Chapter 8: Three years of battle Part 5

[AN:

Gonna be honest, I ain't feeling it BUT I'M NOT DROPPING IT! What I mean is that the MC in this fic does not have a reason to join the straw hats or at the least a reasonable one. I tried to come up with one but it didn't stick. There is no reason why he should be under anyone... who isn't a hot naked girl.

*Cough* But seriously no matter how much I thought about it, this fic felt off because I was restricting myself to not let the Straw hats be defeated and as you know that is why I decided to reboot it but...

Due to the recent chapter of the manga, I decided to make two one Piece fanfic since the last chapter kinda opened the possibility for a fic I had written a while back but stopped because I thought it wouldn't match well with the Canon until now.

That means the MC will now have his own crew which was the main reason for an AU. For the fic where the MC joins the straw hats Look up One Piece: The Cheapskate of the Straw Hats on this site. And as an apology for being inconsistent, here are two chapters in a row.]

[Third Person's Point of View]

Surrounded by a pile of bodies freshly turned into corpses, a young boy with a collar on his neck stands humming to himself while being drenched in blood.

"Die you monster!"

A man lunged at a young boy as the latter stood still. As the sword in the man's hands heads toward the young boy's neck, the former sees the latter smile. The man watches in shock as before the sword can cut the boy's neck, his body turns into a rainbow-like afterimage, that dissipates in individual single-color afterimage of the young boy, behind.

"Too slow."

The man hears the young boy's voice from behind as the latter reappears, in the same fashion as he disappeared, behind him. This causes the man to turn quickly and try to swing his sword once more. This time the young boy does not even move but the man's sword never managed to reach the young boy.

[AN: Imagine Utsuro's fighting style from Gintama. It is never explained, at least to my knowledge, how he was able to disappear and reappear with rainbow after images.]

This confused the man as he was sure that his enemy was within his sword's range but when he swung his sword, he did not feel any resistance outside of the air which meant that he had not injured his opponent. His confusion was replaced with shock when he saw what was in his opponent's hands.

'How!? That's my sword! Shit! No time to think about that, I have to grab the nearest weapon on the ground-'

He thought but before he could act upon it or even finish his thought, the world turned upside down.

'W-what is going on?'

*Thud*

The man thought before he noticed that in front of his eyes was the young boy he had just called a monster and a headless body that was falling down. His eyes widened and his mouth moved but the man's voice could not be heard... as the lungs he required for such action was with his falling headless body. 

"*Sigh* Guess today's was a boring meal after all."

Those were the last words the man heard as the boy went on his way before the crowd that was watching erupted in unison after another victory from the kid. The young boy drenched in even more blood due to the headless body falling down his way, went back to his cell.

Once he entered his cell, he brought his back against the wall at the far end of his cell before dropping to the ground like a puppet whose strings had just been cut down. If previously he was seen as completely fine, now he looked like he could not even move a single muscle.

"I'm more tired than I thought... *Huff* I guess I'll be using Dawn of Avalon."

The boy barely managed to utter those words before he closed his eyes. To people who would be glancing at his cell, it looked like he was just sleeping but contrary to outward appearance, the young boy was still awake and was listening to something as music started playing in his mind.

Now most would be wondering what is Dawn of Avalon. The boy currently in his cell is Urek D. Mazino and he possesses a talent called 'The End' allowing him to copy and master any abilities that he has seen or even described by someone up to, allegedly, one hundred and twenty percent of the ability's capability.

With that talent, he was able to replicate Metal Bat's Fighting Spirit which has allowed him to survive for as long as he did, this is because it increased his strength through his damage intake and anger buildup. He repeatedly used it since fights became harder and harder as time went on.

After a while, the boy asked himself, did he truly master it? Was an increase in strength through damage intake and anger buildup really the only way to use this ability? Taking inspiration from Nen, he came up with the idea to replicate how Zetsu hastened Gon's healing while using this ability to see if something would happen.

With nothing else to do in his ironically free time, he decided to visualize the outside world and often did so while singing a song he knew in his head. This is probably why when he tried replicating Zetsu without Nen, which was simply erasing one's presence and resting, a scenery came into his mind along with a melody.

At first, he did not feel much of the effect, he simply felt himself in a better mood but after a few times, he noticed that he regained his strength faster, and his injuries healed faster as well. Each time he pictured the outside world, it became more beautiful than the last, and the music he chose blended into the background more easily.

He decided to name this version of Fighting Spirit, the Dawn of Avalon. Currently, he was singing to himself the ending song of Blood Blockade Battlefront also called "Sugar Song to Bitter Step".

---

'I've gotten used to this super-natural madness

That somehow I believe is the way my life should be

Shaken up, in a whirl, on this rambling roller coaster

But what is it that I can't take my eyes off?'

The boy is currently running around an immense jungle field with weird creatures made of food like in Toriko.

'Swallowed up by the fundamentals of equality

I feel as though my heart's starting to ramble on and on

All the hate, all the love, all for you - so try to speak up

'Cause otherwise you're no more than a doll'

He ventures into the wild, swing on a vines like Tarzan while mimicking his shout everytime.

'At night, the city streets -

Crowds of people on their feet

Some are happy with the world they know

While others struggle all alone

The difference in their lives

Like music notes they dance across the stave

Like melody and rhythm singing'

He let go of the vine which propelled him upward into the sky. He saw the sun rising and illuminating the entire forest before he fell down into the forest.

'Marmalade jelly & sugar song

Peanut coat & a bitter step

It's quite a treat, so bittersweet, my head begins to spin around

Keep on partying on and on

Take it down from South to West

The world will sing aloud

Because tonight is going down in history!

I feel so damn good - take my hand, reflect the light up!'

As he landed, he started to dance to the music that was playing.

'I'm so unsettled by statistics and reality

Will the music that I make

Be just a tool for them to take?

Turn around, if you please - just don't turn your back to face me

Although I guess that's not enough to plead my case'

A microphone appeared in his hand and he started singing the song on his own.

'After we celebrate

When the music fades away

Some are smiling still from ear to ear

While others break down into tears

They're both one and the same

But I can't help thinking it doesn't make much sense

To put it into words how all their

Favorite thing is a sugar song

Their happiness is a bitter step

So shout it out aloud 'cause we won't let our lives end over there

Even if you regret it all, each and every day will end

So listen to the forecast in your head predict the weather till it's done!'

A guitar appeared in his hands as the microphone levitated in the air, he started playing the guitar which matched the music and continued to sing.

'Some day, even if the madness stops its breathing

Some day, if the reasoning has lost all its meaning

Feeling song and step

And listen to the way our voices echo on

'Cause that's the proof that shows that we exist here in this moment shout it out -

Q.E.D.!'

Night fell but he continued to play and a meteor shower could be seen in the sky as he played the guitar.

'Marmalade jelly & sugar song

Peanut coat & a bitter step

So shout it out aloud, why we must live our lives all over there

Let's be proud of how far we've come

North-North East back where we began

The world will sing aloud, so keep it up - nothing can stop us now!'

An audience formed in front of the boy as a stage began to form around him. People kept cheering him as he sang with a smile.

'Marmalade jelly & sugar song

Peanut coat & a bitter step

It's quite a treat, so bittersweet, my head begin to spin around

Keep on partying on and on

Take it down from South to West

The world will sing aloud

Because tonight is going down in history!

I feel so damn good, take my hand, reflect the light up!

Goes on, and on, it repeats, so let go of work and have fun!

Whoah - oh, one more time, give your all! No, no-no-no, no, no-no-no

We got happiness, phrase and the melodies!'

As the song ended, the boy noticed that all the audience members were faceless. He sighed before he opened his eyes to the real world.

---

Upon opening his eyes, he felt like his body had somewhat healed to the point of him no longer being out of breath. He could now stand up but he chose to stay there and save his strength. He would need it because in one week would be the last day of his Trial by a Thousand Blades.

In all honesty, it should have been today but Menthos had used his influence to add one more condition for Mazino's Trial by a Thousand Blades. He would have to fight Zahard The Hollow after one additional week to earn his freedom.

Mazino had yet to understand this but the true ability of Dawn of Avalon was the replenishment and increase of one's Haki. Over the duration of his Trial by a Thousand Blades he had acquired skills that were linked to haki but he had yet to master any known form of Haki due to none of his opponents having mastered none themselves.

Some might find this fact hard to believe but Haki was something that very few people in the entire world knew about. Fewer had managed to master one let alone all three known forms. Those who had mastered at least one form of Haki would usually not be seen in such a place though this did not mean that no Haki users were in Eisleymos.

Due to the kind of place that is Eisleymos, those in power often kept their best cards hidden and among the best cards, none was better than a Devil Fruit User or a Haki user. Those in power at the time wanted Urek D. Mazino dead to save their reputation but they were not dumb enough to use their best cards since that would expose them to their rivals especially now that the World Government was looking for the culprit behind the death of a Celestial Dragon.

In fact, most of their haki and devil fruit users that were known on the Island were tasked to guard specific locations that were important to their business leaving only their hidden cards to participate in the arena.

Upon learning the other's strength, two things would be bound to happen. One faction would attack the other if they saw that the latter was significantly weaker than them or if the latter was significantly stronger than them, the former would form alliances with other factions to eliminate the stronger faction.

That was if they could not frame the stronger faction and since tension was high it was more prudent to save as much strength as possible while revealing as little as possible as well. A grudge aimed at a deceased old man was not enough for them to reveal their hand to their competitors.

Roughly a year since Mazino's Trial by a Thousand Blades started, the people of Eisleymos stopped talking about what Rob had done to their women, it was not forgotten as some still refered to them as the cucKINGS of Eisleymos but the thing that was the most talked about was The Irregular.

Those in power quickly got over their intention of killing Mazino as they saw the bigger picture which was... money! They rigged the fights to always be a gamble by worsening Mazino's condition and making it public which would allow the suckers to gamble their money away.

The people in power did not care if Mazino lost or won since they made money either way. Still, because they viewed Mazino as a money cow that meant that even though they worsened his condition, they still kept him alive and protected him in some cases.

Whenever Menthos plotted to have Mazino killed directly, they would intervene if the chances were guaranteed death for Mazino for two reasons. One as previously explained, Mazino made them money regardless if he lived or died during his fights so it was better for them if he died during the fights and not in his cell.

The second reason was that Menthos was their competitor which meant that they could not pass the opportunity to take a competent slave from him. They had previously tried with Zahard but failed since to them, his spirit had been broken by Menthos.

Mazino on the other hand still had his spirit intact. He did not like or obey Menthos and that was not hard to see. Their plan to snatch Mazino depends on him passing the Trial by a Thousand Blades.

If he passed, meaning that Zahard would be dead, then they would offer him a place in their faction since to their knowledge, Mazino knew nothing of the outside world and they could blame Menthos and their other competitors as the reason why he was mistreated during the Trial by a Thousand Blades.

To their knowledge, If Mazino accepted then they would gain a tool with potential which they would spend time grooming into a loyal subordinate since unlike Menthos, they could use different means to earn Mazino's subservience while Menthos had already lost those means after what he had done to Mazino.

If Mazino refused and left the Island then they would not take it to heart since... he would be killed as soon as he reached the horizon. In either of those two scenarios, Menthos would be down one powerful pawn and his influence would diminish.

It is largely because of this that they refrained from sending even one of their haki or Devil Fruit users, hidden cards, under them. The same could not be said about Menthos, he had used a huge sum of money to sneak in some Haki users in the upcoming fight whose goal was to kill Mazino when he became the last man standing. Menthos planned it this way to earn more money through gambling.

"Dinner time!"

*Thud*

A man said as he dropped a bowl into Mazino's cell. The bowl and a piece of bread fell onto the ground and its content, soup with tiny pieces of meat, was spilled. The man expected Mazino to come running to eat his meal since to his knowledge he had not eaten anything in four days.

"hey, kid you hear me! I said it's time for dinner!"

The man yelled but Mazino did not move an inch which caused the man to smile wickedly as he opened the door to Mazino's cell. He walked up to Mazino as he drew his sword up to the ceiling not noticing that the fingernails on Mazino's right hand had turned into claws.

"Dismantle!"

*Fwip*

As the man was about to bring down his sword onto Mazino's head, he heard Mazino speak and noticed that his right arm was now close to his left arm. He realized that Mazino was awake and in his panic, he tried to swing his sword but only a trail of blood splashed Mazino.

*Thud* *Thud*

"ARGH!"

It was only after feeling pain in both his arms that he looked down and saw that he no longer had any. 

"A-"

"Dismantle!"

*Fwip*

As he was about to scream in pain, he heard Mazino mutter something again and he lost the ability to scream. He tried to as he saw the ground getting bigger but he could not utter a single sound. This was due to his head being chopped off by one of Mazino's attacks.

Dismantle was derived from one of the techniques that the Zoldyck Family taught to those who were bought and were planned to be sold to the World Government as long as they did not show enough potential to be hoarded by the Zoldyck Family.

Rankyaku is a powerful projectile technique, in which the users start by kicking at very high speeds and strength, which results in a sharp compressed blade of wind or "Sickle Wind" that can slice through objects and greatly damage a human body.

With the help of his claws, Mazino managed to improve the technique to the point of being able to use it with his hands. He called his attack Dismantle due to being inspired to create such a move by Sukuna.

With his current condition and physique, Mazino's Dismantle was a close-range attack that could not be used the same way as Sukuna's Dismantle. Having killed his attacker, Mazino went to eat his food.

'Too bad this one also didn't bring the key to my collar otherwise I would not need to stay here. Either way, the next seven days are likely going to be my toughest fights yet. I'll probably be fighting some Haki user.'

Mazino thought as he ate.

[AN: Want more? Like Thanos, I want those STONES!!!]