Chapter 23

3rd POV

Location: UA Principal’s Office

Principal Nezu looked grim as he put together the letters forming the message sent by Hawks…the last message as any sign of him vanished right after.

PrEpAre waR. GL RebIrTH AfO. deAD TurNEd aPplE. viLlAiNs uNite tEam. gReaT eViL.

All: …

Nezu: It seems like a great evil will soon be upon us.

Endeavor: Then what are we waiting for? We’ve got the confirmation we needed from Hawks. We need to fight, Now!

Nezu: No…we’re not enough!

A map of the world rolled out across the table as the present heroes gathered around. Little figures and structures were placed signifying the forces of the Heroes and the GrandLine as Nezu and Nighteye inspected the scene critically.

Nighteye: We’re already outnumbered.

Nezu: Not if we request help.

By numbers, GrandLine was overwhelming dominant in the Eurasia continent and Africa, especially as things went West; however, things were different with the Americas.

Nighteye: Did the American government know? It seems they their reliance on the GrandLine is incredibly low compared to the other countries.

Nezu: Not exactly as only GrandLine holds a monopoly on the technology to create quirks…however the US has heavily taxed and tariffed any products GrandLine. Not only that but they have been stating for years that their own businesses will create quirks as well.

Nighteye: Is it because of the anti-monopoly law?

Nezu: Any other industry or business would have succumbed to their laws and given up their secrets but obviously GrandLine hasn’t. The government might not like it…but the people desperately require GrandLine’s presence. Still, compared to the other countries, the Americas continent has done a rather good job at weakening their influence…mainly due to threats from the United States to their allies.

Endeavor: There isn’t time to waste! We’ll need everyone then!

All Might: Are you sure about that Endeavor?

All Might was in his ‘skinny form’ leaning on his chair. Ever since that day, he had lost most of his strength and OFA had to match his body’s change. Now, he was but a shadow of his former self.

All Might: I know what I saw that day and I know better than anyone that we’re not enough. We’ll need everyone…and not just Heroes.

Endeavor: What are you saying Number 1?

All Might: We’ll need an Alliance. A Grand Alliance from all countries who recognize this threat. We’ll need any and all mercenaries or even rival industries that are willing to break some laws.

Nighteye: Do you mean the Liberation Army sensei?

All Might: They’re the only ones with enough resources to even compete with GrandLine in Japan. Not only that…but we know that they have capable combatants.

Endeavor: *che* Working with villains…

All Might: It’s necessary Endeavor.

Endeavor: *grunt* I know

Nighteye: But sensei, how do we know that they’ll even help us in the first place?

*ding*

??

*ding* *ding* *ding* *ding*

Confused, Nighteye took out his phone as he stared in disbelief at what he was seeing…witnessing.

Nezu: What is it Nighteye?

Nighteye: My Hero Agency isn’t popular so I make my living off of stocks using my quirk but…

*ding* *ding* *ding* *ding*

Nighteye: I put a bit of money into the Detnerat Company which is where the resources of the Meta Liberation Army comes from…

*ding* *ding* *ding* *ding*

Nighteye: Being a massive corporation, stock prices usually doesn’t rise or fall that much but… I’ve set the setting to ring every time the stock price goes up by 1%

*ding* *ding* *ding* *ding*

Endeavor: And? What’s happening right now? Why does that matter??!

*ding* *ding*

Nighteye: Someone’s buying all the stock. The prices are rising way too fast!

*ding* *ding*

He scrolled to see the ‘shareholders’ as a new figure emerged, rising through the ranks faster and faster.

No, it wasn’t someone…it was a corporate.

Nighteye: IT’S GRANDLINE! THEY’RE BUYING DETNERAT!!

*ding* *ding* *ding* *ding*

Nighteye: 24%…26%…they’re going to acquire the company at this rate!

Nezu: Inform the safety commission immediately! We cannot allow GrandLine to take Japan’s biggest industry like this! The combined forces of the Liberation Army is the only hope Japan has!

Nighteye: 27%…29%…it’s rising way too fast! They’re seriously planning on acquiring this even if it means trillions of yen!

Endeavor: I thought Stocks had ceilings!

Nighteye: Not anymore…not since those corrupt politicians took some money from GrandLine. So this was what they were aiming for…?

*ding* *ding* *di-di-di-di-di-di-ding*

Nighteye: It’s too late…I’ve seen the future. Within two hours the Deternat Company and thus the Meta Liberation Army will belong to the GrandLine.

… …

Nezu: We haven’t even begun and we have already lost an ally…

Endeavor: Damn VILLAINS!

All Might: I’m going to call home. Perhaps CC and the States will hear us. They know better than anyone the threat Anarchy poses…and GrandLine. It’s time we told them all we know.

Everybody knew how much of a danger Anarchy alone posed to the world…the peace that the Heroes had carefully built up and kept safe. For decades they kept the peace of this country, eliminating villains and allowing the civilians to keep their hope and faith in them.

Anarchy was a different story. Anarchy alone had crushed both All For One, whom was previously undefeated, as well as All Might in one go. It was only the censorship and hiding that information that the society Japan had built upon the trust of Heroes did not collapse yet.

But now…they were also about to face the entirety of GrandLine. The largest economic powerhouse in the world already known to possess highly skilled quirk users, a black operations unit, most likely an army, suspiciously lines up with the appearance of Nomus, and an enemy that was present everywhere.

The Heroes alone would not be able to do this. They would need everyone…and GrandLine would have to lose the trust of the people if they were going to have any chance at all.

Hawks, where are you? All Might thought. Your information and strength is greatly needed at this perilous time.

At The Same Time

Switzerland, GrandLine HQ

Syrup: Only a fool would make use of force when allies could be made

3 Wartime Commanders and the Scientist was sitting around a highly detailed digital map/table. Lights lit up showing the forces of the GrandLine and the updated movements of their enemies.

The map of the world was littered with dots and small pointers as the commanders kept tabs on ongoing wars and the one to come.

Ace: The Wakandan tribe has unified most of the African continent under his rule…our bet has paid off. We simply need to collect our investment from him.

Syrup: How many fruits did we lend them?

Kyudai: 2000 SMILES, 700 Predator Zoan type Apples and 1 mythical Vibranium Panther. In value, it’s worth more than half of his nation.

Another GrandLine flag went up where the nation of Egypt used to be as war finally spread to the north of Africa.

Syrup: Any refugees trying to escape north?

Tomura: No, only the sea awaits them…and we’ve made sure all countries with harbors in Europe will reject them. Their only hope is the far way West.

Talks continued as they planned on how to receive their payment as the signal for the big war finally came. By now the Japanese knew and that meant their allies as well. Hawks’ actions were expected…but not this early.

Still, there was already a contingency plan in place. If the world was mobilizing, then the GrandLine was already there. Ever since Syrup’s status has been changed to a ‘villain’ officially, war was inevitable…and the most important thing about war was winning. Winning at all costs.

Tomura: The Americas Continent, Australia, and the islands between have joined the alliance.

Ace: Japan?

Tomura: They’ve shut us off…we can expect something big to happen.

Through the years, the influence of GL grew massively in the Eurasian continent…and yet their powers and reach only barely made it to Japan. Despite their lobbying, bribing, and killing specific targets, the heroes of UA and the Public Safety Commission continued to stand…even battered.

Ace: We’ve taken the Liberation Army from them…they’re powerless alone. We’ll crush them first before taking on the others.

Syrup: No…it’s going to be a full out war from the start.

She pointed at Japan.

Syrup: Our firm hold of economy and political influence ends at Korea and Japan.

She pointed at the United States.

Syrup: If we know anything about their military, it’s that they’ll never fight a war on their own soil…

If anything, they’ll try to stop our hold by fighting in either Korea or Japan but…from how Korea is right next to China and Russia, they would prefer it to fight on Japanese soil.

Ace: So we’re preparing for a war in Japan?

Syrup: We’ll initiate contact in the States and ‘pretend’ to retreat and bring the war to Japan. Now listen to me, I’ve got a plan…

…

Syrup: We will now commence Operation Fog & Sun

… …

POV Narrator

Rumors spread fast across the world as documents, formerly hidden by GrandLine, were leaked through unspecified and anonymous sources. The corruption, the heinous crimes, and the darker aspects of how the corporation operated. Theories and theories on how the quirks were created as well as their ‘process of elimination’ fitting with the strange coincidences of how their ‘rivals’ disappeared at crucial times.

Things weren’t looking great for GrandLine as people, especially in Japan, Americas, and the seas, began turning their back on the largest industry in the world. Governments across the world grew stronger and more influential in their own state as the economic backbone of GrandLine withdrew day after day. The media, who have once turned blind eyes to deeds best unspoken, jumped aboard the wagon as they dug deeper into the mystery of the GrandLine.

Heroes and Certified Quirk Users (Military) mobilized suspiciously quick as guns, quirk enhancements, machinery, and things fell into place. The annual budget for the nations that have remained rather anti-GL began pouring their resources into fire and manpower as tensions began to rise.

The media was not one to lose this as news was made public. Why is the nation preparing for war? Who are they fighting?

All this while, the slandering of the greatest economic force in the world continued. The civil wars in the African continent finally stopped…but their preparation for war did not.

Are the Americans intervening in the African Continental War?

The theory was debunked as high ranked heroes from America and their allied forced Navy (aircraft carriers) and the Hero Associations began arriving in Japan. A new military based formed on the island of Okinawa as the Japanese Government began forcefully shutting down Hospitals and anything related to GL.

While all this happened, a specific pink haired woman across the world watched with a smile on her face.

Syrup: They’re all in place. Pull back all forces to Korea and abandon the Hospitals. Prepare Space Quirk Users on standby…as of this moment, the first of the four, Operation Fog and Sun has begun.