One Piece Fan Fiction / Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ The Ultimate Cruise ❯ Floating Stone - The Cult of the Iso Toa ( Chapter 9 )

DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Piece, Teen Titans, or any characters or elements contained within. I believe these can be credited to the geniuses Eiichiro Oda [author and artist of OP], Marv Wolfman and George Perez [respective author and artist of The New Teen Titans comic of the eighties], and Glen Murakami and his talented crew [the staff of the Teen Titans animated series, the Titans version which this story is based off.] Thanks for developing these wonderful characters I have the pleasure of using in this story!

 

Any original characters—and here come some more—belong to Pivitor. Remember it!

 

 

The Ultimate Cruise:

One Piece meets Teen Titans

 

Chapter 9: Floating Stone—The Cult of the Iso Toa

 

“There's no time for this Ian.” The old man grunted, pushing the boy aside and walking back towards the door. “The great power is getting away, and these fools are no longer of any use!”

 

Ian hissed as he stared at Zoro and his accomplices standing below him. This wasn't supposed to be how it worked! Even if he had lost the great power, Zoro still deserved to be punished!

 

“Father!” the swordsman cried, dashing out of the heroes' line of sight and to the old man's side. “Don't you remember the plan? That's Roronoa Zoro! He was supposed to be our hero! We need to make him pay for letting us down!”

 

“Of course I remember!” Ian's father exclaimed, knocking his son aside with a backhand. The warrior only rubbed his cheek in shock as the old man continued. “What you don't remember, son, is what the power will do for us! It means prosperity for all of us, and that's far more important than revenge for you!”

 

Ian's face dropped—the boy truly looked crushed. He couldn't believe his father even thought that! All these years he had spent pursuing what seemed like a hopeless cause were for his people! That was why Zoro had angered him so much! When hope had finally arrived, it turned into this sordid affair!

 

The thoughts of revenge, the taunting—all of it was for the people! Yet…yet he received no credit for it!

 

The cruel figure continued his pace towards the lower deck. “It's time to set sail. Ian,” he turned his face to his son, making sure the boy received the full impact of the command. “Ian, they know of us. That information cannot be leaked. I'm assuming you've recovered enough power to silence them?”

 

Ian rose to his feet, keeping his back turned to his father. “Yes sir.” He sighed, gripping the blade of his sword as he strolled to the edge of the deck. Sweat poured down the swordman's forehead; as much as he wanted to see Zoro dead, he hated for it to come this way. In all truthfulness, he knew he couldn't finish them as he was anyway. Yet, he had to follow his father's orders. Even in times not as urgent as these, ignoring that man led to dire consequences.

 

“You will do no such thing.” A third voice commanded. Both figures jumped upon hearing it. “Ivan, I want them to come with us. They'll fill our needs nicely.”

 

The old man's eyes grew wide. Only one person on this entire vessel would call him by his real name!

 

Both Ivan and Ian—father and son—stood at attention, bodies tense. A third figure emerged onto the ship's upper deck, moving slowly but with a walk that commanded authority. It came as a surprise to most that such power was held by an old woman. Yet, not a single person on that ship would dare defy her very will.

 

“Mother.” Ivan uttered, bowing slightly. “What a pleasure it is to see you.”

 

A smile crawled across the old woman's weathered face. She had brittle white hair curled into a bun, and was clothed in a large purple dress. She was definitely tall for an old woman, but age had taken a toll—she stood in a hunch, supported by a cane. Still, an odd aura followed her. She still had a look that could send shivers down your spine. It was evident that she was once quite beautiful—and even deadlier.

 

This was Mother, leader of these people. It was doubtful that she was actually mother to anybody in the clan, but all her followers considered her their mother anyway.

 

“Likewise, Ivan.” She nodded. She continued her crippled walk to the ledge, already knowing what she would see. As always, her perception didn't let her down; the twelve standing at the bottom of the ship were the ones she'd been seeing in her visions. “Yes, these are definitely the ones. I want them here—we NEED them.”

 

With a nod and an annoyed grunt, Ivan moved towards the helm of the ship. Mother's eyebrows arched at the sound of the grunt.

 

“You don't have to do it, you know.” She reminded him. “I appointed you our leader. I only advise you.”

 

Bullshit! Ian thought, though he wouldn't dare say it out loud. His father may take command of this ship, but he was in no way their leader. Even if she didn't give the orders, she controlled them from behind. Her will was law, and Ian hated it. He may have been the only one of the Iso-jin who hated Mother in fact, but her insistence in her ideas being followed sickened him. It made him truly doubt whether she was in it for the people or not. Whether or not she could see the future, something just seemed fishy with her.

 

Still, Ian had to hand it to her on one account. The prophecy had been fully accurate so far.

 

Ivan, however, chastised himself in his mind for doubting Mother's plan. “No Mother, I admire your vision. I know if you want it then it is for the best.” Pressing a button on the helm, the ship began to rumble as a door opened far below.

 

Ian hid a smile as the three filed down to meet their guests. Whatever the old woman had in store, Ian was happy just to know that Zoro wouldn't go unpunished. Not if he was on this ship.

 

 

 

“Get down here you bastard!” Zoro cried, waving his arms wildly. It was a useless endeavor—Ian had already left their line of vision—but the green-haired swordsman continued on anyway. “I won't let you get away with that smart grin of yours—get down here and face me!”

 

The others were just left to stare at either Zoro or the ship in wonder, trying to figure out just what had happened.

 

“I don't understand how this is even possible!” Usopp exclaimed as he rubbed his hand along the ship's hull. “It seems to be made of stone! Not just a lining, not just a portion—this entire ship is made of stone! I just don't get how this thing can float!”

 

Cyborg waved his arm along the side of the vessel, staring into his radar as it made beeping noises. “My databanks don't even know what sort of rock this is. This is freaky!”

 

Usopp pulled a hammer from his bag and began chipping away at the giant red wall—or trying at least. Not a single stone would fall off.

 

With a gasp Cyborg's jaw dropped as he saw what the sniper was doing. “Wait, maybe that's not such a g—”

 

The mechanical man's warning was cut off as Sanji appeared, pushing Usopp's hammer aside. “Let me give it a whack.” He interrupted; Usopp happily moved away as the cook leaped into the air, whirling into a kick. Sanji's destructive foot met with the massive stone hull; however, instead of the hull cracking Sanji just fell to the ground in a heap, cradling his foot.

 

Nami broke into hysterical laughter at the sight of it, but Starfire rushed to his side. “Are you okay?” she asked, leaning down and holding the chef's foot.

 

“I am now that you're here, Star-kun!” Sanji smiled sweetly, hearts flying from his head. He stared at his foot in wonder, as if it was a holy object now.

 

Taking this all in stride, as she usually did, it was Raven who decided to take charge. “Well, now that we've lost our way home there aren't many options.” She began. “One, we could try tracking Slade right away. Or there's two, where we stick around and see what these guys want.” Turning her head towards Ian's boat, Raven looked confused as to what they should do next. “Ian seemed to know a lot about the Iso Toa when Zoro fought him; maybe they can help us track him.”

 

“Work with him?!” Zoro screamed in shock. His anger only increased as Raven nodded yes. “I'll never work with him!”

 

“I agree with Zoro!” Terra exclaimed, charging forward. “They helped Slade get away, so they can't be on our side!” Stopping at the base of the ship, the Earth-mover's hands began to glow yellow as she glared at the vessel. “If it's rock, then I can crush it!”

 

A yellow aura exploded around Terra before vanishing as she let loose a mighty scream. Silence seemed the only effect of her endeavor, until finally the ship began to rumble. The eyes of the ménage grew wide as a large portion of the ship's side seemed to cave into itself, opening wide like a door.

 

“Incredible Terra!” Usopp exclaimed, almost drooling. “Of course, if I had kept hammering the entire ship would have caved in.” he lied. For once, nobody sighed or hit him; they were all far too entranced by the ship's fate.

 

Beast Boy slowly stepped backwards, trembling a bit. “Nice going,” he growled, “If we destroy their ship it just means another fight! What were you thinking?!”

 

A deep rumble built in the back of Terra's throat, but before she could unleash the mighty growl Raven again intervened. “She wasn't.” the girl simply said. “However, I don't think she did that. Look how it's opening, almost like a door.”

 

“I agree.” Robin added. Raven jumped a bit; it was his first sign of life since they arrived. She set the boy down, and somehow he managed to remain on his feet this time. “Thanks,” he smiled, “But we better get ready for out introductions, whatever they might bring.”

 

As the ship finished rumbling and figures appeared in the doorway, the small troop prepared themselves. Starfire rose to her feet, her eyes and hands glowing. Raven moved to the forefront, a trail of black not only following her but also leaking from within her cloak. Zoro crouched down low, his fingers eagerly twitching along the handle of his katana.

 

“There's no need for hostility.” Ivan announced, jumping onto land first. The group moved back as he was quickly followed by two more figures. Ian appeared next, trying to hold an enigmatic look—his aggravation towards the situation leaked through into his expression anyway. Mother rounded out the pack, a sweet smile never leaving her face.

 

Ivan looked cheerful as he raised his arms in a sign of peace. “I realize that my son and Roronoa Zoro have had their differences, but we mean no harm now. I understand we have the same goals, and that you know more about the thief of the great power. Perhaps you would be willing to work together?”

 

“We'll have to talk about it first.” Robin said, slowly moving towards the massive stone ship. “That wouldn't hurt, would it?

 

“No, that would be perfect.” Ivan smiled, gesturing towards their ship. “Come, everything you need is just inside.”

 

As the Teen Titans started to move inside, Robin turned towards the Straw Hat Pirates. Scratching at his shoulder shyly, he began. “We've all gotten you into a lot of trouble. There's no need for you to come with us anymore. I'm sure you all want to get back to your journey.”

 

The pirates looked stunned—all except for Luffy. He grabbed his straw hat from Nami's head and returned it to its rightful place. “You're funny.” The rubberman laughed as he walked past Robin and onto the ship.

 

“I guess it's decided then.” Sanji smiled as he took a deep drag on his cigarette, following his captain. Zoro came next—still grumbling—followed by an elated Usopp and Chopper.

 

“It's for the best.” Nami laughed, flashing a smile at Robin as she filed in last. “If these guys have stuff like this boat, I'm sure we'll get a big reward for helping!”

 

And with that out of the way, the Straw Hat's and the Teen Titans embarked on a new mission.

 

 

 

The twelve warriors were led through a small hallway to a grand room. Each sat apon a large cushion that brought them all up to level with an antique table. Not even the odd assortment of mangled characters could detract from the elegance of this room.

 

After all his guests were sat, Ivan took a seat at the head of the table. Ian sat at his left, while Mother proudly took the right. “Before we begin, I figured you could all use a meal and a little freshening up.” Luffy cried out at the mention of a meal, but the distinguished gentleman ignored him and simply snapped his fingers. On his command the door flew open as a single figure entered.

 

Luffy's excitement over their impending meal was replaced by a gleeful cheer from Sanji. The figure who now emerged was a young woman, seemingly perfect in appearance. She had curves in all the right places, and her proper red clothing didn't even attempt to obscure them. Her striking black hair rested perfectly upon her shoulders, and a set of thin glasses sat atop her nose.

 

“And who might this be?” Sanji asked, rising a bit in his seat to catch a better view. As he started to stand completely upright, he felt a force pull him back onto his butt. Taking a shocked glimpse around, the cook caught Raven sneaking an energy covered hand back beneath her cloak. He wasn't amused.

 

“This is Chiyu.” Ivan said, holding out his arm in introduction. The young woman bowed, and this time Sanji wasn't alone in going after a good view. “Chiyu is one of our best students—a master in the healing arts. You look tired; I figured you could all use a good rest.”

 

Robin breathed a sigh of relief as the others around him clamored in agreement. Raven, however, took interest in another part of that statement. She was interested in seeing the healing arts they used here and how they differed from the spells she knew.

 

Chiyu crossed her arms, closing her eyes as she began to speak with her gentle voice. “I'll need you to all sit very still for this.”

 

“YES!” Sanji cried. “Anything for you!”

 

“And be very quiet.” Chiyu continued angrily. The cook muffled his own response as the woman began her spell. She began to utter muffled magic words at an auctioneer's pace, and the magic wasted no time in responding. A circle of red energy appeared around her as wisps of her hair flittered into the air. Gusts of red energy blew across the room, embracing the heroes in a soothing breeze.

 

The injuries of the group began to disappear, with cuts and bruises fading into nothingness. The reminders of Slade's explosives vanished from Luffy's body, and his shirt even returned to normal. Zoro's scar from the Luminescent Whip disappeared, and while even this magic couldn't remove the scar given by Hawkeye, the shirt he lost to Ian reappeared.

 

Even Robin, the warrior injured the most, became good as new. The bloodstained bandages covering his entire chest disintegrated, and the wounds they were covering receded into non-existence. The purple bruises shrank until they ached no more, and every cut seemed to vanish into thin air.

 

Chiyu uncrossed her arms and opened her eyes. The red magic died down, dispersing itself into the air. For once, silence was the sound heard in this rowdy group as they stared in amazement at her magical prowess.

 

Raven's eyes had been glowing an eerie hue of white the entire time. She had never seen any magic like it, but now she would never forget it. However, it wasn't the amazing effects of the spell that astounded Raven. The power the magic emitted even seemed overwhelmingly powerful to her—as it should have, since traces of it flared all across the ship.

 

“Thank you Chiyu.” Ivan continued. With another snap of his fingers the doors again opened. The healer moved aside as nearly a dozen similarly dressed individuals wheeled in carts and carts of food. The parade of food seemed like it would never end. Luffy's eyes rolled backwards in his head, and the rubberman nearly passed out.

 

Already realizing what sort of people he was dealing with, Ivan only had two more words for his guests: “DIG IN!”

 

With just those two words, the biggest food frenzy that ship had ever seen began. Luffy's rubber arms flailed about, grabbing food just as his companions were about to take a bite. Fortunately, it seemed that Ivan's kitchen was well prepared, as more and more food was continually wheeled in.

 

In another vacuum-like inhalation, Luffy swallowed all the food in front of him—and the plate. The rubberman frowned as he looked for somebody open. The target this time just happened to be Cyborg. Snickering, the captain figured this would just be his way of saying he won that eating contest back on the Merry Go. With one well-placed swing of his elastic arm Luffy had snapped his mechanical friend's dinner.

 

An alert rang in the metal-man's head as he saw his food taken away, but Cyborg certainly didn't need any sort of scanner to figure out what happened. He pointed his left arm towards his airborne plate; his entire forearm detached and launched itself, attached to its owner by a thick cable.

 

Thus, Luffy and Cyborg's second great food struggle began.

 

A glob of food hurled itself at Ian's head—the teen barely managed to duck beneath it. He sighed, finally realizing why Zoro was the way he was. Who could help it if they hung with heathens like this? What could Mother possibly see helpful about them?

 

Mother, though, knew exactly what these youngsters could do. Though she had been doubtful herself at first, her visions never lied. They were the ones she had been looking forward to all this time.

 

They were perfect.

 

 

 

Finally, the assistants wheeled the last tray of trash from the room. Giving a curt bow, Chiyu followed them and closed the doors behind her. Finally, it was time for the deliberations to begin.

 

Monkey D. Luffy again lay over-inflated in his chair. However, the other 11 now paid rapt attention, knowing that even the hospitality they had been shown could be for naught if they blew this chance.

 

Having already declared dinner over, Ivan now stood and pushed his chair beneath the table. “Well, now that we've finished our meal it is time to get to the real issue at hand. My name is Ivan, and I lead the people you have met living upon this boat. We call ourselves the `Iso-jin', and we have something in common with you.” His guests nodded as he pressed a button beneath the table—the lights dimmed, and an image appeared on the wall behind him.

 

“This is the great power, better known to you as the Stone of Iso Toa.” Ivan began. “It seems that we both have a great deal invested in this jewel. Care to share?”

 

Robin was hesitant to go first, but every second spent here made it seem less hazardous. “My friends and I come from another dimension, or so we figure. The man who stole the stone from us—Slade—was the one who originally stole it back in our world. Through an unbelievable twist, it somehow brought us here. We simply want to return home.”

 

“I see,” Ivan responded. “The teleportation was no doubt a result of the great power's urge to collect and use more energy—as well as to return home.”

 

“Return home?” Cyborg asked.

 

“Of course!” Mother exclaimed, leaping to her feet. “If we know if the great power, then it obviously did not come from your world!”

 

Ivan smirked at his leader's outburst. “This is the first Iso-jin, our great Mother. She knows more of the great power than any of us—in fact, she was here when it still belonged to us.”

 

Beast Boy's eyes grew wide. “Mother?” he echoed, shaking his head back and forth between the old man and the even older woman. “Geez old man, I figured it was impossible for you to be young enough to have any parents left!”

 

Even Ian couldn't smother his laughter, and his harmonized with the laughter of his guests. His father, however, didn't exactly take very happily to the statement.

 

“She's not my mother.” He growled, sending a fierce glare Beast Boy's way. He didn't see his punishment however; Beast Boy had already been knocked out cold by successive slaps from Raven and Terra. “Mother helped unite us all, and has been leading the effort to revive this dying island for decades!”

 

Not waiting for a cue, Mother began a speech. “Ianoa Island was just once a simple town, famous for its skill in creating swords. However, everything changed when the great power appeared. It was constantly searching for more energy to absorb—greater powers to achieve—but at the same time it emitted its own immeasurable power. This island soon lost its trademark craft as it relied more and more upon the luxuries the great power provided us.”

 

Several of the more intelligent people in the room exchanged confused glances as they tried to figure out why the old lady was referring to the Iso Toa as an animate object, but she wasn't deterred by their inability to understand. She was so wrapped up in her speech that it was doubtful she noticed.

 

“However, that was fine with us. We were happy with our new lives—until the great power was taken away from us suddenly. It was so chaotic that nobody, not even me, can remember what the tragedy was. All I can remember from that day was the cataclysmic strike that sent the great power hurling into the unknown.” With a sigh, Mother sat down. “I can only assume that the great power ended up in your universe somehow.”

 

The Iso-jin paused for a second to let it all sink in. Some just looked amazed—Usopp in particular seemed enthused by the story—but Nami only looked perplexed. Between the information she had retrieved in her years of service for Arlong and the books she had managed to take from the Drum Kingdom's royal library, the thief figured that she knew every bit of history there was in this world. Yet, she could remember no record of a giant cataclysm in this part of the Grand Line; but something that damaging would most certainly deem a place in the history books!

 

This time Ian stood—he knew the rest of this stuff by heart. “After the great power vanished, Ianoa Island fell into a horrible recession. The people had become so lazy that they forgot how to make swords. To this day this town cannot remember its trademark craft, and in all actuality I doubt most inhabitants even realize we once had one.

 

“Upon seeing how this state wore upon the villagers, Mother longed for the great lives they once had. She formed the Iso-jin, rounding up Ianoa's best to help her in the search for the great power and the chance to rebuild the lives of these villagers.”

 

Realizing he was losing his listeners, Ivan decided to wrap it up. “She rounded up the last of the remaining items produced by the great power and organized this troop. Ever since that time we've been searching for the great power.”

 

“Wait, is this boat one of those final items?” Usopp asked. “I can't see any other reason why this thing would float.”

 

“Indeed it is.” Ivan smiled. “This boat, the Ehever, was created by the great power. This is why it can float, and also why it can travel underwater. It has been the Iso-jin's base since we were formed; hidden underwater, so the locals can remain unaware of our existence.”

 

“And let me guess,” Zoro grunted, “Ian's sword is one of these special items too?”

 

Ian laughed. “Yes, Roronoa Zoro. Eehuah was, in fact, the first item created by the great power. It was a successful attempt to show the people of this island how to make a real sword!”

 

“This is all pretty hard to believe.” Nami finally managed to say.

 

“I tend to agree, even after the many fantastic things I've seen.” Raven backed her up.

 

“I can see why you would think that,” Ivan replied with a smile, “but your story isn't the most believable either. I guarantee you that this story is 100% true, but it shouldn't matter. We both need that stone. You need us to track it, and we need you to deal with Slade.”

 

The mood tensioned as the intimidating figure leaned forward. “So, do we have a partnership?”

 

With Luffy unconscious, both the Titans and the Straw Hat's turned to Robin to make the decision. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as the Boy Wonder deliberated. Just as he was about to make a decision, a thought came to his mind.

 

“Wait a second.” Robin thought out loud. “If you all had no clue what happened to the Iso Toa, how have you spent all this time looking? What could have kept you occupied all these years without any results?”

 

Mother seemed to pounce on this question. “Any way we can. We collected clues; we tried to use the remaining objects to locate it. Hope springs eternal Robin…we did anything we could do.”

 

Both Ivan and Ian again seemed stunned. Why hadn't she mentioned her visions? Of course, neither spoke up. You just didn't defy Mother's will like that.

 

Zoro's ears perked at the old lady's response. Hadn't Ian mentioned something about some prophecy? Of course, he then abandoned the thought. It was no doubt just more of Ian's pompous act to intimidate him. “That bastard.” The swordsman whispered under his breath.

 

Thoughts raced through Robin's mind. He still didn't believe this story; at least not all of it. At the same time, however, they really didn't have any way to find Slade or the Stone; the Iso-jin did. Robin cursed himself for becoming too enraged to plant a tracker on Slade when he should have. However, none of that made a difference now. It was the past, and now a decision had to be made.

 

“Mr. Ivan,” Robin began, extending his hand, “We have a partnership.”

 

Next time: Departure—Fantastic Journey to Confrontation