Title: The Emerald Curtain
Author: KobaltWolf
Rating: T
Warnings: Minor language and violence
Disclaimer: I do not claim to own One Piece or Naruto. They are the property of their respective owners. However, I do own any OCs that might appear
Summary: After his fight with Ichigo, Ulquiorra is dumped in the world of One Piece. Now he's been mistaken for a pirate by Marines, while Whitebeard's 2nd Division Commander seeks vengeance against him. Can Ulquiorra find a way home, or will he die trying?
Hello, peoples! It's been so long since I last posted, but I finally got it out. Here be Chapter Three of the Emerald Curtain. Please enjoy and make sure to review! :)
Also, a shout out to Hellnyte, Avid Reader of Fanfiction, kuroyukihime2, Mr. Hourglass, Zaralann, Echo Uchiha, deathshade37, An0ymous, sairakanzaki, Day-ingale, xx.Alice.De.Luna.xx, and Deadzepplin for reviewing! I really appreciate it!(I think I got everyone. If I missed you, then message me and I'll add you on)
~/~/~/~
10 days, 18 hours, 44 minutes, and 12 seconds after departure from Little Garden:
Ulquiorra reclined against the cedar wall of the compartment known as the. . .“Captain's cabin” if he recalled the boy's words correctly. Minus, of course, the vicious swearing. The boy had been less than cooperative over the past few days, often bursting into swear and attempting to behead the Arrancar with his cleaning mop, neither of which succeeded in gaining a rise from the stoic man. The boy also seemed to be losing his sanity, speaking to the vessel as if it were a sentient being. Ridiculous.
The Espada pinched the bridge of his nose.
And it was taking a toll on his patience. He had been experiencing severe migraines and stomach pains since the beginning of his voyage, the boy dubbing the pains as symptoms of something called 'sea-sickness.' Obviously, the younger was incorrect. It was the boy's idiocy that was causing his physical discomfort, not some human disease. Ulquiorra Cifer did not get 'sea-sick.'
But onto more important matters.
The ship had been drifting with the currents for nearly a week-and-a-half due to their lack of a navigation device known as a Log Pose, an invention that supposedly allowed vessels to navigate the treacherous Grand Line. Brogy and Dorry had informed him of the Grand Line's unpredictable nature, but never once had the idiots mentioned anything near to a Log Pose.
He clenched his fist.
The boy had predicted that their food supplies would last approximately three more days, six if they stretched it, and water for only two. Now, normally this would not concern the Arrancar, but since his displacement into this world of idiocy also required him to ingest nutrients, he was mildly concerned. Food was not an issue. The ocean provided many edible Sea Kings. No, fresh drinking water was a much more imminent problem. And so, Ulquiorra spent many hours, during both day and night, scanning the horizon for land masses, none of which had appeared yet.
And nutrition was not his only concern.
Both the Shinigami and Espada most likely presumed him dead, meaning that he could expect no help (or interference) from them. Aizen-sama had probably made his move on the Seireitei by now, though, whether he had succeeded or failed was beyond Ulquiorra's realm of logical prediction. The top three Espada were immensely powerful, far more powerful than himself, but the Gotei 13 were equally resilient. He doubted whether they would go down without a fight.
He briefly contemplated if the onna would be permitted to battle.
However, since both parties believed him deceased, he would have to discover his own way back. Firstly, he would need to uncover more reliable intelligence than what had been offered to him on Little Garden *twitch*, meaning that he would have to visit a knowledge source. A 'library', as humans called them, would be a good bet. Perhaps the next island would present such a place if it were fortunate enough to be inhabit—
BOOM!
Ulquiorra blinked as the ship rocked dangerously.
Muffled voices filtered in from the outside, the loudest shouting the noun “fire.”
He could not comprehend why they would need fire—especially on the ocean, seeing as it would present a safety hazard to the completely wooden ships—but it was apparently quite urgent.
BOOM!
The Espada glided forwards as the ship tipped unnaturally once more.
Perhaps they required fire to banish a Sea King?
He opened the door with a click.
“—I ask again. Where is FEATHER HAT!?!”
BOOM!
The Red Heron reeled upwards as a cannonball exploded in the water mere meters from its stern.
“I told you!”
Ulquiorra turned his gaze to land on the boy who stood at the railing, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“He's DEAD!”
To the west, two pirate ships, far larger than the Arrancar's modest caravel, sailed side-by-side, cannons blazing as a bushy-haired man stood self-importantly on the railing of the nearer one.
“And I told you. I don't BELIEVE YOU!” He roared with laughter, the crew's of both vessels following suit. “Why should I trust some upstart gaki?! Bring me Feather Hat!”
“But he—is—DEAD!”
The man's faces twisted in a snarl. “You aren't fooling me, kid! Feather Hat wouldn't go down that easily.”
“I'm telling you the truth!” The boy's voice broke.
“Bring—”
“The juvenile is correct.”
“Hn?” The man's gaze locked on the new inhabitant of the Red Heron's deck. “And you would be?”
“My name is of no importance,” Ulquiorra stated dryly. “Leave now.”
“HA! I said we aren't leavin' without Feather Hat!”
“The previous captain of this ship is dead.”
“Yeah, right. The bastard took out an entire 7th Division ship! There's no way he's dead.” He snorted derisively.
“He is deceased. I killed him.”
“Hn.” The man raised his chin haughtily, reaching to grasp the hilt of his sword. “Even if that's true, and it obviously isn't—” he grinned “—it makes no difference. The ship's gotta go. FIRE!”
Ulquiorra blinked. “Bala.”
The bushy-haired man's brow creased. “Nandato—“
BOOM!
The man gasped as his ship's hull exploded in a shower of splinters and water roared into the lower decks. He whirled around, face alive with anger as his crew erupted into screams. “GET THE PUMPS!” he cried.
It will do no good . . .
“CAPTAIN!”
Turning on his heel, the man faced the yelling crew member crawling towards him across the tumultuous deck. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!? HELP THE SHIP!” he snarled.
. . .to be so arrogant. . .
“But sir!” the sailor wailed, terror cracking his voice. “The keel's wrecked!”
. . .I will make you atone. . .
The bushy-haired captain's eyes widened as something flitted across his shoulder. “What the—HWAAH!”
Brown met with unwavering emerald as the Red Heron's new commanding officer lifted the man from the deck.
. . .you piece of. . .
CRASH!
Shattered wood soared through the air as Ulquiorra jabbed the man's head through the floor.
“. . .trash.”
BOOM!
~/~/~/~
“Oh, Kami.”
Hands trembling, the boy stared at the wreckage that floated on the surface of the sea as the pale-skinned man stalked across the water, hands in his pockets and his face an emotionless desert. The boy dropped to his knees and raised a hand to cover his eyes. He swallowed heavily. “B—bakemono.”
~/~/~/~
Ulquiorra turned his gaze towards the second ship. It was smaller than its partner, though still an impressive galleon, with its flag flying high and its crew standing staunchly at their posts.
He cracked his neck.
And he could feel their fear.
“I have little reason to attack you,” he stated, voice stoic. “Retreat now before incurring further penalty, and you will retain your lives.”
Silence greeted him.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The Espada raised an eyebrow as a man, garbed in a fur-clad coat with a sword sheath attached to his hip, slowly stepped forward, long black hair fanning out behind him in the light sea-breeze. “Do you have any idea what you've just done?” His piercing voice rang clear through the silence.
Ulquiorra's feral eyes narrowed.
The long-haired man ground his teeth together. “Do you have any idea what you've DONE?!?” he cried, grabbing the railing with fierce vengeance.
“Yes.”
The man paused.
Ulquiorra let his eyelids droop boredly. “I took out the trash.”
Nani?
“You, teme!” the man snarled, face dissolving into unchecked fury as he whirled around and flung his arms out in a rather exaggerated motion.
No more of this foolishness.
“FIRE!”
Eyes widening minutely, Ulquiorra watched with fascination as the cannonball collided with his chest.
BOOM!!!
“Banzai!” The long-haired man's mouth stretched upwards in a genuine grin as the sea exploded in a shower of mist and debris. Oyaji won't have to worry anymore! He punched the air victoriously. “We got 'im, men!”
But no cheering erupted. In fact, the silence simply seemed to grow, like a cage building up before their ears.
“Got who?”
The man froze, fist still in the air. Impossible. The hair on the back of his neck prickled. Slowly, he turned his head to look over his shoulder.
Ulquiorra stood mere inches from his position, hands in his pockets and scarf wrapped loosely around his neck.
He took a shaky step back. “H—how?”
The look the Arrancar shot him could only be described as immense and stoic disgust. “I am the Cuatra Espada Ulquiorra Cifer,” he replied calmly as he raised his arm to level with the long-haired man's chest. “Such weak weapons have no affect on me. B—”
“WAIT!”
Ulquiorra spared an irritated glance at the Red Heron's deck as the boy balanced on its railing. Attempting to keep from plummeting into the ocean, he raised his hands to cup around his mouth. “WHERE'S THE LOG POSE?”
The Arrancar's eyes widened slightly. The Log Pose! How could he have forgotten such an important detail? He gritted his teeth. Apparently, he had let himself be influenced by Dorry and Brogy's utter stupidity.
“HWAAAH!”
Hn?
He's not dodging.
Ulquiorra eyed the long-haired man's approaching sword with disbelief. Could the human really be so stupid?
CRACK!
After all, ningen weapons didn't work on him.
With a resounding schriick! the metal shattered.
“W—what the—” The man grasped the hilt of his splintered sword with trembling hands.
“I told you.” The Espada hadn't budged in the slightest. “Weak weapons do not affect me. Now,” he continued without the tiniest change in tone. “Where is your navigation device?”
The crew took a step back, clutching their swords and other weapons as if they might provide some protection.
“Like I'd ever tell you,” the long-haired man answered, spit flying from his lips as he sank into a defensive position.
“Of course you will tell me.” Ulquiorra looked at him blankly. “I require it.”
His opponent snorted. “I'd rather die.”
Raising his arm to level at the man's chest, the Arrancar's eyes flashed. “Very well.”
“Stop!”
Ulquiorra glanced to the side as one of the crew members separated himself from his colleagues, dropping to his knees in front of the pair. However, he failed to even acknowledge the Espada, instead turning to the long-haired swordsman. How disrespectful. “Just give it to 'im, Jetta-sama,” the man implored, and Ulquiorra had to stop himself from sneering. Though he calls him sama, he still walks all over his pride. “A log pose isn't somethin' worth dying fo'.”
The long-haired man, now dubbed 'Jetta', glared furiously at his crew member. “Yaza. Get out of here.”
Even Ulquiorra had to raise an eyebrow at the sheer venom spewing from each word.
“B—but, sir.” Yaza wrung his hands nervously. “It's not right to die fo' such a little thing. . .”
“It's not a little thing, dammit!” Jetta shot back. “You think our pride is a little thing? Is that what you think?!”
“N—no, I'm just sayin'—”
“Well STOP just sayin', baka, and back OFF!” he shouted, lips twisting in a snarl.
Yaza glanced down at his knees, tightening his hands into fists. “I'm sorry, sir.” When he looked back up, he turned to face Ulquiorra. “You want a log pose?” His voice was stony.
The Arrancar merely cocked his head.
“You can have it.” The crewmember pulled something from his pocket, and Jetta's eyes widened in anger.
“Yaza, don't do this.”
The addressed barely spared his superior a glance. “I wouldn't have to if you'd listen to sense.” He tossed the object towards the black-haired Espada.
How cold.
Ulquiorra caught it deftly in the open palm of his left hand, examining it with a critical eye. It matched the boy's description, but it would do no good to make assumptions. He'd double-check before he took any measures. Without a sound, he lifted the device into the air.
After a moment, a shout drifted from the deck of the Red Heron. “BRING IT CLOSER!”
“Hn.” He applied a quick sonido to appear next to the boy and, ignoring the young human's intake of breath and the shouts of surprise echoing from the opposing vessel, unceremoniously stuck the thing in the bewildered boy's face.
Stumbling slightly, the younger grabbed the railing for support. “Don't do that!” he spat.
Ulquiorra blinked. “Do what?”
The boy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Nothing.”
“Is this the navigation device?” He waved the object clasped between his fingers in his younger's face.
Cue glare. “Yeah, yeah, that's it.”
The Arrancar nodded shortly and raised his arm to point at the other ship. A small green ball began to form at the tip of his index finger.
Eyes widening, the boy took a step back. “W—what are you doing?”
Ulquiorra lips twitched. “Keeping them from following us.”
~/~/~/~
“How dare you betray us!” Jetta shouted as he lifted Yaza up by the collar of his shirt and readied his fist for a vicious punch.
“B—but, sir!” Yaza wailed. “Just listen to m—me!”
The ship's captain snorted. “Why should I listen t'a two-faced punk like you?”
Yaza sniffed. “B—but I'm not two-faced! I'd never betray you, captain.”
“You just did!”
The crew roared in agreement.
“No, I didn't!” he protested vehemently, balling his bony hands into fists. “The log pose I gave 'im—” Yaza inhaled shakily as he felt the long-haired man's glare. “—it was the eternal one.”
Silence.
“You gave him the Eternal Log Pose?”
“H—hai.”
Jetta dropped his crewmember to the ground, allowing the cowardly man to make his scurrying escape, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Hn. You do realize that was meant for Oyaji, don't ya?”
“Y—yes, sir.”
“He was going to establish a direct trade route with that thing.”
“I—I understand, sir.”
“Do you understand? Do you really understand, you idiot?!?” Jetta slammed his fist into the railing. “Eternal Log Poses to that island are rare enough, and you just up and handed one to the murderer of are crewmates!” he roared.
Yaza whimpered. “B—but, sir. Now we can follow 'im.”
He's right. The long-haired man took a heavy breath. The trip through the islands will only take a few weeks from our nearest post, and it's not like that teme will be able to get off that island very quickly at all. In fact, he grinned, it's unlikely he'll even survive! He turned an eye towards the ship of the self-dubbed 'Ulquiorra', intending to gloat his victory merely through eye contact. The teme was probably already on his way to his downfall!
But the ship was still there.
No matter! More time to gloat.
Jetta's eyes flickered with mild fascination as the teme raised his arm to point towards them. Was he conversing with that child about his ship? And what was that green thing?
Slowly, Jetta's face dissolved into one of horror. “Oh, kami.” Whirling on his heel, he waved his arms wildly, a look of sheer terror plastered on his face. “ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP!”
~/~/~/~
“Cero.”
BOOM!
The boy looked on in horror, mouth agape, as the viridian beam annihilated the once proud ship. Ants of people flew through the air, somehow having escaped the brunt of the attack as water roared beneath them, protesting its sudden loss of matter.
“W—why did you do that?!” He clenched his fists, shoulders shaking noticeably as he shot an accusatory glare at the dark-haired Arrancar.
Ulquiorra replaced his hand to his pocket. “If their ship had remained intact, there was a high probability that they would follow us.” Turning towards the boy, he held out the Log Pose. “Navigate us to the next land mass.”
He took it with a trembling hand. After all, Ulquiorra didn't ask favors. “But I'm no navigator!” he protested weakly.
“We have no other viable option.”
“We did have an option, before you blew it to kingdom come!” the younger exploded, gesturing abstractly towards the smoking debris and struggling men that littered the sea's surface.
Ulquiorra glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “They would not have assisted us.”
“And how d'you figure that?”
“I slaughtered their comrades.” Such conviction.
“So? You slaughtered mine!”
“Yes, but—” The Espada returned his gaze forwards. “—their conviction was far greater than yours.” And with that, Ulquiorra disappeared into the Captain's chambers.
H—how dare he! The boy fumed, clenching his fist around their fragile lifeline known as a Log Pose. That teme thinks he can just insult me like that? He snorted and crossed his arms self-importantly. Well he's got another thing com—
FLOOSH!
The young human glanced up as something fluttered above his head. He narrowed his eyes. Is that a flag?
Apparently having been caught in the Red Heron's netting, the black cloth undulated slowly in the wind, a deceptively peaceful tribute to its crew's early demise.
Slightly curious as to what symbol the late pirates had possessed, he squinted and shielded his eyes from the son.
And his face turned a ghastly pale.
~/~/~/~
—require several barrels of water as well as protein and—
“Teme-sama!”
Ulquiorra glanced up in minor annoyance as the boy barged through the door, interrupting his—what was it called? Ah, yes—his grocery list. “Why are you ceasing to navigate this ship?”
The boy ignored his question. “We have a problem.”
Raising an eyebrow, the Espada sighed. “Does the Log Pose not work?” He should have expected as much. Honestly, Dorry and Brogy's stupidity really was contagious.
“No, it's not that—”
Bueno.
“—We just blew up two of Whitebeard's ships.”
~/~/~/~
37 hours, 43 minutes, and 11 seconds after destruction of Whitebeard's vessels and the young human's descent into paranoia:
The boy scanned the horizon, eyes diligently glued to his spyglass. Where are they. Where are they. . . .
They had to be somewhere!
He swallowed thickly. Whitebeard wouldn't give up that easily. No, the humungous pirate captain was definitely coming for him, and he knew it. No stoic, pale-faced, questionably-human being constantly telling him to navigate instead of search for 'non-existent' enemies could tell him differently.
“What are you doing?”
The boy paled, electing to carefully shrug the small spyglass into the fold of his sleeve. Speak of the devil.
“N—nothing.”
Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed. “That is highly doubtful.”
“Uh—ha, ha, ha. . . .”
Snorting slightly, the Arrancar turned away. “Nonetheless, there is a land mass directly northwest of this location. Navigate us to it.”
The boy's eyes brightened. Yosh! I can board a different ship there and escape two monsters in one fell swoop. Of course, Whitebeard will chase after me, so I'll have to create bunkers across the world in order to delay his mighty wrath—
“Also, if you attempt to escape my sight, I will slaughter you in an exceedingly painful manner.”
“H—hai.”
Dammit!
~/~/~/~
Ulquiorra stared up at the abysmally large ships anchored in the island's harbor with mild surprise. Yes, he conceded that there were many vessels larger than the Red Heron, but this was ridiculous! The monstrosities must have been twenty-stories tall, not including the masts.
As the ship pulled up to a wooden plank structure, probably intended to be a walkway, he turned on his heel. “Boy!”
“Y—yeah?”
“Anchor the vessel immediately.”
“On it.”
The Arrancar oversaw the boy's progress out of his peripheral vision, not really bothering to examine any of the specifics of 'ship-anchoring.' Instead, he wished to ascertain that the younger wasn't going to swing a metal object at the back of his head. However, it seemed the boy was far too much in awe of their surroundings to even bother in his attempts to assassinate the dark-haired Espada.
Perhaps one beneficiary result came from these ridiculously oversized ships.
“We are leaving.”
“M—matte! I'm not done yet!”
Ulquiorra glanced at him. “Then you will finish in the next 10.52 seconds or perish.”
“GAH!”
A flurry of activity erupted behind him as the Arrancar began to mentally count down by milliseconds.
10.23—
“DONE!”
Nodding slightly, he stepped into the air.
“Hey, wait! How am I supposed to get up there,” the boy protested, gesturing up at the 'walkway' far above their heads.
“How should I know?” Ulquiorra continued his ascent as the younger scowled haughtily.
“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered mutinously.
Ignoring his junior’s grumblings, the Arrancar quickly scaled the vertical distance between him and the wooden structure.
Honestly, the over-sized surroundings were rather strange, but, for all he knew, it could be the norm for this island. . . .after all, he wasn't particularly inclined to trust his sources of information.
He calmly stepped onto the walkway structure, raising an eyebrow at the enormous width of each plank. 5.923 meters. The island's vegetation must have been prolific.
A breeze flitted through his dark hair as he glanced around, looking for some marker or sign to note the land mass's title. Ah. Approximately 34.449 meters down the walkway hung a rather tattered wooden sign, its surface flaked with chipped, blue paint.
The Arrancar squinted, unable to make out the sloppy words it displayed. And then he paled even further beyond his natural complexion.
Behind him, the boy gasped as he tugged himself onto the sweet, horizontal surface known as the walkway. “Gee, thanks for helpin' m—are you even listening?!”
However, Ulquiorra was not listening because on the tattered sign hung the words Welcome to ELBAF.
~/~/~/~
Japanese Dictionary:
Onna – woman
Gaki – brat
Kami – god or deity
Bakemono – monster
Teme – fool or bastard; a rude version of "you"
Nani – what
Nandato – what the. . .
Banzai – hooray
Oyaji – 'pops' or an informal version of 'father'
Ningen – human
Baka – idiot
Yosh – 'all right!' or 'yeah!'
Hai – yes, sir
Matte – wait
Spanish Dictionary:
Bueno – good
Uno: Yes, the ships were part of Whitebeard's fleet. However, neither Jetta and Yaza nor the bushy-haired man are canon. They are OCs that I created for the singular purpose of bringing Whitebeard (and, consequently, Ace) into the picture as well as getting Ulquiorra and the boy a Log Pose.
Dos: I have not named the boy yet, so don't bother looking for his name. There has simply been no viable opportunity to give his name as Ulquiorra would not ask for it nor would the boy volunteer it. I believe that I may reveal his name in the next chapter, but I'm not exactly positive yet.
Tres: The Log Pose Yaza gave Ulquiorra was an Eternal Log Pose for Elbaf. As the canon shows, Whitebeard often does dealings with other races, such as Fishmen and Mermen, even going so far as to protect Fishman island. I believe that it is well inside the realm of possibility for Whitebeard to attempt to make an alliance with the giants of Elbaf through a trade route.
Cuatro: In the canon, Dorry said that Elbaf was located in another part of the Grand Line, meaning that it was probably an island on another route (remember, there are five routes that one can take through the Grand Line). An Eternal Log Pose would be able to overcome the barriers between switching routes and guide the Red Heron to Elbaf.
Cinco: Yes, some of Jetta's crew did survive. He gave the warning early enough for a few of them to throw themselves over the railing, though most of them are probably heavily injured and will not survive very long. Jetta himself is dead as he is the captain of the ship and would not leave it no matter what.
Seis: Yaza really was trying to be loyal to Jetta. He didn't want to see his beloved captain die, so he gave Ulquiorra the Log Pose in an effort to keep Jetta alive.
Siete: Yes, the boy is paranoid and probably will be for the rest of his life, the poor soul. You have to admit, Whitebeard is a pretty imposing character. :P
Ocho: I plan to have an entire arc occur on Elbaf and to have Ulquiorra face his first major enemy.
Nueve: Nearly everyone on Elbaf will be OC. In the canon, we know almost nothing about it, meaning that I have a wide range for creativity.
Diez: Ace will make his first appearance next chapter, though he will not come into contact with Ulquiorra for a while.
