"So, what is it?" Ashen asked, he was very curious to hear what Shiki has to say, "Better be something good"
"Don't be hasty…Puff…before I tell you I need to know what kind of man you are, what do you want to achieve Demon?" Shiki asked with a serious expression as he lit up a new cigarette.
Without a hesitation Ashen responded to that question "What your captain couldn't achieve" he said with confidence while gazing at Shiki who looked taken back by the immediate response.
"Jihahahaha! I was right about you, you and I will get along" Shiki let out a loud laugh, amused by Ashen's response.
"Now spit it out"
"Alright…since I escaped Impel Down, I've been putting a plan into action" Shiki stated, a confident smile creeped into his face before he continued his explanation "I call it the 20 years plan"
"The 20 years plan?" Ashen of course already knew about it, but he feigned ignorance and went along with the conversation.
"Ah, my crew-member doctor Indigo discovered a special drug" Shiki said, then he added "SIQ, it makes animals evolve and develop special abilities, I'm planning to build an army of mutated animals for the next 16 years--no I already started a while ago…16 years from now I'll destroy the World Government and East Blue and show this world a living hell, Jihahahaha!"
Ashen wasn't impressed at all hearing his plan, in fact he was disappointed seeing someone as strong as him willing to waste 20 years of his life building some bullshit animal army. While it might certainly do a lot of damage if used right, but it won't be enough to take down top tier characters.
The Admirals, the CP agents, The Holy Knights, the five elders, Im those are all variables that Shiki is not considering. Without strong people, his plan is bound to fail no matter what, not mentioning that him sitting idly building an army for 20 years will affect his strength greatly.
"Do you really think a bunch of animals could take down the World Government, you don't really think they ruled the world for 900 years just like that?" Ashen asked him seriously.
"That's why I said mutated animals, not animals. ten of them can defeat a hundred men if not more" Shiki stated before he added "Your crew and fleet are very strong, with my army and our strength it won't be a problem taking down even Marineford!" Shiki declared clenching his fist at Ashen's direction, waiting for his answer.
"While I certainly don't think that building an army of mutated animals is a bad thing by itself, but lying around doing nothing is what the problem seems in your plan, let me tell what's going to happen to you 16 years from now…you're going to be fucking weak that's what's going to happen"
"Don't try to disrespect me kid, I've been around before you were even born" Shiki said in a menacing tone of voice as he flashed a hostile look at Ashen "Keep saying shit like that and I'll slice your head open"
"Sigh…I'm not trying to disrespect you, I'm telling you the truth. Someone your age stops training and fighting, his skills will get rusty, and his strength will drop" Ashen stated, crossing his arms in front of him.
It was the case for Garp, Rayleigh and Sengoku when he resigned after the Marineford war. While if we look at someone like Big Mom who was the same age as them, she was still on her prime, it shows that as long as you stay in action your strength won't be affected that much by old age.
"You have a point but… what do you suggest?" Shiki asked, interested in hearing what Ashen has to say.
"Since I'm so generous I'll do you a favor, because there aren't a lot of people who could fight you equally, I'll be your sparring partner and make sure you don't lose your touch… thought I won't hesitate to cut an arm or a leg—ah, I forget you don't have one" Ashen said before he added "Anyway, I have money so I'll also be financing this project of yours, and in the meanwhile you'll go out of hiding, build your grand fleet again and spread some chaos in this world"
"Don't get cocky kid, you're nowhere near my level…*Smile*…but I like your way of thinking" Shiki said with a smile, nodding approvingly "Alright let's do it!"
"Since I don't give a crap about the One Piece we won't have a problem, right?" Shiki questioned "I believe you'll still want to find it and claim the Pirate King Title…Puff…those titles are meaningless to me"
"Right, then it's decided…After I find the One Piece and become the King of Pirates, our plan will be initiated!"
"Then what should we call it? now that I think about it, the 20 years plane sounds lame" Shiki said looking excited.
"Then how about…The Great Eclipse!"
"The Great Eclipse?!...Jihahahaha! Sounds great, I like it!"
"Yes, 'The Great Eclipse' would be a fitting name for the plan. It signifies a momentous event where darkness and shadow cast their overwhelming influence upon the world. Just as an eclipse obscures the light of the sun, this plan would seek to overshadow the existing order and establish a new reign of power." Ashen explained.
'The Great Eclipse' symbolizes a time of upheaval and transformation, where the forces behind the plan aim to eclipse the current powers and assert their dominance over the world. It implies a sweeping shadow that engulfs nations, instilling fear and uncertainty among those who oppose or stand in the way of the conquerors.
The name suggests a culmination of carefully orchestrated moves, a celestial alignment of power, and the impending darkness that looms over the world. It creates an aura of mystery, intrigue, and impending doom, as the ambitions of those orchestrating 'The Great Eclipse' are poised to reshape the destiny of nations and plunge the world into an era of their choosing.
Ashen stood from his place after making that declaration and proceeded to bring a bottle of sake and two cups, before he poured the sake.
"16 years from now, we will start the greatest war the world will ever see!" Ashen declared raising his cup "We will overthrow the World Government and destroy any opposing factions…"
"We'll show the world what a true pirate era really is!" Shiki continued.
"Ahahahaha!!"
"Jihahahaha!!"
"To our new alliance!"
"CHEERS!!!" x2.
'If it takes that, I'll become the Madara of this world, as long as I'm alive I can't accept some filthy insects calling themselves gods, nor will I accept someone other than me sitting on the supposed empty throne…I'll make sure wiped them all out and start a new age' Ashen thought in his head, smiling in satisfaction.
"*Gulp*-*Gulp*…Blah!...so what's your next move? You don't strike as someone who'll stay idle for a long time" Shiki asked as he poured another cup of sake and proceeded to drink it in one go.
"I'm going to Wano" Ashen casually replied.
"You're starting a war with Kaido?"
"If we take down all the emperors quickly, the navy will come crushing on us with all it's might, why do you think no one is moving on each other?" Ashen stated "So no I'm not starting an all-out war, I'll steal his Poneglyph and leave that's all"
For Ashen, now was the perfect time to do so since Kaido hasn't strengthened his crew in Wano as much as he will in the future years, so going there clashing with Kaido while taking the chance to steal his Poneglyph and leave is the best course of action.
Shortly after Ashen's crew came back after they took care of the mess that Shiki and Ashen's fight caused. The latter took the chance to announce the alliance.
"I can't believe your drinking right after you tried killing each other" Moria said.
"If we were trying to kill each other he'd already be dead" Ashen said as he took another sip from his drink.
"You're pretty cocky kid, don't get overconfident…overconfidence in your strength can be detrimental as it blinds you to potential weaknesses and limits your willingness to learn and adapt" Shiki stated "If you know Rocks then you should know how strong he was, and despite that he still got defeated"
Ashen raised an eyebrow at Shiki's statement, he certainly didn't think he would be the wise type of person "Anyway, since you guys are here, I have an announcement to make"
"What is it?" Asked Calvin, though he could already guess what it is.
"*Smile*…We Ashen Pirates…"
"and Golden Lion Pirates…"
"Decided to form an alliance!"
"What?"
Everyone looked shocked at the sudden declaration, especially Moria who knows Shiki very well.
"WHAT?!!!" x9.
…
[Paradise, Marineford],
"Sengoku-san! We just got an urgent report stating that Shiki and Ashen made contact in the New World!" An officer came rushing into Sengoku's office with an urgent report "The two of them engaged in battle with no clear winner"
"Shiki?! It's been six years since we last heard of him, and now he's causing trouble in an emperor territory, what is he planning?" Questioned Sengoku, he looked concern about their contact since those two pirates share quite similar personalities, an alliance between the two might possibly occur.
"*Munch*-*Munch*…Bwahahaha! Looks like the bastard is alive and kicking, I thought he retired after escaping Impel Down!" Said Vice Admiral Garp while holding a bag of cheese crackers in his hand.
"Can you get more serious for god's sake?!...Sigh…We can't make any moves until we gathered more information, let's keep a close eye on them"
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Hey there! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm planning to do some massive time skips towards cannon soon in order to spice things up and wanted to see your thoughts about it.
Also, if you have any feedbacks or ideas, you can leave them in the comments, I read everything.