A Joke
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One Piece: Desperate
🕑 Added 2021-10-05 16:01:35 +0000 UTCChapter 125: Terrifying Creature
***
It was absolutely despairing, watching the army that you had built up being destroyed as if it was nothing.
The nine headed creature above had continued to burn the sea around them for only a couple minutes. But in that time, he had decimated every single one of their soldiers in less than thirty seconds. The other one and a half minutes were spent just shooting around flames. Was it for fun? Games? Or intimidation? The pirates didn't know.
At least that was how it seemed to the three captains. App, Kidd and Hawkins now understood the gravity of the situation. They were like flies in comparison. No, they were even less than that in that monster's eyes.
Suddenly the nine heads turned and looked straight at their main ships which were the only three not hit by the flames. It wasn't something coincidental and everyone left alive knew that.
At first, Kidd started gathering metal, getting ready to at least try and defend himself, forming a giant arm of metal.
"I won't go down without a fight!!" He yelled out in desperation, but Kidd knew those were empty words that didn't mean anything.
The nine draconic heads had a bored and uninterested gaze in their eyes, and they turned around.
Apoo and Hawkins were glad that it had decided to spare them. But Kidd was different, from his point of view he just saw someone let them live so they could be his entertainment.
As the creature flew away, Killer breathed heavily as if he had run a marathon through the four seas, even though he hadn't even moved from his spot. "No wonder, no one wanted to divulge any information that would hinge on Max. Who would want to fight against that monster?"
"This alliance is finished," Said Hawkins monotonically. But his shaking hands showed that he was still scared. "I don't want to fight against monsters like that."
Just like that, the alliance born with some of the three strongest pirates of their generation was over.
'It was so different from what we expected. Max, that had to be him. The monstrous power he displayed, and why did he let us live?' - Hawkins contemplated, he didn't know why Max would let them go. After all, they would have killed him if their positions were switched.
Only Hawkins knew just how unwinnable this fight had been for them. After all, even face couldn't save them as he looked at the predictions in his cards.
Chances of escaping were 0%
Chances of persuasion 0%
Chances of winning in a fight 0%
Chances of successfully asking to join him 0%
Chances of pleading working on him 0%
Chances of scratching him… 0%
It was the first time he had seen such desperately bad odds.
***
At the same time, back on Max's ship, the giant monster with nine dragonic heads flew over the ship and became smaller until its body fully changed into his human form.
"Damn, you were kinda harsh on them, they might even stop being pirates after this." Negan chuckled amusingly. "If you wanted to intimidate them, I would have been enough. Kekekek~"
Max smiled. "You might have cripled the poor rookies."
"Well, I can't deny that~"
Everyone looked at Negan and Max strangely, they chuckled amongst themselves and seemed to have a conversation without even talking.
"Kekekeke~"
"Xahahahaha~"
Also their laughs were unnerving the rest of the crew.
***
On Fishman Island, the Sunny landed easily on one of the many ports.
Luffy looked around in amazement. There were a lot of high buildings here and it seemed like the island was bustling with activity. Which was quite amazing, as fishemen were seen moving around and conversing with humans normally. It was a strange sight, especially for Nami who had seen dear people to her suffer due to fishmen.
A thin man rushed towards them, he seemed thin and tall like a sword. But his face and posture was that of a normal person. So even though he wore a Marine uniform, none of the Strawhat Crew was worried.
The man breathed heavily once he came to the ship and leaned on his knees to catch a breath. "Wel- *huf*-come to *huf* Fishman Island."
"It's okay, catch your breath," Sanji advised the harmless looking man. He was just too pitiful to look at.
"Right, sorry about this. I was on my lunch break and didn't think a ship would arrive at this time." The plain man smiled thankfully. "Anyway, Fishman Island is under Bear D Max's control, so please refrain from causing any trouble."
Robin looked around curiously. The place was very peaceful, especially since it was supposed to be the pirate's gateway to the new world, it shouldn't be so."From what the rumors say. Some people jokingly call him the Yonko who is an Admiral."
"You must be Devil Child, Nico Robin, though my apology might not mean much, I am sorry for the Ohara Incident." The man bowed towards her slightly with an apologetic face, but at the same time didn't address what she just said. After all, that wasn't a lie, Max was seen as someone almost above the authorities and laws of the world. He could be a Yonko and an Admiral if he wanted.
Of course, that was just the view of some people and not necessarily the truth.
"Don't worry, I understand that not every marine is evil just because of the Ohara Incident." Robin smiled sadly at him. "Also you seem too young to have been anything more than a young child at the time. So you aren't responsible."
The man nodded thankfully as he looked at the rest of the Strawhats with a smile, but also his eyes seemed to be closed. "Hopefully you have a good stay."
As the man walked off, Luffy stared at his back. "Huh, he was nice. I thought Marines were supposed to attack us."
Zoro narrowed his eyes at that. "Don't let your guard down. There was something dangerous about that guy."
"Dangerous?" The captain was confused.
"Yeah… dangerous… he had no presence at all." Zoro confirmed his thoughts, the man who greeted them had no presence at all. Just like an illusion or someone who doesn't exist.
"So like a ghost?!" Exclaimed Brook in fear. Everyone looked at him weirdly, as a skeleton he should be the last one to be afraid of ghosts.
"Ohh~" Luffy's eyes widened in wonder. "I can see it now. It's not like a ghost, but more like a super good assassin or ninja."
Usopp, who felt like he had met a kindred weak spirit, shivered in fear. He never would have assumed that the man was anything but normal, but hearing Luffy and Zoro talk, it brought fear in his heart.
"That's right, he might seem unassuming, but that guy is known as Max's vanguard." Suddenly, a fishman they were very familiar with came out of the crowds.
It was Jinbe and the Strawhats smiled at the man. They knew how he had saved their captain in Marineford and they owed him a huge debt. Also he had helped a little with their training during these two years.
Zoro though, as the ever cautious man asked once more. "Vanguard? So he is that strong?"
"Not necessarily," the fishman shook his head and then had a thoughtful look on his face. "It just means that he is the weakest in Max's crew. The Vanguard was a title given to him by the people in Fishman Island as he crushed any Pirates that caused trouble in here which was considered the gate to the New World. A couple of the Worst Generation Pirates have suffered a lot in his hands too, some almost died."
"Max!" Chopper exclaimed happily. "I haven't seen him in such a long time~"
The others didn't feel too happy about it though, as Max had been a very deciding factor in Ace's rescue during the Marineford War.
"Also we never got his name either," wondered Franky.
"Oh, we don't know his name either, we just call him Skinny Joey. John… I mean Negan calls him that." Jinbe cleared his throat. He still accidentally called Negan as John Doe since the time the man had lost his memories.
'Who would have thought that the same man who we saved back would become one of the most influential people in the world?'
**
On the other side of the sea, close to Punk Hazard, Max was laying down on his ship, looking at the sky with a satisfied look.
Travelling like this was boring, even though Negan was speeding up the boat and turned a journey that would have lasted days into a couple hours. A couple of hours doing nothing was still boring.
Suddenly Max,'s eyes shone red for a split second. He saw the future and frowned, lazily getting up and looking towards the horizon. "The World Government finally decided to attack again? It's been a year since the assassin incident, they are quite slow."
The sky turned red and a giant meteor came towards his ship. Max had already gotten up and started transforming, while doing so he gruffly said. "So you finally gave up all pretences now?"
His body turned into that of a winged hydra with dark blue scales, his heads were draconic and the six wings on his back were leathery and bat-like.
Fwosh!
With one flap of his wings, Max flew in the air and shot out a beam of fire from his main head, cutting the meteor in two.
Booom!!
The two chunks of the motor hot the water just to the sides of the ship.
[Gravity Blade]
A heavy gravity that could crush mountains descended on Max.
***
A/N: It isn't publicly known who killed Ace, as Max had done it stealthily and with a <Finger Pistol> to the head. Though a lot of higher up people in the World Government know. That was why Luffy wasn't enraged at Max and Chopper still likes him since they used to spend a lot of time in Drum Island.
