Black looked from Princess Serenity to his father, his gaze chilling the bones.
Alan Stormborn's mouth twitched ruefully. "Usagi," he called out, frowning, "can you not cause any misunderstanding between me and my son? I have told you since day one, haven't I? I am married."
Sailor Moon looked at Alan. "And what about our child?"
"Look, don't twist the words…" Alan hesitated.
Black's mind was going numb as he looked at his father.
"I mean, you can have two wives," the Princess giggled. "I never stopped you from keeping your first wife. Your daughter's causing so much trouble because you refuse to acknowledge her… and… isn't your first wife dead… Hmm?"
Princess Serenity's brows shot up midway, her question going unasked.
Oh, no! Alan's heart gave out. Not now!!!
Lord Meruem blinked out of existence.
The heads of Madara, Yhwach, Acnologia, Julius, and Sailor Moon snapped toward the space just beyond Black, their eyes shuddering.
A chill ran down their spine.
Boooommmmmmmmmmmm!
Alan's fist struck Meruem's palm in midair, sending both of them flying backward.
Julius' hands blurred, trapping all monks in a recurring instance of time before they could attack. Madara's Rinnegan swirled, restricting Netero. Yhwach's dual pupils trembled as he sensed the doom and disappeared to prevent that from happening.
Princess Serenity backed up as the kick came at her, but Yhwach appeared in front of her before she could act out.
"Snap out of it, young man," Yhwach said casually.
Reality changed, then.
Black, who had lost himself once more, suddenly found himself panting on the ground, his knees on the floor.
What just happened? He thought, sweating profusely. Why can't I remember anything?
On the other side, Alan Stormborn lit another cigar, put it against his lips, and sucked deep.
Lord Meruem sighed, regaining his composure. "You should have let me do it when I had the chance, Alan," he said, smiling amiably.
"Hahaha!" the Captain laughed. "I knew you were always a twisted bastard, ant. You really thought I would just let you kill my son?"
The Buddha only smiled deeper in return.
The Princess's gaze shifted between Alan and Meruem and then she erupted, "You Stormborns! You maniacs… You… What is wrong with all of you?! I almost killed him!"
Alan snapped. "You always kill way too soon!" he roared. "Just how many times have we all almost died because you can't hold yourself?! Just moments ago you were talking about being a good mother to him! Gods… Sigh!
"You know… I missed you all idiots…"
Then one by one, the members of the Storm Pirates began laughing, except Acnologia, of course.
Black knew not what was going on. But one thing had made itself clearer to him.
Somehow, his father had gathered the most random and insane storyline Characters from the various Random Worlds. And each one of them was stronger than the other.
Suddenly, he found himself to be at the center of their gazes.
"Meruem, old friend," Alan said, blowing out smoke. "Land me your Nen. One last time."
The Buddha closed his eyes. "We will all die, Alan. The futility of…"
Before Lord Meruem could preach, Alan added, "I will ask him to come help us, too."
All heads snapped toward Alan.
Julius' eyes shone like never before. "You aren't lying, Captain, right? Right? Right?"
Madara and Yhwach shared a glance, their hearts thumping. Princess Serenity's gaze hardened, remembering that ridiculous existence.
The Buddha's eyes shone brightest, letting out powerful bursts of golden light.
"And why would he agree, Alan?" Lord Meruem asked. "Don't tell me you still consider him as a member of our group? Have you not let go of this childish fantasy, yet? He never agreed to it."
Black… couldn't believe it.
Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at his father.
Alan instantly looked away, his face going red. He had introduced The Storm Pirates as a 7 member crew, but he never told Black that the 7th member wasn't actually a member.
"Cough!" he cleared his throat. "Technically, I didn't lie. I never said including or excluding me, you know."
Black couldn't care anymore.
"Dad…" he said, looking at everyone. "What's wrong with me?"
Alan looked at his son, flicked the rim of the Sorting Hat, and sighed. He brought his hand forward. There, a few inches above his palm, a yellow crystal was bobbing up and down.
It was the same yellow crystal that the Sorting Hat had snatched away from Black's Mindscape.
"Stop living a lie," Alan said, not unkindly. "You have hidden it deep. It was deep enough for even me to take time to scrape it out.
"Have you not wondered yet, son? Have you not asked yourself how the Sorting Hat you put on yourself turned out to be an Item? Wasn't it too much of a…
"… Coincidence?"
Black shuddered, standing up, his legs shaking.
Alan stepped toward his son, taking a deep breath of the cigar.
"I condensed all Sorting Hats, of course," he declared, sending a chill down Black's spine. "It was the only way to make sure that whenever you put it on, I will get to know about it."
Black stepped back, the sheer reality of the events making the Calm abandon him.
~
[You have grown, Kai Stormborn.]
~
The memory of the strange conversation with Chaos, just after the 3rd Stage of the Tournament of Worth, began playing itself over and over.
"No…" Black uttered, shaking his head. "… I didn't even know you were here… in the Primordial Tower. How… How did you even know I would one day put the Sorting Hat on my head?"
~
[This question again? You don't remember, do you?]
~
Alan's gaze softened. "You think I wouldn't recognize the Twin-Saber Style when I see it? I was the one who created it… after coming to the Primordial Tower, you know."
~
[Oh, so you do remember something. We have gone through it two times already, Kai. Why do you keep making yourself forget about it?]
~
Black stepped back, holding his head. "No…"
~
[You cannot run away from it. Not forever.]
~
Alan put a hand on his son's head. "Tell me…" he asked, smiling, "… in which Random World was your Initiation Mission?"
Black said involuntarily, "Harry… NO!!!"
…
Alan held his son as he passed out instead of bringing the memory out.
He could understand it. The weight of those memories was just too much to handle.
To relive those moments, those emotions, and those lives would shatter Black's brain, regardless of the Artificial Intelligence powering it up.
"We don't have time…" Alan said, looking at Meruem.
Lord Meruem was looking at the Book. "I will lend my strength only if he agrees to join us. Otherwise…"
Alan sighed. "Let's go, then," he said, lifting the spear in his left hand. "I hope he still carries the mark. Or we will all die before we even reach the showdown… Haha!"
Princess Serenity's lips twitched.
Stormborns… she sighed and jumped into the portal following her love.
…
They arrived at nowhere.
This place existed neither in time nor in space.
He had been meditating at the same place for the last 3000 years. He was still wearing a black and white t-shirt over army green, slim-fit pants. He also wore a black belt, with matching fingerless gloves and calf-high boots. His brown hair supported a thin layer of gray over the ears, marking a ripe age.
On His chest, there was a clock-like symbol — a green hourglass over a black background, covered by a round metallic frame.
When the Storm Pirates arrived here, His eyes opened. "Look who's here," He chuckled. "Alan Stormborn; the Myth Himself. Remembered me?"
Bringing out the mysteries within, Alan stroked the beard shamelessly. "I thought if there's anyone who would be interested in killing a God, it would be you… Haha!"
He smiled at Alan's shamelessness.
Yes. If there was anyone who could even attempt killing a God, then it was Him.
Because… He wasn't the main storyline Character of the so-called Random Worlds.
Because… He belonged to a place infamous for killing the Kings — The Graveyard.
Because… He was a Cartoon Character.
Because… He was —
— Ben Tennyson - The Shaper of the Universe!!!
**************
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