บท 34: Disciplinary Action
To say Dante was high above the clouds would be an understatement. He was high above damn near everything that existed right now, he felt like the luckiest bastard in the world by a country mile.
A few days had passed since he had come to the Kuja Island and found out Hancock had fallen desperately in love with him, and he hadn't left the island once ever since. He had no reason to, everything he could ever need was there. Plus, Hancock was unsurprisingly very convincing when it came to making Dante stay.
She was still relatively... obsessive. Yes, obsessive was the right word. However, it seemed like the more time she spent with Dante the more comfortable she became in her 'love sickness', and slowly but surely she was shifting into the independence she had prior to contracting the sickness.
In all honesty, Dante was thankful for this. He didn't want the badass Empress of the Kuja to stay in the mindset of a swooning teenager, and preferred it be that she was able to function without him. He had been scared that she would keel over the second he left the island, that her heart would not be able to take such tragic loss.
Alas, he needed to leave the island either way. He needed to see how the Straw Hats were doing, though according to Rayleigh over the Mushi they were 'surviving'. The other reason he wanted to leave Kuja was the less than stellar reception he had received ever since Hancock had announced her undying love for him for the whole island to hear.
It was... an awkward moment. The glares he received that day would send any man into stasis with how ice cold they were, let alone the disgust Hancock's sisters held towards him. Considering he was about to become their only lifeline for staying safe and not being enslaved, he figured the appreciation would be overflowing by now.
With that notion in mind, and a desire to not fall into the lazy lifestyle he knew would plague him if he stuck on the island, he decided to set out for Sabaody once more. He didn't dare leave without telling Hancock, god forbid. She would hunt down any trace of him across the sea if he did.
Anyways, he now found himself on the Deadweight, loving life and looking forward to the next adventure his journey would bring as he stood against the wheel of his vessel. Once again, he reminded himself that learning how to sail would be the next thing on his aspiration list, because he truly had no idea what he was doing.
He resigned himself to life among the waves, and spent his time playing around with Giuseppe, the newly named bird the Revolutionary Army had gifted him for contact. Truth be told, the thing had been oddly silent, and he had no idea how the Revolutionary Army would send messages through it, but damn if it wasn't a nice bird.
As the hours passed on the ocean waves, Dante slowly began to regret investing in a boat, yet he was far too attached to it now to leave it behind.
He cursed the Deadweight for having such a valuable place in his heart, but then he also couldn't help but smile at the memories brought on by the name of his ship.
Just as he began to reminisce on memories of less turbulent times, Dante jumped up in his seat at the desk as the Mushi began to ring violently. Grinning, he answered the call.
"Devil May Cry."
Doflamingo's voice rasped out across the line in response, a wave of confusion in it.
"What? Am I supposed to know what that is?"
Thinking for a moment, Dante realised the situation had become very awkward very quickly, as Doflamingo sounded less than pleased already.
"Ignore that, bad habit. Anyways, what's the occasion, Doffy? Got some work for me?"
Doflamingo's voice gained an edge that put the Rebellion to shame in that moment.
"Don't call me that."
Suppressing a chuckle at Doflamingo's attempt at 'cross-mushi' intimidation, Dante responded in a far more lax tone than Doflamingo would have appreciated.
"Quit trying to be cool, Doffy. Just tell me the job you have."
Once more, 'Doffy' reminded himself that soon Dante would be dead and he could piss on his grave any time he wanted. It was all that kept him sane as he conversed with the bastard.
"An employer wants to meet you. The job is cash up front, half before and half after. 700 million Berries, with your name on it."
Dante's voice became much more energetic, and amicable as well after hearing such a vast payment. His eyes glazed over with thoughts of how much money he would have after, taking into account his already lavish life with 400 million in the bank.
"You should've said that sooner, Doffy! So, where am I meeting this 'employer'?"
"It isn't a matter of 'where' so much as it is a matter of 'when'. He's travelling from up North, into the New World. It'll take some time for him to reach the place you'll meet him, an island called Kenzakan. In two weeks, at 9:30 in the morning is when you'll be expected."
Dante paid no mind to how specific the time and date of the meeting was, nor the shady location. He had briefly thought it would be an elaborate ambush, but abandoned that thought in favour of more optimistic dreams of the fat stacks included in the job.
Plus, what maniac would try and ambush him? Doflamingo surely knew by now that he was more than just a force of nature.
"Kenzakan, two weeks, 9:30. Got it. Thanks, Doffy. I'll let you know how the job goes."
Immediately after, Dante hung up the Mushi, entirely unaware that across the ocean, Doflamingo was cackling with glee that his plan was going along without a hitch, unaware that he was all but inviting Kaido to his long awaited death.
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"No, no! You think the Marines will let you take a breather?! That a Pirate will just let you recover?! You're fighting for your life out there, you don't get to sit around and wait!"
Rayleigh's gravelly voice bellowed across the open plain, and was followed by several groans coming from the exhausted Straw Hats, who could only barely find the strength to continue their training.
In the time since Dante had left the Straw Hats under Rayleigh's care, the Old Bastard wasted no time in preparing them for the New World and the journey ahead.
In his defense, Dante had asked him to keep them safe, and what better way to be safe is there than to prepare for the future? Rayleigh chuckled to himself at his own wayward thoughts. If there was one thing he could admire, it was the Straw Hats work ethic in the face of such despicable training regiments.
They had already received a reality check. After all, had it not been for Dante, they would be dead, brutally murdered at the hands of Akainu. At least, that was what he told them, however he wasn't exactly going to just let the Admiral kill them all. They didn't need to know that, though.
A subtle bit of manipulation was all it took. They'd seen how powerful Dante is, so for him to mention the near death experience they had, and the fact that he himself taught Dante, meant he quite soon had the Straw Hats lapping at his palm with vigor in their training.
They were pathetic compared to most New World pirates, however he was fine with that. It was fun to train someone who actually needed it, the only thing he taught Dante was how to use Haki. Everything else aside from that, well, Dante outclassed him entirely. He was fine with that, though.
The main priority was to bring the baseline they had up to par with what he expected of common tier dregs of the New World. He wasn't planning to introduce Haki into the training just yet, especially considering they were barely able to work into their own strengths.
Lucky for him, he wouldn't have to manage those rascals all the time. No, Rayleigh planned to be a co-ed, to shift all of the responsibilities onto Dante and see how he fared at teaching them. Rayleigh considered it justice after the bastard laughed at most of his combat lessons.
His previous chuckle turned into a cackle, mind racing at all the ways Dante would curse him out after this. Of course, such an action only served to frighten the Straw Hats even further than they already were.
Well, most of them at least. If there was one thing Rayleigh could guarantee it was that Sanji and Zoro always took their training seriously, no matter what. The two of them had mentioned Dante multiple times since he had appeared a few days prior, asking about the bastard frequently.
Rayleigh didn't care much for it, he didn't even have the answers they wanted so he just told them Dante would answer any questions they had. It was exhausting managing a group of scallywags like these.
Suddenly, as quick as his cackle came it went. Rayleigh began to close his eyes as he called upon his Observation Haki, smiling as he felt a familiar presence pulling into the docks.
Here's hoping Dante accepted training them in the first place.
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The proposition was much easier for Dante to accept than anyone had expected. Truth be told, he had nothing else to do. No business calls, no furious messages from Sengoku to respond to. His most recent deal with Doflamingo was already scheduled, so he couldn't exactly meet the man early either. He also had jobs from the Revolutionary Army - which confused him more than anything else.
'I mean, they've got basically a free-win card on their payroll, yet they haven't even given me a call. The hell kinda game are they playing?' He thought frustratedly, disappointed with the lack of casual terrorism invitations from his newest employer.
Problem is that he has no idea how to train other people. Most of what he knew was self taught anyway, with only brief scraps of Sparda's lessons being scattered in his memories. In face of such a daunting premise, Dante decided to just improvise.
He was stood in front of the Straw Hats, who were currently side by side in a line, and was doing his best to think of a plan for how to train them on the spot. A brief look at how Zoro observed him gave him the perfect plan.
"Alright, folks. Truth is, I've got no idea how strong you all really are. That's gotta change."
He grinned and shifted his gaze between each member of the motley crew, holding eye contact with them until they broke under the pressure and looked away.
"We're gonna fight. One on one, then all against me. That way, I can see how you perform alone, and as a team. How's that?"
The response was varied. Between the excitement of Luffy and Chopper, the abject terror of Usopp and Nami, the unenthusiastic response of Robin and Franky and the anticipation of Zoro and Sanji, Dante figured he had a lot on his plate to work with.
Well, the only issue now was who first? Should he set an example early on that they had no hope of matching him, or let them have some fun for a while before establishing diff? Scratch that, he needed to address something first before he began teaching.
"Zoro."
The swordsman stood up straight upon hearing his name called, staring Dante down as the half-devil walked towards the 'mosshead' as Sanji so lovingly put it.
"I've noticed the way you're looking at me. And while I'm flattered, I'm not into guys."
Zoro scoffed and hardened his gaze, staring at Dante with pure steel in his will.
"You know exactly why I've been watching you. Don't play games, Dante."
The half-devil nodded, before stretching for a moment and yawning shortly thereafter.
"So, you really wanna fight me?"
"More than anything. I need to see how much of an obstacle you'll be to my dream."
Dante looked back at Zoro, confused for a moment as he wondered just what the hell his dream could be that's worth challenging him of all people.
"And that dream is?"
"To be the Worlds Greatest Swordsman."
Dante snorted, then gave an appreciative hum, acknowledging the big aspirations that Zoro had, before backing away and motioning him to follow as they distanced themselves from the crew, ready to battle. As they stood facing eachother on the open plains, Dante began to try and rile Zoro up.
"Before we start, let's establish something real quick."
Dante summoned the Rebellion and held it straight in his right arm, pointing the blade in Zoro's direction.
"As long as I'm alive, you're never gonna reach that dream of yours."
Ignoring the vitriol that consumed Zoro's gaze after he spoke, Dante continued talking as he lifted his left hand, summoning Ebony into it as he shifted his stance.
"Why don't you try and change that?"
Despite the fact that it could be seen as dishonourable, Dante had a reason for bringing out his sidearm in a sword fight, mainly to test if Zoro could manage multiple threats at once from a single target.
The other, less noble reason was simply because he always wanted to dual wield the iconic weapons he now held.
Zoro's palms held steadfast onto his swords, his jaw clenching tighter over the most prized blade in his possession, reminding himself of his dream and the obstacle he now faced. He didn't back down in fear, he never would.
Seeing Dante's last sentence as the unofficial start to the battle, Zoro rushed straight towards the Red Devil, swords held behind him and vigor in every step.
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emonoc
emonoc bit of a gap in chapters, probably won't be able to do daily or even alternating uploads. final exams are coming up, and I value my education, so I'll be prioritising that over the story. that doesn't mean I'm gonna abandon it though, just gonna be slower updates.
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