crash
Unknown Island – New World
A peaceful, seemingly uninhabited island stretched across the vast sea, surrounded by crystal-clear waters and decorated with tall palm trees swaying gently with the ocean breeze. On the coast, lazily rocking with the waves, was a pirate ship. Its flag waved proudly…
A skull with scars, a raised goblet, and three slashing marks on a red background: the Jolly Roger of none other than Red-Haired Shanks, one of the three Yonko who ruled the New World.
And yet, something disturbed that peace...
On the other side of the island, the ocean had turned red. A colossal Sea King lay torn apart, its body barely recognizable. Blood spread like a wild call, attracting other sea monsters from the depths.
From that bath of chaos, a man in a dark coat slowly walked across the sand, leaving deep footprints with each step.
His aura was so dense, the very ground cracked beneath his feet.
...…
In the center of the island, the atmosphere was completely different.
The Red-Hair Pirates were celebrating with laughter and booze, bottles exploding in mid-toast while impromptu music filled the air. But among them, one man wasn't laughing.
Seated on a log, his goblet barely raised, Shanks stared gravely into the trees.
His men noticed immediately.
The mood shifted.
One by one, they lowered their drinks and looked in the same direction.
From within the trees, the wind carried a crushing presence.
A second redhead emerged... eyes like steel, his steps shaking the island.
The trees in his way weren't cut or dodgedthey were reduced to cubes, floating in the air as if reality itself broke at his touch.
"I finally found you…" he said, voice deep and thunderous.
"You're a hard man to catch, Shanks."
This man needed no introduction, but his feats spoke for him:
Gildarts Clive.
The man who faced Kaido and lived.
The one who made entire islands vanish with his power.
The one who turned Fairy Tail into a whispered fear across the New World.
A pirate hunter… who might as well take the place of the missing Fourth Yonko.
Shanks smiledcautiously.
"Your power always intrigued me… For a while, I thought it came from a Devil Fruit. But if that were true, Admiral Kara would be dead by now… wouldn't she?"
"She's my daughter," Gildarts replied with pride. "I'm glad she inherited something from me... Even if she's nothing like me."
The tension thickened. Shanks set his goblet down, his hand resting casually on his sword's hilt.
"So what brings you to me, Gildarts?"
"Let's call it… a father's revenge," he said, as a wave of raw magic surged from his body, warping the space around him.
Instantly, Shanks unleashed his Conqueror's Haki with immense force, creating a pressure wave that made the trees tremble and dropped several rookies to their knees.
The air between them vibrated. The ground cracked apart.
"That's not Conqueror's Haki," said Shanks, eyes narrowing.
"No... it's not," Gildarts answered, smiling confidently.
Silence. No one dared to move...
Until Yasopp did.
With legendary precision, he raised his rifle and fired a Haki-imbued bullet straight at Gildarts' forehead.
But Gildarts only tilted his head slightly.
The bullet missed and detonated a mountain kilometers away.
Gildarts launched forward like lightning, magic thrusters of fire bursting beneath his feeta trick he picked up from watching his daughter.
Shanks drew his sword at the last second, interposing it between Gildarts' fist and Yasopp. The impact sent out a storm of sparks and fractures in the very air.
The clash was so brutal, the sky split in two.
Clouds shredded into cubes.
The earth rose in waves of stone.
And Shanks' legendary sword screamed in pain.
Shanks twisted his blade, freeing Gildarts' arm and slashing toward his neck.
But Gildarts' fist, even off-balance, still aimed straight for Yasopp.
Shanks had no choice.
He redirected his slash downward to sever Gildarts' arm and save his crewmate.
The sword cut through flesh
and still, the punch landed.
Yasopp was sent flying, his shoulder a mangled mess of blood and bone.
Gildarts leapt back, calmly picked up his own severed arm…
…and snapped it back into placerevealing it was a magical prosthetic all along.
He flexed it with a metallic click.
Shanks stared, furious, his fist trembling with rage.
"Well… that was my introduction," said Gildarts with a crooked grin, stretching his reattached arm.
"How about we skip the warm-up this time?"
Both men tensed. The air burned. The ground quaked.
The clash of titans was about to begin.
But just as they were about to collide
From the depths of the sea, a submarine burst forth, displacing a massive wall of water.
On its hull, a modified Jolly Roger wavedbearing a symbol similar to the Marines… but different.
A sigil only those who knew the World Government's darkest secrets would recognize.
Inside, the captain stared at the island's meeting point with a stone-hard gaze.
His body glowed with a fiery red, steaming and heating up like a living furnace.
"Prepare yourselves…" he said.
"The balance of the world may shatter today."
…..
Back with the members of Fairy Tail…
To Natsu, this wasn't a dangerous mission.
No.
This was a party.
In his own personal garden.
He ran joyfully through scorched bushes, charred flowers, and trees still sparking, as if he were at an all-you-can-eat fire buffet.
"Woooo!! Spicy flames on the left! "he shouted, diving headfirst like a human vacuum cleaner into a lone flame.
"You idiot! We're not here to have fun! "snapped Gray, taking off his shirt out of sheer habit". We're in the middle of a mission!
He turned to start a fight with Natsu, but…
CLACK.
Erza's gaze fell on them like divine judgment.
Not even a fire god or an ice demon dared to challenge that stare.
"Sorry, ma'am "both said in unison, standing stiff as statues.
Suddenly, from the flames Natsu had left behind…
A colossal shadow emerged.
The sky trembled. The fire roared.
A red dragon burst forth, roaring with fury and spitting fire like it was performing in a steroid-fueled fireworks festival.
"AWESOME! "shouted Natsu, his eyes glowing like headlights". Dragons exist in this world too! Maybe he knows Igneel!
"What kind of logic is that?! "grumbled Gray". That's like asking a random guy in Aquile if he knows Magnolia's baker…
"But we can ask! Doesn't cost anything! "insisted Natsu, already walking toward the monstrous dragon with absolute confidence". Hey! Do you know Igne"
CHOMP.
The dragon tried to eat him in one bite.
That was its mistake.
Natsu frowned.
His fist lit up in flames.
And with a roar of anger, he punched the dragon square in the snout, slamming it into the ground and leaving a crater in its wake.
"I'M ASKING YOU SOMETHING!! "growled Natsu.
The dragon lay still, eyes swirling in a daze.
"Maybe… it was just a giant winged lizard that breathes fire "said Happy, floating above the scene with his classic "this is totally normal" expression.
"Tsk! So that was it! And I got my hopes up! "grumbled Natsu, disappointed.
"No, no, no! That is DEFINITELY a dragon!! "interjected Lucy, shouting in a panic as she frantically scribbled in her notebook". Scales, wings, fire"checks all the boxes!
Erza was already walking ahead.
"It's irrelevant. Let's move on.
"Are we just gonna leave the dragon there? "asked Wendy, a bit torn.
"Didn't seem too friendly "said Natsu, brushing off the dust". He should be thankful we didn't turn him into barbecue.
And so, the Fairy Tail team continued on their way…
Completely unaware that, far behind them, another dragon was watching in silence, a massive bead of sweat rolling down its scaly forehead.
.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island…
The Straw Hat Pirates were chatting peacefully, when they suddenly saw Luffy and the others approaching with a giant grin on his face.
"Oooooi! We found you! "Luffy yelled cheerfully.
As he approached, his eyes locked onto Zoro, and in a flash, he was standing right in front of him.
"You're the swordsman! Did you finally decide to join my crew?! "Luffy asked, overflowing with excitement.
"No "Zoro replied flatly.
"The moss-brained idiot just got lost and waited for someone to find him "Sanji chimed in mockingly.
"Shut up, curly-brow! I didn't get lost! "Zoro growled, clearly annoyed.
"Oh yeah? Then… wanna join my crew? "Luffy asked again without missing a beat.
"I already told you no "Zoro replied, arms crossed.
"C'mon, don't be like that! It's fun! "Luffy insisted, his smile growing even wider.
"I'll pass "Zoro said, deadpan.
"Tsk… stingy "Luffy mumbled, giving up… for now.
But then, his eyes caught the children nearby, and his curiosity sparked instantly.
"Hey, who are these kids? "he asked quickly.
"We rescued them from inside "explained Rab.
"Well… actually, Nami did "he added.
"Oh yeah? That's nice "Luffy replied with his usual simplicity.
"Shuoororororo… "a twisted laugh suddenly cut through the moment.
From above, a figure emerged through the mist, a mocking grin stretching across his face.
"Looks like you've got something that belongs to me "said Caesar Clown, floating above them.
"Why don't you return my children… to where they truly belong? "he added with eerie calm.
In an instant, everyone looked up at him.
And their eyes… were no longer smiling.