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22.95% Reborn As Dante / Chapter 14: One Less Loose End

Capítulo 14: One Less Loose End

Before any of the combatants-to-be could even breathe, with a swift Quicksilver Dante was directly in front of the opposing group, and eager for the big reveal of who he was fighting, Dante grabbed under the hood of the closest person to him, intending to pull them in and slam one of the Cerberus on them.

He came to a slight roadblock in that plan however, because instead of having his hand around someone's face, it was blocked by something stiff. Something long. He recognised it instantly, how could he not? That nose certainly leaves a memory.

Disgusted and confused, but piecing a picture together somewhat, Dante made up his mind. Shifting back onto his left foot, Dante kicks out, against the back of the (who he thinks is Kaku's) knee, and unleashes a quick jab to the nose he previously held, holding back significantly so as to not accidentally have his fist go through the mans skull, instead shattering the bones in each location he struck.

Hopping back, bouncing on his feet and recognising a distinctly familiar figure and a hint of blonde hair as he looked over, Dante was slowly beginning to realise that this conflict was a much deeper one than he initially thought.

Iceburg's suspicions were correct, it would seem. He smiled. Having done his job so far of keeping the man safe, and already feeling bored and slightly creeped out by having gotten hands on with Kaku's nose, Dante decided to kick back and make sure Iceburg didn't get caught in the crossfire.

Laying on the bed with his hands behind his head, legs crossed, Dante disengaged his Quicksilver and watched as chaos ensued, with Kaku dropping down like a puppet with no strings, collapsing in on himself. Iceburg jumped at seeing Dante appear next to him.

The collective heads of CP9 follow to their fallen ally, then take notice of the vibrant red coat Dante loved so dearly. They did not seek vengeance, though, instead prioritising their mission and the capture or killing of Iceburg.

"Woah! How'd you do that, Damien!?"

Luffy's voice echoed out just after he realised Dante had seemingly disappeared and reappeared. It seemed as though his crew thought he was disrespecting Dante, because upon Dante looking over to respond to Luffy, he saw Nami shaking her head while pointing at Luffy, and Zoro clutching his swords tighter. Chopper, being the creature of utter devastation that he is simply waves.

"Well, Lucian, it's actually quite simple. I'm just that good. Maybe someday you'll be just as good as well, but I doubt it."

Proud of himself and his response, and distinctly aware that Luffy had not heard his response due to CP9 directing their assault against him and his crew, Dante simply crossed his arms and raised his chin, proud of himself for once again educating the youth.

His best guess is that CP9, as mission focused as they are, decided that his presence in the room meant it was impossible for them to harm Iceburg, nor capture Nico Robin, and went for the tertiary objective instead. Eliminate Straw Hat Luffy, by any means necessary.

Beyond several instances of 'Robin, come back!' and 'Daniel, do something!', nothing much else interesting happened in the fight, until suddenly Nico Robin once again tried to sneak over and dispose of the still relatively shocked Iceburg, who had been shaking slightly the entire time.

Her attempt was interrupted handily after Dante took a note from Vergil's book and surrounded her with an array of his summoned swords, waving at her with a bright smile when she glared over in his direction, frustrated that she failed so spectacularly and still has to watch CP9 harm her friends.

Each hand that she tried to send his way, wrap around a bone or joint, and every foot she tried to kick him with was thwarted quite easily with a simple shift of the swords ever so closer. He quite liked the little game they were playing, though to her it absolutely was not a game.

All he has to do is simply wait for this to be over. Maybe he'll step in if it starts looking bad. After all, he does care for them, somewhat. He isn't too sure why, and it's probably because they're the only ones he recognises and gives him something familiar at the very least, but he didn't care. They seem nice, and that was more than enough in this world. Everyone seemed hostile here, friendly faces were few and far between.

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Seeing that Rob Lucci had now revealed himself, that same top hat on his head, and was currently beating down Luffy into a bloody mess, Dante decided that perhaps now was a good time to intervene. Nami was on the floor, Chopper was exhausted to the bone and Zoro was... well he wasn't quite sure considering he couldn't find the man somehow but the point still stands.

Getting up off of his currently cross legged position, having switched several times to get the best view of the fight, Dante stretched his arms and crackled his knuckles, laughing to himself at how the extensively trained deadly group of assassins flinched slightly at the action. He walked forward, and the battle stopped. The panic had manifested now, as the members of CP9 gave eachother multiple signals through nodding.

While he didn't recognise one of them, being the man with devil horns for hair, a stylistic choice Dante wasn't quite endorsing, he knew that these people were threatening his chances of his own boat, and of some friends in this new world. All he had in that category was Jilky Two Toes, and that was already precarious enough as it is. Maybe Vergil counted too, if you squinted.

"Alright. I reckon I've waited long enough. Time for me to tag in."

Each member of CP9 still standing instantly planned to use that 'Soru' move of theirs to get out of dodge and exit the building through the open hole in the wall, however that was in vain, as the moment they turned their bodies to flee Dante was sat there, looking down at the clock in the room, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Listen, I got a place to be real soon. Can we make this quick?"

Looking among themselves, it seems as though the various members of CP9 came to the mutual conclusion that the plan was out the window, and readied themselves to engage Dante. He smiled once more in response, only to frown as Lucci suddenly took a snail out of his hand.

Would he tell his superiors to send reinforcements? That the mission failed? Dante wouldn't allow that, instead quickdrawing Ivory and unloading 3 rounds into Lucci's hand, Tricking over and grabbing the snail.

Seeing that there was no connection, Dante pocketed the snail and put the pistol back in the holster, shortly after Tricking between Khalifa and Devil Hair, grabbing them by the back of the head and slamming their faces into to ground, incapacitating them. He heard them say something like 'Tekkai' but to be honest he stopped paying attention to what they said quite a while ago.

Standing up and stretching his arms against his chest, Dante looked over and saw that the Straw Hats were all recuperating in the entrance of the room, still without Robin. He couldn't quite understand why she wouldn't go back with the crew, and Chopper's words were ringing in his head.

"Well, I'd say we're just about done here. Say, Robin, you done with this whole 'leaving the Straw Hats' thing?"

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Robin was conflicted. The options from before had become clear the instant the battle started, Dante was so far above CP9 that they served no challenge. But these weren't the only members. If they didn't report in, headquarters would raise questions. Their leader would raise questions. And questions could lead to a Buster Call on the island.

The answer was clear. Her friends were safe, that much was obvious. She had no reason to stay. All she wanted was her friends back, her family back. Without hesitation, she dropped the gun and ran over to her crew, the swords surrounding her having been dropped the second the gun left her hands.

Dante took this as confirmation that he had done something right, because he was pretty sure she is a main character in the crew for the rest of the series and now she'd abandoned her whole 'hatred' phase. Proud of himself for keeping the story intact, Dante casually meandered over to Lucci who had been stoic ever since his squad was taken down.

"So, before we finish this, where'd that pigeon go Bird Boy?"

Lucci did not dignify Dante with a response, instead glaring down at the man, grim acceptance on his face as he reminded himself that the mission was derailed, and that he failed the World Government. These were the consequences of his mistakes.

"Damn, that's a shame. Really hoped to see that little guy. Oh well."

Figuring that he has enough leverage already, Dante decided that one less loose end was better for him. Characters in series like these tend to come back if you let them, and Dante didn't want his own one sided rivalry. Summoning the Yamato, he cleaved Lucci's head from his shoulders, not allowing the man a chance at resurrection as a zombie if things go apocalyptic in the series.

Yawning slightly at the lack of excitement in the battle, partly due to the utter stomping of the Straw Hats and sticking to his mission of keeping Iceburg safe, Dante went over to Iceburg's bed, slicing it to ribbons and using them to tie the incapacitated CP9 members up, possibly fracturing bones to make sure they're tight.

"Hey, Robin, did these guys say where their boss might be? I figure I've got enough leverage here for them to get me on the snail with someone important, and I'm in the mood for some negotiations."

What Dante wanted was quite simple. To see how far he could push the World Government or the Marines. He would happily admit that screwing over major authority figures has a distinct charm to it, though he was also hoping to negotiate some resources to upgrade the Deadweight.

Try as she might, Robin couldn't help but feel slightly vindictive towards the World Government after the last 24 hours. It had been exhausting, and utterly gutwrenching for her. She looked over to Dante and told him exactly where he would find them.

"Enies Lobby. It's the pathway the World Government use to imprison criminals, or anyone they deem as such."

"Huh... Odd name, but I suppose that's normal for this place. Say, you seem to have some woes with these folks. You wanna tag along and burn it to the ground?"

He grinned in her direction, a mischievous one no less and even though Robin should have been afraid of him after what he did to Cipher Pol, instead she felt safe. Comfortable.

She looked over to Nami and Luffy for confirmation, fearing they would no longer be trusting of her. Instead they were all too happy to end Robin's troubles, and the smile she then gave Dante after their response brightened the room, no matter how small it was.

"Happy to hear it, Robin. Before we go, though, mind telling me what you wanted with old Iceburg over here? Hey, Iceburg? Oi!"

The man had fled the room the second Dante had finished the battle, already feeling a fragmented trust towards everyone around him after Khalifa's betrayal. Sure, he had seen it coming but it wasn't exactly something he wanted to be true. He needed to see Franky, tell him of Cipher Pol, and of Dante.

Grabbing hold of his new hostages and waltzing over to an exit, entirely ignorant of the Foremen watching him in utter incredulity and the public masses having seen the fight through the open hole in the wall, Dante didn't miss a beat with the knowledge that Iceburg ran.

Looks like he'll have to take the train instead of getting the Deadweight running now. Come to think of it, he'd be spending quite a while on the island waiting for his Deadweight to be finished, maybe too long. 'Thoughts for later', he told himself.

"Oh well. Guess we're going now. Hold on, ain't there supposed to be another member of your crew?"

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The biting winds bore lashes against his skin. The flames of his cigarette was all he had to warm himself in the freezing night, as alarm bells rung over the tide rising to frightening heights, and evacuations of the lower levels were beginning.

Hours he had spent at this sea train station, waiting for Robin, the men who took her, or damn near anything to show up. He would wait as long as it took, though. He loved Robin-chwan, with all of his heart, and he would see to it that he be her Knight in shining armour no matter the cost.

Hopefully they'd come soon though. People kept giving him weird looks after the first few hours. This was his last cigarette, too. Hearing footsteps approaching, Sanji hastily turned on his foot, only to groan upon seeing who it was that greeted.

"Ero-cook? The hell're you doing here? Oi, you seen Luffy anywhere? Nami, Chopper?"

'Where the fuck did the Mosshead come from? Wasn't he supposed to be with the crew?' Sanji truly had no clue. All he knew was that he was now stuck with that piece of shit Mosshead, and he certainly did not enjoy that fact.


Capítulo 15: Railroad Syndrome Part 1

The biggest issue that came with getting to Enies Lobby was immediately made apparent when Dante thought on the circumstances. They had no boat. The Going Merry was in shambles, and the Deadweight didn't even exist at this point.

It was for this exact reason that Dante decided they would enjoy the luxury express of the Sea Train, mainly because it went directly to their destination and required no operation from him to work, an idea that was entirely his own and definitely not Nami's.

He didn't want to give her any credit, because even acknowledging her existence was a danger given half the conversation he had with her on the way to the train was about money. 'You must have a lot of berries, especially since you're such a big, strong pirate.' He doesn't have the heart to tell her he's broke beyond repair.

By the time they came to the Sea Train station of the island, Dante could immediately tell something was wrong. First of all, they had found Zoro. And he was currently butting heads with another man Dante recognised with the main cast, 'Shinji' he thinks it was.

The issue that had been previously mentioned was the fact that the Sea Train was preparing to leave, the World Government operatives running it smelling the blood in the water after no contact from their superiors, meaning that the crew needed to haul ass, and quickly too.

With that mentality, Dante simply decides the easiest option is to summon a Doppelganger and grab the Straw Hats, Tricking first onto the roof of the train and then into one of the cabins through the sunroof, placing himself in a seat and enjoying a cup of tea as the crew become aware that they even moved in the first place.

"Figured we should enjoy first class seating, some nice luxury after the days events, yeah?"

While the crew whooped and cheered at Dante successfully getting them on the boat, Zoro and Sanji forgot all about their blood feud temporarily to converse with one another under their breath, eyes glued on Dante.

"I don't trust him. Not one bit. He seems far too... easygoing for such a renowned pirate." Sanji voiced his concerns to Zoro, who had been clenching his sword with white knuckled fists the entire time.

"No, no. You're right, I don't trust him either. But it isn't his demeanour thats a problem. Hell, Ace was the same. Problem is his motivations. He just comes here, solves all of our problems, and for what? He doesn't gain anything. Something isn't right, and they don't even recognise it."

Zoro and Sanji's dialogue continued, having long since been heard by Dante thanks to his enhanced senses, however he decided to not try dissuade them from their suspicions. If he revealed he heard them, it would only grow further. He was fine with them having their suspicions, hell he'd be concerned too.

"I suppose so. Our only solitude is that he's brought us all together. You reckon we can take him?" Sanji's caution was matched by Zoro's, both being unwilling to let Dante out of their sight for a moment.

"No. I don't. You saw just now, he took us all over 50 meters, through a solid wall no less, before we could blink. We shouldn't attack first... Wait, he hasn't brought us all together-"

Zoro's realisation was matched by Sanji, who instead of maintaining previous cautionary behaviour decided to voice his question directly, albeit quite accusingly too.

"Oi! Red Devil! Where the hell is Usopp?!"

────────────────────

His fingers bled, but his soul burned brighter. He would not allow his friends to be taken away by these - these fiends! The Great Sogeking would save them, of that he was assured.

His hands gripped with all their might onto the outer railings for leverage, his body laying against the flooring between carriages. He was afraid to move, but he would overcome that fear, because Sogeking fears nothing. So he pulls. With all of his strength, courage, and grit he pulls, until he is directly standing against the wall, squeezing his body as close as he can to the train.

He would wait from here. For when he was needed most, Sogeking, would respond, and he would save the day. He would get his friends back.

Until then, however, his priories lay in staying on the train. He isn't quite sure anybody had actually noticed him yet and he was deathly afraid of falling.

────────────────────

Dante had been expecting at least some form of resistance from the World Government, and it seems he had gotten what he expected when a patrol force of 6, admittedly well dressed, men walked through a carriage door just as Sanji and Zoro voiced their question.

Dante had long since noticed the signature of Usopp hanging around their train, the sniper having snuck onto the last possible carriage by the skin of his teeth and climbed, crawled even, his way there. Dante couldn't lie, he admired his grit. 'Takes some real determination to go that far.' he added mentally.

Anyways, given that he knew Usopp was hanging around and ready to reunite with his friends, Dante decided to allow Usopp to make his grand entrance. He came up from the World Government enforcers and swung his oversized slingshot downward onto the head of one, immediately knocking him out.

Past that initial K.O, however, Usopp found himself in quite the tricky predicament as the mans friends had rapidly turned and were now about to beat him down, 'and capture me and send him to the pits and be tortured because I'm a pirate and pirates deserve the worst andohgodhowcouldihaveletthishappen...?'

Usopp's thoughts were interrupted by a lack of any pain, opening his eyes and finding his friends already having dealt with the minor grunts, now running up to hug or cry, maybe even do both in Chopper's case, in expression of their relief that he was alive.

"Ahaha! I appreciate the help, brave pirates! But I am not Usopp. I am his distant cousin... from the... Sniper Island! My name is Sogeking!" Mentally patting himself on the back and entirely ignorant of his friends immediately knowing that he was the real Usopp, bar Luffy who seemingly had stars in his eyes, Usopp would stick to his story. The entire time they spent on Enies Lobby. Sadly.

"Alright, alright, while I'm glad that our 'great saviour' came in time to keep us safe, we should really be making a plan here. I mean, how exactly are we going to break into one of the World Governments most treasured assets?"

Nami's words were quite sobering to Robin, who now realised that she had essentially escaped the World Government, and riding that high of adrenaline, walked right back to them for some petty sense of vindication.

Dante however was entirely unphased, because if there was one thing he did best it was somehow managed to win no matter what, without a single plan to go alongside. 'Vergil doesn't quite count, that was a draw.'

"Well, gather round budding pirates, because I have got exactly the plan we need. Step 1: We knock. If that doesn't work, we knock with more force. Step 2: We dispose of any opposition, and occupy the island. Step 3: Profit. Whad'dya think?"

Sogeking, Luffy and Chopper all sat cross-legged at Dante's feet with stars in their eyes, giving him their utmost attention as they applauded his genius and tactical mastery.

In the meanwhile, Zoro and Sanji didn't dignify him with a response, continuing to simply glare at him, while Nami simply shook her head in exasperation and Robin smiled fondly at the scene, loving these small moments she had with her friends being able to smile happily and adding further to her desire to stay with them permanently.

"Wow Donald! You should've said you were such a good strategist! Say, you wanna join my crew?"

Dante recoiled immediately upon hearing the name Donald being used to refer to him, the disgrace against such a name as Dante being evident. He felt disgusted. Though, he also found it amusing.

"Sorry, Luffy, but I'm not in the business for joining crews. I prefer working solo."

Luffy simply laughed off Dante's dismissal of his invitation, though Nami, Zoro and Sanji all released a breath they had been holding upon Luffy asking said question. Dante had already long since decided that he wouldn't join a crew.

Maybe he would make one, given enough time, and enough people willing to follow him. He doubted that though. Try as he might, Dante didn't find much enjoyment in the idea of a crew.

He's willing to make friends, that much is for certain. He simply couldn't trust a crew to stay safe if they followed him or he followed them for as long as Vergil was alive. He didn't know if his brother would use them against him, as daggers to hit him where it hurts.

Man, he really needed to do something about Vergil. He wasn't going to sugarcoat it, he was afraid. Afraid that Vergil would follow him until the end of time itself, or until one of them finally killed the other. And sadly, there was no Nero here to solve that problem. He wanted a brother, but he would never be able to enjoy that love.

Shaking his head, Dante decided that those thoughts were for later. He'd get Vergil to see reason, no matter what. Even if it took a sword through the chest for it to happen. 'Give the bastard a taste of his own medicine, anyway...' he thought to himself, smiling pleasantly at the mental image.

Justice would be swift.

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An hour into the train journey, Dante had excused himself to one of the private carriages, intent on snoozing away the time until they reached Enies Lobby, having no stops on the way thanks to the World Government operating the train.

His small room was one of surprising luxury, probably fitting with the rest of the decor given the fine red fabrics and antique wooden aesthetics. It didn't matter though, Dante would be fine with damn near anything that had a bed he could sleep on.

His musings about a nap were interrupted by a soft rapping of knuckles against the door, followed by Robin's request to enter. Walking to the door, he obliged, and allowed her entry into the room, shutting it behind her before going back to his position on the train seats.

"Ahem."

Dante did not move from his position, wanting even a small nap given he hadn't slept in a few days at the very least, however he did respond to her.

"Yeah?"

"Dante, I didn't come to have a chat with your back. I want to talk. I want answers."

Sighing to himself at the inevitability of this conversation, and slowly raising from his lying position held prior, Dante eventually found himself eye to eye with Robin, arms relaxed across the seat behind him, having never once lost his eternal smirk.

"You wanna talk? Okay. Let's talk."

Dante had no idea just how important this conversation would end up being in his new life, but he would always be thankful for it.

────────────────────

His impatience and vitriol only seemed to reach new heights as he heard more and more spoken about the Red Devil. Constantly, his brother was held in high regard for simply killing a man, a man who held himself in high standards and had no real power to back up his assumptions. Was it really such a tragic loss? He knew not.

A newspaper had been quite simple to find, given how imperative they were to life and how extreme the population of the world was in spite of it's island based landmasses, and on the news came the same regular listing of wanted pirates as there always was.

He found his next targets quite handily in these bounties. The Yonko, pirates of unparalleled strength and infamy in this strange world, and the perfect stage for his ascension.

His interests lie in 'Big Mom', due to her unique fruit. He could already shatter tectonic plates with his fists and create vacuums with a punch, he had no need for Whitebeard's fruit, though he was certainly intrigued in the mans title. Kaido's fruit held no value, dragons made for incompetent weaponry given Beowulf's superiority to Ifrit.

No, instead he felt a sense of experimental glee at the thought of a Devil Arm to manipulate souls, perhaps even be able to remove Dante's own Devil Arms entirely, or at least interfere with their connection to him.

Surely this woman would make for a much grander weapon. Either that, or he would stick to what he knew best. If this plan truly fails, he would stick to his own Devil Sword.


PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES
emonoc emonoc

I underestimate how hard finding that drive to write actually is. anyways, I ain't got plans to drop this story. In fact I got big plans, some real big ones. I reckon I'm going 75 chapters minimum for this.

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