself, but then paused mid-step. Her heels briefly hesitated against the marble before she leaned back again,“…No pressure or anything.”

Luffy blinked slowly as he scratched the back of his head and tilted it, confused more by why she was so serious than what she said.

The atmosphere was thick with reverence and tension.

A thousand eyes were on them.

Peach exhaled quietly, without trying to reply, she began walking forward, her heels tapping lightly against the stone as she then descended the stairs with grace, every step light and deliberate, her guards immediately flanking her.

The moment her heel touched the plaza’s main stone, the trumpeters finally struck their horns with thunderous harmony, sending a regal melody sailing across the courtyard.

The crowd erupted into cheers so loud it almost drowned out the music.

“Long live the Princess!”

“Good luck, Your Majesty!”

“Bring the Kongs back, Peach!”

“We love you!”

Some Toads waved bright pink signs with cartoonish drawings of Peach, others held up banners with Luffy’s name scrawled in crayon.

The citizens parted like a tide around their ruler, guided gently by the Toad Guards who marched ahead, creating a path leading down the central boulevard, lined with symmetrical trees and flower beds.

Overhead, the sky was a clear, cloudless sapphire.

Luffy followed, but not with dignity.

He strolled while he waved lazily.

He spun in little circles once or twice and then flailed his arms like a noodle just to make a group of toads laugh.

One small Toad scurried up to him and extended a hand.

Luffy grinned wide and gave him the most intense fist bump in Mushroom Kingdom history, knocking the little guy back with comedic force.

Another group of teenage Toads began chanting:

“Luffy! Luffy! Luffy!”

To which he responded by throwing his arms up like a wrestler, flexing with dramatic flair, then tripping over his own sandal and face-planting into the grass, before bouncing up unbothered.

A nearby guard coughed into his hand, trying to hide his laughter.

Another cracked a small smirk.

“That’s him?” one young Toad whispered to another.

“Yeah… the pirate who punched the Chain Chomp into orbit.”

“He doesn’t look like a hero.”

“He doesn’t act like one either.”

Yet despite the confusion, the cheers continued.

Some toads just stared, wide-eyed, unsure what to make of him.

Others laughed at his antics.

A few even clapped rhythmically, starting a wave of chant-crowd energy all around him.

At one point, a Toad vendor tossed Luffy a Toad plush from across the crowd.

Luffy caught it in his mouth with his teeth, grinned, and flipped it into the air with a head toss before catching it again in his palm.

“That guy’s insane.”

“Yeah, but like... in a good way?”

Peach, meanwhile, remained a steady march of royalty.

As she approached the edge of the inner courtyard, she passed over a white marble bridge that crossed a koi-filled pond.

The tranquil water reflected the trees overhead and shimmered in pastel colors from the tossed confetti.

As she reached the far end, the path widened, revealing the last stage of their journey: a giant green warp pipe, at least three times the size of a normal one, glistening with magical energy.

The pipe pulsed faintly with a low hum, the magical aura around it distorting the air like heat off the desert ground. It had been polished to perfection, its surface gleaming under the sunlight.

The warp ring on top sparkled, ready for the jump.

Two Toad Guards were stationed here, lining both sides of the pipe like an honor guard. Their spear axes were planted in the earth, each one flying a small version of the Mushroom Kingdom banner.

Peach stepped onto the final platform before the pipe but did not yet descend. Instead, she turned to face her people.

Luffy strolled up beside her, late and nearly tripped on the last stair. He recovered with a spin, casually stuffing a mini flag someone gave him into his pocket.

He stood next to Peach with a lopsided grin, arms hanging relaxed, glancing at the crowd like a guy trying to decide which food stall to hit first.

Princess Peach paused at the center of the marble stage, the polished stone cool beneath her heels. The soft murmur of the crowd washed over her like a tide, thousands of tiny voices layered together into one living sound. She stood tall in her flowing royal gown, pink silk catching the sunlight as it shifted with the breeze, her gloved hands gently clasped before her.

Behind her, the green warp pipe gleamed like a silent sentinel, its surface catching highlights of emerald and gold. A nearby tree cast dappled shade across the platform, leaves rustling softly, as if the kingdom itself was holding its breath.

Peach inhaled deeply.

Then she raised both arms with elegant precision, palms open, motioning for silence.

It spread instantly.

Like a ripple through water, the courtyard fell quiet.

Princess Peach stepped forward, posture immaculate, chin high, voice clear and steady as it carried across the plaza,“My Toads…” she began, her tone gentle but resolute. “Our days of terror are almost over.”

A wave of reaction swept the crowd, hopeful gasps, relieved murmurs, little hands clutching tiny flags tighter.

“Our plan is simple,” she continued. “We will make our way to the Royal Council Summit, being held in the neighboring kingdom… Kong Island.”

She took another measured step forward, the gold trim of her gown catching the sun like a crown of light,“There, I will work tirelessly to convince the rulers of the other kingdoms to join us in a unified alliance. One strong enough to push back against the terrifying troll forces that threaten not just us, but all realms. If we stand together… we may yet survive this war.”

For a heartbeat, the crowd was silent before suddenl—

A short, red-spotted Toad near the front suddenly shot his hand into the air like a child in class.

“Wait!” he squeaked. “You’re… you’re leaving?!”

Peach blinked, caught just slightly off guard.

Before she could answer, a blue-spotted Toad waddled forward, wringing his hands nervously,“Who’s gonna protect us while you’re gone?!”

The crowd quickly shifted.

Murmurs rose again, fear creeping back in through the cracks.

Peach felt a familiar, weary sigh rise in her chest, though she didn’t let it show.

Of course not everyone had known.

Between the Koopa invasion, the chaos of yesterday, and the looming threat of war, it was inevitable.

She raised her hand once more, calm but commanding.

“Everyone, please remain calm,” she said,“This journey will only take a few days. While I am away, the kingdom will remain under the watchful care of my advisor, Toadsworth and the full strength of the Royal Guard.”

At her side, Toadsworth stepped forward in full ceremonial robes, bowing deeply with practiced dignity. Several guards struck their spears against the marble in unison—CLANG, CLANG—a reassuring sound of order and protection.

That eased some of the tension.

But not all of it unfortunately.

A green-spotted Toad stepped forward hesitantly, eyes wide with worry. “But… Your Highness… is it really wise to travel beyond the kingdom’s walls right now? What if you’re attacked?”

Peach didn’t hesitate to respond to the question.

“I am more than capable of defending myself against any threat we may encounter,” she said firmly.

Then she turned slightly, gesturing with one gloved hand toward the straw-hatted pirate beside her “And I will not be traveling alone. I will be joined by the very champion who helped defeat the Chain Chomp and repel the Koopa invasion only yesterday. His strength and combat skill have already proven invaluable in defending our realm—”

so then stop mid sentence as she had seen the crowd’s expressions… changed.

Thousands of faces all shifted into the same look confused, uncertain, faintly horrified. Toads leaned sideways, craning their necks to get a better view.

Peach followed their gaze to non other than Monkey D. Luffy.

Picking his nose with pinky-deep excavation, eyes unfocused as if he were daydreaming about meat.

The same hand he’d touched half the castle with. He pulled something out, squinted at it with scientific curiosity—

“…Huh—What?” he muttered, finally noticing the silence.

Peach’s eye twitched just once before she closed her eyes.

And then she inhaled……..

And then she exhaled…….

And then summoned every ounce of royal discipline she possessed.

“…and to ensure the continued safety of our kingdom,” she finished smoothly, smile still firmly in place, voice only slightly strained.

The crowd gave a hesitant and quiet cheer, of a few toads, some of them still whispering awkwardly.

Several Toads exchanged looks that clearly said this guy??

A purple-spotted Toad raised their hand, cautious but respectful, “With all due respect, Your Highness… do you truly believe the other kingdoms will help us?”

Peach turned fully toward them, her long golden hair flowing like a banner in the wind. Her voice hardened, not with anger, but with conviction.

“Yes,” she said. “Once they see the destruction these trolls have caused. Once they understand what is truly at stake. Once they realize that if we do not stand united… then none of us will stand at all.”

The purple Toad slowly lowered their hand.

The doubt didn’t vanish completely, but it bent beneath her certainty.

Peach straightened, the crowd watching her with renewed attention.

Beside her, Luffy scratched his head, completely oblivious to the political weight of the moment.

Princess Peach, after answering what she assumed was the final question, she allowed herself to lower her hands, breathing a quiet sigh of relief.

The courtyard remained restless, but the sharp edge of panic had dulled. Toads whispered among themselves in hushed clusters, some clutching their flags tighter, others nodding quietly as if convincing themselves to believe.

She waited a few more seconds until the last bit of chatter finally died down.

Satisfied, Peach turned her head ever so slightly to the right, toward the pirate in sandals who had been doing everything but acting like a diplomatic escort.

She arched a slender brow.

“Anything else you’d like to add to that…” she said coolly, “…Mister Straw Hat?”

Luffy, who had very much resumed his nose-picking expedition, froze mid-dig.

He blinked as he finally started to muster up some words,“Oh—uh.”

He glanced around like someone who’d just been called on in class without realizing he was in one.

So slowly, casually, with absolutely no shame, he wiped his finger on his shorts.

It took him all of three seconds to decide he did, in fact, have something important to say.

So once he knew, he stepped forward with the kind of confidence radiating from a man who had never once questioned his own logic.

“Yeah,” he said brightly. “Just one thing…”

The silence deepened into pure curiosity.

Then, because of course…

He threw both fists into the air like he was about to start a tavern brawl and shouted,“THANKS FOR THE FOOD, MUSHROOM GUYS! AND NOW…” he grinned wider than was probably legal,“...I’M GONNA GO KICK BULAR’S ASS!!!!!”

His declaration echoed across the courtyard.

For a few moments, there was just a collective, horrified stillness.

This was the first time anyone in the Mushroom Kingdom had spoken that name aloud in public

He didn’t whisper it.

He didn’t hint at it.

He didn’t carefully dance around with euphemisms.

He spoke it loud and clear for all the Toad.

Boldly and casually like it was nothing.

The crowd stiffened as several Toads visibly flinched.

One purple-capped Toad crossed himself.

Another dropped his Mushroom Kingdom flag entirely.

The rule was unspoken, but everyone knew it.

You did not say that name.

It was believed to invite bad luck.

The kind of attention you did not want from a monster who had already brought entire kingdoms to ruin.

And here was this boy, this pirate, declaring he’d defeat Bular like he was talking about a bar fight.

Peach’s internal composure exploded.

She could feel it, the spike of dread, the sudden swell of panic threatening to undo everything she’d just stabilized.

This was exactly what she’d been trying to avoid.

Words that carried weight he didn’t even seem to feel.

She had to shut this down NOW.

Her head snapped toward him, eyes sharp, then just as quickly she turned back to the crowd, her expression resetting into flawless royal serenity like a mask snapping into place.

“Oh yes,” she said sweetly, far too sweetly, “thank you, Mr. Straw Hat. I’m sure everyone appreciates your… enthusiasm and your contribution to the mission.”

At the same time, her gloved hand shot back and firmly grabbed him by the collar and hauled him backward with a strength that surprised even him.

“And why don’t we just, yes, put you right here,” she continued, smiling brightly as she physically repositioned him behind her shoulder, “there we go, perfect, thank you so much.”

Luffy stumbled slightly but didn’t resist, blinking as he was parked out of sight like an unruly prop.

Peach held her smile despite her eternally screaming.

With the immediate disaster contained, Peach turned away from the people and stepped toward her royal advisor at the edge of the platform.

Toadsworth, dressed in his finest ceremonial robes, bowed deeply the moment she approached, cane held close, monocle gleaming in the sunlight.

Peach returned the bow, both deep and respectful, and leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper meant only for him,“…Keep them safe, old friend.”

Toadsworth looked up, and for the briefest moment, his composure shattered.

His eyes glistened as he inhaled shakily, placing a gloved hand over his chest.

“My dear Princess,” he said softly, “you’ve grown so strong… so brave. You make this old mushroom so proud.”

Peach blinked hard, not expecting hims to get as emotional as she was.

For a heartbeat, she nearly hugged him.

Instead, she bowed again, in order to keep this as grateful for a departure as possible.

Toadsworth bowed as well, though his carried far more emotion than decorum.

Then…

Like a switch flipping…

His expression hardened as the sentiment vanished.

He turned sharply toward the straw-hatted pirate menace behind her,“And you,” he snapped.

Luffy, currently balancing on one foot for absolutely no reason, looked over.

Toadsworth pointed his can at him and jabbed him with it, voice ringing with authority, “You are hereby charged with the protection of Her Majesty, Princess Peach. You will ensure no harm comes to her, under any circumstances. Do I make myself clear?”

Luffy blinked blankly at him before his usual iconic smile quickly replaced that blank expression,

He then tipped his hat as he re “Don’t worry, old mushroom. I got it.”

Toadsworth squinted, deeply unconvinced.

“…I suppose,” he sighed, rubbing his temple, “it will have to do.”

With that interaction out of the way, Peach turned.

She stepped toward the green warp pipe at the edge of the courtyard, its metallic rim shimmering softly, its low magical hum vibrating through the stone beneath her feet.

She paused before looking back once more, at her people, at her advisor, at the towering castle behind them.

Then, without hesitation..

She jumped inside the green pipe.

WOOOoooOOOOMP

The pipe chimed as Princess Peach vanished in a swirl of colorful sparkly light.

Luffy watched her go, then turned to the crowd, and waved with both hands,“Seeya later, mushroom dudes!”

He then laughed his goofy ass off,“YAHAHAHA!!”, as he then he bent his knees, launched himself into the air with a wild somersault…

And cannonballed straight into the pipe.

Womp–Womp–Womp—WOOMPH!

Just like that…

The courtyard stood silent as the duo were now gone.

Straight into the green warp pipe they went to defeat that monster.

Toadsworth slowly pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed his brow,“…Stars help us all.”

(End of chapter)

Hey everyone

I just wanted to come by here and let everyone here know that this chapter is dedicated to my late great-grandmother

Who earlier today passed away.

She was 94 years old and lived quite the life.

And she was quite the stubborn woman

She never had a single regret in her life

And she was quite the feisty woman I'll tell you

And one thing she always made sure to tell me and advised me is to always finish what I start no matter what

and I knew from the bottom of my heart that she meant that to apply to All Things even my stories.

Which though I know she definitely wouldn't understand the love of this fandom that I have I know that she would want me to continue my passion as long as it made me happy.

Which it does

So in the loving memory of Muddy Bulluck

Chapter 22 will always remain to be a reminder to me to never give up on my dreams and goals and to fight with all my power to make sure stories like this become a reality for all of us fanfiction lovers out there in the world.

And that is something I will hold dear to the rest of my life

So rest well grandmother knowing that your grandson will continue fighting to achieve all of his dreams

Till the day I can finally get the chance to rejoin you

So now with that out of the way

WE BACK BABY!!!!!!!!!!

And better than ever I might add

Because Now we are finally finished the first part of the dark land Arc

I know it was quite the long wait we're finally getting back to Luffy's story for the time being and where he's now currently at in this journey

I know the chapter took way too long to get out and believe me I would have gotten it out sooner

But I knew for a fact this was mainly going to be a filler chapter just to help transition into the new ark.

And I needed to make sure all the dialogue and character moments match with the characters which took quite some time.

Along with getting into college trying to pursue a directing careers so I can bring these ideas to the big screen.

My life has taken a lot of twists and turns these past few months and I don't regret a single one of them.

Let's just say fanfiction takes a lot longer than I originally thought when making it.

especially when it came to redoing the entire first chapter

which also took quite a while let me tell you.

I knew for a while that I needed to get on that and introduce the story in the proper way not just a rushed mess like the first one originally was.

and in my opinion I think it turned out pretty good.

and now whether or not I plan on redoing some other chapters.

well actually I do

Chapters two and three will the same treatment as chapter 1 giving a proper introduction to the story.

which may take some time so be prepared for the wait.

while we're in here now I also want to reveal upcoming project that's going to be posted alongside one piece the movie

as you already know I've introduced this story in the past

unfortunately I lack the mindset to realize that I should have properly introduced these stories in order

so without further ado

on the next update of One Piece the movie chapters 2 & 23

I introduced:

Iron Man: rise of the Mandarin

In this reimagining of the already popular characters Iron Man, meet a 25-year-old Genius billionaire playboy Philanthropist Tony Stark, aka The Invincible Iron Man, who inherits his dead father's company, creating some of the most advanced technology the world has ever seen.

In this story our reimagining of the Iron Man will be fighting alongside none other than the popular Disney character Queen / princess Elena of avalor.

Based off of both her TV show and a combination of the continuity of all the Iron Man Stories We step right into this reimagined story of both the characters as they share not only a beautiful childhood friendship but a blossoming Romance in a modern-day setting.

But don't worry I know some of you here expect Iron Man to do more than just being shipped with a princess.

That's why this story is also set to be action-packed Adventure as the duo and their friends team up to stop none other than the evil Mandarin, a very known arch nemesis of the Iron Man in both the TV shows and the comics.

And because I'm such a fair guy I will give you all a little teaser plot synopsis on the story

But be cautious because what you see here now is not the finalized version of the story so anything could change.

Red at your own risk my friends:

After 5 years of running the company and 3 years of not seeing her, Tony returns to a famous Kingdom and homeland of one of his only true closest friends since childhood, and old crush, Queen Elena Castillo Florez, ruler of Avalor, In order to promote the newly built and highly advanced starkland that would be opening in an Ancient area in China. Little did he know this production would cause the awakening of The Mandarin , an ancient warlord and sorcerer, after centuries of imprisonment from his tomb, who is seeking to reclaim his ten mystical rings, which grant him god-like power. To retrieve them, he summons four Elemental Demon Guardians-Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind-who will spread destruction across the world.Realizing the catastrophic threat, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Queen Elena Castillo Florez, and their allies embark on a global race against time to locate the rings before the Mandarin does. Along the way, they face the four Guardians, forcing Tony to upgrade his technology, Elena to harness her leadership and magic, and their team to push beyond their limits.

Will not only be a project that will be coming out alongside the one piece the movie fanfiction but it will be the start of an entirely new set amount of universe.

guess Iron Man can always be the one to start out with a bang huh.

not only will this be the start of a new universe but it will be the start of a full movie connected franchise.

you heard it here folks three other fanfiction stories which I've already revealed on all of my social platforms will be coming out right after Iron Man rise of the Mandarin

if you can guess which stories they will be and what order they will come out in.

well you won't actually get anything but you'll be really cool if you do

I enjoy watching all of you try and figure it out.

and now obviously we must talk about the elephant in the room

THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't found any sort of words that can describe how excited I am for this upcoming project especially as a fan of both the games.

hopefully there's romance between Mario and Peach otherwise I'm going to flip out in that theater though let's all cross our fingers and hope that Nintendo doesn't let us down on this one.

now of course this all comes with questions

will one piece the movie be getting a sequel based off the one piece characters in the Mario Galaxy movie.

well if I'm going to be honest that has yet to be decided.

I have people who are working on me with this one piece the movie Project, who help give me ideas and make sure I keep the continuity together who we discuss how the stories events are going to go.

as of right now I do not plan on adapting it until I finish one piece the movie completely which hopefully I don't take too long to do

if however I decide to make that sequel it'll probably be in a phase 2 project which will help kick off phase two.

Just to be clear though one piece the movie is an introduction to my skill as a fanfiction artist it is not a part of the Cinematic Universe that I am building.

And so with that there goes all the updates I can tell you guys about for the time being.

obviously now I have to deal with some personal matters so production for the next chapter will be a little while

That does not mean this story is going to be halted or stopped in any way.

but I'm taking some personal time off to be with family at this time

Production for the next chapter will begin in late January at the earliest

That same applies to the chapter one of the Iron Man story

keep up with my other channels, such as the following:

YouTube: God of creativity Studios

https://www.youtube.com/@GodofCreativityStudios.218/featured

YouTube:It's ya boy Zahki

https://youtube.com/@itsyaboyzahki37?si=NdtMGIzEn-jRRi9W

Instagram: god.ofcreativity

https://www.instagram.com/god.ofcreativity/?hl=en

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Thank all of you for all of your love and support these last 3 years they have meant the world to me

oh and before I forget for all of you people who keep messaging me offering to do comic stories

if you want to go ahead and pursue that you can as of right now I do not have the funding to do so and I want to let this story gain more chapters before I think about giving it some visuals

so please stop with the messaging

till next time

Keep an eye out

[godofcreatitivity]

One Piece The Movie

(the following is a nonprofit fan based parody any characters from one piece is owned by Eiichiro Oda, Toei Animation Co., Ltd., any characters from super Mario are owned by Nintendo, any characters from troll hunters, are owned by DreamWorks and universal

Disclaimer

Some of the characters found in this story and / or universe do not belong to me, but are intellectual property of their respective owners. Any original characters in this story are my intellectual property.

Story nonprofit created fan and fan without compromising the original work.)

Chapter 22: Departure

(The Mushroom Kingdom: Peach’s Castle)

The golden light of morning poured through the tall stained-glass window, casting rainbow patterns across the polished pink stone floor of the guest chamber. Outside, birds chirped in gentle rhythm, and the Mushroom Kingdom buzzed with the soft sounds of a kingdom awakening.

Inside, however, the only sound was the loud, rhythmic snoring of one Monkey D. Luffy.

He was wrapped in thick, cloud-like blankets that had somehow cocooned around him in the night. One leg hung off the bed, his hat asked, and a snot bubble had formed from his nose, inflating and deflating with each breath.

The bed beneath him was absurdly soft so soft it made him briefly dream of sleeping on cotton candy clouds or Chopper’s puffball form during a prank gone wrong.

He was sleeping quite peacefully that was until the snot bubble suddenly popped causing him to jolt awake.

POP!

The snot bubble burst, and Luffy shot upright with a snort, his eyes blinking wildly,“Huh—what?!”

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, stretched his arms out wide with a huge yawn that echoed around the elegant chamber As his mouth stretched wide, and then scratched his back with both hands like a bear on a tree trunk.

It took him a solid ten seconds before his eyes landed on the surroundings, —the regal pink walls, the tall crystal vases, the golden-framed mirror, and the silk curtains lazily swaying in the breeze,“This ain’t the Sunny…”,Once he was done he retracted his arms and began scratching his back.

It took him a moment until it all slowly came back to him and he remembered the situation he was in.

Zoro.

Vanellope.

The warp pipe.

His face dropped slightly,“Right…”,For a moment just a moment the usual Luffy joy flickered, buried under something a little more focused and quieter.

But just as quickly as he remembered the situation, he just as quickly as he had forgotten about it because after a moment of struggling to escape the blanket’s clutches, he sprang to his feet, threw on his straw hat.

He swung his legs off the side of the bed and scanned the bedroom he was given in the Princess’s castle.

And it was, without a doubt, one of the coziest, weirdest, and most colorful rooms he’d ever crashed in.

He then got up off of the bed and walked towards the center of the room, jaw slack, eyes sweeping from one corner to the next with a rare moment of stillness.

The room was hugely spacious, like way bigger than his cabin on the Sunny. High ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and golden trim lined the walls. Velvet drapes, mushroom-themed furniture, and a plush red carpet led toward the double doors at the far end. It smelled faintly of strawberries and fresh bread. The walls were high and arched, coated in soft pastel tones that shimmered with faint enchantment. They were a soft pastel pink with mushroom patterns subtly etched into the trim, like the designers couldn’t decide between “fairytale royal” and “kindergarten whimsy.” The ceiling arched high above in a dome shape, painted like a soft blue sky with fluffy white clouds, making it feel like he was sleeping outside on a clear day. A chandelier shaped like a giant Star with pearl black eyes hung from the center, glittering with soft golden light that flickers like sunlight on waves. Golden trim bordered everything, from the chandelier above to the dresser drawers across the room. Sunlight poured through a massive stained-glass window depicting Princess Peach holding a star-shaped wand, casting kaleidoscopic colors across the floor.

The floor itself?

Marble and mostly Sparkling like someone waxed it with sugar.The banners hanging along the wall had the Mushroom Kingdom’s crest, another yellow star nestled inside a red-crowned mushroom and gently fluttered, even though there was no breeze. There was this constant smell in the air too.

And the bed was huge,a circular mattress big enough for three or five Luffys to sleep starfish-style across without bumping elbows. A massive, circular mattress with pink sheets, puffy pillows stacked like a cloud tower, and a royal canopy draped above it all in flowing golden fabric. The frame was trimmed with gold and little mushroom carvings, and the plush bedding was a vibrant mix of reds, creams, and soft whites. It was all absurdly soft and smelled faintly like strawberries.

Near the foot of the bed was a thick red carpet shaped like a Fiery like Flower, also with eyes, and off to the left, a small round table sat next to a wide window, which opened to a balcony overlooking the Mushroom Kingdom courtyard. The stained-glass windows above it featured depictions of princess Peach in an angelic pose.

Luffy hadn’t paid much attention, but Zoro would’ve definitely made fun of the overly dramatic art.

In the corner sat a mushroom-shaped wardrobe, which looked like it might come alive and talk any second. It had tiny gold handles and squeaky doors that creaked like they were trying to hold in a sneeze every time you opened them.

A little shelf near the bed held an assortment of oddities: a vase of Fiery Flowers, a bomb shaped alarm clock (thankfully It didn't look like it was active), and a framed photo of what looks like a royal picnic With all these little mushroom guys.

Luffy had spent a few nights in tons of different Castles over the years of him being a pirate but this one was definitely the most different of them all.

As he was still checking out the layout of the room, he walked across the pink-marble floor and opened the balcony doors wide. A burst of warm wind hit him in the face as he took in the Mushroom Kingdom in full daylight for the first time. Down below, colorful toads bustled through streets shaped like a candyland daydream, different toads walked by each other hauling mailbags, and faint music played from somewhere that smelled suspiciously like mushrooms, go figure.

As Luffy stood on the balcony, he peered down at the Mushroom Kingdom below.

The kingdom was slowly returning to its usual vibrant self.

Toads bustled about, repairing stalls, sweeping up debris, and chatting animatedly.

The signs of the recent chaos caused by those weird turtle soldiers and that monstrous, chomping ball of teeth were still evident.

The fight with those little turtle guys yesterday really did a number on the city, especially that giant ball with a mouth and a chain.

Though these little mushroom guys did a good job of showing that it didn't bother them much because here they were again going about the regular lives repairing their Kingdom almost as if it was all just some crazy party.

Luffy watched as the Toads worked together, their resilience and spirit shining through.

The streets were lined with colorful market stalls being put back together, and the cheerful, determined chatter of the mushroom folk floated up to him.

A small grin tugged at Luffy’s lips.

He admired their tenacity, it reminded him of his own crew and all the people they’d helped over the years.

Though the circumstances of this situation were definitely a lot different than they usually are.

This time well at least from what he was able to gather he was in a whole nother world without the rest of his crew it was only him and well wherever Zoro was.

Sure they've been in bed situations before plenty of times especially when they've all gotten separated but now this time they weren't really going to have any of the well more intelligent members of the crew here with them they were kind of on their own.

He already tried using his transponder snail last night to see if we could try to contact the others.

Though that didn't exactly go well because all he got on the other and was static with no response on the other end.

So not even long distance communication could help him find out where his buddy was.

Well one thing was for sure despite the difference in the situation they could always rely on the old fashioned way.

Which was by long-distance traveling to look for his buddy until he found a hint of him.

And thankfully he would have someone to help him with that.

The princess.

She had been super nice to him after the fight with those turtle guys yesterday.

Even after she threw him at a wall and a few guards knocked out by accident when he Broke into the castle to go and see her, she still helped him fight them, offered him a room, let him have some fun in an outdoor floating training course, and promised to do everything she could to help him find his friends.

Oh.

There it was again, thinking about his old friend from back in the day brought up a reminder of not only his current situation but mostly now about his missing friends as well.

As he continued staring out into the mushroom kingdom's toad town one thought was the only thing that seemed to be clouding his head at that moment. “Where’d you guys end up?”

He remembered Zoro yelling at him to grab the rail.

Vanellope had tried to glitch over but lost momentum.

The whole world had twisted into a swirl of fire and smoke and sound.

Luffy stared blankly for a moment, the distant memory of his crewmates’ fates still replaying in his head.

(Flashback:

It all happened so quickly, the speed that they were going at and the sudden force of the split pipes caused Luffy to accidentally let go of the ship’s rail. But instead of going into the same direction as his two friends, he was sent through another.

Luffy looked on in horror as he soon realized that he was going down another pipe and being separated from his friends. He threw and stretched out his hand in a hurry to try and grab hold of the ship, but alas it was too late.

He was already too far down to be able to reach them in time “ZORO, VANELLOPE”!!!!!!!, he cried out to his friends as they went further into the pipes.

Zoro and Vanellope were in too much shock and were moving too fast to be able to respond.

Luffy watched as they both sucked into a much less friendly looking pipe.

The clouds around it were foggy and filled with lava, the pipe at South looked as if it was made from stones that came from magma.

He could do nothing as he saw both of his friends enter into the terrifying pipe. He tries his best to reach out to them, but to no avail.

They were gone and he couldn’t do anything about it. But he didn’t have time to be sorry, because suddenly he turned to his front, and saw that he himself was about to enter another pipe.

He looked around to see if he could find anything to grab, but there was nothing

What are you got right in front of the pipe he grabbed onto one of the sides of it trying to hold on it’s tight as possible.

But the force of the pipe was so strong that he let go quickly and was sucked into this new pipe.

He didn’t know where he was going on the other side of that pipe, and he sure as hell didn’t know what was waiting for him on the other side.

End of flashback:)

Luffy then blinked, snapping himself out of his thoughts.

Though he mind still lingered on that devastating site

The sight of his friends being sucked into that fiery pipe as they were split apart away from each other.

Zoro, Vanellope, the Thousand Sunny, all of them are gone.

Sucked through that green lava pipe into who knows where.

Then the blinding light.

Then the silence.

Then……nothing.

Just this place.

This colorful, weirdly friendly kingdom of mushroom people…this colorful, fungus looking, sunshine-soaked world that looked like it belonged in one of Usopp’s bedtime stories.

He exhaled slowly, eyes drifting to the soft morning sun filtering through the stained glass,“…Hope you guys didn’t land somewhere worse,” he mumbled, before standing up and cracking his back like it was just another day on the sea, “And you guys better be okay because we still gotta finish our vacation, damn it.”

All he could do was hope that his three friends were somewhere safe and weren't hurt.

But before he did that……..

he should probably get something to eat.

He momentarily took his mind off of all of the tragedy to finally take a real look around the room he’d been given.

Up until now, he’d been moving on pure instinct, going through that green pipe, crash-landing into a giant mushroom, making his way through the Mushroom Kingdom, And fighting a bunch of evil Turtles.

But now, with no battles to distract him, no immediate danger to punch, and his stomach only mildly grumbling instead of full-on roaring

Then—

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAUUUUULLL.

There it goes…..

His stomach let out a monstrous roar that echoed across the room like a war cry.

Luffy blinked, then placed a hand over his belly,“Oop. Better get me some food.”

Another second of silence.

Looks like you need to start fueling up if he was going to get this adventure on the road.

He had to make sure he got his fair share of meat in order to be ready to kick this Bular guy's ass.

But, first things first………….FOOD!

Then he grinned ear to ear again, As he turned away from the balcony and went back into the room, closed the doors and stomped toward the grand double doors like he was about to crash a royal wedding.

But before he could go and grab for the handles, there was a knock at the door.

“Master Straw Hat,” came Toadsworth’s muffled voice. “Breakfast is ready, if you’re awake.”

Luffy’s stomach answered before he loudly screamed,“FOOOOOD!!!”

He shot out of the room in a literal blink of an eye like a cannonball, arms swinging, bare feet slapping loudly against the marble as he tore down the hallway with all the subtlety of an earthquake.

His straw hat bounced slightly with each stride, and his eyes sparkled with anticipation like a kid on the last day of a candy sale. Leaving a trail of Fire right after him, and face planted straight into a mushroom-painted wall with a thud.

The impact made him flatten completely on his front side like a piece of clay.

Well actually in this case rubber…….

It scared the dickens right out of Toadsworth who had luckily moved out of the way in time before being hit by any of the doors as he then planted his back to the wall next to the door..

“Oh good heavens!”,he exclaimed, clutching his chest and in complete shock as the door that was about to impact him had just stopped coming at him almost centimeters to his face, his mustache and particular.

It took him a long time to grow that seriously especially because he wasn't even sure that toads could grow mustaches.

Not only that but Luffy also ended up startling two nearby Toad guards who jumped about a foot in the air.

After Toadsworth had done a quick sweep of himself to make sure he wasn't injured he then fixed himself up, tidying up his mustache, his bow tie, his vest and the rest of his outfit before carefully using his cane to push the door back into place.

He then turned and saw where Master Straw Hat had ended up.

Right in the wall as he had heard the loud THUD from earlier.

He watched as Luffy then slowly slid down to the floor almost like a sort of slug leaving drool marks on the wall.

That was going to be fun for all the cleaners of the castle to clean up.

He then slowly made his way towards the straw hatred individual almost to check and see if he even still had a pulse.

And just when he was about to poke the young glad with his Cane suddenly heard something from the pirate.

“…I’m okay!” he loudly muffled, thumb raised from the floor.

Oh well that checks.

Luffy then hopped up off the floor and has to be expected his entire front half was completely flattened.

So he placed his hand over his nose and mouth and reinflated himself like a balloon at a Carnival.

Wow and Toadsworth thought he had seen everything this world had to offer.

Once Luffy had finished reinflating himself he quickly scanned the area until his eyes darted right at the old mushroom himself.

He grinned wide, still a little dizzy from the impact but already full of that unshakable Luffy energy. “Oi, old mushroom dude! Did you say breakfast?!”

Toadsworth blinked, dusting a speck off his vest. “Er… yes, Master Straw Hat. The royal kitchen has prepared a rather modest selection this morning. Fresh pastries, mushroom stew, pancakes, eggs, waffles, and, er… , per Her Highness’s instructions.”

That was all Luffy needed to hear.

“FOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!” he bellowed, his voice echoing down the long, ornate hallway like a war horn.

Before Toadsworth could react, Luffy zoomed past him again in a blur of bare feet and rubber limbs, knocking the poor butlers out from under him in the process and causing the nearby guards to dive out of the way.

Toadsworth spun slightly in place from the gust of air Luffy left behind. “Good heavens… I've never seen anyone so excited about refreshments.”

And with that he then chased after him which wasn't exactly easy since he wasn't the age but he used to be, especially since he didn't really have legs so made it quite challenging.

As Luffy darted down the hallway, weaving past startled servants and tripping over a stack of porcelain plates carried by a terrified Toad chef.

Causing him the land face first into the floor.

Though once again there was a moment of silence before he then hopped up, reinflated his face and went about his journey to the food court wherever it was.

The chefs just stood there in place completely silent, he was too startled about what had just happened to speak

The palace halls had known all kinds of chaos, but none of it, none of it, could’ve prepared them for Monkey D. Luffy tearing through the castle like a meat-seeking missile.

“FOOOOOOOOOOD!!!”His voice shook chandeliers and made paintings tilt on their hooks. One poor Toad servant dropped an entire tray of teacups just from the sheer volume of the shout.

Toadsworth wheezed behind him, one hand holding his hat and the other gripping his cane with mortal desperation. “S-Slow down, Master Straw Hat! The dining hall is this way! No, that—oh heavens, now he’s on the ceiling!”

Indeed, Luffy had ricocheted off a bannister, launched himself off the wall, bounced onto a passing trolley of newly carved royal statues, and was now sprinting along the ceiling like gravity was a suggestion.

Meanwhile, a terrified line of Toad servants spotted the young pirate coming right their way in a dangerously fast fashion.

“He’s coming back this way!”

“Brace for impact!”

“Why is he foaming at the mouth!”

One poor Toad chef, carrying a delicate tower of fruit tarts, turned a corner just in time to see the Straw Hat bullet barreling his way,“Oh My Go—!”

CRASH.

The cart exploded into a sugary burst of cherries, cream, and horror as Luffy bounced off it like a trampoline, his momentum only increasing.

Toadsworth finally caught up just in time to see Luffy flatten like a Looney Tune into the floor again. He lay there, motionless, face embedded in the marble, a single cherry perched delicately on top of his hat.

The hallway went dead silent.

Toadsworth, panting like he’d just outrun a herd of angry Yoshis, leaned on his cane and stared at the human-shaped imprint in the floor,“Oh dear heavens above, he’s broken the—”

Luffy suddenly popped up with a massive SPROING, face reinflating like a balloon animal and voice chipper as ever.

“Still good!”, He then looked around checking out his surroundings before frowning, “Where’s the food court again?!”

Toadsworth, blinking slowly as he finally started to catch up to him, took a moment to straighten his vest and pat down his mustache, which was now comically frazzled.

“…Right this way, Master Straw Hat,” he said with the patience of a war-weary general, “If you’ll kindly follow me at a slightly more survivable pace?”

“Oh it looks like it's over there !” Luffy pumped his fist and then took off at that same breakneck speed.

“OH FOR GOODNESS SAKES!” Toadsworth shrieked, stomping his tiny foot once before he started waddling after him again. “I am far too old for this…!”

Behind them, the hallway was a disaster zone, flattened carts, broken statues, frightened toads clinging to the walls like cats in a thunderstorm.

As they vanished around the corner, a pair of Toad guards just watched in stunned silence.

“Should… should we do something?”

The other guard shook his head, eyes wide. “Nope. I like my job. I like my life. I like my spine unbroken.”

And somewhere in the chaos, Luffy’s laughter rang out like a battle cry of pure joy,“BREAKFASTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!”

He continued his wild, hyper-charged rampage through the castle halls, his sandaled feet slapping against the polished floors with cartoonish speed. Curtains flapped in his wake. Chandeliers trembled on their chains. A passing Toad butler yelped and dove into a potted plant to avoid getting flattened.

Then, suddenly, he skidded to a stop, nearly spinning a full 360 degrees, when he spotted a couple of Mushroom Kingdom staff members huddled near a tapestry.

“Oi! Mushroom dudes!” he bellowed, arms thrown wide, voice echoing through the castle halls as he then ran towards them. “You guys know where I can find the food in this place?! I’m starving!”

The Toads stared at him like he was a living hurricane. One of them, wearing a red vest and little glasses, fumbled with a clipboard. “Uh—uh—yes, sir, Mr. Straw Hat, sir! If you follow us we can escort you to the royal dining room, or lunch—wait, what time is it? Uh—Chef Toadsamsey is preparing the kitchen now—”

“I WANNA SEE IT!” Luffy shouted loudly to his face, completely interrupting him, as he grabbed the poor Toad by the shoulders, nose twitching wildly. “TAKE ME TO FOOD!”

The Toad squeaked, Before passing out, the poor little guy's face turning almost completely white and shock

The young pirate simply stares at him blankly before shrugging his shoulders carefully placing him on the floor and continuing his search for the dining hall.

He used his nose which was what he could consider one of his greatest tools as a means of looking for this said food and he knew he was getting closer based on the smell of freshly made pancakes.

Luffy grinned, bouncing behind them like a kid who just got told there was a candy buffet waiting.

Without needing to be told twice, Luffy dropped the poor Toad, who wobbled unsteadily before scurrying ahead like his life depended on it. Luffy practically bounced along behind him like an overexcited rubber ball, arms swinging, feet barely touching the floor.

Luffy skidded around a corner, arms flailing for balance as he slipped a bit on the polished floor. “Woooah—! Whoa-ho-ho! Slippery!” he laughed, recovering just before he collided with a very startled Toad maid carrying a stack of folded towels.

“Oh! M-Master Straw Hat!” he gasped, nearly dropping the towels.

“WAAHH—FOOD!” Luffy shouted, zeroing in on the tray like a hawk. His nose twitched, catching the unmistakable scent of butter and syrup. “Hey, do you know where I can find some food?!”

“U-Um, well, no—Wait yes I do if you head down this hall and take a left I mean no right then you'll make it to ther—!”

As soon as the words left the Toad's mouth Luffy immediately bolted in the direction that he had suggested.

Leaving the toad maid completely speechless after this extremely strange interaction.

The maid stood frozen, mouth agape, unsure whether to scream or bow.

Luffy ran down the hall with lightning speed almost causing things to be knocked over and broken if not for Toadsworth who was luckily there in time with a few other toes to catch all of the vases, paintings and artwork pieces that were almost shattered on the floor..

“Sorry!” he said between huffs, waving at them as he kept moving. “I’ll get my own breakfast, don’t worry! Thanks, Mushroomheads!”

He turned the next corner and continued tearing through the castle like a storm made of rubber and hunger Following the exact instructions that the tow made had given him. His stomach let out another loud growl, reminding him what this mission was all about.

“Man, this place is huge,” he muttered, slowing for a moment to peer down a side hall. “Hope I don’t get lost before breakfast…”

He paused in front of a massive set of double doors carved with mushroom insignias and lined with shimmering gold leaf. From behind them came the unmistakable scent of sizzling eggs, toast, and something fruity. He sniffed the air like a bloodhound. “Bingo.”

He shoved the doors open with both hands, revealing a bright light on the end of it that temporarily blinded him until his eyes finally adjusted only to be greeted by a mostly empty dining hall… mostly.

The royal dining hall of Peach’s Castle was nothing short of breathtaking. Though the outside of the castle gave off a whimsical, pastel fairytale charm, the interior of the breakfast hall held a warm regality that blended elegance with the Mushroom Kingdom’s quirky flair.

The room itself was massive, shaped like a rotunda, with high vaulted ceilings painted to resemble a morning sky soft blues brushed with streaks of peach-pink clouds, as if the dawn itself had been frozen in time overhead. Sunlight beamed through wide arched windows adorned with golden trim and little flower boxes that bloomed with fire flowers and smiling sunflowers, swaying gently despite the still air.

The long breakfast table, a polished oaken marvel with curved legs carved into toadstool patterns stretched nearly from one end of the room to the other, but was decorated with such abundance it looked like a banquet was about to begin. Plates of stacked pancakes drizzled in syrup, colorful fruit arrangements cut into star shapes, bowls of hot porridge with cinnamon steam curling from them, and platters of fluffy scrambled eggs and mushroom omelets (he politely ignored those) were arranged with cartoonish perfection. At the center was a gigantic silver dome tray, currently covered, but if the smell wafting from it was any clue, it was likely filled with a dessert of some kind, something Luffy's nose would surely zero in on immediately.

Chairs of all sizes were placed along the table, clearly designed to accommodate guests from various kingdoms; some were tall and sleek for humanoid guests like Peach, while others were small, rounded, and cushioned, with gaps for stubby mushroom feet. The high-backed seat at the head of the table bore Peach’s royal crest, an engraved golden crown with a soft pink heart beneath it.

The walls were decorated with hanging tapestries depicting scenes of the Mushroom Kingdom’s victories and celebrations: Princess Peach holding a golden star above his head, Toads waving flags, and Peach standing at the balcony of her castle with a soft smile. Crystal chandeliers hung overhead, but instead of candles or electric lights, they sparkled with glowing power stars that floated lazily within the crystal cages, giving off a soft, magical light that shimmered like sunlight on water.

In the corner of the hall, a quartet of Toads in polished white uniforms played soft classical music on whimsical instruments one played a cello carved from a warp pipe, another strummed a lyre that looked suspiciously like a stretched-out Koopa shell. It was a sound of gentle cheer, nothing too loud, perfect for easing into the day.

The air was rich with the aroma of warm maple, buttered toast, sweet fruits, roasted meats, and something… strange but tempting, maybe those new "1-Up muffins" the Toad chefs were always trying out.

And at the far end, standing beside The main chair, was a toad chef, adjusting his chef's hat and nodding approvingly as breakfast was set. He About his head in motion for Luffy to have a seat.”Ah you must be Master straw hat please have a seat breakfast is served”, he said politely..

“WOOOOOOAH!” Luffy’s jaw, practically unhinged, “I GET ALL THIS?!” He charged the table like it was a battlefield and he was leading the cavalry.

The chef nods his head as he once again motions for the young straw hat to take a seat and enjoy the meal.

Oh he didn't have to tell Luffy a third time.

He didn’t even use a chair.

He just dove straight into the nearest platter of sunny side up eggs, stuffing four into his mouth at once, eyes closed in pure, blissful ecstasy, “MMMMMMM!”

He chewed, swallowed, grabbed a waffle, folded it like a taco, and crammed that down next.

Toads peered from behind the kitchen doors, watching in horror and awe as the Straw Hat pirate devoured enough food for ten people in under two minutes.

Toadsworth, who had finally been able to catch up to the young straw hat as he burst into the room, dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief as he started catching his breath from all the running. “Good heavens…”

Luffy sat cross-legged on the table, his cheeks bulging like a squirrel. “Sho gooood,” he mumbled. “This place is amazin’!”

After a few more minutes of pure chaos and grease, he finally leaned back, arms still holding a pancake and a waffle covered in syrup , a blissful expression on his face, “Maaaaan. This is hittin the spot.”

Toadsworth adjusted his monocle as he finally caught up to the Straw Hat boy, wheezing just a little and placing a hand on his rounded mushroom cap as he tried to catch his breath.

“Gracious me,” he muttered under his breath. “How does one human move like that before breakfast?”

Toadsworth frowned, straightening his jacket and clutching his cane just a little tighter.

He had been the Princess’s loyal steward for decades.

He’d seen war, diplomacy, parades, and invasions.

He had endured Koopas, Kremlings, and cosmic horrors.

But this?

Watching a young man-child who had just the night before sprinted across the ceiling using only his feet and enthusiasm?

This was new.

And in all honesty…..he just couldn’t understand what in the Star Spirits’ name the Princess saw in this boy.

Yes, he seemed kind.

Yes, he had helped during that brief Koopa ambush at the outskirts of the kingdom.

Yes, the Toad soldiers said he “moved like a blur” and “punched through an entire troop carrier like it was a bubble.”

But still……

Toadsworth just didn’t know what to make of him.

This Monkey D. Luffy fellow was less of a hero and more of a… culinary hurricane. A walking appetite powered by rubber and recklessness.

And yet, as the boy polished off the last of the syrup with his fingers (at least on one of his many plates) and let out a satisfied “Ahhh!”, smiling as if the world was exactly the way it should be,Toadsworth realized something he hadn’t expected would take this long for him to realize

He didn’t understand him, not one bit.

Toadsworth watched Luffy as he somehow managed to Scarf down a whole plate full of Pancakes that were topped with another plate full of sunny side up eggs making a giant therapy yellow yolk mess, which he used his extremely large mouth and tongue to lick up clean as he then shoved his entire hand in his mouth licking that clean as well. “IT’S DELICIOUS!”

The old steward blinked. “Y-You barely even chewed any of it you just shoved it down your air hole…”

“YUP AND IT WAS DELICIOUS!” Luffy shouted, already digging into another mountain of food before him.

Toadsworth sighed, rubbing his temples.

This was the boy who was supposed to protect the Princess?

Princess Peach had made it very clear, this trip to Kong Island was important.

Bular’s war machine was growing, and the kingdoms were running out of time.

But now they were bringing along a man whose biggest concern seemed to be how many sausages he could fit in his mouth at once?

Toadsworth muttered under his breath, “He’s a clear case of mental disability mixed with a bottomless stomach in a straw hat, not a bodyguard…”

He didn't show a single sign of even understanding the severity of the situation or just how much danger they all were in.

Maybe there was a tiny percentage more to him than the sloppy eating and wild shouting.

Maybe, just maybe, Princess Peach saw something Toadsworth couldn’t.

Still, as he watched Luffy somehow swallow an entire roast ham bone and all, he couldn’t help but seriously have doubts about that.

There was no way he could just allow this boy to go on this important Mission with the princess without giving him a serious talking to.

Toadsworth is going to have to try his best to keep up that conversation with the young man, though it was proving to be a challenge… a very messy one.

Especially when he was seated at the royal breakfast table literally creating food War 3 there for all of the Toads to have a front row seat to see.

But sometimes in life they are forced to play with the cards they are giving.

Toadsworth, standing prim and proper at Luffy’s side with a folded scroll of daily updates, cleared his throat politely. “So, Master Straw Hat, the Princess wanted me to inquire—”

“MMMGH?!” Luffy didn’t even look up.

His cheeks were stuffed like a chipmunk, hands busy dual-wielding a Crunchy waffle and a fork overloaded with scrambled eggs.

Bits of food flung into the air with every word he attempted to say through it.

Toadsworth flinched as a stray piece of sticky pancake landed on his monocle. He removed it calmly, wiped it clean, and tried again, “Ahem. Yes. As I was attempting to say… the Princess wishes to know if you recall anything unusual about the portal you were pulled through. Any clues that might aid us in locating your friends. She would have asked you this question yesterday after training but due to everything you informed us you had been through up until this point she figured it would be best for you to gain some rest before answering some questions”

Luffy paused, not because he was thinking, but because he needed to burp.

Which he did.

Loudly.

To the point where it shakes the entire room, startling all the Toads around them.

“Uhhh… the water turned weird,” he said after swallowing, slapping another pancake on top of his meat mountain. “And this creepy guy in a white suit showed up on the Sunny. Said he wanted to take me somewhere. Zoro didn’t like him, so we tried to kick his ass.”

“Ah,” Toadsworth muttered, adjusting his mustache. “Violent first impressions. Lovely.”

Luffy continued without a care in the world. “Then the ocean turned into a toilet swirl—WHOOSH!—and I got sucked through some glowy pink cloudy tunnel thing! Next thing I know, bam, I’m shot outta that glowy tunnel and I land right on one of those big mushrooms.”

Toadsworth nodded, jotting down notes on a tiny clipboard. “Fascinating. Highly irregular. Highly.”

As Luffy reaches for another plate, mind you, just straight picking it up and shoving it down his throat, Toadsworth Slightly turns away and disgust before turning back towards the pirate again, gently, “And… you are absolutely certain that you and your crew came through the same portal?”

“Yep!” Luffy wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve, leaving a lovely smear of syrup across his cheek. “We were all hanging on the Sunny! Me, Zoro, and Vanellope!”

“Zoro and Vanellope,” Toadsworth repeated, scribbling the name down. “Those are the comrades you've been talking about right, yes?”

Luffy with a mouthful of food not at his head before swallowing, “YEAH! That's them. Those are my friends.”

Toadsworth blinked. “… really?”

Luffy smiled and nodded before grabbing another piece of waffle.

Luffy slapped the syrup-dripping waffle into his mouth like it owed him money, chewed twice (if that), and began talking mid-bite, because of course he did.

“Zoro’s my first mate!” he grinned proudly, cheeks bulging. “Green hair, Grumpy face, and carries, like, way too many swords. He’s always yelling at me for getting lost, but he’s got the worst sense of direction outta anyone I know! Seriously, the guy could get lost in a hallway with only one door!”

Toadsworth stared at him in disbelief as Luffy laughed heartily at his own story, nearly choking on a mouthful of ham before punching his own chest to clear it.

“Sounds… reassuring,” Toadsworth muttered, scribbling reluctantly on his clipboard.

Luffy nodded enthusiastically. “He’s super strong, though! Can cut through anything! One time, he sliced a building in half just ‘cause it was in his way. That’s why I know he’s okay. There ain’t no way a dumb portal’s gonna stop him.”

Toadsworth hesitated. “And the… other one?”

“Vanellope?” Luffy lit up again. “She’s the best! She’s small, like Toad small, but super fast and she can glitch through stuff! Like ZIP—VWOOM—gone! She ate a devil fruit too like me, giving her the power to glitch herself anywhere”.

“I see,” Toadsworth said, looking like he almost regretted asking. “So, we are attempting to locate a swordsman with no sense of direction and a small, glitching… child?”

Luffy's smile grew brighter as he still was in the middle of chewing,”Yep”.

Toadsworth sighed deeply, setting the clipboard aside as he glanced at the destruction zone that used to be a breakfast table. “And you are all part of… a naval fleet?”

“Nope we’re pirates!” Luffy declared with pride, pumping a syrup-covered fist into the air. “Straw Hat Pirates! The best crew on the seas! Well, at least me and my friend Zoro are. And once we find our ship, we’re getting back out there!”

There were a few moments of silence from Toadsworth as he stared blankly at Luffy.

He just stood silently beside the syrup-soaked table, on the outside, he remained composed, chin high, mustache neatly curled, monocle polished to a shine.

But internally?

Internally, he was screaming.

He had listened, oh, patiently listened to the young pirate’s account of how he and his friends arrived here.

A mysterious man in a white suit?

A swirling whirlpool?

A glowing pink tunnel in the ocean?

They were all sucked through a warp pipe, mind you, and landed in entirely separate locations across dimensions.

Obviously that's what the young pirate was trying to say, but he didn't know how to word it correctly.

Toadsworth’s right eye twitched faintly.

Simply watching Luffy, still seated cross-legged on the table like a sugar-fueled deity of chaos, as he gave another triumphant “MMM!” before licking whipped cream off his own elbow, “This pancake’s amazin’! You sure your chef ain’t part of my crew?”

Toadsworth did not respond. Not immediately, anyway. He was too busy trying to calculate the probability of success when their primary source of information couldn’t tell them which way he fell through a dimensional portal.

He pressed a hand over his brow and exhaled silently through his nose.

This was ridiculous this was absolutely ridiculous

This boy expected them to look for individuals with that kind of Lazy description.

Not only that, he gave them a passport description of the man who put him in the situation in the first place.

Which didn't help because they didn't know anyone with a white suit.

And the cherry on top was that this boy didn't have the slightest idea where his friends currently were so in short they had no idea where to look.

How were they supposed to go chasing their tails on two individuals that may or may not be dead?

Individuals of which sound as if they were made of the imagination of the Mind and not of actual reality.

Why, what sort of person would risk their sanity to go and put that sort of task on their shoulders willingly?

And this boy expected them to do that and save their own Kingdom at the same time.

He had to have been out of his mushroomsaken mind if he really thought that was going to be possible.

Toadsworth didn’t say any of this aloud, of course.

But oh boy did he want to.

Because he had to be honest with this boy before they made him any more false promises like this.

There just wasn't enough time for them to go on for them to start an entire search party so no he wouldn't exactly give the young boy the honest answer.

At least not yet.

He still had to keep the facade.

He gave the Princess his word that he would see this mission out to the end.

Her voice in matters of diplomacy, protection, and now, apparently, babysitting an interdimensional pirate with the attention span of a bouncy ball.

He was still mustering the mental strength to translate this absurd recounting into something useful for Peach’s diplomatic council.

Instead, he adjusted his tie with a trembling composure and gave a tight-lipped nod. “Ah yes, Master Straw Hat. That was… very enlightening.”

Luffy beamed, holding up a fork with three different breakfast items impaled on it like a kebab. “Glad I could help!”

Toadsworth gave a slight bow of his head, concealing the deep, bone-weariness in his soul while Luffy sat cross-legged at the grand breakfast table, constructing what might’ve been the most structurally unsound “burrito” in history, an egg, pancake, syrup, and jam roll-up that sagged under its own weight as he tried to fold it.

His tongue poked out the side of his mouth in concentration, his fingers sticky with syrup and yolk.

Then, without looking up, he asked through a full mouth, “So when’s the princess gonna be ready? I’m almost all fueled up an’ ready for adventure!”

Toadsworth, who had just been handed a fresh pot of tea by the palace staff, adjusted the monocle on his right eye, glanced at the mess of breakfast carnage before him, and exhaled softly.

He set the tea down on the polished sideboard and approached the table, cane tapping lightly against the floor.

“Ahem. well Master Straw Hat,” he said with deliberate care, folding his hands over the handle of his cane. “Her Highness is currently within the Royal Throne Room, finalizing the last of the preparations for the diplomatic journey ahead. She has tasked me with ensuring you are properly fed, briefed, and, well… in a condition suitable for travel.”

Luffy swallowed his latest monstrous bite and grinned. “I’m good to go! Got food in my belly, hat on my head, and I’m ready to go punch some bad guys if they try anything funny.”

Toadsworth didn’t smile.

He didn't laugh frown or even so much as moving eyebrow he just stared at the pirate blankly

He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath before he then set his cane down with a definitive thunk against the marble floor.“Master Straw Hat,” he said sharply, voice firmer than it had been all morning. “I’m going to need to speak to you about something important. Now.”

Luffy, who was in the middle of still chewing on what was left of his food, blinked,“Huh?”

Toadsworth stepped closer, his shadow falling across the table.

“Master Straw Hat… forgive my candor, but I fear you may be misunderstanding the nature of this journey,” he said slowly, enunciating each word like it was a nail being hammered into the table.

Luffy blinked, simply staring at the old mushroom, both his lips tight and puckered and head tilted to his right side, completely confused as to what he was talking about.

Toadsworth then palmed his face in a bit of frustration if we're taking a deep breath and continuing.

“I believe we have failed to make this clear to you,” Toadsworth said, voice crisp as a pressed napkin. “ You and the princess are not traveling for the sake of leisure or wonder.”

He slowly and casually places the teacup beside the table, as if to try to make this more physically clear to him as well,“The Princess is to travel to Kong Island to speak with King Crankus and the Council of Barrels along with other Royal members of each of the other kingdoms. A war council, mind you, one that may decide the very future of this realm. If The princess does not secure this alliance, the Mushroom Kingdom will fall before we can mount a defense.”

Luffy’s brows furrowed slightly. He tilted his head. “Bular… the bad guy whose ass I'm going to kick, he's the one who guys are worried about, right?”

Toadsworth felt an urge to hit the boy upside the head as it seemed as if he hadn't listened to a thing he had said though thankfully he resisted,“Indeed,” Toadsworth said, pausing to look Luffy squarely in the eye. “And while I have no doubt of your strength, yes, I must remind you: strength alone is not enough to safeguard Her Highness.”

He leaned closer, his tone grave,“This is not merely about fending off attackers. You will be accompanying our Princess on a mission that demands strategy, diplomacy, and above all else responsibility. You must understand what is at stake, Master Straw Hat. If she is harmed, if we fail to reach the Kong Kingdom and unite our forces, it will not just be your friends who will be harmed. There will be slaughter on a much larger scale, involving the entire alliance of the Mushroom Kingdom and all the other kingdoms along with it. ”

Luffy sat there, quiet for a moment.

The grin faded, he glanced down at the table, chewing on what Toadsworth had said, and maybe also still chewing a bit of leftover food.

The royal advisor continued,“This is not a game, boy. Bular plans to end the world as we know it.”

Wow not even Nami lectured him this hard.

Though this would usually also be the time where she'd hit him really hard as she was lecturing him or before or after .

His voice cracked, just barely,“Everything you saw yesterday with the Koopa ambush was nothing but a taste of the Carnage that was to come if we fail.”

He stepped back now, giving Luffy room to process the weight of those words.“And yes. The Princess, our Princess, is placing her life in your hands.”

Toadsworth’s eyes bore into him like steel. His voice quieted again, but it carried just as much force.“She believes in you. I for the love of me don’t know why. But she does. And that belief is not something to be taken lightly. So then let me make myself perfectly clear… Master Straw Hat.If you fail in this task, if you allow the Princess to fall under your watch… if you let that monster Bular succeed in his warpath… not only will you lose your chance to find your friends… you’ll lose everything. Entire realms will burn. Entire species will be wiped from history. This kingdom, and every peaceful land it is tied to, will be dragged into the abyss of fire. And you, Monkey D. Luffy… you’ll be the one who has to live with that. I for one, will make certain that the last face you see before the flames take you… is mine”

The room went still.

Toadsworth’s final words hung in the air like a heavy fog.

The morning light filtering through the grand dining hall’s stained-glass windows cast shimmering rainbow shadows across the syrup-slick table, but not even the cheeriest sunbeam could pierce the silence between the old steward and the Straw Hat pirate.

Luffy hadn’t touched his food in over a minute, a new record, probably.

The floppy pancake-egg roll-up sagged in his loose grip, a sugary casualty of the atmosphere.

He wasn’t frowning, but the usual infectious grin was gone.

Toadsworth remained standing, arms behind his back, posture military-straight.

His gaze never left the boy.

He was just waiting for any sort of response, almost unsure if he would even get one from this fairly slow individual

But then—

“Alright,” Luffy said.

There it was.

The young Pirates' response.

He followed up by stuffing what little of the soggy breakfast abomination that was left into his mouth in one bite, crunch, squish, chewed it three times, then swallowed like a cannon shot.

He patted his stomach, stood up, stretched his arms behind his head with a yawn, then looked back at Toadsworth with a grin that was just as bright as usual.

Then he gave Toadsworth a goofy thumbs-upWith his usual goofy smile,“Don't worry old mushroom , If someone’s trying to hurt her, they’re gonna have to go through me and then I'll kick their ass. I promise.”

Toadsworth blinked.

He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came.

Because somehow… impossibly… those words and that stupid hand gesture made something settle in his gut.

Not assurance, no, far from that, he 100% wasn't sure if this boy had any means of actually protecting the princess.

Not calm no no definitely not that he was almost freaking out about this whole situation.

But something that would tell him that the situation was going to be fine for the most part and that he shouldn't worry as much as he was.

Sure he had almost complete doubts in the boy's ability to remember to keep the princess safe but part of him also was saying that maybe things wouldn't turn out so badly and maybe the princess will be able to pull this off.

And it's not like the princess will listen to his pleas and advice on not bringing this boy along so he might as well not even try to prevent it any longer than he already has.

At the end of the day you might as well just accept the fact that this was happening whether he liked it or not and this boy was about to play a bigger role in a kingdom than anyone else currently residing in the same said Kingdom.

It was probably for the best that he tried not to distort that by any means at least for his princesses sake.

So after finally getting that understanding between the two of them, the old mushroom cleared his throat and adjusted his monocle as he then stepped up from his seat. “…Very well, Master Straw Hat. I shall inform the Princess,” he said, turning toward the door. “Get yourself cleaned up, Master Straw Hat. We depart within the hour. ”

He turned on his heel and grabbed the door handle but not before turning back one last time,“And please… for the love of all that grows in the Flower Kingdom try not to touch anything that might be breakable.”

With that, the old steward turned and walked out, his cane tapping, his mind still heavy, but now perhaps carrying a sliver of hope. Just enough to keep going

As Toadsworth exited with his usual stiff dignity, Luffy flopped back into the chair and let out a satisfied burp that echoed off the gold-trimmed walls.

“Man,” he muttered to himself with a lazy smile, “This kingdom’s got some intense Mushroom people.”

He then hopped out of his seat, placed his hands behind his head and whistled as he made his way out of the room.

(Throne Room)

The soft golden light of morning filtered through the high arched windows of the throne room, casting a warm glow across the polished marble floors and pale pink drapery.

Dust motes drifted lazily in the air, dancing through sunbeams like falling stars.

The atmosphere felt serene, almost peaceful as well as completely at odds with the storm brewing inside her.

Princess Peach Toadstool stood at the center of the room, not seated on her throne, but pacing slowly in front of it, her heels clicking softly against the polished tiles rhythm matched only by the subtle crinkle of parchment.

Her elegant pink gown shifted with every motion, swaying slightly at the hem, her white gloves fidgeting restlessly as her lips moved in barely audible rehearsal.

Her crown tilted ever so slightly from her constant movement, the delicate ring of gold shifting with every agitated motion of her head.

Clutched tightly in her white-gloved hands were a bunch of flash cards that were creased, smudged, and wrinkled at the edges from how many times she’d scanned, flipped and re-written them.

Her brows were furrowed in tight concentration, lips pursed in a line of quiet frustration as she took a deep breath and tried once again to deliver the speech she’d been preparing for days.

“(Ahem) We… We must stand united,” she said aloud to no one, other than one of the mushroom toads named Toadminister, her voice echoing softly across the empty room. “If we don’t act now, Bular’s army will continue to spread… destroying kingdoms one by one, until nothing remains. We cannot allow fear to divide us…”

She stopped mid-step, exhaled through her nose, and groaned,“Ugh. That sounded flat.”

This was frustrating.

She's been at this for hours but still she couldn't make it sound right no matter how hard she tried.

She turned on her heel and looked to the only other figure in the room, Toadminster, a nervous, spectacled Toad with a tall stack of notes balanced precariously in his arms.

He blinked behind his oversized glasses, ears twitching as he tried to offer a helpful smile. “Well, um… it was a full sentence this time, Your Highness,” he said. “So that’s progress! Now all we have to do is try to have this message in paragraphs”

Peach stared at him blankly as a response to that obvious suggestion as she began to speak to him, deadpanned, “Toadminster, I’m not asking you to grade my grammar. I'm trying to make sure that this message sounds right and inspirational”

The toad Minister began to panic as he realized that what he had said may have upset his princess and so he quickly stuttered and stammered trying to fix up his miscommunication, “R-Right! Sorry! Just trying to keep things positive!”

She sighed, turning away again to look at the massive stained-glass window depicting her standing elegantly for all the Toads below to see and admire freely.

She needed to remind herself that she was the inspiration for all of the Toads, that the same princess on that stained glass was the same one standing right there about to deliver the most important speech of all time.

With that tiny bit of motivation she turned again to the scroll and started once more,“Leaders of the Unified Realms… I come to you not as a ruler, but as a voice for those who cannot fight. We are facing a new age of darkness, a threat unlike anything our worlds have faced before. Bular The Butcher, The King of the Trolls, A king that does not want peace. He does not want negotiation. He seeks conquest. Subjugation. Annihilation.”

She paused, realizing that that message sounded a little too over the top.

She then frowned before turning to the Toadminister to ask his opinion on it. “Too dramatic?”

“No, no, the drama’s good!” Toadminster piped in quickly, shuffling his notes. “But… perhaps you could soften the phrasing at the start? ‘Not as a ruler’ makes it sound like you’re abdicating your position. And you’re not. You’re asking for allegiance as a ruler, right?”

Peach groaned again and ran a hand through her bangs. “Exactly! I don’t want to sound weak, but I don’t want to come off like I’m demanding, either. We need them to believe in this alliance, not a hostile royal takeover. We need them to believe in me in order to do that.”

Toadminster fidgeted. “Maybe we should go back to the part about mutual interest? The uh shared threat portion? Or maybe what they receive and have to gain by helping in this alliance?”

She thought about it for a moment before she held up a finger, eyes lighting for a brief second as another phrase came to her.

Princess Peach exhaled slowly through her nose, unfurling the scroll again with trembling fingers. She cleared her throat, stood tall, and tried once more,“We must—” she began, voice cracking slightly. “We must unite under—under the common cause of—of… defeating the… the darkness that—”

She faltered with unsureness before just stopping all together,“Ugh! What am I doing?!”

Her shoulders then dropped. Her lips pressed into a line as her hand curled the parchment into a frustrated pile of cards again.

None of this was working.

None of it sounded right.

She was supposed to be the one who would bring all of the kingdoms together.

But how could she do that against a force like Bular when she couldn’t even string together a good speech?

And just to add to the mountain of stress already toppling over her, now she was expected to escort some strange, impossibly loud stranger this Straw-headed individual on a journey to find two friends who were likely… she winced, gone. Missing. Possibly worse.

Either way the odds of finding them in one piece were extremely small and unlikely.

And here she was, trying to save entire kingdoms, and she was being roped into a side quest for someone who treated danger like a freaking picnic game.

Yes, he had saved her people yesterday.

Yes, he fought bravely.

Yes, he had skills that were beyond what she expected.

And yes bringing him along could help her complete her journey to the council meeting.

But It was still just as much of an inconvenience to her current situation now she would have to make sure to babysit him along with trying to save the world from the clutches of the trolls.

It didn't matter how you looked at it, it was a bad situation for not just her kingdom but whole other kingdoms that were relying on this meeting going the way it needed to.

Not to mention the fact that the other kingdoms were as stubborn as this war was.

There's a reason why there hadn't been an alliance in years.

And it was because all of the rulers of the other kingdoms were too prideful to listen the reason especially when it came to suggesting the fact that they would need to work together in order to survive

“Toadminster, I’m wasting my time,” she muttered bitterly. “They’re not going to listenTo this speech. They wish to converse with each other without someone having to micromanage them.”

The Toad advisor adjusted his glasses nervously. “Your Highness, that’s not necessaril—”

“Don’t coddle me,” she cut in, not unkindly but definitely straight to the point. In an extremely tired manner. “You’ve seen how they treat us. Half of them don’t even show up to the Unity Councils unless there’s trade routes or coins on the table. The other half treat me like a figurehead in a candy kingdom rather than a fellow ruler.”

She turned back, expression steeled with anger and doubt battling for dominance,“To them, the Mushroom Kingdom is this cute little fungus land that nobody takes seriously, they don’t see a nation or a fellow kingdom. They don't take us seriously half the time, especially not at the meetings when it comes to something important.”

Her voice dipped low, matching the depressing nature of the situation,“And now I’m supposed to convince them that a literal warlord troll king is about to scorch the ground under all of us? When some of them still don’t even think this threat directly involves them.”

Toadminster opened his mouth to say something but simply turned and looked away.

There wasn’t much he could say that could actually prove that what she was saying wasn't the case.

Because let's be honest she was far from wrong.

The other kingdoms were selfish, proud, dismissive.

Peach had spent years trying to keep diplomacy alive, only for her kingdom to be treated like a childlike flower-scented afterthought of the real world’s politics.

They were belittled in every way by the other kingdoms for no apparent reason other than the fact that the Toads were seen as weak and inferior.

It was a miracle that they managed to even have any relationships with any of the other kingdoms most days when there wasn't a looming threat coming for them.

“And it doesn't help that they all have different reasons for not wanting to participate in this war.” She said with frustration as she circled the room. “The Dwarf Kingdom refuses to even acknowledge Bular’s rise because they claim it’s outside their borders. The Fairy Royals think they’re untouchable because they float ‘above such primitive matters.’ As if Bular can’t grow wings or reach a floating castle when he commands trolls the size of fortresses! The Elf Kingdom hasn’t responded to a single communique since last month. As if ignoring the rest of the world will make the war pass them by.”

Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, fingers crinkling the worn edges of her flashcards,“I’ve written to them, I’ve sent gifts to ambassadors. I've sent countless pleas. I practically begged for unity the last time we held a summit. And what do they do in return?”

Peach almost immediately lifted both arms dramatically, her voice shifting into a series of mocking tones of the Elf King, dripping with sarcasm and false refinement,“‘Oh, Princess Peach, your kingdom is so delightful! But alas, we simply cannot afford to get involved in affairs so far from our own lands.’”

Toadminster adjusted his glasses again, throat bobbing nervously. “Your Highness, I understand how disheartening this is, but perhaps if we just—”

“—Toadminster, stop,” Peach said, turning to him sharply. “I know what you're about to say, but I am tired of pretending this entire situation isn’t the tiniest bit infuriating as much as it is terrifying.”

She stopped, arms still held outward, face darkening with pure frustration,“ Stupid little Mushroom people kingdom, that’s what they see when they glance at our kingdom.”

Peach’s voice dropped back into her own as her arms slowly lowered, her whole body sagging with exasperation. “Instead of helping to stop this war from spreading they’ll simply argue amongst themselves about Bureaucracy.”

Toadminster looked like he wanted to crawl into his own hat.

She walked slowly toward the nearest window again, staring out past the castle gardens to the horizon where the skies turned faintly violet from distant fire smoke residue from yesterday’s attack,“It doesn’t help that a room full of kings and queens are laughing at you the second your back is turned because we choose to live in colorful mushrooms?”

She turned her back again, facing the window. Her reflection stared back at her in the glass, tired eyes, furrowed brow, slumped shoulders beneath a crown that felt heavier by the second,” They don’t see a leader when they look at me, they see a mascot of a cutesy kingdom.”

She then stopped and faced the tall window again.

The light that streamed through it now cast long shadows across the floor.

“We can't afford to not be all on one page and work together at this point. If Bular brings the bridge here and activates it—” her voice hitched for a moment “—Not only will this whole kingdom fall. They’ll have the power to travel to any world they want without the fear of the sun to slow them down and wipe out any enemies in their way. And anyone too scared or too desperate to say no, will join him. Once they become practically Invincible no one will be able to stop them.”

Peach stepped away from the window, her skirts whispering against the polished pink stone as she crossed the great hall.

The hem of her gown caught faint glints of sunlight as she approached the centerpiece of the room, a massive circular table inlaid with a topographical map of their world.

Miniature mountains rose in jagged clusters across the northern regions.

The yellow expanse of the Sand Kingdom glimmered faintly beneath the chandelier’s light, each dune rendered in textured gold.

Emerald-green forests sprawled across the east, dotted with tiny crystal rivers that caught the light like spun glass.

The central lands, her lands, were a patchwork of soft meadows, giant mushroom hills, and the rose-colored spires of the Mushroom Kingdom Castle itself.

Peach leaned over the table, planting both hands on its edge, her eyes locked on the jagged black scar across the land.

And yet while she was staring down at that table her mind went to a familiar person,“And let's not forget about the stretchy cherry on top”.

The toad Minister didn't really need much elaboration who she was referring to.

Obviously it was the same person that had helped save her kingdom yesterday.

Monkey D Luffy.

“Ah Yes princess the young straw-headed boy, I take it that you're finally forcing your concerns when it comes to his situation”, He asked curiously of what the princess had to say about the whole situation.

Didn't hesitate to answer the question,”Well there's not really much to say about it. I just now have to find time to also help him find his friends.”

Yep the toadminister remembered this quite well considering she announced it to the entire Kingdom.

“Oh……well, my dear princess, ‘you’ were the one who made that agreement with him in exchange for his services on your journey”, he knowingly pointed it out .

“He did go out of his own way to aid us yesterday in stopping the chain chomp mid-rampage and neutralized a whole Koopa troop without breaking a sweat,” she reminded her subject. “And with how impressive he was on the training grounds. It would be foolish for me not to obviously bring him along with me.”

However that's when her hand came up to rub at her temple, trying to ease the tension forming there like a stormcloud.

“The problem is that he has the mind of a 10 year old boy. I'll practically have to babysit the whole journey. And on the way taking a few detours to look for his friends, who are likely…” she hesitated, looking around before In towards the toadminister’s direction and whispering, “…lost.”

She then continued to her point,“All while going to beg other kingdoms to start preparing for war. Let's not forget it might have to happen in the opposite of the direction of where I'm going to look for his friends”.

The Toad Minister took a step back as he started to see where she was getting at and he could feel her frustration begin to boil outside her royal persona as her voice began to rise.

“Oh and yes how could I not remember that I have to do this within the very limited handful of days I have to assemble this Royal Alliance before the enemy comes to evade my kingdom”, she took a deep breath as she realized she had said an earful before looking back again towards her subject,” Am I missing anything else”?

The minister quickly shook his head,”No of course not your highness. That seems to be a great summary of our current situation”.

Peach let out a sigh of frustration as she continued to lean on the war table,”It’s not that I don’t want to help him. I do. I truly do. But this isn’t a “help me find my possibly dead friends” sort of journey.”

Though it wasn’t her problem, not really, Peach knew she wasn’t the kind of person who could turn a blind eye to someone in need.

That wasn’t who she was.

From childhood, she had been taught that compassion was a strength, not a weakness, and that leadership meant extending a hand even when it cost you dearly.

But where would she even start?

The most obvious path, from what the boy had described to them, was the Dark Lands… and that was the worst choice for every reason.

It lay in the opposite direction of her mission.

Opposite of the rapidly closing window before Bular made his next move.

And the Dark Lands weren’t just dangerous, they were the very heart of enemy territory.

Troll strongholds, goblin warrens, ogre hunting grounds, and other nightmares that had pledged themselves to Bular’s banner.

And that was just the Troll Army she still hadn't even mentioned the Koopas and the kremlings which had stars knows how many forces backing them up.

She could almost see them in her mind’s eye, moving through a haze of volcanic fog: hulking silhouettes with cruel, gleaming eyes, armor still wet with the blood of the last battle, chanting in low, guttural voices that echoed through jagged valleys.

A gentle throat-clearing cut through her thoughts.

Peach blinked and turned.

Toadminster stood just beyond the edge of the map table, his small hands clasped behind his back in that ever-proper, ever-measured stance he always adopted before challenging her decisions.

His spectacles caught the rainbowed light from the stained glass above, turning them into two pale coins that briefly hid his expression,“Well, with all due respect, Your Highness…” he began carefully, “If you were feeling this way then why did you decide to invite that young, straw-hatted boy to accompany you yesterday. In the plaza. Right after the Koopa attack.”

Peach didn’t answer immediately. She let the silence linger, her gaze drifting back to the miniature expanse of the Mushroom Kingdom carved into the center of the war table.

She then said finally, her tone matter-of-fact. “You weren’t there, Toadminster. You didn’t see him defeat that Chain Chomp and tear through that Koopa troop like they were made of paper streamers.”

Her voice had a note of begrudging admiration, though it was tempered by something heavier.

“I’d be an idiot not to bring him along. The only drawback is…” she hesitated, a corner of her mouth twitching in frustration, “…he’s a literal man-child with the strength of a hundred Sledge Bros and the attention span of a Fire Flower in the rain.”

She stepped around the table, her gloved fingers brushing over the edges of the wooden continents, tracing the lines between her kingdom and the far-off Kong territories.

“Bringing that kind of protection along? Who in their right mind would turn that down for the chance of success. And with those strange… stretchy powers of his, and that immunity to blunt force. .” She glanced at Toadminster then, the corner of her brow lifting slightly. “ I’d rather have some muscle like that with me on this journey rather than to try to walk into this unprepared.”

Toadminster adjusted his glasses again, clearly unconvinced. “We could always send a few of the royal guard with you—”

“No,”The refusal came quickly, sharper than she’d intended, however it looked as if she was able to get her point across. She softened her tone, but not her stance. “The last thing I want to do is belittle the Toads, but let’s be honest, none of them are fighters. Bringing any of you to this event with me would be putting you in danger and could possibly end up slowing me down as a result of that.”

She began pacing slowly around the table, her heels clicking against the marble floor as she continued, “We both know that I'd be the one protecting them, not the other way around like it's supposed to be.”

Her eyes landed on the miniature model of her own castle in the center of the map, its pink turrets shining under the glass dome. “Besides, we need the royal guard here. If another attack happens while I’m gone, someone has to protect the kingdom. This trip needs to be as discreet as we can make it.”

From the look of his facial expressions the toad administer seems as if he was starting to understand where she was coming from.

She stopped pacing and looked directly at him, her expression steeled. “We need to get to the Kong Kingdom as quickly, quietly, and efficiently as possible. The more commotion we cause, the higher the chance we get intercepted. Or worse…” She tapped the miniature model of the Dark Lands with her finger, her voice lowering. “…ambushed.”

Toadminster’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. “I see.”

Peach folded her arms, her gaze drifting once more to the northwest quadrant of the map where the charred terrain of the Dark Lands bled into the edges of Troll territory,”Right now I just can't afford to slow myself down especially when times are as important as these”.

Toadminster adjusted his spectacles and drew in a slow breath, clearly weighing his words before speaking.

“If I may, Your Highness,” he began carefully, “it isn’t that I doubt your judgment. But relying on… such a uniquely educated young man in a matter this dire?”

His brow furrowed as he glanced toward the stained-glass light pooling over the map table. “It was clear from his behavior in the castle yesterday, he hasn’t the faintest grasp of the stakes we face. Our kingdom, the lives of our people, the balance of this world and other worlds, should Bular’s plan succeed… all of it hangs in the balance.”

Peach tilted her head slightly, raising her eyebrow curious as to what he meant, but she didn’t interrupt.

“I mean no offense,” Toadminster continued, his voice softening, “But we cannot simply turn a blind eye to the fact that we are entrusting the safety of the crown and indeed the fate of every citizen to… him.”

(continue to part two )



[godofcreatitivity]

Chapter 1: The man who would be king of the pirates (Redux 2)

One Piece The Movie

(part 2)

Gasps, whispers, disbelieving laughter.

Gasps. Barks of disbelief. Laughter born from shock.

“Three billion?!”

“That boy looks like he feeds chickens! How does he have THREE billion?!”

“That’s the new poster? I thought someone said the printer messed up—his face looks… different.”

“I heard he fought Kaido on the roof of Onigashima.”

“No, I heard he beat Kaido on the roof.”

“That’s impossible. Kaido wasn’t human.”

“Neither is he!”

Zoro’s head tilted, his lone open eye glanced sideways at the poster.

And finally— a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

He felt a brief warmth settle in his chest.

His captain deserved that number.

Every last berry.

He’d earned that title the hard way, through pain and grit and stubborn, stupid, brilliant will.

Watching these idiots gawk at it was… satisfying.

The room continued buzzing like a disturbed hive until Saturn tapped the paper sharply.

Tok.

Silence smothered the noise like a blanket.

“Do not be deceived by childish expressions,” Saturn said, voice dropping low, drawing everyone’s attention back under his grip. He held Luffy’s poster aloft between two fingers as though it were an artifact,“Behind this grin lies a menace the world has not witnessed in centuries.”

He then listed the crimes slowly, each one like the toll of a death bell,“He has defeated Warlords…Toppled Emperors…Burned the flag of the World Government at Enies Lobby…And Interrupted in execution at Marineford Causing an all out war.”

Then the cane swung toward Zoro,“…and this man is his right hand.”

Zoro did not rise to the provocation.

He didn’t need to.

His slouched posture, the lazy roll of his shoulders, the way his half-lidded eye barely acknowledged the room.

To be honest he wasn’t listening anymore.

His headache thumped behind his temple from too many cups last night.

All the Lantern light was killing his eyes almost as much as the hangover was.

Saturn’s droning voice blurred into one long, boring hum.

He tilted his head backward slightly, letting the iron collar bite into his skin as he exhaled slowly.

Should’ve stopped drinking after the thirty ninth glass….

He could have cut his way out of this shitty situation.

But the truth was that he was way too tired to care at that moment.

Onigashima had taken more out of him than he’d ever admit aloud.

And though he healed, the fatigue lived deep under the muscle.

He pushed himself far beyond any limit he had ever done prior and like Chopper suggested for him and Luffy that they should take it easy for a little while and not get into any big fights.

This vacation was supposed to give them a chance to relax after what happened at Onigashima.

If he hadn’t been drunk, he still might have let the Marines take him.

Not because they could but because fighting off thirty Water 7 marines sounded like more effort than he wanted to spend while hungover.

He huffed quietly.

Sanji would laugh his curly-brow ass off if he saw him right now.

Zoro’s gaze drifted away from the noisy jury and trembling guards. His eye slid upward, settling on the old man presiding over this entire farce.

The old man sitting there, Jaygarcia Saturn, was different. Zoro couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something coiled beneath that thickset frame, something heavy that pressed against the room like a hidden blade.

Even through the haze of a fading hangover, Zoro felt it, a presence pushing on the air, thick and heavy, like something alive.

The Marines? They were nothing. He could feel their fear in every shaky hand, every quickened breath. They weren’t worth his time.

But the old man? That was something else like pressure that felt real. 

The pressure radiating from Saturn wasn’t human.

Zoro didn’t need to know the details to recognize danger.

Most people didn’t sense it, but Zoro was different. His instincts had been honed, sharpened against death over and over again. Even half-drunk and chained, he felt the wrongness under Saturn’s skin.

Zoro flexed his wrists just enough to make the chains creak, the metal was strong, layered with seastone, but he knew he could break them Considering the fact that he wasn't a devil fruit user.

This old man was a lot more powerful than he let on.

That's probably why, from the rumors he had heard in the cells, why the Grand Elders were so feared.

And he just had to go, causing a big ass commotion when the whole point of this stop had been to lie low for two weeks like he and Luffy agreed upon. 

Yeah, that lasted… what? Twelve hours?

Maybe thirteen?

He damn sure knew it wasn't long. 

Trouble always had a way of finding them. 

Hell people scattered like flies the moment he walked into the bar earlier and didn’t even give him the chance to sit down before clearing out, whispering his name like it was a curse.

By the time he reached the docks, half the city already knew he was here.

 It didn’t help that Water 7’s streets twisted and turned like a maze. 

Every left turn led to another canal, every bridge to another dead end and he’d wandered for nearly an hour just trying to find a damn drink

Not that he’d admit he was lost. Never.

 Because there was no reason to because he didn't get lost, the city was like a maze.

Maybe he should have listened to some of Frankie's family members and gone with them instead of going on his own, they might have been able to make him look not as suspicious, though he probably would have ended up putting them in danger, if he did.

Saturn’s voice cut through his thoughts, the words heavy, formal, accusing,“—charges including but not limited to piracy, affliction with the Straw Hat crew, rebellion against World Government property, aiding and abetting hostile nations, the slaying of—”,Saturn’s droning voice clawed its way back into Zoro’s half-drifting consciousness.

Something about charges, crimes, affiliation, specifically, and things that Zoro had now done in his adventures with the Straw Hats.

Zoro blinked, barely paying attention.

He wasn’t even sure what they were trying to pin on him. 

Did it even matter either way?

He was a pirate. 

The world had pretty much already made their decision about him before he even had a chance to enter this courtroom.

He stared upward blankly, a faint pulse of dull annoyance behind his eye.

And the World Government was as corrupt as they could get.

They'd stick any charge on him at this point.

He pulled in a long breath through his nose and exhaled quietly, like someone enduring a boring lecture rather than a formal trial meant to determine life or death.

His hangover had finally faded, but the boredom was still going strong.

Saturn didn’t notice, or worse, didn’t care that Zoro was barely paying attention. 

The Elder’s expression remained severe, authoritative, unyielding as he continued reciting charges with ritualistic precision.

The words washed over the room like cold water, dripping with accusation,“…participation in incidents at Sabaody Archipelago, violation of international law in Dressrosa, unlawful combat in Wano, destruction of sacred government property in Enies Lobby—”

Zoro scratched his cheek with one bound wrist, unimpressed.

Sacred property? 

It was a bridge and it attacked us first.

He wasn’t even sure what they were trying to pin on him.

 Pirates didn’t get fair lists.

 Once the World Government hated you, you got stamped with anything convenient.

Murder? Sure, why not.

Kidnapping? 

He raised a brow. Ok that one was new.

Public intoxication? Okay, maybe he’ll give them that one.

Either way it wasn't going to matter once the World Government got their claws on it..

And the worst part about this whole bull shit case, he didn't have his weapons on him.

His eye flicked two feet away, beside the clerk’s desk, lay a black rectangular case. He could feel the presence of his blades inside, almost humming to him.

Wado Ichimonji.

Sandai Kitetsu.

Enma.

The weight of them pulled at his focus. 

He was ninety-seven percent sure that’s where they’d stashed them, locked away and guarded like treasures.

Guarded by two Marines who kept glancing between it and Zoro as though expecting it to burst open.

Thankfully they hadn’t thrown them into the sea.

He rolled his shoulders again, the chains groaning. 

He would definitely be getting them back, that was for sure, real soon.

For now, though, he sat silently, the crowd studied him like a caged beast, and he let them. 

The more they trembled, the easier it would be later once Hangover was finally go-

Wait 

Hold on.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait and………..

Yep, it was gone.

The last remnants of his headache slipped away entirely.

Took long enough considering it was killing him.

Now he could finally finish up with this little charade whenever he wanted to. 

But for now, he had to keep this little charade going as long as he could, and he knew just how to do that.

So he decided to speak,“Actually.…I have something I’d like to say in my defense.”

Chains groaned as Zoro leaned forward slightly, his visible eye locking onto Saturn’s with an almost lazy sharpness. 

The Elder’s eyebrow lifted a fraction, surprise breaking through regality.

“…I’m sorry?” Saturn asked, as if a pirate interrupting him was a concept too absurd to immediately comprehend.

Zoro said flatly,“You never asked me if I had anything to say in my defense. And I’m pretty sure people out there,” he tilted his chin toward the gallery, “would like to hear my side of things.”

The room rippled with nervous whispers.

Murmurs exploded instantly.

“He’s actually talking—” “What’s he planning?” “Is he trying to escape?” “No—this is the King of Hell. He doesn’t try anything.”

Saturn’s jaw flexed faintly underneath his beard.

He could have ignored it and dismissed the swordsman as wasting time, but something in Zoro’s delivery gnawed at him. 

A mix of boredom, irritation, and dangerously calm made Saturn pause.

Curiously, he shifted forward slightly, wondering what a lowly pirate would have to say for himself.

“Very well”,He leaned forward, cane resting heavily in his hands,“…The court will indulge the defendant,” he said slowly, “Speak.”

Zoro straightened, only a little, still scowling, still looking as if he’d rather be anywhere else. His voice was calm, measured, but every word dripped with sarcasm and disinterest.

“Alright so first off, I’ll be honest with you,” he started, “I wasn’t really listening to much of this bullshit so bear with me here cause my hangover’s been killing me so everything's just kind of been blurred out. But uh yeah this trial’s been… been a huge drag so far in my opinion.”

The jury stiffened, someone in the gallery let out a nervous laugh before quickly silencing themselves.

“Second,” Zoro continued as if reading off a list, “Just so you are aware, all I was trying to do was get a drink. It's not like I was out setting peoples houses on fire. I think all of this is a little overboard for just trying to get yourself something to drink .”

He let the words hang, his gaze sweeping lazily across the room.

“And these murder charges?” He gave a derisive snort. “I mean you know anyone I've actually killed other than all those bounties I was hunting back in the day. If anything, that was the only time I was actually killing anybody.  And last I checked, that's kind of the opposite of a crime if you're doing it for the service of the military or whatever.”

The jury exchanged glances. Saturn’s grip on his cane tightened, but he allowed the swordsman to continue.

And Zoro wasn’t finished.

“I'm going to be 100% honest,” Zoro said, shrugging against his chains, “I don’t even remember the last time I killed someone. Although that may be due to all the alcohol so don't fully quote me on that last statement but don't write it off either.”

His visible eye narrowed, flicking toward the jurors. “And another thing, half of this jury is wearing Navy uniforms under those robes. Not exactly what I’d call fair representationI mean you're not even trying to hide it”,Zoro pointed with his chin,” That guy literally has the fucking navy symbol sticking out of his belt, I know I'm not the only one who sees that.” 

Every eye followed.

Sure enough,a gold Navy crest gleamed at the juror’s hip.

The gallery erupted.

“He’s right!” “They’re wearing uniforms!” “That’s cheating!” “This whole thing is rigged!”

Another juror tried to discreetly cover his cuffs.

 Zoro let out a sigh of frustration before he continued,”“So yeah where’s the normal civilian representation? Or at least someone who doesn’t want my head on a wall? Cause from where I’m sitting, they all look pretty invisible.” 

The gallery murmured again, louder this time. 

The jurors shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

One juror actually slumped in his chair, defeated.

Saturn’s face twitched again, micro-expressions of irritation flickering like cracks in stone.

Zoro turned to the trembling skeleton masquerading as his attorney at last, the man shrinking in his seat. “And you. My so-called defense attorney, Mr whatever your name is, I haven’t really  seen you do much to defend me against any of these charges?.”

The lawyer cleared his throat nervously, “M-Mr. Roronoa, it— it isn’t personal,” he stammered,”It's just that we haven't really gotten to that part of the trial you sort of been interrupting him the whole time. and it’s simply that the evidence is… overwhelming, and— and factually—”

Zoro cut him off with a snort, rolling his shoulders. “Overwhelming evidence? Oh yeah him rolling out my wanted poster and a scroll with a list of charges that may not even be true is a hard case to argue against”,he said sarcastically playing towards Saturn's stand,” What's next, gonna bring’n one of my old sword mentors in here and tell him how much of a bad student I was?”

The silence that had settled was shattered by Zoro’s low, cutting voice,“By the way… I have yet to see any witnesses to the supposed crimes I’ve committed. So what's the word on them?”

The remark earned a few uneasy chuckles from the gallery. 

Even some of the jurors shifted in their seats, glancing around as though they’d suddenly noticed the lack of anyone who had actually seen Zoro commit the things listed on the scroll.

Someone in the gallery coughed nervously.

A juror scratched the back of his neck, suddenly very aware that the witness stands were empty.

Another whispered, “We… don’t have any… do we?”

The lawyer, already shrinking into his chair, pressed his parchment against his chest and looked away, as if pretending not to exist.

Saturn didn’t hesitate to respond, it came like a whipcrack.

TOK!

His cane struck the floor with such force that dust leapt from the cracks between the planks. The lamps overhead rattled  in their metal sconces.

His gravelly voice followed, slicing through the courtroom air. “Oh, well that’s an easy one,” Saturn said, his tone thick with mock patience. “You see, the witnesses, especially from all of your captain’s endless list of criminal escapades, have grown to such a large amount we wouldn’t have had time to gather all of them to fit them in this courtroom.”

He smiled thinly, a serpent’s smile, leaning forward just enough that the scar over his eyelid gleamed in the lamplight. “And besides… you’re a pirate. You know exactly the kind of crimes you’ve committed. So this little ‘wrong place, wrong time’ excuse of yours is a load of, excuse my French, bullshit.”

A collective inhalation rippled through the gallery.

Even the jurors stiffened at the profanity.

Saturn didn’t care when he was a god among insects and he meant them to feel it.

Zoro had them right where he wanted them, shaken, distracted, and staring directly at him instead of noticing the distracting cracks forming around their so-called justice.

“Oh, so these crimes are me doing your job?” Zoro asked dryly as his eye slid lazily across the jury box.

A few people in the gallery gasped as if he’d just challenged a thunderstorm.

“Because last I checked, half of what you’re accusing me of was me saving islands from tyrants trying to take over the world and all the seas. Isn’t that what you’d call a vigilante?”He tilted his head.

“By that logic, I should be getting an award for the last two years.” After he said that a ripple of muffled laughter traveled through the back of the room, a few Marines shot up straighter, faces flushing red.

Zoro smirked without humor,“And unlike you, I don’t hide in the shadows behind the Navy’s muscles pretending to be gods. And unlike you…”,He cut Saturn a sidelong glance,“…I don’t need to send a bill to anyone after I fix their world. People actually thank me for helping them, hell where do you think half my drinks come from.”

A louder burst of laughter this time, though quickly smothered.

Saturn’s nostrils flared,his knuckles whitened around the head of his cane until the carved wood groaned.

But Zoro kept going as his tone hardened, his voice steady. “If anything, I’ve done more of your job for free than you’ve ever done yourselves with actual full wages. I can’t remember the last time I personally saw a Marine save anyone. All I’ve seen since becoming a pirate… is us, the Straw Hat crew, cleaning up your messes while you lot sit on your asses stepping on whoever you want just to keep your power.”

Saturn’s nostrils flared, his knuckles whitening on the head of his cane as he barked back immediately.“ You know nothing Boy, of the navy or the celestial dragons! The World Government has made it its top priority to protect the world. We maintain order and the seas from falling into chaos.”

But even as he spoke, the words rang hollow in the air.

The jury’s eyes flicked toward one another nervously, doubt gnawing at the edges of their fear.

“Really?” Zoro cut in, right through Saturn’s speech like a blade through rope. He leaned forward, his chain links groaning, his eye gleaming sharp.

“One of your precious Celestial Dragons tried to shoot me dead in the street,” Zoro said slowly, voice laced with venom, “for shits and giggles.”

The room exploded.

A storm of gasps. Hands covering mouths. Disbelieving shouts. Even the jurors recoiled, limbs rigid.

Whispers spilling over one another.

 “A Celestial Dragon?!”

 “Tried to shoot him?”

“And when my captain knocked that bastard out cold,” Zoro continued, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade, “the Government tried to kill us all in retaliation with a buster call. Plenty of innocent people were in that area who could’ve been killed!”

The entire courtroom convulsed with shock.

A woman in the gallery covered her mouth, shaking.

 A guard whispered, “No… that can’t be—” before being elbowed silent.

CRACK!

Saturn slammed his cane so hard the bench shuddered.

“That is absurd!” Saturn thundered, his voice shaking the lamps on the walls. “The Celestial Dragon in question reported he was assaulted by your captain! It is our sacred duty to protect them. They are the chosen blood of this world! And as the Government, it is our job to defend them!”

The jury nodded weakly, but their eyes betrayed unease. 

The gallery muttered louder, the image of an untouchable aristocrat shooting at pirates for amusement gnawing at their thoughts.

Zoro rolled his eye and snorted mockingly. “More like it’s your job to protect them while they walk all over everyone around them.” His tone dripped with contempt. “While the World Government props them up, tears the world apart, and lets people suffer.”

He raised his shackled wrists slightly,“And who’s left cleaning up your messes?”

His eye burned, his voice steady, unshakable. “The Straw Hats. My crew. The people you call villains are the ones actually saving the world while you hide behind your excuses.” 

A few guards lowered their rifles subconsciously.

“Those islands you claim we destroyed?” Zoro went on,“Every single one was already enslaved, terrorized, or crushed by world nobles, tyrants, or pirates hiding behind your coat of protection.”

Another wave of gasps erupted. 

Zoro leaned in forward causing some of the navy soldiers to flinch thinking he was going to do something, his voice sharpened like the edge of Wado Ichimonji,“And you did nothing but watch.”

The chains groaned as Zoro leaned forward, his voice suddenly cutting through the murmurs like a blade through silk,“You two-faced bastards can say whatever you want  to the public, to the jury, to the people in this room. But me, along with everyone else across the seas, know the truth.”

Gasps rippled through the gallery. A few jurors froze in their seats, wide-eyed, their quills scratching to a halt on their notes.

The courtroom was breaking under the weight of truth it wasn’t meant to hold.

Zoro’s eye burned, sharp as steel. His tone was low, dangerous, but each word carried,“The truth is none of you give a shit about justice, or safety, or even stopping the pirates that actually hurt people.” 

He shifted his weight forward, the chains biting into his wrists, rattling like steel fangs,“You sit high in your towers, hidden, protected, and untouchable while the rest of us walk through the hell you helped create.”

The gallery erupted into whispers, louder than before.

Some faces flushed with anger, others with fear. 

A few dared to nod faintly, though they quickly stopped when they noticed Saturn’s eye scanning the crowd.

Zoro tilted his head back slightly, raising his voice so every corner of the courtroom could hear,“All those supposed crimes you just read? Horseshit, you know it. I know it. And whether they admit it or not,  everyone in this courtroom knows it.”

The lawyer beside him nearly fell out of his chair, his pale face turning toward Zoro as if begging him to stop.

 The guards tightened their grips on their rifles, beads of sweat rolling down their temples.

Saturn’s cane CRACKED against the bench so violently that dust drifted from the rafters but even the thunderous strike couldn’t drown out the echo of Zoro’s accusations, still ricocheting off the walls like ricocheting cannonfire.

The gallery wouldn’t settle over what the swordsman just said.

“He’s lying—” “Is he?” “I heard about Alabasta… the World Government did nothing—” “Hush! Don’t say that out loud!”

The jurors shifted in unease. 

A mother in the third row clamped a hand over her child’s mouth.

An elderly shipwright stared at the floor, face pale as wood ash.

A young woman in the second row bit her lip until it bled, eyes darting between Zoro and Saturn like she was watching two storms collide.

Zoro leaned back in his chair, chains rattling as he exhaled slowly through his nose, like a man bored of a sermon.

His voice steadied, colder now, his tone almost dismissive,“Maybe you’ll convince people to call me a monster of a pirate and they may even believe your propaganda.”

His eye narrowed into a glare that locked straight onto Saturn,“But one day, even if it isn’t because of me, someone’s gonna cut through your lies. Just like my captain cut down that bastard, Kaido.”

A silence fell so heavy it seemed to dim the lanternlight.

No one dared to so much as breathe until either one of them said so.

For the first time since he walked into this courtroom, Saturn’s composure began to fracture.

 His jaw clenched, the scar across his face twitching as his cane shook in his grip.

His voice rumbled, lower than before, but it carried the venom of a cornered beast,“You dare…” He hissed as he rose slightly from his seat, dreadlocks shifting like living shadows,“...You dare stand in the presence of the World Government and claim we are the villains?”

His eye burned with barely contained fury,““You are a pirate. A murderer. A creature who walks hand-in-hand with chaos. And you have the audacity to lecture this court on truth?”

His cane slammed again, the sound echoing like thunder,“You have no truth. You have only blood. Your legacy is dishonor and death. History will remember you as nothing more than an ant beneath my boot!”

Zoro smirked, because now he knew his plan was working.

Saturn was rattled.

The courtroom was stirred.

The guards were distracted.

And Zoro could already see the black case holding his swords, all he had to do was keep pressing.

That way he could go and grab his swords with ease from that case they have them inAnd catch everyone off guard before they could have a chance to stop him.

These bunch of idiots were dumb enough to even bring it to the same court room he was in.

Zoro turned his eye toward the jury, then to the gallery, sweeping across them with the confidence of a predator surveying trembling prey,“You see the difference between me and them?”

He jerked his chin toward Saturn,“I don’t hide behind titles. I don’t waste my time pretending to be something I’m not. I’m a swordsman and pirate. Everything I am is right in front of you on full display, so what ya see is what ya get.”

 “But these guys?” He jerked his chin toward Saturn. “They’re killers hiding behind a horseshit flag.”

A woman gasped loud enough to echo.

A man stood halfway up, pointing as if to accuse Zoro of blasphemy, but Zoro’s eye locked on his, and the man sat back down immediately, trembling.

Saturn leaned forward, dreadlocks cascading over his shoulders like a lion’s mane. 

His scar gleamed like a brand, and the carved cane shook with how tightly he gripped it.

“Hm, mm…” Saturn hummed, voice low and cutting. “And here I had you Straw Hats pegged for nothing but a group of fools. It seems I was mistaken.”

He rose slightly from his seat, his looming presence suddenly oppressive. “However…” His single eye burned, the scar across his face twisting with his sneer. “It appears all of you, the defendant, the jury, and the commoners gathered here are under a misconception..”

He leaned forward, eyes blazing, voice dropping into a tone so cold it made the guards stiffen.

His voice dropped to a cold whisper that carried through the silent chamber like smoke,”Do you honestly think the World Government would ever view pirates like you as protectors or anything but vermin?”

A ripple of tension swept through the courtroom.

Even the air seemed to thicken.

Zoro’s single eye narrowed, muscles tightening subtly beneath the chains.

Saturn stepped forward, voice rising,“This may come as a surprise to you, swordsman, but you, these people, and  the entire world outside this room?”

His lips peeled into a chilling grin,“You are nothing but playthings to us.”

Saturn spread his arms slightly, as though revealing an undeniable truth,“We, the Celestial Dragons, do with you what we please both how we want and when we want.”

He chuckled, the sound dripping with cruelty,“You may think your little speeches hold weight. That your little empty ideals matter.”

His voice intensified, hammering into every corner of the room,“But let me clarify something for you, Roronoa Zoro, NONE of it matters.”

He leaned forward until his shadow draped over Zoro like a shroud,“What you do. What your captain does. What any pirate dreams of accomplishing.”

He raised his cane,“We rule the world.”

The cane slammed into the floor.

CRACK!

Lantern flames wavered from the sheer force.

“And no number of toppled tyrants will ever change that. Pirates are outcasts. Filth. Meant to be beheaded where they stand”, he continued.

And The Celestial Dragon wasn’t done.

He inhaled slowly, making sure he was still somewhat composed, then exhaled venom,“To be entirely honest, this entire charade exists for one reason: to capture your captain.”

He then points his finger right at the vice captain,“You, swordsman… are a pawn.”

He leaned in, single eye gleaming with malice, “And when the time comes… I will have your head on a silver platter. That is how easily I wipe out a life.”

The gallery recoiled, horror flashing across once-doubtful faces.

Even the Marines exchanged nervous glances.

Then Saturn rose to his full imposing height, his voice booming,"In this world, I decide who lives and who dies. I am the god you pray to, even if you don’t know it. I am the highest authority in both body and mind. I command the Navy. I shape nations. I dictate fate.”

He pointed the cane downward like a judgment, “You pitiful commoners exist only to serve us Celestial Dragons. You are dogs and we are your leashes.”

The room held its breath for an excruciatingly long time before he finally continued.

Saturn finished with a sneer so cruel it chilled the marrow, “No amount of twisted words will ever change that.”

The room went cold.

Not metaphorically or rhetorically or poetically or theoretically or in any other fancy way, it was genuinely cold, as if the very air had thinned in the wake of Saturn’s declaration of supremacy. 

The temperature dropped enough for the gallery to pull their shawls and sleeves tighter.

The jurors sat rigid, hands trembling over parchment. 

Their pens hovered uselessly above ink pots. 

No one knew what to write anymore. 

No one knew if they were even supposed to.

The gallery’s murmurs rose like a nervous tide:

“He… he said it openly.”

“He thinks he’s a god.”

“Are the Celestial Dragons really like that?”

“I always heard rumors, but—”

“Shh! You’ll be killed!”

It was obvious, painfully, horrifyingly obvious that no one in this courtroom agreed with Saturn’s words.

Not the civilians.

Not the lower-ranking Marines.

Not even most of the jury.

But what could they do?

This was the world.

This was the power above all other powers.

 This was the face behind the World Government, cruelty with a crown.

And at the center of it all, the only one speaking fearlessly was the man in chains.

And here, at the center of it, the only person with enough spine to speak against it was the chained swordsman.

He leaned back in his seat, chains clinking casually, like this was a tavern dispute and not a supernatural politician admitting he viewed the world as cattle.

Truthfully?

Zoro had expected this shit, he could bet on it.

He’d seen enough of Celestial Dragons to know what came out of their mouths before they even opened them.

Nothing Saturn said shocked him in the tiniest bit.

Now Zoro could have gotten angry and upset over it, but he still had a plan to try to get out of there, and there was nothing in this world that could provoke him enough to mess that up.

Zoro leaned back, chains clinking in lazy percussion. “You’re right,” he said so calmly that it sounded obscene in the charged silence. 

The single sentence landed like a verdict of its own.

The words dropped into the silence like a cannonball.

Heads snapped toward him so fast a ripple of motion swept through the benches.

Even Saturn’s practiced face blinked, the elder’s composure cracking for the faintest fraction of a second. 

For a fraction of a second, disbelief flickered across the Elder’s face.

The old man grew colder beneath that flash of surprise, but he did not lose control, well not yet anyway.

Zoro pushed out another breath and continued, voice low, sardonic,“There’s no point in me trying to plead my case. Since the second I walked into this room, you’d already decided what I am.”

He glanced lazily at the gallery,“Who I’m supposed to be. Where I stand in your perfect little world.”

He rolled his shoulders, chains rattling with a dull metallic groan,“There’s no point fighting that.”

A woman in the front row inhaled sharply, clutching a rosary until her fingers turned bone-white.

Zoro’s visible eye drifted to the briefcase beside the clerk’s desk, humming faintly with the presence of Wado, Kitetsu, and Enma, and back to Saturn, the grin at the corner of his mouth slowly curdling into something sharper,“So if a murderer is what you think I am… I shouldn’t have any problem going along with it. If that’s the version of me you want, I’ll play along.”

He let the implication hang, and then with a casualness that sent a fresh wave of panic through the courtroom he said, very plainly, “You know what? Since we’re on the subject, how about we do this—?”

A few Marines flinched automatically.

“I could reach for a sword in that case. The guy guarding it keeps it real close, almost like he thinks it makes him safe, should be easy enough to get it from.” He flicked his chin once with the faintest gesture.

 “Take one of my swords out and decapitate the piece of—”He cut himself off with a bored, short laugh, letting the sentence die in the imagination of every horrified soul in the room.

People rose from their seats in panic.

Mothers shielded their children.

A chair toppled when one of the jurors hopped up from his seat in a reflexive state..

A clerk’s quill dropped and skittered across the floor.

Guards screamed orders but tripped over each other trying to aim rifles they weren’t brave enough to fire.

Saturn’s cane slammed down with the might of a God.

CRACK! 

The sound was enough to settle down the court and get everything back in order, well, mostly.

However despite him trying to maintain some order in the courtroom, even Saturn was surprised.

He had expected defiance.

But to agree with him and turn his own logic into ammunition to boldly imply an imminent assassination in his presence?

That wasn't exactly something he was fully expecting, if at all, really.

Seriously, these pirates nowadays were starting to make him more curious by the second. 

He could only wonder what the Straw hat captain was like.

“What have we here?”He tilted his head, dreadlocks shifting like coiled serpents,“Our prisoner has grown some backbone.”

His voice was ice wrapped around a blade,“You feel comfortable enough to threaten my life now do you?”

“Well, I'll have you know, This court will take no tolerance of open disrespect and forced threats. Defendant—” he began, voice thundered, “—do I make myself cle-?”

Zoro interrupted, not with fear but with a bored correction,“Oh no. It’s not a threat, your honor.” 

His tone practically oozed disrespect, “I genuinely, with every fiber of what’s left in me, believe it’s going to happen in the next five minutes.”

Every head snapped toward the courtroom doors.

A murmur swept through like wind in tall grass:

“Five minutes?”

“Something’s coming—”

“Did he mean… someone?”

“What does he know?!”

OK now he was starting to irritate the celestial dragon.

He wasn't about to sit here and allow this blatant threat to go unpunished

Especially from a peasant such as a swordsman.

If he thinks he could come here and begin a joust with a celestial dragon., well, he was in for a rude awakening. 

Saturn leaned forward, face a mask of warning, but beneath it the beads of sweat at his temple glinted like the first sign of a storm. “You will—” he started, furious, then forced the authority back into his tone. “You will not dictate the proceedings here. The authority belongs to me and me alone, and only I will decide if or if not Order will be maintained.”

Zoro’s grin widened faintly.

He had him right where he wanted him.

Zoro only let out a lazy snort. “You can tell them that, if you want. But it doesn’t feel very… enforced upon me.”

He shrugged, the movement small but deliberate enough that the chains protested. “I’m nothing but a filthy pirate, remember? Your rules don’t apply to me.”

Zoro went on, the grin widening into something dangerously playful,“All I can do is tell you that something crazy is going to happen.”

His voice dropped to a cold murmur that carried to every corner of the room,“And when it does, this room is going to erupt.”

He ticked off predictions like they were mundane facts,”This isn't just any type of crazy event either, it's a type that'll cause disorder and disarray within this entire room. People will scream their asses off. Guards will panic before pissing themselves. And the next thing you know—”

He nodded toward the judge’s bench,“I’ll be standing right where you are, mall my Chains will be snapped like twigs, ill have my swords, all three of them, from that convenient case right there—”

Two guards jerked backward instinctively.

“And i’ll have one blade…”, He raised his hand as far as the shackles allowed, mimicking the movement,“…right up against your throat...”

Zoro finished with the softest, deadliest line yet,“....ready to gut you like a fish.”

The courtroom had gone so still after Zoro’s prediction that the air felt tight enough to tear.

Every breath, every shifting coat, every small tremor of a juror’s hand sounded like a drumbeat against the suffocating silence.

Even the ceiling fans seemed to turn more slowly, as if the machinery itself feared provoking the swordsman.

Zoro sat there unbothered, eye half-lidded, waiting.

The Elder leaned back in his chair, posture straightening in one fluid, practiced motion. 

His face was a mask of polished marble, the faintest twitch in his lips the only crack in the veneer.

He let the panic marinate.

Fear was the language the World Government had spoken for centuries.

And Zoro had spoken it fluently.

He'll give it to the young swordsman he could make quite a threat sound intimidating to the normal person.

But Saturn wasn't a normal person.

That's where his first mistake was. 

He intended to speak louder.

Saturn casually leaned forward, interlocking his fingers on top of his cane, staring down at the swordsman,“Well now… isn’t that a peculiar vision you have?”

His voice rolled through the room like smoke in a sealed chamber.

The Elder Elder began theatrically, mockingly, scanning the room, eyes darting from door to door, looking under his desk, peering down the aisles as though expecting something, anything, to leap out of the shadows.

The gallery watched him with horrified fascination.

Seconds ticked by.

Aaaaannnnndddddd ……….Nothing.

There was absolutely nothing.

Saturn clicked his tongue softly and smiled,“Well… if I didn’t know any better, I’d say that was all just a massive hoax.” 

A few nervous people chuckled, not because it was funny, but because laughing felt safer than silence.

Those same people instantly regretted making a noise.

Saturn continued, voice rising with patronizing grandeur,“I will give you credit, however. Fine wordplay. Very dramatic. Especially the bit about gutting me like a fish.”

Zoro just blinked at him, unimpressed.

Saturn turned to the room with a sweeping gesture, as if presenting an exhibit at a museum,“As you can see, nothing has happened. No chains breaking. No swords drawn. No… unscheduled executions.”

His cane tapped twice sharp, hollow tok! Tok!, a rhythm to reassert control,“We will not be intimidated by a braggart in chains.”

The words ricocheted off the walls, steadying the gallery even as their fear lingered like smoke.

He inhaled, lifting his chin with regal superiority,“Well, as much as I would love to entertain the soon-to-be demise of your little crew, the work of the World Government cannot, and will not be halted because of a pir-”

RUMBLE.

It rolled through the floorboards like a beast turning in its sleep.

Everyone froze.

A few gasps slipped out.

One man in the back whispered, “What was that…?”

A guard tightened his grip on his rifle.

Another rumble, deeper, more insistent, made dust trickle from the beams overhead.

Zoro slowly lifted his gaze toward the ceiling, lips curving, not into a smirk this time, but into the faintest whisper of acknowledgment.

Right on time.

The single syllable of Saturn’s proclamation was cut short by a deep, rolling RUMBLE that slithered up through the foundation of the courthouse like an earthquake whispering laughter.

The courtroom froze as every head turned towards the door

It felt like the world itself had inhaled and refused to exhale.

Saturn’s jaw clenched, the thin veneer of superiority flickered, not gone, but undeniably shaken.

His cane tapped once. Twice.

A precise rhythm, an attempt to reseal control over the room as if he could hammer order back into the planks beneath them.

What the hell was that

He watched the faces around him: jurors with blanching cheeks, guards whose breaths had shortened.

 He saw, too, Zoro’s smirk, small, impossible, and utterly sure and felt the first real prick of irritation.

“Sergeant,” Saturn said, voice carefully level but edged with iron, “your men — step outside and report. Immediately. Find the source of that disturbance and secure the perimeter.”

The sergeant, a broad-backed man who had been the very picture of composure minutes earlier, swallowed and gave the curtest of nods. 

His boots thudded on the planks as he bounded to the doorway, helmet under arm, voice lowered as he barked orders that were already metastasizing into a nervous chorus out in the antechamber,“A-Aye, sir.”

He rushed to the double doors, two guards with him, helmets under their arms. 

Their boots thudded in panicked rhythm as they disappeared into the hallway.

And then—RMMMMMMMBLE.

Worse this time.

 The kind of sound storms made when rolling over the horizon.

The windows rattled.

 Dust drifted from the rafters.

 The entire courthouse groaned as though pushed by invisible hands.

But beneath the rumble… another sound emerged.  

At first faint, distant, like chanting underwater.

And the unmistakable clang of weapons striking wood. And the blaring of horns used only by Water 7’s shipwright guilds.

The gallery began to buzz in terrified confusion.

“What is happening out there?!”

“Could it be pirates? More Marines? Rebels?”

Saturn’s fingers tightened around his cane.

He did not let the panic show, but the tremor travelled up his cane and into the bone in his hand. 

He had felt many dangers in his lifetime, rebellions, mutinies, uprisings, but none of those were this raw, this immediate. 

There's no way this boy could cause this much of a complication for them, could he? 

Moments later, the sergeant reappeared, only this time with a line of Marines crushed behind him, as though they were using their bodies to plug a sinking ship.

His helmet was gone, His hair was wild, His breath came fast and shallow, and his face was pale. He gave Saturn a short bow and reported in a voice that tried to be steady.“Your Excellency— outside— by the southern quay— a crowd, sir. Dozens… then hundreds. They surged in from the docks like a wave. They’ve broken through the perimeter. They’re trying to enter the building. I’ve stationed men to hold the doors but… we won’t last long.”

They've broken through the perimeter.And are trying to enter the building.. I’ve ordered men to hold the doors.But I don't know how long they could hold out.” He swallowed the last words as if they tasted ash.

The courtroom rippled with panic after hearing that.

Saturn felt the edges of his plan, so carefully laid, begin to tremble.

He began to quickly start trying to brainstorm any solutions on how to deal with this.

 Reinforcements? A buster call? A total lockdown?

No. No.No, no, no, no, no. 

He couldn’t escalate too quickly, not unless he wanted everything to transform into chaos.

He forced his shoulders to relax, his jaw to unclench,“Arrest and capture any individual who enters. Anyone who trespasses is to be subdued immediately. Get this situation under control.”

The sergeant saluted again and rushed back out.

Zoro watched all of this unmoving, his chain links producing a deliberate, slow rhythm. 

He knew each tremor of the planks under his boots like a map. 

He knew it all too well who was probably leading this little party. 

At that Saturn’s face, so carefully composed, tightened for an instant into something sharper than anger: recognition. He swallowed the look and spoke to the gallery instead of to the sergeant. “Remain civilized and keep this court under control! Figure out what's going on outside and Oh, contain it immediately!”

But his command was drowned beneath the rising roar outside.

BOOM.

BOOM.

BOOM.

Like the fists of giants pounding the courthouse walls.

The sergeant returned again, breathless.“There are flags,” he reported. “The Straw Hat flag, sir. They’re armed. And they’re tearing through our men like a tidal wave.”

Saturn’s cool reserve almost snapped, but he held it as he thought.This plan was starting.

Outside, the noises intensified as boots hammering like war drums, the metallic scream of rope pulleys and grappling hooks being thrown.

He had to figure out a way to capture this boy before he became a nuisance, but that wasn't going to help him if he didn't know where he was coming from. 

It didn't take long until suddenly.There was a bang outside the court room door. They had already broken through the perimeter, entered the building and were now trying to break the door down.

Saturn felt that heat. He felt his plans fold and re-form under the pressure. 

Saturn’s composure began to waver for the briefest moment.

Zoro noticed this and his smirk grew,“Sounds like your schedule’s getting a little crowded.”

Saturn ignored him, though his grip on the cane tightened until his knuckles strained white.

His mind raced as he tried to figure out any way to get this situation bac- 

BOOM

And a huge brawl began.

A slam struck the courtroom door so violently that dust rained from the ceiling beams.

Guards jumped back,”“They’re ramming the door!”

The gallery surged away from the entrance like a wave recoiling from the shore.

Two jurors screamed,“Brace it! BRACE IT!”

Several men threw their bodies against the wood, stacking benches, chairs, anything they could find.

Their boots scraped across the floorAs they were trying with all of their might to keep that door closed.

Their grunts mixed with the roaring chaos on the other sideAs the much larger.Kraut was.Managing to push through their defense. 

Saturn rose slightly from his seat, cloak shifting like a shadow, heat simmered under his skin.

This is not how this trial is meant to go at all. 

And there would only be for so long until that door finally started to-

BOOM. CRACK. BOOM.

The hinges strained as splinters shot across the floor.

The gallery was losing their minds. 

“They’re coming inside!”

“Protect us—someone—!”

But unfortunately the Marines were already losing their footing.  

The barricade shuddered as benches scraped forward an inch… two… three…

Saturn felt his plan fold, like paper crushed beneath a boot.

People weren’t listening.

The room was dissolving into panic.

Order, his order, was slipping beyond reach.

He opened his mouth to command the evacuation—

But the door exploded before the words even formed.

KRAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!

The double doors blasted inward with the force of a cannonball as Wood shattered and Metal hinges tore free and spun across the floor like deadly shrapnel.

The front line of Marines flew backward, crashing into desks and the jury benches.

Ink pots burst and Scrolls scattered.

 A cloud of dust, smoke, and splinters swallowed the room.

Through it came Water 7.

Not the tourists or gentle civilians of midday commerce but the shipwrights, the dock workers, the carpenters, the fighters, and the loyalists who hadSupported the Straw Hats in their fight in Marine Ford years ago and lived to spit at the World Government for it.

They surged into the courtroom like a tidal force.

Boat hooks raised like spears, Wrenches and mallets brandished as war hammers, Ship chains swung like flails, Smithing tongs clamped like iron jaws, Sailmakers wielding needles longer than forearms, and Carpenters holding sharpened planks like greatswords. 

And leading them were the loudest shouts:

“FREE THE KING OF HELL!!!” “ZORO!! ZORO!! ZORO!!” “STRAW HAT ALLIES—FOR WATER 7!!!”

Marines scrambled backward, weapons up but hands trembling, trying their best to get some distance away from the civilians in order to avoid being overwhelmed.

Unfortunately, that plan would fail as the civilians had no intention of soldiers in edge over them or their numbers.

It didn't take long for them to make their way inside the courtroom, turning it into complete chaos as a wild brawl erupted immediately.

A shipwright slammed a guard through a bench after running up to him and picking him up..

A sailor cracked a mallet against a Marine’s helmet.

A carpenter hurled a tool chest like a battering ram.

A woman from Dock 3 bashed a guard over the head with a bucket of nails.

A masked figure swung through the broken frame of the door on a rope, kicking two Marines square in the jaw.

And at the front, a massive Galley-La foreman smashed a guard aside with a timber beam and roared,“YOU DON’T TOUCH OUR HEROES!!”

Behind him another man shouted,“FREE ZORO!! THE STRAW HATS SAVED ROBIN! THEY SAVED US ALL!!”

Another voice,“WATER 7 STANDS WITH THE STRAW HATS!!”

At this point, it was pretty clear which side the crowd was on. 

The room became a maelstrom of fists, metal, and bodies.

Marines swung rifles like clubs and workers swung tools like war hammers.

It got so bad to the point where a harpoon embedded into the wall inches from Saturn’s head.

The elder ducked using his observation haki, eyes blazing with killing intent,“HOW DARE YOU—!!”

The roar tore from his throat, heavy with authority and fury, but it died halfway as something far more offensive caught his attention.

And it was Zoro, who was just sitting in the middle of a courtroom that had devolved into a riot, but he sat like a king on a ruined throne, watching it all with a lazy, satisfied gleam in his eye.

He snapped his head toward the destruction, rolling his shoulders as if warming up before a sparring match. His grin widened, sharp and knowing, like someone who’d already read the ending to the book everyone else was still panicking through.

“You know,” Zoro said casually, almost conversationally, his voice cutting through the din just enough for Saturn to hear, “I can’t help but say I saw this coming.”

He tapped a finger against his chin, pretending to think it over, then shrugged.

Chains rattled as he cracked his neck, muscles shifting beneath his coat. He glanced down at his right wrist, turning it as if checking an invisible watch,“Well…” he said lightly, lifting his head.

“Guess it’s showtime,"and then he moved.

Thankfully for Zoro, most of the guards that had been stationed around him were already gone, dragged into the chaos at the doors. Only two remained, both shaken, both distracted, both very much unprepared for what came next.

Zoro turned left.

CRACK.

His elbow smashed clean into the first guard’s face.

The guard dropped backward with a wet grunt, collapsing into a heap, clutching his mouth, which was hit in the process.

The second guard reacted too late, panic flashing across his face as he swung his rifle like a club.

Zoro ducked effortlessly, the movement smooth and economical, and drove his elbow straight into the man’s stomach.

The guard folded instantly, air blasting from his lungs in a choked wheeze as he clutched his stomach.

Zoro then grabbed him by the collar, pivoted once, and threw him bodily over the defense table, sending wood and parchment exploding outward as the man crashed to the floor.

Then, with an almost effortless pullSome of his might, snapping the chains away like old rope.

Metal screamed, cuffs split, iron rings skittered and bounced across the floor. 

Zoro straightened as the last restraint fell away, rolling his wrists, flexing his fingers.

Oh yeah.

That felt good.

He stretched his arms, rolled his shoulders, worked the stiffness out of his neck with a satisfied grunt. 

Whoever had restrained him had at least had the decency not to overtighten them, “small mercies” he guessed.

A guard nearby saw it happen and screamed, voice cracking with terror,“OH NO—HE’S FREE!!”

Panic rippled through the Marines like a disease, as heads snapped toward him with eyes widened. 

How could they not panic?

Roronoa Zoro…… The King of Hell….. Straw Hat Luffy’s right hand……..

Was now loose in the middle of a riot.

Zoro didn’t even spare them a glance.

His eye was locked on something far more important.

The black briefcase.

Two paces beyond a fallen clerk, lying on its side near another overturned table that had his swords inside it.

Wado. Kitetsu. Enma.

He could almost feel them calling to him, that familiar weight humming in his bones.

The guard who’d been carrying the case had dropped it in the chaos, abandoning it to try and stem the tide at the doors.

Now it sat there unprotected ripe for the taking.

All Zoro had to do was reach it.

Unfortunately, the guards realized that too.

“GET HIM!” someone howled near Saturn’s bench.

Rifles snapped up as fingers tightened on triggers.

Zoro’s instincts flared, his Observation Haki painted the future in brief, brutal flashes.

Before the first shot could fire, Zoro kicked the table in front of him upward, flipping it vertically just as bullets tore through the air.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Lead bit deep as the table shuddered under the impact as Zoro ducked behind it.

“Keep firing!” a guard shouted, “Don’t give him time to move!”

They fired again though unfortunately they were too slow for the swordsmen..

Because behind the table, Zoro wasn’t hiding.

He grabbed three of the thick, solid wooden legs of the table, which weren’t flimsy sticks, but dense, reinforced beams, and snapped them off one by one with brutal efficiency.

He spun two into his hands and slid the third into his mouth.

The guards edged closer, heartbeats pounding, rifles raised, hoping he’d been pinned down.

Which unfortunately was a huge mistake on their end.

Zoro kicked the table outward, sending it crashing into them like a battering ram.

Guards toppled over each other, bodies slamming into the floor like scattered pins.

Zoro burst forward as he leapt, landing heel-first on one guard’s face, smashing him flat before pivoting mid-motion.

A second guard rushed him but Zoro swung a chair leg straight into the man’s gut, the impact folding him in half.

Another came from behind and Zoro turned and cracked the wooden leg across his skull, dropping him instantly.

A third charged head-on and Zoro brought the leg down like a hammer, BOOM, smashing the man into the floor.

He flowed through them.

A sweep kick sent two guards skidding across the floor into a pile of shattered benches.

One swung a rifle but Zoro caught the arm, locked it, smashed the man’s face with the chair leg, and threw him like trash into a heap of bodies.

A gunshot rang out and a bullet hissed past Zoro’s ear.

He ducked without thinking, already knowing where it came from.

He looked up And saw that one of the guards had his rifle pointed at him from a distance. 

Before the man could fire again, Zoro threw one of the chair legs.

It smashed into the guard’s face with a dull THUNK, bounced off, and—

Zoro caught it mid-run.

He closed the distance in two strides and knocked the guard flat with the remaining leg.

His attention locked on the black briefcase two paces beyond the nearest fallen clerk, the promise of cold steel and remembered weight right in his grasp. 

And he was gonna make it there no matter what.

Saturn’s panic didn’t show at first.

Not the way it would on a lesser man, scrambling backward from the bench. 

Saturn had lived too long, crushed too many rebellions, watched too many “impossible” threats die choking on their own pride.

But panic still found him.

It crept in through the smallest cracks with the twitch at the corner of his mouth, the way his knuckles whitened around his cane, the fraction of a breath he took too sharply when Zoro’s path lined up perfectly with the fallen briefcase.

His gaze snapped from the overturned benches to the black case lying like a gift on the floor.

Then back to Zoro.

He’s going for the swords.

And he’s going to get them, unless—

Saturn’s worry curdled into something heavier, sharper.

 He rose from the judge’s seat with a calm that didn’t match the chaos, his silhouette unfolding like a guillotine being lifted into place. 

The cane in his hand was no longer a symbol of office.

It was a weapon.

He lifted it once and slammed it into the floor.

The sound itself was ordinary, wood and iron striking wood,  but what followed wasn’t.

A pressure swept through the chamber like an invisible tide turning violent. 

It didn’t come as a gust or a wave so much as a presence, a dominance that rolled outward from Saturn in an instant and filled every corner of the courtroom, pinning the air itself to the walls.

Conversations died mid-syllable as shouts strangled into silence.

A guard near the door froze so hard his rifle slipped from his hands and clattered to the floor with a metallic clang that echoed like a funeral bell.

Then a room full of knees buckled.

One Marine’s eyes rolled back as if someone had yanked the strings holding him upright, he collapsed face-first onto the planks.

A civilian woman staggered, tried to grab the bench, missed, and slid down into an unconscious heap, her flag slipping from her fingers like it had suddenly weighed a thousand pounds.

Two more guards dropped and a juror’s quill slipped from numb fingers, scratching a dark line across parchment before it fell.

 Ink pooled and bled like a wound all over.

Bodies began to fall in waves, Marines, townsfolk, and clerks started toppling into each other, slumping over benches, crumpling beside overturned tables.

The entire riot ended with a thud like a battlefield going quiet after the last cannon fires.

For a heartbeat the only sounds left were the soft creak of settling wood, the faint hiss of candles, and the slow, controlled tapping of Saturn’s cane as it lifted an inch from the floor again.

Saturn exhaled through his nose and in that sudden emptiness, he finally looked satisfied.

Until—

Zoro’s boots scraped forward half a step, staying upright.

The pressure hit him too, he’d felt it bloom the moment the cane struck—but instead of breaking him, it merely tested him. His jaw tightened. The muscles in his neck flexed. His shoulders lifted as if he were taking on a heavier weight.

And then something answered.

A second presence flared up in the room, different, but just as real, like a second storm front colliding with the first.

The air between them crackled with tension so sharp it felt like it could slice skin.

Candles guttered papers on the clerk’s desk shivered, edges lifting, then slapping down again as if the room itself were breathing too hard.

Saturn’s eyes narrowed as Zoro’s visible eye sharpened.

Two wills pressed against each other with raw certainty.

For a long moment, the courtroom wasn’t a courtroom anymore.

It was a cage, inside it stood two predators, measuring which one would make the other blink first.

This was the power of SUPREME KING HAKI.

Saturn’s lips curled, not quite a smile, not quite a snarl.

“Well,” he murmured, voice low now, no longer speaking for an audience, because the audience had become a sea of unconscious bodies, “So it’s true.”

He tilted his head, studying Zoro the way a collector studies a rare blade, “It seems the stories about you Straw Hats… aren’t just exaggerated drunken sailor gossip as I originally presumed.”

Zoro let out a breath through his nose, a smirk tugged at his mouth, but it wasn’t lazy anymore,“Yeah,” Zoro said, voice rough around the edges from exertion and adrenaline as he removed the table leg from his mouth. “Kinda happens when your crew beats an emperor of the sea.”

Saturn’s eyes flicked, quick as a blade-draw, around the room, then back to Zoro.

“Well.Was not expecting your captain to put on quite a show for us this afternoon.,” Saturn said. His tone was almost conversational—like they were discussing a game board, not a massacre of morale scattered across the floor, “You should be proud.”

Zoro’s gaze drifted to the case too.

It was right there, close enough to touch.

The latch glinted in the candlelight like a promise.

Zoro’s fingers flexed once at his side, an unconscious itch for steel.

Then his eye returned to Saturn.

“Yeah, well. That unpredictable nature of his…….,” Zoro said, and there was something cold in his voice now, something that promised violence without needing to shout. “.......has always been a highlight of his personality. Even if it can make him look like a complete idiot sometimes.”

Saturn’s cane tapped once against the floor.

“You seem strained,” Saturn observed, voice smooth as silk wrapped around iron. “Breathing hard. Sweat on your brow. And yet…” his smile sharpened, “still standing.”

Zoro’s grin widened a fraction. “Yaeh, I’m pretty stubborn like that.”

“Yes,” Saturn corrected softly. “It is quite the interesting quality you pirates have..”

It sounded like the cruelest compliment imaginable.

Saturn stood unbowed in his place, the cane still ringing in his hand. 

Staring down at the swordsman, waiting for him to make another move. 

Zoro was doing the same on his end, waiting to see what this old man would pull out of his ass

He looked up at Saturn and saw, reflected in that old man’s narrow eyes, the same fierce, blank measure he’d seen in a blade or in the eye of a charging beast: a king’s presence.

It was a wonder why people were so afraid of him.

Saturn’s voice lowered into something private, something only meant for the one man still conscious enough to hear it.

“Whats wrong, swordsman?” Saturn asked,“You were so adamant about retrieving your weapons.” His chin tipped toward the case. “Well? Go on. Take them.”

Zoro’s eye flicked to the latch again.

Then back to Saturn.

And in that look, the humor shifted into something predatory.

“Oh, I’m getting to it,” Zoro said. His tone was calm, but the calm of a man holding a knife behind his back. “It’s just…” he rolled his neck once,“this little staring contest is more interesting than I thought it’d be.”

Saturn’s mouth curved. “You think this is a contest?”

Zoro’s grin widened just enough to show teeth. “Don’t you?”

There it was, an almost playful insult buried under the threat. 

Zoro’s gaze swept Saturn’s face, then lingered just a little too long on the elder’s eyes,“…But if I’m being honest,” Zoro added, voice dry, “you might have an advantage.”

Saturn’s smile thinned. “An advantage?”

Zoro tilted his head. “Yeah. You’ve got both your eyes.”

For a half-second the air sharpened again.

Then, unexpectedly, Saturn gave a low chuckle like the sound of a blade being drawn halfway from its sheath.

“Pirate humor,” Saturn murmured, “I would call it pathetic.”

Zoro’s shrug was lazy, but his stance wasn’t. “Call it whatever you want.”

Saturn stared down at him from the judge's seat, The environment felt like the edge of a cliff.

“You have been entertaining,” Saturn said, voice smooth, almost polite, “But unfortunately… you cannot be allowed to leave this courtroom alive.”

Zoro’s reply came instantly, a humorless snort,“Aw,” he said flatly. “That sucks.”

He glanced toward the briefcase again, then back at Saturn, eyes hard,“Just when we were starting to enjoy each other’s company.”

The sarcasm was so thick it could’ve been cut with one of his swords.

Both of them understood what came next.

Neither moved, they stood in a courtroom filled with unconscious witnesses, surrounded by the wreckage of Saturn’s perfect plan.

His cane hovered slightly off the floor, poised like the first strike of a bell.

Zoro’s hands Tightened around the Table legs, cautious enough to dare Saturn to react first.

Silence hung between them like a held breath, two wills facing one another over a black case, when a sound cut through the hush and the static of a thousand dropped voices.

Zoro stood near the black case like a wolf at the edge of a trap, shoulders rising and falling in slow, controlled breaths.

Sweat gathered at his hairline and slid down the side of his face, catching on the scar that sealed his left eye.

His fingers hovered, just a few inches away from the latch, close enough to feel the promise inside without touching it.

Across from him, Jaygarcia Saturn remained upright, uncollapsed, unshaken—at least on the surface. 

His cane was planted into the floor like a spear, and the iron cap at its tip had bitten into the planks hard enough to leave a small, spiderweb crack. 

His hat shadowed most of his expression, but his single visible eye watched Zoro with the patient cruelty of an executioner who enjoyed the pause before the drop.

For a breath, neither moved.

Then the hush broke.

With…….. laughter?

At first it was faint, so faint it almost sounded like a hallucination left behind by the clash. 

A single ripple of sound drifting down the corridor like a misplaced note at a funeral. 

It didn’t belong in a courtroom or anywhere near a Five Elder.

Saturn’s brow creased.

 The muscles in his jaw tightened, then loosened, as if his face couldn’t decide whether to sneer or listen. 

He turned his head slightly, angling his ear toward the sound like he was trying to catch a whisper behind a wall.

Zoro’s expression changed into relief, realizing who this was. 

The corner of his mouth tugged upward, small and sharp, “Tch,” he murmured, voice barely above a breath. “Took him long enough.”

The laughter came again, clearer now, rolling closer, it carried with it the damp salt scent of Water 7’s canals, the groan of dock wood, the muffled chaos of bodies moving in the hallway beyond. 

It didn't sound like desperation.

It sounded like someone was having fun.

Saturn’s eye narrowed. 

For the first time, his control didn’t feel like a wall, it felt like a pane of glass with a crack running through it.

He looked to the courtroom doors.

Then back to Zoro.

Then back to the doors again.

The laughter swelled, then abruptly—

Stopped.

A clean, unnatural cutoff. Like the world inhaled and refused to exhale.

Even Zoro’s smile thinned, not in doubt, but in anticipation, like he recognized the timing of a punch before it landed.

A heartbeat passed.

Then—

BOOM.

The doors burst inward so violently that the brass fittings screamed. Splintered wood snapped off the hinges and skittered across the floor like thrown knives. Dust billowed in a thick, rolling wave, swallowing the doorway and turning the air into a smoky veil.

And through that smoke, a figure dropped from above.

Falling in like a cannonball.

Feet hit the floor with a heavy THUD, boards flexing under the impact. 

Dust burst upward in a ring around him. 

For a fraction of a second, the outline was all anyone could see: shoulders squared, stance wide, head lowered.

Then the laughter returned, full-volume, echoing off the courtroom’s wooden ribs,“SHISHISHISHI—!!”

Zoro’s grin widened like he’d been waiting to hear that sound for hours.

Saturn’s eye sharpened into something colder than anger. 

It was the sudden, sickening confirmation that the plan had worked too well.

The dust began to settle.

And there he was.

Emperor of the Sea Straw Hat Captain: Monkey D. Luffy.

He wasn’t the scrawny, reckless kid the world remembered from old posters, the one who looked like trouble wrapped in a grin. Two years had carved him into something harder. He stood slightly taller now, his body visibly more muscular, not bulky but honed, thicker neck, broader shoulders, stronger arms. His chest was more defined, and right across it, unmistakable even through the haze, was the X-shaped scar, a brutal, permanent reminder of Marineford that looked like it had been carved into him by fire.

His outfit was familiar, but changed in a way that felt like a warning.

The straw hat was still his, worn and beloved, its brim slightly bent like it had survived a hundred storms. He wore an open, red three-quarter-sleeved cardigan with gold buttons, hanging loose to expose his scarred chest. Light blue shorts sat low on his hips, and a yellow sash was tied at his waist, the tail of it hanging off his left side like a banner. His sandals scraped softly against the floor as he shifted his weight.

He reached up, slow and deliberate, and set his straw hat properly on his head.

The motion was so calm it felt violent.

When Luffy lifted his face, the smile was gone.

His eyes locked onto Saturn.

And the air changed.

It wasn’t just anger, it was something denser, hotter.

Veins stood out against his temple and forehead. 

His jaw was set. 

His posture looked relaxed at first glance, but Zoro knew better. 

It was the stance of someone who could explode forward at any second.

Saturn, Jaygarcia Saturn, one of the highest authorities alive, felt his throat tighten in a way that annoyed him more than fear ever could.

Because he had seen that look before.

In men who didn’t care who they were standing in front of.

In men who only cared who was in their way.

For a moment, the courtroom was nothing but the three of them: the elder, the swordsman, and the captain.

Saturn’s cane creaked slightly as his grip tightened. 

His mind moved like gears.

There he is.

The boy that had been disrupting order since the moment he crawled onto the sea. 

The boy the world had begun to whisper about like a myth. 

The boy who had survived things he shouldn’t have survived and won battles he had no right to win.

Saturn’s lips parted, already forming words, something sharp, something holy, something meant to crush—

And then Luffy’s stare flicked sideways to Zoro.

And in the blink of an eye, that terrifying, murderous seriousness vanished like it had never existed.

A goofy, bright grin spread across Luffy’s face so fast it was almost insulting,“Oh!” he said, like they’d run into each other at a market. “Hey, there you are, Zoro! You okay?!”

Saturn’s expression stalled, caught between disbelief and rage.

Zoro, still breathing a little hard, lifted one hand in a lazy wave like he wasn’t standing in a courtroom full of unconscious bodies and shattered doors,“Hey, Luffy,” he said casually. “Yeah, I’m good. Y’know… another blackout drunk situation.”

Luffy blinked. Then his brow furrowed like he was doing serious math,“Again?” He planted his hands on his hips. “Zoro, that’s like… the third time. Not in a row, but still! How do you get that drunk?!”

Zoro shrugged, chains now gone from his wrists, arms loose at his sides. He nodded toward Luffy’s stomach like he was pointing out an obvious truth of the universe,“I dunno,” Zoro said. “Same way you clear out an entire restaurant. When you’re put in front of a buffet, you can’t just turn away from it.”

Luffy froze.

His face turned thoughtful in the most dramatic way possible, finger going up to his chin as if Zoro had just delivered ancient wisdom.

“Hm…” Luffy hummed, eyes narrowing as he considered it. “That’s… true.”

He nodded to himself, satisfied,“Oh yeah,” Luffy concluded confidently. “Makes sense.”

Zoro’s smirk deepened, like he couldn’t believe that actually worked.

Meanwhile—

While those two were talking. 

Saturn just sat there.

Staring.

Watching the two most wanted pirates in the world casually chat like they were in the Sunny’s kitchen arguing about chores.

His eye twitched.

Not from fear.

From pure, furious disbelief.

They were ignoring him.

Ignoring the Five Elders.

Ignoring the courtroom.

Ignoring the unconscious bodies.

Ignoring the fact that Saturn had just declared himself a god not five minutes ago.

The insult cut deeper than any blade ever could.

How dare this pirate simply ignore him?

Jaygarcia Saturn felt it crawl up his spine like a sickness.

How dare these pirates speak over him, dismiss him,as if he were some dockside drunk shouting nonsense into the wind? As if he were a nameless commoner, another insect scuttling beneath their feet. He was not of this world in the way they were. He was an Elder. A Celestial Dragon. One of the Five who stood closest to Imu themself. A hand that shaped history with a gesture, a voice that ended bloodlines with a word.

He was above them. Above their dreams. Above Joy Boy. Above rebellion, above hope, above consequence.

And he would not be treated like background noise.

Saturn drew in a breath, deep and deliberate, swallowing his fury and letting it ferment into something far more lethal. Authority hardened his spine; menace poured into his veins,“YOU!”

The single word cracked across the ruined courtroom like a whip.

Luffy and Zoro stopped mid-conversation.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, they turned.

Saturn was on his feet now, posture rigid, presence swelling as he let every ounce of his will press outward. 

His coat fluttered despite the still air, the floor beneath him groaning faintly in protest. His eyes burned with fury, veins standing out along his temple as his voice climbed higher, louder, echoing off shattered walls and fallen beams,“WE MEET AT LAST—!!”

He threw his arms wide, as if presenting destiny itself,“MONKEY D. LUFFY!”

The name boomed through the chamber, heavy with years of obsession, fear, and rage.

This was the nuisance, the infection that had spread through the world unchecked.

From East Blue to the New World, from whispers to war, this was the face that had haunted reports, shattered plans, humiliated admirals, and toppled emperors.

Saturn had waited for this.

He had planned for this.

“I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT,” Saturn roared, his voice swelling into a grand, venomous oration, “FOR FAR TOO LONG, TO BE RID OF THE HEADACHE THAT IS YOUR EXISTENCE!”

He pointed a trembling finger at Luffy, accusation and execution wrapped into one gesture,“BY ORDER OF THE WORLD GOVERNMENT, IT WILL BE MY PERSONAL PLEASURE TO WIPE YOU OFF THE FACE OF—”

Yo, Zoro,”The interruption was casual.

Luffy hadn’t even looked at Saturn.

He turned his head slightly toward his vice captain and pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the red-faced Elder like Saturn was a piece of furniture in the way.

“Who’s this old guy?”,The words landed like a slap.

Saturn’s mouth hung open for a fraction of a second, just long enough for disbelief to curdle into pure, unfiltered rage.

Zoro blinked.

Then blinked again.

“Oh… yeah, hold up,”He squinted at Saturn like he was trying to remember where he’d seen him—tilting his head, tapping his fist against his forehead repeatedly as if knocking loose a stubborn memory.

“Fuck… fuck… fuck… come on…” Zoro muttered. “C’mon, old guy, what was your name again?”

He paused.

Then waved it off,“Ah, forget it. Doesn’t matter.”

Saturn’s face flushed a dangerous shade of crimson.

Zoro shrugged and turned back to Luffy, completely dismissing the Elder’s existence.

“Anyway, this dude apparently wants us dead. Made up this whole fake trial and everything just to lure you here. I think,” he added thoughtfully. “I was still kinda hungover through half his speech, so I might be missing details.”

“Ohhh,” Luffy said, nodding like this was fascinating new information.

He turned back toward Saturn, eyes bright with curiosity rather than fear,“Really?”

Saturn was shaking now, not with weakness, but with fury so intense it threatened to tear him apart.

And then Luffy’s face lit up.

“Oooo,” he said, grinning wide as he looked back at Zoro. “Should I send him flying?”

Zoro shrugged.

“Yeah,” he said easily. “Go ahead, Cap.”

The two of them smiled.

Together.

Saturn’s eye twitched.

How—how—was this laughing child supposed to threaten him? 

This boy looked like someone who treated the world like a playground a.

What could he do to him?

The answer came faster than thought.

Luffy bent his knees and jumped.

The air exploded.

Wood cracked under the force of his launch, dust and splinters kicking up as Luffy shot forward, body coiling midair like a spring released. 

His arm snapped backward, stretching, stretching, stretching whipping past the broken doors, past the antechamber, all the way down the corridor in a blur of motion.

The punch came screaming back like a meteor.

Saturn barely had time to register it.

There was no time to dodge. or counter.

Just to feel the impact.

A single, absurd, devastating CRACK as Luffy’s fist smashed into Saturn’s face.

The Elder flew.

For an instant there was no sound but the echo of that impact and the thin rattle of the old man’s body sliding against shattered masonry; the influence of his Conqueror’s Haki ebbed like a receding tide.

His hat went spinning one way. 

His cane went tumbling another.

 His body tore through the judge’s bench like it was paper and punched clean through the far wall, stone and plaster erupting outward in a roaring cloud.

 The sound echoed like a cannon blast across Water 7.

For a heartbeat, the world held still.

Then the dust settled.

Saturn’s presence, his crushing will, his suffocating authority, drained from the room like water from a cracked vessel.

Luffy snapped his arm back with a loud THWAP and landed lightly on his feet.

He planted his hands on his hips, chest rising and falling, that familiar grin plastered across his face.

The trial, the world’s attempt at a quiet, surgical capture, was over in the moment a laughing boy chose to throw a punch.

(End of chapter)

Author’s note: Hello everyone, welcome to the redux of One Piece the movie.

and i know i've been away for a long long long long long time

I know I said I wouldn't, but to be honest, life happens.

Had a few tragedies, a few ups and downs.

And tons of life changing experiences.

For one, I started college.

so as you can see my schedule is a lot more crazier

Just getting this done was a trial of its own.

And so it was a little hard to get these stories out, especially with the stories I have that are in the works that.I will be revealing.In chapter 22.

now obviously some of you guys were probably wondering what was the point of redoing chapter

Well, obviously three years later, looking back on this project, I was left disappointed of how.I rushed its production instead of taking my time and making sure everything was written to top quality.

So knowing that I could do better, especially with all the experiences I had with making the story, I decided that Chapter 1 needed to be a proper introduction to this story and to give it the respect it deserves, I went and added.In a whole bunch of content that should have been in there to begin with.

Something to give you guys.A lot more interested in the story, especially for newcomers I see come and go.Because of how badly the original 1 was poorly written.

Obviously some of the events are changed and better explained.

If it wasn't obvious already to you, this is.A parody project based off of the event of the Super Mario Bros 2023 film, except with One Piece characters Luffy and Zoroin character C instead of mario and luigi

If you guys are new, you'll know that this story is not going to be directly one to one with the original movie.

Similar events will happen in this project.But.The story events will be completely different and how some of those similar events turn out will be different and given much more different dialogue character moments.An overall different story.

And though I hate it, chapters are sometimes going to take long here and there.

I have a lot on my case.Here in the real world.

God of Creativity Studios has currently been going through tons of renovations trying to make this.Thing of ours real.

So I have a few announcements I'm going to be making over the.Remainder of 2025.

All of my public sitesAnd social media will be given the same announcements.

You should get more information on.That in chapter 22 as well.

and i know what you're all thinking

The Super Mario Galaxy movie.

Will that also get a one piece light project?

Well, you'll have to wait for that answer too.

For now, enjoy this remake of Chapter 1. Hope you enjoy 

Chapter 22.Should be.Out within the next couple of days.

It took quite a while, but it's finally almost done.

Chapter 23.will be given a little while before it can be brought out to the public

Enjoy and I'll see you around. 

[godofcreatitivity]

Chapter 1: The man who would be king of the pirates. (Redux)

One Piece The Movie

(the following is a nonprofit fan based parody any characters form one piece is owned by Eiichiro Oda, Toei Animation Co., Ltd., any characters from super Mario are owned by Nintendo, any characters from troll hunters, are owned by DreamWorks and universal

Disclaimer

Some of the characters found in this story and / or universe does not belong to me, but are intellectual property of their respective owners. Any original characters in this story are my intellectual property.

Story nonprofit created fan and fan without compromising the original work.)

Please support the official release

Chapter 1: The man who would be king of the pirates. 

(Ice Kingdom) 

Rising from the heart of a frozen wasteland, the grand citadel glows with a soft, ethereal blue light, as though it were sculpted from solid ice and enchanted by ancient magic. The architecture is vast and majestic, a crystalline fortress composed of numerous domes and towers, each one crowned with frosted caps that shimmer beneath the northern lights that faintly dance across the night sky.

Encircling the citadel are multiple outer towers, spaced like sentinels, each flying a tiny red flag that flutters gently in the snow-laden winds. The walls connecting them are high and thick, constructed from the same luminous ice, and dotted with glowing arches that hint at hidden passages or reinforced gates.

At the center, the main structure rises in layers like a frozen cathedral, the largest dome crowning the peak of this architectural marvel. The entire kingdom gives off a serene but imposing aura, like a sacred fortress untouched by time, preserved in the heart of winter. Snow whips gently across the icy ground, muffling sound and adding to the mysterious, solemn atmosphere of this isolated kingdom, bathed in moonlight and frost.

The wind of the snowy fields blows Bristley as lava pours from a massive airship filled with magma, ready to descend into the ice-covered kingdom. 

Giant spike, bald anchors crash down onto the field as the horrifying airship crashes in front of the entrance of the ice like kingdom. A terrifying fortress suspended in the sky, the floating fire castle looms like a volcanic storm frozen mid-eruption. Hewn from jagged black stone and fiery rock, the structure pulses with seething molten energy, as rivers of lava cascade down its slopes like burning blood. Every edge and tower is sharpened like the teeth of a monster, designed to pierce the heavens and strike fear into anything below.

The central structure is shaped like a massive, mountainous spire, surrounded by flame-belching towers and battlements that glow with an inner heat. From its core flows a constant surge of lava, pouring down like a blazing waterfall and illuminating the haze around it with an ominous red-orange glow. The molten channels carve pathways between dark towers, reinforcing the impression that this is not simply a castle, but a living engine of destruction.

Enveloped in a permanent storm of ash, fire, and smoke, the sky around the castle is darkened, occasionally pierced by lightning or glowing embers. Its underside appears torn from the earth itself floating above the world like an airborne chunk of apocalypse, suspended by some unnatural force or ancient sorcery.

When it moves, it does not drift; it invades. The glowing light it casts is not warm, but suffocating, its presence signaling conquest, ruin, and overwhelming heat. The floating fire castle is more than a fortress; it's a harbinger of annihilation, dragging hell across the sky.

Nearby buildings are crushed and melt to water when the burning kingdom lands on the ground, blithering all within its way. 

The entrances of the lava Kingdom open, standing within a giant horrifying armored soldiers.

Towering, monstrous, and encased in brutal black armor, these warriors embody the essence of living destruction. Their massive, muscular builds are enhanced by thick, jagged plating that looks forged from volcanic rock tough enough to deflect blades and crush bone with ease. Each figure is coated in dark obsidian-like skin, veined with glowing green cracks of energy, like corrupted magma pulsing just beneath the surface.

Their helmets resemble the skulls of ancient beasts, with sharp, angular visors and curved horn-like protrusions, giving them an appearance somewhere between medieval warlords and infernal demons. Beneath the helm, glowing eyes ranging from bright green to eerie yellow pierce through the darkness with unrelenting malice. These glowing slits offer no humanity, only the promise of bloodshed.

Their broad frames are layered with thick armored plates covering the chest, shoulders, and arms, adorned with jagged markings and glowing runes that pulse with a sickly hue. The spiked pauldrons and massive forearm guards suggest they are designed not only for defense but also for overwhelming offense in close combat.

Weapons are almost always clutched in their hands: gigantic spears, serrated axes, and cruel swords, all made for cleaving through defenses and splitting shields in half. Some are seen dragging their weapons behind them, the sheer weight of their arms making even basic movements thunderous.

They move in packs, like a single-minded war machine silent, disciplined, and relentless. These creatures exist only for domination, built to serve a darker master and march across the battlefield with no fear, no hesitation, and no mercy. Their presence alone casts a shadow over hope, and wherever they march, ruin follows.

Then horrifying winged creatures flew from the tops of the castle onto the ground, where the formation was being created. 

The stone skin of trolls can be any color, from black, to purple, and to grays and greens. All trolls have koala-like noses and multiple horns on or around their head. Covering their whole bodies are tattoo-like linings carved on their bodies, which span from their face to their legs. Lots of trolls are large, tall, and bulky, around two to three times the height of a normal human. Trolls are also known to have hair, which is usually styled in eccentric ways, and some trolls have fur that cover some of their body. Lots of trolls also have reptile-like tails, though they don’t seem to serve any purpose.

Group by group they begin to lunch out of the entrances running in multiple formations. They scout the area to make sure there are no further dangers or obstacles that stand in their way as they make their way to the entrance.

Winged creatures ascend from the airship, and make their way to the ground in a steady formation. 

A  terrifying and hideous figure awaits them on the ground holding a staff after stepping out of the portal on the front lines.

Towering and gaunt, this warrior appears as a nightmarish sentinel part troll, part phantom, forged from stone, shadow, and something far older. His physique is thin but powerful, with a broad, armored chest and long, sinewy arms that move with unnerving precision. Despite his lean frame, there’s muscle packed beneath the gray, cracked surface of his skin, skin that resembles weathered stone, broken by visible crevices and fissures glowing faintly with blue gems embedded within, like fractured veins of magical ore.

His head is tall, elongated, and skull-like, evoking the eerie image of something long dead but never truly resting. Two massive horns curl outward from the back of his head, wrapped in tattered fabric, giving him the look of an ancient executioner or cursed war priest. His face is dominated by deep, sunken yellow eyes, their sclera pitch black orbs that glow from within with malevolent intelligence. These eyes can detach and move freely, scouting or surveilling independently like cursed sentries.

A pronounced underbite juts from his lower jaw, revealing jagged fangs that protrude even in silence, while his small, dark nose is barely visible against the carved structure of his face. Around his limbs and feet, vines and roots twist and grow, as if the forest itself has tried and failed to reclaim him. Despite his stone form, he moves with ghostlike speed and precision.

His right shoulder is armored with a pale, bone-colored pauldron, and a leather vambrace wraps tightly around his right forearm, marked by battle and ritual. His left arm remains bare, save for two golden rings circling his wrist, glinting with each movement. Across his chest runs a single leather strap, connecting to a belt at his waist, from which hangs a rugged loincloth and a small pouch likely carrying tools of dark trade or ancient relics of forgotten hunts.

In his hand, he clutches a crooked staff, gnarled and ancient, more a relic than a weapon yet heavy with curse and intent. Every step he takes stirs unease, as if the earth forgets how to breathe in his presence. A hunter, a warrior, a shadow made flesh he exists between death and duty, and the scars of that burden are carved into every inch of his body.

Next to him appears flames, an almost human bird- like figure with their own staff. A towering and enigmatic figure, this being radiates a mystical presence both regal and fearsome. Their skin is ash-gray, smooth yet otherworldly, adorned with Inuit-style tattoos etched like embers across their cheeks and brow. Their face is angular, with high, sculpted cheekbones, and short red hair that curves in a sharp, symmetrical fringe across the forehead. From behind, a thick tail of hair cascades down, tied neatly with a golden ornament, glinting like a relic of ancient nobility.

The eyes when visible glow like molten fire, a piercing reddish-orange that mirrors the flames they command. Normally, however, these eyes remain hidden behind a black blindfold marked with red runes, veiling sight but enhancing mystique. When stepping beyond their dark sanctuary, they wear a bird-like skull over their head elongated, stitched, and bone-white like a ceremonial mask worn by a high priest of flame.

Their physique is both graceful and imposing: a narrow waist, slim arms wrapped in pale blue wrappings, and strong, muscular thighs, hinting at immense power beneath the ceremonial garb. Draped over their shoulders is a grand feathered cape, black as void, flowing like wings in a storm. On each shoulder rest massive red wooden pauldrons, designed to resemble open, glaring eyes as if the flames see through all, even when the wearer cannot.

Their robes are deep crimson and adorned with golden patterns, flowing down into black pants that fade into dark crimson near the feet, wrapped in tattered bindings. They carry a staff crowned with a glowing crimson crystal, bound in leather and sharp bones, a conduit of elemental fury and ancient magic.

Neither clearly male nor female, their voice shifts and echoes, sometimes deep with ancient authority, other times sharp and ethereal. Wherever they walk, the scent of smoke, the flutter of feathers, and the whisper of forgotten fire gods follow.

Once all of the soldiers and winged soldiers are in formation, the second figure starts,“ BEHOLD ”, the figure begins to say,” THE KING OF THE TROLLS”,. The figure slams their staff to the ground and stands for information along with all of the other soldiers. 

The entrance to the massive airship begins to open and a massive creature emerges from the flames. 

He is an enormous, hulking beast, towering above nearly every other creature on the battlefield. His body is forged from jet-black stone-like skin, rough and jagged as obsidian, with a texture that looks like it could scrape flesh from bone with a single brush. Each movement he makes sends a tremor through the ground, his muscles rippling with raw, ancient power.

His horns curl menacingly around his face, twisted and uneven, almost disfigured. The right horn is chipped, a battle-worn fracture that only adds to his brutal appearance. Framing his face are glowing yellow eyes with smoldering red-orange pupils, burning with primal fury and relentless hatred. His snarling mouth reveals rows of razor-sharp fangs, ready to tear into anything that dares challenge him.

Across his body are the macabre trophies of his conquests skulls, bones, and remnants of the fallen tied crudely to his leather belts and straps. These are not decorations but warnings, proof of a long, bloody legacy. On his forearm, a thick leather brace binds his immense strength, while two massive bone-like weapons rest over his shoulders, strapped down like ancient tools of destruction.

His very presence exudes dread. He is not simply a warrior or a monster; he is a walking extinction event, forged in the darkest corners of war and cruelty, bred only for chaos, domination, and death.

The figure slowly walks past his troops as he makes his way to the very front of the formation 

Once he’s at the front of the formation, he begins to roar,” OPEN THE GATES!!!!!!!!!”

And as if on queue the doors of the ice-like kingdom slowly begin to open as the monstrous soldier stands ready, awaiting for battle in a stance, awaiting for the enemy to strike. 

The doors finally begin their stop the soldiers are cautious one slowly they see multiple figures with giant shadows, emerging the troll leader, stands rocky as his soldiers do the same ready to begin the first strike

Small in stature but commanding in presence, these anthropomorphic penguins stand upright with rounded, chubby bodies cloaked in sleek, icy-blue feathers. Their bellies are a lighter shade of frosty white, creating a classic contrast that highlights their regal and martial attire. Despite their soft, plush-like appearance, their expressions are serious and resolute, with wide, round eyes that sparkle with purpose and pride.

At the center stands a distinguished figure clad in a thick, fur-lined navy-blue cloak that brushes the icy floor. A golden crown rests atop his smooth, rounded head, its polished points catching the frosty light. His demeanor suggests royalty poised and focused, with a quiet authority.

Surrounding him are his guards, each wearing dark tactical belts and chest sashes, evoking a militarized aesthetic. Their outfits are fitted with buckles and pouches, suggesting utility, despite their toy-like size. Their yellow-orange beaks protrude from their rounded faces, and they possess small flipper-like arms and short legs, each movement deliberate and unified in defense of their realm.

Together, they form a striking blend of adorable charm and icy defiance, like miniature warriors born of winter, standing firm in the face of greater threats

But once the real image of the figures is revealed in full, the troll army, rippled with multiple eager faces ready to slaughter. 

However.surprising fact that the enemy that the trolls were about to face were not in fact, multiple hideous, battle ready, monsters like them or giant warriors…………but instead penguins? 

As the main door of the Ice Kingdom opened, it revealed small, rounded, and deceptively soft in appearance, the defenders of the Ice Kingdom emerged with disciplined strides. Their icy-blue feathers caught the pale aurora light, bellies frosty white, beaks yellow-orange and sharp with determination. Despite their plushlike frames, their movements were unified, their eyes resolute. They were soldiers, tiny ones, but soldiers nonetheless.

The trolls shifted uneasily, their snarls breaking into bewildered growls. A few even let out low chuckles. “This is the defense?” one spat. “Birds?”

The snow hissed. Steam rose as the Leader troll, colossal and obsidian, trudged forward. His molten breath spilled from between jagged teeth, his every step cracking the frozen earth. The battlefield hushed beneath his weight.

With a solemn step forward, the Penguin King raised a flipper and pointed it squarely toward the invading force. His voice, though high-pitched, was crisp with dignity. “How dare you set foot upon these grounds, Bular.”

Across the field, the air cracked with heat as The Troll King: Bular The Butcher stepped forward looking massive, obsidian skinned, and horrifying. The snow beneath him sizzled and hissed as his molten breath escaped through jagged teeth. The beasts behind him fell silent as he towered over the entire field, muscles flexing beneath armor carved from shadow and bone.

With a low, rumbling exhale, Bular threw his arms wide and smirked with savage amusement, "(Chuckles) King Penguin… it’s been too long”, he said, taking a few steps forward.

The king of the penguins scowled at the troll king, completely unwilling to return the hospitable mode.“You're not welcome here.”

The troll king waved off the cold greeting with a grunt of false remorse.

“Yes, yes… noted. Duly noted. And unfortunately ignored.” He turned slightly, gesturing with one clawed hand toward the massive, armored army behind him. “So I brought my own… welcome party.”

The moment he said it, the armored troll soldiers raised their weapons in sync, an ocean of black steel and flickering green flame, ready to descend at a moment’s notice.

The penguin king narrowed his eyes towards the army, lifting his beak slightly. “State your business, beast.”

The troll king let out another chuckle, amused at the penguins pathetic attempt at being intimidating,  stepped closer, each motion rumbling the frozen earth beneath him. “Ah yes thank you, you see… you have something I want. Something I’ve been searching for… for a long, long time.”

As he continued talking he scanned the gathered defenders with a calculating squint, eyes glowing like twin furnaces.“I actually sent a messenger here a few days ago and gave you ample time to prepare it. But…uh” He tilted his head mockingly. “I don’t see it. Do you see it anywhere?”

He turned to his right side to ask none other than his right hand man of this army: Angor Rot stood motionless, clutching his shadow staff tightly as he just as quickly and coldly answered,”No I do not”,staring daggers at the enemy penguins.

The Penguin King squinted angrily at the monsters as he stood firm, flippers clenched at his sides, cloak whipping in the wind.“You’ll find nothing here. I have no intention of surrendering a tool of destruction to the very creature who would burn this world—and every other he steps into.”

The troll king’s grin faded into a blank stare that lingered for a few moments before he closed his eyes as he inhaled and then exhaled calmly before reopening them again before nodding his head a few times.“Hmph…you know I thought you might say that”, He then simply Shrugged his shoulders,”Oh well good thing there's option b.” 

He raised his claw and Motion for his Royal Demigod advisor that stood To his left  next to him.

Bellroc raised their staff, getting their king’s signal, the crimson red crystal at its tip glowing brighter with each passing breath. Their voice, twisted with layered tones, male and female, young and ancient, rang out across the frozen field with the weight of fire and prophecy, “You have been given your warning. You know what we’ve come for. Continue this defiance…”,They paused, raising their hand as flame sparked at their fingertips,“…and your kingdom will be reduced to boiling steam and bone.”

The Penguin King stood unwavering and unaffected by this threat. 

His flipper tightened with tenseness, but he continued to stand with the courage of giants. “You’ll find nothing from us. Not today. Not ever. If it’s blood you want, then come take it.”

A hush fell over the entire ice field.

All of the penguins looked nervously towards their king, wondering if he was sure it was a good idea to refuse the troll king.

They all knew more than well what he was capable of, especially when he was in a state of  unbridled rage.

 Who knows what this monster could be capable of when provoked?

 Well actually they would find out real soon

Because soon after the penguin King had said that, heavy footsteps boomed behind Bellroc as Bular the Butcher trudged forward, towering high above all. Flames shimmered in his jagged eyes, and his breath came like a furnace. He stared down at the penguins, however it wasn't with rage… but mild irritation.

He sighed, shoulders slouching slightly, pinching his nose,“You see this?” he muttered aloud, speaking mostly to Bellroc,“This is exactly what I didn’t want today. Stubborn little plushies. I’ve got a dozen kingdoms to raze, a council to destroy, and one extremely unstable portal to open-”, he turned to the penguins and motioned his hand towards them,“And yet… here we are.”

He pointed at them with one thick finger, eyes narrowing,“You could’ve made this easy. All I asked for was one. Simple. Thing.”

He turned to his forces and raised his massive arm,“Instead, you’d rather throw away your lives protecting something you can't even begin to fathom.”His voice boomed louder, crackling like thunder through smoke,“You call me the warmongering monster. But yet here you are slapping my hand away out of spite.”

His lip curled into a half-snarl, half-smile,“(chuckles) And this is after I come here so graciously to ask you for the second time for an item that is rightfully mine in hopes to avoid any need for conflict”, he pointed out as he chuckled and a half amused and half aggressive manner. 

 Bular then placed his hand on top of his chest as he continued,”I do this out of the kindness of my heart and you think you can just stand here and blatantly provoke me into throwing the first blow and starting a war?”He then leaned forward and pretended to whisper to them,” I’m sure I'm not the only one that thinks that  sounds kind of hypocritical”.

He then began to shamingly shake his head in disappointment.,“Think that you could have had the chance to end this peacefully..”, then his tone dropped ,“But if you Insist on forcing  my hand…”,He once again turned in motion towards his entire army, who stood there anxious for a battle.“…then we will just peel your soon to be puddled kingdom to its bones until you beg me to stop by giving me what we so politely asked for.”

The words hung in the air like black smoke.

Even the wind seemed to pause.

The Penguin King’s feathers bristled, not from the cold, but from rage. He could hardly believe the audacity radiating off these beasts across the battlefield. This towering warlord, responsible for burning cities to ash, leveling kingdoms, and butchering innocents, children, stood there with the gall to act inconvenienced, as if this siege, this cruelty, was some minor detour in his busy day.

The Penguin King held his ground, chin raised, flippers clenched.

He knew what was to come.

He had no intention of handing anything over to this monster.

He knew that his Kingdom would be wiped off the map as a result of this.

But that didn't matter not now not ever not while he was still alive to cause more destruction and harm to innocents

Even if their Kingdom may fall, others will rise against this monster.

And if he could play a part in making sure this monster's downfall is certain, then this was a risk he was willing to take.

No matter the cost.

And it would seem that his soldiers were getting that memo as well, as they tightened their grips on their weapons.

The fear in their eyes soon turned to.Brave anger as they began glaring at the monstrous army.

They knew exactly what was at stake here, and they were more than prepared to fight for their cause.

His voice cut through the burning wind like a blade of ice,“Then you'll be waiting quite a long time, monster. Because this ‘puddle’ has no intention of giving you anything other than an opportunity to watch you bleed.”

And behind him was a hundred tiny soldiers, who were now motivated more than ever before to fight for their Kingdom, banged their shields in unison, ready to defend their home, even against the firestorm.

The tension snapped.

A sharp gust of wind swept through the icy field as the Penguin King raised his flipper high into the air, his cloak billowing behind him like a royal banner caught in a blizzard. His sharp eyes gleamed with unyielding resolve, and a grim, confident smile played on his beak as he looked over his loyal soldiers.

He took a breath and roared with all the command he could summon as he pointed his formally raised flipper towards the enemy forces,“ATTACK!!!”

The penguin army surged forward, waddling in tight formation, flippers pumping, battle cries squeaking through the icy air. 

Every one of them wore the face of sheer determination, as if they were charging into history. 

Their tiny feet pattered against the frost as they closed the gap between them and the towering infernal army.

And once they had finally made it to the front lines, it was there that they then revealed one of their secret weapons they would use to win this fight..

Snowballs.

Perfectly packed spheres of glistening snow.

Shimmering white, frosty orbs raised high in unison. With a mighty group shout, each of the penguins stopped in place, reached down, grabbed a glob of snow and shaped it into the perfectly rounded snowballs.

Once they were complete they hurled their snowballs at the enemy ranks, flinging them like divine projectiles meant to turn the tide of war..

Thud. Paff. Thunk.

The snowballs smacked against the blackened armor of the troll soldiers, crumbling like powder against stone. One landed square on a troll’s faceplate and simply dusted off, leaving only a faint speckle of snow that quickly broke apart on impact..

The trolls unfortunately did not flinch at these attacks.

The horde stood like statues, hulking, glowing-eyed statues of death with their weapons still at their sides. 

A few cracked smirks  at this pathetic attempt at an offensive attack.

Despite how pathetic it looked the snowballs  continued to be hurled at the trolls. At the point where the Penguins pulled in a catapult that launched a giant snowball right at one of the troll soldiers.

Unfortunately that amounted to it basically doing nothing to the troll as it completely disintegrated upon impact leaving the troll completely unfazed. 

But soon, the penguins began to slow, their tiny arms tiring, their supplies of snow thinning, breath puffing visibly in short bursts of exhaustion. A few collapsed onto their bellies, panting. Their little war cries faded into winded wheezes.

And still, even after all that effort, the enemy didn’t budge an inch.

 If anything they looked more annoyed that they had to sit through that display rather than to actually be fighting themselves. 

The last snowball crumbled against a troll’s chest and fell to the ice with a soft plop.

Across the battlefield, the trolls stood motionless, unmoved, their obsidian armor glinting under the red glare of lava fires. Some blinked slowly, others exchanged blank looks, and one particularly large troll yawned. A few even looked... bored.

Anything but impressed to be honest.

One of them scratched his shoulder with the tip of his spear.

Bular himself didn’t even bother to smirk, he just looked mildly annoyed, as if someone had tracked snow into his throne room. He crossed his massive arms, eyes glowing faintly like two dying suns, and tilted his head.

“Well,” he said flatly, voice carrying across the field as he brushed off some leftover snow residue from his shoulder, “that was… definitely ‘an’ attack.”

The Penguin King stood frozen, both figuratively and literally as he took in the sight of the completely unfazed army.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah this… this was bad, like very bad.

He’d put everything into that assault  and it hadn’t even made them flinch much less scratch them.

Okay, sure, maybe the whole snowball plan wasn’t exactly foolproof. But in his defense, it had worked once against the Ice Goats in the southern valley. Those guys hated snowballs.

But these trolls? 

These were walking volcanoes statues, literally. 

They’d arrived in a floating lava fortress!

He stared at their blackened armor and realization finally started to sink in.

Oh no. Oh no no no no.

He’d just challenged a horde of psychotic murder giants to a snowball fight.

“Oh stars,” he said in his said, eyes darting nervously. “We are so dead.”

He glanced at his soldiers who were still panting, and valiantly scooping snow, some proudly trying to form new snowballs despite trembling flippers. 

Their tiny bodies steamed from exhaustion, their faces flushed red with effort and pride.

He wanted to scream stop to them,  tell them they’d done enough, that they’d completed their objective. 

But he couldn’t, not when the evacuation tunnels beneath the kingdom were still filling with civilians who still needed more time to escape the wrath of the trolls. 

He needed to buy them more time, any tiny bit he could.

You know exactly what those monsters would do to them if he had gotten past their defenses,  and this King couldn't let that happen, not to his subjects. 

His heart hammered in his chest, faster than it ever had before. 

His eyes darted to the trolls’ towering silhouettes.

He could feel their eyes on him the way predators stare at something small that doesn’t know it’s already dead.

The King inhaled deeply and straightened his back, forcing his expression back into one of regal defiance.

It was over not by a long shot; they still had more than enough tricks  up their flippers.

So with that  the Penguin King stepped forward once more, flipper raised again, his voice booming across the field with defiance and royal pride.

“THAT…” he said, drawing breath, chest puffed proudly,“…IS BUT A TASTE OF OUR FURY!”,A silence followed with the wind and the fading hiss of lava dripping in the distance. He lifted his chin, voice unwavering,“DO YOU YIELD?!”

The words echoed, hanging in the air with the weight of ancient challenge.

For a moment, just a moment, the battlefield was still.

Then came the sound.

A low rumble.

Not from the earth.

But from the chest of the troll king himself.

He began to laugh.

First a low, rolling chuckle. Then it grew into a deep, resonant cackle that thundered across the frozen plains like an avalanche of molten mockery.

He took one heavy step forward, cracking the ice beneath his heel, and tilted his head with a grin full of glowing fangs.

Bular stepped forward, each footfall caused a mini-earthquake in the ground so powerful that the penguins could feel it from where they were standing.

His molten eyes burned brighter, reflecting the King’s defiance in their glow. “Yield?” he repeated slowly, savoring the word. His tone was almost playful as he bent low, his massive hand grabbed the tiniest bit of snow off of the ground and picked it up to rub it between his index finger and thumb as he let out a chuckle,“After you throw snow at fire?”,as said snow finished turning into water, he flicked it off his hand before shaking his head as he looked back to the Penguins,”No I don’t think I do”.

And with that, Bular turned slowly toward Bellroc, his eyes glowing faintly like twin suns behind storm clouds. With a heavy nod, he gave the signal.

Bellroc responded immediately, slamming the base of their blazing staff into the ice with a resounding BOOM. 

A ripple of purple energy exploded outward, tearing across the battlefield like a shockwave of invisible thunder.

 The entire army of penguin soldiers suddenly levitated into the air, their tiny flippers flailing as startled gasps escaped their beaks.Hundreds of small, round bodies lifted off the snow, suspended helplessly in midair. Their flippers flailed, feet kicking uselessly. For a single absurd moment, they all hung there, frozen mid-yell.

Then with a sharp flick of Bellroc’s wrist, The entire army of penguins was hurled sideways with a deafening crash. Tiny figures flew like scattered snowflakes, slamming into frozen walls, icy spires, and the shattered remains of their own catapult. The sound of impact rang through the tundra like the shattering of glass.

Dozens hit the ground hard, their armor clinking, their cries echoing weakly.

The snow that once blanketed the battlefield was now stained with smudges of soot and feather.

Bellroc didn’t stop there.

They turned, eyes hidden behind the bird-skull mask, and pointed their staff toward the heart of the Ice Kingdom, the great citadel that rose like a crystal mountain crowned in blue.

“Let them witness the end of their false sanctuary,” Bellroc whispered, voice splitting into two overlapping tones, one male, one female, and perfectly inhuman.

The crystal atop the staff flared with a fiery pulse, the staff unleashed a scorching jet of flame, roaring through the air like a serpent of heat. The blast slammed into the outer wall of the kingdom, and ice exploded into steam. Towers began to melt and collapse, their elegant shapes deforming under the sheer heat of Bellroc’s magic.

Chunks of glittering frost rained down, crashing into the courtyards below as Bular watched with glee, his jagged mouth curling into a wide, malicious grin,“What a beautiful sight.,” he rumbled.

The few penguin soldiers, still conscious,  watched helplessly in horror as their home was  being burnt to the ground.

One young soldier, barely more than a recruit, clutched his chest in anguish. His flippers trembled as he whispered, “No… no, no, no…” The reflection of the inferno danced in his eyes. 

He could not comprehend that this nightmare was real, that his kingdom was being erased.

 Before Any of them could even get the chance to get up and check on the state of his home, the ground trembled beneath the penguins’ feet.

A loud, pounding rhythm echoed through the frost as the Gumm-Gumm soldiers began their charge to intercept them.

The penguins, seeing the enemy charging towards them, hastily and fearfully began scrambling to regroup with their comrades, their feet slipped in the slush as they tried to reform a line. 

A few, desperate to do something, reached down and scooped up handfuls of snow. Tiny flippers packed the melting frost into crude snowballs, their breath ragged from the heat still rippling in the air.

They hurled them with all their strength. The snowballs burst uselessly against the advancing giants, turning to white mist before even striking.

It didn't take much for the gum gum trolls to use their giant claws to grab the Penguins and hold them down; they barely looked like they were expending much strength; this is probably due to the Penguins small sizes. 

(Author's note: Like literally guys I googled this shit the Penguins were about the size of the gum gum trolls hands that's how you know they were royally fucked)

A few managed to bite, others slapped their flippers at glowing armor—but nothing stopped the onslaught.

One gum-gum lunged forward, his clawed gauntlet sweeping through the ranks like a scythe. 

Another soldier’s chain lashed out, wrapping around a penguin’s waist and yanking him screaming into the air before slamming him into the ground with a sickening crack that split the permafrost.

One soldier swept his clawed arm sideways, sending half a dozen penguins tumbling across the ice like toys. 

Another snatched a penguin by his cloak and tossed him into a snowbank; the little warrior tried to crawl back out, only to be pinned beneath a stoned foot.

The green glow lit the battlefield like a sickly firelight.

 Every blow left streaks of neon green glow across the white ground. 

The sound of clinking steel and squealing panic mixed into a single, horrifying chorus.

“Capture them!” one Gumm-Gumm troll barked, his voice a grinding growl of stone. “The King wants them all taken alive!”

The order rolled through the ranks, and the assault shifted from slaughter to seizure. 

As the penguin soldiers stare up at them, they see their reflections, those tiny, trembling shapes mirrored in the trolls’ armor like prey already trapped in a predator’s gaze.

The battlefield had grown eerily still save for the crunch of Bular’s heavy steps carrying him a few toward the towering gates of the Ice Kingdom, its crystalline spires glittering in the dying twilight.

The Penguin King staggered backward, his cloak torn, snow matted with soot. 

He watched in horror as people were being dragged into chains, his soldiers, his friends, his kingdom all in mere minutes.

His narrow eyes burned with a cold, deliberate fury and the sight knowing he had to do something.

The Penguin King stood up from where he was thrown,  untouched alone atop a shattered outcrop of ice, the winds howling around him like a warning from the gods themselves. His fur-lined cape whipped behind him, but he didn’t flinch. 

With a slow, deliberate motion, the king reached beneath his cloak and retrieved a small silver whistle, its surface etched with swirling frost runes symbols older than the kingdom itself. The metal glinted in the twilight as he brought it to his beak and blew.

The sound was unnatural.

A high, haunting shriek, like the scream of an arctic banshee, cut through the war cries as all eyes turned in his direction. 

There was nothing but sheer silence for the first few seconds.

Before any of the trolls had the chance to charge over and shut him up….. the castle responded.

From deep within the glacial citadel, echoes stirred as the walls of the inner sanctum cracked not from collapse, but from emergence. Shimmering fissures opened along the ice-wrought architecture, bleeding cold mist and a faint hum of magic.

And then suddenly all around them, the snow began to rise

It twisted and turned as if inhaling itself, coalescing into great towers of white and blue, condensing and shaping. Within moments, the battlefield trembled not from troll feet, but from the birth of titans.

And that was when they appeared…..

The battlefield quaked as new forces entered the fray, towering ice-born titans that dwarfed even the penguin king, who had summoned them. These were the Ice Monsters, conjured guardians of frost and fury, each one carved from the heart of winter itself.

They loomed as hulking behemoths of compacted snow and jagged ice, their massive bodies shaped like grotesque parodies of men. Their joints were fused not by sticks or sinew, but by crystalline slabs of glacial ice that cracked and groaned with every heavy movement. The ground beneath them trembled as they walked, each footfall booming like the collapse of an avalanche.

Their hands ended in long, sharpened icicles fingers like translucent knives, gleaming with the deadly sharpness of frozen talons. With each flex, those jagged claws caught the faint light of the frost runes, refracting it into an eerie, otherworldly glow. Their elbows and knees bore thick shields of ice, jagged like armored plates, and with every swing, these icy protrusions threatened to smash through bone or steel.

When roused to greater anger, the Ice Monsters transformed into something even more terrifying. Spikes of ice erupted from their broad backs, bristling like porcupine quills or the ridged spines of ancient beasts. These crystalline growths caught the moonlight, turning their silhouettes into monstrous, bristling fortresses of living ice. Their jaws gaped wide with snarling roars, fanged with frozen stalactites, their open maws echoing with guttural, thunderous bellows that chilled the blood.

Their eyes burned with a hellish glow, sockets lit by an inner blue-white fire that pulsed in time with their rage. When they struck, their claws tore through frost and flesh alike, each blow carrying the weight of a blizzard’s fury. Even their breath misted the battlefield like a stormfront, adding to the chaos of snow and cold swirling about their massive forms.

And yet, for all their horrifying presence, there were not one, but many. Ice Monsters advanced in unison armored titans of winter, claws and fangs sharpened to butcher, spikes rising with their wrath.

( author's note: basically this was the  ice monster from Frozen but five of them) 

The five colossal Ice Monsters freshly summoned, steaming with raw magic took their positions behind the Penguin King. Their jagged silhouettes dwarfed him, towering like living glaciers poised for war.

The Penguin King raised his flippers high, cloak snapping like a battle flag in the polar wind motioning towards his stronger Army, “Behold the Full taste of our fury, monster—!”

The Ice Monsters did not wait for his command. 

With a collective roar that cracked the very air, they immediately lunged forward as one, claws slashing, icy fists hammering, their crystalline spikes glinting like death itself under the pale northern sky.

A chorus of guttural, bestial roars tore through the air as they stampeded straight for Bular.

Snow erupted behind their galloping forms. The ground shook violently with each gargantuan step.

The field shook as all of them charged straight for Bular, who simply just grinned.

That monstrous, molten, jagged-toothed grin stretched slowly across his obsidian face as he spread his arms wide like a king welcoming worshippers.

They descended on Bular with primal fury, their collective roars shaking the very citadel walls.

“Now this…” he rumbled, voice vibrating the air,“…THIS is more like it.”

The first Ice Monster lunged with a bellowing scream, slamming its entire body into Bular’s torso like a living avalanche.

SLAM.

The impact drove Bular backward and down, carving a trench into the frost as both titan and troll crashed into the ground.

Another monster leapt forward with startling speed for its size, smashing its jagged elbow straight into Bular’s jaw.

BAM.

A third slammed in from the left, stabbing its icy head and antler-like spikes into his ribs.

CRASH.

The fourth lunged from above, diving like a collapsing glacier and burying Bular completely under a mountain of fists, frozen claws, and supernatural frost.

The fifth simply ran up and started punching Bular in the face over and over again

WHAM! WHUMP! WHAM!

Soon they all joined in, forming a gleefully brutal circle as they kicked, stomped, tackled, smashed, and hammered Bular beneath a living avalanche of enchanted frost.

The Penguin King stared from where he was standing off to the sidelines, completely stunned.

A flicker of hope danced in his chest.

One of the penguin guards looked up with wide eyes,“We’re winning…?!”

It was heard about how unstoppable of a beast this butcher was, Years they had never heard any stories of anyone being able to so much scratch him.

And now their beasts were able to attack them down and beat him senselessly.

Another penguin rubbed his eyes with his flippers,“They’re actually beating him! They’re beating BULAR!”,he yelled while being held down by one of the trolls. 

Despite those snow beasts being about the size of the gum gum soldiers they looked as if they were doing a remarkable amount of damage to the King of the trolls. 

The Ice Monsters were relentless, blowing chunks of hardened magma-rock off his armor, denting his obsidian plating, pressing him deeper into the ice with each merciless strike.

The penguin King almost felt the urge to celebrate as his heart thudded with rising optimism.

But then…

He saw something the other penguins did not.

The enemy army,the Gumm-Gumms soldiers, didn't look worried or concerned in the slightest.

They stood with arms folded, bored expressions hidden behind their helms, as though watching someone try to punch down a mountain.

Everyone of them had this casual look on their face while watching this beatdown, bored and unintimidated like their leader wasn't being pulverized.

The Penguin King’s breath caught.

Why were they acting like this wasn’t a threat?

Like this wasn’t dangerous?

Like this beating meant nothing?

It was almost as if this seemed like a waste of their ti-

A terrifying realization hit him like a dagger of ice.

His pupils shrank,“Oh no… no, Stars above…”, he quietly whispered to himself.

Before he could warn anyone—

Bellroc’s voices, smooth and cold as obsidian, cut through the frost. “My lord,” they called calmly, staff glowing red-hot, “it would be wise for us to move this along. The plan must stay on course.”

From beneath the pile of snow monsters, a muffled voice answered a deep, rumbling growl saturated with amusement,“Mmffh—yeah… give me a sec—”

And then…… 

It happened.

From within the heap of snow a burst of orange fire exploded upward from the center of the writhing snow pile.

Two massive, curved swords the same brutal blades once strapped across Bular’s back erupted from the snow pile, spinning through the air with unnatural force. They glowed with a sickly orange hue, as if alive and hungry for blood.

One blade cleaved straight through the neck of the nearest Glacier Beast when it popped out at first.

SHRRRRK!

The creature’s head popped free in a shower of ice, collapsing instantly into a mound of scattered frost

The sky pulsed with tension.

Suddenly, a hand—black obsidian stone, wrapped in cracks of orange—shot up from beneath the chaos.

Then—

SNAP.

With the snap of his fingers the floating blades froze mid-spin.

The blades then jerked mid-air, turned, and flew straight back to him like wolves to their alpha.

A hush of dread swept across the battlefield.

The Penguin King’s flipper trembled.

“Oh no…” he whispered.

The pile of Ice Monsters erupted outward as Bular rose, swords in hand, shoving them off like overturned furniture. 

Snow cascaded from his shoulders as he picked himself up off the snow, the frost cracked and fell away from his armor.

He stood tall once more in a towering, furious, yet thrilled demeanor, while his eyes blazed brighter than ever, orange light burning in crazed spirals.

He cracked his neck and stretched his arms before rolling his shoulders as if to warm himself up.

He then dragged the massive blades across the ground, carving sizzling lines of molten orange in the ice.

Bular smirked arrogantly As he then stared daggers right at the Penguin king,“So is that the full taste of your fury,?” his smirk quickly turned into a snarl,”Because it was very undercooked for my liking.”

The remaining four Ice Monsters roared, hearing this, positioning themselves around him, extending their ice spiked claws while flaring with blue-white light.

Bular stepped forward into a battle stance, planting both swords behind him in their sheaths As he then got into a battle ready stance.“Let us turn up the temperature, shall we?.”

And justice like that, the massive creatures, each one towering like icy titans, charged once again toward the revived troll king, their fists raised and glowing with runes of ancient frost. Their hollow howls echoed like winter storms, snow trailing behind them like cloaks of vengeance.

But Bular, a towering, monstrous, gleaming with obsidian skin demon didn’t flinch. Instead he stood tall amid the shattered battlefield, glowing with veins of orange light, his twin swords humming like beasts eager for blood. Steam rolled from his nostrils with every breath. The glow of the fire around him illuminated his monstrous grin.

Instead, he cracked his neck once—pop—to the left.

Then again—pop—to the right.

A low rumble escaped his throat, not of anger… but of delight.

The first Ice Monster lunged, its fist hurtled down toward his head ready to try and crack it open.

But Before it could get the chance to make contact, Bular, with a thunderous laugh, jumped Into the air, flipping forward in a single, fluid motion. The icy fist shattered into the ground where he once stood, splitting the battlefield open.

He landed behind the beast in a crouch, the snow hissing beneath his molten feet.

SHING—!

Both of his blades flew free in one swift motion and were tightly gripped in his hand as two more Ice Monsters charged him from opposite sides, claws glowing with runes of deep blue frost.

When they tried to attack him with their claws, Boular used his swords as a means of protecting himself, before just as quickly going on the offensive. 

CLANG! CLANG!

Sparks of orange and shards of ice exploded through the air as metal met magic causing the ground to shake from the collision.

Bular twisted, roaring as he shoved both creatures back, then pivoted—slicing clean through the arm of the one to his right.

SHRRRRK!The severed limb hit the ground, shattering into a thousand icy fragments.

Before the second could recover, Bular rammed his shoulder into its chest—BOOM!—sending it sprawling across the battlefield like a ragdoll.

Unfortunately, one of the beasts managed to catch him off guard as a huge, frozen fist slammed into his jaw.

THWACK!

The blow echoed like a cannon blast as Bular’s head snapped to the side, shards of ice flying from his shoulder plate.

The Ice Monster didn't wait for the monster to respond as he.swung again, but this time, Bular was ready. He sidestepped the strike, grabbed the beast’s arm mid-swing, and ripped it from its socket.

CRACK!

The sound tore through the field like lightning in a storm, the Ice Monster shrieked as its arm burst into a mist of frozen shards.

However, Bular didn’t stop there.

He swung the severed limb like a club, smashing it straight into another charging monster.

SMASH!

The makeshift weapon connected with its chest, the impact caving it inward and sending chunks of glittering frost scattering across the snow. The creature fell backward, roaring in agony as steam hissed from its wounds.

Bular’s laughter boomed through the Field as he threw the severed arm away and.lunged towards two of the other snow monsters winding his clawed hands back. 

Far behind the front lines, a few Gumm-Gumm soldiers shifted uneasily. Their glowing eyes followed their king as he single-handedly dismantled the summoned giants.

One stepped forward, clutching his weapon nervously as he addressed the right hand man of the army,“Commander Angor Rot, should we… assist the king?”

The dark figure draped in shadow and bone armor didn’t move. Angor Rot stood still as death, his bone-white staff planted firmly in the frost, the faint glow of its embedded purple and blue tints, resembling that of a quartz crystal, casting a shadow across his carved face. His eyes, yellow and sharp, did not even glance at the soldier.

He simply lifted a finger and shook it left from right,“No.”

The soldier blinked, unsure he heard the order correctly,“But, my lord, if we joined him—”

“He doesn’t need your help,” Angor said coldly, interrupting the gum gum. His voice carried no doubt, only irritation. “You lot focus on the penguins.”

The soldier.Then began to speak in protest,“But—”

However, Angor Rot finally turned his head, his eyes burning through the slit of his helm,“Was that unclear?”The glow from them made the soldier flinch as the words hit harder than any blade.

The Gumm-Gumm soldier froze in response, armor rattling as he stood at attention, and stepped back instinctively, “…No, sir.”

“Then get back to work,” Angor muttered, turning his gaze back to the chaos. “And pray he doesn’t see you standing idle.”

The soldier quickly scurried off immediately, barking orders to his comrades. The trolls turned once again to their grim work, binding, dragging, and silencing the last of the penguin army.

Angor Rot didn’t bother to watch them. His eyes stayed locked on the distant fight where Bular danced among the ice monsters.

One of the ice beasts lunged forward at the monstrous troll, its jagged fist shot toward him with enough force to crush stone.

But Bular caught it, his black claws clamped around the monster’s wrist. 

With a single heave, he yanked the creature off balance, roaring as he lifted it by the face and hurled it aside like a ragdoll.

The beast’s body crashed into the frozen ground, splitting apart into shards of shattered frost.

The next snow creature charged, claws glowing with enchanted blue light. Bular spun, bringing the back side of his hand around in a savage backhand. The impact sent the creature flying backward, jaw torn completely off in a spray of icy mist.

Another one came from the opposite side, roaring as it swiped at him with massive claws.

Bular ducked in response, slammed his horned head upward, and headbutted the monster right in the face.

CRACK!

The impact sent the creature back a few feet as fractures webbed across its frozen skull.

One creature, desperate and enraged, lunged from behind, wrapping its huge arms around Bular’s chest, trying to restrain him in a bear hug.

Bular laughed with arrogance, knowing this wouldn’t hold him.

With a guttural roar that shook the battlefield, he flexed every muscle in his massive frame until the creature’s arms snapped like twigs.

He then reached behind and grabbed the beast by the throat, squeezing until glowing blue cracks crawled across its face.

The sound was horrific,  like glass breaking underwater. 

Then, with one final squeeze—POP.

The head burst apart in a mist of powdered snow.

Still gripping the body, Bular spun on his heel and flung it across the battlefield. The limp corpse crashed into the remaining monsters, shattering all three in a blizzard of shards and fractured ice.

Only one Ice Monster remained, it staggered backward, icicles flickering, before its chest began to glow bright blue.

With a roar, it conjured a barrage of ice shards that shot out like arrows, dozens of them, streaking through the air like frozen daggers.

They hit Bular in a storm of relentless percussion.

THUD! THUNK! CRACK! THUD!

The shards struck his chest, shoulders, and arms but he didn’t even flinch.

He stepped forward slowly through the barrage as each shard that struck him shattered instantly, turning to mist before it could pierce his hide.

 As the troll got closer he reached his arm forward, before the Ice Monster could react, Bular grabbed it by both arms and wasted no time, with a deafening roar, ripping the creature in half.

The sound was wet and horrifying, a violent tearing of matter that filled the area. The monster’s head to groin split open, collapsing into vapor and snow, disintegrating in his grasp until all that remained was mist.

Bular threw the remains aside like trash and turned his burning gaze toward the distant figure of the Penguin King, the small, trembling ruler who had summoned this doomed army in desperation. 

Their eyes met across the chaos.

The king couldn’t breathe. His heart hammered against his ribs as Bular started walking toward him, each footstep shaking the earth.

Snow fell in silence. The only sound was the hiss of molten fire cutting through the cold.

As Bular made his way over to him he tried to be the voice of arrogant reason in his Psychotic way,”If I were you I'd yield”, he then opened his arms wide to motion to their surroundings ,”There's nowhere left for you to run…….”, He gestured to the piles of crushed frost that had once been the king’s summoned beasts,”.....And nothing left you can throw at me.”

For a moment, Bular almost seemed sympathetic. His expression softened, or tried to, as he stood with his swords sheathed across his back, arms hanging loose. 

He said as he suddenly stopped and placed his hands on his hips. Then he lifted one hand, palm open, fingers curling slightly as though asking for something to be handed to him. His voice dropped to a low rumble that carried a strange, patronizing warmth.,”Give me the peace.” 

The Penguin King stumbled back a step, gripping the silver whistle tight. His breath came out in sharp gasps as he raised it again to his beak.

He blew.

The whistle’s shriek tore through the air, high and haunting.

Bular closed his eyes and let out a sigh of frustration,“...........Or I guess I’ll take it from what’s left of you.”

The snow began to swirl again, violently this time, spinning in massive vortexes. The fragments of the fallen Ice Monsters , every shattered piece, every broken chunk,  began to tremble, then rise.

The snow twisted, fusing together into a single massive form as its shadow blotted out even Bular’s massive figure.

The ground quaked as it took shape,  legs like mountains, arms like glaciers, a single blue rune burning at its chest like a heart of ice.

(Author’s note: Basically the ice monster from before but bigger)

Its gaze locked onto Bular.

He looked up at the towering beast.

Then he chuckled.

A deep, rolling, amused sound that made the penguins’ blood run cold.

Bular rolled his shoulders, dragging his twin swords behind him as though they weighed nothing,“Ahh… there it is,” he said, voice rumbling like shifting mountains, “Your big, desperate, final move.”

He cracked his neck, a loud POP that echoed through the valley.

The giant roared in fury, pounding its chest like a frost-shrouded titan.

Bular didn’t even bother to blink.

He simply turned his head toward the Penguin King, grin full of glowing fangs,“You might as well extinguish this little need to resist against our advances,” he said calmly, almost bored, “All you’re doing is slowing the inevitab—”

—WOOOOOSH—SLAM!!!

He never finished his sentence.

Because at that exact moment the colossal Ice Monster’s massive hand came crashing down on him with the force of a falling mountain.

The impact boomed across the field, snow erupting in a shockwave.

The ground cracked, spiderwebbing in every direction.

The Penguin soldiers gasped, flippers flying to their beaks for protection against the debris.

For a heartbeat, everything went silent.

A stillness washed across the battlefield.

Penguins dared to hope.

Had it worked?

Had the monster actually—?

But then the snow settled.

And the truth froze the world in place.

Bular stood beneath the giant’s palm.

Completely unmoved, not even a scuff on his armor.

His feet were planted firmly in the snow, steam rising lazily from where the frost touched his molten skin.

One massive hand of his own gripped the titan’s wrist holding it in mid-air.

Stopping the blow entirely.

He hadn’t even been pushed back an inch.

He looked up, molten orange eyes glowing, expression utterly unamused.

He then sighed a deep, tired, disappointed sigh as if the attack had physically bored him,”Alight…….terms accepted”, he said as an Orange furnace-light burst from deep within his chest.

Cracks,thin at first, began ripping across his torso, racing up his neck, down his arms, splitting across the backs of his hands. The glowing fractures pulsed brighter and brighter, glowing like liquid suns burning beneath his skin.

The molten cracks spiderwebbed out across Bular’s body, each one glowing hotter, whiter, brighter, until the orange nearly burned white-hot. His entire frame began to vibrate—low at first, then violently, like an unstable furnace beginning to overload.

The light in his eyes flickered……..

Once.

Twice.

and then—

Then Bular roared.

A guttural, primal, monstrous bellow that shook the foundations of the Ice Kingdom.

And with a forward lunge—BOOOOOOOOOM!!!

A shockwave of orange fire exploded from Bular’s body, hurling outward in a circular burst.

The Ice Titan’s entire hand disintegrated into shattered dust and snow.

The creature stumbled backward several meters, bellowing in agony as his arm was reduced to a watery stub.

And Bular?

He was already moving.

Without hesitation, he reached behind his back, his stone muscles shifting, and ripped one of his massive swords from its sheath.

The blade now glowed with dim orange veins with his touch, hungry for blood.

With a single, effortless motion—

FWOOOM—!

He hurled it through the air with all his might.

Aimed right for the monster.

The sword pierced the titan’s chest like a spear through snow, sinking deep and erupting a crater of shattered frost and dimming runes.

The colossal beast staggered backward, nearly toppling due to the power of the attack.

Bular lifted two fingers and snapped.

SNAP.

The blade stopped mid-motion, frozen inside the titan’s chest, keeping it upright from falling and obeying its master.

Bular pulled his arm back as if grasping invisible reins.

And the sword obeyed.

It dragged the Ice Titan forward, screaming in a grinding rumble, forcing the mountain of frost to lurch toward Bular unwillingly.

The Penguins’ hearts sank deeper with every step the giant was forced to take.

Bular drew in a breath, a deep, volcanic inhale.

His body tensed, muscles bulging, orange cracks brightening until his entire lower half glowed like molten stone about to erupt.

He bent his knees and the ground beneath him liquefied from the pressure.

Then—KRA-KOOOOOM!!!

A second shockwave blasted out, launching him skyward like a blazing projectile.

He rose through the storm of snow and ice straight toward the titan’s face, right to eye level.

His right arm snapped back, fist glowing, cracks dancing like living lightning.

The closer he flew, the more violently the fist shook, vibrating, pulsing, overflowing with destructive energy.

Even the Gumm-Gumm soldiers paused, admiring in awe of this beautifully destructive sight.

The Penguin King felt his soul turn to ice in fear of what was about to happen.

Bular reached the titan’s face.

And he struck.

THRRAAAASH—!!!

The impact was silent for a split second.  

Too powerful for sound to catch up.

Then—KA—BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!

A blinding explosion of orange fire and white frost erupted outward.

The shockwave blasted across the battlefield, flattening snow, uprooting ice towers, shattering the remains of the courtyard, obliterating what was left of the Ice Monster, and carving a massive, gaping canyon straight through the heart of the kingdom.

The valley glowed molten orange, stretching for miles like a scar left by a god’s wrath.

When the smoke cleared……………..nothing remained of the titan.

Only the echo of its death cry.

Bular dropped through the air, freefalling through the fading embers of the explosion.

He twisted, rotated, then slammed into the melted earth—THUD-THOOM—landing on all fours like a feral beast, claws burying into molten rock, molten cracks glowing across his entire form. 

Steam rose in violent, swirling plumes around him.

The Troll Army soldiers erupted in roars of admiration, pounding weapons against armor, chanting their king’s name.

“BULAR!” “BULAR!” “BULAR!”

Among the few remaining penguins, silence reigned, total, suffocating silence.

The Penguin King’s feathers stood on end.

His strongest weapon, his kingdom’s last hope, was erased.

Bular stood, rising slowly, towering, monstrous eyes glowing pure molten orange, fangs bared in triumphant growl.

He turned back toward the Ice Kingdom’s gates, his molten orange eyes locking once more onto the Penguin King, who still stood firm despite everything.

He looked up at the Penguin King.

A long, slow, victorious smile spread across his face.

Bular then began to make his way over to the fallen king, each step he took carved deep footprints into the melting snow, the ground hissing beneath him. His huge, horned silhouette loomed like a nightmare born from the darkest pits of the Earth.

The Penguin King’s breath hitched, knowing what was coming.

The civilians, his people, his children, were still running through the last secret escape tunnel beneath the ruined throne room. If Bular reached the artifact… if he claimed the piece… then there would be no more worlds left to flee to.

His flipper trembled as it tightened around the whistle.

He had to fight back………..

He just had to……

Even if he didn't survive if he could just hold them off just a little longer……

He clutched it tight, raising it to his beak.

He drew in a desperate breath—

And Bular saw.

The Troll King let out a deep, irritated growl, one that vibrated the snow at the Penguin King’s feet.

This stubborn little bird was still refusing to die, it was completely wasting his time.

Well that was about to end now!

He closed the distance in two massive strides.

The Penguin King barely managed to take in half a breath—

WHAM!!!

The backhand struck like a meteor.

The king flew through the air, spinning helplessly before crashing down hard, rolling across the ice until he skidded to a stop right at the feet of Angor Rot.

Angor Rot looked down at the fallen monarch with barely a trace of interest, his glowing yellow eyes flickered with something closer to pity… and boredom.

The Penguin King coughed, clutching his ribs, trying to rise but even with all his strength and pride… he couldn’t get more than halfway up before collapsing again into the snow.

Bular rolled his shoulders, cracking stone-like muscles as he approached.

He glanced down at the Penguin King, his expression flat, tired, irritated,”I think… we’ve dragged this battle’s climax on long enough.”

He stepped closer—

And froze.

There, at his boot, lying half-buried in the slush…The whistle.

Knocked from the Penguin King’s grasp from the force of the hit.

A slow smile crept across the Troll King’s tusked mouth.

He leaned down, claws clicking lightly against the metal as he plucked the relic between two fingers.

The tiny whistle looked almost comical in his enormous hand, but Bular’s eyes gleamed with interest as he turned it over, inspecting the glowing frost-runes.

He flicked it slightly, testing its weight,”Hmmm……..this little trinket could be useful.”

He straightened, raising his voice so Bellroc could hear over the crackling flames and distant groans of the dying castle,” Bellroc!”He tossed it casually,” Catch!”

Bellroc extended one hand lazily, the whistle floated toward them, caught in a soft shimmer of violet flames.

They studied it closely, their expression shifting from curiosity… to fascination,”Hmm… A frost-summoning conduit with an ability to conjure soldiers from the environment around it…”They glanced at the battlefield, at the crushed remains of ice beasts, the shattered kingdom, the massive number of their own soldiers they already had on their side,”In daylight… this could save us hundreds of troops………interesting.”

They slipped the whistle into the folds of their robes, the runes glowing faintly against the smoke-stained fabric,” We’ll study it later.”

After handing it over to them, Bular surveyed the battlefield.

Penguins in chains.

Buildings melted.

Ice towers shattered.

The Ice kingdom, once shimmering with icy blue light, was reduced to melted ruins.

Yup today was a good day.

He once again made his way over to the spot where the penguin king was lying and bent down just enough to still look down on him,”So this was the full bluntness of your fury?” He mockingly asked, not even bothering to hide his smug satisfaction.

The injured king could do nothing but stare up at the bastard, enduring his blatant arrogance and mockery.

Bular then looked left and right of the area before looking back down at the penguin king continued,”I was going to give you a two on my kingdom surprise list but that last little tid bit earned you a nice two and a half for effort."

He put up two fingers and a bent thumb, which sparked cruel laughter between the gumm-gumms, finding it hilarious how their leader could find humor even after a  victory.

And he didn't stop there,”And hey if you have any other surprises for me up your tiny little sleeve, I'd be more than happy to see them.”

And then…….as if on cue…….the palace itself began to respond.

From the highest of the shattered domes, the ice started to melt, glowing from within as if lit by an unseen sun. Chunks of crystalline walls slid free and crashed below, revealing a radiant pulse of shining, blinding light that poured out from the heart of the ruined citadel.

The trolls froze in place.

Every penguin, every Gumm-Gumm soldier, even Angor Rot, turned to stare.

And Bular…

Oh yeah, he knew that light.

He had hunted this glow for decades, through caves, ruins, entire realms. 

And now, at long last, the thing he had sacrificed entire species for…

It was right there.

Bular’s lips curled into a jagged smile,” (low, triumphant) …Finally.”

The Penguin King saw it too and all the color drained from his face,” (horrified whisper) No…No—NO!”

With a desperate cry, the Penguin King lunged forward, slipping across broken ice. His instincts screamed. He didn’t care that most of his army lay in chains. He didn’t care that he was bruised, bleeding, and barely standing.

If Bular touched that object………..everything was over.

But the king didn’t make it far.

A clawed hand grabbed the back of his head.

SLAM!!!

Angor Rot shoved the king’s face into the snow with effortless cruelty.

The king choked on ice, struggling, but Angor held him easily with one hand, forcing him to watch.

The Penguin King’s muffled scream went unheard beneath the grinding snow.

Bular stepped through the rubble like a god descending a broken throne. Penguins in chains were dragged away at his sides; he didn’t even look at them. His attention was locked solely on the radiant glow.

Bellroc followed behind, staff blazing with violet flame, their eyes reflecting the brilliance.

Bellroc raised their staff and slammed it into the snow as a wave of purple energy surged outward, lifting slabs of broken palace debris into the air. They spun slowly, forming a rising staircase of drifting, glowing ice platforms.

Bular ascended them with heavy, deliberate steps.

The higher he rose, the brighter the light became. His silhouette was framed in gold, purple, and molten orange. His horns cast monstrous shadows across the city’s broken walls.

There, nestled in the last surviving alcove, was a floating yellow Question Block, glowing like something sacred.

The trolls knew this relic all too well.

It was a source of power.

Of weapons.

Of rare items born from magic beyond their world.

But this block…

This one held something far more valuable to Bular.

It Bular a few more steps before he finally reached it.

He stopped, staring into the glowing white question mark as if mesmerized by its pure shine.

Then he reached out with one huge hand and gently plucked the block from the air.

While he held it in his palm it almost looked as if he were studying it.

The Penguin King strained against Angor Rot’s grip, voice raw and breaking,”NO! NO—STOP!!”

Bular didn’t even turn or acknowledge what he was saying at all.

His fingers began to tighten around the item.

CRACK.

A fracture split across the block as it began to start cracking.

CRRUNCH.

The metal bowed and twisted as it was beginning to cave.

CRRRRACK.

The glow rippled violently as the box finally started to give.

And then—SHATTER!!

The entire Question Block exploded into fragments of gold, scattering like burning confetti in the wind. 

The trolls shielded their eyes as the light burst outward.

When the light faded…

Something sat in Bular’s palm.

A stone.

Not very large, but it was carved with ancient symbols that hummed like whispered prophecy. A piece of something older than any kingdom on the map.

The Penguin King stared at it with total despair,”Oh no…Oh no… no no no…

A wild, triumphant grin spread across his monstrous features.

Then he threw his head back and LAUGHED.

A deep, echoing, victorious roar that shook the broken palace walls,” YES! YES!! AT LAST!!“He raised the stone high, letting its glow spill across the army,”(bellowing to the heavens) I FINALLY FOUND IT!!! THE FINAL PIECE!!! THE LAST PIECE OF THE BRIDGE!!!“His voice echoed like a quake.

Trolls beat their weapons on the ground in thunderous celebration.

The Penguin King closed his eyes, sinking his head back into the snow.

Bular stood on the highest ruin, stone in hand, glowing like a god of fire and conquest,”(snarling triumphantly) NOW WHO THINKS THEY CAN STOP ME?!?!”

His laughter rumbled like an earthquake, shaking the scorched remains of the palace.

The trolls below bellowed in victory.

The penguins cried in despair.

And the Penguin King, still pinned to the snow beneath Angor Rot, felt his heart break.

His kingdom was dead.

His armies were destroyed.

And now the entire world itself was in doom’s grip.

Bular’s final triumphant roar echoed.

And then—

CUT TO BLACK.

(One Piece World: Water 7)

In a small town in a land far far away from the Ic kingdom, the air inside the courthouse was heavy, as if the walls themselves carried the weight of the world’s judgment. 

The courthouse of this sleepy Water 7 town had the kind of hush that made every footstep sound like a verdict. It was a low building of salt-streaked wood and brass fittings, the kind of structure that remembered more winters than anyone in the gallery. 

Inside, the air lay thick and heavy, the heat of breath and wax and old varnish making everyone move a little slower, speak a little quieter. Candlelight guttered in wall sconces. The benches creaked as the 20 townsfolk shifted forward, curiosity and dread making a soft chorus of movement.

“Did you hear? They say he was pissing on the town well at dawn,” a woman in a headscarf whispered to the man beside her, the words folded tight like contraband.

“No—no,” muttered an old boatwright, leaning in so far his spectacles nearly fell. “That’s not the worst of it. Someone said he tried to barter with Tontatta miners for a keg of grog. He—” he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial rasp, “—asked them if they’d ever seen a whale fall out of the sky.”

A guy near the aisle snorted. “Oh please alcoholics like him’ll say anything when they’re black out drunk. I saw some homeless man half an hour ago staggering down the canal like he’d been swallowed by a sea snake.”

“Is it true it was one of the Straw Hats?” a matron asked, fingers twisting the edge of her shawl. “A yonko’s crew in chains? I don't know about you guys but that doesn't sound like some small-time alcoholic crook.”

Gossip ran like water through the gallery like a wild-fire, one woman fretting that the straw hat Captain’s reappearance here would bring more trouble than the islands could handle. An older man, who’d once fought on a merchant runner, squeezed both small hands of the children beside him and told them under his breath that if the Straw Hats reappeared, the town would be toast. The bench was a stage for a hundred little dramas: a jealous lover, a bored soldier, a merchant tallying losses in his head, a bored scribe copying names into an endless ledge, all speaking in hushes.

Ten jurors sat in their box, shoulders squared and faces imperturbable, but the eye could catch the twitch of a knuckle here, a whispered nod there, small signals exchanged with the economy of men who’d learned the currency of lies. Half of them were no ordinary jurors; beneath their plain coats were the quick glints of navy insignia, the hidden seams where orders could slip through. They were planted, sentries of pretense meant to sway the illusion of law into a weapon of strategy. In order to lure in the real target of this whole court case bullshit. One of them, a broad-shouldered man with a scar running like a river through his cheek, kept looking at the den-den mushi placed on a side table, fingers worrying the stem as if it were a live thing.

And At the center of this whole plan, sat the judge’s seat, a looming chair carved from black wood, its high back casting a shadow over the courtroom floor.

Upon it, Jaygarcia Saturn rested with calculated stillness. He and the other four elders are a council of the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons that make up the head of state for the World Government. They essentially hold the greatest authority over the entirety of the world; the only exception being the mysterious sovereign Imu whom they answer to as king of the world in secrecy. Jaygarcia was acting as judge for the accused that was about to stand before him in the defense seat. His presence was ever so commanding even without words. His scarred face was half-hidden beneath the shadow of his black hat, his white dreadlocks cascading past his shoulders. He leaned upon his cane, not because he needed it, but because the weight of authority seemed more tangible when carried like a weapon disguised as a walking stick.

Saturn’s deep, gravelly voice finally broke the tension,“Ensure the broadcast lines are tested again. I want every snail in Water 7,and every whisper beyond it, to hear the weight of justice in this room. I also want eyes and ears watching every section of this town and this courtroom for any signs of him.”

One of the jury members, a burly man with a scarred lip, nodded quickly. “The den-den mushi have been placed, Elder. The transmission will begin the moment the accused is seated. We already have him being escorted to the room right now as we speak”

Saturn’s single visible eye narrowed. He let the pause stretch until the man swallowed hard,“Good. We cannot afford another embarrassment. Actually after what happened in wano with Kaido and the beast pirates.” 

The navy guard nodded at him in a confirming response before walking away back to his station.

The air inside the chamber was stagnant, weighed down by the smell of polished wood, candle wax, and the faint tang of iron from the shackles waiting to be locked on the accused. 

Saturn sat like a statue at the judge’s bench, his posture unyielding, his dreadlocks spilling over his shoulders, the black hat resting low on his brow. The scar across his eye caught the lamplight, drawing a faint white line over his weathered skin. He rested both hands over the knob of his cane, tapping it ever so slightly against the floorboards, the sound hollow, deliberate, unsettling.

He didn’t need to speak to command the room, yet when his gravelly voice came, it carried through the courtroom with the weight of an executioner’s axe.“Remember,” Saturn said, his eye narrowing at the jury box, “The whispers outside these walls are as important as the judgment inside them. All that must reach the people is that the pirate hunter, the so-called King of Hell, was captured and brought to trial.”

A murmur rippled through the gallery, quickly stifled when Saturn’s gaze swept across them.

One of the jury members cleared his throat nervously, his voice thin and wavering. “Elder Saturn, forgive me… but some of us wonder if this is wise. The Straw Hat  pirates have toppled two warlords, defied the Navy’s justice at Enies Lobby, defeated Big Mom’s forces and Kaido himself. If he truly The kind of threat Everyone is always  rumoring him to be… isn’t luring him here dangerous beyond—”

Saturn’s cane struck the floor with a sharp crack. The sound silenced the man instantly.

“Dangerous?” Saturn repeated, his tone dripping with disdain. “Everything is dangerous when left to fester. These titles… pirate…  emperor of the sea… these are just masks a boy wears. And masks can be ripped away with the adequate amount of force.” He leaned forward, his single eye glinting with a cold fire. “The world must see the so-called ‘savior’ crushed under the weight of his own loyalty. ”

He leaned back again, letting the silence return, only his thoughts grinding forward like heavy gears. 

A Buster Call would have been more effective against the emperor of the Seas pirate crew, yes,  with the simple, ten ships, endless firepower, and the assurance of annihilation The perfect offensive attack against the post-war pirate crew. But that would create too much of a spectacle and it would scatter the Straw Hats before they could be cornered.

Besides the military couldn't afford to look perfectly bad adding a buster call would only cause massive scale destruction that, unfortunately, they didn't have time to deal with at the moment. 

No… the plan demanded subtlety and secrecy and it needed to be kept far away from the public until they were ready to publicly address the situation. 

A courtroom  is their best way of making it look like they were trying to do this fairly and to not stir the public into the straw hat Pirates favor. 

It was a stage, and Saturn intended to script the ending to better uphold him and the other Celestial dragons.

The situation happened to take a turn and it got ugly and violent, a few human  casualties wouldn't affect them that much. people die every day and these pathetic ants would prove to be no exception 

Still, he could not ignore the unease gnawing at the edges of his mind.

He had studied the reports, every reckless charge, every miracle escape. 

Straw Hat Luffy never abandoned his crew under any circumstances. 

He burned down Enies Lobby for a single crewmate, shattered Marineford’s order to reach his brother. 

And he's narrowly escaped from the Navy countless times making them look like fools.

Thankfully this time he thought about this nice and clearly he took notes from all the other failings to capture the straw hats from before and now he's made the perfect plan.

Beyond the bench a guard shifted, he wore a sash studded with small pieces of sea-prism stone, white-frosted slivers set into leather, and they glinted with a cold, hard light. 

A bucket of water guns sat under the nearest tables: an odd, practical instrument against Devil Fruit powers, small barrels and tubes, their nozzles clean and pointed. The Navy had not expected visitors like this and had prepared anyway, They were able to pull together everything they had. 

Sure it may have looked silly but it would definitely get the job done when it came to this devil fruit user. 

And of course there was Saturn himself who with his own power should be more than enough of a fight for the straw hat crew if they show up. 

Saturn’s lips curled upward in something caught between a smirk and a snarl  just thinking about the success of this mission. 

And today will be the day that he ends their little journey. 

The man lowered his gaze, nodding, though the tension in the room only thickened.

Outside the great doors of the chamber, the faint clink of chains and the heavy steps of boots echoed down the corridor.

 The guards could be heard from outside dragging their prize from his cell, though the doors remained closed as they made their way to them..

Saturn shifted slightly in his chair, adjusting his grip on the cane. His expression was unreadable, but in the depths of his eye, a spark of unease lingered.

“Bring him in,” he said finally, his voice low but cutting through the silence like a blade. “And let this plan go into motion.”

The gallery leaned forward, the jury stiffened, and the candle flames flickered as though the air itself were bracing for the arrival of the King of Hell.

The iron doors creaked open, groaning under their own weight, and the sound alone sent a ripple of unease across the gallery. 

The chains rattled first, harsh, metallic clinks echoing like war drums, before the figure himself stepped into the light.

A hush fell over the room.

The man who emerged was unmistakable, The King of Hell: Roronoa Zoro, first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates, a living legend in his own right. His green hair, shaggy and untamed, caught the lamplight as he stepped forward, his scarred left eye shut in permanent mystery, his jaw set in a scowl that could cut deeper than any blade. He wore a long, dark green coat, open at the chest to reveal his powerful frame, his torso crisscrossed with faint lines of battles past. The muted red sash at his waist, which usually held the weight of three swords, the infamous trio that had torn through Marines, pirates, and emperors alike.

Every guard at his side was trembling, as their armor clinked from the quivering of knees barely holding their stance.

“Keep him steady,” one whispered, his voice breaking Holding one of the swordsman's chain tightly..

“I—I am keeping him steady,” the other hissed back, his knuckles white on the chain links. “It’s him that doesn’t move!”

The irony was sharp, Zoro walked as if the chains were decoration, Completely uninterested in anything that was going on in that current moment

He carried the aura of a predator so certain of his strength that a cage was nothing but an inconvenience.

Whispers ignited among the crowd of twenty in the galleryAs they watched the infamous Pirate hunter Enter the courtroom..

“That’s him… that’s really him,” a dockworker muttered, hat crushed in his hands. “The demon of Wano…”

A woman beside him grabbed his sleeve. “They say he cut Kaido,” she whispered, breath trembling. “Like completely scarred him for life.”

An older man, face furrowed with old sailor’s wrinkles, shook his head. “They say he split a mountain in Wano clean in half, just to get a better view.”

“That’s not true!” the woman insisted. “They said he cut through King's skin like it was paper.”

A teenager leaned in, eyes fever-bright. “I heard he once drank an entire bar dry and still fought ten Vice Admirals with one hand tied behind his back and the other doing push-ups.”

“That’s stupid,” someone scoffed. “He’d never waste time doing push-ups, have you seen that guy's physique?”

“That’s what makes it impressive!”,Teenager shot back. 

Rumors spilled over rumors, some half-true, some fabricated from drunken nights and pirate songs

Some spectators leaned forward, their eyes wide with morbid fascination, others shrank back, averting their gaze, as though staring too long at the swordsman would draw his wrath. Parents held their children’s shoulders tighter, afraid even the boy’s breath could slice them.

The jury box wasn’t much steadier. Several jurors swallowed nervously, their eyes darting from Saturn to Zoro and back again, silently praying the swordsman wouldn’t suddenly decide to break free.

Five looked like actual townsmen: a baker with flour still dusted into the creases of his fingernails, a bookkeeper with ink on his cuffs, a retired shipwright with broad shoulders and an old injury that made him favor his right leg.

The other five wore the same costumes, but the mask slipped if you looked closely enough. Their backs were too straight, their shoulders too even, their eyes too sharp. Beneath their sleeves, the faint trace of Navy stencils showed at the edges of their cuffs. Hell they won't even trying to hide the fact that they smelled like bacon. 

One of those men swallowed hard as Zoro passed within a few meters of the box.

On a table to the side, a large den-den mushi sat on a small cushion, a neat brass headset framing its shell. Its sleepy eyes were half-lidded, but its antennae twitched, sensitive to vibrations and voices. A small glowing bead of light traced slowly along the rim of its shell, rhythmically pulsing as it synced with the transmission lines outside the courthouse.

The guards flanking him shook visibly, their grips tightening on their rifles though they dared not raise them. One wrong move from the swordsman and they knew they’d be corpses before their triggers were even pulled.

Zoro’s presence alone was crushing everyone in the room because they knew  this was the man who scarred Kaido, who split mountains with his blades, who once challenged Dracule Mihawk, the world’s greatest swordsman, only to be defeated and then train under him. 

Saturn barely moved, his silhouette was a carved shadow in the judge’s seat, hands folded on his cane like a man who weighted his words with iron as he watched Zoro’s approach with cool, predatory interest.

A guard near the bench swallowed audibly and tried to straighten his uniform as if posture could armor him. He kept his hand on his rifle, not to aim, only to feel the rough wood. “If he moves—” the words died in that cold hush, because everyone in the room already knew how that sentence ended.

Zoro’s face did not change, he stayed the same bored and unimpressed expression all the way down till he finally reached the center of the floor and paused as if taking inventory. The chains drooped and made a lazy clink that sounded like a challenge rather than a restraint.

He looked up, his gaze swept the gallery until it landed on the child with the doll; the kid flinched and hid his face. 

That response simply caused the swordsman to just roll his eye and  yawn, like a slow unbothered.

This stretch of his jaw that made the nearest soldier flinch as though it were the beginning of a roar, As he turned back to face the front of the courtroom.

From the judge’s bench, Saturn watched intently as he studied the swordsman brought before him.

“So,” Saturn said at last, his voice rumbling through the chamber, “this is the man they call the King of Hell.”

Zoro raised his head lazily, his single visible eye glaring back at Saturn with no shred of fear,”Yo”, He said nonchalantly with no respect for the authority that stood before him,  like a warrior annoyed at being forced into a board meeting..

“King of Hell, vice captain, monster of the Worst Generation…” Saturn continued, leaning slightly forward. “I must say you gained yourself quite a title during your time at sea, haven't you? And yet here you sit in chains.”

Zoro tilted his head, the faintest smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I mean, yeah, you know, every now and again, life hits you with its surprises.” He casually responded while shrugging his shoulders.

There was a slight bit of irritation on the Celestial Dragon's face at being so blatantly and casually spoken to like this.

It wasn't something he was very used to, not at all really.

He was not accustomed to being spoken to like that by a pirate of all individuals.

For the sake of the plan, he forced his fingers to remain still on the cane instead of grinding it into splinters.

At Zoro’s right side, close enough to sweat on his sleeve but far enough to avoid an elbow, stood a thin, nervous man in a tattered black coat.

His hair was slicked back with too much cheap oil, and his collar was frayed. He clutched a stack of parchment and a half-dried quill in shaking hands, eyes bouncing between the judge, the jury, and the mountain of a swordsman he had somehow been assigned to “defend.”

He looked like he wanted to be anywhere else in the world.

This was the “lawyer” in name only.

No one in the room believed this man would protect Zoro from anything.

He was there because the image of justice required a defense, someone to nod and look overwhelmed.

He licked his lips nervously and whispered, “M-Mister Roronoa… i-if you would please, try to—uh—answer respectfully, we m-might—”

Zoro didn’t even look at him  or acknowledge his existence.

The lawyer swallowed the rest of his sentence and stared down at his own shoes.

Saturn tapped his cane once, the hollow tok commanding silence. His gravelly voice rolled out with the weight of finality.

“Let the record state,” Saturn began, “that the Water 7 Navy Court is now in full effect. Temporary judge, Jaygarcia Saturn of the Five Elders, presiding over the case of The People versus Roronoa Zoro.”

The room shivered at the formality of it as the words hung heavy, sealing the swordsman’s presence into the annals of history.

The den-den mushi’s eyes snapped fully open, its mouth moved in slow mimicry as it relayed each word across the lines running along the canals and rooftops of Water 7.

Outside this room, people were already gathering around public receivers, whispering:“A Yonko’s right hand… on trial?”

“Defendant,” Saturn said, leaning forward, “step forward.”

Zoro’s lips curled into a faint scowl, but he shuffled forward when tugged by the chains. His heavy boots thudded against the courtroom floor. Each step echoed, a sound that drew the eyes of every person in the room. When he finally stood at the center, his broad frame straightened, he looked less like a prisoner and more like a warrior entertaining a pointless game.

The moment Saturn lifted his hand, silence swept across the courtroom like a commandment sent from heaven or hell.

A naval staff member hurried forward, crisp coat immaculate, eyes lowered in reverence and fear. He carried a stack of weathered papers, the edges frayed, the ink darkened by years of printing faces worth killing for.

With ceremonial care, he set the papers before Saturn, then moved down the line of the jury, placing one sheet before each juror. As the posters touched wood, the room felt as if it inhaled all at once.

Then—

GASPS.

Whispers.

Choked breaths.

One juror actually dropped his sheet with a panicked clatter.

It slid across the floor to Zoro’s feet.

A hundred eyes followed it.

Bold black letters glared upward:

WANTED Roronoa “Pirate Hunter” Zoro 1,111,000,000 Berries

Zoro's wanted paper.

A bounty with too many zeroes.

The jurors stared like men who had mistakenly volunteered to sit beside a keg of gunpowder.

It was on full display for everyone to see.

Gasps rattled through the chamber. One juror dropped the poster in shock, his lips moving as though counting zeroes. Another muttered, “Over a billion… just for one swordsman…”

“He’s not even the captain,” another hissed.

A third man, who had fought in the Navy long ago, whispered hoarsely, “A billion is reserved for monsters. World-enders.”

The first juror corrected him in a trembling voice,“…He’s the King of Hell. That’s worse.”

Saturn’s voice cut through the noise like a blade.

“Let it be known,” he said, tapping the cane against the poster with deliberate weight, “This man, standing before you in chains, is not simply a pirate. He is the combatant of the Straw Hat crew. A swordsman who has carved his name in blood across the Grand Line. One of the so-called ‘Worst Generation.’ The man they whisper of as the King of Hell.”

His cane tapped the poster as if to punctuate the words,“Remember what you hold in your hands. One billion, one hundred and eleven million. That is not a number given lightly.”

More whispers.

“He’s the one who used Conqueror’s Haki in Wano…”

“They said he tanked an attack from two Emperors…”

“Cut a mountain clean in half—no, two mountains—”

“No, that was Trafalgar Law—”

“Shut up, both of you! He’s looking this way!”

Zoro’s eye didn’t even twitch, but the subtle roll of annoyance was unmistakable.

Saturn’s lips curved upward in a thin smile, and with deliberate slowness, he raised another sheet of parchment. This one, larger, carried the bold caricature of another man. Straw hat tilted forward, wide grin, scar under his eye.

“Roronoa Zoro is not merely dangerous by his own hand,” Saturn declared, holding up the poster for all to see. “He is the vice captain of an Emperor. His captain… Monkey D. Luffy.”

The poster fluttered as Saturn turned it outward.

This one the crowd was far more familiar with.

WANTED Monkey D. Luffy 3,000,000,000 Berries

The room erupted as this time he pulled out Luffy's wanted Poster.

(Continue to part 2)

[godofcreatitivity]

Looks like the Z Warriors have a new threat…….!!!!!!!!!!

In this new universe of Dragon ball Join Goku and his four Brothers Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan and Trunks as they embark on their most dangerous adventure yet when a mysterious Kryptonian girl crash-lands on Earth, Who is revealed to be the cousin of the famous superheroes Superman, it is decided that she will be given to the care of Goku and his four brothers in train her into honing her abilities, only to discover she possesses powers rivaling their own. However amidst all the training a dark godly force, by the name of Darkseid: tyrant of Apokolips, Makes his appearance as he seeks out the girl in order to use her as the perfect weapon for universal conquest. With the fate of the multiverse on the line, the Saiyamen and their Autobot allies must face an unstoppable ancient power, and challenge their bonds as a family in the most dangerous mission of their lives.

[godofcreatitivity]

He's not copper........ he's not steel………..He's IRON MAN!!!!!!!!!!!

In this universe a 25-year-old Genius billionaire playboy Philanthropist Tony Stark, aka The Invincible Iron Man, inherits his dead father's company, creating some of the most advanced technology the world has ever seen. After 5 years of running the company and 3 years of not seeing her, Tony returns to a famous Kingdom and homeland of one of his only true closest friends since childhood, and old crush, Queen Elena Castillo Florez, ruler of Avalor, In order to promote the newly built and highly advanced starkland that would be opening in an Ancient area in China. Little did he know this production would cause the awakening of The Mandarin , an ancient warlord and sorcerer, after centuries of imprisonment from his tomb, who is seeking to reclaim his ten mystical rings, which grant him god-like power. To retrieve them, he summons four Elemental Demon Guardians-Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind-who will spread destruction across the world.Realizing the catastrophic threat, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Queen Elena Castillo Florez, and their allies embark on a global race against time to locate the rings before the Mandarin does. Along the way, they face the four Guardians, forcing Tony to upgrade his technology, Elena to harness her leadership and magic, and their team to push beyond their limits.

[godofcreatitivity]

Chapter 21:  The rebellion's new trump card!

One Piece the Movie

(the following is a nonprofit fan based parody any characters from one piece is owned by Eiichiro Oda, Toei Animation Co., Ltd., any characters from super Mario are owned by Nintendo, any characters from troll hunters, are owned by DreamWorks and universal

Disclaimer

Some of the characters found in this story and / or universe do not belong to me, but are intellectual property of their respective owners. Any original characters in this story are my intellectual property.

Story nonprofit created fan and fan without compromising the original work.)

Chapter 21:  The rebellion's new trump card! 

The Swordsman then turned away from the little girl, he then looked around at the condition of the camp.

 The leader of the elves, Orrian, was now snapping all of his subordinates out of their days and ordering them to handle the fires around them from what he was seeing..

 There was still the problem with the current condition of the camp

 Which won't be much of a camp anymore if they didn't get this fire situation under control 

Fires still burned across the camp, the goblins’ siege leaving behind a trail of destruction.

Now finished with his fighting the elves, exhausted and still recovering from the sheer madness of what just happened, were scrambling to control the flames.

Ruven was using water buckets, Bellas and Jacob were stamping out embers, and Khilseith, still low on magic, was trying to summon enough energy to create a spell that could put out the bigger fires.

"We need to stop this before the whole camp burns down!" Orrian shouted, directing the others.

But even with all their efforts, it was clear they weren’t going to be able to control the fire fast enough.

Zoro then made his way over to the center of the camp.

 It was there when he cracked his neck, “Tch. Guess it's up to me to fix everything huh.”

Everyone turned toward himHearing him and wondering what he was doing.

“What do you mean ‘Fix everything’?” Alicia snapped, still breathless. “The camp’s burning down, how are you possibly going to be able to fix this?!”

Zoro sighed and rested his hand on the hilt of one of his swords. “Oh yeah hang on”

Then, he unsheathed his blade.

The elves all stared.

Oh no oh no no no no no was he about to do what they think he was about to do?

Everyone else began to duck in fear of what the swordsman's next move was about to be.

 the only one not surprisingly who didn't seem to understand what was going on with Jacob who looked at everyone dumbfounded. 

“What is he—” Jacob started, but Alicia grabbed his arm  before quickly pulling him to the ground with her, “Move now.”

Zoro exhaled slowly.

His stance shifted ever so slightly.

Then—he swung.

(FWOOOOOOSH!)

With one massive horizontal swing, Zoro’s blade sliced through the air—but instead of cutting an enemy, it created a shockwave so powerful it blasted the flames away.

A gust of compressed wind followed the path of his sword, tearing through the fire like a storm. The flames shuddered, then died out almost instantly, as if blown away by an unseen force.

The elves staggered backward, feeling the wind ripple through their hair.

The fire was gone.

Everything fell into silence.

Alicia’s jaw dropped.

Ruven blinked.

Khilseith, the actual mage, looked down at his hands—then back at Zoro.

“…Did he just use a sword to put out a fire?”

Orrian took a slow step forward, looking around the camp.

The flames were completely extinguished.

No magic.

No buckets of water.

Just one sword swing.

Alicia clutched her head. “By the Gods did that just happen?”

Zoro clicked his sword back into its sheath and rolled his shoulder.

“There. Problem solved.”

Vanellope, standing nearby, had sparkles in her eyes.

“…Okay, that was officially one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen,” she whispered.

Jacob let out a long breath and collapsed onto a crate.

“Well, uh. Good work, everyone?”

Orrian was still staring at Zoro like he was trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

“…How?” he finally muttered.

Zoro shrugged. “Dunno. I just did it.”

Alicia threw her hands up.

“OF COURSE HE JUST DID IT.”

Zoro sheathed his swords with a satisfied click, his expression unreadable as he turned back to the elves. “Guess that’s taken care of,” he said casually, as though he hadn’t just turned the tide of the battle single-handedly.

Vanellope ran toward him, her face lighting up with relief. “Zoro! That was amazing!” she shouted, practically bouncing with excitement.

He glanced down at her, his usual smirk returning

The battlefield fell into silence.

For a long moment, everyone just stared at Zoro.

Their minds were still reeling from what they had just witnessed—the impossible speed, the overwhelming strength, the sheer insanity of a single human taking down a champion goblin and wiping out an entire army like it was nothing.

Even the air itself felt different, as if the battlefield was still processing what had just happened.

Then—chaos.

Jacob and Bellas immediately made a dash for Zoro completely ecstatic from what they had just seen.

“HOW THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?!” Jacob’s voice pierced through the quiet like an arrow. He practically launched himself at Zoro, stopping just short of grabbing him by the shoulders. “THAT WAS INSANE! YOU WERE JUST—AND THEN YOU—AND THE FLAMES—WHAT?!”

Bellas, normally more reserved, was right behind Jacob, nodding furiously,“Y-Yeah! I’ve never seen anything like that! You—You just CUT THROUGH THE FIRE! Who does that?!”

Alicia approached too, but unlike the other two, her arms were crossed, her sharp eyes still analyzing everything that had just unfolded.

She gave Zoro a once-over, then exhaled.

“Yeah I'm going to have to agree with that question too,” she said,“You mentioning that you were this strong would have been beyond impressive And nice to know so I wouldn't leave you in a tent.”

Jacob whipped his head around.

“BEYOND IMPRESSIVE?! THAT WAS—THAT WAS INSANE, ALICIA! HE MOVED SO FAST! HE CUT THROUGH THAT THING LIKE IT WAS PAPER!”

“Yes I saw, Jacob. I was there.” She raised an eyebrow. “Unlike you, I’m not going to lose my mind over it.”

Jacob gasped. “HOW ARE YOU SO CALM?! THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING! WHAT IF HE’S SOME KIND OF DEMIGOD OR—OR A DRAGON IN HUMAN FORM?!”

Zoro, who had been silent the whole time, let out a long sigh.

“You guys are loud.”

Jacob spun back around. “LOUD? LOUD?! OF COURSE I’M LOUD! I JUST WATCHED YOU—”

Ruven clapped a hand over Jacob’s mouth to stop him from having an actual meltdown before then carefully pulling him off of The Swordsman.

The rest of the elves were still standing back, unsure how to react. Some were whispering among themselves, others were simply staring at Zoro in disbelief.

Orrian, always the leader, took a steady step forward.

“I think we all owe you our thanks,” he said, his voice level despite the obvious shock still lingering in his expression. “Without you, this camp would have fallen.”

Zoro shrugged.

“No big deal.”

Jacob tore Ruven’s hand away from his mouth.

“NO BIG DEAL?!”

Bellas aggressively nodded. “It was a HUGE DEAL.”

Zoro looked genuinely confused,“Why? You guys fought too.”

Alicia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.“Zoro.”

He turned to her as she called his name,“Hm?”

She gestured toward the battlefield. “You just single-handedly wiped out an entire goblin horde, killed their strongest warrior like it was nothing, and put out an entire fire with a sword swing.”

Jacob jumped back in. “DO YOU EVEN HEAR YOURSELF?!”

Bellas gasped. “Oh my god, wait—YOU WERE ASLEEP FIVE MINUTES BEFORE THIS.”

Zoro blinked, “…Yeah?”

The three of them groaned in unison.

“HOW?!”

Zoro scratched the back of his head,“I dunno, I was just tired.”

Jacob clutched his chest. “I can’t do this. I can’t process this.”

Vanellope, who had been standing off to the side giggling to herself, finally stepped in.

She grinned up at Zoro. “They’re just not used to someone as cool as you, big guy.”

Zoro smirked. “Yeah I'm starting to pick up on that”

Jacob Then spoke up again as he continued to question The Swordsman. 

“Okay. No. No, no, no, no, NO.” He threw his hands in the air, stepping forward. “I REFUSE to just move past this. HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!”

Zoro blinked. “Do what?”

“THAT.” Jacob flailed his arms toward the battlefield. “Everything you just did! The disappearing! The cutting fire! The—THE GIANT GOBLIN CHAMPION! You weren’t even TRYING!”

Zoro scratched his head. “I mean, yeah. It wasn’t that hard.”

Jacob made a choked noise. Bellas grabbed his arm, as if to keep him from passing out.

Alicia, though much calmer, crossed her arms. Her sharp eyes were locked on Zoro like a hunter studying a dangerous animal.

“I have to agree with Jacob,” she said. “What exactly ARE you, Zoro? You’re human, aren’t you?”

Zoro gave her a flat lookAs he then poked on his cheek and felt around his body a little bit. “Yeah I mean at least I feel like a human you know eat sleep bleed drink all that good stuff.”

Jacob let out a strangled laugh. “You say that like it explains anything!”

Bellas, still wide-eyed, nodded furiously. “Seriously! Humans are strong, sure, but NOT like that! You moved faster than ANYTHING I’ve ever seen! Even our best warriors couldn’t keep up!”

Ruven, usually more composed, spoke up. “And you cut through enchanted armor. That shouldn’t be possible.”

Khilseith, still panting from using so much magic, fixed Zoro with a calculating stare. “And the fire. No normal sword can cut through flames. Especially not one wielded by a human like you”

Zoro sighed. He was starting to regret winning so easily,“What’s with all the questions? I just did what I always do.”

“What you always d-”,Jacob threw up his hands. “WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!”

Vanellope, standing by Zoro’s side, was grinning. She had been waiting for this moment.

“Oh, this is nothing.” She giggled. “You guys haven’t even seen him fight for real yet.”

The elves stared at her.

“THAT WASN’T ‘FOR REAL’?!” Bellas shouted, her voice cracking.

Zoro shrugged. “Didn’t need to go all out.Would have been just a waste of energy and effort”

Jacob looked like he was about to have an actual breakdown. “This can’t be happening.”

Orrian, who had been silent until now, stepped forward, his expression serious.

“Zoro.” His voice cut through the chaos of the others. “I need to understand. I’ve trained warriors for years, fought alongside some of the strongest elves in our ranks. I have never—never—seen a human fight like that. What kind of training have you gone through?”

Zoro considered the question.

Finally, he sighed. “I trained with a great swordsman when I was a kid. Then, I got stronger by fighting people stronger than me. That’s all.”

Jacob stared at him like he had just said the sky was green.

“THAT’S ALL?!”

Zoro frowned. “What do you want me to say? I trained a lot, I fought a lot, now I’m strong.”

Khilseith narrowed his eyes. “You’re underselling it.”

Alicia tilted her head, watching him carefully. “It’s not just your skill. There’s something else, isn’t there?”

Zoro glanced at her. He wasn’t sure how much he wanted to explain.

Then again, they had just fought together.

He sighed again. “Alright, fine. You guys wanna know?”

The elves all leaned in.

Zoro smirked. “I’m gonna be the greatest swordsman in the world.”

Silence.

Jacob blinked.

Bellas tilted her head.

Khilseith didn't care. 

Ruven and Orrian exchanged a glance.

Alicia, to her credit, didn’t look surprised.

“And?” she prompted.

Zoro grinned. “And that means I have to be stronger than anyone else who picks up a sword. So I train until I win. That’s all there is to it.”

The elves were stunned.

They all literally just stared at him.

 That couldn't be the source to all his strength just wanting to be the best

 no no no no no no no no no no no no no no 

There had to be something else there should be something else there needs to be something else 

Zoro was treating his godlike skill like it was nothing but a requirement for his goal.

This quite literally made 0 sense how are they supposed to compute with an answer like that.

Jacob was gripping his hair. “You’re telling me you’re this strong—because you want to be the best?!”

“Yep.”

Bellas clutched her chest. “I think I need to sit down.”

Alicia, still watching Zoro, exhaled slowly. “So you’re not some kind of supernatural being. You’re just… someone who refuses to lose.”

Zoro nodded. “That about sums it up.”

Orrian crossed his arms. “And you’re saying you’re not even at your strongest yet?”

Zoro chuckled. “Not even close.”

The elves couldn’t process it.

A human. Stronger than an entire goblin horde. Stronger than their best warriors. And he still wasn’t at his peak?

This this quite literally made no sense

 Like this felt like a broken track record of not making sense.

 How could this possibly be his only reason for getting stronger for even being this strong to begin with.

Orrian, still catching his breath from the battle, wiped the sweat from his brow. His sharp, calculating gaze remained locked on Zoro. 

The camp was still smoldering, the fires recently put out, but even amidst the destruction, the tension in the air was thick.

It wasn’t just the battle that had left everyone shaken. It was the man standing before them.

Zoro stood there, arms crossed, his swords still at his hip, looking completely unbothered by the storm of emotions swirling around him. Like he hadn’t just turned the tide of an entire battle alone.

Orrian inhaled deeply. He needed answers.

He turned to Alicia, his tone firm. “Did you even think to get proper information on them before bringing them here?”

Alicia pursed her lips, shifting slightly as she shrugged her shoulders. “…I got the basics.”

Orrian exhaled through his nose. “Clearly not enough.” He stepped forward, stopping just a few feet in front of Zoro.

“Who are you really?” His voice was steady but sharp. “Where are you from? How did a human like you become strong enough to cut through fire, armor, and an entire army of goblins like they were nothing?”

Zoro sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. “Man, you guys sure are dramatic.”

Jacob threw up his hands. “EXCUSE ME FOR BEING A LITTLE CONCERNED THAT YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A GOD!”

Zoro rolled his eyes. “Tch. I already told you, I’m human.”

Orrian wasn’t satisfied. His expression remained firm, his tone unwavering. “Then explain yourself properly. We deserve to know who we’ve brought into our camp.”

Zoro studied him for a moment. The guy was serious.

He glanced at Vanellope beside him, who gave him a little shrug. “Might as well, big guy. They’re gonna keep hounding you until you do.”

Zoro sighed again and finally spoke.

“Name’s Roronoa Zoro. I’m a pirate.”

Silence.

A pirate

Like the ones that dress in those ridiculous and slightly dirty outfits

Travel amongst the sea on a ship

Searching for booty or treasure whatever it is

Which always have the need to say ARG with a little parrot on the shoulder

That was what he was 

Orrian and the elves starred.

Jacob choked. “I—WHAT?”

Bellas blinked rapidly. “D-Did he just say—?”

Alicia’s expression flickered with intrigue. “A pirate?”

Khilseith Couldn't help but start snickering from snickering he began laughing holding his stomach tightly at that ridiculous answer he was just given.

Ruven folded his arms, his brow furrowing. “That… makes no sense. Pirates don’t fight like you. Nor do they even act the way you do either”

Orrian’s frown deepened. “You’re telling me you’re nothing but a common sea criminal?”

Zoro’s eye twitched. “Tch. ‘Common’? Don’t lump me in with just any pirate.” He crossed his arms, standing tall. “I’m part of the crew of the future King of the Pirates.”

Silence. Again.

Alicia raised an eyebrow. “The… what now?”

King of the Pirates

What the hell is that? 

There could be a king of the Pirates, what ?  

What would the Royal throne be a treasure chest or an entire ship? 

Zoro smirked. “Monkey D. Luffy. He’s my captain. And one day, he’s gonna be the King of the Pirates.”

Jacob looked like his soul was leaving his body. “WHAT AM I EVEN HEARING RIGHT NOW?!”

Bellas had her hands on her head. “Pirates? Kings? This is too much.”

Orrian, still trying to piece together the absurdity of the situation, rubbed his temples. “So let me get this straight… You’re part of a pirate crew. And your captain is some man who claims he’s going to be a king?”

Zoro nodded. “Damn right.”

Khilseith’s curiosity was starting to repeat itself,” What is there going to be like some sort of weird pirate hierarchy or something”?

Zoro then shook his head.” Nah my Captain's not really with the ruling over people thing”, 

Alicia, still watching him intently, spoke up. “And you? What’s your goal in all of this?”

Zoro’s smirk grew. “I told you already.”

He stepped forward, his presence suddenly overwhelming,“I’m going to be the world’s greatest swordsman.”

His words hung heavy in the air, not as a boast, but as an undeniable fact.

Alicia’s gaze flickered with something unreadable. Ruven clenched his jaw. Khilseith narrowed his eyes.

Jacob, however, was not handling this well.

“OH GOOD, SO YOU’RE ALSO TRYING TO BE THE BEST AT SOMETHING.” He threw his hands up. “FANTASTIC. WHAT ELSE? CAN YOU BREATHE UNDERWATER? DO YOU HAVE SECRET DRAGON BLOOD? MAYBE YOU’RE A LOST ELVEN PRINCE TOO?!”

Zoro glanced at him. “…I think you need to calm down.”

Jacob looked ready to scream.

Orrian, however, Placed his hand on Jacob's mouth to prevent him from doing such a thing and to also shut him up too,  because he still had more questions, “You’ve mentioned your captain, but what about the rest of your crew? Are they all like you?”

Zoro chuckled. “Not exactly. But yeah, they’re strong.” He thought for a moment. “You’d probably be the most interested in Luffy. He’s the strongest of us all.”

Alicia tilted her head. “Stronger than you?”

Zoro smirked. “Oh yeah.”

That statement alone was horrifying to everyone who had just watched Zoro single-handedly destroy an army.

“That’s not possible,” Orrian muttered. “If he’s stronger than you, then what the hell is he?”

Zoro’s smirk widened. “A monster.”

Jacob and Bellas nearly collapsed.

Orrian shook his head. “And where is your crew now?”

Zoro shrugged. “Lost. Again.  Well actually technically we're on vacation well the others are but we all are but me and my Captain were placed together since we drew straws on who would watch over the ship and the captain and I was the one who got the shortest straw so I'm stuck watching the ship witn my Captain. So they had the pleasure of not getting dragged to another world through a green pipe like me and my Captain”

The elves all shared a look.

Khilseith rubbed his temples. “You mean to tell me… you’re this strong, and yet you still get lost?”

Zoro scowled. “Shut up.”

Alicia smirked. “I see. So you’re strong, but not perfect.”

Jacob let out a deranged laugh. “THAT’S HIS ONLY WEAKNESS? HE SUCKS AT DIRECTIONS?”

Bellas wiped her face. “I can’t believe this.”

Orrian  Stare at him with a blank face,” Yeah I'm going to need a bit more of a detailed explanation on your current situation just so we can then figure out what to do with you”

Zoro crossed his arms and leaned against the nearest post, eyeing the group of elves surrounding him. He could feel the weight of their stares—curiosity, confusion, disbelief. The battle had proven beyond any doubt that he was no ordinary human, but now they wanted more. They wanted to know why he was here. How he got here.

He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “Tch. Alright, fine. I’ll tell you what happened.” He glanced at Alicia, then at Orrian. “But you’d better listen closely, ‘cause I’m not repeating myself.”

The elves exchanged glances before nodding. Even Jacob—who had been bouncing off the walls with excitement—managed to settle down, albeit barely.

Zoro stretched his neck before speaking. “We weren’t supposed to be here. Me, Luffy, and Vanellope—we were on our ship, the Thousand Sunny. That’s where all this started.”

Orrian narrowed his eyes. “And where exactly was this ship?”

“In my Captain's hometown,” Zoro answered simply. “On the docks of the same said town to be more Frank.” He let that sink in before continuing. “We were minding our own business when some bastard in white showed up out of nowhere.”

Jacob raised a hand. “Wait, some guy just appeared on your ship? Like—poof?”

“Yeah,” Zoro confirmed. “Didn’t see him coming, didn’t hear him board. One second it was just us, next thing we know, he’s standing there like he owns the place.”

Ruven frowned. “And you’re saying this wasn’t some sort of illusion or trick?”

Zoro shook his head. “Nope. He was real, alright. Too damn real.” His fingers briefly tightened around the hilt of one of his swords. “Luffy was ready to knock his teeth out the second he laid eyes on him.”

Alicia’s expression remained unreadable, but she leaned in slightly. “And you?”

Zoro smirked. “I was ready to cut him in half.”

Bellas and Jacob exchanged glances.

“Did he say cut him in half?” Bellas whispered.

“He definitely said cut him in half,” Jacob muttered.

Zoro ignored them and continued. “Anyway, the guy acted all calm, like he wasn’t worried about us at all. Called Luffy by name, too. Knew exactly who he was and even grabbed his hat.”

Orrian’s eyebrows rose slightly. “He took something from your captain?”

Zoro nodded. “Yeah, but Luffy got it back real quick. He didn’t like that one bit.”

“I knew it!” Vanellope suddenly interjected, grinning. “I knew you were gonna mention the hat part! Luffy never lets anyone mess with his hat!”

Zoro snorted. “Damn right. That hat’s important to him.” He turned back to the others. “Anyway, we told the guy to start talking, and he did. Said he was looking for Luffy. Said his ‘employer’ was interested in him and wanted to meet.”

Ruven frowned. “And who was this employer?”

Zoro’s smirk faded. “He went by a couple of names, but the most important one was The Butcher.”

A heavy silence followed.

Jacob let out a nervous laugh. “Haha… oh, that’s a great name. Very reassuring.”

Orrian folded his arms. “I assume this wasn’t just a casual invitation.”

Zoro shook his head. “Nah. He told us straight up—we either went with him, or he’d drag us there by force. And if we resisted, he’d burn our ship, maybe even an entire village, to the ground.”

Khilseith’s expression darkened. “And you refused.”

“Obviously,” Zoro scoffed. “We’re not the type to roll over just because some guy in fancy clothes tells us to.” He exhaled. “That’s when the real fight started.”

Alicia’s eyes narrowed slightly. “And how did that go?”

Zoro glanced at Vanellope, who was already smirking.

“Not gonna lie,” she said, “he kinda kicked their butts for a bit.”

Zoro sighed, annoyed. “We were holding back.”

Alicia raised an eyebrow. “Holding back?”

Zoro nodded. “We didn’t know how strong he was yet. Didn’t wanna go all-out right away, especially not when we were still recovering from another fight earlier.”

Bellas folded her arms. “But that didn’t last long, did it?”

Zoro shook his head. “Nope. After he started messing with us—blocking my swords like they were nothing, tossing Luffy around, pulling some weird portal tricks—we knew we had to take him seriously.”

Jacob leaned forward. “Wait, portal tricks?”

Zoro exhaled. “Yeah. The guy had some kind of ability that let him open these black holes. He could absorb attacks into them and then shoot them back at us from different directions.”

Orrian looked thoughtful. “That’s an incredibly dangerous power…”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Zoro muttered. “Our own attacks got turned against us. Luffy was dodging my air slashes, and I had to dodge his punches. It was a mess.”

Jacob whistled. “Okay, now I get why you were having trouble.”

Alicia frowned slightly. “But you won in the end.”

“Damn right we did,” Zoro smirked. “We caught him off guard. I grabbed Vanellope while Luffy threw him into the ocean.”

Bellas blinked. “You threw him into the ocean? Why would you do that”?

Silence.

Wait Jacob Raised a brow to something,” Hold up what the hell is a devil fruit user”?

O Zoro blinked. Oh. Right. He had been so caught up in everything—the war, the rebellion, the whole "trolls taking over the world" thing—that he’d completely forgotten one minor detail:

Jacob had his arms crossed, his brow furrowed in confusion. “You just threw that out there like it’s supposed to mean something. So what the hell is a Devil Fruit user?”

Zoro sighed, rubbing the back of his head. How the hell do I even explain this? He wasn’t exactly the best teacher. That was more Luffy’s thing. Or Robin’s.

Still, he could at least cover the basics.

He glanced at Vanellope. “You wanna take this one, or should I?”

Vanellope grinned, rocking on her heels. “Ohhh I'm good, Mr. Swordsman. You got this.”

Zoro rolled his eyes. “Tch. Fine.”

He turned back to Jacob and the others. “Alright. So, in my world, there are these things called Devil Fruits. They’re weird-looking, cursed fruits that grant people superhuman abilities. The catch? Once you eat one, you lose the ability to swim. The ocean straight-up rejects you, and you sink like a rock. Hence why we threw that white suited guy into the ocean.”

Jacob blinked. “...So you get powers, but water kills you?”

Zoro shrugged. “Basically.”

Khilseith scoffed. “That’s a hell of a trade-off.”

Alicia narrowed her eyes. “And you—are you one of these ‘Devil Fruit users’?”

Zoro shook his head. “Nope. I don’t have one.”

Ruven arched a brow. “Then why bring it up?”

Zoro sighed. “Because my captain—the one that white-suited guy is looking for? He has one. And so do a bunch of other people from my world.”

Elrohir leaned forward, intrigued. “What kind of abilities are we talking about?”

Zoro exhaled. “Depends on the fruit. There’s all kinds—some let you turn into animals, some let you control elements, some turn your body into weird stuff like rubber or smoke. Some are insanely powerful, and some are just… stupid.”

Bellas’ eyes widened. “Wait, wait, wait—you’re saying there are people out there who can turn into fire or control the weather just because they ate a fruit?”

Zoro nodded. “Yeah. And my captain? He ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi—the Rubber-Rubber Fruit. It turned his whole body into rubber.”

Jacob blinked. “So… what, he just stretches?”

Vanellope giggled. “Yeah pretty much.”

Zoro smirked. “Luffy’s not just stretchy—he’s damn near unstoppable. Punches bounce off him, bullets don’t do squat, and he can stretch his limbs like a slingshot. And that’s just the basics. He’s figured out a bunch of different ways to fight using his fruit. He can make his fists as big as boulders, move at insane speeds, and even—”

Zoro stopped himself. They don’t need to know about any of his Gears or haki And to be honest he might not even know how to explain that part or that new form that Luffy supposedly got while they were in Wano but Zoro was kind of unconscious for that so he didn't really know what everyone was talking about during that time.

He crossed his arms. He'll have to explain that part when the time comes. “Point is, Devil Fruits make people really dangerous.”

Ruven frowned. “And this… white-suited individual. The one looking for your captain. For what reason?”

Zoro’s expression darkened. “I don’t know.  like I said before he said his employer the butcher needed to meet him for some reason but he didn't really do a good job of explaining what.”

Alicia rubbed her temples. “So let me get this straight. There’s a whole world out there where people can eat cursed fruit to gain ridiculous powers, but it also makes them weak to water?”

Zoro nodded.

Khilseith muttered, “That sounds like the most broken magic system I’ve ever heard of.”

Jacob was still stuck on something else. “Okay, but like… can you just eat multiple fruits? Like stack powers?”

Zoro shook his head. “Nope. You eat a second one, you die. Your body just straight-up explodes.”

Jacob took a step back. “Oh. Yeah. That’s… horrifying.”

Bellas still looked skeptical. “And you swear this isn’t some insane myth?”

Vanellope cut in. “Ohhh no. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. People stretch, turn into fire, make earthquakes, all of it.”

Hell she even demonstrated herself by literally glitching right in front of them then glitching black to Zorro ,”Some of us even glitch ourselves to different locations “.

Orrian, who had been quiet for a while, finally spoke. “And your captain… he’s a Devil Fruit user. But he’s not here.”

Zoro’s jaw tightened. “No. He’s not here, he went into another green pipe”. 

There was a bit more silence as everyone was trying to take in the information they were being told before Orrian’s expression hardened. “Explain.”

Zoro sighed. “We thought he was a Devil Fruit user. I mean, come on—portal powers? A body tough enough that my sword couldn’t even cut him?” He shook his head. “But when we tossed him into the ocean, he didn’t sink.”

Ruven’s eyes widened. “You mean… he didn’t drown?”

Zoro nodded. “That’s right. He came back. Drenched, pissed, but fine. That’s when I realized—he wasn’t just some Devil Fruit user. He was something else.”

Jacob looked like he was about to pass out. “I—I knew it! I knew there was no way this guy was normal!”

Bellas shook her head in disbelief. “And what happened next?”

Zoro exhaled sharply. “He gave us one last warning. Then he blasted the water with something—and the next thing we knew, the entire sea beneath us turned into a massive whirlpool. But it wasn’t just any whirlpool.”

Alicia’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Zoro’s eye narrowed. “It was glowing. Warping. Like it wasn’t just pulling us under—it was taking us somewhere.”

Vanellope raised her hand. “It was a warp hole,” she added.

Alicia frowned. “A warp hole…?”

“Yeah,” Zoro muttered. “We tried everything to stop it. Luffy grabbed onto the docks, me and Vanellope tried steering the ship away, but nothing worked. We got sucked in.”

Jacob looked between them. “And then?”

Zoro shrugged. “Then we ended up here. Through that warp pipe you guys keep telling us about the green one.”

Orrian rubbed his chin. “So… you’re saying that whoever this man was, he had the power to teleport you across dimensions?”

“Looks that way,” Zoro said simply.

Alicia stepped back, digesting the information. “That’s… unbelievable.”

Jacob pointed at him. “Says The girl who isn't the guy who just cut through a goblin champion like it was paper.”

Bellas sighed. “So let me get this straight… you guys got attacked by some freaky teleporting warrior, got sucked into a portal that led you through a warp pipe Zone, and just landed here?”

“Pretty much,” Zoro said with a smirk.

Alicia tapped her fingers against her arm. “And what about this Luffy? Where is he?”

Zoro’s smirk faded. “Dunno. That’s the problem.”

A tense silence followed.

Orrian exhaled. “So you’re looking for him.”

“Yeah,” Zoro muttered. His grip tightened on his swords.

The silence that followed Zoro’s explanation was deafening. The elves exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions shifting from curiosity to something much graver. They knew something—something they weren’t saying.

Zoro didn’t miss it. His sharp eye caught the tension in their stances, the way their gazes flickered between one another, as if silently debating how much to reveal. They know something I don’t.

Alicia was the first to break the silence, her hand subconsciously resting against the hilt of her blade. “We should discuss this in the meeting tent,” she said, her tone firmer than before. “There’s… a lot you need to know.”

Zoro narrowed his eye, scrutinizing her. “That so?” He crossed his arms. “And here I thought I already had enough on my plate.”

Alicia exhaled sharply. “You don’t.”

Without another word, she turned on her heel and gestured for them to follow. The elves, sensing the weight of the discussion ahead, quietly moved in formation toward the center of the camp.

Jacob was unusually silent—likely still processing everything he had just witnessed. Ruven walked with his arms folded, his brows furrowed in deep thought. Bellas stole glances at Zoro every few moments, as if reevaluating the swordsman’s existence altogether.

Vanellope, who had been clinging to Zoro’s sleeve up until now, finally spoke up. “Uh… why do I feel like this is gonna be really, really bad?” she muttered.

Zoro glanced down at her. “Because it probably is.”

She groaned. “Great. That’s exactly what I didn’t wanna hear.”

They could finish cleaning up everything from the battle later. Right now it was time to get the full story from both sides. 

(Inside the war tent) 

The interior of the tent was dimly lit, the warm glow of lanterns casting long shadows along the fabric walls. A map of the region lay spread out over a large wooden table in the center, marked with lines, notes, and various symbols. It was clear that this rebellion had been operating for a long time.

Orrian and Alicia stood at one end of the table, while Zoro, Vanellope, and the others positioned themselves around it.

Zoro exhaled, resting one elbow against the table. “Alright. We’re here. Start talking.”

Alicia hesitated for a moment before speaking. “The Butcher you mentioned… he’s not just any warlord.” She turned toward the table, her fingers tracing a deep gouge in the wood. “His name is Bular—the King of the Trolls, the God of War, the Crusher of Skulls. He is the ruler of the Dark Lands and the leader of one of the most feared empires in all of existence.”

Zoro’s brow furrowed slightly. “Trolls, huh?” His grip on his sword tightened slightly. “Can’t say I’ve met any before. Hell there was a time where I didn’t even think they were real.”

“Consider yourself lucky,” Orrian muttered.

Alicia continued. “Bular’s conquest spans multiple worlds—kingdoms, civilizations, entire realms have been reduced to nothing but ruins under his rule.” Her eyes darkened. “And the worst part? No one has ever been able to defeat him.”

Jacob, unable to contain himself, finally blurted out. “Yeah, and now we find out you got dumped straight into his backyard.” He pointed at Zoro. “I mean, first you show up out of nowhere, now we learn that some guy working for Bular sent you here? What are the odds?”

Zoro grunted. “Doesn’t matter.” He turned his gaze back to Alicia. “I don’t care how many titles this guy has. What I care about is why I’m here. What’s Luffy got to do with this?”

Alicia frowned. “That’s what we don’t know.”

Zoro’s gaze sharpened. “You’re telling me you don’t know why some freak in a white suit dragged me and Luffy into this world?”

Alicia shook her head. “No. But what we do know is that anyone working under Bular has only one purpose—to serve him.” She leaned forward, placing both hands on the table. “That means whatever he wants with your captain, it’s not good.”

Ruven nodded grimly. “Bular doesn’t ‘invite’ people to meet him. He takes them. And if he sent an agent after Luffy, it means he’s already decided he needs him for something.”

Vanellope frowned. “But Luffy’s not from this world—none of us are! So why would a big, scary guy want him?”

Zoro exhaled, running a hand through his green hair. “Tch… beats me.”

Orrian studied Zoro for a moment. “If this ‘Luffy’ is anything like you, I can see why someone like Bular would take an interest.”

Zoro scoffed. “You have no idea.”

Bellas, who had been silent until now, leaned forward. “You’re looking for him, aren’t you?”

Zoro gave her a sharp glance. “Obviously. That's the whole reason why we even came to this camp with her in order to find a way to get to him and get the hell out of this place”

She bit her lip. “If Bular’s involved, then… finding him might be harder than you think.”

Zoro’s expression hardened.

He was partially afraid that might be the case.

Being dragged into a new world no idea where they are or Luffy is now to find out there are practically in the middle of a war

Now there could be a chance that they might have to fight in this war in order to get to him.

It looks like they had no other choice; they were going to have to fight in this war in order to  find him and get out of here.

 “That doesn’t change anything.” His grip on his sword hilt tightened. “Luffy’s my captain. He’s somewhere in this damn world, and I’m gonna find him. End of story.”

Alicia nodded. “Then you might want to start with the Dark Lands.”

Zoro tilted his head. “And where’s that?”

Alicia pointed at the map. “Everywhere outside this camp.”

Zoro stared at her. Then at the map.

Then back at her.

He exhaled. “Great.”

Vanellope groaned, slumping forward. “Wait so we're really going to have to stay here longer in order to find him.”

Jacob sighed. “Yeah,  unless you guys have any information on which pipe he went through there's really no way for us to help you find out where he is other than to start looking here and then making our way throughout each of the other worlds.”

Ruven leaned back, crossing his arms. “If you’re serious about going after him and you start your search here , then you’ll need to be prepared. The Dark Lands are crawling with Bular’s forces. Goblins, beasts, war trolls, assassins—you name it. And that's only just part of his army”

Zoro glanced around at the group, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. “Alright, I get it. This Bular guy’s a big deal. He’s got an empire, an army, and apparently, no one’s been able to stop him. But that brings up a real important question.”

He tilted his head slightly, eyeing Alicia and Orrian. “If this guy’s so powerful, then what the hell are you guys doing out here? Why are you stuck in the middle of nowhere, fighting off goblins in a ruined camp? Shouldn’t you be with the rest of the army trying to fight this guy head-on?”

Orrian sighed, rubbing his temple as if the weight of the situation was pressing down on him harder than ever. “Believe me, if things were that simple, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” He motioned toward the map spread out across the table, its glowing runes casting eerie shadows in the dimly lit tent.

Alicia stepped forward, folding her arms. “The rebellion isn’t a single, unified army, Zoro. We’re scattered across multiple regions, different factions, different kingdoms, all fighting the same enemy in different ways. Some are holding the frontlines, some are reinforcing strongholds, and some…” she gestured vaguely to the surrounding tent, “…are stuck in hellholes like this, trying to keep the resistance alive.”

Zoro exhaled through his nose. “You mean to tell me there’s no one else standing against this guy? No other kingdoms that might wanna take him down?”

The elves exchanged uncertain looks.

“Well…” Orrian started, his expression unreadable.

Alicia hesitated before speaking. “It’s not that there aren’t other kingdoms Willing to fight. There are. But…”

Ruven scoffed. “But they won’t help at least not each other, which includes us.”

Vanellope’s head snapped up. “Wait—what?! Why not?! If this guy is as dangerous as you’re saying, why aren’t all these kingdoms working together to stop him?”

Ruven crossed his arms. “Because most of them only care about their own survival. Hell, each of the kingdoms barely have any alliances that keep them from invading each other; there's only a few kingdoms that actually have friendly alliances.”

Zoro furrowed his brow. “How many kingdoms are there?”

Alicia sighed. “Look… there are other kingdoms, but every single one of them has a reason for not fighting Bular. Some are too weak, some are too afraid, and others…” She clenched her fists. “Some are just waiting to see who wins so they can pick a side.”

She motioned toward the map sprawled out on the table before them, marking the locations of different realms and territories.

Sarasaland – The Desert Kingdom

Alicia’s finger hovered over a vast stretch of land in the south, a sprawling desert surrounded by ancient ruins and a grand city of sandstone.

“Sarasaland,” she began, her voice laced with both admiration and frustration. “A vast kingdom built in an endless desert. A city of sandstone and gold, hidden among the dunes. They were once fierce warriors, feared across the land for their cavalry and archers.”

Alicia scoffed. “Their leaders turned to trade and diplomacy instead of war. They became merchants, valuing their gold more than their swords. They refuse to get involved in conflicts unless it directly threatens their city. As long as Bular stays out of their trade routes, they’ll stay neutral.”

“A vast kingdom built in an endless desert. A city of sandstone and gold, hidden among the dunes. They were once fierce warriors, but their leaders turned to trade and diplomacy. They refuse to get involved in wars unless it directly threatens their city.”

Yoshi’s Island – The Dreamlike Realm

Alicia’s finger moved next to a cluster of islands that seemed to shimmer even on the map.

“This place… it’s strange,” she admitted. “Almost like a dream. Yoshi’s Island is ruled by a being with godlike powers, but they never interfere with mortal affairs. It’s as if they exist in their own reality, untouched by war.”

Vanellope tilted her head. “Wait, godlike powers? You mean like a real god?”

Alicia shrugged. “Depends on what you believe. All I know is that no matter who wins this war, they’ll stay neutral. They don’t care about our world’s problems. This place… It’s strange. Almost like a dream. It’s ruled by a being with godlike powers, but they never interfere with mortal affairs. No matter who wins this war, they’ll stay neutral.”

Kong Island – The Warrior Jungle

Alicia tapped the map again, this time on a massive jungle island marked with crude-looking fortifications and symbols of warrior clans.

“Kong Island,” she stated. “A jungle empire, ruled by warrior kings and tribal lords. Their people are strong, stronger than most, and their land is nearly impossible to conquer because of the terrain. They might fight if they see Bular as a direct threat to their way of life. But they don’t care about helping outsiders. To them, this isn’t their war—at least, not yet.”

The Elf Kingdom – Their Own People First

Alicia hesitated before motioning to a dense, forested area, surrounded by glowing symbols representing ancient magic.

“This is our kingdom,” she said softly. “The Elf Kingdom. A place of ancient magic and nature spirits. We could be powerful allies, but our elders sealed our borders long ago. They believe this war isn’t ours to fight, that we should only protect our own.” Alicia’s expression darkened. “It’s complicated. Some of us are fighting. You’re looking at what’s left of our warriors.” She motioned to Orrian and the others. “But the kingdom itself? They refuse to send their full forces. They think if we just stay hidden, the war won’t reach us.”

The Dwarf Kingdom – The Profiteers

Alicia pointed next to an area marked with gears and towering factory-like structures.

“The Dwarf Kingdom,” she said bitterly. “A kingdom built on machines and factories. Their forges create some of the strongest weapons in the world.” Alicia exhaled. “Because they’re selling them instead. To both sides. They don’t take a stance in wars unless there’s money to be made. And right now? They’re making a fortune selling arms to anyone willing to pay. A kingdom built on machines and factories. They’re powerful but ruthless. If anything, they’ll only fight if it benefits them.”

Fairy Island – The Lost Kingdom

Alicia’s finger traced over a sparkling island, seemingly glowing on the map.

“Fairy Island,” she said, almost wistfully. “A kingdom made of crystal and light. Some say they hold a sacred power strong enough to challenge even Bular.” Alicia shook her head. “Because no one knows if they even exist anymore. They haven’t been seen in centuries. Some say they vanished, others say they sealed themselves away. Either way, they’re nothing more than a legend now.”

The Penguin Kingdom – The Fallen Land

Finally, Alicia’s finger hovered over a frozen land at the edge of the map. She hesitated before speaking, her expression darkening.

“The Penguin Kingdom…” she said softly. “…This one is already lost.”

The room fell into silence.

“…Bular took it over just a few days ago. What was once a kingdom of Beautiful ice and penguins is now just another part of his empire.”

Zoro’s expression hardened, his fists clenching at his sides.

This world was going through the same problems of power that their world had almost every day, different pirates, corrupt governments, taking over different lands and homes.

It’s like no matter where they go there’s always green and power hungry assholes that they need to take care of .

Made him wonder whether fate actually chose them to come to this world to fix this problem.

He studied the map, taking in the different territories. “So what I’m hearing is that every single one of these places could fight Bular, but they won’t because they either don’t care or they’re too scared to act.”

Alicia nodded. “Exactly.”

Zoro grunted. “Tch. Cowards.”

Vanellope frowned. “But… that doesn’t make sense. Somebody has to fight back! If Bular keeps conquering lands, eventually everyone is going to fall under his rule. They can’t just sit around and wait for him to come for them!”

Orrian folded his arms. “That’s the thing. Some of them are waiting. And others… Well, they think they’re safe. They think Bular won’t come for them, that they can hide behind their walls or their magic. They think that if they stay out of it, they’ll be spared.”

Zoro scoffed. “And how’s that worked out for the rest of the kingdoms he’s already crushed?”

Alicia sighed. “Exactly. It’s only a matter of time before he comes for them, too.”

Vanellope huffed. “So, what do we do? Beg them for help? Because it sounds like they don’t give a damn unless it benefits them.”

As Zoro studied the map, something caught his attention. Among all the kingdoms Alicia had mentioned, there was one island that no one seemed to acknowledge. His sharp eyes traced the outline of a rugged, mountainous landmass, its terrain marked with jagged peaks and deep canyons.

“Oi.” He jabbed his finger against the parchment. “What about this one?”

Alicia blinked, following his gaze. Her expression shifted slightly, as if she hadn’t expected anyone to ask.

“Oh… that,” she murmured, exchanging a glance with Orrian.

Vanellope tilted her head. “What? Is there something wrong with it?”

Alicia sighed and leaned forward, tapping the location on the map. “That used to be the Island of Dragons. Once, it was home to one of the strongest warrior clans in the world—beasts who soared through the skies, creatures of both legend and terror.”

Zoro raised a brow. “Dragons? You’re serious?”

Alicia nodded. “Dead serious. But that was a long time ago. Now, most of them have either gone into hiding… or worse, they’ve joined Bular’s forces.”

Vanellope frowned. “Wait, most of them?”

Alicia exhaled slowly. “Yeah. There’s a rumor that some of them didn’t side with Bular. A few rogue dragons still live there, hidden deep within the stone mountains, but no one knows for sure.”

Zoro crossed his arms. “And no one’s tried to find them?”

Orrian scoffed. “Of course people have. Mercenaries, bounty hunters, even entire armies have tried to reclaim that island, but none of them ever returned. It’s a cursed land now. If there are any dragons left, they aren’t exactly welcoming guests.”

Alicia nodded. “Even if they exist, we have no idea what side they’d be on.”

Zoro glanced at the map again, a thoughtful look in his eye.

Then something else caught his attention.

The Legend of Sun God Nika

“The Stone Kingdom,” Alicia continued, pointing toward the mountainous region near the Island of Dragons. “This place… It’s different. It’s a land of warriors and harsh terrain. Their people are strong—maybe even strong enough to fight Bular.”

Zoro furrowed his brow. “Then what’s their excuse?”

Alicia hesitated before answering. “They only respect strength. Unless someone as strong as the Sun God Nika proves they’re strong enough to lead them, they won’t follow.”

Zoro’s eyes flickered at the name. Sun God Nika?

Something about that sounded familiar. It was like a distant echo in his mind, a name he had heard somewhere before. But no matter how hard he tried to recall, the memory stayed just out of reach.

“Sun God…” he muttered under his breath.

Alicia noticed his expression and shrugged. “Don’t take our word for it. That’s just what we’ve heard from the old tales of our kingdom.”

Vanellope’s eyes widened. “Wait, you guys have a version of that story?”

Ruven folded his arms. “Every culture has its own version. Some say he was a warrior, others say he was a god, and some think he was just a myth. The elves, well… we have our interpretation.”

Zoro leaned against the table, interested despite himself. “Alright then. Let’s hear it.”

Alicia nodded and took a breath before she began.

“In the old stories passed down through elven generations,” Alicia began, “the world was once covered in darkness. The land was ruled by shadow, and the people lived in chains, bound by tyrants who crushed any spark of hope.”

Zoro listened, arms crossed, while Vanellope leaned in, clearly intrigued.

“But then, from the heavens, a light emerged—a warrior unlike any other. A being who danced across the battlefield with laughter, bringing joy wherever he stepped. His strength was limitless, and his spirit was unbreakable.”

Alicia traced a circular pattern on the map with her finger. “They say his body was like the sun itself—brilliant, untouchable, filled with warmth and fury all at once. He defied kings, toppled empires, and freed those who had been shackled in darkness for generations.”

Vanellope grinned. “Sounds like a superhero.”

Alicia chuckled. “In a way, yeah. But it wasn’t just his strength that made him feared. It was his will. He never gave up, never let despair take hold. No matter how impossible the battle, he fought with a smile, as if laughing in the face of death itself.”

Zoro tapped the hilt of his sword absentmindedly. “And then what? What happened to him?”

Alicia’s smile faded. “No one knows. Some say he was struck down by the very gods who created him, fearing his power. Others say he simply disappeared, waiting for the day he’d be needed again.”

Ruven added, “And there are even crazier theories—some say he never left. That his spirit lives on in those who fight against oppression, in warriors who refuse to bow. The Sun God Nika isn’t a person, they say—it’s an idea. A legend that manifests in those who carry his will.”

Zoro didn’t say anything for a long moment. The story sounded almost too familiar. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d heard of this before… but where?

Vanellope nudged him. “Hey, you look like you know something.”

Zoro scowled. “Tch. It’s just a weird name, that’s all.” He shook his head, pushing the thought aside. “So let me get this straight. The Stone Kingdom would fight, but only if someone strong enough—like this Sun God Nika guy—proved themselves?”

Alicia nodded. “Pretty much. If someone strong enough challenged their leader and won, the whole kingdom would follow them into battle. But no one’s ever been able to do it. Well at least other than the trolls and you can obviously see how well that worked out”

Zoro absorbed all the information, his arms still crossed as he processed everything laid out before him. Multiple kingdoms, all capable of resisting Bular, yet none willing to step forward unless given a damn good reason. Some out of fear, some out of greed, and others simply waiting for someone else to take the risk first.

Cowards.

That's the only thought that continuously flooded his head when he continued to think about the other kingdoms.

 The only thing they were worried about was their own Survival rather than banding together and stopping this threat they would rather shut the other kingdoms out to suffer the fate of this monster then put their own lives in the line.

 It almost sort of reminded him a back home how everything started before and while he was on his journey as a pirate with Luffy and the others

 It's like no matter where he went there was always thing wrong with the way the world was and how are hungry individuals would do whatever they could to keep the world under their thumb.

It was like this whole thing felt like more added weights on his shoulders that he would now have to push through with everything he had and this time without the rest of the crew there to help with all the strategizing and all that other shit.

But more than that—this Sun God Nika legend nagged at him. The way Alicia described it… the way Ruven had framed it, saying it wasn’t just a person, but a will that lived on in those who refused to bow.

Something about that felt way too familiar.

He wasn’t sure why, but something in his gut told him that if Luffy were here, he’d probably laugh and say something dumb like “That guy sounds like fun!” before diving headfirst into whatever madness was tied to it.

Tch.

If only Luffy was here.

“So Just to make sure I'm not missing any Minor Details.” Zoro’s voice cut through the heavy atmosphere of the tent. “We’re dealing with a fractured world full of people who’d rather sit on their asses than do something. And the only way to get them to fight back is to either threaten them, bribe them, or prove you’re stronger than them?”

Alicia hesitated before nodding. “That’s… an oversimplification, but yes.”

Zoro scoffed. “Tch. Sounds about right.”

Vanellope crossed her arms, a determined expression on her face. “Well, sounds like we need to start proving stuff then, huh? If nobody wants to fight Bular ‘cause they think they’re safe, we just gotta show them they’re not! Right, Mr. Swordsman?”

Zoro smirked at her enthusiasm. “Something like that.”

Orrian, who had been silent for a while, exhaled through his nose and finally spoke. “If you’re serious about finding your captain and stopping Bular’s forces, then we need to start somewhere. The Dark Lands won’t be easy to traverse, and every day we waste is another day Bular’s empire grows stronger.”

Zoro met his gaze. “So where do we start?”

Alicia tapped the map again. “If we go by proximity, their Main base of operation should be at the center of the dark lands, we’d have to break through their main line of defenses in order to be enough to challenge their leader. And that’s no easy task considering that there's hundreds of goblins and dry bones in that area.”

Ruven, standing near the edge of the group, added, “Like what was stated earlier, we were supposed to be reinforcements for one of those major battlefronts. A supply line for our forces in the west. But when the Penguin Kingdom fell, everything changed.”

Orrian’s expression darkened. “The kingdom pulled back their main forces to fortify Kong Island, expecting Bular to come straight for them. And instead of reinforcing us, they left us stranded. We were meant to resupply and regroup, but now we’re just another casualty waiting to happen.”

Zoro frowned, processing the information. “So what, they abandoned you?”

Elrohir shook his head. “Not exactly. They just decided our survival wasn’t a priority anymore. And that now we have to continue the mission of the original army’s  orders to infiltrate the dark lands HQ and overthrow it”

Khilseith scoffed. “Which is the fancy Professional way of saying they abandoned us.  to complete the admission That was supposed to be a mission for the entire Army” His glare shifted to Orrian. “But our leader here insists that we just suck it up and follow orders.”

Orrian shot him a warning look before turning back to Zoro. “Look, we’re not the biggest or strongest unit in this fight, but we still have a role to play. And if we can take out Bular’s supply hub here in the Dark Lands, we can cripple his advance, maybe even buy the other kingdoms enough time to come up with a real counteroffensive.”

Zoro rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Hmph. Sounds like a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes.’”

Alicia’s eyes narrowed. “Nothing is certain. But if we don’t try, Bular wins without a fight.”

Vanellope, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up. “Okay, but real talk—why you guys? Like, no offense, but if your own kingdom didn’t even think you were worth backing up, what makes you think you can pull this off?”

Orrian’s jaw tightened. “Because we’ve been here long enough to know the ins and outs of this place and how this section operates. No one else is. If we leave, if we wait, Bular’s forces fortify the bridge, and then it’s over. The rest of the world doesn’t get a chance to stop him. Whether we like it or not, we’re the ones who have to do this.”

Zoro looked around the tent at the grim faces surrounding him. For a moment, he said nothing. 

Alicia sighed, stepping forward, shethen added. “There used to be kingdoms that stood against Bular. Human kingdoms, elven strongholds, even rival troll clans who hated his rule. At first, we thought we could resist him—we fought wars, ambushed his supply lines, tried to cut off his resources”,She clenched her fists. “But he crushed every last one of them. His armies burned entire cities to the ground. Kings and queens who defied him were executed. Warriors who tried to fight him were either slaughtered or enslaved. Even those who ran had nowhere to go. Bular’s reach is endless”, She then looked towards the duo with concern in her eyes,” as of right now your help would be much appreciated for this war since we'll need all the Fighting Force we could get”,  her frowning quickly turned into a confident smile,”And well hey if you guys could help us in this war in exchange will be able to help you out with your problem.” 

Zoro crossed his arms, eyeing the elves with suspicion. “What do you mean, ‘exchange’? What exactly are you offering?”

Alicia, Ruven, and Orrian exchanged glances before Ruven finally spoke. “We mean that if you and your friend help us with our mission, then we can help you track down your captain.”

Zoro raised a brow. “And how exactly would you do that?”

Vanellope suddenly stiffened as a memory clicked in her head. Oh… oh no.

She shuffled awkwardly. “Uhhh, funny story about that… I maaay have overheard you guys talking earlier about your whole ‘hopeless war situation’ and the bridge and… uh… all that stuff.”

Orrian’s sharp gaze snapped toward her. “You were spying on us?”

Vanellope threw up her hands. “Look, I got curious, okay?! You guys were having some big serious war meeting, and I just wanted to know what was going on! And it’s a good thing I did, because now I actually know what kind of insane mess we’re in!”

Zoro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Of course you were spying.”

Vanellope ignored him and turned back to the elves. “So yeah, I know you guys are dealing with Bular, and the whole ‘if we don’t stop him, the world ends’ thing.” She put her hands on her hips. “But How's he going to be able to get his entire Army through one of those little pipes?”

Orrian then exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose before looking back at the swordsman. “I was getting to that.” He turned to the large map sprawled across the table, its edges lined with faintly glowing runes. “ Once the Penguin Kingdom had fallen, Bular was able to get a crucial part of his plan completed and retrieved from the enemy Kingdom.”

Vanellope, however, immediately stiffened, her tiny hands tightening into fists. Oh, she remembered that part.

Alicia glanced at Zoro with mild disbelief. “That crucial part being the last piece of Killerhead Bridge is now in enemy hands.”

Vanellope, now fully invested, took a step forward. “Wait, wait, wait—hold up! You’re talking about an actual bridge? One that lets the big bad guys cross into other worlds? Mainly our world. That was the one you were talking about earlier right?”

Orrian gave a sharp nod. “Exactly. Once the bridge is fully restored And power to its fullest capacity, this world will no longer contain them And the sun will no longer harm them. Bular’s forces will have unrestricted access to  your world… and beyond.”

Zoro remained quiet for a moment before finally speaking. “So this guy’s some kind of world-conquering warlord?”

Bellas, standing off to the side, grimly added, “More than that. When the bridge activates, the magic binding his forces to the shadows will break. They’ll no longer be weakened by the sun.”

Vanellope’s stomach dropped. “Wait… you mean right now they are weak and vulnerable to the Sun? And they’re still this bad?!”

Alicia nodded. “If the bridge is completed, they’ll be virtually unstoppable. No longer bound to the shadows, they’ll be able to march into any kingdom, any world, and tear it apart with ease.”

Vanellope exchanged a horrified look with Zoro. The swordsman exhaled through his nose, his grip tightening slightly on his swords. This just got a lot bigger than he originally thought.

He grip on his swords tightened as he let the weight of the situation sink in. He had been thinking about his problem—finding Luffy and getting back to their world. But now?

Now, this wasn’t just his problem anymore.

If what these elves were saying was true… if Bular’s forces completed this Killerhead Bridge and gained full access to the other worlds, then this war wouldn’t just be contained to this realm.

These monsters—these goblins, war trolls, and whatever other creatures served Bular—would spread.

They wouldn’t just stay here.

They would invade everywhere.

And that meant—

East Blue. The Grand Line. The New World. The Thousand Sunny.

It’s not like the navy will bother to help the civilians or all of the people involved unless it becomes their problem

He’ll kill everyone before they even bother to take action.

Zoro’s jaw clenched as he thought of his crew. Of their world. Of people like Nami, Usopp, Chopper—the ones who weren’t built for war, the ones who didn’t have the luxury of being as strong as Luffy or him.

If these creatures somehow found their way to the Grand Line, what would happen to places like Foosha Village? What about Alabasta? Water 7? Wano?

Would these monsters even care about the weak?

No.

They’d burn everything in their path.

Half  the world will be in a bowl of flames before the Navy takes any action

Zoro exhaled sharply, his face darkening with realization. Shit.

This was so much worse than he could’ve thought and they were supposed to be on vacation

But here they were now in the middle of another soon to be war one that could be worse than the Pirates in their world could be capable of .

Vanellope, standing beside him, had gone eerily quiet. Her hands clenched into small, shaking fists at her sides.

Her home. Whole cake, and even Luffy’s home, which she had gone and made her home.

Her people. If these things found a way through, what would happen to them?

She could already see it—

The streets of her Foosha Village crushed under the boots of an invading army. The vibrant colors of her candy-coated world drowned in fire and shadow. Her people—her citizens—slaughtered.

All because some power-hungry warlord wanted more.

Her little body shook with barely restrained anger.

“We have to act now,” Orrian continued, his voice grim. “Bular’s forces are mobilizing. If we wait too long, there will be no stopping them.”

“But how?” Vanellope asked, clearly overwhelmed. “You guys just said your kingdom isn’t even helping you! You’re six people against an army.”

Khilseith let out a bitter laugh. “ Yeah we’re kind of aware of that problem, kid.”

Ruven leaned forward, studying the map. “We do have one advantage. Their forces think we’re too weak to make a move. If we strike before they realize we’re coming, we might be able to sabotage their progress.”

A heavy silence followed before Zoro finally spoke again. “And what do you want us to do?”

Orrian locked eyes with him. “Join us. Help us take down Bular’s fortress. If we plan this out carefully and take note of every disadvantage they have in that entire fortress then with your strength and our skills will be able to march right through that fortress and take it down”

Zoro stared at him, unimpressed. “And if we do help you in return, you’ll help us look for our captain.”

Ruven answered this time. “Of course we’ll do everything in our power to see that your mission is completed successfully. That along with the fact that the elf kingdom will pay you handsomely for your services.. Our rebellion has spies, informants, people who gather intelligence across different regions. If this white-suited man is looking for your captain, we can track him down before this enemy finds him.”

Zoro’s expression didn’t change, but Vanellope could tell he was thinking it over.

Alicia stepped closer. “We don’t know where your captain is. But we know how to find out.”

Vanellope folded her arms. “So, we help you guys take down a giant fortress filled with goblins, Dry Bones, and gods-know-what-else, and in return, you help us track down Luffy?”

“Precisely,” Orrian confirmed.

Zoro thought about this for a good moment

Though he was still pretty powerful, he still was recovering from what happened and Wano.

Sure, he was fine with doing this battle, but he also had this kid he had to look after.

And the last thing he needed was to throw her into the pits of hell laying in an army when she hadn’t even hit puberty yet.

It was a bad idea all the way around to bring her into this, but he didn’t have a choice. 

Unfortunately, they weren’t going to be able to just wander about looking for that stupid pipe.

And these guys didn’t seem to have or no way for them to get back to their world.

Not to mention the fact that he would now have to try to find Thousand sunny before Franky gets his hands on him and Luffy for not only damaging it but also losing it.

So in all honesty, he didn’t have a choice, but to go along with this plan and see where this would lead

It would be dangerous sure but at least then they will have a start to looking for Luffy and sunny.

 He let out a deep sigh, rubbing the back of his head. “Alright… Just to make sure we're all on the same page.” He looked over at Orrian. “You guys are trying to stop this Bular guy from completing a magic bridge that’ll let his army steamroll across the world, right?”

Orrian nodded. “Correct.”

Zoro folded his arms. “And you want to take out his fortress, but you don’t have the manpower to pull it off. So you're coming to me in order to help you get past their Firepower and take down this section”

“Yes ,” Alicia added, “And in  exchange For your help against this threat we will use our resources to help you find your captain basically.” Alicia confirmed, crossing her arms. “And though we may not have seen your captain ourselves, we do have an extensive network of informants across different lands. We can put out feelers, get information on sightings, and maybe even find out why someone’s after him.”

Zoro’s expression darkened. If these elves had contacts that could help track Luffy down… that was the best shot they had so far.

And all they needed to do was go and kill a bunch more of these bony turtles and green minions.

It almost sounded a little too good to be true, and maybe a little too easy to be honest.

But then again they literally didn't have that much of a choice other than to go along with this offer.

Zoro considered it for a moment. If he said no, they’d be on their own. But if they said yes… he might just get one step closer to finding Luffy.

He‘d taken a few moments to process everything Alicia had just told him. It was a lot, but one thing was clear—this war wasn’t something that had just erupted out of nowhere. It had been going on for a long time, and the kingdoms had been making plans. But the real question was: Had those plans already failed? Or was there still a way to turn this around?

He glanced at Vanellope, who looked pale as a sheet, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. She had just remembered all of this—the talk of the bridge, the fall of the Penguin Kingdom, the coming invasion.

Zoro tilted his head slightly. “But still after everything that was brought up you can't still be telling me there are no other kingdoms left  that good fight against these trolls? No hidden armies, no exiled warriors, no nothing?”

Ruven sighed. “It's unfortunate but that is the case but is also not exactly the case at the same time,  because the other kingdoms just don't have the manpower to be able to take this force on especially not on their own, even our kingdom has to be weary of how many soldiers they send. But nothing big enough to challenge Bular.”

Zoro grunted. “Hmph. So, hence why you're being sent out to the wolves to battle against them alone”

Alicia’s eyes sharpened. “ Hey, our kingdom made this decision because we are practically the Elite Squad of the Rebellion, especially the Elven Rebellion.”

Zoro We get sucked then look back at her. “Yet you are all just a handful of Fighters  that could barely handle a hoard of miniature green monsters.  now you guys are going to have to go up against the entire Death Zone of monsters  with you all basically said triple in what we face today”

Vanellope added on to this. “Let's not forget about the entire Army that you guys haven't even faced yet that apparently have enough manpower to take over whole kingdoms and worlds single-handedly. I don't know about you guys but that doesn't exactly sound like something even an Elite Squad can handle.”

“Hell, even the military Navy from our world which struggles against a threat like this, especially with the sheer numbersm you guys are saying that they have. Look I'm not trying to be the bearer of bad news but a small Squad just isn't going to be enough to take on an entire Kingdom”, Zoro harshly though honestly stated. 

Orrian didn't look at either one of them as they were saying this instead he stared down the map as he then spoke up. “You don't think that we're aware of that of course their numbers could easily overwhelm hours but as we've made obvious before we don't have a choice but to keep fighting despite the sheer numbers they have we know they could wipe us all out in one swoop hell they almost did so today. That’s why we can’t afford to be reckless.” He turned his attention back to Zoro. “And that’s why we need Your help to fight against these monsters so that we can live to figure out why that monster wants you and your captain.”

That enthusiasm that motivation

 Zoro had seen this through many leaders many times on his adventures with the straw hat crew. 

And yeah of course you could take out this threat here in the dark lines with ease despite his current condition.

But this time this was a threat that wasn't from the world he knew therefore the weaknesses from their world weren't going to apply here at least from what he gathered.

Yes sure the enemies he just fought here were weak but what the same can be said for all the enemies here.

For all Zoro knew there could be enemies far more powerful than from what he and Luffy were used to fighting back home.

And yeah Zoro had his skills and his power but that could only do so much especially by himself if the enemy was as powerful as say the Beast Pirates.

 And usually the numbers he was fighting with were a lot larger than this at least most of the time but still they were now just sort of fishing a barrel in enemy territory with no whole village there to support and Aid them in any way they can.

 It was just the handful of them in a pit of literal hell trying to fight in a war that Zoro barely knew about.

Even if the enemy wasn't as powerful as he was  it still would be quite a pain in the ass for him to get himself and this kid out of here unscathed without having any complications and while looking for Luffy since this place was practically a maze.

This all sort of felt like something that could go wrong at any moment and that this time he would only have to rely on himself to get it done at least other than the small group around him.

Alicia  could almost sense the thoughts coming from Zorro though she didn't exactly know where he was from or what he had been through at this point she could tell that he had doubts about some of this stuff.

And to be honest he had a right to.

This whole thing would be a pretty heavy gamble for them all especially if things went wrong.

Because  if this plan fails it could get them all killed and  or tortured for information

Neither one sounded pleasant to he.

She figured she could at least be well honest about the whole situation from her point of view and really kind of lay it on then before they made any crazy decisions. 

She sighed. “Look, we are aware that the situation  doesn't look good, not by any means.  Yes the allied kingdoms are gathering on Kong Island to discuss retaliation, but they’re still divided on what to do. Some are too afraid to risk open war. Others think they should fight but have no way to reach the Dark Lands in time. And though we have hope that we win we're perfectly and fully aware of that we're outnumbered on all ends and if we charge into this fight we know that this could very well be the time of our end and there's nothing we could do to stop that if that happens.”

Whoa.

That took Zoro by surprise.

Here he thought she was going to find a reason to  try to convince him to fight along with them but she just laid it down like that.

And she was far from wrong as he knew.

They were outnumbered.

Yes he was powerful but he also didn't know who the enemies were in this world and the logic here wasn't the same as from where he had come from.

Was he scared, no not fully but he wasn't exactly cocky about the situation either.

This was the kind of situation he was hoping to avoid earlier as he was telling this to Luffy back on the sunny before they were dragged through that pipe.

Though of course life doesn't seem to want to go the way the straw hat sometimes needed to go.

Orrian, who had been listening in silence, finally spoke. “The reality is that the kingdoms were never prepared for something like this. No one ever expected Bular to find a way past his limitations. Helen think that for any of the magical creatures who align themselves with him or the trolls. As long as the sun existed, trolls were supposed to be contained. That was our only advantage. Now? If they finish that bridge, they’re no longer restricted by anything.”

Khilseith scoffed. “And let’s be honest—most of these so-called great kingdoms never gave a damn about what was happening here in the Dark Lands. They were happy to let the rebellion and the elves handle it while they sat behind their walls, thinking the problem would never reach them. Now there on the verge of being enslaved and all shitting themselves because they have no idea how to handle the situation that's always why that meeting in the Kong kingdom is even happening”

Vanellope frowned. “And now it is reaching them. And they’re still just arguing?”

Alicia’s expression darkened. “Some of them are. Others are doing what they can, but they’re outnumbered, just like us. With no real way of fighting against those damn near indestructible monsters.”

Ruven crossed his arms. “The desert kingdom has reinforced its borders, but they won’t commit to war unless the council forces them to. The island kingdoms are still debating whether they should send troops at all. The industrial city? Their army is strong, but they won’t move without direct orders from their ruling class.”

Bellas sighed, running a hand through her hair. “And don’t even get me started on the Fairy Kingdom. They refuse to mobilize their forces because they think the Dark Lands are too far from their territory to be a concern. And to be honest there are me or military wouldn't stand a chance against these things.”

Zoro rubbed his temple, getting frustrated About hearing all the bullshit that's going on with these kingdoms. “Tch. Typical. People don’t care until the fire’s at their doorstep.”

Orrian nodded. “Exactly. The only kingdom that’s fully committed is the Mushroom Kingdom—and that’s because they know they’re next. Once the bridge is completed, Bular’s forces will invade them first. They’re the last line before the trolls can reach the rest of the world.”

Vanellope’s stomach twisted at that. “So if the Mushroom Kingdom falls…?”

Orrian’s gaze was grim. “Then nothing will stop them from expanding to other realms. They’ll take one kingdom after another, crushing anyone who resists, enslaving those who surrender.”

Khilseith scoffed bitterly. “And let’s not forget what happens if they don’t kill you outright. If you’re lucky, you get to be a mindless servant. If you’re unlucky?” His lips curled in disgust. “You end up one of their experiments.”

Vanellope shuddered. “Experiments?”

Alicia’s face hardened. “Bular’s forces don’t just conquer—they change people. The Dry Bones? Those aren’t just monsters—some of them used to be warriors who fought back and lost. Their bodies are reanimated and used as mindless soldiers. The Kremlings? Most of them weren’t always loyal to Bular. But those who were strong enough to survive their invasions? They were broken. Turned. Transformed.”

“Well that's actually the case for some of the newer soldiers anyway the original dry bones are apart of The Koopa Kingdom run by Bowser the Koopa King”, Bellas  pointed out as she then pointed to another part of the map that looked as if it had a giant horned turtle symbol on it,”The Kremlings are part of the Kremmling pirate crew one by King K rule the apparent King of the Pirates.

 This made Zoro raise an eyebrow,”King of the Pirates”?

Bellas nodded her head,” Yeah King K Rool rules over all the Seas and has had a long time rivalry with the Kong Kingdom. He's been trying to get there Crystal Coconut for years his pirate crew are probably just as dangerous as the Koopa kingdom.”

Zoro’s grip on his sword hilts tightened. He didn’t say anything, but hi.t s jaw clenched, and his usual laid-back demeanor darkened.

Zorro thought about what he had just been told.

 King of the Pirates.

 That title only belonged to one individual he knew.

 Monkey D Luffy

He would never accept anyone else's pirate king other than him.

Zero can only imagine how Luffy was going to react when he found out about this supposed King of the Pirates.

But this wasn't exactly something he was going to really worry about at least as not of right now.

What he had just been told by them about what the enemy would do to any of their victims they would find.

A war where they would massacre whole kingdoms simply for the sake of dominating one species over the other.

Where would leave nothing but death and destruction on it's never-ending path.

Where it would cause families to watch their homes were reduced to nothing but ashes.

Where it would possibly end in them  ending up as slaves for the enemy and forced to work until their bones break.

Where the dead become part of the enemy’s Food supply?

That was beyond fucked up.

He narrowed his eyes, arms crossed as he Suddenly snapped himself out of his own thoughts to focus on the bigger picture.

He looked around and saw that everyone was looking at him as if trying to read just what he was thinking and what he was going to answer next. 

He could tell that  they were really hoping that he would agree to join their side and help aid them in this war.

Vanellope looked equally Curious about his decision as much as the elves as the two of their fates were sort of in his hands.

Zoro exhaled sharply through his nose. 

He just stood there, silent.

His arms were crossed. His head slightly bowed. His swords gleamed faintly in the dim lantern light, reflecting the heaviness of the moment. Everyone was watching him—waiting. The tent felt like it was holding its breath.

The silence stretched.

And then, slowly, Zoro lifted his head.

His eye burned—not with anger, not with frustration, but with that unwavering intensity only someone who had survived hell could carry in his stare.

He looked at Alicia. Then Orrian. Then the rest of the elves.

Finally, he looked down at Vanellope.

Then he spoke.

“…Alright. I’m in.”

The room didn’t move at first. The words felt too heavy to register.

 Alicia stood there staring at him almost  bewildered at his answer.

Was he actually agreeing?

Was he being serious?

He was actually going to put his life in the line for them?

It was like everyone else in the room was trying to process the answer he had just given them.

Trying to make absolutely sure that he was being serious and that he wasn't lying to them.

Then—

“You’re serious?” Alicia asked, blinking.

Zoro gave a firm nod. “I said I’m in. I don’t repeat myself.”

Vanellope gasped—eyes wide, sparkling, her whole body nearly vibrating. “Yes! I knew you weren’t gonna leave these guys hanging!” She threw a little fist in the air. 

She knew it.

She knew her favorite straw hat out of the whole crew wouldn't leave innocent people to deal with problems on their own, especially one such as this.

He was one of the best of all of them aside from Lucy and it filled her heart with excitement to see that he was so bravely willing to step into Danger without knowing what might happen to him. 

“But before we go into further discussions or something we need to  make clear first”, He turned back to the others,”Look I'm going to be 100% honest when I say that just because I'm agreeing to help you guys out doesn't mean I’m pledging my life to your kingdom or whatever rebellion you’re running. I’m not here to play politics. I’m only doing this so that we can find a way to get the hell out of this place and find the guy who put us here.  as far as I'm concerned we're only here for two reasons.” He raised a finger. “One—stop Bular so he doesn’t reach our world and cause death and destruction.” He raised a second. “Two—find Luffy and our ship and get the hell out of here. So as long as all those things to do are checked off the list I think we'll be working together just fine”

“As long as you are aiding Us in this next upcoming battle I for one Will be more than willing to agree to those terms for your services” Alicia said, smiling at him.

Khilseith Hearing this rolled his eyes and annoyance. “Great, here we are reduced to working with humans in order to survive.”

Orrian, however, annoyed with his subordinates' open disrespect, gave him a hard elbow to the ribs in order to silence him before turning towards the Swordsman “What my friend here means to say is that we are happy that you have agreed to Aid Us in this battle. And with your help, we can change everything in the tides of this war.”

The dark elf was about to say something else snarky but his Commander shot him a look which basically told him to not even think about it.

The last thing I wanted to do was piss off probably one of their only Aces that they had right at the moment simply because their comrade wanted to be a smart-ass per usual. 

Right now they needed all the help they could get and they didn't Khilseith  it all up just because he wanted to be an asshole. 

Ruven added on to this, “And with your strength, we may actually stand a chance against that monster and his army.”

Zoro rolled his shoulder. “Tch.Yeah well don’t rely on me too much. I'm just the guy here to find his captain and get a move on nothing more nothing less.”

“Fair,” Alicia muttered, hiding a smirk before she then straightened. “Then I suggest we start Planning a way to infiltrate the enemy's headquarters in this section.Thankfully due to my Expedition I have managed to  get enough information about that section in order to figure out how to work our way around it.” 

Ruven Then turned and formed the duo. “You won't have to worry about rushing to prepare for battle this planning process will naturally take a day or two to make sure that we aren't skipping out on any details. ”

Bellas added on this “Yeah we like to make sure that we have everything jotted down before we execute on a plan. This is just to make sure that we don't forget about anything the enemy may have on the other side and be left defenseless of it.”

Zoro then soaked this new information in.

So it looks like they would be there a couple of days before they actually went forward on this plan.

Guess it would give him the kid more time to rest up.

So he couldn't exactly complain about that.

But still he didn't want to be sitting around for too long due to the situation they need to get the Luffy quickly as possible before anyone else got to him 

Jacob turned to Zoro. “So… you ready to get started?”

Zoro  gave a confirming nod  which caused everyone to smile in admiration. 

Vanellope placed her hands on her hips, puffing up her chest with exaggerated bravado. “Alright, Operation: Wreck Bular’s Face is officially a GO!”

Zoro gave her a sideways glance. “…You are not naming this operation.”

She winked. “Too late.”

The room then filled with laughter.

 As if they figured that if they work together against this threat they may win.

As the tension in the room began to shift—just slightly—into something more focused, more determined, Orrian stepped forward and unrolled a second scroll onto the table.

“Then let’s get to work.” Orrian nodded. “ We’ll move out in the next two days. ” He gestured to the crude diagram of Bular’s fortress, marked with red lines, guard posts, and glowing sigils,” We need to gather supplies, scout their positions, and prepare for the assault.

Zoro's gaze returned to the center of the map.

He cracked his knuckles. “Two days, huh? Fine. Gives me some time to get a real fight in before things get boring again.

Orrian gave him a smirk before continuing,“If we’re going to pull this off, we need to hit them before they finish the preparation to leave the dark lands. And we’ll need to divide our forces carefully. We hit their power source, their command structure, and their gate at the same time.”

The elves began murmuring amongst themselves, already preparing for the next phase of their battle. The weight of what they had learned settled over them, but one thing was certain.

Zoro crossed his arms as he stared at the map, the layout burning into his mind.

The heart of the fortress.

The gate to other worlds.

The war they never wanted, and now had to win.

The thought of Luffy—somewhere out there, alone or worse—lit a flame in his chest he hadn’t felt in a long time. He didn’t say it aloud, but the promise settled into the very core of him:

He would burn this entire land to the ground if it meant finding his captain.

He stared at the map a moment longer, his finger still resting on the Dark Lands HQ.

Vanellope Noticed that he was still staring down at the map

It wasn't surprising to her that he was probably thinking about Luffy and where he might be and that wasn't anything shocking because she was thinking the same thing.

That and also how they were going to get out of here alive.

And yet have her little worried but she knew she would have to be brave and then she couldn't just cry and hope that someone would come and save her that wasn't how she got off of whole cake Island and that wasn't how she was going to get  out of this land.

 she would have to step up.

 and she would need to do so in a drastic way

 she then spoke up to him, “You thinking about Luffy?”

Zoro stayed silent for a few seconds before he then exhaled through his nose. “Yeah.”

Vanellope gave a small smile as she then gave a supportive pat on his leg (due how short she was). “Don't worry Zoro, we'll find him, I know we will .”

The one-eyed swordsman hearings turns a little girl and gave her a smirk,”Well look at that you haven't been here that long and you're already giving out pep talks huh”?

The tiny child then nonchalantly Shucks her shoulders,” yeah well someone's got to keep our head on straight if we're going to get through this.”

He's smart before giving her a respectful nod and turning back to the map and staring down at the darklands headquarters.

He clenched his jaw Before speaking once again, a quiet fury behind his words,“Let’s tear this bastard’s world apart.”

(End of chapter)

Hey everyone

We back baby and better than ever because we are finally finished the first part of the dark land Arc I know it was quite the long wait we're finally getting back to Luffy's story and where he's now currently at in this journey

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[godofcreatitivity]

One Piece the Movie

(the following is a nonprofit fan based parody any characters from one piece is owned by Eiichiro Oda, Toei Animation Co., Ltd., any characters from super Mario are owned by Nintendo, any characters from troll hunters, are owned by DreamWorks and universal

Disclaimer

Some of the characters found in this story and / or universe do not belong to me, but are intellectual property of their respective owners. Any original characters in this story are my intellectual property.

Story nonprofit created fan and fan without compromising the original work.)

Chapter 20: A Fighting Chance!

The goblin champion let out a guttural roar, its massive club raised high above its head as it prepared to bring it down on Zoro with devastating force. The ground beneath Zoro trembled with each heavy step the champion took, its hulking frame casting an ominous shadow over the battlefield.

But Zoro didn’t flinch.

He stood his ground, his three swords gleaming under the fiery sky. His grip on the Wado Ichimonji was firm, his posture relaxed, as though he was facing nothing more than a minor inconvenience. The smirk tugging at the corner of his lips was almost taunting.

The goblin champion swung its club with all its might, the sheer force of the attack sending shockwaves through the air. The elves watched in horror, certain that no one—human or elf—could possibly withstand such a blow.

Then, in a blur of motion, Zoro vanished.

The champion’s club smashed into the ground, the impact sending a plume of dirt and debris flying into the air. But when the dust settled, Zoro was nowhere to be seen.

“Where—?!” Alicia started, her voice caught in her throat.

Before she could finish her sentence, Zoro reappeared behind the champion, his swords already mid-swing. The Wado Ichimonji cut through the champion’s thick armor with a deafening clang, drawing a deep, jagged gash across its back. Blackened, foul-smelling blood sprayed from the wound, and the champion let out a roar of pain and rage.

This completely shocked the champion. How could a human have moved so fast and such a short amount of time it was almost like he teleported.

The elves starred in stunned silence. Zoro had moved so fast that even their sharp elven eyes could barely keep up.

The champion spun around, it's glowing red eyes blazing with furyBefore suddenly wincing in pain at the injury on his back.

He cut him………

He actually managed to cut him……….

A human was able to give him this deep of an injury with almost little to no effort.

And to actually make him feel pain at that

 This……this was completely Unforgivable. 

 “You dare strike me, human?!” it bellowed, swinging its club in a wide arc at full force in hopes of scattering this green haired swordsman's brains across the  ground. The force of the attack was enough to level the tents and trees in its path, but Zoro was already gone, his form flickering as he darted around the battlefield with impossible speed.

“Dare?” Zoro’s voice came from behind the champion, calm and mocking as he hung one of his swords over his shoulder once he stopped to look at him for a moment. “I’m just getting started.” Zoro said, his voice calm and mocking as he sidestepped another furious swing of the club. “Plus if you keep trying to hit me with slow attacks like these I might barely even consider this a warm-up”

The champion roared louder, frustration boiling over as it charged at Zoro with reckless abandon. It swung its club in a rapid flurry of strikes, each blow powerful enough to tear apart the battlefield. Trees toppled, barricades shattered, and the ground split open under the relentless assault.

But Zoro danced through the chaos, his movements fluid and almost effortless. Every swing of the champion’s club seemed to miss by mere inches, the massive weapon carving deep trenches into the earth as Zoro weaved through its attacks. The swordsman’s focus never wavered, his single eye gleaming with a deadly determination. It was like he was purposely toying with the monster trying to find some level of entertainment as of his prey.

“You’re all brute strength and no finesse,” Zoro remarked, his tone dripping with disdain. “It’s almost boring. Come on, I know you can do better than this.”

The goblin champion snarled in fury, its glowing eyes narrowing as it lunged forward. “Stand still and fight me, coward!Or at least long enough for me to bash your brains in”

Zoro’s smirk widened as he sidestepped yet another swing. “Why would I do that? You’re making it way too Funny to keep dodging.”

In a blur of motion, Zoro closed the distance once more, his swords flashing as they struck the champion’s exposed leg. The creature bellowed in pain as the blade bit deep, causing it to stumble. Its massive frame trembled, the wound taking a toll On the massive group.

The elves watching from the sidelines were frozen in stunned silence. Orrian, still fending off goblins nearby, couldn’t tear his gaze away. “Holy shit I’ve never seen anything like this,” he muttered.

Khilseith, his hands glowing with the remnants of a spent spell, nodded grimly. “That's impossible, no human should be able to keep up with a monster like that.”

Despite the harsh feeling of the pain the  champion toughened it out as season got up off of his knee and began to stand once again his Fury far more powerful than the pain.

As the champion steadied itself, it raised its club for another devastating strike. This time, however, Zoro didn’t wait for the attack. His stance shifted, his body coiling like a spring as he prepared to strike.

The air around him seemed to grow heavier, the weight of his intent pressing down on the battlefield. The elves could feel it—a palpable, almost suffocating energy emanating from Zoro as he readied himself.

“I hope you’re ready for this big guy,” Zoro muttered, his voice low and dangerous. “Because I don’t do second chances.”

The goblin champion roared, charging forward with its club raised high. But Zoro remained unfazed, his eye narrowing as he readied his swords for the next move this monster was about to make. 

The goblin champion roared, the ground trembling beneath its massive feet as it surged forward. Its spiked club swung through the air with the force of a wrecking ball, each swing creating shockwaves that sent debris flying in every direction. The battlefield seemed to shrink as the towering figure focused all its fury on Zoro.

But Zoro stood still, his body relaxed, his swords held lightly in his hands. He tilted his head, his single eye tracking the champion’s every move.

“Come on,” Zoro muttered under his breath. “Show me what you’ve got, big guy.”

The champion obliged, letting out a guttural cry as it swung its club in a devastating horizontal arc, aiming to crush Zoro in a single blow. The sheer force of the swing flattened a row of barricades, sending wooden splinters flying like shrapnel.

In the blink of an eye, Zoro was gone.

He reappeared a moment later, standing several feet to the side, his posture unbothered. The champion’s swing Once again hit nothing but air, the momentum nearly toppling it off balance.

“Is that all?” Zoro asked, his voice calm and mocking. His swords gleamed under the fiery glow of the battlefieldAs he once again hung one of them over his shoulder. “You’re Starting to make this shit a little too predictable at this point.”

The champion growled in frustration, its glowing red eyes narrowing. “Do you really think you could keep avoiding my attacks forever you pitiful insignificant human!” It raised its club high, bringing it down with earth-shattering force. The ground split beneath the impact, dirt and rock exploding upward in a massive cloud.

Zoro’s figure blurred, and once again, he vanished just before the strike landed. This time, he reappeared behind the champion, his swords flashing in a series of lightning-fast slashes. The Wado Ichimonji carved a deep gash across the back of the champion’s leg, while his other two blades struck its exposed side, drawing dark, viscous blood.

The champion staggered, its roar of pain echoing across the battlefield. But it recovered quickly, spinning around with surprising speed for a creature of its size. It swung its club in a wide, desperate arc, forcing Zoro to leap back.

The elves, watching from the sidelines, were transfixed.

“Did you see that?” Ruven muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief. “He’s faster than the damn thing can swing!”

Alicia, her bowstring taut as she prepared to fire another arrow, couldn’t tear her eyes away from the fight. “It’s not just speed,” she said, her voice steady despite the awe creeping into her tone. “Every move he makes is calculated. He’s reading the champion like an open book.”

The goblin champion let out a snarl, its movements growing more erratic as frustration set in. It lunged at Zoro, trying to corner him with a series of rapid, heavy swings. Each strike left craters in the ground, the battlefield turning into a chaotic mess of rubble and smoke.

But Zoro weaved through the onslaught like a shadow, his movements impossibly fluid. He ducked under a wild swing, spun past a downward smash, and closed the distance between himself and the champion. His swords danced in the firelight, carving precise lines across the champion’s exposed flesh.

“You’re still too slow,” Zoro said, his voice calm and laced with boredom. He twisted his body mid-air, delivering a spinning slash that left a deep gash across the champion’s shoulder.

The champion roared in fury, slamming its club into the ground in an attempt to knock Zoro off balance. The shockwave sent debris flying, forcing the elves to shield their eyes. But when the dust cleared, Zoro was still standing, Not only unfazed by the attack but his swords  were also at the ready.

“Is that it?” Zoro asked, tilting his head. His voice carried across the battlefield, taunting and unshaken. “And you call yourself a champion?”

The champion’s glowing eyes blazed with fury. “You dare mock me, You worthless fucking human?!” It raised its club again, both hands gripping the weapon as it prepared to bring it down with all its might.

Zoro’s grin widened. “Yeah that feels like something I'm doing right now isn't it”

The air around him seemed to change, the pressure intensifying as Zoro’s stance shifted. His swords gleamed, their edges catching the light of the flames around him. The elves watching from a distance felt a sudden, almost palpable weight in the air, as though the battlefield itself was holding its breath.

“What the hell is he doing?” Khilseith muttered, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of the strange energy emanating from Zoro.

“It  must be some sort of technique,” Alicia guessed, her voice quiet but firm as she nocked another arrow, her hands steady despite the tension in the air. “He has to be preparing for something big………right?”

The champion roared, its club crashing down toward Zoro with earth-shaking force. The ground split beneath the impact, sending massive cracks spidering outward. The elves watched in horror, certain that the attack had landed.

But Zoro was gone.

He reappeared behind the champion, his swords flashing in a deadly arc. The Wado Ichimonji bit deep into the back of the champion’s shoulder, Slicing up muscles and sending the massive creature  into a painful Frenzy.

The champion roared again, spinning wildly as it tried to catch Zoro. But he was already on the move, his swords a blur of motion as he struck again and again, each slash carving through the champion’s thick armor with terrifying precision.

He sliced its left calf's muscle……….

 Then its forearm…………

His cheek……….

 On its hip………..

Literally wherever was open which was a lot of places due to how recklessly this Champion fought 

“You’re way too open for your own good, you're not even bothering to make this fun,” Zoro said, his voice steady despite the chaos around him. He dodged another swing, his swords cutting through the air with a sound like thunder. “At least come up with some sort of technique for me or something to try to block it out maneuver.”

The champion staggered, its movements growing sluggish as blood poured from its wounds. But it wasn’t done yet. With a desperate growl, it raised its club for another, all-or-nothing strike.

Zoro’s expression shifted, his usual smirk giving way to a look of quiet determination. He adjusted his stance, his swords gleaming as he prepared for the finishing blow.

The air grew heavier, the tension on the battlefield reaching its peak. And then, Zoro moved.

The goblin champion’s roar filled the battlefield as it lifted its spiked club high above its head, its massive body trembling with exertion and fury. Its glowing red eyes burned with desperation, fully aware that this next attack might be its last chance to crush the human swordsman who had been toying with it.

The air seemed to thicken, crackling with energy as the champion channeled every ounce of its monstrous strength into the strike. It brought the club down with a thunderous crash, the force of the impact splitting the earth and sending jagged chunks of rock and dirt flying in all directions. The ground quaked beneath the sheer magnitude of the attack, a shockwave rippling out and toppling nearby tents and barricades.

But once again, Zoro was gone.

The champion snarled, its eyes darting around the battlefield as it searched for its elusive opponent. “Where are you?!” it bellowed, its voice a mix of rage and frustration.

Then, from its blind spot, Zoro reappeared.

His form seemed almost ghostly as he emerged from the dust cloud, his swords catching the fiery light of the battlefield. His expression was calm, his single eye sharp and focused. He moved with a deliberate, almost predatory grace, each step precise and calculated.

“Did you get him,” Zoro  asked, his tone carrying a hint of annoyance. “ I think you might’ve got him”

The champion roared in response, spinning around and swinging its club in a wide arc. The attack was wild and desperate, the creature’s strength faltering under the strain of its injuries. Zoro ducked low, the massive weapon passing just inches above his head. In the same motion, he surged forward, his swords flashing as he delivered a powerful upward slash.

The Wado Ichimonji struck first, carving a deep line across the champion’s chest. Zoro’s second blade followed immediately, slicing through the creature’s shoulder and sending a spray of dark blood into the air. The champion staggered back, its massive frame shaking as it struggled to stay upright.

“Oof That's a nasty one isn't it,” Zoro said, his voice calm and unyielding. He stepped forward again, his swords poised for another strike. “How much longer do you think you can keep this up? I'm personally hoping for a little bit longer if you ask me.”

The goblin champion let out a guttural snarl, its chest heaving as it swung its club with renewed desperation. The attack was slower now, the creature’s strength clearly waning. Zoro sidestepped effortlessly, his movements fluid and almost casual.

“Oh come on I know you can do better than that, put your back into it,” Zoro remarked, his tone almost conversational as he circled the champion. “I'm practically running circles around you like Ring Around the Rosie or something.”

The champion roared in defiance, its club crashing down toward Zoro in a reckless attempt to end the fight. But Zoro didn’t move. He waited until the last possible moment, the club just inches from his head, before vanishing in a blur of motion.

He reappeared behind the champion once more, his swords slashing in a deadly cross pattern that tore through the creature’s armor. The impact sent the champion stumbling forward, its massive body barely able to stay upright.

The elves watching from the sidelines were in stunned silence. Even Orrian, who had seen countless battles in his lifetime, couldn’t hide his awe.

“He’s dismantling it piece by piece,” Orrian muttered, his grip tightening on his sword. “I’ve never seen anything like this, much less from a human at that.”

Khilseith, his magic reserves nearly spent, leaned heavily on his staff as he watched. “It’s not just skill,” he said, his voice tinged with disbelief. “After all the shit we went through to try and hold that thing off, he’s…just fucking toying with it.”

Alicia, still perched high above, nocked another arrow but didn’t fire. Her sharp eyes followed Zoro’s every movement, her heart pounding in her chest. “He’s waiting,” she murmured, her voice barely audible. “He’s drawing it out… setting up for something big.”

The champion, bloodied and battered, let out another,  Furious roar. It raised its club high above its head, summoning every ounce of strength left in its massive body. The air seemed to tremble under the sheer force of its intent, the flames of the battlefield flickering in its shadow.

Zoro’s eye narrowed, his expression hardening. His stance shifted slightly, his swords gleaming as he adjusted his grip. The energy around him grew heavier, the tension palpable as he prepared to strike.

“This is your last chance,” Zoro said, his voice low and steady. “If I were you, which I am kissing the ground that I'm not, I'd make it count.”

The champion bellowed, its club descending in a devastating arc that seemed to tear through the very air itself. The ground cracked and split beneath the force of the attack, sending a massive shockwave rippling outward.

But Zoro didn’t flinch. His body coiled like a spring, his swords glowing faintly as It clashed against the  Champions Club. 

The Clash created the giant Shockwave that blew everything around it back a few feet.

 The champion growled angrily as it tried putting everything in it had into pushing the club Back Against The Sword but it was almost like pushing against a literal brick wall.

No matter what she did he couldn't make the swordsman move so much of an inch. That's if he was a statue implanted into the ground and the worst part was that he made it look so effortless too as if it was only just mere wind trying to push him.

As Zoro clashed with the goblin champion, the battlefield fell into an almost surreal state. The elves, hardened warriors who had seen countless battles, found themselves unable to tear their eyes away from the spectacle unfolding before them.

Orrian had fought many powerful foes in his lifetime, from monstrous trolls to cunning sorcerers. But as he watched Zoro, a mere human, move with precision and speed that bordered on the supernatural, he realized he was witnessing something extraordinary. His grip on his sword tightened as his sharp eyes followed Zoro’s every motion.

“This Can't just be skill alone,” Orrian muttered under his breath, awe creeping into his usually steady tone. “This is… mastery.”

Who knew there would be a swordsman, a human swordsman at that capable of this level of sword mastery.

Every swing of Zoro’s swords seemed effortless yet deliberate, each movement perfectly calculated to exploit even the smallest openings in the champion’s defenses. The goblin’s massive, lumbering swings were powerful enough to crush boulders, but Zoro danced around them with a calm confidence that sent chills down Orrian’s spine.

“How is he doing this?” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the din of the battle.

 Where could he have gotten this level of Sword mastery from………

 And how could he move at speeds where he could barely catch him or even see his movements. 

From her vantage point, Alicia’s sharp elven eyes tracked Zoro’s movements with a mixture of astonishment and disbelief. As an archer, she prided herself on her precision and her ability to assess threats quickly. But Zoro… he was unlike anything she’d ever seen.

“He’s… predicting its moves,” she murmured, her voice tinged with amazement. Her fingers twitched on her bowstring as she watched him dodge another massive swing with a hair’s breadth to spare. “No, it’s more than that. He’s controlling the flow of the fight.”

She fired an arrow into a cluster of goblins still lingering near the camp’s edge, but her focus remained on Zoro. Each time he moved, it was as if the goblin champion’s overwhelming strength became a liability, its size and power rendered useless against Zoro’s agility and skill.

For the first time in a long while, Alicia felt a pang of inadequacy. “I’ve trained for centuries,” she thought, her lips pressing into a thin line. “And yet, compared to him…”

Her gaze kept flickering back to Zoro, her heart pounding with a mix of awe and anxiety. His fluid movements, the way he dodged the champion’s devastating strikes, and the almost casual way he taunted the hulking creature—it was unlike anything she had ever seen.

He was like a literal monster and human skin a wolf in sheep's clothing there was no way humans could move or fight like this. What's the way she had seen humans fight in the past there's no way their bias can even handle going at speeds like this he was doing it so effortlessly.

She spotted a group of goblins trying to circle around Zoro and quickly nocked two arrows at once, releasing them with a swift motion. Both arrows found their marks, dropping the goblins before they could interfere.

“Stay focused!” she said to herself, trying to keep her own composure.she had an objective she needed to finish and see it was going to finish it no matter what.

However she wasn’t the only one mesmerized by the swordsman's performance……..

As Ruven parried a goblin’s blade and dispatched it with a quick thrust, his eyes darted back to Zoro. The human was an unstoppable force, his swords flashing like lightning as he wove through the champion’s attacks.

Ruven was a pragmatist. He believed in discipline, tactics, and teamwork to overcome challenges, especially when faced with overwhelming odds. But Zoro—Zoro was chaos incarnate, a storm given human form. He didn’t fight like an elf, soldier, or even a human warrior. He fought like… something else entirely.

“Such Incredibles technique and speed,” Ruven said aloud, his voice laced with disbelief. “He’s using the champion’s size and momentum against it. Redirecting its attacks, striking only when necessary… This isn’t just a fighter. This is an artist creating a masterpiece.!”

Zoro’s grin never faltered, even as the champion’s spiked club slammed into the ground with enough force to create a crater. Instead of flinching, Zoro sidestepped smoothly, his swords carving shallow but deliberate wounds across the goblin’s exposed joints. Each strike seemed to sap the champion’s strength, as if Zoro were dismantling it piece by piece effortlessly.

“How is he not even winded?” Ruven muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. “Tireless killing machine there's no possible way he could be human.”

Ruven, ever the pragmatist, was darting between the pocket full of elven fighters, lending his twin blades wherever they were needed most. His strikes were precise, his movements efficient, as he worked to keep the goblins and Dry Bones from overwhelming the defensive lines.

He glanced toward Zoro as the swordsman dodged yet another earth-shattering strike from the champion. “That human’s insane,” Ruven muttered, slicing through a Dry Bones before it could reassemble. “To think a human with such incredibly Unique swordsmanship could even exist is  unheard of.”

Spotting a cluster of goblins rushing toward the elves’ central position, Ruven whirled his blades and charged into their midst. He fought like a whirlwind, cutting them down one by one while shouting to the nearby fighters. “Hold the line! Don’t let them break through!”

And at this point, Zoro might as well have an audience because from the safety of the inner circle, Jacob and Bellas watched the fight with their jaws practically on the ground. Jacob and Bellas were working together near the rear of the camp, where more enemy forces continued to swarm in elves and were being evacuated. 

Jacob, usually full of quips and bravado, found himself utterly speechless. He clutched his daggers tightly, his hands trembling as he muttered, “That… that guy’s not human. He can’t be.”

Bellas, her face pale from both her injuries and the sheer intensity of the fight, nodded wordlessly. Her wide eyes were fixed on Zoro as he leaped over the champion’s swinging club, twisting mid-air to deliver a slash across its shoulder that sent dark blood spraying.

“I… I’ve never seen anything like this,” Bellas finally whispered, her voice shaking. “He’s fighting it—he’s Really fighting it.  this is incredible!”

Jacob shook his head, his voice rising with a mix of awe and frustration. “How is he smiling?! That thing’s the size of a house, and he’s acting like it’s a warm-up!”

Bellas, her arm bandaged but still gripping a sword, stood protectively in front of there main war tent, her blade swinging with surprising precision for someone so battered.

“Come on, you ugly meanies!” Bellas shouted, her voice raw but defiant. She struck down a goblin trying to climb over a broken barricade, her chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath.

Jacob, his daggers flashing in the firelight, darted between enemies with a speed that belied his earlier panic. “I’ve got this side! Just keep them away from the wounded!” he called to Bellas, stabbing a goblin in the back before it could reach her.

Despite their efforts, they couldn’t help but glance toward Zoro’s fight. Bellas wiped blood from her cheek and muttered, “How is he even standing up to that thing?”

Jacob, his face pale but determined, shook his head. “I don’t know. But if he can take down that monster, maybe we actually stand a chance.”

Khilseith, the camp’s mage, had initially dismissed Zoro as another reckless weak human warrior—a dime a dozen in his long experience. But as he stood at the edge of the battlefield, his hands glowing faintly with the remnants of his depleted magic, Khilseith found himself unable to look away.

“There's no way a human like him should be able to fight a goblin much less a goblin champion,” he murmured, his voice barely audible. “Just shouldn't be possible, pathetic humans like him shouldn't be able to do something like this.”

He watched as Zoro ducked under a wild swing from the champion, pivoted, and brought his swords up in a cross-slash that sent sparks flying off the creature’s armor. Zoro’s movements were so precise, so fluid, that they seemed almost otherworldly.

Khilseith’s analytical mind raced as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. “He’s human, isn’t he? Humans shouldn’t be able to do this sort of thing. Pathetic weak insignificant fucking cowards like him shouldn't be able to fight like this!”

Suddenly a handful of goblins came in at him from his rear, though thankfully his magic caught them and tore them to pieces before they could carry out their sneak attack.

It still caught him by surprise and caused him to flinch as he then turned his attention back to his own fight.

Though he still couldn’t believe that a human was able to fight with this level of skill…..

To him it didn’t make any sense.

Humans aren’t supposed to be this powerful

Especially against a monster like that.

He may not have time to question this now but he was going to find out just what the hell is going on.

As for now it was time for him to focus on his own role in this battle.

Though he wasn’t the only one questioning this human’s skill.

Even the goblins, feral and bloodthirsty as they were, began to hesitate. They had come into the battle emboldened by their champion, their morale unshakable. But now… now they watched in horror as their mighty leader bled, stumbled, and roared in frustration.

They needed to hurry up and take care of this human before he caused too much damage to their ranks.

“WAKA CHAKA!” one goblin screeched, its voice high-pitched and panicked. But none of the others moved. 

Not one of them dared to take so much as a single step toward that fight knowing full well what would happen to them if they ever interfere with one of their superiors' fights. 

But it wasn't just that there was no way they were going to go up against an absolute Beast like this human the way he was moving the way he was fighting he was like a literal freak of nature 

The last thing I wanted was to be sliced to bloody piles by either one of the opponents.

 because they knew for a fact that the goblin Champion would tear their heads off to interfere with his fight and they were sure to be sliced to Ribbons if they went up against the human Swordsman.

 So long story short short story long it was a lose lose situation for them all around the board if they decide to interfere in this fight.

Maybe they might wait a little bit and continue their task just in case, then they could try to attack him when he’s worn out.

so the agreement was to stay rooted in place, their confidence starting to crumble with every precise strike Zoro landed on the champion.

The goblin champion, once so confident in its dominance, let out a furious roar. “You’re just a human!” it bellowed, its voice shaking the ground. “You cannot defeat me!”

Zoro, his grin widening, tilted his head slightly. “You say that, though I don’t remember once in this fight where you’ve actually hit me,” he said, his tone mocking as he dodged another blow. “Do you want me to go slower for you cause I can if you want.”

With that, he charged again, his swords flashing like silver arcs in the firelight. The goblin champion swung its club in desperation, but Zoro dodged with ease, closing the distance and delivering a series of rapid slashes that left the creature howling in pain.

Vanellope stood frozen, her small hands clutching the charm Alicia had given her. Her heart raced as she watched Zoro move with an almost effortless grace, his confidence and skill radiating with every strike.

“Is… is this what he’s like all the time?” she whispered to herself, her eyes wide. “He’s… amazing.”

She knew she picked the right pirate crew to be the biggest standoff. He was every bit as strong as she had heard, no even stronger than that.

When Zoro glanced back at her mid-fight, his expression calm and unbothered, she felt a surge of hope. For the first time that night, she truly believed they could win.

“Go, Zoro!,” she shouted towards the swordsman, her voice trembling with aweAs she cheered him on with high enthusiasm. “Show them what you’re made of!”

She was honestly like a little cheerleader for him cheering and rooting him on as he continued to fight this monster 

Wow that little exchange was going on, Orrian stood at the forefront of the elven forces, his enchanted blade gleaming as he fought to keep the enemy forces at bay. His sharp eyes darted toward Zoro’s fight every few seconds, disbelief etched across his face. Despite the champion’s overwhelming strength, Zoro seemed completely in control.

“He’s actually keeping it distracted,” Orrian muttered under his breath, cutting down another goblin that had tried to flank him. His muscles burned with exertion, but he couldn’t afford to rest.Orrian’s mind was racing as he began questioning this,”How is he moving like that? He’s not just faster than the champion—he’s faster than any of us”.

However, as he was finishing his thoughts, in the corner of his eye he noticed that some of the Goblins were starting to regroup in large numbers towards the Western part of the camp.

 Oh no they were trying to blind side them by reinforcing themselves, they needed to hurry before the enemy got the upper hand. He turned and shouted to the others. “Reinforce the western barricade! Don’t let the goblins regroup!”

The others look to where he was pointing and notice what the enemy was trying to do. 

Khilseith, also seeing this, quickly dispatches the few goblins that he was dealing with and races over to the scene.

As he's running over he opens his book and yells out a few incantations resulting in large black tendrils appearing from the ground and dragging some of the Goblins into the black holes beneath them.

The few goblins that match to escape the tendrils well he was able to deal with fairly easily as he then took out a dagger and stabbed one of them in the throat before stabbing another in the eye.

When the blade gets stuck in the Goblin's head he then kicks it away from him before she can't take another spell  and begins firing out black ball-like attacks that once  they hit their targeted goblins the little pest begins suddenly turning into a poof of black ash.

Unfortunately there are a lot more goblins then he anticipated and he begins to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of them 

Ruven Spotting this quickly finishes off a dry bone by kicking it into  a fiery tent or for them running over and throwing one of the daggers that he had into a Goblin's chest before it could get the chance to jump on his friend. 

He then kicked another one into a pile of dry bones causing them to scatter before then going back to back with Khilseith.

Khilseith, seeing what just happened, looks at his comrade in annoyance,”What the hell are you doing? I didn't need your help” !

Ruven looks at his comrade with a Blank Stare before answering him in a sarcastic tone,” Oh yes sure because you are doing  an adequate job at dealing with them yourself I just came over here to see how we were doing”.

Just as Khilseith was about to report something they both saw that more goblins and Dry Bones were coming in hot.

So seeing that now wasn't the time for this butting head shit to save this for later and focus on the task at hand. 

As Zoro’s strike landed—a flawless, cross-slash that cut through the champion’s armor and flesh—the battlefield fell silent. The champion stumbled, its massive frame trembling as blood poured from its wounds. It let out one, guttural growl before grabbing a burning piece of wood and pressing it deep against his wound, cauterizing it in order to stop the bleeding. 

He clenches his teeth in pain as he stands still for a few moments before throwing the branch to the side and cracking his nap.

He then shoots Zoro a malicious glare as he picks up his Club once again and squeezes it tightly in his hand,”You thinking an attack like this will take me out human? You'll need more than sheep sword tricks to defeat me”.

Huh it actually touches Zoro.

Despite the fact that he's losing still has the morale to want to fight and beat him.

And to be honest it's always kind of a sucker for a moment like that opponent or not he couldn't help but respect a warrior that refuses to give up despite the odds 

He himself was put in that situation once  when he fought Mihawk for the first time And still lost despite the fact that he gave it all he had.

Villain or not he couldn't help but have respect for opponents like this.

Though unfortunately not everyone of his enemies we're having the same kind of morale as the champion was in that moment. 

The remaining goblins and Dry Bones froze, their confidence on the brink of being shattered. One by one, they turned and started to flee, their morale broken.

The elves starred in stunned silence, their expressions a mix of disbelief, awe, and relief.

 Zoro holds his sword steadily, his face calm as though he isn’t single-handedly turning the tide of the battle.

However, something surprised everyone suddenly, the gobble champion grab one of the burning tents with both his bare hands, ignoring the searing pain of the flames as he then threw it in the direction of where the goblins and dry bones were running.

In the shocking turn of events (at least to the goblins) they all witnessed him, blocking their skate path,Completely interrupting his own fight to go in and focus on them rather than his opponent temporarily 

He then stared daggers at them Fury and rage in his eyes,“WHERE THE HELL DO YOU LITTLE SHITS THINK YOUR GOING! WE HAVE ORDERS TO BURN THIS CAMP, AND EVERYTHING IN IT TO THE GROUND”, He then points his hand back to the center of the camp” NOW GET YOUR ASSESS BACK IN HERE, NOW!”, he angrily and loudly barked causing the ground to slightly vibrate.

 Scared shitless and not really trying to piss off their extremely angry Superior,  the goblins and dry bones make their way back to the battlefield to attack the elves doing their best to complete the mission that they were assigned to.

Seeing that his subordinates had followed his order without him having to remind them multiple times the champion  cracked his neck as he then turned his attention back to Zoro who stood there casually waiting for him to make the next move which he did as he then began charging right at him preparing for a powerful swing.

 Zoro smiled back at him before doing the same, gripping his swords tightly as he prepared for a swing of his own.

Back to the others……….

Khilseith stood near the western part of the camp with Ruven, his staff glowing faintly as he tried to conserve what little magic he had left. His face was pale, beads of sweat dripping down his temples as he cast smaller spells to disrupt the enemy’s movements.

 While Ruven  was slicing up goblins Non-Stop and kicking dry bones to Pieces though he was starting to wear down at the  relentless pursuit of the enemies attacks.

It was easy enough to say that the two of them were reaching their limit at an alarming rate and would  soon be overwhelmed they didn't think of something fast 

Khilseith Notice the swordsman and the champion going at it again the human swordsman effortlessly demolishing this threat that none could even scratch earlier. 

“Zoro’s holding the champion’s attention,” Khilseith said to his comrade through gritted teeth, flinging a black fireball at a cluster of advancing goblins. “But the rest of these pests aren’t going to just sit back and watch.”

Ruben, while stabbing one of the Goblins in the mouth, quickly turns to the dark elf and asks,”Hey do you think that you could create a magical barrier so we can keep any more of them from coming inside! We can kill the rest of them off while they're in here if we do that”!

Khilseith, hearing comrade suggested, nodded before quickly muttering an incantation, the runes etched into the ground near the camp flaring to life. A magical barrier shimmered briefly, repelling a wave of goblins that had been trying to breach the inner defenses.

“Orrian!” Khilseith called out, his voice strained. “I can’t keep this barrier up much longer! We need to thin their numbers!”

The Elf leader hearing this decapitates a dry bones Soldier before jumping onto one of the crates and yelling towards the rest of his teammates,” Everyone we've managed to cut them off from the rest of their troops do everything in your power to to kill them off before they regroup!”

He then jumped down and stabbed one of the Goblins in the chest before grabbing its corpse and fling it into another group,

Alicia here in this from her position starts firing arrows at a faster rate doing everything she can to decrease the enemy's numbers 

Jacob and Bella who are starting to get themselves back together after their earlier situation both looked at each other before grabbing each other's hand and running into the horde of goblins and dry bones .

Back to the main fight………..

 Zoro moved again, his swords a blur of motion as he unleashed a flurry of strikes, each one aimed with pinpoint precision at the champion’s weak points. The goblin staggered under the assault, its massive frame struggling to keep up with Zoro’s relentless attacks.

Every time a champion swings that club his movements get more and more sluggish while Zoro's simply dodging and striking every weak point he has. 

The other goblins, their confidence wavering as they watch their mighty leader falter, decide that they should head in and give  him a hand before he is damaged any further if they all go at the swords and at once maybe they can at least land one fatal blow upon him.

However when a few of them were about to run over and attack-

“STAY BACK!” the champion roared at its minions, its voice trembling with both anger and fear. “I’ll handle this wretch myself!”

This caused the subordinates to stop dating their tracks almost Frozen like statues in fear of what disobeying your leader might cause. 

Sorry did Zorro hear that right………..

 he was going to handle him………..

 Despite the fact that he hadn't landed one significant hit on him since this entire fight started.

“Handle me?” Zoro scoffed, dodging another wild swing of the club. His grin widened as he shifted into a familiar stance. “I think you might have lost a little too much blood cuz your memory  it's starting to get a little funny there Jolly Green Giant.”

This feels the champion with Fury as he then charges at 0 without thinking and against swinging a barrage of Club attacks at him only for his oral to effortlessly dodge an attack slicing at the right side of his stomach and under his forearm.

While Zoro continuously clashed with the goblin champion in a duel that shook the battlefield, the elves scrambled to deal with the chaos threatening to consume the camp.

 Fires raged in several places, casting flickering shadows over the battlefield as goblins and Dry Bones continued their relentless assault. 

The elves knew that if they didn’t act quickly, their entire camp would be reduced to ashes.

Orrian stood near the center of the camp, barking orders as he fought off goblins trying to breach their remaining defenses. His sword flashed as he cut down an enemy, his voice steady despite the urgency of the situation. “We need to contain the fires and push them back! Alicia, focus your arrows on their support! Khilseith, can you reinforce the magical barrier?”

Khilseith, his face pale and drenched with sweat, gritted his teeth as he sent another wave of magic toward a group of advancing Dry Bones. “I’m running on fumes, Orrian!” he snapped, his voice strained. “Unless you've got a way to flush these little shits out of the camp this is about as much as you're going to get from me!”

Ruven darted through the chaos, his twin blades flashing as he fended off goblins trying to flank them. “We need to regroup near the center and focus our strength! The longer we’re scattered, the harder it’ll be to hold them off!”

Meanwhile, Vanellope crouched behind a stack of crates, her small frame trembling as she clutched the charm Alicia had given her earlier. She peeked out at the chaos, her heart pounding as she saw the goblins tearing through the camp, setting tents ablaze and smashing supplies.

“I can’t just sit here,” she whispered to herself, her voice trembling. “I have to do something.”

Vanellope’s eyes darted around, searching for a way to help. She wasn’t a fighter, and her glitching ability, while useful, wasn’t enough to take on the goblins directly. But then, her gaze landed on a nearby well, its bucket still hanging on a frayed rope. An idea sparked in her mind.

Scrambling out of her hiding spot, Vanellope darted toward the well, narrowly avoiding a goblin that swung its crude weapon in her direction. She glitched just in time, reappearing a few feet away, her small hands gripping the well’s wooden frame.

Alicia, perched high above the battlefield, noticed Vanellope’s movements and called out, “Vanellope! What are you doing? Get back to cover!”

“I’m helping!” Vanellope shouted back, her voice filled with determination. She grabbed the bucket and began cranking the well’s handle, lowering it into the water below. Her small hands worked furiously, her heart racing as she glanced nervously over her shoulder at the chaos around her.

When the bucket finally reached the water, she yanked it back up with all her strength. The bucket was heavier than she’d expected, but she didn’t let that stop her. Gritting her teeth, she dragged it over to a nearby patch of flames and splashed the water onto the fire.

The flames hissed and sputtered, the water dousing part of the fire. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

Though Alicia wanted to go down there and drag that little girl to a safe spot she knew she didn't have time to leave her post so she would just have to let the girlfriend for herself until she could find an opening 

Ruven, noticing her efforts, shouted, “Vanellope! Keep doing that! We’ll cover you!”

Vanellope nodded, her small hands trembling as she rushed back to the well. She worked as quickly as she could, cranking the handle and hauling up bucket after bucket of water. Each time, she splashed it onto the flames, slowly but surely extinguishing the fires threatening to consume the camp.

Meanwhile, the elves began to rally. Orrian and Ruven coordinated their attacks, cutting through the goblins and forcing them back. Alicia’s arrows found their marks, taking out key enemies and giving the elves some much-needed breathing room.

Khilseith, though exhausted, summoned one last surge of magic, creating a glowing barrier that slowed the advance of the goblins and Dry Bones. “This won’t hold forever!” he called out, his voice strained. “Make it count!”

Vanellope continued her efforts, her small frame darting back and forth as she carried water to the flames. Her glitching ability allowed her to move quickly, avoiding the goblins that tried to stop her. Despite her fear, she pushed forward, determined to do her part.

Alicia, watching from her perch, felt a swell of admiration for the young girl. “She’s got guts,” she muttered, losing another arrow and taking down a goblin that had been heading for Vanellope.

The combined efforts of the elves and Vanellope began to turn the tide. The fires were gradually brought under control, and the goblins found themselves losing ground as the elves pressed their counterattack.

But the battle was far from over. The goblin champion, still locked in combat with Zoro, let out a thunderous roar as it noticed its forces faltering. It swung its massive club with renewed fury, determined to crush the swordsman and rally its troops.

And in the midst of it all, Vanellope kept moving, her small hands working tirelessly as she helped save the camp. Though she was scared, she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop. The camp, the elves, and Zoro—they were all counting on her.

“Almost there,” she muttered to herself, her voice shaking but determined. “Just a little more…”,Vanellope’s small hands trembled as she cranked the well’s handle again, sweat dripping down her forehead. The bucket groaned as it rose, the rope fraying and creaking under the strain. She bit her lip, gritting her teeth as her arms burned from the effort.

“Come on… come on,” she whispered, her voice tight with determination. She glanced over her shoulder at the camp, the fires still raging in patches, though smaller now thanks to her efforts. But it wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t be enough unless they kept going.

The elves were fighting valiantly, their movements growing sharper as their desperation turned into grit. Orrian shouted orders from the front, cutting through another wave of goblins with a powerful swing of his glowing blade. "Hold the line! Don’t let them push us back!"

Ruven was moving like a whirlwind, his twin blades flashing as he danced between enemies, cutting them down with precision. "We’re almost there! Keep the pressure on!" he shouted, his voice rising above the clash of steel and the guttural cries of the goblins.

Alicia, perched in the tree, released another arrow that whizzed through the air and struck a goblin square between the eyes. “Vanellope, keep it up! The fires are dying down!” she called out, her voice sharp and encouraging.

“I’m trying!” Vanellope yelled back, her small voice cracking under the strain. She finally pulled the bucket over the edge of the well, water sloshing over its sides. Without wasting a second, she glitched to the nearest flame and dumped the water onto it. The fire hissed and sputtered, the flames shrinking further.

But even as she worked, the goblins pushed harder, sensing their impending defeat. More of them charged toward the center of the camp, their crude weapons gleaming in the firelight. Dry Bones rattled as they resembled themselves, their glowing eyes fixed on the elves.

“They’re regrouping!” Ruven yelled, slashing through a goblin that lunged at him. “Orrian, what’s the plan?”

“Push them back! We can’t let them get near the inner circle!” Orrian shouted, his blade cutting through another enemy. “Bellas, Jacob, reinforce the eastern side!”

Bellas, still limping but refusing to give up, gritted her teeth as she swung her sword at an oncoming goblin. “I’m on it!” she yelled, rallying the elves around her to fortify the camp’s eastern flank.

Vanellope rushed back to the well, her legs trembling as she glitched the last few steps. She grabbed the bucket and lowered it again, her arms screaming in protest. "Come on… just a little more…"

Above her, Alicia loosed another arrow, her sharp eyes tracking the battlefield. But even from her vantage point, she could see the exhaustion on her comrades’ faces. "Khilseith! Can you keep that barrier up?"

Khilseith, his hands trembling from overexertion, gritted his teeth. "Barely… but I can’t hold it much longer. You all need to finish this before I burn out!"

Orrian glanced at the young mage, his face set in a grim expression. "We will. Just keep it up as long as you can." He turned to Ruven. "We need to clear the goblins near the fires and secure the center. If we can stop them there, we’ll break their formation!"

Ruven nodded, a flicker of hope in his eyes. "Then let’s make it happen."

As the elves redoubled their efforts, Vanellope hauled another bucket of water up from the well. Her breaths came in short, ragged gasps, but she didn’t stop. The fires were shrinking, but there was still so much to do.

“Almost… there…” she panted, her legs wobbling as she sprinted to another flame and splashed the water onto it. The fire hissed and died, leaving behind a charred patch of ground.

“Vanellope, behind you!” Alicia shouted from her perch.

Vanellope spun around just in time to see a goblin charging at her, its jagged blade raised high. Her heart leapt into her throat, and she glitched instinctively, reappearing several feet away. The goblin snarled in frustration, but before it could pursue her, an arrow pierced its neck, dropping it where it stood.

She looked over and saw that it was none other than Alicia who had taken the shot for her 

“I’ve got you covered!” Alicia called, already lining up her next shot.

“Thanks!” Vanellope shouted, her voice shaking. She grabbed the bucket and sprinted back to the well. Her arms and legs ached, her body screaming for rest, but she forced herself to keep going.

“We’re so close,” she muttered to herself, her eyes burning with determination. “Just a little more, and we can do this.”

The elves fought harder, their movements becoming more coordinated as they pushed the goblins back inch by inch. The fires were dwindling, the goblins were thinning out, and the Dry Bones were struggling to reform under the constant assault.

As Vanellope cranked the well handle one more time, her hands raw and blistered, she whispered to herself, “Come on, we’ve got this. We’ve got this.” And deep down, she believed it.

The goblin champion roared in frustration as Zoro continued to dodge its devastating strikes, his swords carving through the air with deadly precision. The battlefield around them was a whirlwind of chaos, but the champion’s focus remained locked on the swordsman.

“You fight like a flea, human!” the champion bellowed, swinging its massive club in a wide arc. The ground shook as the weapon slammed into the earth, sending chunks of rock and dirt flying into the air. “Stop running and fight me head-on!”

Zoro’s smirk widened as he sidestepped the attack effortlessly. “Head-on?” he repeated, his tone mocking. “Why? I’m having way too much fun to stop now. You seem to be doing just fine tiring yourself out. maybe once you tired yourself out a little bit more”

The champion’s glowing red eyes narrowed, its massive frame trembling with barely-contained rage. It let out another guttural roar and lunged at Zoro with surprising speed, its club raised high.

But before it could bring the weapon down, a group of goblins surged forward, weapons raised, their guttural war cries piercing through the din of the battlefield.

“Waka Chaka!” one goblin snarled, its jagged blade gleaming as it charged toward Zoro. “We’ll take him down together!”

Another goblin joined in, followed by a handful more, their numbers growing as they attempted to overwhelm Zoro through sheer force. Even several Dry Bones, their skeletal frames clattering, joined the fray, their hollow eye sockets glowing with malevolent light.

The champion froze mid-strike, its glowing eyes darting toward the approaching mob. “NO!” it roared, its voice shaking the air. “STAY BACK! HE IS MINE!”

The goblins hesitated, their eagerness faltering under the weight of the champion’s rage. But a few, emboldened by their numbers, ignored the warning and continued their charge.

Zoro didn’t even flinch. His stance shifted slightly, his swords gleaming as he prepared for the onslaught. “Guess I should’ve known you wouldn’t fight fair,” he muttered, his voice calm but sharp as a blade.

The first goblin reached him, its blade swinging down in a crude, uncoordinated attack. Zoro barely moved, his katana flashing in the firelight as he cut the goblin down in a single, effortless stroke. Blood sprayed through the air, and the creature crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

Another goblin lunged at him from the side, its spear aimed for his ribs. Zoro spun on his heel, his other sword intercepting the attack with a resounding clang. He twisted the blade, shattering the spear before slashing through the goblin in one fluid motion.

“You guys aren't really trying to make this  entertaining for me aren't you,” Zoro said, his tone filled with disdain as he pivoted and struck again, slicing through two more goblins that had rushed him simultaneously.

The champion’s fury grew as it watched its subordinates fall one by one. “I SAID STAY BACK!” it thundered, its voice reverberating like a storm. “THIS FIGHT IS MINE ALONE!”

But the goblins, driven by fear of the champion and a misguided belief in their own strength, ignored the command. They swarmed Zoro, their crude weapons glinting as they tried to overwhelm him.

Zoro sighed, his smirk replaced by a look of irritation. “Annoying pests,” he muttered, his body coiling like a spring before he erupted into motion.

In a blur of speed, Zoro moved through the mob, his swords cutting arcs of silver through the air. Each swing was precise, deliberate, and devastating. Goblins fell left and right, their bodies hitting the ground with dull thuds as Zoro carved a path through them.

The Dry Bones, their skeletal forms rattling, clawed at him with unnatural speed. One managed to latch onto his arm, but Zoro didn’t falter. He slammed the hilt of his sword into the creature’s skull, shattering it before slicing through its ribcage.

“Get in line,” Zoro said coldly, his voice dripping with menace as he turned toward the remaining goblins. “You’ll all get your turn.”

The champion finally had enough. It stomped forward, its massive frame towering over both Zoro and the remaining goblins. “YOU FOOLS!” it bellowed, slamming its club into the ground with enough force to knock several goblins off their feet. Unfortunately, one of the goblins was standing right on the spot he landed the club, causing it to be crushed like a gooey, green pancake,“DO YOU THINK I NEED YOUR HELP? YOU DISHONOR ME!”

The surviving goblins and Dry Bones froze, their confidence wavering under the champion’s furious glare. One goblin stammered, “Waka Chaka—”

“BE SILENT!” the champion roared, its glowing eyes blazing with fury. It swung its massive club sideways, knocking several of its own subordinates into the air like ragdolls. “IF YOU INTERFERE AGAIN, I WILL CRUSH EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU INTO POWDERED DUST!”

Zoro straightened, his smirk returning as he rested the flat of one blade on his shoulder. “Having some trouble with your team, big guy?” he quipped, his tone laced with amusement,”Don't worry I get it it's kind of hard to control your subordinate sometimes especially when you're trying to keep them from getting cut up”.

The champion snarled, its attention snapping back to Zoro. “Laugh while you can, human,” it growled, its voice low and dangerous. “When I’m finished with you, there won’t be enough left to bury.”

Zoro’s eyes gleamed, his expression calm but deadly as he then casually shrugged his shoulders. “Hey you’re welcome to try, don't worry I won't think much less of you, at least not less than I already do.”

Steam rolled out of the Champions nostrils as he stared daggers at the one-eyed Swordsman as if ready to pounce on him and any moment.

Zorro while still casually standing there staring at it grips his sword tight as he stares down the giant beat waiting for it to make any sort of move there..

The air between them grew heavy, the tension palpable as the champion gripped its club tightly. The goblins and Dry Bones, now too terrified to interfere, watched from a distance, their eyes wide with fear.

The champion raised its club once more, its muscles rippling as it prepared for another devastating attack. And Zoro, his swords gleaming and his stance unshaken, waited patiently for the next move.

The goblin champion snarled, its massive feet pounding the ground as it launched itself into another ferocious charge. Blood seeped from the gashes Zoro had already carved into its hulking frame, but the beast was far from finished. If anything, the pain only seemed to fuel its rage, its glowing red eyes burning brighter with fury.

“You think you’re better than me, human?!” the champion roared, raising its spiked club high above its head. “I’ll rip you apart limb by limb!”

Zoro, still standing in place, tilted his head slightly. His swords gleamed under the fiery light of the battlefield, his posture calm and relaxed, as though the champion’s threats were nothing more than idle chatter.

“Is that right?” Zoro muttered, his smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Guess that means I’ll have to be the one that disappoints you.”

As the champion closed the distance, it swung its club in a devastating overhead arc, aiming to crush Zoro into the dirt. The force of the attack sent a deafening shockwave through the air, and the ground cracked and splintered beneath the club’s massive weight.

But Zoro didn’t move—not immediately. At the last possible second, his form blurred, and he sidestepped the attack with a smooth, almost casual motion. The club slammed into the ground, creating a crater that spewed dirt and debris into the air.

“You missed,” Zoro said, his voice calm and mocking as he reappeared on top of the massive weapon in a somewhat Angelic form.

The champion snarled, its frustration mounting as it yanked the club free from the ground, as Zorro then hopped off the club, and swung it horizontally in a wide arc. The sheer force of the swing toppled nearby trees, sent tents flying, and knocked over several goblins who had ventured too close.

Zoro ducked under the swing, his movements fluid and effortless. His swords flickered in the firelight as he darted forward, closing the distance between himself and the champion. With a burst of speed, he slashed across the champion’s exposed flank, his blades cutting through flesh and armor alike.

The champion roared in pain, stumbling to the side as fresh blood sprayed from the wound. But it recovered quickly, its massive frame twisting as it swung its club in a desperate backhand strike. This time, Zoro didn’t dodge entirely. Instead, he brought two of his swords up, crossing them in front of him to block the attack.

The impact was tremendous, the force of the blow sending a shockwave that rippled through the ground. But Zoro stood firm, his feet digging into the dirt as he held his ground. The champion’s club pressed against his swords, sparks flying from the collision of steel and spiked metal.

“Oh come on now I know you got more than that,” Zoro said, his voice steady despite the strain. “ You and I both know you’re gonna need a lot more than that to bring me down.”

With a sharp twist of his body, Zoro deflected the club and used the momentum to launch himself upward. In a flash, he was above the champion’s head.

Zoro let out a heavy sigh, rolling his shoulders as he dodged yet another wild swing from the goblin champion. The creature was getting desperate now, its attacks becoming less precise, more erratic. Its breathing was ragged, the gashes Zoro had inflicted across its body leaking thick, dark blood onto the battlefield.

This fight was dragging on longer than he’d have liked.

For the first time, it was almost a mutual feeling, though not in the same context.

Zoro on the other hand was starting to get extremely bored.

He was hoping that this thing would pose a big enough challenge for him to push himself, especially since he hadn’t gotten a good fight since Wano.

But this thing was just a bulky lackey, swinging erratically at him and missing pathetically.

Zoro only let this go on because he was hoping that this thing would bust out move to actually put Zorro on the edge, but he was barely even getting a warm-up out of this.

“You done yet?” Zoro muttered, side-stepping another heavy downward smash from the champion’s club. The impact sent dirt and debris flying, shaking the ground under his feet. “Because I gotta say… this is starting to get boring.”

The goblin champion snarled, its glowing red eyes burning with rage. “Boring?! You insolent little—!” It lunged forward with a furious charge, swinging its club wildly in a desperate attempt to land a hit.

Zoro yawned.

Literally.

As the massive club came crashing down, Zoro tilted his head slightly, letting the weapon smash into the dirt just inches from his foot. He didn’t even flinch, his single eye barely tracking the attack.

“Seriously?” he muttered, scratching the back of his head with the hilt of one of his swords. “That was supposed to hit me? You’re making me regret waking up for this.”

The champion let out a furious roar and lifted the club again, putting everything it had into this next swing. The sheer force of it tore up the battlefield, splitting a boulder clean in half as it swung toward Zoro’s torso.

This time, Zoro moved.

He shifted his weight slightly, lowering his stance, then disappeared in a blur. The goblin’s club sailed through empty air.

The champion barely had time to process what had happened before a sudden, searing pain tore through its arm.

Zoro stood a few feet away now, his swords dripping with dark goblin blood. His stance was casual, as if he’d just taken a leisurely stroll rather than nearly severing the monster’s limb.

The champion bellowed in agony, clutching its wounded arm. “You… you dare—!”

Suddenly, he felt sharp pains all across his body as multiple wounds opened up one after another on his body and blood began to spray right out of it.

It caused him immense pain, though he continued to stand in his ground stubbornly.

“Oh, shut up already,” Zoro interrupted, his voice flat with irritation. “All that yelling, all that swinging… for what? You've been throwing me empty threats for the last 5 minutes and haven't managed to make good on one of them. At this point it's starting to give me a headache.”

The champion was in too much pain to answer right away, still doing what he could to work through the pain of his fresh injuries.

The elves watching from the sidelines were stunned into silence.

Ruven, covered in goblin blood from his own skirmishes, blinked in disbelief. “He’s… He's got to be joking right there's no way after all that he's simply standing there for.”

Alicia, her bowstring taut, swallowed hard. “No, not toying. He’s barely trying.”

Orrian, still hacking through the remaining goblins, paused to glance at the fight. His grip tightened around his sword. “This human… he’s beyond anything I’ve ever seen.”

Meanwhile, Zoro tilted his head, eyeing the goblin champion like he was debating whether to even bother finishing this fight. “If I’m being honest… I expected more from something called a ‘champion.’” He exhaled slowly, rolling his neck until it cracked. “But you? You’re just a big, slow target.”

The champion’s entire body trembled with fury. It let out a final, defiant roar and charged at Zoro, Ignoring all the pain in his injuries and swinging his club with reckless abandon.

Zoro  sighed as he shook his head. “Alright. I’m done.”

He shifted into a stance that made the air around him feel different—denser, heavier. The elves could feel the pressure change, their instincts screaming that something big was about to happen.

Everyone else around him stood there wide-eyed as they saw this interaction occur.

Wait, was he really about to finish the fight? Was he actually thinking of taking this thing on head on?

The goblin champion, oblivious to its fate, raised its club high above its head, intending to crush Zoro in one final blow.

Zoro narrowed his eye.

The goblin champion let out a war cry.

Zoro’s grip tightened.

“Let’s wrap this up.”

The air around Zoro seemed to change, growing heavy with an almost tangible pressure. The elves, watching from the sidelines, felt it too—a shift in the atmosphere that made the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.

“He’s… different,” Ruven muttered, his voice barely audible over the din of the battle. “What is he doing?”

Alicia’s sharp eyes narrowed as she watched Zoro’s stance. “It’s… some kind of technique,” she said, her tone a mix of awe and disbelief. “He’s Just standing there standing in that weird stance and putting a sword in his mouth. It's like he's charging up for something or some sort of attack.”

Zoro’s voice cut through the battlefield, low and steady. “Three-Sword Style…” His swords gleamed as he twisted his body into position, his muscles coiling like a spring ready to unleash its full force.

The champion, sensing the shift, raised its club for a final, desperate attack. “YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME YOU WORTHLESS HUMAN?! I AM A GOBLIN CHAMPION! NO HUMAN COULD EVER HOPE TO DEFEAT ME”

Zoro’s eyes narrowed. “Oni Giri!”

The air grew thick, heavy with an invisible weight that sent a chill down the spines of everyone watching. Even the elves, who had spent their lives honing their senses, felt it—a suffocating pressure radiating from the swordsman. The battlefield, once a cacophony of metal, roars, and screams, seemed to quiet, as though nature itself recognized what was about to happen.

Zoro’s stance shifted. His feet planted firmly into the ground, his knees slightly bent, giving him a stable but flexible base. His muscles tensed, but not with strain—rather, they coiled like a spring wound tight, ready to explode forward at the perfect moment.

His right hand gripped the hilt of the Wado Ichimonji, his prized katana, holding it slightly back in a high angle, the blade gleaming with a cold, razor-sharp edge Before carefully placing the handle in his mouth and gripping on it tightly with his teeth. His left hand wielded another blade in a reverse grip, positioned low near his waist, its edge humming with restrained power. And clenched between his teeth, the third sword Enmma restedIn his left hand, slightly tilted downward, completing the fearsome triangle of his signature style.

His single visible eye locked onto the goblin champion, narrowing in absolute focus. The world outside the duel no longer mattered. There was only him, his blades, and his target.

The champion goblin, despite its immense size and rage, felt something it had never experienced before—hesitation. It could feel the sheer intent in the air, the hunger for the next move. But there was no turning back now.

It felt as if the champion was in for an await game, a rude one from the human swordsman that stood before him.

He just stood there in that stance staring at him with that Dead Eye not bothering the smooth so much as an inch almost like a statue.

It was sort of unsettling but the champion quickly snapped himself out of it realizing that he had a job to do and that his rage filled a lot higher into himself than fear as he wanted to rip this one out son of a bitch apart piece by piece with his bare hands and he was going to do it. 

So without putting much thought into it the champion squeezed his Club tightly in his hand and began making a charge for zoroRoaring at him as loudly as possible without any regard for his surrounding

As the whole King Beast charged at him they're already himself mentally for what was about to happen next.. 

Zoro exhaled once. A sharp, deliberate breath.

And then, he moved.

BOOM!

The very ground beneath Zoro cracked as he launched himself forward, his acceleration so explosive that the wind itself seemed to shatter in his wake. He blurred from sight—not even the elves could track his movement. One moment, he was preparing. The next, he was already closing the gap.

The goblin champion roared, attempting to bring down its massive club in a last-ditch counterattack. But it was too slow.

Zoro twisted mid-air, his swords aligning in perfect synchronization. His entire body moved in one fluid, controlled motion—a storm of slashing steel.

"Three-Sword Style…"

As he closed the final distance, his body dipped low, his swords gleaming in the firelight.

"Oni Giri!"

In an X-shaped motion, all three blades struck at once. One sword slashed diagonally downward from the right, another from the left, while the third blade—clenched in his teeth—cut straight down the middle, carving through everything in its path. The cuts weren’t reckless swings—they were precise, calculated, and devastatingly powerful.

The impact was instantaneous.

A brutal slash tore through the champion's thick, spiked armor, carving deep into the monstrous flesh beneath. The air itself seemed to be sliced apart, leaving a trail of glowing, pressurized cuts hanging in the air for a brief moment before dissipating.

The sound of steel meeting flesh echoed across the battlefield like thunder. The goblin champion's body trembled, locked in place by sheer shock, its glowing red eyes widening as its mind struggled to register what had just happened.

For a single, agonizing moment, time itself seemed frozen.

In a single, fluid motion, Zoro surged forward, his swords moving as one. The attack was over in an instant, too fast for the champion—or anyone else—to comprehend. Zoro stood behind the champion, his swords still drawn, as the battlefield fell eerily silent.

The champion froze, its massive frame trembling. For a moment, it looked as though nothing had happened.

Then—BLOOD ERUPTED.

Thick, green blood gushed from the X-shaped gash that stretched across the goblin champion’s torso.Then, with a sickening crack, the champion’s armor shattered, and blood gushed from three deep, crossing slashes that carved through its chest.  A violent shudder rocked its massive frame, and the great club it once wielded slipped from its grasp, crashing into the earth below like a falling pillar.

Zoro landed behind the champion, his stance unwavering, his swords still drawn. His back was turned to the beast—a silent declaration that the fight had already been decided.

For a brief moment, the goblin champion remained standing—its muscles twitching, its breath ragged. Then—

It fell.

The goblin’s massive club slipped from its fingers as it let out a final, choking growl before collapsing to the ground with a resounding thud.

A final, strangled growl escaped its lips before its massive form collapsed, shaking the entire battlefield upon impact. Dust and smoke billowed into the air, obscuring the lifeless body of the once-mighty champion.

Zoro stood still, slowly sheathing his swords one by one. The sound of his last blade clicking into place was the only noise that filled the battlefield. Then, he exhaled, his voice as casual as ever,“Hmm Guess you are a lot more bark than bite ”

The remaining goblins and Dry Bones starred in stunned silence, their confidence shattered. Their leader—an unstoppable juggernaut—had fallen to a single human.

The elves starred in stunned silence as the battlefield emptied, their enemies scattering like leaves in the wind. 

All the elves, each locked in their own life-or-death struggles, had felt it.

That impossibly heavy pressure, the sudden drop in temperature, the weight of something colossal shifting in the air—it was unlike anything they had ever experienced.

A moment ago, they The elves, still gripping their weapons, their bodies tense from combat, could do nothing but stare.

Orrian, the battle-hardened commander, a warrior who had seen countless battles, stood completely frozen.

His sword was still raised, his chest still heaving from the intense fight, but his sharp elven eyes were locked onto Zoro’s form.

“…What the hell just happened?” he muttered under his breath, barely loud enough for even himself to hear.

He unfortunately didn't get the chance to see what zero had just done only that he was now in The Stance while the champion was on the ground dead 

His mind raced to make sense of it. He had never witnessed master swordsmen like this before. had been certain of their fates. The goblin champion was an unstoppable force, a juggernaut of raw power and brutality. Even their finest warriors—Orrian, Ruven, and Alicia—had struggled just to hold the line. And yet…

The attack was so casual, so dismissive, that it almost felt like an insult to the goblin champion’s very existence.

Orrian had spent decades leading warriors into battle, and he had never once seen one man carve through a creature of that size and strength with such ruthless efficiency.

His fingers tightened around his sword hilt as a shiver ran through him.

What kind of monster could do that to something likeTo something that big and be able to  stand there as if it never happened.

Killing a goblin champion……..

He had never seen any human being capableAnd he wasn't the only one who was thinking this in that moment of such a feat not in his life anyway 

And he wasn't the only one whose mind was blown by what had just happened.

Alicia had been nocking another arrow, her eyes trained on the goblin champion, when Zoro vanished from sight.

Even with her enhanced elven vision, she had only caught the faintest blur of movement before the goblin was cut down.

Her arrow trembled against the bowstring, her breath caught in her throat as her mind struggled to process what she had just witnessed.

It wasn’t just speed. It wasn’t just power.

It was an execution.

Perfect, precise, merciless execution.

Her fingers went slack, and the arrow slipped from her grasp, clattering uselessly to the ground.

Her lips parted slightly, her voice barely above a whisper. “…By the gods…”

That was when she realized she had been holding her breath.

Zoro had moved in a way that no one—not even an elf—should have been able to. And the way he spoke afterward… so nonchalant, as if he wasn’t even trying.

Alicia clenched her bow, her heart pounding against her ribs.

She-she never seen anything like this before such power speed from any human in your entire existence. No human should be capable of something like that but he was, he defeated it so effortlessly.

Was he even human?

 No he couldn't be he had to have been a change like who had just figured out how to not show his true form no human should be able to do something like that.

But if he were changing he wouldn't have fought alongside them and risked his own life just to help them.

 But that doesn't explain how he was able to possess such incredible fighting capabilities it shouldn't be possible.

The elf Archer honestly didn't know what to think of this or if whether or not she was dreaming or not it was honestly quite shocking.

Ruven had always prided himself on being one of the fastest and deadliest swordsmen among the elves. His twin blades had cut down dozens of enemies that night alone.

But compared to what he had just seen…?

His pride felt like a fragile glass shard, crushed beneath Zoro’s sheer dominance.

He felt like an ant in the  presence of a dinosaur, a literal God standing and walking before them.

 After everything they went through so much as to try and leave a small dent in even these small monstrosities' path he was able to single-handedly cut down one of the stronger breeds of them in less than a few minutes.

It made him feel so insignificant so powerless against what he had just seen who he had just seen. 

His grip on his weapons loosened involuntarily as his golden eyes remained glued to Zoro’s back.

“…That’s not normal,” he finally murmured, his voice laced with equal parts disbelief and grudging admiration.

He replayed the sequence in his head, analyzing every movement, but there was nothing to analyze.

Zoro had been too fast, too precise, too powerful.

Ruven had spent his life mastering the sword, but even he couldn’t dream of moving like that.

His throat went dry.

What kind of warrior fights like that?

What kind of fighting style was that?

 What kind of possible training did this monster go through in order to be as powerful as he was?

 And how could he make it look so effortless? How could he make it look so powerful?

He honestly didn't know what to think he just stood there frozen stare yet the powerful Warrior standing  over the defeated opponent 

Khilseith had been in the middle of casting another spell when the pressure shifted.

His magical instincts flared, his body reacting before his mind even understood why.

It felt like a force had cut through the very fabric of reality.

The wind stilled, the flames bent toward Zoro, and the magic in the air fluctuated unnaturally.

His spell died in his throat as he watched the goblin champion fall.

The arcane runes floating in the air around him dimmed, as if they too had acknowledged the supremacy of the blade over magic in that moment.

Khilseith stared, eyes wide with awe and—though he would never admit it—fear.

How…..how could a weak human like that possibly be able to defeat a goblin Champion a goblin champion.

 It shouldn't be possible no it's not possible this has been some sort of trick he has been hallucinating humans could never be that strong.

 They're weak insignificant cowardly afraid most of the time they shouldn't be able to do something like this 

Much less to a powerful Warrior like a goblin champion.

Hell, they couldn't even manage to lay a finger on it before he showed up yet here he was standing over the now dead Champion as if it meant nothing to him at all.

He didn't know how to react, all he felt like he could do was just sit there standing at the swordsman bewildered at what he had just witnessed.

“This man is not normal,” he whispered. “Not normal at all.”

He had spent his life studying magic, understanding how to manipulate forces beyond comprehension…

But this?

This was something far beyond magic.

It was a mastery of violence itself.

And this was by human no less a race that he had looked down upon his entire life because of what happened to him as a child.

 but now he's actually found one that was powerful enough to take them to Goblin Champion without breaking his sweat.

Just what else could this human do that they weren't aware of.

Jacob had barely managed to get back to his feet, his daggers slick with goblin blood, when he witnessed it.

The sight of one moment the human swordsman was in front of the goblin champion and the next millisecond he was right behind him before the champion burst into a pile of sliced up bloody meat. 

He-he was actually able to defeat him she saved them he came in like a literal God and save them all from destruction. 

His brain short-circuited.

He felt like a broken computer, he couldn't compute what he had just witnessed. His mind was moving at 100 miles per hour.

“Did… did he just—”

How could he

When could he

Was he just

 He couldn't finish; he literally felt like a broken track record.

 This human had just shown that he was an absolute beast when it came to battle

 And unintentionally made all of them look like a bunch of sad sacks.

There was nothing that Jacob could say I could possibly sum up what she had just witnessed.

Bellas, still holding her sword shakily, let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

“…We were supposed to be protecting him.”

That was the only thing she could utter cuz that was the only thing she could think of,

 They were protecting him this entire time when he was capable of fighting like that.

 They should have just  woken him up in the beginning and they would have finished this whole thing much faster than before. 

Jacob swallowed hard after a few moments to finally respond, his legs still shaking. “Uh… yeah. That’s, uh… not necessary.”

That was all he could muster out of his mouth; those are the only facts that could register in his head.

That was the only thing he could think of saying in that moment it was literally all he had; he was barely managing to process what was going on in front of him.

 It was all like a misty blur they couldn't see through that they were just lost in the middle of foggy nothingness.

 However one thing was made abundantly clear. 

They were supposed to be the ones helping him.

The elves, despite all their years of training, despite their rich history of warriors and legends, knew one thing for certain now.

They had never fought alongside someone like him.

This was a monster. A warrior beyond anything they had ever seen.

And he was on their side.

As the battlefield remained eerily silent, Orrian finally spoke, his voice hoarse from awe.

“…We just won.”

Alicia slowly nodded. “No,” she corrected, her voice soft but filled with certainty.

“He won.”

Zoro straightened, his swords gleaming with the champion’s blood. He turned to the remaining goblins, his expression calm but deadly. “Who’s next?” he asked, his voice carrying across the battlefield like a challenge.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. The elves stood frozen, still processing what they had just witnessed.

Then—the battlefield moved again.

The remaining goblins and Dry Bones, who had been watching in wide-eyed horror as their champion fell, snapped out of their stunned paralysis.

Panic gripped the horde.

They had just witnessed the impossible.

Their strongest warrior, their unstoppable champion, had been cut down in seconds by a single man.

Fear spread through their ranks like wildfire. Some goblins turned to flee, their instinct for survival overriding their orders.

But not all of them.

Some, desperate and enraged, roared in defiance, unwilling to accept defeat.

One particularly foolish goblin warrior, larger than the others but still dwarfed by the fallen champion, stepped forward. Rage burned in his eyes.

“WAKA CHAKA!” he shrieked, swinging a jagged, rusted sword forward. “WAKA CHAKA!”

The goblins let out a battle cry and surged forward.

They were desperate. Furious. Sloppy.

Zoro yawned.

He couldn't help but feel annoyed at this little action affairs,“Tch. Looks like they want some too.”

The first wave of goblins came at him, weapons raised high, eyes wild with desperation.

Zoro didn’t move.

He simply let out a breath, his hand gripping the hilts of his swords.

Then—he vanished.

The elves barely saw him move. One instant he was there. The next—he wasn’t.

A sharp, whipping sound filled the air.

The goblins didn’t even realize they had been cut down until it was too late.

With a single, elegant slash, Zoro had sliced through a dozen goblins in one motion.

They stood frozen for a heartbeat—then, one by one, their bodies collapsed to the ground, green blood spraying in the air like a mist of defeat.

The elves gasped.

The other elves' eyes widen in shock and slight bit of horror.

“By the gods…” Ruven whispered.

“Holy shit”, Khilseith exclaimed loudly.

Bellas stood in her spot silently in too much shock to even utter a word.

Jacob felt his legs go weak as he then fell on his ass,  feeling completely inconsequential to this Warrior.

Alicia, her bow raised, had been ready to fire—but she found herself completely useless,“…I didn’t need to do anything,” she muttered in disbelief.

Orrian, who had led battles for decades, was gripping his sword so tightly his knuckles had turned white. Not out of fear, but out of realization.

They had spent their entire lives training, learning formation tactics, blade techniques, battle strategies…

And yet Zoro fought like he didn’t need any of that.

He was a raw, unstoppable force.

They weren’t watching a man fight.

They were watching a natural disaster rip through the battlefield.

He literally walked in like an absolute God and showed quickly that he's not to be fucked with under any circumstances.

 It was incredible hell it still is an incredible display none of them know what to say still reeling in all that had just happened 

Andt Zoro,.........well he wasn’t done.

Another wave of goblins lunged at him from behind.

Without turning, Zoro swung one of his blades backward.

A wave of powerful wind almost instantly flew past the goblin troops.

 it then just as instantly causes them all to be torn apart piece by piece bring green blood all over the battlefield. 

The goblins behind him fell apart in an instant.

Their eyes were still open in shock as their bodies hit the ground, severed before they even had the chance to strike.

A group of Dry Bones hissed and rattled forward, their empty sockets glowing with sinister magic.

Zoro’s eyes flicked toward them  as he then rolled his eyes.

“Tch. Annoying.”

They were still coming at him despite the fact that he had already finished them off, oh well just another day in the life of a swordsman like him.

 well if they wanted a piece of him who was he to not oblige willingly. 

He then lunged forward, his swords flashing.

The bone warriors barely had time to react before he tore through them.

Their skeletal bodies shattered apart, bones scattering like broken twigs.

It was almost like a bowling ball scattering all the pins in the bowling alley. They had no chance of standing their ground against this force of nature.

Some of the Dry Bones tried to reform, their bones twitching unnaturally as they attempted to piece themselves back together.

Zoro’s brow furrowed as he spotted this.,“Persistent bastards, huh?”

Without hesitation, he swung his swords with such force that the wind itself howled.

A blade of compressed air ripped through the battlefield—a flying slash so powerful it reduced the Dry Bones to dust.

Their remains were carried away by the wind.

The few remaining goblins stumbled back, terror gripping their hearts.

They…… they had no idea what to do. They watched every one of their comrades be torn apart in an instant.

 they were supposed to win this fight. This was supposed to be a quick job to destroy the camp and take everything else back to their base.

 They never would have expected this sort of turn of events in any sort of manner.

They had come here thinking they would be the predators.

But now, they realized…

They were the prey.

Scrawny, piss scared, overpowered, ( and not on their side),  weak little prey in enemy territory with no way of fighting back against this new predator. 

A scrawny goblin, still clutching a rusted dagger, shook violently as he turned to his comrades,“WAKA CHAKA!”

Another goblin grabbed him by the collar, snarling. “WAKA CHAKA!”Before slapping him in the face, almost snapping out His karma it the scared state he was in to remind him of what their mission was and what would happen to them if-. 

(Slice)

Suddenly that same Goblin stopped talking mid sentence, confusing All of his comrades around him who were all waiting for what else he had to say.

His severed head hit the ground a second later.

It took the other goblins and Dry Bones a second or two before they noticed this happen and all stared down at the severed head of their comrade.

Zoro cut him down without even looking at him.

That was enough.

The remaining goblins dropped their weapons 

 Zoro then turned to them, kneeled down into one of their faces and then simply and quietly said,”  boo”.

And that's when they ran.

The other goblins exchanged nervous glances before turning tail and fleeing into the night, their war cries replaced by panicked shrieks. The Dry Bones hesitated for a moment, but without the goblins to back them up, they too began to retreat.

 Not even bothering to give him the chance to tell them twice.

Their fear far  outweighed their loyalty By a much larger majority. Their numbers didn’t matter anymore.

Not when it came to a living monster like that 

They just wanted to live.

And nothing was going to keep them from doing just that, not even orders from their Superior.

 Whatever was going to happen to them when they got back to HQ was going to be light work compared to what would have happened to them if they decided to stay and fight this Beast. 

Zoro Smirked at this site before he then exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders, “Tch. Took you guys long enough,” he muttered, He flicked his swords, shaking off the blood and dust, then returned them to their sheaths with a satisfying click.

The battlefield was silent again.

The enemy was gone.

For the first time in his life, Orrian felt truly speechless.

“…It’s over,” he murmured. His voice was hoarse, as if he had forgotten how to speak.

He wasn’t even sure if Zoro had broken a sweat.

Orrian let out a breath, finally lowering his sword.

Alicia finally let go of her bowstring, realizing she had been holding it taut this entire time—despite never firing a single shot Well at least not towards the end of the fight.

“…I wasted so much energy Fighting these things when he did everything to wipe them out in mere seconds without even so much as breaking a sweat.”

She ran a hand through her hair, exhaling sharply. “He’s like… a walking natural disaster.”

Then, almost reluctantly, she admitted—“That was kinda hot.” She said her face slightly heated up a little bit with redness.

Wait, was she blushing. 

Ruven turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “You have problems”, was still gripping his swords.

His pride as a swordsman was absolutely shattered especially compared to his skills.

“…And I thought I was good,” he muttered.

Then he sighed, shaking his head. “But that was something else entirely.”

Khilseith, who prided himself on understanding the forces of the universe, Who thought himself leads above any human especially once he has encountered in the past, had no words.

His magic was supposed to be the ultimate weapon. Magic could bend reality.

And yet a man with swords had just done things that no spell could ever replicate.

“This…..this can't be possible,  not by a weak human like him,” he finally said.

Jacob let out a long, low whistle.

“Holy shit.  I'm sure as hell Glad he’s on our side and not theirs because God damn.”

Bellas was still frozen in place, her hands trembling as she slowly put her sword away.

“I've…….I've never seen such incredible fighting skills before,” she muttered.

Vanellope bolted up to Zoro, eyes shining.

“Oh. My. GOSH,”She threw her hands up dramatically.

“You Did it, you really did it, you wiped out an ENTIRE HORDE! You're really freaking incredible. I finally got to see you fight.”

She pointed aggressively at him.

“I knew you  were as incredible as I heard of throughout the stories, you’re even better than I thought you'd be?!”

Zoro raised an eyebrow, his usual smirk creeping back onto his face.

“Yeah you did alright yourself too kid not freaking out handling the situation not bad, kid.”

Vanellope threw her arms up  and squished her face.

 She couldn't believe it.

 she actually kept a compliment from one of her Idols himself.

 From the great swordsman Zoro.

This was an honor beyond anything she had ever experienced in her life.

 Her hero literally just acknowledged all the potential she could have with a little more training and practice with it.

 This was a feeling she had never felt in her entire life not even around an actual Emperor of the sea that she now feels in front of one of the greatest swordsman of all time 

“Oh THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!”She jumped up and down and was excited to hear that comment.

Zoro didn't seem to mind though he smirked as he watched the little girl celebrate one of her first victories. 

It comes to show what first-hand experience and being thrown out into the pits of Hell will do to such an individual.

She was still a kid, one that needed a lot of teaching and learning before she was ready to be a proper pirate, obviously but he was quite impressed at the fact that she was able to keep her head on straight and assess the situation along with not having him need to save her this time.

With enough experience and training, she’ll definitely one day make a fine pirate.

And the two of them weren’t the only ones that felt good about this moment.

 The elves, despite all their years of training, despite their rich history of warriors and legends, knew one thing for certain now.

They had never fought alongside someone like him.

This was a monster. A warrior beyond anything they had ever seen.

And he was on their side.

As the battlefield remained eerily silent, Orrian finally spoke, his voice hoarse from awe.

“…We just won.”

Alicia slowly nodded. “No,” she corrected, her voice soft but filled with certainty.

“He won.”

However

Every one of the knew one thing.

This was only the first wave of enemies that was going to come after their camp if they didn’t make the first move first.

Today was a clear sign of that.

The battle was over, but the aftermath still lingered.

(End of chapter)

Hey everyone

 yeah I know you are all expecting me to take my sweet time with this chapter but I tried to get this out as quickly as possible A lot happened for me these last few weeks or a month whatever you want to consider it I turned 20 years old so happy birthday to me the Eagles won the Super Bowl I got myself a new PC to get my work done with I'm trying to get ready to go to college for film

 along with the new stories on making because this is only the start of it I'm going to try to get the next chapter out as quickly as possible I'm damn near halfway done it

keep up with my other channels, such as the following:

YouTube: God of creativity Studios

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Just like to create things you probably wouldn’t have thought of before

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Tik tok:@god.of.Creativity 

X: @Godofcreativity24

 till next time 

[godofcreatitivity]

Vanellope’s instincts kicked in. With a burst of adrenaline, she glitched just as the goblin’s weapon came down, disappearing in a flash of static and reappearing several feet away. The goblin stumbled, confused, giving her a brief moment to think.

“Okay, okay,” she whispered to herself, her hands shaking. “I can do this. Just like the arcade. Think fast, Vanellope.”

The goblin turned, snarling as it lunged at her again. This time, she glitched directly behind it and kicked its legs out from under it. The creature toppled forward with a surprised yelp, crashing into a pile of debris.

Vanellope didn’t stick around to see what happened next. She darted deeper into the camp, her heart pounding in her chest as she searched for something—anything—to help the elves.

Meanwhile, the goblin champion let out a guttural laugh as it swung its club at Orrian, the massive weapon colliding with the elf leader’s sword. The force of the blow sent Orrian skidding backward, his boots digging into the dirt as he struggled to stay upright.

“You’ll fall just like the rest!” the champion roared, raising its club for another strike.

Orrian gritted his teeth, his arms straining under the weight of the fight. “Not today,” he growled, lunging forward and slashing at the champion’s side. His blade bit deep, drawing a spray of dark, viscous blood, but the champion barely flinched. It didn’t help that he was a towering monstrosity, far larger than any of the other goblins, and it moved with a speed and precision that belied its hulking frame. Its muscles bulged under its crude, spiked armor, and its jagged club seemed to glow faintly with a malevolent energy. Every swing of its weapon sent shockwaves through the ground, knocking elves off their feet and shattering anything unfortunate enough to stand in its way.

Orrian and Ruven fought side by side, their movements coordinated and deliberate, but even their combined efforts barely made a dent. The champion deflected Ruven’s strikes with ease, its club colliding with his sword in a resounding clang that sent sparks flying.

“Is this the best you’ve got, elves?!” the champion roared, its guttural voice echoing across the battlefield. It swung its club in a wide arc, forcing both Orrian and Ruven to leap back or be pulverized. The attack obliterated a nearby barricade, sending splinters flying in all directions.

“I can’t get a clear strike!” Ruven shouted, his voice strained as he dodged another attack. “Its armor is too thick, and it’s moving too fast!”

Orrian’s face was grim, his breaths labored. “We need to distract it! If we can get it to expose its flank, we might have a chance!”

Alicia, perched on a nearby vantage point, loosed arrow after arrow at the champion. Each shot was aimed with precision, targeting the gaps in its armor, but the creature swatted her projectiles away like they were flies.

“It’s like shooting at a damn mountain!” she muttered, her frustration mounting. “We can’t keep this up forever!”

Khilseith, his hands glowing with arcane energy, unleashed a powerful blast of fire at the champion. The spell struck the creature square in the chest, momentarily engulfing it in flames. But when the smoke cleared, the champion stood unharmed, its armor blackened but otherwise intact.

“Is that all you’ve got?!” the champion sneered, its grotesque face twisted into a mocking grin. It stomped toward Khilseith, each step shaking the ground. “Pathetic little mage. You’ll die first.”

Khilseith stumbled back, sweat pouring down his face. “What is this thing made of?!” he hissed, his voice shaking. “That should’ve at least slowed it down!”

“It’s enchanted,” Orrian called out, his eyes narrowing as he studied the champion. “That armor—it’s absorbing most of the damage. We need to focus on unprotected areas!”

The champion laughed, a deep, guttural sound that sent chills through the air. “You think you can find a weakness? You’re welcome to try.”

As if to prove its dominance, the champion swung its club again, this time slamming it into the ground with such force that the shockwave sent several elves flying. Bellas screamed as she was thrown backward, landing hard on the ground and clutching her arm.

“Bellas!” Jacob yelled, scrambling to her side. He helped her up, his face pale with fear as he glanced at the champion. “We… we can’t fight that thing. It’s unstoppable!”

Bellas winced, her face pale but determined. “We don’t have a choice. We have to hold the line, no matter what.”

Vanellope, hiding behind a stack of supplies, watched the scene with wide eyes. The champion was like a force of nature, an unstoppable juggernaut that the elves couldn’t seem to touch. Her small hands clenched into fists as she struggled to think of a way to help.

“C’mon, think, think,” she whispered to herself, her heart racing. “There’s gotta be something…”

Suddenly, the champion spotted her. Its glowing eyes locked onto her small form, and its grin widened into a predatory sneer. “What’s this? A little runt playing hide-and-seek? How cute.”

Vanellope froze as the champion began stomping toward her, its massive club resting on its shoulder. The ground shook with every step it took, and its malevolent laughter echoed in her ears.

“No, no, no,” she whispered, her mind racing. She clutched the charm Alicia had given her, feeling its rough surface against her palm. “Not now. Not like this.”

Before the champion could reach her, Alicia loosed another arrow, this one striking the creature in the back of its knee. The champion snarled in pain, momentarily distracted.

“Vanellope, run!” Alicia shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos.

Vanellope didn’t need to be told twice. She glitched away, reappearing several feet closer to the inner camp. Her heart pounded as she darted behind another stack of supplies, her mind racing. I can’t keep running. I have to do something! But what can I do against that thing?!

The elves continued their desperate battle, but it was clear they were losing ground. The champion’s presence alone was demoralizing, and the relentless tide of goblins and Dry Bones only added to their struggle.

Orrian gritted his teeth, his sword flashing as he cut through another wave of enemies. “We need to take that thing down, or we won’t last much longer!”

But how? The champion was more than a match for all of them combined. Unless something changed, their chances of survival were slipping away with every passing moment.

The swarms of goblins and Dry Bones poured into the camp like a flood, overwhelming the elves who struggled to hold their positions. The air was thick with the cacophony of battle: the clang of steel, the crackling of Khilseith’s magic, the guttural roars of goblins, and the eerie clattering of Dry Bones as their skeletal forms moved with unnatural precision.

Alicia fired arrow after arrow, her quiver quickly depleting as she tried to thin the ranks of the incoming horde. “There’s too many of them!” she shouted, her voice rising over the chaos. She pivoted, shooting a goblin who had managed to climb onto one of the camp’s barricades, sending it tumbling to the ground with a sickening crunch.

Ruven slashed through a line of goblins, his blade glowing faintly with elven magic. “We can’t hold this position forever!” he called out, panting as he drove another Dry Bones back with a well-timed kick. But even as the skeleton staggered, it began to reassemble itself, its bones snapping back into place as if pulled by invisible strings. “These damn things don’t stay down!”

Jacob, who had taken a position on a makeshift watchtower, hurled a dagger into the fray below, striking a goblin in the eye. “They just keep coming!” he yelled, his hands trembling as he fumbled for another weapon. His usual bravado was replaced with sheer terror as the camp descended further into chaos.

Bellas struggled to keep her balance as she swung her blade at a goblin charging her. Despite her earlier injury, she fought valiantly, but the sheer number of enemies forced her to retreat step by step. “We’re being overrun!” she cried out, her voice cracking.

Meanwhile, the goblin champion was a storm of destruction, its massive club smashing through everything in its path. Tents were torn apart, barricades were shattered, and the ground itself seemed to quake under its fury. Every swing of its weapon sent elves flying, their cries of pain echoing through the camp.

“Hold the line!” Orrian commanded, his voice steady despite the overwhelming odds. His sword flashed as he cut down another goblin, but even he couldn’t hide the strain in his movements. “We can’t let them reach the inner camp!”

But it was clear the elves were losing ground. For every goblin or Dry Bones they took down, two more seemed to take its place. The horde was relentless, their grotesque faces twisted with glee as they swarmed the camp.

Khilseith, positioned near the central tent, unleashed another blast of fire, incinerating a cluster of goblins. But the strain was evident on his face, beads of sweat rolling down his temples as his magic reserves began to dwindle. Khilseith gritted his teeth, his voice strained as he called out, “I can’t keep this up forever! We’re running out of time!” His hands crackled with energy, but the glow of his magic was dimming. With every spell cast, his movements grew slower, his breathing heavier.

Alicia glanced over her shoulder, her heart sinking at the sight of their once-organized camp now teeming with goblins and Dry Bones. The champion goblin roared, swinging its club with brutal efficiency, sending debris and elves flying. Her arrows seemed to bounce off its thick hide, and she cursed under her breath. “Orrian, we need a new plan!” she shouted, taking out another goblin with a precise shot.

Orrian was already in motion, slashing through a group of Dry Bones with calculated precision. “Pull back to the inner circle!” he commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos. “Regroup around the central tree! We make our stand there!”

“But what about the tents and supplies?” Ruven protested as he fended off a goblin trying to climb onto the barricades.

“They’re already lost!” Orrian barked. “If we stay spread out, we’re dead! Fall back now!”

The elves hesitated for a moment, their gazes flickering between the advancing horde and Orrian’s determined face. Then, one by one, they began to retreat, covering each other as they moved toward the central tree where their defensive line was stronger.

Jacob climbed down from the watchtower in a hurry, his steps frantic. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this!” he muttered as he narrowly avoided a goblin’s blade.

That’s when the goblin champion noticed they were retreat and began to shout towards his subordinate,” BEAR WITNESS MY BRETHREN, THE ENEMY HAD BEGUN TO RETREAT! THIS IS OUR MOMENT TO END THIS THING ONCE AND FOR ALL! DO WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY TO SEPARATE THEM! ONCE YOUVE DONE THAT…………TEAR THEM APART”!!!!

He then advanced forward the army following after him doing exactly as he said.

Begin advancing upon the elves, overwhelming them with their sheer and overwhelming number of forces causing them to break up.

Bellas limped toward the tree, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she tightly clutches her freshly injured leg. She gripped her sword tightly, her knuckles white. “We can’t let them break through,” she murmured, her eyes flickering with determination despite the fear etched across her face.

As the elves desperately do whatever they can to regroup, the central tree loomed above them like a protective sentinel. Its massive roots and branches provided some cover, Alicia scrambled to take up new positions, her hands trembling as she nocked another arrow.

The goblin horde surged forward, relentless in their attack. The champion goblin led the charge, its monstrous roars echoing through the night as it barreled toward the elves’ new defensive line. It swung its club with terrifying force, smashing into the barricades and sending splinters flying.

“We can’t stop that thing!” Jacob cried, his voice rising in panic as he sticks his daggers upon the champion only for it to result in little damage.

Orrian stepped forward, his sword glowing faintly with an enchantment as he faced the goblin champion. “We don’t have to stop it,” he said grimly. “We just need to hold long enough to force a retreat.”

Khilseith, his magic nearly depleted, staggered toward Orrian. “Force a retreat? How the hell are we supposed to do that when they have the advantage in numbers and strength?” Khilseith growled, his frustration boiling over. “We’re barely holding them back as it is!”

Orrian turned to face the exhausted mage, his expression resolute. “Because we don’t have a choice. If we fall here, the rebellion loses its foothold in the Dark Lands. We hold this position, no matter what it takes.” He glanced back at the central tree, its branches reaching skyward like a beacon of hope amidst the chaos. “We’ve fought worse odds before.”

Khilseith scoffed but didn’t argue further. He turned his focus back to the battle, summoning a weak but steady burst of energy to repel a cluster of advancing Dry Bones. “If we make it out of this alive, Orrian, you owe me a drink. A big one.”

Orrian chuckles as he’s raised himself for another attack,” I’ll hold you to that my friend”.

Alicia, perched in one of the higher branches of the tree, let loose a volley of arrows, each one finding its mark. “We can’t let them breach the inner circle!” she shouted, her voice carrying over the din of battle. “I’ll focus fire on the Dry Bones! You Guys take them down before they can reform!”, she then took another shot, arrows slicing through the air with deadly precision. The Dry Bones, though relentless, began to falter under the concentrated assault. Their skeletal forms crumbled, but the elves knew it was only a matter of time before they started reassembling.

Meanwhile, the goblin champion continued its rampage, carving a path of destruction through the elves’ ranks. Its massive club struck with the force of a battering ram, and even Orrian’s enchanted sword seemed to struggle against the brute’s raw power.

Ruven darted forward, his twin daggers flashing as he attempted to flank the champion. He managed to land a series of quick strikes, but they barely left a scratch on the creature’s thick hide. “This thing’s tougher than it looks!” he called out, dodging a wild swing of the champion’s club.

“I noticed!” Orrian replied through gritted teeth, parrying a blow that sent him skidding backward. He glanced over his shoulder at Alicia. “We need to bring it down now, before it breaks through the defenses!”

Alicia hesitated, her bowstring taut as she lined up a shot. “I don’t have anything that can pierce its armor! We need—”

Before she could finish, a guttural roar erupted from the champion goblin as it charged forward, smashing through another barricade. The elves scrambled to regroup, their formation breaking under the relentless assault.

Vanellope, still hiding in the shadows near the tree, watched in wide-eyed terror. Her small hands clutched the charm Alicia had given her, the faint glow of the elven rune providing little comfort. She wanted to help, to do something, but she felt completely powerless in the face of such overwhelming odds.

As the goblins and Dry Bones pressed closer, the elves’ situation grew increasingly dire. Bellas stumbled, barely managing to parry a goblin’s strike, while Jacob frantically fumbled with a bow he clearly wasn’t used to wielding.

“We can’t hold them!” Jacob shouted, his voice cracking with fear. “They’re going to—”

A deafening crash interrupted him as the goblin champion struck the base of the central tree with its club, sending shockwaves through the ground. The tree groaned under the impact, its roots splintering as debris rained down around the elves.

Orrian’s eyes widened in alarm. “If they bring the tree down, we’re done for!” he yelled. “Focus everything on the champion! Take it out, now!”

The elves rallied, pouring their remaining strength into a desperate counterattack. Arrows flew, spells crackled, and blades clashed against the champion’s thick armor. But the goblin leader seemed almost unstoppable, its roars of rage shaking the air as it swung its club with reckless abandon.

Noticing that they were only focusing on him to their futility, the goblin champion decided to use this to his advantage,” WHILE THEY’RE DISTRACTED, ATTACK THEM…….NOW”!

The goblins and dry bones did just as they were told using the distractions as a means of suddenly swarming and overpowering the elves.

Weaker elves like Jacob and Bella began to be overwhelmed by the forces, practically being tackled and shoved to the ground.

Jacob tried his best to use his daggers to get them off of him, but there are too many to push off and kill.

It didn’t help that some of the elves that were helping with the tackle were sharpening their weapons as to administer the final blow.

Bella tried to reach over and help him, but there wasn’t much she could do while they were holding her down as well and she couldn’t exactly fight back unlike him.

The others would’ve gone over to help them if they weren’t busy with the champion and the other enemy forces.

And Alicia couldn’t leave her current position because she was currently range attacking and trying to best to keep the enemy from swarming the entire camp. Scientist.

In the chaos, Vanellope’s gaze darted between the champion and the crumbling defenses. Her heart pounded as she realized that the elves might not make it out of this alive. She clenched her fists, her mind racing.

“I have to do something,” she whispered to herself, her voice trembling. “I can’t just sit here and watch.”

Summoning every ounce of courage she had, Vanellope stepped out from her hiding spot, her small frame dwarfed by the chaos around her. She didn’t have a plan—just a determination not to let these people, who had taken her in and tried to protect her, face this battle alone.

Taking a deep breath, she focused on her glitching ability, her body flickering with bursts of energy. “Hey, ugly!” she shouted, her voice surprisingly loud for her size. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?!”

The goblin champion turned its massive head toward her, its glowing eyes narrowing as it registered the tiny figure standing defiantly before it. A guttural growl rumbled from its throat,”oh you little shit”, and it began to lumber toward her, its club raised high.

Vanellope’s heart raced, but she held her ground, her fingers twitching as she prepared to glitch. “Come on,” she muttered under her breath. “Let’s see if you can keep up.”

And with that, she darted forward, disappearing in a burst of static as the champion swung its club down with a thunderous crash, missing her by inches. The elves, momentarily stunned by her sudden appearance, quickly realized what she was doing.

“She’s distracting it!” Alicia called out, her voice tinged with both surprise and urgency. “Don’t let her efforts go to waste! Focus all fire on the champion while it’s distracted!”

With renewed determination, the elves launched a coordinated assault, their attacks converging on the champion as Vanellope darted and glitched around it, drawing its attention away from the others.

Unfortunately, as she was distracting it, Vanellope noticed one thing………

…………….Some of the goblins we’re heading towards her and Zoro’s tent………………..

Vanellope’s breath hitched as she spotted the goblins breaking away from the main battle, their grotesque forms skittering toward the tent she and Zoro had been resting in. Her stomach twisted in panic.

“Oh no,” she whispered, frozen for a moment as fear took hold of her. Zoro’s still asleep in there.

She glanced around desperately, hoping someone might have noticed, but the elves were too preoccupied fighting the relentless waves of goblins and Dry Bones. Arrows flew, blades clashed, and spells illuminated the battlefield, but none of them could afford to abandon their positions to help.

She then started flaring around desperately, screaming to the top of her lungs for them to go and help her friend,”Guys guys guys guys Zoro they’re going up to Zoro’s tent. You have to help him please”!

Alicia, perched high above, spotted the same group heading for the tent and cursed under her breath. “They’re making a move for the humans!” she yelled, loosing an arrow toward one of the goblins. It found its mark, but there were too many for her to take out from her position. And even if there weren’t, she still wasn’t able to leave her position.

And, unfortunately, everyone else was preoccupied

Jacob and Bellas were still at the mercy of the goblins and we’re too busy trying to fight them off.

Ruben was doing everything he could to get to them though there was no telling if he was gonna be able to get to them in time with the sheer number of goblins and dry bones. Much less head over to help out some new human they just met that day.

And Orrian and Khilseith we’re still trying to handle the main force of the enemy, as well as taking on the goblin champion.

Vanellope’s heart raced as she looked back and forth between the goblins and the tent. Her glitching wasn’t strong enough to take on so many enemies, and she didn’t have a weapon.

“ZORO! You have to wake up!!!,” she shouted as loud as she could, her voice cracking. But the tent remained still, and the goblins grew closer, their guttural growls and wicked laughter sending chills down her spine.

And then, just as the first goblin reached the tent and tore open the flap, something unexpected happened.

Inside the tent, Zoro’s peaceful slumber had remained uninterrupted, even as the battle raged outside. His swords leaned neatly against the wall of the tent, untouched.

But as the goblin entered and quickly glanced around the inside of the type of before spotting the sleeping swordsman snoring loudly as a snot bubble was rising and lowering out of his left nose hole.

Seeing an opportunity to strike him while he was as weak as the goblin began raising its crude weapon to strike the sleeping swordsman, Zoro’s hand moved instinctively.

In a single fluid motion, Zoro reached for one of his swords, unsheathed it, and slashed upward. The goblin froze mid-strike, its beady eyes wide with shock before it crumpled to the ground in two clean go bloody green halves.

Zoro cracked one eye open lazily, his expression unreadable as he sat up. “Tch… noisy neighbors,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. His gaze flicked to the tent opening, where several more goblins were pushing their way inside.

He grabbed another sword, slipping it between his teeth, and rose to his feet, his presence suddenly radiating menace. The goblins hesitated, clearly unsure whether to proceed.

“I was having a good nap,” Zoro growled, his voice muffled by the sword in his mouth. “And now… I’ve got to deal with you idiots.”

Outside, Vanellope stood frozen in place, expecting to hear the worst. Instead, she heard a series of loud crashes, followed by goblin screams that were abruptly cut short.

“What the—” Alicia said, glancing toward the tent in confusion.

Ruven, dodging a swing from a goblin blade, shouted, “What’s going on over there?!”

Before anyone could answer, the tent flap was ripped open—and Zoro stepped out, his three swords gleaming and his eyes sharp with irritation. Behind him, the bodies of the goblins that had entered lay scattered in various states of clean but gory dismemberment.

Zoro tilted his head, cracking his neck. “So much for a peaceful night,” he muttered. His gaze shifted to the battlefield, taking in the chaos. He spotted Vanellope standing frozen near the central tree and raised an eyebrow. “Hey, kid! What’d I miss?”

Vanellope blinked in disbelief before breaking into a wide grin. “Zoro!” she shouted, her relief palpable.

Zoro stepped forward, his swords glinting in the firelight as he assessed the battlefield.

Everyone else’s eyes darted towards the human swordsman.

They were all kind of surprised to see him out there

Wait, was he sleeping through all of that chaos that was going on?

Alicia, still perched above, let out a shaky laugh. “Looks like the reinforcements woke up,” she said, her voice tinged with awe.

Zoro then yawn loudly,” So someone wanna explain to me what the hell is going on”?

Jacob handled that as he then quickly yelled to Zoro from his position, finally getting out from under all of the goblins and dry bones on top of him thanks for the help of Ruben, who was helping him up,” Were under attack by enemy forces. We’re trying to hold off the enemy forces as best we can! You take the little girl and go hide somewhere?! We’ll handle this!”

Zoro raised an eyebrow at Jacob’s words, tilting his head slightly as though he hadn’t heard him correctly. “Hide?” he repeated, his tone laced with incredulity. He stepped forward, his swords glinting ominously in the firelight. “You want me to hide?”

Vanellope, still standing near the central tree, stifled a laugh at Zoro’s offended tone. She knew well enough by now that “hiding” wasn’t exactly in his vocabulary.

Jacob, still brushing dust off his cloak and scrambling to stay upright, blinked at Zoro. “Yes! Hide! You’re outnumbered—there are goblins, Dry Bones, and a massive goblin champion out there! This isn’t the time to play hero! You can’t possibly be able to handle the sheer number of them you’re a human!”

Zoro let out a short, sharp laugh, one that sent a chill down the spines of everyone around him. His grip tightened on his swords, and he rolled his shoulders lazily. “Play hero? Nah,” he said, his voice dropping into a dangerous growl. “I don’t play hero. I just don’t run from a fight.”

Alicia, still firing arrows from her perch, couldn’t help but smirk at his response. “Looks like he’s got some spirit,” she muttered under her breath.

The goblin champion, standing tall at the forefront of the attacking forces, noticed Zoro’s entrance and let out a guttural roar. Its jagged, bone-like armor gleamed under the fiery sky, and it raised its massive club high, pointing it directly at Zoro as if issuing a challenge.

The goblin champion knew that this was the human, but he was told to bring his superior and he was going to do just that.

Though, that didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun with him at least.

A couple bruises and a broken bone or two wasn’t going to weaken him too much.

Zorro knew that this big guy was challenging him and he was glad this guy saved him in trouble.

Vanellope, still rooted to her spot, couldn’t help but noticed this exchange and shout, “Zoro, are you sure about this?! That thing’s huge!”

He glanced back at her, his grin softening slightly. “Kid, if I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t be here”, he’s in readjust his swords as he then says,” And besides our relish, just kind of challenge”.

Jacob, still wide-eyed, called out again, “You’re insane! You can’t possibly take all of them on by yourself!”

Zoro didn’t even look at him this time. He simply adjusted the sword in his mouth and said, through gritted teeth, “Watch me.”

Without another word, Zoro began walking toward the goblin forces, his pace calm and unhurried, as though he wasn’t heading straight into the jaws of chaos. The goblins, emboldened by their numbers, surged forward to meet him, their shrieks and war cries filling the air.

And then, Zoro moved.

The first wave of goblins didn’t even see the attack coming. In a blur of motion, Zoro swung his swords in a deadly arc, cutting through them with surgical precision. Blood sprayed the battlefield, and the goblins fell like leaves in a storm, their bodies crumpling to the ground before they even realized what had hit them.

The elves, who had been struggling to hold the line, paused briefly in stunned silence. Ruven, still fending off a group of Dry Bones, let out a low whistle. “Well… I stand corrected.”

Alicia, firing another arrow into a goblin’s eye, couldn’t help but grin. “Guess the human’s got more than just a sharp tongue.”

Vanellope, watching from her vantage point, clutched the charm Alicia had given her earlier and whispered, “Go, Zoro…”

And with that, he charged into the fray, his swords slicing through goblins and Dry Bones with effortless precision.

He was moving so fast and that one of them couldn’t even pick up his movements as he was cutting through them like effortless butter.

They had never seen anyone and they mean anyone fight with such quick accurate precision in their lives.

Despite being outnumbered, Zoro moved like a force of nature, his movements fluid and deliberate. The champion goblin roared in fury as it noticed him, but Zoro didn’t flinch. If anything, he smirked.

before the champion even knew it was right in front of him, looking right up at him, casually with his one eye, “Finally,” Zoro said, his voice low and dangerous as he then cracked his neck and pulled out the Wado Ichimonji. “Someone worth my time.”

(End of chapter)

authors note: hello everyone yes I know it has been a very, very very very very very very very very very long time since I’ve put out a chapter 8 months to be Frank. Yes, I know none of us were expecting a hiatus, but a lot happened for me this year I graduated. I’m starting college soon trying to bring all this fanfiction idea to the big screen and show the world that these fanfiction are just as good on screen any other project they’re coming up with to show the world just how crazy these stories can be when we need them to be so in order to do that. I need to spend some time building up my other cinematic universe that didn’t involve this. This story is just to show the world how creative I could be and how we could put the scenario possibly on the big screen if we wanted it to while keeping it entertaining.

If you all been keeping up with my other channels, such as the following:

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Then you already know what to expect

And let me tell you it isn’t even half of it

I’m going to build a cinema universe for both Marvel DC anime and cartoon characters alike that the world hasn’t even concept yet but it will once these ideas hit the world so in order for that to happen you guys gotta give me some time and I will never stop using this time valuable

Trust simply believe this story is far from over and I’m not giving up on it no matter what

I’ll be giving new chapters soon I promise, though it might take some time so bear with me and I’ll be doing reveals on what the new fictions are

Believe me, you won’t be able to comprehend the crazy universe and building

I made this chapter extra long just for you guys

Until next time.

[godofcreatitivity]

One piece the movie

(the following is a nonprofit fan based parody any characters from one piece is owned by Eiichiro Oda, Toei Animation Co., Ltd., any characters from super Mario are owned by Nintendo, any characters from troll hunters, are owned by DreamWorks and universal

Disclaimer

Some of the characters found in this story and / or universe do not belong to me, but are intellectual property of their respective owners. Any original characters in this story are my intellectual property.

Story nonprofit created fan and fan without compromising the original work.)

Chapter 19: Rebels under attack! The goblins fight back

(Darklands Castle)

Inside one of the ruin castles of the dark lands, a giant figure began pacing back-and-forth what looked to be a council room.

His heavy steps caused the room around him to shake and small bits of debris to fall out from the walls and ceiling.

The figure was a large monster. He wore a large loincloth adorned with several skulls.

It was a gigantic creature, having dark gray skin, short brown beards, yellow eyes with black sclera, and sharp teeth with fangs sticking out.

He was the strongest and last ogre to ever exist: The Skull crusher Bekuzar Dulizrog.

He earned his name throughout the many years he spent on the battlefield.

He was a high-ranking commander in the troll Kingdom since he was the last of the ogres after  they were wiped out long ago.

He was an extremely powerful ogre, capable of defeating multiple enemies at once with just his brute, strength and psychotic nature alone.

The troll kingdom welcomed him into their ranks with open arms and he has been loyal to Bular’s cause ever since.

Since he joined the troll Empire,  he quickly climbed the ranks due to his vicious nature and his powerful fighting skills along with his knowledge of magic.

The first Bekuzar's weapon of choice was a massive club, and he is also capable of creating massive fireballs with a chant. 

By reciting the words "Carbunculus... Crescunt... Iacta!", Bekuzar could cast and throw either a large ball of fire or multiple fireballs at once. 

Other kingdoms knew him well as being a beast on the battlefield, always willing to jump at first into any territory without a second thought and coming out Victorious.

Bekuzar was a powerful monster able to defeat every warrior he had come across; all of them being some of the  most powerful in their kingdom.

Even though he was a hierarchy member among the kingdom he wasn't exactly liked by every single one of  their residents. 

Bekuzar was also known to be able to regenerate any minor wounds inflicted by swords and other sharp weapons as long as it wasn’t too severe.

Though due to his Vicious and brutal nature it made perfect sense why.

From rumors amongst Thrillers entire Army was that, Bekuzar was known to be an arrogant and  especially vicious Warrior and Commander, Who was specially known for caring nothing for the goblins or any of his subordinates That worked Underneath Him. However, Ogre shared the Disgusting nature of the goblins, as he had confined an They known for viciously torturing and tormenting his victims for information. The Goblins would usually be his assistants when it came to that job and did they love that role of violence  they shared with the mighty warrior.

 

At some point in time, During one of their expositions through enemy territories in kingdoms, Ogre was granted an army of goblins by Bular.

Though due to his violent and arrogant nature most of the Kingdom didn't really see him as a leader figure as he was just a fighter who likes to swing his sword around because he can. So unfortunately for Bekuzar, She had to be put under the watchful eye of one of Bular's higher ranking generals.

Though he wasn’t too angry at the, for one he was still able to fight however he pleased as long as he was given confirmation to and two, He always thought that the goblins never made good soldiers and that they would mostly just get in his way.

Unfortunately, this time he was angry for another totally different reason.

He was anxiously waiting in the meeting room for his commanding officer to appear with any news from the kingdom.

The dark land had been under their control for the last two years, though there wasn’t much to really control in that department.

It wasn’t the original dark lands where they all had come from, or at least were most of Bular’s army came from, but it was a former kingdom that had been captured and taken over by the troll army.

It had been wiped of all its inhabitants long ago and remained a barren wasteland ever since. 

The only remaining forms that resigned in the dark lands were the goblin soldiers and other creatures that were left under Bekuzar’s watch.

And it was safe to say Bekuzar was tired of having nothing to do but sit around and being annoyed by the goblins.

The only thing he really had going for him that was the time where he had captured an army of elf soldiers.

Granted they weren’t really able to put up much of a fight against him, but he was at least something exciting that happened.

Well that and apparently the rumor going around between the goblins that there’s a new rebellion group around that’s been trouble with the goblins.

Though it was a shame that the group didn’t sound strong enough to really give him a challenge. It would still be exciting for him to hunt them down torture and kill them all one by one just for his own personal enjoyment

That would be if he was able to find their base operations, unfortunately for him it might as well have been invisible because he couldn’t find it.

They basically have been doing what the trolls have been doing and only attacking from the shadows never going into a full confrontation, but enough to show that they were there and we’re keeping an eye on them which annoyed him.

And to make things worse he had caught a whiff of a weird scent, No it was not the smell of silk coming from the Goblins orThe black tarness of the darklands.  But another weird kind of scent he hadn’t smelt in a long time and it felt familiar to him, but he Couldn't figure out what it was and this infuriated him. 

Thankfully, however, that all changed soon once his commander came back with new orders from headquarters.

Been waiting patiently in that room taking quick Pete at the window to see if he could find him anywhere.

“ What the hell is taking him so long”?, Bekuzar asked aloud as he continued to pace back-and-forth,”With his speed he should’ve been back by now”.

It had been three days since his commander had left to drop off the elven prisoners to the Work camps.

Bekuzar had been left with nothing to do but to sit in charge of the castle and to await new orders.

He hated the five I’m just sitting around and doing nothing while there were enemies out there for him to hunt down and kill.

Irritated by the way, he quickly walked over to the window and opened it wide before looking down at one of the goblin standing watches.

Eager for any news, Bekuzar asked him,” Did he show up yet”?

The goblin, startled by his commander's question, quickly shook his head no.

Bekuzar growled and groaned at that response,”Goddamnit I can’t just sit here waiting for him to show up! I gotta go out and do something anything I’m not built for this sitting around and giving orders shit, that’s what he was here for”!, he shouted angrily as he began walking away from the window,” and what’s worse is while I’m sitting here on my ass twiddling my thumbs the enemy could be making plans to try and ambush us”!, He shouted angrily as he grabbed a dagger and stabbed it right in the center of of the dark lands.

Two of the goblin soldiers, who had been stationed in the room with him. It was just to watch and make sure that the meeting went well and to greet their superior commander. Unfortunately for them, they had to also deal with his constant temper and anger issues towards not only the situation, but just in general. And it definitely wouldn’t make things easier for them when he took his anger and frustrations out on them as well. This made him seem like almost a terrifying destructive ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment.

The goblin stood in front of the door, shaking in fear as they watched the angry ogre punch a hole into the concrete wall of the medium growl in frustration.

After he had done that, he quickly turned away from the wall and picked up his club off of the table before beginning to walk to the door,” to hell with this waiting around shit I don’t wanna go find something to kill”!, Bekuzar angrily announced, the terrified goblins, not daring to stop him.

And just as he said that, a voice suddenly called out to him,” Oh Bekuzar, always quick to rush into a bloodthirsty battle. You honestly need to find a new hobby, old friend”.

The ogre eyes went wife as he turned to see his commander, standing before him in the center of the room, looking sinister at him,” well I guess I’m not really want to talk, am I”?

The commander had a very tall and slender humanoid figure . At first sight, he can be mistaken for someone wearing a full set of red and silver armor , when this is his actual body. His knees and elbows are covered with a fierce and sinister mask-like designed pads. 

He was one of the former members of the 10 Commandments: The Apostle of Chaos Galand The Truth.

Galand is or was an elite warrior of the Demon Clan, who was serving directly under the Demon King as the Truth of the Ten Commandments until his along with the other 10 Commandments defeat at the hands of Merlin. As a result of them being defeated, Merlin had sealed most of them away except for Galand, of course, who amends to slip away after being beaten by Merlin power.

Soon after ,with nothing better to do other than hiding away to prevent Merlin from sealing him away, he was quickly recruited into Bulars empire by Bular himself. Having taken a liking to Galands destructive and powerful nature, Bular thought he was a perfect addition to the kingdom army. And oh boy was he right about that, because Galand was a force of nature.

Galand had a very destructive, sadistic and battle-crazed attitude just like Bekuzar. He shows to be somewhat reckless and daring, given that he was eager to fight new enemies despite having all his magical power drained by Merlin. But make no mistake. He was still an extremely and incredibly powerful individual who cut down anyone who stood in his way. In some of the tales told  amongst the other kingdoms is that since he's the Commandment of Truth any who lie in his presence or go against their word will almost immediately be turned to stone.

And his vicious reputation will be talked about throughout most kingdoms who were fully aware of his existence.

Some had even made many folklore tales about him and his reputation.

One thing that was common amongst the stories was how easy it was to mistake Galand as a demon wearing a suit of armor, when in actuality this is his actual body.

But make no mistake. That suit of demon armor has more than enough skills to help balance him out.

As a former member of the Ten Commandments, Galand is an extremely powerful demon despite being past his prime. Like all members of the Demon Clan, he possesses their unique power of darkness which he can use for a variety of purposes, such as forming wings for flight.

 Galand was sealed away by Merlin after losing the ancient war against the other four races

As a member of the Ten Commandments, Galand is an extremely powerful demon despite being past his prime.[4] Like all members of the Demon Clan, he possesses their unique power of darkness which he can use for a variety of purposes, such as forming wings for flight.[5] back in the day his aura, combined with the aura of the other Ten Commandments was so terrifying that it made the normally any opponent of his sweat in fear by their presence along with unnerving.

Galand possesses immense physical strength, and while using special moves of his like Critical Over, Galand's physical strength gains a massive increase. With one swing, he is able to destroy a vast portion of any landscape while sending shockwaves strong enough to cleave nearby mountains.[9] He is extremely fast, traveling several miles in an instant.

He also possesses immense levels of endurance and durability, Which age him in taking the front lines of most of the troll armies expeditions and help him as somewhat of a human shield on the front lines. 

It is also worth noting that, despite his similar behavior like that of Bekuzar, being that of a violent brute, for the most part, Galand possesses excellent combat instincts.

It's these feats alone that is why he is such a high-ranking member in the troll Empire and why he is highly respected amongst his comrades. Though he does not share the same sadistic  and torturous nature seen in his Goblin comrades. make no mistake that he's still a violent sociopath. A psychopath that is more than willing to inflict any and all sorts of pain onto any opponent he sees without any consideration about what  the outcome might be.

Bekuzar dropped his Club,” Commander Galand sir”,  he said acknowledging his Commander,”You finally returned from your journey”.

Galand simply  turned away from his subordinate as he began to  walk towards  the already opened window In order to take in the beautiful Wasteland site That stood before him as he stroked his chin as if having a chin beard,”That I have apologies for the late arrival the journey was a little more gruesome than I thought. Oh well, at the end of the day they were delivered to the prison camp on schedule, or at least what was left of them anyway. Their information about Their Kingdom's defenses and plans for this world will prove quite useful once we “persuaded” them to Prevail such private information of course”.

“And what a headquarters? Have we gotten any new orders from them? Have they finally given us a new objection? ", Bekuzar quickly asked a bay of questions trying to get as much information as he could out of his superior so that they could prepare for what’s next to come.

Though he was hit with a lot of questions, Galand seem to be unfazed by them only continuing to look out the window,”Now that you so gladly mentioned and I do have great news in fact”,He said with a high and mighty tone as he dramatically turned around to face Bekuzar, As if to unveil something crazy,”(Ahem) Our King Bular the butcher has successfully acquired the last piece of killer head Bridge and is heading towards the Mushroom Kingdom as we speak”!, Event said, excitedly announcing their victory.

After hearing the good news it took a moment or two for Bekuzar  to process the information before suddenly jumping up excitedly and punching the wall causing the room around them to shake,”AH HELL YES FINALLY, WE ACTUALLY DID IT”!

Galand How did in agreement,” yes we did,  and now all forces are to gather all their Essentials, weapons,  soldiers,  and anything else that will be of value or useful  and head straight for our main fleet. Effectively immediately, these are the orders from Bular himself”, he announced, informing his subordinate of the next phase in their plan.

That new information made Bekuzar celebrate harder, him finally getting a chance to leave that Barren Wasteland and make their way to the human world. Though all he really cared about was getting to the next battle already .

No before gallon had the chance to finish off the information, Bekuzar had already started celebrating“Haha yes finally we get to leave this disgusting Wasteland and make our way onto the next Battlefield just as soon as we gather all the soldiers”,he said triumphantly.

Galand nodded his head victoriously,”Ah yes indeed my friend!  Now oh that's left for us to do is to find, capture, and kill the Rebellion hiding within the dark lands. And by us I really mean you”.

As soon as he heard that, Bekuzar Suddenly stopped cheering as he then turned to his Commander with a confused look,”Wait what?”, He asked, still confused, thinking that maybe he was hearing things that he wasn't just told that he had to still stay inside the dark lands Just to look for a rebellion group that isn't even really a threat to them.

 

Galand smiled brightly as he continued,”Yes apparently Bular wants to make sure there's no Loose Ends that could get in our way before traveling to the new world. So we've all been assigned to finish up our operations in the selected location you were getting before making our way to the rest of the fleet. So once you’ve found and killed them off, you and the goblins here can pack everything up and make your way over to the rest of the fleet.  And it is there one will start to make our way towards the Mushroom Kingdom”.

After Galand  finishes with his explanation of their orders, Bekuzar suddenly groans in annoyance at the new instructions he was given,”(Groans) You have got to be kidding me? He can't possibly be ordering us to continue to stay here in this wasteland and hunt down these small fries that aren't even a threat to us”!, he angrily complains .

“Well I definitely can't say that I don't agree with you on that part,  however I do understand why he's making this order. His main objective is to keep any loose ends from interfering with the plan As well as trying to make sure we have all the supplies we need for the trip over to the human world. All of our other comrades are probably doing the same Gathering up all the materials after finishing their objective and are currently making their way towards the main Fleet as we speak. You just have to do Bekuzar kill the rebels and be on your way towards the Rendezvous point” Galand Explains ignoring his subordinates' complaints.

“Wait a second, what will you be doing throughout this entire operation?  you've only mentioned what I have to do”!, Bekuzar suddenly And suspiciously questions him.

“Because I was given orders to return to the work camps in order to give my aid and supervision in transporting the prisoners to the main Fleet”,Galand answered in his  defense,”And considering the number of them it's going to be quite a task on my shoulders. And because there's so many of them it's going to take a while so I won't have time to be there and come back to help pack everything up in time. So I'm going to have to put you in charge of the task Finishing off the rebels and making your way over to the Mushroom Kingdom”.

Bekuzar still wasn't buying that explanation, mainly thinking that it was nothing but a load of bullshit,”Wait a second, why would Lord Bular want you to help them? They should be more than capable of handling that situation on their own”.

Galand Simply responded by shrugging his shoulders,” Lord Bular  thinks that my incredible speed and breathtaking leadership would prove most useful with that task. Well that and the fact that he doesn't think that the Rebellion is strong enough to actually pose a threat to us. So removing a few units from this station won’t be too much of a drastic change this late in the war”.

“But I still have to actually stay and spend more time in this shit hole doing nothing but having aimless searches for that pointy eared group. You might end up being one of the first to enter that new world, and fight all those possibly strong humans”, Bekuzar complained.

Galand chuckled as he placed his hand on Bekuzar’s shoulder and shook his head no,”Don't worry about that old friend, Bular doesn't plan on activating the portal until all of his forces are here so you won't have to miss a tiny bit of battle”.

Bekuzar palmed his face in frustration,“You make it seem as if It's so simple yet we haven't seen any sign of them in weeks. And anytime we send any scouters out We either never see them again or they send us back all the bodies as a warning”.

“Bekuzar, their elves with magic that's nothing we haven't defeated before. If anything we’ve killed enemies far more entertaining than them. Who cares if they're able to hide a little bit better than all the others at the end of the day their fodder all the same”, Galand reassured, trying to break Bekuzar’s concern as he motioned his arm towards the window,”All you have to do is find and kill them before you leave here you don't even have to capture them.

“But then there's still the main issue of finding their hidden base of operations in the dark lands, especially if they're using cloaking magic to their advantage. So unless one of those goblins burst through those doors and  tells us that they've magically been able to find that base finding and killing them is off the tabl-”,Bekuzar Was suddenly interrupted by the door slamming wide open, Startling both Galand and Bekuzar. 

They both quickly turned to see who it was and to their surprise it was a random Goblin practically trying to speak with them.

Suddenly growing filled with anger, Bekuzar began shouting angrily at the Goblin,”You insignificant little pest, how dare you have the nerve to interrupt an important battle strategy meeting?! Leave at once and get back to your post immediately before I tear you into confetti! 

Though obviously frightened by his superior's threat, The little Goblin continued speaking quickly and frantically With the words “Waka Chaka”, showing that the words were actually their native language for how they spoke to one another,  as he was just as frantically pointing in a random direction.

Though Bekuzar, who seemed to get more aggravated at the fact that the goblin wasn't obeying his orders to leave, Galand On the other hand was an entirely different story.

He was more curious about what the goblin was  trying to tell them,”Now hold on a minute Bekuzar  I think that he's trying to tell us something. Though I can't seem to understand all that stuttering it's doing “.

Thankfully both the warriors were quite fluid in the Goblin tongue, It was basically like human English for them.

But in this case it wasn't exactly easy for them to understand him when he was just practically screaming at them the way he was.

Aggravated by all of the stuttering, Bekuzar began screaming at the goblin,” QUIT FRANTICING AND TELLl US WHAT’S GOING ON”!, He loudly ordered.

Startled by his superiors' outburst, the goblin took a quick deep breath before saying,”Waka Chaka”, explaining what he was talking about.

 After a few moments of the two warriors listening to what the goblin was splattering out of his mouth, they were finally able to understand just what he was talking about. 

“You found the elf rebellion camp That we've been looking for for the last few months. And the only reason that you did was because you caught an elf escorting two humans towards the camp. and you think the only reason that she was doing that must’ve been because the humans must have accidentally traveled here through the dark lands Because you and your brother found them coming out of a warpipe”! Galand Suddenly asked with surprise Of what he was just told.

The goblin knotted in confirmation,”Waka Chaka”,before he then began pretending as if he was swinging an invisible sword In an over exaggerated swinging motion.

Galand saw this and continued translating,”And you're also saying that one of the humans is somehow a Swordsman powerful enough to kill entire hordes of goblins. Not only that but the other human has the incredible power of teleportation”!

The goblin nodded at everything Galand was saying to be true, and Bekuzar, after hearing and seeing this, Came to a sudden realization……..

He finally realized what that strange set he was smelling that entire day was, the humans,  he knew there was something familiar about that scent, You don't kill a bunch of humans and suddenly forget their scent.

“Son of a bitch  that's where I've been smelling all day the scent of filthy humans”, he said angrily to Galand.

Galand in response began to stroke his pointy chin curiously,” Humans in the dark lands that’s quite interesting”, he says, as he leans down closer towards the small goblin,” are you positive that it was humans that you saw with the elf”?

“Of course there are humans here. I can even smell their scent right now! There are certain scents in the world that you never forget and the scent of  humans is one of them”!, Bekuzar said, pointing to his large nose.

After he said that, the goblin eagerly nodded his head as he pointed towards Bekuzar in agreement to what you were saying.

 “Hm interesting, and you said one of them was a powerful sword, man, capable of wiping out an entire hoard of your brethren”?, Galand asked as he leaned in a little more.

The goblin once again quickly nodded his head and lifted three fingers as he then started doing another round of invisible sword swinging motions. By using both his arms in order to pretend to swing swords and picking up what look to be a stick and putting it in his mouth, he was basically doing a cheap imitation of Zoro’s three sword style that he used in his fights.

Galand caught on to what he was saying and tilted his head curiously,”And you're saying that he was wielding three swords at once Against all of you”?

Before the goblin could answer the question, Bekuzar scoffed loudly,”A three sword wielding human,  do you hear yourself?! There's no possible way a human can be able to hold three swords, maybe at most two but three it's impossible, especially if you're using  your mouth to hold one of the three swords! He's probably just exaggerating about human killing an entire horde “!

Galand took his attention away from the Goblin and turned to his subordinate,”You seem sure of that”?

“Why wouldn't I be? It's a completely impractical way to fight, especially  if the swords are longer, you wouldn't be able to functionally Use them in a fight without them getting in the way of each other. Not to mention the incredible difficulty to fight multiple enemies at once, especially if it's a horde of goblins. It before too exhausting and straining on any Individual to fight and entire horde of goblins one by one with three misused swords, much less that of a human”, Bekuzar explained before shooting a glare towards the goblin,”I bet that the human only killed about 10 of these little pests and they had gotten so scared that the human was actually able to do so. And that resulted in the other goblins probably running off somewhere and this one running back to headquarters! If you ask me I'd say he's making  this up to cover up the fact that he ran away from the enemy instead of finishing them off! We should bother with such a small inconvenience like this”!

Galand shook his head at the accusation,”You know someone can’t lie while in my presence otherwise they'll be turned to stone,”He leaned in even closer to the goblin,”So it also does take me curious on how humans were able to best entire horde of goblins”?

The goblin hears this, and while he's still doing the sword swinging motion he's also doing an exaggerated whooshing motion as if doing a further explanation on the swordsman.

“Hmm so you're saying that this Swordsman wasn’t just fighting by the skillful means of three swords play, but while also fighting by means of some sort of unknown magical power as well he was fighting the horde Like the child he was with”?, Galand questioned.

Goblin wildly nodded his head as he jumped up excitedly, confirming his questions.

Galand Stepped away from the goblin as he stood tall and looked up towards the ceiling still stroking his pointy chin curiously 

Bekuzar Could only try and process  what the hell the goblin was talking about.

 A human Swordsman using magical power with three swords?

It wasn't exactly something he ever heard about or saw on the battlefield. He knew of magic sure but from what the goblin was telling you it wasn't a sort of magic that they were used to or really knew of for that matter. Hell he was still finding it hard to believe that a human could even hope to stand a chance against an entire horde of goblins as useless as they were. And now he's hearing that one was able to wipe them out with barely any effort That had now joined with the enemy forces 

“T-this can't actually be true, The only real magical elements used in this world are the power-ups that we see everywhere, some of the magical users on our side. Never been anyone else known here who can possess Magical elements Other than Merlin himself and he was defeated Long Ago by Lord Bular”, Bekuzar said aloud, poking holes into this logic

Galand Didn't turn to look at him, he only continued staring up at the ceiling,”Although that might sound true you also forget that from what they're telling us. These humans are from an entirely different world that must have shot from one of the warp pipes that led into this land”, his voice and demeanor lowered a tiny bit,”This may prove to be a little more than just a minor inconvenience if we overlook this”.

“How would that be”?, Bekuzar questioned as he folded his arms.

Galand turned to face the ogre,”Because though goblins aren’t the most powerful species in this world, they're far from the weakest, especially if there’s an entire horde of them that are capable of wiping out whole villages. Yet one human Swordsman would take out an entire horde of them within moments, and if one human is capable of doing that,  then imagine with multiple humans from them that same other world would be capable of”.

Bekuzar didn't like where this explanation was going,”Are you saying that if enough of those humans from that world came here they would be able to take on our Troll kingdom's army”?

Galand stared at him blankly for a moment before he suddenly began to chuckle a tiny bit As he once again started stroking his chin,”Well I don't think they will be able to accomplish that feat, but any human with any magical abilities even somewhere related to the great Merlin himself could be a problem. That case will be especially proven if they decide to align themselves with any of the Kingdom still resistant to our advances. And if they decide to attack our forces, its going to make the situation much more difficult if we're too busy  fighting off enemy forces.  And when that starts to happens……..”.

“It'll make continuing on with the next phases of Bular’s plan  impossible evolve the forces are occupied fighting”, Bekuzar finished off  in an angry growl as he angrily balled his fist tightly 

Galand closed his eyes and nodded,” Judging by how important this cause is to lord Bular,  I believe it is imminent that we nip this problem in the bud before it causes any further delay in the plan”.

“Want me to go down there and handle this problem now that we know the location”?, Bekuzar asked, eager to run over to where his club was and  go murder every single one of the enemy forces,”And I can bring in some of our forces with me in case what this  Goblin is telling us is true”.

Galand was silent for about 5 seconds before shaking his head,”No, I need someone with some authority other than myself to stay here and pack everything up in time for the departure. And I can't stay here to do so because I still need to go back to the prison and make sure everything's Packed up and ready to move to the Mushroom Kingdom”.

Bekuzar, disappointed, groans loudly as he drops his shoulders.

Galand, not Really noticing his subordinates disappointment, then turns to look outside the window direction the goblin said the camp was,”Though we definitely and not allow these fear the plan any longer,  so here's what we'll do instead”, He says perkingly as he turned to face the older,”We’ll send out our strongest Goblin champion along with a good number of goblin forces to go To that camp and burger every last one of them including those two humans. Anything that could even be considered a threat to the plan must be eliminated immediately”, Galand Turns to look down at the goblin,” Go and find our strongest champion and make your way towards that camp, one of them in a good number of goblins And call upon our Dry Bones Force while you're at it. With them you should be able to get most of the job done, and I don't want any survivors, No more playing games for you or your brethren until this is done, kill them”!He ordered as he took his fingers off his chin and pointed towards the door.

The goblin foot soldier quickly nodded his head and scurried out of the room to go and do as he was ordered, leaving the two warriors once again alone in the room.

Bekuzar turns to Galand and shoots him a look of concern  and anger,”What are you doing sending those useless creatures back out there?! And how will sending one goblin champion make any difference in trying to kill the same human that a goblin horde couldn't kill before?! And how the hell will we know if those things have what it takes to kill those humans”?!

Galand, still staring at the direction the goblin ran off to,  turns to face the concerned ogre,”Well know if any of them  survive the attack  and live the tell story. If they don't, then we'll have no choice but to send you  and our entire force out in order to exterminate them”, Galand  explained.

“Wait, why don't we just send me in now when we can exterminate that entire cat within moments rather than just sending  the Goblins to handle this; they're nowhere near competent enough. Think I'm more than powerful enough to be able to take all that entire camp and I still can't fully believe that a human swordsman could take down an entire Goblin horde. But also allow me to finally use my skills once again rather than sitting around at this empty Castle wasting away”, Bekuzar argued, wanting to prove that he was more than efficient to handle this matter.

But Galand  already knew that was the case, especially when Bekuzar was the second strongest Soldier there next to him.  but there were a million reasons why just wasn't willing to send out his best warrior there, Galand Responded by shaking his head,”I need you to supervise the camp’s move and the soldiers in my absence in case everything doesn't go as planned. Since I'm not going to be here that leaves you to be the strongest  soldier that we have within these walls To keep If you just take off our soldiers in line and on schedule”.

“The Goblins here they're not that stupid enough to screw that up”,Bekuzar suggested, pointing towards One of the Goblins standing guard at the door,  the little soldier seeming confused at the suggestion.

Galand Only responded by shooting a blank stare at him,”Do you honestly think those little pests are competent enough to handle matters this serious if it's not specifically ordered to them”?

Bekuzar About to answer before he stopped and actually thought about it for a second, And to be honest he actually kind of had a point there,“Well no of course not I'm definitely not saying I leave them with such an important task, but that exact same thing could be said about sending them off to an enemy they already lost to before. I could handle that entire Camp within moments and I highly doubt the human swords will approve a match against me and my life. A/nd if we wish to make it to the main Force it would be putin that we hurry up and handle this whole situation so that we could make it on time for the departure”,Bekuzar said making some valid points.

“I'm leaving you in charge of preparation that we could kill two birds with one stone, while one half of our division is finishing off the enemy forces, the other half could focus on packing everything up and departing for the Mushroom Kingdom. It would be a waste of time to send  out our strongest warrior there to fight such lesser beings instead of focusing on the objective we were given by our King”, Galand argued back with just as many valid points.

Bekuzar still wasn’t having it, though Galand  was telling him some fair points, he just couldn't agree with the decision to just bench him back at base while the henchman got to kill the enemy forces. So he just had to argue and state his case,”What if he's asking us to go and wipe out any enemy forces that can get in our way, why don't we bring our full attention to that matter. Those little fools aren't competent nor powerful enough to handle this matter unless they're an entire horde of them, and after what that little one was telling us about that human swordsman that wasn't even enough”!

Galand, starting to get fed up with his subordinate questioning his orders especially since they didn't have time for it either. Galand takes aside frustration before he begins to speak,”Look, if you have such complaints but this plan you can complain to King Bular on your own time Right now this is the plan I'm making and you're going to follow it!  if the situation takes a turn for the worse than fine you can handle it as you wish right now this is my order”!, he says sternly As he glares menacingly at  the ogre.

Bekuzar, after hearing that, was about to argue back with something else, But after seeing the terrifying glare of his commanding  officer,  he decides that's best for him to keep his mouth shut.

 He knew better than to question too many of Galand’s orders he had look on his face that basically told everyone “that I'm serious”, and when that happened they had absolutely no say in the matter 

 Not with how cruel and unusual he could be at times. He may seem carefree and funny at times, but all of the ones who have fought beside him know his true sadistic nature especially towards disobedience subordinates. 

And there was no way he could lie right to face and go behind his back To fight the enemy ,  unless he wanted to end up being a new  giant garden decoration.

He had no other choice but to follow this order  and go along with the plan ….

That he reluctantly lowers his head and places his right arm across his chest,”Yes commander Galland”. 

Galland then continued as he turned away from him and walked towards the opened window,“Last thing we need to send you on a wild goose chase for an opponent that might not even be worth your skill. A few ants surely Art enough to beat a dinosaur, you know this my friend. We both know how you get when you find an opponent that doesn't entertain you soThe best course of action is to avoid another outburst In case that happens. The best course of action is to save our best player for last”.

Bekuzar Watched silently as Galand made his way over to the window, preparing to leave, but not before saying one last thing, “Be sure have everything packed and ready to leave by tomorrow morning and to be sure to make haste we hadn’t got a moment to spare”, just as he was about to hop out of the window gallon, then stop before turning for one last thing,”Oh And since we are on a bit of a time crunch i’ll be sending over a few of the troll soldiers tomorrow to help Aid in packing everything up. I trust even you won’t need much supervision for that.”

Bekuzar’s jaw tightened, the veiled insult barely hidden in Galand’s words. He nodded stiffly, his deep voice rumbling with suppressed anger. “Understood, Commander.”

Galand smirked, clearly enjoying the ogre’s frustration. “Good. I’ll be expecting everything to be ready by the time I return. Don’t disappoint me, Bekuzar.” Without another word, Galand leapt from the window, his form disappearing into the shadows of the Darklands.

As soon as Galand was gone, Bekuzar let out a growl of frustration, the sound reverberating through the room. He turned to the battered table in the center and slammed his fist down on it, the wood splintering under the force. “Damn him!” he snarled. “Sending me trolls to ‘help’—as if I need their useless hands fumbling around!”

The goblins stationed near the door flinched at his outburst, their small, trembling forms doing their best to remain unnoticed. Bekuzar shot them a glare, and they scurried out of the room without a word, leaving the furious ogre alone.

He stomped over to his massive club, gripping it tightly as his yellow eyes gleamed with rage. “Humans… elves… rebels…” he muttered, his voice a low growl. “They think they can play games with us. But soon, they’ll see. Soon, they’ll all see.”

Bekuzar stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, his mind racing with thoughts of the battles to come. The idea of sitting idly while others fought infuriated him, but for now, he had no choice but to follow Galand’s orders.

With one final, frustrated snarl, he stormed out of the council room, his heavy footsteps echoing through the castle as he prepared to oversee the preparations. If nothing else, tomorrow would bring him one step closer to leaving this wretched place—and one step closer to the carnage he so desperately craved.

Bekuzar stormed down the dimly lit halls of the ruined castle, each of his thunderous steps shaking the stone beneath him. His jagged club dragged behind him, scraping along the floor with a piercing screech that sent shivers through the goblins scurrying out of his path. His yellow eyes burned with frustration, and his sharp teeth were bared in a snarl.

“This is an outrage!” Bekuzar growled to himself, his voice a deep rumble that echoed off the crumbling walls. “I’m not some errand boy meant to babysit this useless heap of goblins while they get to do all the killing!”

And who the hell was that psychopathic fool to come in and order him to wait around like a dog?

This is exactly why he didn’t want to work under him because he was just giving  Bekuzar the hard part of his job because he didn’t wanna do this himself.

He knew he should’ve been asked to join the Kong Kingdom unit, even if he hated the smell of bananas. It would’ve been better than this shit.

Now all he was left to do was be stuck in a baron wasteland for a few more days while the commander got to do whatever the hell he wanted

This was complete and utter bullshit!

The thought of goblins—goblins, of all things—being sent to hunt down the rebel camp while he was stuck here overseeing packing duties was infuriating. He smashed his fist into the nearest wall, sending chunks of stone crumbling to the ground. “If there’s a strong human out there… a swordsman who can wipe out an entire horde…” Bekuzar’s voice trailed off, his expression twisting with a mix of anger and intrigue.

The thought of facing a potentially powerful opponent lit a fire inside him. A true fight was what he craved—something thrilling, something worthy of his might. And now, he was being denied the chance to test his strength against such an opponent.

“What a waste!” he roared, the sound reverberating through the halls. A group of goblins cowering nearby flinched and whimpered, pressing themselves against the walls in an attempt to avoid his wrath.

They all surely knew what happened to the last few dozen goblins who stood in his way and or pissed him off.

 And it definitely wasn’t pretty……..

Bekuzar shot them a scathing glare. “What are you looking at, you spineless little shits? Back to work, before I use your skulls to decorate my club and or these walls!” The goblins squealed and darted away, their little feet pattering against the stone as they scrambled out of sight.

His mind churned as he stalked through the castle. Galand’s orders were clear, but that didn’t make them any less frustrating. The thought of goblins botching the mission infuriated him further. “They’ll probably trip over their own feet before they even reach the camp,” he muttered bitterly.

But the idea of a strong human lingered in his mind, gnawing at him. A human swordsman with the power to annihilate an entire goblin horde—and, as the goblin had claimed, possibly wielding some kind of magic? It sounded absurd, and yet… the possibility was tantalizing. The challenge, the bloodshed, the thrill of battle—that was what he lived for.

And there is no way he was going to let some armor psychopath getting in the way of his livelihood.

Bekuzar slammed open the door to the castle’s armory, the heavy wooden panels creaking on their rusted hinges. He stood in the doorway, his massive frame filling the space, as he glanced around at the weapons and armor scattered about. “If those goblins can’t get the job done…” he growled, gripping his club tighter, “then I’ll have to clean up their mess myself.”

His eyes flickered with a dangerous gleam as he imagined stepping into the rebel camp, crushing their defenses, and meeting this mysterious human swordsman in combat. “If this human is as strong as they say, I’ll make sure to savor the fight before I send him to the afterlife.”

With that thought fueling him, Bekuzar stormed out of the armory, his resolve hardened. For now, he was forced to follow Galand’s orders—but if the opportunity arose, he would ensure he wasn’t left out of the bloodshed for long.

They just had to be something he could do to get this site to get some entertainment otherwise he might end up throwing himself in that lava

They’ve just had to be somethin-

Bekuzar paused mid-step, the thought striking him like a bolt of lightning. His snarl twisted into a devious grin, sharp fangs glinting in the faint light of the castle. Why should he be forced to choose between overseeing the goblins and pursuing this enticing challenge?

Why not do both?

He could maintain control of the goblin forces, oversee the preparations, and still ensure the capture of the human swordsman. He just needed to issue the right orders to the goblin champion leading this hunt.

A slow, sinister chuckle escaped his throat as he turned on his heel, stomping purposefully toward the goblin barracks. His club dragged behind him, the heavy thud of its metal tip echoing ominously down the hall. “Oh, this is going to be interesting,” he muttered, his grin widening.

(The Goblin Barracks)

The barracks was a dimly lit, foul-smelling chamber deep within the castle. Goblins of all sizes scurried about, sharpening rusted blades, patching armor, or lounging lazily on crude benches. The smell of sweat, iron, and decay permeated the air.

At the center of the room stood the goblin champion. He was is an imposing and terrifying creature, significantly larger and more muscular than regular goblins. Standing around seven feet tall, its hulking body is covered in thick, coarse green skin, with scars and battle wounds marking its brutish existence. The goblin champion's face is a grotesque mix of intelligence and malevolence, with sharp, jagged teeth protruding from its wide, sneering mouth. Its red eyes burn with a cunning, predatory gleam. Adorned in mismatched and crude armor scavenged from fallen enemies, the goblin champion wields a massive club or weapon, demonstrating its brutal strength and dominance on the battlefield. He had an enormous, hulking figure, towering over the other goblins like a living monolith. His body was thick with bulging muscles, his greenish-gray skin scarred from countless battles. A monstrous horn jutted from his forehead, cracked and chipped from years of brutal combat. His glowing yellow eyes burned with a cruel, animalistic intelligence.

The champion’s armor was a mismatched collection of looted pieces—metal plates reinforced with leather straps, a massive chest plate stained with dried blood, and a tattered cape draped over one shoulder. In his massive clawed hands, he held a colossal greatsword, its jagged edges caked with grime and gore. He moved with a brutish confidence, his every motion exuding raw power.

The goblins around him gave him a wide berth, some cowering as he bellowed orders in their guttural tongue. His deep, guttural voice rumbled through the chamber like the growl of a beast.

Bekuzar strode into the barracks, his massive frame immediately drawing attention. The goblins froze in place, their chatter dying down to fearful silence. The champion turned his head, his glowing eyes narrowing as he straightened to his full, towering height.

“Bekuzar,” the champion rumbled, his voice a deep growl. “What brings you to my barracks?”

Bekuzar didn’t bother with pleasantries. He pointed his club at the champion and snarled, “You’re being sent to hunt the elf rebels, yes?”

The champion nodded slowly, his scarred lips curling into a smirk. “That’s right. I’ll crush their little camp and bring their heads back to hang on my wall. And maybe save a few of them for a light snack later too.”

Bekuzar’s grin returned, though it was more menacing than amused. “Forget about just their heads. I have a new order for you and you’re going to follow through on it.”

The champion tilted his head, curiosity flashing in his eyes.

“There’s a human swordsman with them. From what I’ve been told, he’s strong—strong enough to wipe out an entire goblin horde,” Bekuzar said, his voice dripping with disdain. “I want him alive. Do whatever it takes to capture him, but don’t kill him. Understand?”

The champion’s smirk widened, revealing jagged teeth. “Alive, huh? That’s unusual. What do you want with him? And what our orders were to kill everyone in the rebellion?”

Bekuzar’s grip on his club tightened, his yellow eyes gleaming with excitement. “That’s none of your concern. Just follow your orders. Bring him back alive, no matter what. The rest I could care less for. Do what you will with them but bring him to me.”

The champion let out a low, rumbling laugh, hefting his massive sword onto his shoulder. “Fine by me. I’ll crush the elves and drag this swordsman back in chains that or unconscious.”

“Good,” Bekuzar growled. He took a step closer, his towering frame looming over the champion. “But don’t underestimate him. If he truly has magic on his side, he’ll be more dangerous than any rebel we’ve faced. Be weary of the opponents you are about to face, as many of them. have the means of magic and fighting capabilities. so do yourself and your subordinates a favor and bring enough forces to overwhelm them and burn that camp to the ground.”

The champion’s eyes gleamed with savage confidence. “ don’t worry, sir. I’ll take your message to the heart. And as for the human, he’ll wish he was dead when I’m through with him.”

Bekuzar turned, his heavy steps echoing as he headed back toward the main hall. “We’ll see about that,” he muttered under his breath. “Just don’t disappoint me, champion. I’ll be watching.”

The goblin champion’s grin grew wider as he began barking orders at his underlings, preparing for the hunt. Goblins scrambled to gather their weapons, their shrill voices rising in chaotic chatter. The champion’s greatsword gleamed in the dim light as he swung it experimentally, the air hissing with the force of his strike.

The hunt was on, and Bekuzar knew that soon enough, he’d have his entertainment. Whether the goblins succeeded or failed, the human swordsman would be his. One way or another

For now, he would head back to complete his task and ensure that they were ready for phase 2 of their grand scheme.

(The Elven War Camp)

It had been about  10 minutes of them walking through the camp. The goblin’s retreat through the scorched, barren wasteland left an eerie silence in the distance as the elven camp settled into its rhythm for the evening. Alicia led Zoro and Vanellope deeper into the camp, pointing out various areas and facilities. The pair, still adjusting to the sight of elves casually performing tasks and the surreal surroundings, followed quietly.

Touring the Camp

“As you can see, this camp is small but efficient,” Alicia began, gesturing to the surroundings. “Over there is the smithy where we repair weapons and armor.” She pointed toward a small forge, the glow of molten metal casting warm light across the smith’s stern face as he hammered away. Sparks danced in the air, illuminating racks of blades and arrows.

Zoro gave an approving nod, impressed by the craftsmanship he saw. “Not bad. Pretty solid work.”

Vanellope looked curious as she pointed toward a pond that shimmered unnaturally. “What’s with the lava pool over there? Does it, like… cook food or something?”

Alicia chuckled. “No, that’s used for crafting enchanted weapons. The lava is infused with magical properties from the Dark Lands, making it ideal for forging stronger gear. We try to scavenge whatever advantages we can from this wasteland.”

Vanellope’s eyes sparkled with intrigue. “Okay, that’s actually kinda awesome.”

Alicia smirked, continuing toward the massive tree in the center. “This is the heart of our operation.” The tree’s colossal branches spread out like protective arms, and atop its platforms, elves armed with longbows stood watch, scanning the horizon with sharp eyes. “From here, we monitor everything within miles. The magical barrier helps, but we rely on scouts and lookouts to warn us of any approaching danger.”

Zoro stared up at the tree, his hand resting casually on his sword hilt. “Impressive. But a barrier won’t stop a determined enemy. You’ve got a lot of gaps if someone’s smart enough to exploit them. Otherwise, I’ll tear this little rebellion apart piece by piece.”

Alicia glanced back at him with a smirk. “True, but that’s why we rely on teamwork. Well that and we elves are a lot more clever than they tend to give us credit for. As you’ll see soon enough once you get to see us in action firsthand. But for now, I think it’s about time. You both got some shut eye. We could talk more later”, she then stepped away from the tree and start heading in a different direction of the camp ,”come on. Follow me. I’ll lead you to the tent you’ll be staying in”.

It took a couple minutes before Alicia finally pointed out, “All right here we are”, Alicia said that she pointed up the medium size 10 in front of the duo,” this is where you two will be sleeping”.

Finally able to stop,  both Zoro and Vanellope look upon the place where they were going to be  resting their heads.

And to be honest, well it wasn't too bad…….

Its exterior, woven from what looked to be enchanted black silk, glistened in the moonlight, camouflaging it within the shadows of the tree it resides next to. 

Zoro whistled as he started to scan the area for the other tents,”Hmm, Not bad for a war camp”, impressed with how honestly nice looking tents were.

“Yeah well, we had to make sure we at least slept comfortably if we were going to battle against the enemy”, she said she then placed a hand on the tent,”Well that and before we set up the force field, we had to make sure the tents made for good camouflage hideout if the enemy were to spot our camp.

While the other two were conversing Vanellope decided to go inside the tent and check out the interior,” I wonder if the inside looks as good too”, she says she opens up the tent and enters inside”.

And to be honest that part looked even better.

 Inside, the tent exudes an ethereal glow, emanating from delicate crystals embedded in the walls. The air inside was almost imbued with the scent of forest moss and wildflowers, creating a serene atmosphere amidst the chaos of war ground. Runes were also etched into the tent's fabric, as if it were meant for a spell of some sort though it was unknown to either one of them. Vanellope also spotted two elegantly carved wooden beds, draped in plush, moss-green blankets, to provide comfort and rest for the duo. There were more elven runes inscribed on the bedposts and were sewn into the sheets and blankets.

“Yeah it does. It definitely does”, the little girl says that she’s been hopped on the bed and sighs in relief.

Zoro comes in right after her, takes a quick look at everything inside the tent and notices the strange runes inside.

He squinted his to get a better look at the detail of the runes.

The symbols were slender and elongated, with elegant curves and interwoven lines that felt like a sense of flowing motion. They also incorporate shapes reminiscent of leaves, vines, and celestial forms, reflecting the elves' in some sort of deep connection to their culture. The runes were etched with precision and artistry. They even glowed faintly with an ethereal light when he looked closely.

He raises a curious brow at them,”(Inside his head) The hell are those things”, he thought as he reached forward and touched on the strange symbols carved into the bedpost.

“Those are our magical Elven runes”, he heard Alicia say as she stepped into the tent.

Zoro, without looking up at her, then asked,”What the hell's an Elf rune”?

“They’re a series of intricate and elegant symbols used by us elves for writing, magic, and enchantments. These runes are used in spells to protect, heal, or enhance. They are typically inscribed on various surfaces, like our weapons, armor, and enchanted items, or woven into the fabric of elven clothing and tents like this one. Basically these runes are what the magic users in our kingdom typically create in order to use magic”, Alicia explained as she took out one of her arrows and pointed at the ruins carved into it.

Vanellope glanced towards one of the runes on the arrow and pointed at it curiously,”Who wait you make that magical carving yourself”?, Asking the elf about her weapon.

Alicia responded by shaking her head,”No, that’s usually the job for our mage Khilseith. But the rest of us do practice every now and again just in case he’s either too tired or not around”, she continued to explain as she then pulled a handkerchief from her back pocket, revealing yet another even rune sewn into it,”Though they’re not as powerful due to magic not being our specialty, but they do help when fighting in battle or on our expeditions”.

Once she finished the explanation, she went back into her pocket and pulled something out before tossing it to Vanellope.

She catches it and sees that it was what looked to be a miniature Gollum carved out of a stone with the elven ruin carved into its chest,”Whoa”, she says, impressed with its design.

“Some of them could even be considered a good luck charm for those of us who were sent out to war”, she explained to the young child.

Vanellope, finished with admiring the charm, stands up on the bed and tries to make her way over to the  acher, only for Alicia to raise her hand and stop her in her tracks,”Keep it you might need it just in case”.

The little girl smiled and nodded before placing the  miniature stone golem into her hoodie pocket. 

Vanellope grinned as she tucked the charm into her pocket. “Thanks! I’ll call him… uh, Fred.”

Zoro, figuring that they had enough time to settle down, Decided that it was time to ask what their next move was.

 He turned to Alicia and asked,”Hey so when the hell are we going to go look for our friend Luffy anyway”?

She turned her attention to him, “Well first I have to go to a meeting with the rest of my team to discuss our upcoming strategy as well as  hearing any updates that the commander has. But once we've discussed that will then bring  you up the topic of what to do with you two and your whole situation”.

“How long is that gonna take”?, he continued to press on.

Though that only seemed to make Alicia shrug her shoulders,” I myself don’t particularly know it basically depends on the amount of information each of us has to discuss. That and along with any orders that are going to be dished out during the meeting. But I promise you as soon as we're done we’ll make it a top priority to discuss the situation and what to do for you”, she reassured strongly.

 

But that reassurance wasn’t really enough to keep him from feeling a little off. 

The last thing he wanted to do at this moment was to sit there and hide from enemies that were going to be hunting them.

It wouldn’t have been so bad if it was just him on his crazy adventure, but it wasn’t. He had a little girl with him, but he had to make sure I made it home safe and out of the way of unnecessary danger.

He really didn’t have time to be sitting around on his ass as much as he usually would. Especially now it’s a situation where he and Luffy are once again separated and they don’t know where each other are.

And yeah, what she was saying might’ve been a little reassuring, it doesn’t mean that they still didn’t need to hurry up and think of a plan. For all Zoro knew he’s idiotic Captain could be out there doing something stupid and getting into a bunch of crazy shenanigans.

It doesn’t help that they have that guy in the white suit currently hunting them. They needed to keep moving,  they end up in another confrontation with him and others like him.

 

If he was gonna be 100% honest, you probably wouldn’t have gone back to the camp if it was just him by himself unless he was just trying to get some sleep. But alas he would just have to wait it out and see what the elves think, if they don’t help them then they’ll have to figure something else out simple as that.

So with that, Zoro reluctantly nodded his head in agreement,” yeah all right sure”.

And seeing that they pretty much settled down into their temporary accommodations, Alicia figured it was about time for her to make her way to watch the meeting tent,” OK now that you both are here and winded down, it’s about time for me to go, but don’t worry I’ll be back as soon as possible to check up on you. Until then, just stay in this tent and try not to wander off or touch anything. If you need any of us will be in the big tent at the center of camp”, she said as she gave them a small wave and quickly exited the tent and headed straight for the big tent, leaving the duo inside.

As she was walking towards the tent, she couldn’t help but suddenly feel doubtful about the decision she made to bring them to camp.

Sure, she was glad to have been able to help the humans out but since she’s brought them here, all it really did was cause a few issues and worry between her comrades.

If she was going to be 100% honest, she was starting to feel regretful about suddenly bringing them to camp.

All it did and was going to do was cause a strain between her and her comrades to figure out how to handle their situation rather than the mission they were assigned.

Well, she herself didn’t follow every single order off the bat, even when it made sense at the time couldn’t help, but it meant that Orrian had a point.

Bring two human strangers here and offering to help them out with their situation when they themselves already have a mission to deal with wasn’t the best idea.

The group is already too small stretch, too thin with trying to continue their assignment in the dark lands adding more problems for them to try to solve and fix was just gonna be too much for them to handle.

Yes, she wants to help them, but after seeing that weird look on Orrian’s, it brought a bit of doubt to her mind.

It was weird because it wasn’t usually an expression that he would show them, but for the first time since she’s known him, he looked as if something was really on his mind bothering him.

And that only meant that she wasn't going to be filled with good news.

And then that would only mean that the situation was only going to grow that much harder to deal with and get through.

And that was only just their current situation without even adding a new one they were in with these humans.

If she was gonna be honest, she didn’t know where the hell they were gonna start with helping them look for their missing friend.

If he went through a different pipe that would mean that they would have to leave the dark plants in order to go help them look for him.

But that was obviously impossible because they had a mission they needed to complete.

They couldn’t leave even if that’s what they all wanted to do and that’s only if she was able to convince her comrades to go along with helping them.

Due to the horrifying actions that were committed by humans so long ago, it didn’t exactly make them the most like species even after their extinction.

And this apply to most creatures, not just elves so to be honest, she’d be lucky if she was able to convince one of her friends to help aid them.

She would really need to hope that she had enough of a golden tongue to be able to convince them to prioritize this.

She was gonna be honest she had no idea what kind of news was going to be said in this meeting.

But there was one thing she was definitely sure wasn't going to be great news.

As Alicia approached the central tent, her footsteps grew heavier, not from physical exhaustion but from the weight of her thoughts. The elven camp bustled around her with a quiet efficiency, but she barely noticed. Her mind was consumed by the nagging doubts that had been building since she brought the humans here.

Yes, she was glad she’d been able to help Zoro and Vanellope escape the goblins, but now that she had a moment to reflect, the consequences of her decision began to sink in. She’d acted on instinct, not strategy, and that wasn’t something Orrian—or the others—would overlook easily.

What was I thinking? she wondered, letting out a quiet sigh. Sure, she wanted to help. It was in her nature to do so. But bringing two human strangers into their already fragile camp had been a reckless move. They were already stretched too thin as it was, balancing survival and their mission in the Dark Lands. Adding more complications to the mix wasn’t just risky—it was dangerous.

She thought back to Orrian’s reaction, that sharp, scrutinizing look he’d given her. It wasn’t the anger or frustration that stuck with her. No, it was something deeper—something unspoken. For the first time since she’d known him, Orrian had looked… concerned. And not just about the humans. There was something weighing on him, something heavy enough to make him hesitate, and that worried her more than she wanted to admit.

The implications gnawed at her. If the news Orrian brought to this meeting was as grim as his expression suggested, the last thing they needed was an added distraction. Yet here she was, bringing in two humans who needed help finding a friend in a world neither of them understood.

Alicia shook her head, her frustration building. What am I supposed to do now? If she couldn’t convince her comrades to help, what would that mean for Zoro and Vanellope? They couldn’t leave the Dark Lands—they still had their mission to complete, and failure wasn’t an option. But could they really just leave the humans to fend for themselves?

Her pace slowed as she considered the implications. Even if Orrian agrees to help, what then? Their forces were too small to spare a significant number of people for a search. And what if the missing friend was somewhere far beyond the Dark Lands? Crossing into enemy territory—or worse, into lands ruled by other creatures who despised humans—was a risk they couldn’t afford to take.

And then there was the humans themselves. While Zoro seemed capable—frighteningly so, if the reports of his battle against the goblins were to be believed—Vanellope was just a child. Fragile, vulnerable. Alicia couldn’t shake the image of the girl huddled in fear when she first found her. That wasn’t a face she wanted to see again, but could she guarantee the camp’s protection would be enough?

The prejudice against humans was another obstacle entirely. Even though they’d been extinct for centuries, the scars left behind by their atrocities still lingered. Creatures across the land, not just elves, carried memories of what humans had done. She could already feel the unease from some of the others in the camp when Zoro and Vanellope arrived. Convincing them to help wasn’t just a matter of logic—it would require breaking through years of deeply ingrained resentment and fear.

And then there was the mission. Whatever Orrian had to say tonight, it wasn’t likely to be good news. Alicia could feel it in her bones. The timing couldn’t have been worse, and she hated that she might be the one to add more stress to an already strained situation.

She stopped just short of the tent’s entrance, letting out a slow, steadying breath. The warm light spilling through the flap was inviting, but it also marked the point of no return. Whatever news awaited inside, she had to be ready to face it—and the consequences of her decision.

Alicia glanced back toward the camp, where Zoro and Vanellope’s tent stood silhouetted against the dim glow of the enchanted barrier. She’d made a promise to them, and she intended to keep it. But as she squared her shoulders and stepped into the meeting tent, the weight of that promise pressed heavier on her than ever.

A few minutes had passed since the elf girl left, enduring that time both Zoro and Vanellope were just getting comfortable in their tent.

Both were sitting on each of the two beds, with Zoro removing his three swords from his belt and Vanellope snuggling comfortably against the pillow on her,”This bed isn’t bad for it bed in a tent, huh Zoro”, the young girl asked the pirate swordsman.

Zoro looks up at her while he’s placing his swords beside the bed,” Yeah well don’t get too comfortable, we’re not gonna stay long. This is just a pitstop for us to get some rest and be ready for the journey ahead of us”, he sternly reminded her.

She didn’t question what he was saying at all as she responded by saying,”Yes sir”, as she nodded her head.

But what he said also made her wonder what they were going to do once they were all rested up.

Were they going to wait for the elves to make a decision on whether or not to help them or were they going to go and try to look for Luffy and the sunny on their own?

She wasn’t really sure on what to do next on this crazy adventure that she was sort of thrown in?

She had kind of gotten caught into the mix of this whole ordeal and had just been following Zoro and Alicia’s lead throughout the entire situation. 

And now that they had made it to the first destination. She was really starting to worry about what they were going to do afterwards.

Since they hadn’t discussed anything further past them coming to this camp she felt now was the time to figure out what other plans Zoro had cooking in his head.

She would’ve tried giving her own input, but because this was her first real adventure that she had been on, she had been trying to just follow along with what Zoro was doing.

But now she knew it was time for her to start getting caught up the speed,”So what are we gonna do if they decide not to help us?

It was about time she knew about the next stage in their plan just so that later on, she's not just throwing into the mix of it again.

He kept her waiting on an answer for about a minute before answering with,”Then we'll have to go and look for them ourselves, or at least try to find one of those green pipes from earlier to travel through”, he explained closing his right eye and cupped his chin, as if to think of something.

Vanellope after hearing that started to feel a cloud of doubt, however, over her mind.

If she was gonna be on the she wasn’t sure that that plan would be the best one to follow, especially with her knowing about Zoro’s poor sense of direction.

There was no way she was just gonna randomly follow him throughout this hellhole when neither one of them knew where to go or where they were.

With their current luck, they would end up randomly wandering into a location where it was infested with more of those little green goblin monsters she barely escaped earlier.

Sure, Zoro could probably handle randomly walking through a dangerous place like this, but she certainly wasn’t equipped for it, she was still just a child.

Not to mention the fact about how much energy it took to keep glitching on its own, but traveling real long distances we’re just playing exhausting.

And she knew that Zoro couldn’t fight those things and protect her at the same time so it would be a massive disadvantage to them.

Even if she was going to go with the plan, the least they could do to help them out in their journey would be to ask them to see if they have a map for them to use.

Even as a child, she knew better than to just trust Zoro’s sense of direction no matter how much of a fan she was.

So yeah, there were definitely a few holes in the plan that they would need to discuss with one another.

“Oh OK well, then what if instead of that we tried to talk them into helping us”, she suggested, really trying to avoid that last plan if she could.

Zoro thought about it for a moment before almost seemingly shrugging it off,”Yeah sure that could be a possible solution, though I’m not gonna put my cards on that”, he said, with his back turned to her.

“Huh, wait what do ya mean,”? she asked, confused.

Zoro was quiet for a minute before answering,”Kid there's no guarantee that they’re gonna wanna help us just because it’s the right thing to do. From what we’ve seen so far we kind of arrived here at the wrong time to ask them for help for them while they’re in the middle of a war. It wouldn’t be surprising to me if they told us that they didn’t have time to do the situation they were in. They have their own situation they’re going to have to deal with and it won’t exactly benefit them. If they have to worry about ours”, he explained.

It still didn't stop  all the questions she had for him,“But are we really just gonna go back out there and just wander around until we get one of those green pipes? How do we know if we’re gonna be able to do that when we don’t know where we are or where anything is in this place”?

It still didn't stop all the questions she had for him,“But are we really just gonna go back out there and just wander around until we get one of those green pipes? How do we know if we’re gonna be able to do that when we don’t know where we are or where anything is in this place”?

Zoro was going to try to answer the question but stopped himself because if he was going to be honest he wasn't fully sure what to do other than Zoro. Unfortunately for her Zoro didn't really have that answer to give her. getting sucked through a magical green pipe to a whole other dimension wasn't exactly Something he had previously done on any of the adventures he had ever been on. Usually if he had ever gotten separated from the other straw hats he would simply get back up and walk around until either found them or found someone who knew the way of the land to help lead him to the other straw hats. Hell if he were lucky sometimes he would get stuck with another Straw Hat member so that the two would be able to figure out a plan on how to continue on the adventure. Things are a little different this time around considering that not only was he alone and not with another straw hat but this time he had that child with him that knew next to nothing about being in a situation like this and barely had that much control over her powers. Granted this wasn’t his worst complicated situation he had to deal with, but

After waiting a moment for him to continue talking Vanellope stood up on her bed and looked at him worriedly,”Zoro”?

Zoro was snapped out of his thoughts and realized that he hadn’t given her an answer yet so he went with what was in his gut as he leaned back on the bed, staring up at the fabric ceiling of the tent, his arms crossed behind his head. He let out a deep sigh, signaling that he was taking a moment to process everything. This wasn’t like his usual adventures—this time, he had a kid with him, one who was looking to him for guidance. That was a new layer of pressure he wasn’t used to.

“Look, kid,” Zoro finally said, breaking the silence. “I get it. You’ve got a lot of questions, and you’re worried about what’s gonna happen next. But here’s the thing—you don’t need to have everything figured out all at once.”

Vanellope sat cross-legged on her bed, fiddling with the little carved stone golem Alicia had given her. “Yeah, but it’s not like we’ve got a lot of time, you know? What if something bad happens to Luffy while we’re just sitting around waiting for these elves to decide whether they’ll help us?”

Zoro’s expression hardened for a moment at the mention of Luffy, but then he smirked slightly. “Heh, trust me, kid. If there’s one thing I know about Luffy, it’s that he’s too stubborn to go down without a fight. He’s probably out there somewhere causing trouble and making friends like he always does.”

Vanellope looked up, her brows furrowed. “You really think so?”

Zoro nodded. “Yeah, I do. That idiot has a way of surviving the impossible. It’s kinda his thing. But that doesn’t mean we can just sit on our hands. We’ve gotta be ready to move, whether the elves help us or not.”

Vanellope frowned, clearly still uneasy. “But what if we end up going the wrong way? I mean, no offense, Zoro, but… you’re not exactly great with directions.”

Zoro narrowed his eyes at her, his pride clearly stung. “Hey, watch it, kid. I’m plenty good at finding my way—”

“You got lost on a straight path earlier,” Vanellope interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

Zoro grumbled under his breath, clearly annoyed but unable to argue with the truth. “Fine, fine. I’m not a damn navigator, okay? But I’m good at figuring things out. If we have to go it alone, I’ll find a way.”

Vanellope hesitated, looking down at the little golem in her hands. “Still, wouldn’t it be better to at least have a plan? Like, maybe we could ask the elves for a map or something before we leave? That way, even if they don’t wanna help, we won’t be totally clueless.”

Zoro considered her suggestion for a moment, his one visible eye narrowing as he thought it over. “Yeah, a map wouldn’t hurt,” he admitted begrudgingly. “But don’t get your hopes up. These elves are in the middle of a war. They might not have time to play tour guide for a couple of lost humans.”

Vanellope nodded, though she still didn’t seem entirely reassured. “I just… I don’t wanna end up in some place even worse than this. Those goblins were bad enough. What if there’s something out there even scarier?”

Zoro sat up slightly, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked at her. His expression softened just a bit. “Listen, kid. I know this place is dangerous, but you’ve got me, all right? I’ve faced things way scarier than those goblins, and I’m still standing. You just stick close, and I’ll handle whatever comes our way.”

Vanellope offered him a small smile, clearly comforted by his confidence. “Thanks, Zoro. I guess it’s kinda cool having a bodyguard who’s, like, the best swordsman ever.”

Zoro smirked, leaning back again. “Damn right it is.”

The two fell into a more comfortable silence after that, each lost in their own thoughts. Vanellope curled up on the bed, still clutching the little golem, while Zoro closed his eyes, allowing himself to relax for the first time in what felt like hours.

But even as he rested, Zoro couldn’t fully shake the weight of their situation. He wasn’t about to let the kid see it, but the truth was, he didn’t have all the answers. For now, all he could do was hope that the elves’ meeting would bring some clarity—and maybe, just maybe, a little help. ,” We‘ll, just have to cross that bridge when we get there we’ll talk it out and discuss what to do next. Right now, our main focus should be getting rest so that we can prepare for this new journey”, he said encouragingly.

With that he then carefully propped his swords onto the side of his bed and slowly Started to lay down on his back and place his hands behind his head and his usual sleeping position

Vanellope watched Zoro settle into his sleeping position, his movements deliberate and composed as he leaned back with an air of confidence that only someone like him could manage. His hands clasped behind his head, his swords resting neatly at the side of the bed within easy reach. For a brief moment, it was as if nothing in the world could phase him.

She sighed and laid back on her own bed, staring up at the ceiling of the tent, the faint glow of the elven runes casting gentle, swirling patterns above. “Guess you’re right,” she said softly, more to herself than him. “No point stressing over stuff we can’t control. It’s just… I’ve never done anything like this before, you know? It’s kinda scary.”

Zoro cracked one eye open to glance at her. “Scary, huh? Well, that’s how you know it’s worth doing.”

Vanellope turned her head to look at him, raising an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Zoro said, his voice calm but firm, “anything worth doing is gonna scare the hell out of you sometimes. If it didn’t, it wouldn’t be much of an adventure, would it?”

She blinked, considering his words. “I guess you’ve got a point. I mean, look at you. You’re, like, always in crazy situations, and you never seem scared.”

Zoro chuckled softly, the sound deep and low. “That’s where you’re wrong, kid. I’ve been scared plenty of times. But fear doesn’t mean you stop moving forward. It just means you’ve got something worth fighting for.”

Vanellope fell silent at that, his words sinking in as she mulled them over. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but there was something reassuring about the way Zoro talked—like he’d already seen the worst the world had to offer and come out the other side stronger for it.

“Well,” she said finally, snuggling deeper into the plush blanket on her bed, “if you can handle it, I guess I can too.”

Zoro smirked, closing his eyes again. “That’s the spirit. Just stick with me, and you’ll be fine.”

The gentle rustle of the tent fabric and the distant hum of the elves going about their business outside filled the quiet that followed. For the first time since their chaotic arrival in the Dark Lands, a sense of calm seemed to settle over them.

Vanellope yawned, her eyelids growing heavy. “Hey, Zoro?”

“Hm?” he responded without opening his eyes.

“Thanks for, y’know… sticking with me through all this. Even though I’m just a kid.”

Zoro’s smirk softened into something almost resembling a genuine smile. “Don’t mention it, kid. Now get some sleep. Tomorrow’s gonna be another long day.”

“Yeah,” she murmured, her voice already drowsy as sleep began to claim her. “Goodnight, Zoro.”

“Goodnight,” he replied simply, his tone calm and steady, like a rock anchoring her in an unfamiliar world.

As the minutes passed, the tent fell silent save for the quiet breathing of its two occupants. Outside, the elven camp remained vigilant, its guards scanning the horizon and its warriors preparing for whatever lay ahead. But for Zoro and Vanellope, this brief moment of peace was a much-needed reprieve in an otherwise chaotic adventure.

Well………..

That would be…………………if she felt like pushing her curiosity down into her gut and sleeping

But she didn’t

She thought she was tired earlier, but turns out she had a lot more energy than she originally thought she did

Vanellope lay on the bed, staring at the soft glow of the runes etched into the tent fabric. Her body felt still, but her mind buzzed with restless energy. She shifted under the plush green blanket, trying to close her eyes and let sleep take over. But it was no use—she had been out cold earlier when Zoro carried her, and now her energy reserves felt completely replenished.

With a groan, she sat up, her short legs dangling off the side of the bed. “Okay, I guess I’m not as tired as I thought,” she muttered to herself.

She glanced at Zoro, who was lying on his own bed, hands tucked behind his head, snoring softly. His swords rested against the bedframe within easy reach, as if even in sleep, he was ready for anything.

Lucky guy, she thought. He can just doze off like it’s nothing.

Vanellope flopped back onto the bed, kicking her legs in frustration. She could feel her curiosity bubbling up, and with each passing second, it grew harder to suppress. The camp was so quiet now, and the mysterious vibe of the place tugged at her sense of adventure.

Vanellope stared at the tent ceiling for a long moment, the dim glow of the elven runes casting soft shadows that danced like tiny spirits. She twisted under her blanket, her mind too active to succumb to sleep. Despite Zoro’s reassuring words, a persistent knot of curiosity—and maybe a bit of mischief—was coiling in her chest.

She glanced back over at the swordsman. Zoro, true to form, was already out cold, his breathing steady and his expression relaxed. His three swords were neatly propped against the side of his bed, their polished blades catching faint glimmers from the glowing runes.

Vanellope smirked to herself. He probably doesn’t even dream; the guy’s like a sleeping statue.

Her gaze drifted back to the glowing runes etched into the tent walls. There was something about them—an energy she could almost feel. It wasn’t just their beauty or craftsmanship; it was as if they were alive, humming softly, calling out to her.

She sat up quietly, trying not to disturb Zoro. “ Maybe I can go off for a little walk. Get a good look at the place,” she muttered to herself. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, her small feet landing silently on the cool, moss-covered floor.

With a curious tilt of her head, she reached out and touched one of the runes on the wall. A faint warmth pulsed under her fingers, and the rune shimmered brighter for a brief second before returning to its steady glow.

“Whoa…” she whispered, leaning in closer. The intricate design of the rune seemed even more detailed up close, its curves and lines flowing into one another like a living piece of art. “What do you do, little guy?”

She pressed her hand flat against the rune this time, hoping for some kind of reaction. For a moment, nothing happened, and she began to feel a little foolish. But then, a soft ripple of light spread out from the rune, like a pebble dropped into a still pond. The glow illuminated the tent briefly before fading away again.

Vanellope’s eyes widened, her heart racing with excitement. “Okay, now that was cool.”

She glanced over her shoulder at Zoro. Still sleeping. She figured she had at least a little time before he woke up and started grumbling about her “wandering off” or “getting into trouble.”

“Alright, little rune, let’s see what you’re hiding,” she whispered with a grin. She began to inspect the other runes on the walls, running her fingers over them, tapping lightly, and occasionally pressing her ear against the fabric of the tent as if she might hear something.

One rune in particular caught her eye. It was larger than the others and situated just above the entrance to the tent. Its design was more elaborate, with spiraling lines that seemed to radiate outward like the rays of a tiny sun. When she reached up to touch it, a soft vibration hummed beneath her fingertips.

The rune glowed brighter than the rest, and a faint sound—like a distant whisper—filled her ears. She couldn’t make out the words, but the tone was soothing, almost musical. The light pulsed gently, and for a moment, she felt a strange sense of calm wash over her.

“Okay, this is officially the coolest thing ever,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

She sat up again, her mind made up. “Well, I guess a little walk around won’t hurt,” she whispered to herself. “I’m a big kid. I can handle this.”

With a careful glance toward Zoro, Vanellope tiptoed toward the back of the tent, where the fabric wasn’t tightly secured. She slipped through the gap as quietly as she could, holding her breath as she made her escape. Once outside, she straightened up and took in her surroundings.

The camp was bathed in moonlight, the soft glow from the magical runes on the tents adding an ethereal touch to the scene. It felt peaceful and almost otherworldly, and Vanellope couldn’t help but grin. Now this is more like it.

She wandered toward the massive tree at the center of the camp, its colossal branches looming over everything like a protective canopy. The closer she got, the more details she noticed—the intricate carvings on the tree’s base, the faint hum of magic in the air. She reached out to touch the bark, her small fingers brushing against its cool surface.

“Whoa,” she breathed. “This place is like something out of a fairy tale.”

Vanellope continued her exploration, moving past the forge. The tools were neatly arranged on a workbench, and a few unfinished weapons lay nearby. She picked up a small dagger, its blade shimmering faintly with magical energy.

“Cool,” she said, holding it up to examine it. “Bet this could take down one of those ugly goblins.”

After a moment, she carefully set the dagger back in its place and wandered toward the shimmering pond she had noticed earlier. Up close, it was even more mesmerizing, with molten streaks of gold and crimson swirling beneath the surface. She crouched by the edge, staring into the glowing depths.

“Okay, this is officially the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” she said to herself, her reflection distorted by the magical water.

The camp remained quiet, with no elves in sight. Vanellope stood up, brushing off her hands, and decided to explore further. She passed rows of tents, each one crafted with the same care and precision as the one she and Zoro were staying in. But there were no signs of life—no elves performing tasks or standing guard.

“Where is everybody?” she wondered aloud, a hint of unease creeping into her voice.

Despite the eeriness, her curiosity drove her forward. She was determined to see as much of the camp as she could before anyone noticed she was gone. After all, it wasn’t every day she found herself in a magical elf war camp.

And she was still weighing on whether or not she wanted to be the last or not.

Vanellope wandered through the camp, her small steps echoing faintly against the quiet backdrop of the night. The camp, though sparsely populated at the moment, felt alive with its unique charm and peculiarities. Even if she didn’t quite understand everything she saw, she was determined to make sense of it in her own way.

She passed by the large forge again, the residual heat still emanating faintly from the coals. “Alright, I’m calling this place the Fire Pit of Awesomeness,” she declared with a grin, gesturing dramatically to the racks of weapons and the glowing embers. “I bet they make the coolest stabby-stabby things here.”

Next, she found herself in a small clearing with several wooden racks holding what looked like scrolls and maps. There were a few strange glowing stones scattered around, pulsating softly with a greenish light. She picked up one of the scrolls, squinting at the elven runes.

“Hmm… let’s see,” she said, holding the scroll up like a treasure map. “This must be the Elven Brainiac Zone. Probably where they come up with all their super genius plans to fight off those ugly goblins. Smarties gotta be somewhere, right?”

Continuing her journey, she spotted a fenced-off area with a few peculiar tools lying about—nets, wooden traps, and devices she couldn’t even begin to identify. “Ooooh, what’s this? Some kind of… Goblin Catcher Workshop? Yeah, that sounds about right. If they’ve got traps, they’ve gotta be catching something.”

The silence in the camp didn’t bother her too much; she figured the elves were probably off doing important elfy things. Still, it was a little weird not seeing anyone at all. Even the towering tree at the camp’s center, which she had marveled at earlier, felt eerily deserted. She stopped beneath its enormous branches, looking up at the platforms overhead.

“Okay, tree, you’re officially The Big Tall Looky Place. You’re welcome,” she said, giving it a mock salute before moving on.

As she ventured farther, Vanellope came across an area where large stones were arranged in a circle. Each stone had intricate carvings glowing faintly with runes, similar to the ones on the tents. She tilted her head, inspecting the area.

“Huh… I’m calling this the Stone Huddle of Mystery,” she decided, walking around the stones and running her hands along the carvings. “Bet it’s some kind of super-secret elf hangout. Or maybe it’s where they play rock-paper-scissors, elf-style.”

Despite her amusement, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. The camp was just too still, and her overactive imagination started to fill the silence with thoughts of goblins creeping through the shadows.

“Nah,” she said, shaking her head and puffing out her chest. “I’m way too fast for those guys. They wouldn’t even get close.”

Feeling a little braver, she wandered to the edge of the camp, where a series of peculiar artifacts were laid out on wooden tables. Some were glowing faintly, others looked ancient, and a few were outright bizarre—like a helmet with what seemed to be feathers sprouting from it.

“Alright, this is definitely The Table of Weird Stuff,” she declared, reaching out to touch one of the glowing artifacts. The moment her fingers grazed its surface, a faint hum filled the air, and the glow brightened.

“Whoa! Okay, okay, maybe I shouldn’t touch stuff,” she said, quickly pulling her hand back. “But that was kinda cool.”

Even though she was having fun naming everything and exploring, Vanellope still couldn’t help but feel like she was the only one in the camp. She put her hands on her hips, scanning the area.

“Seriously, where is everybody?” she muttered. “This place is like a ghost town. Are they all hiding or something?”

Her voice echoed faintly, and she paused, glancing around nervously. She wasn’t scared—well, maybe just a tiny bit—but the quiet was starting to feel unnatural. Still, her curiosity hadn’t run out yet, and she wasn’t quite ready to go back to the tent.

“Guess I’ll just keep exploring until I figure it out,” she said, her determination renewed. “I’m not afraid of a little quiet.” With that, she continued her journey through the enigmatic, deserted camp, naming everything she saw and trying to piece together what kind of world she had wandered into.

As vanellope continued exploring the camp suddenly she came across would look to be a massive tent towards the center of the camp

That must be where everyone else is

Letting her curiosity get the best of Hershey quickly made her way over to the giant tent

However, as she got closer, she could hear some commotion from inside the tent

Though she was curious, she wasn’t sure if she should just walked inside the tent and interrupt whatever they were talking about.

The last thing she wanted to do was cause trouble for Zoro or any of the elves here by being guest that would invade the others privacy

Through on the other hand, a large part of her still wanted to know what they were talking about and just couldn’t help but want to check out where this could go

Vanellope carefully crept closer to the large central tent, her tiny frame making it easy to stay out of sight. Her curiosity had taken over entirely, and she couldn’t resist the temptation to find out what the elves were discussing. She tiptoed around the tent’s perimeter until she spotted a small, worn hole in the fabric, just large enough for her to peek through.

But before she could place her eyes through the hole, Vanellope hesitated for a moment, standing outside the massive tent that seemed to hum with tension and purpose. Her small hand brushed against the fabric, her heart racing as she debated what to do. Do I sneak a peek, or do I play it safe? The little girl’s insatiable curiosity won out, and her sharp eyes caught sight of a worn patch near the top of the tent—a perfect spy hole.

“Just one peek,” she whispered to herself, crouching low and scrambling up to the vantage point with the nimbleness of a cat. She pressed her eye to the hole and peered inside.

Only to find all of the elves that she have met were all standing around a circular table with a map chart of what look to be the entire dark lands area and specific locations charted down.

It looked as if they were strategically planning something, though she had to get a better listen to hear what they were saying.

As she pressed her eye to the hole, she saw all the elves she’d met earlier standing around a circular table. A large map was spread out across it, depicting what appeared to be the entirety of the Dark Lands. Several locations were marked with symbols, some encircled or crossed out. The elves seemed engrossed in their discussion, their expressions serious and their voices hushed but firm.

Vanellope strained her ears to catch what they were saying.

“…The goblins are becoming more aggressive,” said Ruven, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. “It’s only a matter of time before they figure out where we are.”

“Which is why we need to strike first,” replied Bellas, her tone sharp and urgent. “If we wait too long, we’ll be the ones cornered.”

Elrohir shook his head, his voice calm but resolute. “We don’t have the resources for a direct attack. Our forces are already stretched thin, and any reckless move could cost us everything.”

Alicia, hearing all this couldn’t help but point out something,” well actually that’s not fully true in the last few weeks of my patrols I’ve noticed a recent decrease of goblin activity not just the dry bones don’t seem to be making much of an appearance either”.

Jacob then thought about it for a moment before giving me his opinion on it,” well maybe they’re moving at different times then when we do our patrols, that’s probably why we haven’t seen them”.

“But how can that be? I’ve changed my patrol schedule five times the last two weeks and I’ve still seen a lack of them anywhere”, she said in response,” hell the three goblins I killed today were the most I’ve seen in days”.

Bellas hearing this couldn’t help but chime in about that,” do you think they might be scared to face our forces now or that maybe they’re trying their best to avoid us”?

Before Alicia can answer, Ruven spoke up,” highly doubtful, though our attacks are strategic and well placed. They’ve hardly done enough damage to hold off any of their operations. If anything, it amazes me how they wouldn’t be motivated to target us sooner”.

Alicia soaking this in, cross her arms and stroked her chin gently thinking this over.

Definitely planning something there was no question about that, but there was no way they could get answers for it now.

It was clear that the enemy was probably preparing to make some sort of move had no idea when and how it was going to happen.

And there was nothing that the elves could really do much about it, other than mainly sitting around toileting, their thumbs, and go on with their daily patrols.

It’s not like they could head straight to their headquarters and launch a full on assault enemy has way too many forces on them. They’d be wiped off the battlefield before long.

That fact goes, especially when there are hordes of dry bones and goblins.

They would quite literally be torn apart them from them before they would even get the chance to do any damage.

Vanellope leaned in closer, her heart racing as she tried to process their words.

Wait, was this all about what’s going on in the dark lands now?

Was all this weird stuff that they were talking about meeting something that she just couldn’t understand?

What’s gonna happen to them moving forward?

So many questions ran through her ears, but unfortunately, she didn’t have anyone to answer them. All she could do is listen and watch.

Before either, Alicia could think further on this and Vanellope could ask more questions about the situation, suddenly, the flap of the tent opened, and Orrian, the leader of the group, stepped inside. His presence immediately silenced the others, and all eyes turned to him. His usually composed demeanor was shadowed by a heavy frown, and the air in the tent grew tense.

The sight before her was something out of a fantasy strategy game. All the elves she had met earlier were gathered around a large circular table, their faces grim and tense. A map stretched out before them depicted the entirety of the Dark Lands, marked with numerous red and blue pins. Runes glowed faintly on the edges of the parchment, pulsing like a heartbeat. Weapons and other artifacts were scattered around the room, and the air was thick with an unspoken dread.

Vanellope squinted, trying to focus on the leader of the group—Orrian, that’s his name!—as he strode purposefully into the room. His usual stern demeanor was even darker now, his face set with a heavy seriousness that made her stomach twist. All eyes turned to him as he approached the table.

Everyone has to be quiet while they waited for him to announce why they were brought here.

Orrian began speaking, his voice low and burdened with the weight of terrible news. “The Penguin Kingdom… has fallen.”

Gasps rippled through the room, followed by murmurs of disbelief. Alicia, standing near the edge of the group, clenched her fists tightly, her jaw set in frustration.

“How?” Khilseith demanded, his voice sharp with anger. “We had sent reinforcements weeks ago. How could they have been overrun so quickly?”

Orrian’s gaze dropped to the map, his hands braced on the table. “It wasn’t just an ordinary attack. Bular’s forces unfortunately arrive there much earlier than anticipated . By the time reinforcements arrived, it was already too late. The kingdom has been reduced to ruins and the enemy was gone.”

Khilseith slammed his fist against the table in response,, causing the map to jolt. “ they showed up early? That means…” Their voice trailed off as realization set in.

“Yes,” Orrian confirmed, his voice somber. “The last piece of Killerhead Bridge has been found. Bular’s army now has all the components they need to complete the bridge.”

Alicia’s face paled. “Then they’re heading for the Mushroom Kingdom next.”

Orrian nodded gravely. “Exactly. Once the bridge is restored, the Dark Lands will no longer contain them. They will unleash their full might upon the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. If that happens… there will be no stopping them.”

Elrohir then added,”And once the bridge is activated, and they have the ability to cross over to other worlds, the magic of the bridge will release them of their curse of the sun, rendering them almost entirely indestructible and invulnerable”, his demeanor soon began to darken as the horrifying realization filled the room,” they’ll be able to conquer and decimate other worlds with ease without having to worry about their vulnerability of sun, allowing them to roll over the entire universe”.

Vanellope’s eyes widened as she listened.

Terrified of what she just heard………..

The tension in the room was palpable, the urgency pressing down on everyone like a heavy weight. She clutched the edge of the tent hole, her heart racing as she tried to make sense of what she was hearing. A bridge? The Mushroom Kingdom? This Bular guy sounds like big trouble.

She didn’t exactly know what kind of enemy these elves were up against, but if they were as powerful as they were saying, they were then if they had the ability to come to other worlds and if they accidentally show up at their world and came to East blue…….

Oh god…………

Millions would be slaughtered before a single marine or Navy or even emperor pirate would bother to intervene.

spoke up. “We need to act now. If Bular’s forces are mobilizing, we can’t afford to wait. The rebellion must strike before the bridge is completed.”

Orrian’s expression darkened further. “Our forces are already stretched thin. The Penguin Kingdom was was one of our crucial allies, and with their fall, we’ve lost a crucial supply line and reinforcements”.

Bellas then spoke up though it was clear that she was trembling,”W-well maybe we should think about all of this for a second”.

Khilseith then looked at her and snapped,” Think about what short stack?! What is there to think about?! We’ve lost! None of the kingdoms could stop him from getting that bridge completed and now he’s got what he needs to take over the entire fucking world”!

Bellas Flintstone a little bit which Alicia noticed before she suddenly stared daggers at Khilseith,” HEY! Lay off of her she’s just asking a question and it’s not as if we are completely out of options”.

But the dark elf wasn’t finished yet,”What other options could be possibly have in that situation?! There’s nothing that any of our weapons could do so much a scratch those monsters! Hell we could barely take on the hoards of goblins and dry bones here in this god forsaken wasteland”!

Despite his outburst, they all kinda knew he wasn’t wrong. This situation had gotten a lot worse than they thought. It's pretty much confirmed that they had lost the battle against the trolls and they didn’t even get the chance to fight it yet.

There was an awkward, dreadful silence hung among the rebellion members no one knowing what to say.

well, that wasn’t untilJacob Elfington, the goofy yet earnest member of the group, was the first to break the silence. His voice wavered slightly as he adjusted his crooked spectacles. “So… what’s the plan now? I mean, if Bular found the last piece of the bridge, what’s the point of us staying here anymore?”

Orrian let out a deep sigh but didn’t immediately respond, his gaze fixed on the map.

Khilseith Sharie, the sharp-tongued mage of the group, crossed his arms and scoffed. “It’s a valid question, isn’t it? The logical thing would be to pack up, regroup with the fleet, and join the council meeting on Kong Island. Or does the great Orrian have some secret master plan he hasn’t shared with the rest of us?”

Alicia shot a glare at Khilseith. “Cut it out, Khilseith. Let him speak.”

Orrian raised a hand to silence the brewing argument. “The allied kingdoms are indeed gathering on Kong Island for a council meeting to decide whether or not to retaliate. The Elf Kingdom has already dispatched its representatives and troops to join the discussion.”

“Well, that’s good,” Bellas Crabella chimed in, her voice hopeful. “So we’ll head there too, right? We can make our way over with the rest of the fleet.”

But as soon as Bellas spoke, she noticed Orrian’s demeanor shift. His expression darkened, and the weight of his silence made the air in the tent feel heavier.

“We can do that… right?” Bellas asked, her voice quieter now.

Orrian took a deep breath before finally responding. “No. We won’t be heading to Kong Island.”

The tent erupted into a cacophony of voices.

“Wait, what?” Jacob nearly tripped over himself in his surprise. “But why not? Isn’t that where we’re needed?”

“This better not be another one of your ‘strategic’ calls, Orrian,” Khilseith said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “We’ve barely managed to survive out here, and now you want to—what? Keep us in this wasteland?”

Alicia furrowed her brow. “Orrian, what’s going on? Why wouldn’t we regroup with the fleet? What are we still doing here?”

Orrian’s voice was calm but firm as he answered. “Because the kingdom has ordered us to stay.”

“What?!” Ruven Ilikian, typically the cool-headed one of the group, couldn’t hide his frustration. “Stay? For what possible reason?”

Orrian clenched his jaw, his knuckles tightening against the edge of the table. “Our orders are to continue our mission here in the Dark Lands and prepare to launch a full-scale attack on Bular’s base.”

The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the faint rustle of the tent fabric in the wind.

Jacob’s voice cracked as he stammered, “B-Bekuzar’s base? You mean the one that’s swarming with Dry Bones and goblins? That base?”

“Yes,” Orrian confirmed grimly.

“Are they out of their damned minds?” Khilseith exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “We’re six people. Six! Against hordes of undead and goblins? I know the kingdom likes a good underdog story, but this is ridiculous.”

Bellas placed a hand over her heart, her face pale. “But… that base is a fortress. How are we supposed to even get close, let alone take it down?”

Ruven tried to keep his composure, though a faint tremor crept into his voice. “Why? What could possibly justify this? We’re talking about a suicide mission.”

Orrian’s gaze didn’t waver as he explained. “The kingdom believes that cutting off Bular’s forces here will delay his next move. They think we can cripple his supply lines and scatter his forces enough to buy time for the other kingdoms to mobilize.”

“That’s insane,” Alicia said, her voice rising. “Orrian, we’re too few. Even with the camp’s full strength, we’d barely put a dent in their numbers. And what happens when they retaliate? This isn’t a delay tactic; it’s a death sentence. Those things will rip us apart before we even step foot the castle a bad idea.”

Jacob nodded frantically. “Alicia’s right! We don’t stand a chance. They’ve got Dry Bones! Those things don’t even stay down when you kill them!”

Ruven stepped closer to Orrian, his tone sharp but measured. “Have you even considered the logistics of this? The kingdom is asking us to take on an impossible task. Did you even try to argue against it?”

Orrian’s voice dropped, heavy with the burden of his decision. “Do you think I don’t know that? Do you think I didn’t fight back when I received the orders? This wasn’t my call to make. It came from the kingdom itself.”

“That doesn’t make it right!” Khilseith shot back. “Orrian, you’re supposed to lead us, not blindly follow orders that will get us killed!”

Orrian’s glare silenced Khilseith. “I am leading you. And if we’re going to survive this, we’ll need to work together instead of arguing like children. We just need to figure out a plan that could get us past their forces and shut this entire operation down”

” HOW! How the hell are we supposed to do that?! It’s only six of us and I doubt my magic is strong enough to hold off those kinds of forces at least not without completely exhausting myself! And last I checked, YOU YOURSELF SAID THAT IT WAS A STUPID IDEA TO TAKE AN UPFRONT OFFENSIVE ATTACK AGAINST THE ENEMY, RATHER WE USE THE SHADOWS TO OUR ADVANTAGE SO THAT THEY WOULDN’T WIPE US OFF THE BATTLEFIELD!“The dark elf angrily argued back.

The room fell silent as the weight of Khilseith’s words sank in. Each member of the group seemed to retreat into their own thoughts, grappling with the grim reality of their situation.

Especially when he voices it the way that it is in such a harsh but realistic way.

Though they didn’t disagree, it kind of brought any chance of motivating them down because of how hopeless he made their situation feel like.

It was as if you were saying you had no chance whatsoever of taking this enemy on

Bellas finally spoke, her voice trembling. “What… what happens if we fail?”

“We don’t have the luxury of failure,” Orrian said simply. “We’ll plan. We’ll strategize. And we’ll fight like our lives depend on it—because they do. Don’t you see guys? We don’t have any other choice we have to complete this mission otherwise bular will have his full arm at his disposal and take over the entire world.”

Vanellope’s heart sank as she continued listening to the conversation inside the tent.

“Well?” Ruven pressed, his normally calm demeanor showing cracks of frustration. “Why don’t we just regroup with the others and come back with reinforcements? At least then we’d stand a chance.”

The elves’ leader, Orrian, stood in heavy silence for a moment after one of the others—Ruven, she thought—suggested going back to the kingdom for reinforcements.

Orrian’s shoulders stiffened, and he glanced down at the map. The silence was almost deafening.

“Oh no,” Bellas muttered, her face paling. “They’re not sending reinforcements, are they?”

Orrian sighed deeply, his voice quieter than before. “No… they’re not.”

Khilseith didn’t even have to get angry for this part. Alicia beat him right to the punch literally.

Alicia slammed her fist on the table, her eyes blazing with fury. “You’ve got to be kidding me! They’re seriously leaving us out here to deal with this on our own? They can’t expect us to take on an entire fortress with just six people!”

Ruven’s jaw tightened as he crossed his arms. “So they expect us to die out here with no support on a whim? That’s the plan?”

Jacob, who had been nervously fidgeting with a dagger, froze in place. “D-die? W-we’re not gonna d-die, right?” His voice cracked as he glanced at Orrian, desperate for reassurance.

Bellas placed a hand on Jacob’s shoulder to steady him, though she looked equally shaken. “This… this can’t be their final decision. Maybe if we—”

“They’ve made their decision,” Orrian interrupted sharply, though his tone lacked the usual authority. He sounded tired, defeated even. “The kingdom has no spare forces to send. Every soldier is either heading to Kong Island or fortifying defenses against Bular’s advance. They can’t risk taking forces from either one of the sides”, his demeanor and tone begin to lower as he finished off his sentence his voice barely above a whisper,” he’re on our own for this one”.

Khilseith sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm and bitterness. “Oh, of course. Send us to do the dirty work while the real soldiers get to sit in their fortified castles, no there asses and argue politics over tea and biscuits. FUCKING Typical!”

“Khilseith, that’s enough,” Orrian said, though his voice lacked its usual sharpness.

“No, it’s not enough!” Khilseith snapped, stepping closer to Orrian. “Do you even realize what you’re asking of us?! Six people—six, Orrian—against a fortress filled with goblins, Dry Bones, and whatever other monstrosities Bular has at his disposal! Even if we somehow manage to survive, what then?! Are we supposed to walk to Kong Island afterward and pretend everything’s fine?! The goblin destroyed our means we never survive with these things swarming around this place!”

“Khilseith—” Alicia started, but Khilseith cut her off.

“No, Alicia, let him answer! What’s the real plan, Orrian?! Or are we just pawns to be sacrificed for the kingdom’s convenience?! or maybe tell me how you could possibly agree with this shit?!”

Orrian then took a deep breath, his face a mask of weariness. “I’m not saying I agree with them,” he began, his voice low but steady. “But the kingdom has its reasons for making this decision.”

“Reasons?!” Alicia snapped, slamming her hands on the table. “What possible reason could justify throwing us to the wolves like this?”

Orrian didn’t flinch, though he looked even more tired as he answered. “Because this isn’t just about the Dark Lands or even the rebellion. The kingdom believes this mission is critical to the larger war effort. If we can take out this fortress—cripple Bular’s forces here—it will slow their advance significantly.”

“Slow their advance?!” Khilseith interjected, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, brilliant. Let’s sacrifice six elves and two humans for the possibility of buying the kingdom a few extra days. Do you have any idea how many of those monsters are out there? We might as well just be an appetizer for those devils.”

“It’s not just about time,” Orrian said sharply, cutting him off. He straightened, his voice gaining more authority as he continued. “This fortress is a key supply hub for Bular’s army. It’s where they’re stockpiling weapons, provisions, and reinforcements. If we destroy it, we don’t just slow them down—we weaken them. Severely.”

Ruven frowned, his analytical mind working quickly. “Even if that’s true, how do they expect us to do this with so few people? Surely they know the odds.”

“They do,” Orrian admitted, his gaze falling to the map. “But they also know we’re their only few options that they haven’t tried yet. The rest of the kingdom’s forces are either tied up defending our borders or preparing for the council meeting on Kong Island. There’s no one else they can spare.”

Bellas looked hesitant as she spoke up, her voice trembling slightly. “But… isn’t that a gamble? If we fail, they lose us and the chance to take out the fortress.”

Orrian nodded grimly. “It is a gamble. But from their perspective, it’s one worth taking. If we succeed, the blow to Bular’s forces will be devastating. And if we fail…” He paused, his jaw tightening. “Then at least we’ll have tried. And what if they try to get information out of us? Then they’ll know our kingdoms plans.”

Jacob, who had been quiet for most of the conversation, suddenly blurted out, “A-and why us? Why not someone else? There must be other groups closer to the Dark Lands, right?”

“Because we’re here,” Orrian said simply. “We’re already in position. Sending another group would take too long, and by then, the fortress will be reinforced even further. The kingdom is counting on us to act now, while they’re busy preparing for the next half of this war.”

Khilseith crossed his arms, his expression dark. “So, let me get this straight. The kingdom expects us to pull off a near-impossible mission with no backup, no resources, and two humans we’re somehow supposed to keep alive during all of this? Am I missing anything?”

“Only that failure isn’t an option,” Orrian replied evenly, meeting Khilseith’s glare head-on.

“Of course it isn’t,” Khilseith muttered, shaking his head. “Typical. They send us to do the impossible, and when it all falls apart, they’ll wash their hands of us and say we were expendable. and look at you acting as their little fucking dog!”

Orrian’s expression darkened, and he locked eyes with Khilseith, his tone low and steady. “You think I don’t know what they’re asking of us?! You think I haven’t spent every moment since we got these orders questioning how we’re supposed to pull this off?! But we’re here now! This is our mission! If we abandon it, the kingdom loses valuable time, and Bular gains the upper hand!”

“He already has the upper hand he completed the bridge and has the trolls the Coopers and the Kremlin’s working together! It’s a loose loose situation”!, The dark elf snapped back.

“So we’re supposed to just… die for time?” Bellas asked softly, her voice trembling.

“No,” Orrian said firmly. “We’re supposed to fight for time. And if that means risking everything, then so be it. That’s what we signed up for when we joined the rebellion. for fuck sake guys this is what we signed up for that’s the whole point of joining a rebellion. To go out and fight and or die for a cause that was bigger than ourselves we can’t act surprised now we’re just now getting moments like this. That’s what the whole world is about sacrifice fighting dying for something better for the people who deserve it. We can’t be surprised now that we’ve come to this point”.

Outside the tent, Vanellope listened in stunned silence, her small hands trembling as she clung to the worn hole in the fabric. Vanellope crouched in the shadows, her tiny fingers gripping the edge of the worn fabric of the tent as she tried to steady her breathing

. The weight of what she’d overheard pressed heavily on her chest, her mind racing to make sense of it all. She barely understood half of what they were saying, but one thing was clear: these elves were in just as much trouble as she and Zoro were. They were outnumbered. Outmatched. And now, thanks to her and Zoro, the stakes had risen even higher. It wasn’t just the elves’ lives at risk anymore—it was theirs, too.

She leaned back, resting her small back against the cool bark of a nearby tree. “This is bad,” she whispered to herself, her voice trembling. “This is really, really bad.”

Her thoughts began to spiral. They had barely escaped the goblins earlier. If hordes of dry bones and goblins were waiting at that fortress, how could six elves and two outsiders hope to survive?

Zoro might be the strongest person she’d ever met, but even he wasn’t invincible. And she? She was just a kid—scrappy, sure, but nowhere near strong enough to take on armies.

What could she do?

She didn’t know how much her glitches would help against an army of goblins and dry bones.

But as fear clawed at her, another thought pushed through: They’re doing this anyway. Despite the odds, despite the lack of reinforcements, the elves were still planning to carry out their mission. They didn’t whine about how unfair it was, didn’t even seriously question whether they should follow their orders. They were doing it because it was their duty. Because they believed it mattered.

These elves had something she didn’t: experience. They’d been fighting in this war long before she and Zoro ever showed up.

Her fingers brushed against the charm Alicia had given her earlier. She pulled it out, staring at the small stone golem with the glowing elven rune carved into its chest. It was supposed to bring good luck, but it didn’t feel like it was enough.

Her thoughts flicked back to Zoro. He was tough, no doubt about it, but he wasn’t exactly a strategist. And let’s face it—he couldn’t find his way out of a paper bag, let alone navigate a battlefield without help.

The elves, They were clearly good at what they did, but they didn’t know how they were going to get through this hell hole alive. They didn’t know what she could do.

Her heart pounded as she realized the stakes of their situation. These people weren’t just fighting a war; they were on the brink of annihilation.

And she and Zoro were caught right in the middle of it.

Just as she was about to climb down and maybe go back to Zorro to tell him what she had over her, Vanellope suddenly squinted into the distance, her focus snapping away from the tense conversation in the tent. At first, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her—a fiery ball glowing brightly in the pitch-black horizon.

It pulsed with a strange, almost hypnotic light, flickering like a star fallen from the heavens. But the more she watched, the clearer it became that this was no ordinary celestial phenomenon.

The ball wasn’t just glowing—it was moving.

Fast.

Her heart skipped a beat as she realized it wasn’t alone. Behind it, dozens—no, an entire barrage of similar fiery orbs—were streaking through the sky in perfect formation, their fiery tails leaving trails of smoke and ash in the air. They weren’t descending gently like falling stars; they were hurtling toward the camp with deadly precision.

“Oh no…” she whispered, her voice barely audible as panic tightened in her chest.

She pressed herself closer to the side of the tent, her small hands clutching at the fabric. Her mind raced, struggling to process what she was seeing. Were those… meteors? No, they were too controlled, too deliberate in their trajectory. They looked alive, as if some malevolent force was guiding them straight toward the camp.

“Those aren’t stars,” she murmured to herself, her voice trembling as she then quickly realize what those objects really were. “Oh no… those are—those are fireballs! They’re being launched at us!”

Her stomach churned as she followed the arc of the fiery projectiles. They weren’t just random; they were targeted.

Vanellope’s eyes darted toward the horizon, searching desperately for the source. There! In the far distance, just barely visible against the darkened landscape, she spotted a faint, flickering glow. It wasn’t just the fireballs illuminating the area—it was something even larger, something massive, almost like a siege weapon. Her heart sank further.

Catapults. Or worse—some magical, living artillery.

Whatever they were, they had multiple of them and they were aimed right at the hideout.

And being launched with no restraint or regard for any lives inside

She looked back at the barrage, watching as the fiery orbs grew closer, their intense heat already shimmering in the air. They moved with terrifying speed, lighting up the wasteland as they streaked overhead. The closer they came, the louder the ominous whooshing sound grew, filling the air like the roar of an oncoming storm.

Vanellope’s pulse quickened as she realized how close the first fireball was to hitting the camp. She spun on her heels, her tiny feet skidding on the dirt as she bolted toward the tent. “They’ve got to know!” she muttered, her voice frantic.

The conversation inside the tent was still raging, their voices filled with tension and frustration. But Vanellope didn’t have time to wait for them to finish. She burst through the flap of the tent, her face pale and her breath coming in panicked gasps.

“GUYS!” she shouted, her voice cutting through the heated argument like a knife.

The elves all turned to her in stunned silence, their expressions a mix of confusion and alarm.

“Vanellope? What are you doing—” Alicia began, but the panic in Vanellope’s eyes stopped her mid-sentence.

“There’s something coming!” Vanellope blurted out, pointing toward the direction of the fireballs. “Big, fiery things! A whole bunch of them, and they’re heading straight for the camp!”

The elves froze for a moment, exchanging looks of disbelief before Ruven bolted toward the tent’s entrance. He yanked the flap aside and looked out into the night.

His sharp elven eyes widened in horror. “By the gods… she’s right.”

The others scrambled to join him, their gazes snapping toward the fiery barrage rapidly closing the distance. The air outside crackled with heat as the fireballs streaked closer, illuminating the camp in a flickering orange glow.

“What the hell are those?!” Khilseith demanded, his voice tinged with both shock and anger.

“Siege fire,” Ruven said grimly, his jaw tightening. “Launched from enemy catapults—or worse, magical artillery.”

“Get everyone up!” Orrian barked, his voice sharp and commanding. “Sound the alarm! Move, now!”

The camp erupted into chaos as the elves leaped into action, their argument forgotten in the face of the impending attack. Bellas scrambled toward a nearby bell, ringing it frantically to alert the rest of the camp. Alicia grabbed her bow and slung a quiver of arrows over her shoulder, her eyes scanning the sky for the incoming threat.

Vanellope stood frozen in the chaos, her small frame trembling as she watched the elves rush to defend their camp. She had warned them, but now that the fireballs were almost upon them, she couldn’t shake the feeling of helplessness.

“Vanellope!” Alicia’s voice snapped her out of her daze. The elf knelt down in front of her, gripping her shoulders tightly. “Get back to your tent and stay there! Do not come out until I tell you it’s safe, understand?”

Vanellope nodded, her eyes wide with fear. “But what about you guys? What if—”

“We’ll handle it,” Alicia said firmly, cutting her off. “Just stay safe, okay?”

Before Vanellope could respond, Alicia was gone, sprinting toward the outer edge of the camp to join the others. The first fireball crashed into the ground just outside the camp, exploding in a blinding flash of light and heat. The force of the blast shook the earth, sending waves of scorching air rippling through the camp.

Vanellope stumbled backward, her hands flying up to shield her face from the heat. She turned and ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her heart pounding in her chest. As the fireballs rained down around her, the camp descended into a frenzied battle for survival.

The first fireball exploded with a deafening BOOM, the shockwave shaking the very ground beneath the camp. The elves, already scrambling to respond, were momentarily thrown off balance. Flames erupted in the distance, casting flickering shadows across the camp as the fireballs continued their deadly descent.

“EVERYBODY GET DOWN!” Orrian roared, his voice cutting through the chaos. He dove to the ground, pulling Bellas down with him just as another fireball tore through the air and smashed into a storage tent. The explosion sent wooden crates and shards of debris flying in every direction, igniting smaller fires that began to spread rapidly.

Vanellope instinctively hit the ground, pressing her tiny body flat against the dirt. Her heart thundered in her chest as she clamped her hands over her ears, the roar of fire and the panicked shouts of the elves blending into a cacophony of chaos.

Alicia scrambled to her feet, drawing her bow with practiced precision. Her sharp eyes scanned the horizon, trying to locate the source of the attack. “Khilseith! Can you see anything?!”

Khilseith, crouched behind a stack of barrels, peered out toward the fiery barrage. His glowing eyes narrowed, his voice laced with urgency. “It’s coming from the east! The trajectory—it’s definitely siege fire! There’s got to be at least three launchers out there!”

“Three?! We don’t have the manpower to take that on!” Ruven shouted as he ducked behind the large central tree, narrowly avoiding a stray piece of flaming debris.

Orrian’s voice was steady but commanding as he barked orders. “Bellas, get to the well and start putting out those fires! Ruven, help her! Jacob, grab the spare weapons and start distributing them—everyone needs to be armed!”

“What about the Dry Bones?! If this is a siege, they’ll be sending ground forces in next!” Jacob shouted, his face pale as he frantically gathered supplies.

“Then we deal with them when they show up!” Orrian snapped. “For now, we survive this attack! MOVE!”

Vanellope pressed herself tighter to the ground, her mind racing. She couldn’t stay here, not with fire raining from the sky. She thought of Zoro, still asleep in the tent, completely oblivious to the chaos erupting around them.

She wanted to run back to him, to shake him awake and tell him what was happening. But her small legs were frozen in place, her body trembling as she stared at the explosions lighting up the camp.

Another fireball crashed into the ground just a few feet away, sending a plume of dirt and fire into the air. The blast knocked Vanellope onto her side, her ears ringing as the world spun around her.

“Get up, kid! MOVE!” Alicia’s voice cut through her daze as the elf sprinted toward her. Alicia grabbed Vanellope by the arm and yanked her to her feet, practically dragging her toward a cluster of barrels for cover.

Vanellope stumbled along, her eyes wide with fear. “Z-Zoro… he’s still asleep!”

“I’ll take care of him later! Right now, you need to stay out of the open!” Alicia said firmly, shoving Vanellope behind the barrels.

Vanellope crouched low, clutching the charm Alicia had given her earlier as if it were her lifeline. The fireballs kept coming, each impact shaking the camp to its core. The heat was suffocating, the air thick with smoke and ash.

Despite the chaos, Orrian’s voice rang out above it all, directing the elves with precision. “Khilseith, get those shields up! Jacob, reinforce the southern perimeter! Alicia, cover the northern side!”

Vanellope watched as the elves worked together, their movements swift and coordinated despite the overwhelming odds. It was like watching a well-oiled machine in action, each of them playing their part to keep the camp from falling apart.

She clenched her fists, her small body trembling with fear and frustration. She wanted to help, but what could she do? She was just a kid—a kid who could glitch, sure, but what good would that do against a rain of fire and an army of monsters?

As the explosions continued, Vanellope’s gaze shifted toward the tent where Zoro was still sleeping soundly. Her heart twisted in her chest. She had to do something. She couldn’t just sit here and wait for the camp to be destroyed.

But what? What could she possibly do?

Jacob scrambled up one of the wooden watchtowers near the edge of the camp, his heart pounding in his chest. The structure wobbled slightly under his weight, but he managed to stabilize himself as he reached the top. Pulling a small spyglass from his belt, he scanned the horizon, his hands trembling as he adjusted the lens.

The horizon glowed faintly with the orange light of the fireballs still streaking through the sky. At first, he couldn’t see much beyond the hazy, smoky distance, but then—there it was. His breath caught in his throat as the figures came into focus.

“Oh no…” he whispered, his voice trembling.

Through the spyglass, he saw them: a massive horde of goblins and Dry Bones, their skeletal frames glowing faintly in the dim light, their grotesque forms marching in perfect unison. The horde stretched as far as the eye could see, an unending wave of terror. At the forefront of the group was a towering figure, a goblin unlike any Jacob had ever seen before.

The goblin champion was an enormous brute, easily twice the size of the others. His green skin glistened with war paint and battle scars, and his jagged armor looked as though it had been pieced together from the bones of his enemies. In one hand, he wielded a massive club, its spiked surface stained with blood. His glowing red eyes radiated an aura of dominance, and his deep growl was loud enough to carry even to Jacob’s perch.

The champion raised his club high, letting out a guttural roar that spurred the horde into a frenzied charge. The ground seemed to shake beneath their feet, the sound of clattering bones and guttural goblin war cries growing louder with each passing second.

“Oh no… oh no, no, no…” Jacob stammered, nearly dropping the spyglass as he scrambled back down the tower.

He hit the ground running, his legs wobbling beneath him as he sprinted toward the central tent. His panicked shouts cut through the cacophony of chaos. “They’re coming! They’re coming! A horde of Dry Bones and goblins, and they’ve got a champion leading them!”

Orrian, who had been helping Ruven secure the perimeter, froze at the news. His sharp eyes locked onto Jacob as the younger elf skidded to a halt, panting heavily. “What did you see?” Orrian demanded, his tone sharp and urgent.

Jacob gulped down air before blurting out, “A whole horde! Hundreds of them! And they’re being led by this… this massive goblin! He’s got a spiked club, and he’s huge! They’re heading straight for us!”

The elves exchanged grim looks, their expressions darkening.

“They must’ve used the fireball barrage to flush us out,” Alicia muttered, her hands tightening around her bow. “And now they’re sending the horde to finish the job.”

Khilseith’s face twisted with frustration as he threw his hands in the air. “Of course they are! Why wouldn’t they bring the entire damn army? Because that’s just our luck, isn’t it?”

Orrian ignored the outburst, his mind already working to form a plan. “How far out are they, Jacob?”

“Not far,” Jacob replied, his voice trembling. “Maybe five minutes at most. They’re coming fast.”

“Five minutes…” Orrian’s jaw tightened as he turned to the others. “That’s not enough time to fortify the camp. We’ll have to hold them off here.”

“What?! Hold them off?!” Bellas squeaked, her eyes wide with panic. “Against a horde? Orrian, we’re outnumbered a hundred to one! We’ll be torn apart!”

“We don’t have a choice!” Orrian snapped, his tone sharp but steady. “If we run, they’ll hunt us down before we even make it to Kong Island. Our best chance is to fight here, in familiar terrain.”

Ruven stepped forward, his expression grim but resolute. “Then we make our stand. Everyone, gather your weapons and armor. This is going to get ugly.”

As the elves sprang into action, Vanellope peeked out from her hiding spot behind the barrels, her small hands trembling. She could see the fear in their faces, but also the determination. They were ready to fight, even knowing the odds were stacked against them.

But as she watched, her gaze drifted back toward the tent where Zoro was still sleeping. Her stomach twisted in knots. Should she wake him? He was their strongest fighter—if anyone could take on a champion goblin and an army of monsters, it was him.

But Zoro had told her to let him rest, and she didn’t want to disobey him. Her mind raced as she tried to decide what to do.

Orrian’s voice thundered through the camp, cutting through the panic like a blade. “All right, everyone! Battle stations! NOW, NOW, NOW!” His commanding tone snapped the elves into action as they scrambled to their positions, grabbing weapons, and securing their defenses.

Alicia sprinted toward the tree at the heart of the camp, her bow already in hand. She nimbly climbed to one of the elevated platforms, where a quiver of enchanted arrows waited. Her eyes scanned the horizon as she knocked an arrow, her sharp elven sight catching glimpses of the horde charging toward them. “They’re getting closer!” she called out. “We’ve got less than three minutes before they’re on us!”

Ruven barked orders as he and Jacob began reinforcing the perimeter. “Set up the barricades! Anything we can use—wood, crates, rocks! Move, move, move!” Jacob, though still pale with fear, nodded and began dragging supplies to fortify the camp’s entrance.

Khilseith, his hands already glowing with the faint shimmer of magic, muttered an incantation under his breath. The runes etched onto the ground surrounding the camp began to glow brighter, forming a faint magical barrier. “This’ll slow them down,” he said, though his voice wavered with uncertainty. “But it won’t hold for long if that champion gets close.”

Bellas was visibly shaking as she hurried to help secure supplies. “I-I’m not sure I’m ready for this,” she stammered, clutching her weapon tightly. Alicia glanced down from her perch and called out, “Bellas, focus! You’ve trained for this. We need you out there!” Bellas took a deep breath, nodded, and forced herself to steady her hands.

Orrian remained at the center of the chaos, his calm demeanor masking the storm of thoughts running through his mind. He directed everyone with precision. “Khilseith, reinforce the barrier as much as you can! Alicia, take out as many as you can from range—focus on the Dry Bones! Ruven, you’re with me on the front lines! Bellas, support from mid-range—use the cover to your advantage!”

Vanellope, crouched behind a nearby barrel, watched the elves spring into action with a mixture of awe and fear. They were clearly experienced, but the sheer size of the approaching horde made her stomach churn. Her fingers brushed against the charm Alicia had given her as she whispered to herself, “What am I even doing here?”

The sound of the horde grew louder—a cacophony of bone rattles, guttural growls, and war cries that sent shivers down her spine. She peeked out from her hiding spot just in time to see the goblin champion at the forefront of the horde, his massive club slamming into the ground as he let out a deafening roar. The horde surged forward, closing the distance rapidly.

Orrian drew his sword, its enchanted blade glowing faintly in the dim light. He turned to the others, his voice firm. “Hold the line! We protect this camp with everything we’ve got! No one gets through—no matter what!”

The elves braced themselves as the first wave of goblins slammed into the magical barrier. Sparks flew as the barrier held, but the horde didn’t relent. Dry Bones clawed at the glowing runes, their skeletal hands emitting a horrifying screech as they tried to break through. The champion goblin raised his massive club, preparing to strike the barrier with all his might.

“NOW, ALICIA!” Orrian shouted.

Alicia released her arrow, the enchanted projectile whistling through the air before striking one of the Dry Bones in the chest. The skeleton exploded into a cloud of ash, but another immediately took its place. “There’s too many of them!” she called down. “We can’t hold them off forever!”

The goblin champion roared again, his club crashing down onto the barrier. The magical runes flickered, the shield trembling under the sheer force of the impact.

Khilseith gritted his teeth, his hands glowing brighter as he poured more energy into the barrier. “I can’t hold this much longer!” he yelled, sweat dripping down his face. “If that champion keeps hitting it, it’s going to collapse!”

Orrian’s mind raced as he tried to think of a way to turn the tide. “Alicia, keep targeting the Dry Bones! We need to thin their numbers! Everyone else, prepare for the breach!”

Vanellope watched in terror as the barrier began to weaken. Her heart pounded in her chest as she clutched the charm tightly. “I can’t just sit here…” she whispered to herself. Taking a deep breath, she stood and darted toward the group, her small form moving through the chaos. “Hey, what can I do to help?” she called out, her voice trembling but determined.

Orrian glanced at her, his expression a mix of surprise and urgency. “Get to cover and stay safe! This isn’t your fight!”

Vanellope’s eyes narrowed, her small fists clenched. “No way! If you’re fighting, then so am I! Just tell me what to do!”

Before Orrian could respond, the barrier gave a final, desperate flicker before shattering with a deafening crack. The goblin champion let out a triumphant roar as the horde surged forward, charging straight for the camp.

“Here they come!” Orrian shouted, raising his sword. “DEFEND THE CAMP!”

And with that, the battle began.

.

The moment the barrier shattered, the camp was plunged into chaos. The goblin horde surged forward, their guttural war cries shaking the ground beneath their feet. The sound of clattering bones from the Dry Bones added a haunting undertone to the cacophony. At the forefront, the goblin champion bellowed his war cry, his massive club swinging in anticipation of crushing anything in his path.

Orrian stood firm, his glowing blade raised high. “Hold the line!” he shouted, his voice cutting through the din. The elves braced themselves, their weapons gleaming in the dim light of the campfires.

The first wave of goblins rushed into the camp, their crude weapons gleaming wickedly. Alicia fired arrow after arrow from her perch, each enchanted shot finding its mark. Dry Bones exploded into clouds of dust, and goblins dropped lifelessly to the ground, their bodies pierced by glowing projectiles.

“Focus on the Dry Bones! They’ll get back up if we don’t destroy them completely!” she shouted, her voice steady despite the chaos.

Ruven and Orrian took the front line, their blades flashing as they met the goblins head-on. Orrian’s sword cut through the first goblin with ease, its enchanted edge slicing cleanly through the creature’s crude armor. The goblin’s blood sprayed out like a fire hose. Ruven spun, his twin blades moving with precision as he carved a path through the enemy ranks. pieces of goblin body sprayed the battlefield.

“Push them back! Don’t let them overwhelm us!” Ruven barked, his calm demeanor now replaced with fiery determination.

Bellas and Jacob stood slightly behind the front line, providing cover and support. Bellas’s hands trembled as she notched an arrow, but she steadied herself with a deep breath and let it fly. The arrow struck a goblin square in the chest, sending it sprawling to the ground in pain. Jacob, his face pale but resolute, hurled daggers with surprising accuracy, taking down goblins before they could get close.

Meanwhile, Khilseith stood in the center of the camp, his hands glowing with raw magical energy. He muttered an incantation under his breath, and a burst of light erupted from the ground, sending a cluster of goblins flying. “I’m buying us time, but don’t expect miracles!” he shouted, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

Vanellope, small and quick, darted between the chaos, trying to find a way to help without putting herself directly in harm’s way. Her eyes darted to the goblin champion, who was now stomping through the battlefield with terrifying force. His massive club slammed into the ground, sending shockwaves that knocked both elves and goblins off their feet.

The champion locked eyes with Orrian, a cruel grin spreading across his grotesque face. “Elven scum!” he bellowed, swinging his club down with earth-shaking force. Orrian dodged at the last second, the ground where he had been standing exploding into splinters and dirt.

Orrian shouted over the clamor of the battlefield, “Keep it distracted! Don’t let it breach the center of the camp!”

Ruven, always quick on his feet, dashed toward the goblin champion, his twin blades flashing in the dim light. “Over here, you overgrown brute!” he taunted, slicing at the champion’s exposed leg. His attack left a shallow slightly bloody cut, drawing the beast’s attention. The champion roared, swinging its massive club toward Ruven, who rolled out of the way just in time.

Alicia took advantage of the distraction, leaping onto a makeshift platform to get a clear shot. She loosed a series of enchanted arrows, each one glowing with a faint blue light. The arrows struck the champion’s armor, causing small bursts of magic to ripple across its body. The beast grunted in annoyance, but the attacks only seemed to enrage it further.

“Is that the best you’ve got?” the champion sneered, slamming his club into the ground and sending another shockwave rippling through the camp. Several elves stumbled, but Orrian steadied himself and charged forward.

“Focus your fire on the joints!” Orrian commanded. “Slow it down!”

Khilseith, still in the center of the camp, raised his hands and began chanting a spell. “Alicia, keep it occupied! I’m working on something big!” Magic crackled around him, forming a glowing sigil beneath his feet. “Just buy me a few more seconds!”

Vanellope, crouched behind a pile of crates, watched the battle unfold with wide eyes. Her heart raced as she saw the champion smashing through everything in its path. She clenched her fists, feeling a mix of fear and determination. “Okay, think, Vanellope. You’ve got glitches. Use them.”

Summoning her courage, she darted out from her hiding spot and sprinted toward the chaos. She weaved through the fighting, her small size making it easy to avoid notice. As the champion raised its club again, Vanellope glitched forward, reappearing directly behind the beast.

“Hey, big guy! Bet you can’t catch me!” she shouted, sticking her tongue out.

The champion turned, confused by her sudden appearance. With a furious roar, it swung its club toward her, but she glitched again, disappearing just before the massive weapon could connect. She reappeared several feet away, grinning mischievously.

“That’s right, keep looking at me!” she called out, giving the elves a chance to regroup.

Ruven took the opportunity to land another blow on the champion’s leg, this time deeper, causing it to stagger. “Nice distraction, kid!” he shouted, giving her a quick thumbs-up before diving back into the fray.

Meanwhile, Khilseith’s spell reached its climax. “Everyone, get clear!” he yelled, his voice echoing with magical energy. A massive burst of light erupted from his hands, forming into a spear of pure energy. With a final shout, he hurled the spear toward the champion.

The magical spear struck the champion square in the chest, exploding in a brilliant flash of light. The beast roared in pain, stumbling backward as its armor cracked and splintered. It dropped its club, falling to one knee.

“Now’s our chance!” Orrian yelled, charging forward with his sword raised. The elves surged alongside him, their weapons aimed at the vulnerable champion.

The battle raged on, the elves pressing their advantage while the rest of the goblin horde seemed momentarily disoriented by their champion’s fall. And see how much more confident he is the movement. They’re unsure brother to follow. They’re trying to follow him. I mean, of course he has little to no intelligence.

The ground quaked as more enemies poured into the camp. From the shadows beyond the outer perimeter, an unending tide of goblins and Dry Bones swarmed forth, their guttural cries and clattering bones filling the air. It quickly became apparent that the initial wave was only a fraction of the true force. The elves’ expressions darkened as they realized the overwhelming numbers.

Orrian glanced back at the others, his jaw tight. “They’ve been holding back on us. This was a trap to draw us out!”

Ruven, slashing through another goblin, growled, “What’s the play now, Orrian? We can’t hold this many off forever!”

Khilseith, still breathing heavily from his previous spell, grimaced. “I can’t keep casting at this pace. We’re going to run dry if we don’t come up with something fast.”

Alicia loosed another arrow, striking down two goblins at once, but even she looked pale as she glanced at the overwhelming enemy numbers. “They’re cutting off our retreat! We’re surrounded!”

The goblin champion, still staggering from the magical spear, let out a guttural laugh as it pushed itself back to its feet. “You thought that would stop us? Pathetic!” It reached for a massive horn strapped to its side and blew into it. The deafening sound echoed through the camp, signaling another wave of reinforcements. Moments later, larger, armored goblins began appearing, their jagged weapons gleaming in the firelight.

Vanellope, still hiding behind a stack of crates, clutched her charm tightly. Her earlier surge of hope was rapidly fading. “Oh no, oh no… this is bad. This is really, really bad,” she muttered, her voice trembling. She glanced back toward the tent where Zoro was still fast asleep. “Wake up, you idiot!” she hissed under her breath, but she knew it was useless.

From what her knowledge of him was that once Zoro was asleep, it was pretty much impossible to wake him up unless it was a catastrophic event happening in front of him.

Which, considering the situation they were in would be enough to get him up and off his ass.

Orrian raised his sword, his voice cutting through the chaos. “Fall back to the inner perimeter! Protect the heart of the camp! Jacob, Bellas—get to the wounded and start evacuating them! Alicia, Ruven—cover their retreat!”

The elves moved like a well-oiled machine, but the sheer number of enemies quickly pushed them to their limits. The goblins and Dry Bones surged forward relentlessly, their numbers seeming endless. Despite the elves’ coordinated efforts, the defensive lines began to buckle under the weight of the assault.

The enemy was tearing through everything in camp as a it was made of papier-mâché.

First, they were hanging up their weapon supply and arming themselves with even more weapons.

While tearing apart any magical items that can harm them.

However, that part of the plant quickly began to Foil itself, as since these magical items were well magically enchanted it left a certain protection spell that would cause severe burns towards the goblins and crossbones if they touched long enough.

They were also trying to surround the entire camp so that there was no place any of the elves or humans could go or escape if their base was taken over.

Jacob and Bellas darted between the chaos, helping the wounded elves to safety. Bellas shouted over the din of battle, “We’ve got to move faster! The inner perimeter won’t hold for long!”

“I know, I know!” Jacob replied, his voice cracking with panic as he helped an injured elf limp toward the inner camp. “But we’re running out of time!”

Alicia and Ruven fired off arrows and swung their weapons with precision, but even they were starting to falter under the endless tide of enemies. Alicia gritted her teeth as she loosed another arrow, her hand trembling from exhaustion. “They just keep coming! We’re going to need a miracle at this rate!”

Ruven snarled as he sliced through another Dry Bones, the creature shattering into pieces before slowly beginning to reassemble itself. “These damned things won’t stay down! Khilseith, can you do something about them?”

Khilseith, his face drenched in sweat, waved his staff and unleashed another burst of magic, incinerating a cluster of Dry Bones. “Do you think I have a limitless supply of magic?!” he snapped, his voice sharp with frustration. “I’m running on fumes here!”

Orrian barked orders from the center of the camp, his sword slashing through goblins as he tried to keep the others coordinated. “Hold the line! We have to buy time for the evacuees! Don’t let them breach the heart of the camp!”

The goblin champion roared, its massive, grotesque form pushing through the chaos like a living battering ram. “Elves! You will die here!” it bellowed, swinging its enormous club and scattering several defenders with a single blow. The ground shook with every step it took, its beady eyes glowing with malice as it locked onto Orrian.

Orrian turned to face the champion, his grip tightening on his blade. “Everyone, focus fire on the big one! Bring it down before it tears us apart!”

Vanellope, still hidden, watched the chaos unfold with wide eyes. Her heart pounded as she saw the elves struggling to hold their ground. She clutched her charm tightly, her mind racing. I have to do something. I can’t just sit here while they’re all fighting… but what can I do?

Her gaze darted back toward Zoro’s tent, and she felt a surge of frustration. “You’d better be worth it, big guy,” she muttered. Then, taking a deep breath, she began to creep toward the inner camp, looking for anything—anything—that might help turn the tide.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her, and she froze. A goblin had spotted her, its jagged teeth bared in a wicked grin. “Little morsel!” it hissed, raising its crude weapon to strike.

(head to part two)