A moment of silence and stillness engulfed the land of Wano. Ace's hate drifted with the wind as he stared at the gigantic ape as well as the horned beauty.
"Oh? You know Veyron?" She finally asked.
Yamato was not surprised that Ace knew Veyron; however, she didn't think he'd spout the name so casually. Usually, people would refer to him by any of his titles.
'Lightning God, Dark Mantle, Emperor... Deviant...' She thought for a second and sighed at the last one, referring to someone she respected so deeply. Her gaze then shifted to Ace
"I know him, but he doesn't know me yet~" Ace smiled and looked at the Ape, "That's going to change soon once I beat the hell out of his pet".
*GROOWLLL!!!*
Kong seemed not to like the innuendo. He towered over Ace, who fixed his hat and, despite the clear abysmal difference in height, didn't seem any smaller.
*WHOOSH!*
A burst of flames shrouded Ace's fist. Both Kong and Yamato gasped a bit; it was a logia.
"Your name is Kong, huh? I am Fire Fist (Hiken no Ace), Ace. Nice to meet you" Ace introduced himself cheekily.
Kong smirked, and so did Yamato; the latter walked up to the two of them with a heavy smirk, "What's your objective, Ace? Could it be... you want to join Veyron's crew?".
"Veyron's crew? I understand he's not a pirate," Ace squinted his brows.
"He is not, but he goes around doing stuff and flies around the world freely, like a pirate! I want to join him!" Yamato said enthusiastically, but then lamented her current position. As the guardian of Wano, she was not allowed to leave until the situation was 'stabilised', but she had already realised that this stabilisation could take a very long time.
The time during which she would miss a ton of Veyron's adventures.
'Ever since he left me, there have been no threats. Also, Kong is strong enough to deal with it on his own!' She bit her nail and looked at Ace, who presented himself as an opportunity.
She wanted to go to Veyron, but she didn't know anything about the sea or how to sail.
'If I just go to him, he will accept me for sure, right? I am strong too!'
As for himself, Ace sighed, "I don't want to join him, I just want to defeat him, that's all. Gramps kept saying Veyron this, Veyron that... I want to show him the kid is not that big of a deal. My first achievement as a pirate will be to take down the Lightning God".
"..."
Kong and Yamato stared at one another; they resisted the urge to laugh. Yamato thought she had never seen a bigger fool. Clearly, Ace didn't know much about the world.
"Do you see that over there?" The Oni pointed at a certain spot in the sky. Ace followed her finger and squinted his brows. There was a streak of lightning high up in the skies that shone as brightly as the sun itself, even at midday.
"That was left there by Veyron. If you want to defeat him, you should be able to do at least that much~" She spoke proudly, puffing out her huge chest.
She took pride not only in Veyron, but in the fact that it had been she who had saved Hancock, Sandersonia and Marigold. She took pride in Veyron's gratitude towards her at the time.
Sooner than she thought, in her mind, the image of Veyron subtly replaced the image of Kozuki Oden.
A real hero could be brave, indomitable, and incorruptible. If they were not powerful enough, they would end up like Oden. It was why, despite how much she hated her father, she couldn't help but respect him.
'He was strong'.
All she could ever hope for was to have a mixture of both worlds.
Indomitable, brave, incorruptible like Kozuki Oden, but also... powerful like her father, Kaido.
'And that's when he appeared, Veyron'.
Perhaps a bit young, perhaps a bit impulsive. But it was that boy who left that lightning strike in the skies. Thanks to that white lightning, the darkness would no longer shroud the country of Wano. It was something that everyone on the island knew. But more so her.
"A-Amazing... is that a lightning strike? A perpetual lightning bolt?" Ace stared at it, although a bit shallow compared to the sun; if one looked enough, it was there.
Something physically impossible.
"That lightning strike is now the ray of hope that engulfes this island".
Watching that lightning strike again, and watching Ace, who had freely come to this country from the outside, Yamato made up her mind.
*BAANG*
She slammed her club to the ground, and the wave made Ace's flame flutter a little. Soon, her body began to change into that of an azure fox.
'Zoan...?'
"You think you can take us on? How about this... let's have some fun together, I'll call Veyron regardless of the result. It is up to him if he comes or not, though. He's very busy".
"Fair enough~".
With that, the set was on. Ace jumped engulfed in flames towards the two creatures and thus, a legendary battle ensued.
**
**
Back at the depths of his lab in Rusukaina. After instructing Monet and Sugar about their future endeavours, putting Hancock to sleep after a wild night and essentially taking care of all his husband duties, Veyron was ready to set off.
'Everyone knows where I am going to be, so I can go in peace for a bit to settle some matters'
The moment he came out of his lab, though, he was faced by someone. A blonde gorgeous beauty clad in a spring dress with hat, completely different from the first time they saw each other in which she was clad in elegant armour.
"Where are you going?"
Saint Isabel Esquivel, all too mysterious, appeared out of nowhere. The boy levitated slowly with his arms crossed and she followed forth, however, her levitation was different, it was almost like she was suspended in mid-air without gravity being unable to affect her.
"Since when are you so interested in everything I do?" Veyron scratched his long hair, they were no longer in bad terms with one another, but he still felt like he needed to be on guard.
'At least until I know how her power works'.
It was a bit unnerving to meet an individual whose powers couldn't be explained or measured by science.
The Knight of God walked on empty space around him, giving two turns around his body, "You're probably the strongest individual in this world, Dracule Veyron, shouldn't I be interested?"
"Have you been observing me?" He asked.
"Every second" She answered matter-of-factly.
"... a bit too honest, aren't we?" His brows twitched, making some distance as if he had just met his first ever stalker. A stalker with a scary power at that.
Isabel leaned forward a bit, displaying her gorgeous cleavage, clearly not wearing a bra.
"I have no reason to hide this from you. I expect us to be allies, so a bit of honesty comes unwarranted. Yes, I have been observing you. Of course, I have not indulged in your... privacy... too much. But yes, I have watched your experiments and your endeavours. You are a rather interesting individual. I thought you strength was everything that there was to talk about you, I was wrong... you are very smart too" She complimented him without shame, displaying a slight curve on her lips that not many through centuries were qualified to attain.
"The strongest...? Do you think I am stronger than Imu?" Veyron asked with interest.
The mention of that name made her shiver a bit. She turned around, displaying her lucious back, and sighed, "The power you have displayed makes me believe you are the strongest indeed. Dracule Veyron, there are powers that go beyond your wildest imagination in this world. Some of them are long gone, some remain... my eyes have seen everything there is to see and yet... I wouldn't be surprised if a power strong enough to end this world were to appear one day. Such a power would, by consequence, end you as well".
She turned around only to realise that he was right there, straight in front. Her heart skipped a beat for a moment at her inability to sense his speed. Nevertheless, her gaze lifted up fearlessly to stare at his crimson eyes.
"What I mean is... be careful".
"You're being oddly mysterious" Veyron tilted his head, extended his hand forward to caress her face, a gesture she didn't expect.
Isabel also placed her hand on his chest softly, through it, she could sense the palpitation of his serene heart without waves, unworried.
'He doesn't fear me...?'
"You can just call me Veyron, don't be overly polite" After caressing her countenance a bit, he retreated and so did she. The skinship, product of curiosity for the other party, felt natural.
Just like he was curious about her power, she was curious about his nature.
"What I am trying to say is... don't be overconfident because of your power, Veyron. You are strong, of that there is no doubt, but don't lower your guard. There are way too many mechanisms that can end your life, regardless of how strong you may be. If Joy Boy fell, so can you".
"Joy Boy...?"
She evaded his gaze, indicating she wasn't going to answer any question regarding this matter. Veyron smiled and leaned forward.
!!!!
Isabel gasped when her lips were taken, she savoured somebody else's lips for the first time in who knows how many centuries and by the time she realised what was happening, Veyron was already levitating away.
"B-Brat... d-did you just kiss me?"
"I did"
"Y-ou? me?".
"Yes".
"Do you even know how old I am?"
Oddly enough, her first reaction was not outrage but surprise, curiosity.
'Why...? Why did he kiss me? what does he think of me? what is his objective?'.
"All I can see is a beauty. A powerful beauty at that... shouldn't I be interested?" Veyron smirked, placing his arms on his back. He hadn't kissed her for any motive in particular more than to see what her reaction would be.
So far, her reaction was hilarious at the very least, curious at most.
"You're playing with something you can't handle. I am your mother's mother" Isabel's fists clenched, "Even if we don't share blood, spiritually, I was Mihawk's role model".
Rather than stay in the subject, Veyron evaded her and turned around ready to go.
"I will be off for a while, travelling the world and sorting out some matters. But when I come back, I want us to have a duel, Saint Isabel Esquivel".
"..."
"You said your power was to control lines, which I assume are not only lines, but vectors. Your powers intrigue me... let's fight soon–".
"Hmph, if you wish to fight, we can do that right now".
She extended her hand, and the whole air and atmosphere seemed to compress, taking the shape of a rapier sword.
Veyron whistled, "Now that's what I am talking about. I want to know how you do that, but now is not the moment~"
"But you have already kissed me. I can't just let you go after such rude behaviour, boy" She insisted. If one looked closely, the blush on her cheeks was feeble but present.
Veyron sighed, "So? Do you want to come with me?"
The blonde brushed her hair aside and extended her hand in approval after her sword disappeared in the same space from which it had come from.
"Act like a gentleman and take me along in an interesting journey... who knows? I may tell you a few secrets. All an old grandma like me can offer a young genius like you, is knowledge and wisdom".
He took her hand and she bounced into his arms, in doing so, all her assets bounced along, making Veyron gulp a mouthful of saliva.
'For someone so sexy, she's quite underconfident'.
It wasn't his plan to bring her along, but... 'Given how strong she is and her role as a knight, it might be better to keep a watch on her rather than have her loose. Besides, if I want to protect her from Garling, the best way is to have her by my side'.
"I am going to be fooling around though, can't guarantee I will keep you entertained at all times" He rubbed his nose, accentuating the fooling around part of which there would be lots.
"Not a problem. Where is Mihawk?" She asked.
"She went on her way, you will find that when it comes to mom and me, we both are very busy".
"You are the weirdest lovers I have ever seen. I can't even comprehend how she shares you. If it were me, I would have massacred all your mistresses".
Her eyes were piercing him like the edge of a meitō.
Veyron's brows twitched, 'That's what she wanted to do initially... I can see where she got it from'.
Soon they set off, he took her hand and took both of them in a supersonic flight towards the east, to the new world.
While they flew, Isabel looked around, awed. While he powers allowed her to levitate, she hadn't ever used them for this type of flight.
'Amazing...'
"SInce you say you want to impart knowledge. Can you tell me a bit about my mom's parents?" Veyron asked, just trying to make conversation.
"Mihawk's mother was a very detached noble; it was mostly me who was in that place. That child considers me her mother, even if she won't say it" Isabel said quietly.
"How was your relationship?"
"... as you would know, marriages between nobles are mostly forced. Maximus and Clare's marriage was not different. Maximus and I... we loved each other".
"Each other...?"
"At least... that's what I liked to believe" She spoke dejectedly, "But we were not fated. Sometimes I wished to have been a princess rather than a knight, maybe then... I could have married him. But I was blessed with strength. I consumed this devil fruit very early in my life, and therefore, my path as a knight of God was decided even before I could accept or decline the role".
"What about Maximus?"
"Maximus was a monster; he didn't need any devil fruit. Just like your mother, he had innate talent with the sword. When he was at the mere age of twelve, no one in Marie Geoise could defeat him with a sword. In a sense, he was like you" She sent a smile his way.
"I have a devil fruit, though"
"But you could have achieved great heights even without one. You may not be aware of it because you have it, boy... but the Haki of Dreamers is a nearly unatainable power. In my long lifespan I have only met five, you and your mother included. For what I can see... the reason you chose the Goro Goro no mi is because you have plans with it. That is why I have no qualms in saying you are the strongest in the world right now, you can mix your Haki and your fruit to a degree I have never seen throughout history".
"... I got it precisely because it compliments my powers, as you said. Thanks for telling me. So, can I expect Imu to be just as strong as me?".
"Lord Imu's powers is mysterious even for us knights, Veyron. Not much of it is disclosed for even us. For as long as I have reason, the Knights of God exist and our job is to prevent Lord Imu from engaing with any kind of threat, to protect Marie Geoise... it makes sense we have never witnessed his power. But kid yourself not, he... no, she... is powerful and before you even face her, you will have to face the rest of the knights who are not any less formidable".
She looked him in the eye, dead set.
"I believe you are capabe. To be able to entwine so well the powers from one of the strongest fruits, together with the Haki of Dreamers... not even Gol D. Roger had your potential, Veyron".
Bringing up the legendary name, made Veyron want to ask her a sensitive question that thriggered his inner child. Even as far as the first chapter of the anime. The same question remains.
"Isabel, the One Piece, is it real?"
She was shocked for a moment before she broke into a fit of laughter.
"I didn't think you, of all people, would be interested in that. Do you wish to become the Pirate King, Veyron?" She looked at him like a lovely granny who had just heard her granson say something so immature despite his age.
For most people in the world, the One Piece was a myth, delusional words spouted by a man on his deathbed before execution. Most pirates didn't even believe it was real and yet here he was, the closest individual to a God in this world, asking for a myth.
"Not at all. I don't want to be a pirate, but how could I not be interested? I know Gol D. Roger was someone with the Haki of Dreamers, which means anything he did couldn't be simple. If he concealed the One Piece, if he let everyone know about it, it had to be for a reason".
There was silence for a while in which he waited an answer.
"You're right..."
"So? What is it?"
"If I told you... it wouldn't be interesting, would it?~" Isabel caressed his cheeks again, once more acting like a granny even he twitched his tongue and separated a bit.
"So, it is real?"
"Of course it is real".
!!!
Her answer was spouted without a doubt, and being a Knight of God, it had to be real.
"Like an actual treasure?" He asked further.
"Yes, it is a treasure. It exists physically. The Pirate King stole it from God Valley and concealed it in the last island, Laughtale. However, the nature of the treasure depends on the nature of the person who finds it" She explained.
"What do you mean?"
"The moment you learn what the One Piece is... you either lose interest, or your ambition skyrockets to the point where you would be willing to sacrifice everything to attain it... A blessing, a curse, unimaginable wealth, a disease, power, a weapon... the one piece is anything you can think of... all that matters is how you use it. It is an object hailing from the void century, an object that should have been originally concealed and kept away from the masses. The Pirate King stole it and, without even realising, concealed it in a place that's even more secure and difficult to access than where it was prior. In doing so, he did us a favour... why else do you think Lord Imu wouldn't personally go and fetch it? All of us Knights of God know where it is, we know what it is... and yet we let it be".
Once more he gasped, it was the truth.
'A lot of characters in the story... they all know the One Piece is real and yet nobody made a move to obtain it... it wasn't a coincidence?'.
"Do the Poneglyphs lead to it? What was the promise–"
She put her finger on his lips.
"You're asking way too many questions, boy. If you want to know... why don't you go and find it yourself?~"
"..."