One Piece Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Wild Blue ❯ The Shape of Things to Come ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: The characters and setting herein are the creations of Rumiko Takahashi and Eiichiro Oda. I'm just borrowing them for fun for a little while.

Wild Blue

By Kyle
based on Ranma ½ by Takahashi Rumiko,
and One Piece by Eiichiro Oda

Chapter 2

“It's been nearly four months since it happened, and we're still not sure why the Marines did what they did. On both an economic and political level, it makes no sense at all. Nerima was a jewel in the Grand Line; a pillar of stability most Grand Line isles could only hope for. With so many other islands surrounding us, we were the center of the economy. So what did the World Government expect to accomplish through destroying it through a Buster Call?

The official reason that we've learned since then was quarantine. Supposedly the West Blue Ohara virus had broken out in Nerima, and extreme measures were to be taken. Yet, there was no plague, no dying… Life in Nerima went on as we knew it. The fact that Cipher Pol agents were investigating the island days prior to the Marine bombardment is also highly suspicious. Their coming in those few days was highly frequent, so would they not have been at risk of this imaginary virus?

Regardless of the reasons, finding what remains of our families is a priority. New information has set us on the trail for Ranma, and while I don't fault my sister for choosing to pursue her fiancé, it's my hope that the quest for Ranma will shed more light on the missing refugee ship carrying our sister.”

- An excerpt from the journal of Nabiki Tendo

Nabiki poked her chopsticks into her food and huffed. It wasn't that the food was bad (on the contrary, it was quite tasty), it's just that there was so little. She pouted, and glared at Konatsu, who was happily serving his meal to the rest of the crew.

They were all gathered in their ship's small dining hall, each seated around a small, circular table. Tiny bowls of rice with plates of pickles and fish were all that was available. Genma stared down at the meager portions in horror, while Kuno glared at his own bowl defiantly. Tofu and Akane tried to maintain polite smiles, though Akane's was constantly twitching into the beginnings of a frown.

“Konatsu,” Nabiki began, her voice tight as steel, “Did the Panda not bring back a huge load of food back last night?”

”Yes, Tendo-san,” Konatsu replied obliviously, his voice full of pep. A frilly pink apron was tied around his waste, doing little for his masculinity. “Saotome-san brought back quite a bit.”

“And why are we not eating this big pile of food right now?” Her tone was even and controlled, though her left eye twitched in irritation. “Why are we still eating PICKLES AND RICE?”

Konatsu squeaked as Nabiki raised her voice. “I'm sorry, Tendo-san. I've always been very bad at cooking large portions, and I thought we'd want to conserve our food stores, so we're not always hungry like before−”

“But I'm hungry now!”

“Nabiki!” Akane admonished. “He's only trying to help. We shouldn't be wasting all our food at once, anyways!” She tried to look supportive for Konatsu, though the loud rumble of her stomach betrayed her. Nabiki raised an eyebrow and smirked at her, making Akane blush deeply.

“As admirable as our cook's frugalness is, a warrior and a man needs more then rice and pickles to sustain him!” Kuno sniffed and turned his nose to the air, crossing his arms in defiance at the same time.

Genma took the opportunity to swipe Kuno's rice from under him, before adding his own input, “Too true! A Martial Artist must be strong in both body and mind!” He leaned in for Nabiki's pickle, and she absentmindedly stabbed her chopstick into his hand. He squealed in pain and pulled his aching hand back to his own spot at the table.

Konatsu's face burned red in shame. This many people had never been angry at him before (at least, before he escaped his step family). He had never been very good at preparing large meals, to used to being frugal while living in poverty. He felt rotten; they were all hungry because of him…

Tofu coughed a little, hoping to defuse some tension. “We don't have a fridge, do we?”

Konatsu looked stunned for a moment before he replied, “No… We don't.”

“Well then, you'd better cook more of it before it goes bad. Wouldn't want it to go to waste,” Tofu supplied helpfully.

The ninja's eyes widened in realization, and he scrambled for his cooking supplies. The stove behind him lit to life as he gathered more food and vegetables in his arms. Pots clanged as everybody settled down to their seats. The ninja hummed happily as he quickly prepared a better dinner, his earlier embarrassment gone.

“Speaking of fridges, the Blue Thunder is missing quite a bit of hardware,” Nabiki began, twirling the chopsticks in her hand. “Most ships have an ice crystal fridge for long voyages. Our food goes bad too quickly.”

“Hardware is not the only thing the ship needs,” Genma said with a nod. “We've managed to raid the essentials, but construction on the Blue Thunder was never finished when we took off.”

Konatsu left the stove for a moment, twisting his head back to speak. “Must we keep calling it the Blue Thunder? It seems like a silly name for a ship when we're called the Akaken Pirates…”

Kuno huffed as he nibbled on his remaining pickle. “Bad enough to replace me as Captain of my own ship, you wish to take its name from me as well?”

“It's considered an ill omen to rename a ship,” Genma replied sagely, as he adjusted his glasses. “Disaster is said to meet crews who sail on a vessel−”

Nabiki cut him off. “Regardless of the name, if we're serious about going to Glades to find Ranma...” Kuno looked ready to object, but Nabiki didn't miss a beat, “and the pigtailed girl, I'd feel better if we had this tinker fixed up first before we sail into a Marine hotspot.”

Akane nodded thoughtfully. “You're right. We're not exactly in the best position to be infiltrating marine ports. Even if we pull the flag down, what if they recognize us? One cannon ball and we're done.”

“Kuno-chan,” Nabiki said, turning to the swordsman, “is there anywhere nearby to stock up? Perhaps get repairs?”

Kuno frowned and shook his head. “The Grand Line is a hazard to navigate, Nabiki Tendo.” He paused, taking another bowl of rice as Konatsu placed another tray of them at the table. “We have two destinations we can take. Using the Eternal Pose, we can travel to Glades Peaks. Or we can use our own Log Pose, and follow it to wherever it leads.”

Akane listened to him uneasily. She didn't trust Kuno. The two had an undeniably bad history; he had made her school life hell with his challenges and offers of dates and still “wooed” her from time to time on the ship. Of recent, he spent a surprising amount of time with Nabiki, and had become very irritable and sarcastic. The current search for Ranma did not appeal to him at all, and though she had not much choice at the time, she knew that her taking the role of captain stung heavily at his world view. She liked to think she was doing a good job as a leader, and though he never complained about her personally, she expected she would always have his silent disapproval. Kuno was the one crew member she had to keep her fiery temper in check with.

Despite that, he was one of them, regardless of their past experiences. They were the few survivors Nerima, and they were the closest thing Kuno still had to a family.

He was also the closest thing they had to a navigator at the moment. While Nabiki herself was learning, Kuno had a surprising amount of sea and sailing training already available. The ship itself belonged to him (or his family, rather), and he was the only one aboard who knew how to sail it. She had learned before the attack on Nerima, he had considered on enlisting in the Marines after completing his education, and even mused at the possibility of taking his sword skills to the sea and becoming a pirate hunter. `The irony,' she chuckled to herself

“We could try our luck with the Log Pose,” he continued from before, between gulps of rice. “The chances of it leading to a place that will have the services we require are uncertain. Personally, I'd prefer to travel to Glades Peaks immediately. Defeating Saotome and freeing the pigtailed girl must not wait a moment longer!”

Akane growled at that, and Genma snorted. Nabiki just looked surprisingly sad… Even though Kuno was familiar with Genma's panda curse, he still refused to believe Ranma and the `pigtailed girl' were one and the same. Also, she had recently realized how important Ranma was to her, and didn't approve of Kuno spontaneously insulting him.

She wondered how Kuno would react when they finally rescued Ranma, but… She banished that thought from her mind. They'd cross that bridge when they got there.

Konatsu dropped a plate of seared fish down on the table suddenly, and sat down himself, removing the frilly apron. “Ranma-sama was a part of Nerima, too, Kuno-san! You should speak better of him!” he chided.

Kuno snorted, but otherwise remained silent.

Tofu, who had been minding his own meal until now, spoke up, “I'm low on medical supplies, and I'd welcome a chance to restock. Getting yourselves hurt playing revenge is not a good idea right now.”

Akane's temper was again irked, and she gritted her teeth. “We're not going to Glades for revenge,” she replied firmly. “We're going for Ranma.”

Tofu looked embarrassed, but managed to compose himself. “Of course. But I don't want to see anyone here hurt because I didn't have enough bandages or something silly.”

Akane had once admired the Dr. Tofu for his kindness and gentleness, but it was now the same kindness that drove her up the wall. She could forgive him for choosing not to fight, but he often spoke out against their assaults and raids, believing them acts of revenge. It was the raids that kept them fed, and it was with the raids that they had learned Kasumi might have escaped the Buster Call alive. And on their most recent raid they had finally gotten information on Ranma's whereabouts.

`Can't he see that I'm trying to fix everything?' she thought, sadly. Revenge wasn't a factor for her, but the World Government still deserved whatever they dished out against them.

He also did not like the pirate idea at all. In truth, Akane fancied her small group as more of freedom fighters than pirates, though they raised the flag of skull and crossbones as an act of defiance anyways. Gold Roger once said the only way to be free was to live under the crossbones of a pirate flag, and it was certainly the path for most people in the `Age of Dreams.' Ironic that the pursuit for such freedom made you an outlaw.

Turning her thoughts back to the current issue, she was inclined to agree with Kuno, for different reasons. She missed Ranma terribly, and wanted to rush the ship to Glades. She missed his carefree attitude, his boyish smile, and his rock solid determination. It'd be so much easier with him by her side. What if they took too long? What if they… Considering the possibility of failure, of loss… It was just too much for her. She just hoped Ukyo's involvement meant he was still safe somehow. She wouldn't walk her childhood friend to the slaughter, would she?

Regardless, as much as she wanted to find Ranma as soon as possible, everyone's safety was also a factor. Medical supplies were a must, and even a fresh coat of paint could make the Blue Thunder indistinguishable enough to infiltrate Glades.

She took a deep breath, and turned to Kuno. “Your best guess, Kuno. How long to follow the Log Pose?”

The swordsman tilted his head thoughtfully, “I cannot say for sure, fair tigress. Our pose stabilized quite quickly. A few days, maybe? A week? If there were extra magnetic variables in the weather, as much as a year. One can never say in the Grand Line.”

Akane closed her eyes and knit her fingers together in contemplation. She sat for a few moments, before deciding her course of action. “Follow the Log Pose. If we don't arrive in a few days, or if it's uninhabited, we'll turn around and head for Glades.”

“Ah, think you for coming to our aid, Captain T-Bone. The pirates left us… distraught.”

Nezumi rubbed his hands together nervously. Help had come for him and his crew; however this event did not bring the captain joy. He was in a tight spot, as T-Bone would soon be making a report regarding Nezumi to Marine Base G2 via den-den-mushi.

It didn't help that the captain sent after him was unbelievably terrifying. He almost preferred the pirates. Almost.

Captain T-Bone looked more like a dried corpse then a man, and was as ugly as he was tall. He was slightly round and rotund, though he moved with a grace that betrayed his size. He had no nose, just too small holes on his face, and his skin was a pale green color. Nezumi absentmindedly wondered if he was part merman.

His teeth were stained yellow, and he had a huge gap in his mouth where a tooth was missing. He wore a centurion helm on his head, and heavy chain mail around his chest. Slung across his back was a huge bastard sword, with his captain's jacket wrapped around his shoulders like a cape.

What bothered Nezumi the most, however, was that someone who looked so ghastly could also be so jovial at the same time. “The pleasure was all mine, Captain Nezumi,” T-Bone replied, almost excited. “It is the duty of a Captain to come to the aid of his peers when they are in need.”

Peers! Nezumi wanted to laugh. Even though their rank was the same, T-Bone and his abilities eclipsed Nezumi a thousand times over. He certainly couldn't split ships in half with his sword.

T-Bone continued to pace the deck, as if inspecting every inch. “The ruffians that did this to you… You mentioned the Akaken.”

“Oh, yes, Captain.” Nezumi seethed at the memory. He'd have his revenge. “Their captain was a crazy, demonic bitch! She and her five accomplices are all against the govern−”

“Please, your report of the vagrants should be made to HQ and not to myself, Nezumi-san,” T-Bone interrupted. “I am just investigating the events which transpired.”

Nezumi knew full well what that meant: He was the one being investigated, not the pirates. He bit his lip, nervously. T-Bone's report to Vice-Admiral Komir would decide the future of him and his crew. He had been trying to his best to leave T-Bone with a good impression, and he had nearly lost it in his anxious anger. Luckily, it seemed T-Bone was friendly to a fault.

“Apologies, Captain T-Bone. Several members of my crew were murdered by the hellions.” He shuddered, remembering how they had recovered the remains of the boarding party from the water. “To want to see that the bitch gets what's coming to her is only natural.”

The zombie-like Captain gave Nezumi a wide, toothless grin at his nervousness, before breaking out in merry laughter. He slapped Nezumi on the back, nearly sending the mouse-like man crashing down. “Do not worry, friend. My report will be favorable. Your ship was not the only victim of Akane the Red.”

Nezumi breathed a sigh of relief, before realizing that T-Bone had known his nemesis by name. “Pardon?” Nezumi asked. “Has a new bounty already been issued?”

“Not yet, but enough information has finally come together to muster a strong offense against the demoness. She leaves many witnesses.” T-Bone then laughed loudly, his deep baritone making Nezumi quiver. “Yes, soon, she will be known, and she will face True Justice.”

Two months ago…

Darkness. It was his whole world. The shadows were his only companions as he weaved in and out of waking and sleeping, in and out of dream and nightmare.

Consciousness. His mind crawled out of the haze, returning to a partial lucidity. Thought and reason began to return to her, though the dream threatened to retake her. She was female at the moment, she realized. Unfortunate, but hardly the main concern.

Anger. She remembered betrayal. That was why she was here. She had been betrayed. She was caged, and now she was a prisoner. Her arms and legs were shackled tightly, pinning her firmly against the wall.

Focus. It was too easy to slip back into the darkness, to the dreams. She had to fight… She had to stay awake. Fight the haze. Her person, she decided, she would focus on her person. Her bright smile, her sunny brown eyes… The mere memory lit her heart ablaze in the darkness. She kept her afloat at times like this.

Sounds. A door opening, footsteps approaching. She was no longer alone.

Light. It flooded her world, suddenly, stabbing at her eyes. She squeezed them shut and turned her head away, ignoring the bright rectangle of light that opened in front of her.

She shifted her glare to the white shine pouring from the door, forcing her vision to adjust to the light. She made out three figures in the glow. Two of them spoke, but she was too addled to distinguish what the voices were saying. Her mind desperately wanted to return to the dream, but she fought the desire away.

Her vision stabilized, and she could make out three figures. A tall woman, dressed in red. She was unfamiliar, though she was quite beautiful. Her hair was a strange color of platinum blonde, with a twinge of pink. She took a drag off her cigarette as she spoke to the man next to her. All her mannerisms radiated pride and class.

Beside her was… Him. The true jailor. Always present, always leering at her, watching her like a hawk watches his prey. She would kill him, the prisoner decided. This was because of him, all of it. She was sure.

He was an elderly man, tall and thin, with his snow white hair swept back like the tail feathers of a bird. He wore a black overcoat, with a black shirt and white tie underneath. He stood strong and moved gracefully despite his age, and radiated a quiet inner strength. The prisoner already knew better than to underestimate the elderly…

She examined the final figure… Ukyo. She would not meet the prisoner's gaze, and stared hard at the ground, her eyes hidden behind her long, chestnut bangs.

“Ucchan,” she croaked, her voice hoarse. “Come on… Don't do this!” Redeem yourself. Be my friend again.

Ukyo flinched, though she would still not look up to meet her gaze… Could not meet her gaze… The prisoner barely caught her voice as Ukyo murmured, “It'll be better, Ranchan. You'll see.”

`Ranchan' groaned at that and hung her head, defeated.

Hina watched the exchange between Ukyo and the prisoner impassively. She took a drag off her a cigarette, and turned to the man beside her, “Hina Bored. She doesn't look very dangerous, Agent Fenris,”

The man next to her scoffed, and crossed his arms. “The drugs have made him less than… effective, my dear.” The corners of his mouth turned upwards into a sinister smile. “I assure you, he's quite the prize.”

Hina looked perplexed. The prisoner was clearly a woman. “`He'?”

“`He,' yes. As I stated before, young Ranma has zoan-like abilities that induce a change in his gender,” he explained with a grandiose gesture towards the bound redhead. “I've opted to keep him in his female form in order to insure he does not become small enough to slip from the seastone bindings.”

Hina quirked her eyebrow at that, not quite believing him. Seastone was as hard as diamonds, and might as well be just as expensive. Only the most dangerous of criminals were given seastone treatment. “Your prisoner is that dangerous to warrant seastone?”

“Indeed,” Fenris confirmed with a slight nod of his head. “The boy has a ferocious amount of physical strength, even in his smaller form. The seastone is the only thing that I was sure would safely hold him.”

“We'll see,” challenged Ranma, who had been silent since her exchange with Ukyo. She breathed a long sigh, as a brilliant blue glow blazed around her and lit the small hold. Fenris's expression became predatory as he watched, his wicked grin stretching back far enough to show many teeth. Hina's disinterest from before had almost evaporated at the sight. She cupped her chin thoughtfully in one hand as she puffed out another burst of cigarette smoke. “Hina impressed.”

Ranma then flexed her body. “A…ka…ne!” she groaned, straining against her bonds. Despite the impressive display of battle aura, her shackles did not budge. After a few moments, her aura wavered, and she collapsed breathlessly into her bindings.

Ukyo winced as she heard the name Ranma breathed in her attempt to escape, her heart suddenly ripped in half. He had used her name... Hers! She hadn't just said it; she had invoked it like it gave her hidden strength. Burying her face into her hands she began to cry.

Fenris noted her distress, and crossed his hands over his chest and laughed heartily, “Chin up, Ukyo dear. Soon you will have your fiancé…” Ukyo's sobbing subsided at that, though her eyes again met the floor.

He re-crossed his arms behind him, and stalked over to the bound redhead. He leaned forward and stuck his face close to Ranma's “…And I will have my legacy.” The redhead snarled and snapped her jaws, trying to bite him.

Fenris laughed again, pulling himself away and turning to Hina. “Captain? Is your subordinate prepared?”

Hina suddenly looked quite solemn and sad. “Yes. You will keep your end of the deal?”

Fenris waved a finger at Hina, as if scolding her, “I do not renege on my promises, my dear. Your debt to me will be cleared.”

Hina closed her eyes and nodded. She took a deep breath, and turned to the door. “Recruit ? Are you ready?”

Another man entered the small prison hold, much more peculiar looking then any of the others. Heart shaped sunglasses masked his eyes, and a long, striped stem jutted out from his chin. His clothing was flowery, and atop his head sat a standard marine cap. He shuffled slowly and hesitantly towards Ranma, handling some sort of shiny metal ring.

“Yo,” he said. He seemed quiet, and looked forlorn and sad. Ranma growled, but he continued, “Just relax… When I finish here, we're gonna take a rest, okay?”

The bound redhead glared. “No… No more… rest,” she spat, struggling against her bonds. “Fightin'. Won't let…”

Jango waved his hands at her, a bit panicked. “Whoa there!” he said loudly. “Calm down, no fighting…” He took the metal ring in his hand, and began to swing it front of Ranma's face using the long chain it was attached to. “Just watch the ring … back and forth. Now, on the count of `Jango'…”

Ranma was suddenly very nervous now, as the metal ring waved back in front of her. She began to squirm within her bonds.

“One...” the man began.

“No!” The redhead would have none of it. She began straining against her bonds with renewed vigor and the blue glow from before had returned in full effect.

“Two…” the man continued, undaunted. Without warning, he pulled his hat down over his eyes, and jutted the swinging ring forward. “…JANGO!”

To be continued…

Author's Notes: Please read and review, even if it's only a small comment. Your support makes this worth while, and motivates me to write more.

I'd like to thank my Kaiser Convoy and Psycho King for pre-reading the story. The final quality of this chapter is much better then the first, thanks to them.

The name of this chapter comes from a song on my playlist. The name of Chapter 1 is from the Cirque du Soleil KA soundtrack, and the second comes from a track on the new Battlestar Galactica CD.

This was not nearly as long as was planned. I had a much longer chapter 2 originally slated, but it was more economic with my time and yours to split it in half. The good news about this is chapter 3 is not far behind, and is completely laid out and scripted.

Also, I'll be finding myself unemployed again by the 22nd. So that means after chapter 3, I'll have much more time to write. I'll also have much less money, but hey, I can't afford to do anything but stay home and write fanfiction.

Things to Consider

Ranma: When he's a girl, he'll be described as a `she' and a `her'. I know some authors don't like this, but for me, it's important to remind myself what gender he is at the time. If I call Ranma a `he' even when he isn't, I'll only forget whether he's changed or not.

Agent Fenris: He's new. Very few One Piece or Ranma characters fit my needs for a villain, and I was forced to craft my own. Hopefully you won't find my attempts at an original character too offensive. He's also CP9... Hey, don't stare at me One Piece fans! Nero was new, and he had to replace somebody before he joined. Why not my Original Joe?

Captain Hina: Also known as Hina the Black Cage. She's a captain, and commands many ships. She has the power of the Ori Ori Fruit (Cage Cage Fruit) that lets her bend parts of her body around her opponents and turn them into steel bindings.

Jango: Also known as Django, depending on the spelling you prefer. Once the pirate lieutenant of the dreaded Captain Kuro, he joined Hina's crew after becoming friends with Lt. Fullbody. He has hypnotic powers, which he gained one day when he ate a mushroom that grew out of his chin.

Captain T-Bone: A character from the Enies Lobby arc in One Piece. He's a man of honor and an accomplished swordsman, able to split even large ships with his skills. He's also very, very ugly. I mean, super ugly.

Vice-Admiral Komir and Marine Base G2: Only mentioned in passing, but these are two real places and characters. They appeared in the One Piece mini-story “Ace's Great Blackbeard Search.”

Chapter 1 Review Replies
I like to be able to respond to the people who review, so here are my anonymous review replies for chapter 1. Thank you all for your comment, they are greatly appreciated.

windstrike: I disavow everything of the 4Kids dub. I will make no reference to it in my writing, because quite honestly, it stinks. I used the spelling beli instead of berries, because I didn't want readers not familiar with One Piece to think I was talking about fruit. As for Genma and Ranma navigating the Grand Line on their training trip, lets make it simple and say they were accomplished stowaways. Sometimes they'd swim, but only if it was a well known and relatively safe shipping lane. The Ranma 1/2 timeline for Wild Blue is essentially unchanged. There are a few niggling changes with minor details to keep the story working in the setting, but all the big important events are still in place. They still met at the Tendo Dojo, still went through Ryuugenzawa, Herb, and Jusendo, still fell in love... It's not an alternate history, just an alternate setting.

Rabid Badger:Wow! I thought I was the only one who staked out other people's profiles for their favorites list! Thanks for the review, and I hope you continue to read.
I'm glad you enjoy the long length, because I was worried that it was much too long for an introductory chapter. I've trying to keep myself patient, and not rush the storyline to where I want it to go, but I worry about moving too slow as well.

majinbuu7985: Thank you for the review. There is indeed an RA pairing coming up, but I'm trying not to make a big deal about it. I don't want to ruin the flow with instaneous "I LOVES YOUS!" There's much more to the story and characters then what's between R and A. Thanks for the offer of beta reading, but you kinda scared me off with the spelling and grammer in your review. No offense.

Darkfire51: I love One Piece, too. Ranma seems like a perfect match to crossover with, especially with the recent CP9 Martial Artists. The hits I've been getting on the story is encouraging, so I think I will keep it going for now. Wish the reviews were coming in better, though.