Chapter 17: Reunion?

Garp charged toward the four Darkside with unshakeable confidence, his fists ready to pulverize anything in his path. His imposing stature and brute strength made him look like a human bulldozer, and nothing seemed capable of stopping him. Yet, Sora, standing at the center of the chaos, showed no sign of fear. On the contrary, a sinister smile appeared on his lips, as if he'd been eagerly awaiting this moment.

"Don't overestimate yourself, kid!" roared Garp, pulling his fist back to deliver a devastating blow with all his might. He leapt into the air, aiming directly at Sora, but Sora calmly raised his Keyblade, his icy blue eyes fixed on Garp with an eerie serenity.

"Stop+" murmured Sora, his voice soft but carrying an implacable authority. In an instant, time froze. Garp found himself suddenly suspended mid-air, immobilized like a statue, his fist still poised to strike. His muscles were tense and locked; he could no longer move, entirely at the mercy of Sora and the Darkside behind him.

The four Darkside, seizing the opportunity created by the spell, raised their massive arms in perfect synchrony. Huge spheres of darkness formed above their heads, swelling like dark clouds ready to burst. Then, all at once, they hurled the shadowy orbs toward Garp, their trajectory deadly and inescapable.

"No!" I shouted, seeing the vice-admiral about to be crushed by the attack. Acting on instinct, I extended my right hand and used "Fragmentation." My arm detached from my body and shot forward at incredible speed toward Garp, wrapping around his torso like a lasso.

I pulled with all my strength, shifting his frozen trajectory, managing to yank him out of the way just before the enormous dark spheres reached their target. The shadowy orbs exploded with a thunderous crash, tearing through the air where Garp had been moments earlier, sending a shockwave that forced everyone on the battlefield to stagger back. Thanks to my intervention, Garp was pulled out of the path of the projectiles, and the explosion's force accelerated his retreat, sending him crashing to the ground next to me.

I retrieved my arm and regained my position, out of breath but relieved to have averted the worst. Garp, now free to move, slowly got back to his feet, his gaze settling on me for the first time since our encounter, this time with sharper focus.

"Damn kid with his weird power…" he grumbled, clearly displeased with the situation but grateful not to have been obliterated by the Darkside's attacks. "Thanks for pulling me out of there..." He trailed off suddenly, his eyes narrowing as he looked closer at me, as if trying to figure me out.

I took a deep breath, stepping forward slightly to face the legendary vice-admiral. "Jordan. Heartless D. Jordan, to be precise. Vice-Admiral Garp, I am the vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy's crew," I declared with a smile, trying to keep my composure despite the palpable tension surrounding us.

Garp stared at me for a few seconds, his brows furrowing as if he were analyzing my words. Then, without warning, he raised his massive hand and smacked me on the head. The pain was sharp, and I could immediately feel a bump forming where he had struck.

"Damned kid with his pirate nonsense," he grumbled, a mocking smile appearing on his lips. "You seem like a decent boy, but after handling this problem," he continued, gesturing nonchalantly at Sora and the Darkside, "we're going to find Luffy, and you're both joining the Marines."

I rubbed my head, wincing from the pain. Garp didn't exactly consider others' feelings or choices, and he hit whenever something annoyed him. "No wonder Luffy's so scared of him," I thought, looking at the five menacing figures preparing for another attack.

"Vice-Admiral Garp, let me handle the boy," I said, my gaze fixed on Dark Sora. "I can stop him from using that spell again while you take care of the big ones." I knew Sora and his time-manipulation spells posed a major threat, and if Garp wanted a chance to destroy the Darkside, he couldn't be hindered by the powers of this dark kid.

Garp looked at me, a hint of trust in his eyes. "Alright, Jordan. I don't have an easy way to deal with that kid's magic tricks, so he's all yours. I'm going to take down those four monsters." Without waiting for a response, he launched himself into the air using his Geppo, jumping like a human missile toward the Darkside.

I took a deep breath and propelled myself after him, using Peter Pan's flight ability. Garp turned his head, surprised to see me speeding past him in the air. "Damn kid, you're flying now?" he grumbled with a mix of frustration and amusement.

I ignored his remark and focused on my target. "Fragmentation!" I shouted, launching my hand holding my Keyblade like a sharp blade directly at Dark Sora. The blade sliced through the air at lightning speed, but Sora reacted with frightening precision, effortlessly parrying the strike with his own Keyblade. The two blades clashed, producing a metallic screech that echoed in the air.

Dark Sora smiled, his cold eyes gleaming with an icy malice. He charged at me, his Keyblade tracing a luminous arc as he attacked with a series of quick, fluid strikes. We were locked in a fierce duel, our weapons clashing in a dance of strikes and parries. Every blow I delivered was dodged with calculated precision, and every attack from Sora was deflected by my sharp reflexes.

I managed to pull him away from the Darkside, drawing him further toward the edge of the beach. Behind us, I could hear the thunderous footsteps of Garp as he dove into the middle of the four Darkside, narrowly dodging the massive fists that came crashing down. The Darkside summoned additional Shadows in an attempt to overwhelm him, but Garp swept away the smaller creatures with powerful punches, reducing them to dust with every impact. He dodged the Darkside's attacks with surprising agility for a man his size, moving with the precision of a raging bulldozer.

Meanwhile, I continued my intense duel with Dark Sora. Our Keyblades clashed in a flurry of sparks, neither of us able to gain the upper hand. Seeing that he was staying on the defensive, I decided to take a risk. I left an intentional opening, lowering my guard and allowing Sora to strike directly toward my stomach.

His attack was fast and brutal, his Keyblade aiming straight at me. But just as it was about to hit, the defensive ability of the Rondouillard within me activated, absorbing the shock and blocking his attack. I took advantage of the opening to bring down my Keyblade with force, aiming directly at his head.

The strike landed, and Sora was sent flying backward by the impact, his body crashing hard to the ground. He slowly got up, a twisted smile on his face, as if he was enjoying the challenge. Then, to my surprise, he removed the crown necklace around his neck and tossed it carelessly to the ground.

"What are you doing?" I asked, narrowing my eyes, wary of this unexpected gesture.

Dark Sora merely smiled before abruptly vanishing, merging into the shadows around us. I turned, trying to locate where he might have gone, but he had disappeared like a ghost. The threat seemed temporarily dissipated, but I knew he was likely preparing something.

As I straightened up, Garp landed heavily beside me, his imposing presence nearly making me lose my balance. "Damn kid, did you make him run away?" he asked, his gaze scanning the area for Sora.

A message suddenly appeared in my mind:

Jordan gains 600 Shadows and 4 Darkside (hard).

Jordan acquires the accessory Royal Necklace (allows transformation into Dark Sora and use of his abilities).

Shadows and Darkside in your possession have been leveled up to hard mode.

"Expert" difficulty unlocked.

I shook my head, wondering how Garp could stay so relaxed after fighting four Darkside in a row. "Old man, is it normal that you're not even tired after battling those giant monsters?" I asked, already mentally preparing myself for one of his infamous head smacks.

Garp gave me an amused look before letting out a loud laugh. "Those big heaps of shadows? Toys!" he replied with a shrug. "They tried to crush me with their big fists, but they're, at best, on par with headquarters colonels, if that."

Then, without warning, he brought his fist down on my head, giving me a good, painful bump. "And stop calling me old man!"

I crouched down, holding my throbbing head. "Ow, that wasn't necessary!" I grumbled, shooting a resentful look at Garp, who laughed even harder, showing off his still-clenched fist.

"If you've got any more silly names for me, I'm ready, kid!" he said, waving his fist in a mock-threatening way, though with a smile far too amused for my liking.

Feeling the situation slipping away from me, I decided to switch tactics. I took off into the air to get some height and yelled at the top of my lungs, "Old fossil! Shriveling old man! Stubborn as a mule! Mean old grandpa!" I stuck my tongue out, making exaggerated faces to really rub it in.

Garp looked up at me, stunned for a second, before bursting into laughter. "Oh, you want to play that game, huh? Alright then!" he exclaimed, launching himself into the air with his Geppo. "Get back here so I can teach you some respect!"

I didn't wait for him to get closer. Panicking, I sprinted through the air, putting as much distance between us as possible. But Garp, true to himself, started following me, leaping from one spot to another in the sky like a human cannonball. "You're slower than a snail, kid!"

The dungeon abruptly disappeared, and we suddenly found ourselves above the sea, with Garp's ship just below us. My heart raced, but I didn't waste a second. I shot upwards, trying to gain altitude to escape from Garp. Once I was high enough, I dove into the clouds and opened a dark portal mid-flight. "See you later, grumpy old man!" I shouted, diving into the portal as quickly as possible.

I was thrown out of the portal at Fuschia Village, but my exit wasn't as graceful as I'd hoped. I crashed straight into a tree, bouncing off before sprawling out on the ground. The portal closed behind me, and I lay there, dazed, staring at the sky with stars circling around my head.

"Is this… a victory?" I murmured, still a bit confused as I tried to gather my thoughts. No sooner had I spoken than a loud crack sounded, and the tree I'd crashed into started to tip, falling heavily to the ground with a thud.

"Jordan!!" I heard my name called in a familiar voice just before I was lifted up abruptly. Luffy grabbed me and pulled me into a hug, a big, relieved smile on his face. "You managed to escape Gramps?" he asked, glancing around quickly as if to make sure Vice-Admiral Garp wouldn't appear out of nowhere.

I straightened up a bit, smiling despite the lingering pain in my body. "Yeah, it was tricky, but I did it," I replied, laughing a little. Luffy sighed in relief before patting me joyfully on the back.

"Ha ha, that was epic! Thanks, Jordan!" he said, laughing. "You're the best!"

I smiled back, but my attention was soon drawn to a sweeter scene nearby. On a bench, in the shade of a large tree, I saw Nami, sitting quietly with something small and delicate nestled in her arms. Squinting, I moved closer, curious to see what it was.

When I reached her, my heart skipped a beat. Nami was holding my little adoptive sister, Léa. She was there, so small and fragile, looking around with her big, bright eyes, her face curious and innocent. Little Léa seemed to recognize me instantly, as no sooner had I approached than she reached her tiny chubby arms toward me, a tiny smile on her lips.

Nami looked up at me, a soft smile forming on her face. "Looks like little Léa wants to go with her big brother," she said, laughing gently before standing up and carefully handing the baby to me.

I took Léa in my arms, holding her close to my chest. She immediately clung to my jacket, nestling comfortably against me. Her small fingers gripped the fabric as she snuggled in, as if she was seeking to feel my heartbeat. I couldn't help but smile, rocking her gently, a feeling of peace and tenderness washing over me.

"Thank you for helping us get out of there, Jordan," Nami said softly, standing beside me, her eyes shining with genuine gratitude. "I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't been there."

Luffy nodded, his smile as bright as ever. "Yeah, you were amazing, man! That was so cool! We'll have to find a way to thank you properly!"

I gave them a grateful look. "You don't need to thank me. We're a team, right? We support each other, that's all."

Léa shifted slightly in my arms, and I looked down at her. She had ended up resting her little head against my chest, her eyelids gently closing as if she felt completely safe. A small, contented smile formed on her lips as she drifted off to sleep, cradled by my slow, steady movements.

Nami watched the scene, her gaze softened by the tenderness of the moment. "That's adorable," she murmured almost to herself, an affectionate smile lighting up her face. "You make a great big brother, Jordan."

(Author's Note: As promised, the second chapter of this weekend. I hope you enjoyed it! I'll do my best to avoid leaving cliffhangers when splitting my chapters from one weekend to the next. Don't hesitate to leave a rating so my story can be featured. Thanks in advance! ^^)