One Piece : Brotherhood

Flevance, North Blue

The battlefield was a cauldron of tension, crackling with lingering energy from the clash of titans. Hazard, the formidable Admiral, stood trembling, his face etched with fear he couldn't suppress.

He had fought long and hard against Issho, his Haki worn thin from the relentless struggle. But he knew, deep down, that his true opponent had been waiting—waiting for the moment Issho fell silent, leaving him alone with the monster approaching him now. That monster was me.

Hazard took a ragged breath as he watched me unsheathe Shusui, the dark blade gleaming ominously, catching the faintest glimmer of light. I strolled forward, each step measured, my gaze fixed on him, unyielding.

"So, Hazard," I spoke, my voice calm, almost casual, "how would you like to die? You do realize, with that three-billion bounty on your head, there's no turning back."

Hazard's jaw clenched, his mind racing for a way out, but I could see the desperation in his eyes. He tried to muster courage, desperation spilling into his voice.

His stance was battle-ready, every muscle in his body coiled, but I could see the flicker of doubt in his eyes—he knew he was outmatched, knew that he was standing before his reckoning. And I, standing calmly with Shusui at my side, was ready to deliver it.

I stepped forward, and Hazard's body tensed. His fists clenched, a faint shimmer of energy forming around him as he summoned his armament Haki. The air around us thickened with power, each of us daring the other to make the first move.

Without another word, I burst forward like lightning, closing the distance in a heartbeat, swinging Shusui in a brutal arc aimed directly at his neck.

"Busoshoku Koka….!"

He reacted, barely managing to throw up his arm in defense, blocking my blade with his own forearm coated in Haki. Sparks exploded from the clash, the sheer force of it sending shockwaves that rattled the ground beneath us.

However, Hazard had sorely underestimated my prowess as a bone deep jolt of pain shot through his arms. Shusui tore through his haki coated arm without much resistance, but Hazard with his honed survival instinct managed to morph into plasma and retreat before I could sever his hand clean.

"You think you can withstand my attacks with just your level of armament Haki; you should have dodged that, Admiral?" I taunted, pressing harder, feeling Shusui's hunger for blood.

Hazard gritted his teeth in pain trying to stop the bleeding, eyes narrowing as he pushed back, creating enough space to summon his own attack. With a guttural roar, he unleashed a wave of blazing plasma energy.

"Meteoric Pulse!" The deadly plasma shot toward me engulfing the entire area, scorching everything in its path and lighting the sky with blinding light. But I didn't flinch.

Channeling my own armament Haki, I swung Shusui in a sharp, precise arc, slicing through the plasma as though it were nothing more than mist.

The energy attack dispersed, its searing heat dissipating harmlessly. Hazard's eyes widened, and I could feel his fear deepen. I lunged forward again, this time sending a slash of Conqueror's Haki infused with lightning, a torrent of black and gold spiraling toward him.

Hazard was forced to dodge, rolling to the side as my attack tore through the ground, leaving a smooth ravine streching for miles, and the ground he'd just stood on was no longer there. Pieces of earth crumbled in all directions, and Hazard staggered, trying to catch his breath.

"Impressive… But you're not the only one with power," he spat, trying to steady his voice.

With a fierce yell, he slammed his fists into the ground, summoning his Devil Fruit power. The ground beneath us began to melt, turning into molten plasma as waves of superheated energy rose around him. The air grew blistering hot, the sheer force of his power causing the entire capital itself to ignite.

"Is that all?" I mocked, striding through the molten earth as if it were a gentle stream. My Haki shielded me from the heat, and I approached him, unfazed, while Hazard struggled to contain the plasma swirling around him. He launched himself at me, fist coated in molten energy, a strike meant to sear through my very core.

I stood my ground despite the searing, steel-melting heat, moving swift as a shadow, my Haki sparking violently around me. With a casual yet calculated motion, I caught Hazard's molten fist, clamping it tightly within my grip like a vice. The shockwave from our clash rippled outward, tearing through the battlefield, leaving cracks and devastation in its wake.

In a swift, relentless follow-up, I brought Shusui down onto his arm, forcing him to block once more. But this time, I didn't let him retreat. My Haki-infused grip locked his arm in place as Shusui cut through it in a brutal, unyielding slash.

The strike echoed like thunder across the battlefield. Hazard staggered back, roaring in agony, unable to withstand the searing pain of his severed limb. Plasma sizzled around the wound, cauterizing it instantly, but his arm trembled with phantom pain, the flesh scorched even beneath his Haki.

"Not bad, Admiral," I sneered. "But your defense is slipping."

Rage twisted his face as he summoned his energy once more, his Haki intensifying to an almost blinding level. His hand glowed with fiery plasma as he hurled a barrage of rapid-fire blasts at me, each one detonating on impact.

But I moved with preternatural speed, weaving through the explosions, unharmed, my Observation Haki allowing me to anticipate each attack. I closed the distance in seconds, my blades flashing in deadly arcs.

"Death's Edge!" I intoned, pouring a lethal amount of my Armament Haki into the strike. Shusui cleaved down with a vicious, unrelenting force, meeting Hazard's own Haki-coated plasma as he desperately tried to block.

But my power overwhelmed him; his guard crumbled, and Shusui sliced through his defense, carving a deep but brutal gash across his chest. Blood spattered the ground, and Hazard let out a strangled cry, stumbling back, clutching the wound as crimson soaked his uniform.

"You're giving up already, Hazard?" I taunted, a smirk tugging at my lips. "I expected more from a Marine Admiral."

His face twisted in fury, blood dripping from his mouth as he forced himself upright. "You… you're going to regret this, Rosinante!" He spat, gathering his strength for a final assault.

"Show me, then," I goaded him, opening my arms in a challenge. "Let's see if you've got anything left worth fearing."

With a furious roar, Hazard unleashed his ultimate technique, his entire body transforming into a pulsing, blinding core of plasma energy.

"Solar Burst!" he bellowed, channeling his energy into a colossal, blinding wave that rushed toward me, vaporizing everything in its path. Trees turned to ash, and the very ground beneath it cracked and split from the sheer intensity.

But I stood my ground, pouring my own lightning and armament Haki into Shusui and Akatsuki. My blades crackled with black and golden lightning, the raw, volatile energy coalescing into a dark aura that surrounded me. As Hazard's attack closed in, I raised both blades, bringing them down in a massive, cross-shaped slash.

"Hell's Divide!" I roared, my voice echoing across the battlefield as my attack tore through Hazard's Solar Burst. My Haki-infused strike obliterated his plasma wave, the two forces colliding with a deafening explosion that shook the entire country.

Hazard's attack shattered, broken and dissipated by the overwhelming power of my assault. The force of the impact sent Hazard flying back, his body slamming into the destroyed capital with enough force to leave a crater.

Gasping for breath, he tried to rise, his form battered and bloody, his Haki flickering weakly around him. I walked over slowly, each step deliberate, as he struggled to push himself up, his body trembling with the effort.

"Is that all, Hazard?" I asked, my voice calm, almost mocking. "For an Admiral, I expected more than this pitiful resistance."

Desperation flared in his eyes as he gathered what little strength he had left. "You… you don't understand. You're inviting the wrath of the World Government, Rosinante!" he gasped, his voice shaking. "They'll never let this stand!"

I chuckled darkly, shaking my head. "Let them come. You were merely the first step, Hazard. Nothing you or the World Government can throw at me will change that."

"Rosinante… are you really so set on going against the World Government?" Hazard's voice trembled, edged with fear, as his gaze darted toward Issho. The once-unshakable warrior sat motionless, his gaze vacant, lost within himself.

A samurai stood beside him, casting an imposing figure, making it clear that using Issho as leverage was no longer an option for Hazard.

I didn't spare Issho a glance; I knew that only he could pull himself out of his suffering. With a quiet sigh, I walked past him, my focus trained entirely on Hazard.

"Is that supposed to scare me, Hazard?" I smirked, the air around us thick with tension. "If it's so terrifying, you should have run when you had the chance. Was it worth it, staking your life for someone like him?" I jerked my chin toward the mutilated corpse of King Asbestos, his lifeless body sprawled on the bloodstained ground, head severed cleanly from his shoulders.

Hazard's eyes flickered to the corpse, his expression hardening, his fear replaced for a moment with cold resolve.

"Blazing Pulsar!" he roared, summoning all his remaining strength as he transformed himself and the surrounding air into a blistering wave of plasma, a deadly beam of searing energy that ripped through the battlefield, aimed to incinerate me—and everything else in its path.

The attack swept forward, fierce and unforgiving, threatening to raze the entire capital. A lesser warrior would have been overwhelmed, but I didn't flinch. Admiral Hazard, though powerful, was at best on the level of a low tier Emperor, no matter his bravado.

As the beam roared toward me, Shusui gleamed with a dark, foreboding energy as I swung it down, pouring my Haki into the blade, infusing it with a surge of crackling black lightning. I met Hazard's onslaught with one of my own, and time seemed to pause as the two forces collided.

"Death's Sonata," I murmured, my voice carrying a quiet finality.

The blade cut cleanly through the plasma beam, slicing it as though it were nothing but mist. The molten energy dissipated, shredding into harmless particles under the force of my attack. Hazard barely managed to evade the edge of the swing, stumbling back, his face twisted in shock and dawning horror. His mighty attack, one powerful enough to lay waste to cities, had been undone in a single stroke.

I stepped forward, each footfall measured and deliberate, as Hazard's gaze flickered with renewed panic. He was backing up, trying to keep distance between us as his mind raced. I could sense his fear, could see it written in every motion, every breath he drew.

"Weren't you a mercenary once, Hazard?" I asked, my tone almost conversational, a faint smile touching my lips. "Before the Marines, weren't you a wanted man yourself?"

Hazard's eyes darted around, clearly searching for any escape, a chance to plead his way out. "Rosinante… if this is about the money…"

My Conqueror's Haki exploded forth in response, a tidal wave of black and golden lightning rippling through the air, bearing down on him like a storm. The sheer weight of it crushed him, forcing him to his knees.

His breaths came shallow and strained, as though he could barely breathe under the pressure. Though an Admiral, against my unleashed Haki, he was helpless, completely at my mercy.

"You're mistaken, Hazard." I continued advancing, the ground cracking beneath each step as my Conqueror's Haki grew stronger, pressing down on him with relentless force.

"Someone has already paid me a handsome fee for your life. Funny, I would have thought a mythical Zoan fruit a high price for someone like you, but I suppose someone out there values your death more than I thought."

Hazard's eyes widened as he tried to comprehend what I meant, confusion mingling with dread. His face twisted, mouth opening as if to respond, but I leaned down close, my voice a low whisper only he could hear.

"I spoke with a man in Loguetown who has spent years waiting to see you dead. A man who gave up everything for that chance—a man whose family you tortured, murdered, destroyed. The name of his daughter, the one you defiled before you killed her…"

I spoke her name, letting the word hang in the air like a curse.

Hazard's whole body shuddered, a flash of recognition and horror crossing his face. The monster who had once brought such terror to others was now trembling before me. His mouth worked wordlessly, his eyes filled with a desperation that bordered on madness.

"Damn you…" he finally spat, his voice a hoarse rasp as he struggled to summon his Devil Fruit power one last time, his body glowing as he gathered his strength. But my Observation Haki was sharpened to a fine edge, enabling me to see his every move before he could make it.

With a swift, precise motion, I unsheathed Akatsuki, my second blade, and drove it down into his thigh, pinning him to the ground as the blade pierced through flesh and bone, driving deep into the earth beneath him.

The moment Akatsuki's blade cut through him, it began to feed, devouring his Haki, draining his Devil Fruit power and sapping his vitality. Hazard screamed, his voice raw and anguished as he felt his life being slowly leeched away. The sinister energy around Akatsuki pulsed with a hungry anticipation, the wails of the souls it had devoured echoing faintly around us, like a chorus of the damned.

"Easy now…" I murmured to the blade, feeling its eagerness to drain him dry. I tightened my grip, giving the sword a gentle pat on its hilt, feeling its energy pulse under my hand as it reluctantly obeyed. I needed him alive, after all—at least for now.

Hazard's breath came in short, sharp gasps, his face contorted in pain and terror as the reality of his fate began to sink in. The mighty Admiral, once feared, was nothing more than prey before me now. I leaned closer, my voice a quiet promise in his ear.

"Your time as a hunter is over, Hazard. Today, you're the one who will be remembered as a lesson—a warning to those who hide behind power and status, thinking themselves untouchable."

The weight of my Haki pressed down even harder, and Hazard's strength gave way entirely. His arms fell limply to his sides, his eyes glazed with despair as he slumped against the blade that held him pinned to the ground.

The blood pooling beneath him was spreading fast, his body weakened and drained, his face contorted into an expression of pure, unadulterated fear.

With one final, pitiful gasp, he struggled to speak, his voice barely a whisper. "You… you'll bring the wrath of the entire World Government on yourself…"

I chuckled, my voice echoing across the battlefield as I straightened, lifting my gaze to the distant horizon. "The World Government's wrath? You keep repeating that—it's getting tiresome," I said, my tone cold and unyielding. "Like I told you, let them come. I've lived in their shadow long enough. Today, they'll learn that there are those who don't bow to their power."

I pushed Akatsuki even deeper into Hazard's leg, the blood dripping from its edge as the blade's sinister energy pulsed in satisfaction. Hazard collapsed to the ground, barely conscious, his chest heaving as he tried in vain to claw his way to some semblance of freedom. But he knew, as well as I did, that his life was mine to end—or spare—as I saw fit.

And as I stood there, blood-soaked Shusui in hand, surrounded by the devastation of our battle, I knew that Hazard's defeat was just the beginning. His terror, his agony—it would ripple outward, a warning to those who believed themselves above me and my family.

Because I was no longer a mere pirate or celestial dragon. I was something far more dangerous: something this world has never seen—a man who had defied the World Government—and lived to see them tremble.

I raised Shusui one final time, the cold steel gleaming in the crimson light of the battlefield. Hazard's eyes widened in a last, desperate terror, his voice a broken whisper, pleading for mercy.

But before I could deliver the final blow, a shadow split through the air beside him—a hand, reaching out from a void, as though a door to another dimension had opened in the very fabric of space itself.

Before it could grab Hazard, I smirked, unfazed. I had sensed this intruder long before he revealed himself, though he'd been clever enough to evade my precise detection.

Space-based Devil Fruit powers were rare, and the aura this one gave off was unmistakable—a Door-Door Fruit user, likely a Cipher Pol agent attempting a last-minute rescue.

"Oh?" I mused as I let my free hand dart forward, snatching his wrist in a grip like iron. The Cipher Pol agent froze, his eyes wide with horror as his cloaked form flickered into full visibility, his arm captured in my grasp.

My Conqueror's Haki surged out like a thunderclap, crashing into him with a force that left him visibly trembling, his own Devil Fruit power buckling beneath the pressure.

"Isn't it rude to snatch another man's prey?" I growled, my tone calm but edged with menace. I tightened my grip on his wrist, and his entire body materialized before me. His usual smug air was shattered, and now his expression twisted into sheer panic as he struggled in vain to break free.

"You… you're a monster…" he stammered, attempting to conjure another doorway to slip through. But my Conqueror's Haki forced his power to falter, keeping him pinned in my grip like a rabbit caught in a snare. I leaned in close, a cruel smile forming on my lips.

"Oh, we're just getting started," I said, chuckling darkly. "Consider it a learning experience."

With a slight nod, I sent out a signal through the air, a spark of lightning transmitting my message to Leo, my trusted ally. "Leo, bring the sack. We have a… demonstration to conduct."

Seconds later, Leo appeared at my side, a large burlap sack clinking softly with the weight of various fruits inside. The Cipher Pol agent's eyes darted between the sack and me, his face paling as he realized what I had planned.

He tried to scream, to summon the strength to break free, but my Haki held him paralyzed, every ounce of his spirit crushed beneath the weight of my presence.

"Now," I continued, turning back to the agent with an almost casual tone. "I hope you're in a cooperative mood."

Without further delay, I plunged Shusui into his chest, sinking the blade with slow, deliberate pressure. His scream was a raw, strangled sound, gurgling as blood surged up his throat and spilled over his lips.

I twisted the blade slightly, the cold steel cutting deeper, and his body spasmed in agony. His hand clawed feebly at my arm, but it was no use—every time he tried to activate his Devil Fruit, my Haki crushed his attempts, leaving him utterly helpless.

The agent's breaths came in ragged gasps, his face contorted in pain, his life ebbing away with every pulse of blood that seeped from his wound. His eyes began to glaze over, the spark of arrogance and defiance that once lit them now replaced with nothing but raw terror.

"Don't go just yet," I sneered, applying a bit more pressure to Shusui's hilt. The agony in his eyes deepened, and his fingers twitched as if grasping at invisible threads of life. His own will, whatever was left of it, fought a losing battle against the creeping, inevitable darkness. "We're not done."

Leo watched with a detached calm, accustomed to this level of occasional brutality, though I saw him glance sideways at the suffering agent with a faint look of pity.

At last, the Cipher Pol agent's eyes dulled completely, the light extinguished in them as his body sagged, lifeless, in my grip. I pulled Shusui from his chest with a swift motion, wiping the blade clean on his bloodstained jacket, before letting the corpse fall limply to the ground.

"Anything?" I asked, looking to Leo, whose little form crouched down and began rummaging through the sack of fruits, checking each one with a practiced eye, waiting to see if the agent's Devil Fruit ability would transfer to any of them.

He shook his head after a minute of searching inside the sack, his voice carrying a note of frustration. "Nothing, Ross; it seems like my luck has run out," he muttered.

"Guess it really isn't that easy to snag a Devil Fruit after all. It's not your fault. It would have been too easy if that worked." I tapped the little dwarfs head gently..

I sighed, tossing the agent's corpse aside as if it were nothing more than trash, and turned my gaze back to Admiral Hazard.

He was still pinned to the ground, held by Akatsuki's power, his body limp and defeated but his eyes filled with a simmering rage and horror. He had watched everything unfold, helpless, his own Haki bound as Akatsuki drained his strength with every passing second.

"Well, Hazard," I said, strolling over to him with a mocking smile. "Looks like your rescue attempt didn't go as planned. You can scream for the World Government all you want—there's no one coming to save you."

His face twisted into a snarl, though fear lingered behind his defiance. "You… you think you're unstoppable, don't you? The World Government will—"

I silenced him with a single, sharp glare, my Conqueror's Haki pressing down on him with such intensity that the ground beneath him cracked formong a crater. His voice died in his throat, and his body trembled involuntarily as my Haki bore down, merciless and unrelenting.

"Yes, I do think I'm unstoppable," I replied coldly. "Because after today, there's not a single soul left who will question it."