Present time
Jedi Temple, Coruscant
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At the Jedi boarding ramp, several younglings are waiting for the Jedi Master to arrive. Today is their big day, and finally, the time for them to advance in their training. The next step in their progress as aspiring Jedi is the construction of a genuine lightsaber - the signature weapon of the Jedi, which first requires a Kyber crystal.
Dating back to the very dawn of the Jedi Order and passed down through the centuries until the Clone Wars, the Gathering took place in the Jedi Temple on Ilum. The ritual required Jedi Initiates to trust their instincts, overcome inner obstacles, and locate a unique Kyber Crystal attuned to their Force presence in the Crystal Cave of Ilum. For a thousand years, those who participated in the Gathering were transported to and from Ilum aboard the Crucible, a starship from the era of the Old Republic.
"I can't wait to construct my own lightsaber. Can you imagine swinging it around finally? After all that practice with the training saber," Kantor, a Tholothian boy, says.
"What colour do you think your crystal will be?" Anssi, a male Nautolan, asks the others.
"Mine will be green, like that of Master Yoda," Ganji, a Rodian girl, says with pride.
"Blue is clearly better."
"No, I agree with Ganji, green it is."
"What about you, Garp? What do you think is better?"
"Eh?" Garp says, being interrupted as he is picking his nose.
"EWWWW, Garp, don't do that. That's disgusting!"
"Bwahahahaha"
From behind them, Jedi Master Katri arrives and greets the Younglings.
"Greetings, Younglings. Today is the day that you all attempt to take a new step on your path as Jedi. You have all proven yourselves to be capable enough to attempt the Gathering. For a Jedi, there is no greater challenge and honour."
"So what is the Gathering, Master Katri?"
"It is the moment when you face your fears and acquire a kyber crystal and finally build your lightsabers."
"Alright!"
"Let's go!"
"Beware, Younglings. Many perils lie ahead of you. So be mindful."
The group of Younglings board the shuttle and travels to the planet of Ilum based on the world's solar cycle. As the weak star is only in the proper position every seventeen days, the trip is timed to align with the solar event. When they arrive on the planet, an ice storm rages around them, forcing most of them to wear thick jackets to protect themselves against the cold.
They arrive in front of an ice wall, where they stop. Master Katri turns towards them.
"Younglings, outstretch your hands and focus the Force. Together and only together can we enter," she says.
Most of the Younglings do as she said and use the Force, trying to open the cave. The only one who doesn't do that is Garp, who is looking to the side, uninterested in whatever is going on. He can feel the presence of Yoda in front, telling him that he must already be here. So the words of the Jedi Master must have been a lie. It isn't about the number of people, but how strong you are.
The entrance to the cave is revealed.
"Now we must not delay. The sun has already risen, telling us that we must begin," Master Katri says, and they walk inside.
On a small platform, Master Yoda is waiting for them. The Younglings are happy to see the legendary Jedi.
"Master Yoda."
The small Jedi nods at them and smiles, seeing Garp with them.
"The Force made physical, a Jedi is. Comes great responsibility with that, yes? Protect others, how does a Jedi, hmm?"
Yoda uses the Force and levitates his lightsaber in the air, igniting it and showing it to the Younglings.
"Build your own lightsaber, you shall. But first, harvest your crystal, each one of you must. The heart of the lightsaber, the crystal is. Focuses the Force from the Jedi, it does."
Yoda uses the Force and opens the window at the top of the cave. The sunlight shines through a gap in the Temple's ceiling, where it is focused through a massive kyber crystal and melts the frozen waterfall covering the gates to the caves. The ice melts and the water flows down, giving way for the Younglings to enter.
"If Jedi you are to become, enter the crystal cave you must. Trust yourself, trust each other and succeed you will."
The Younglings walk forward and are ready to enter the caves. But before they do, Master Katri has a word of warning for them.
"Once you have found your crystal, do not remain inside the cave. As daylight ends, the door will freeze over again. Meaning, you will be trapped, should you not have returned by then," Katri says.
"For how long?" Ganji asks.
"For one full rotation. There will be nothing anyone can do for you," Katri answers.
"How will we know which crystal to pick?" Anssi asks.
"Only you can know which one is yours. The crystal will tell you. Now go and get your crystals."
Once inside the labyrinth, the journey becomes more personalised to each individual youngling. This was a direct result of the powerful vergence within the caves, which permeates the very stone and intensified the Force. The vergence exploits the deepest insecurities of those who enter, exposing an individual's weaknesses and shortcomings. If the test is completed successfully and the individual's fears are overcome, a unique kyber crystal would appear to illuminate, glowing either blue, green, or in some instances, another shade. It would retain that hue from then on. Failure to overcome the test will result in an overwhelming sense of self-doubt and fear gripping the student, and potentially preventing them from ever finding a crystal.
.
Garp walks through the frozen halls without a clear goal. He doesn't really care about finding a crystal, as he doesn't like using a lightsaber. It's not his style to do so. But it is required, and he feels as if it won't be wasted. He has lost the other Younglings a while ago and is roaming through the caves. He does have a feel of wonder and adventure, which makes him enjoy the process more than actually finding anything.
He walks past a specific wall and stops, feeling a pull and seeing a faint light shine through. He smiles and balls his fist. He pulls it back and smashes it against the icy wall, causing it to be destroyed and him to burst into the new cave.
"HAH! Piece of cake!"
A moment later, silence swallows everything. The cave shimmers lightly; the crystalline walls seem to bend reality in some mysterious way, and the vergence of the Force intensifies, as if awakening from a deep slumber. Garp walks forward confidently, interested in finding treasure of some kind. He didn't listen to most of what the Jedi Masters said; he was busy thinking about meat. The light shimmers.
A person appears before him. He only sees the back, but for some reason, he knows this young man. Garp walks forward, trying to catch a glimpse of him. Then, the young man turns around, revealing his face to Garp. This causes him to stagger, and a wave of memories flushes into his mind.
"A- Ace?!"
Suddenly, a shadow appears over Ace, and a man with a white Marine cape and a hat stands there, his face hidden.
"Watch what I'll do," the man says.
The large man jumps forward towards another young man, whom Garp also recognises.
"LUFFY!" someone shouts.
The man arrives in front of Luffy and punches his fist forward. Lava splashes around, and the powerful hand punches through a body... Ace's body.
"No... NOOOOOO!!!" Garp shouts.
He shoots forward, wanting to arrive and reach them, his grandsons. But he is too late. He arrives and catches his grandson, Ace, holding him in his arms. Ace smiles weakly, seeing Garp and vomits blood. Luffy cries out in pain and falls unconscious. Garp also catches him and holds both of them tightly.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Garp cries.
His memories return, the pain accompanied by them as well. The cries of pain and anger sound through the caves of Ilum.
...
Garp stands up and looks to the side. Sakazuki... the Marine Admiral stands there with his usual stern and angry expression. Garp places Ace and Luffy on the ground. His muscles contract and grow tense. His facial jaw clenches as do his fists. He stands there, closing his eyes and processing everything, and as he does, something bursts out of him. Like a tsunami which was contained in a small box, his aura and Haki burst out of him as he took the first step forward.
*VVRRROOOOOOOOOMMMM*
The walls tremble, and Garp takes several steps forward. This time, there is no one there to stop him, no Sengoku to hold him back. He arrives in front of Sakazuki and comes to a stop. He pulls his fist backwards, pumps it full of his maximum Haki, his body can hold right now, and punches out.
His fist impacts Sakazuki, causing it to break and be destroyed.
"... BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..."
Garp starts to laugh boisterously. His powerful Haoshoku Haki destroys the illusion and returns Garp to a broken and ruined cave. The place where he punched Sakazuki's face revealed a large hole with a shining small crystal inside it.
"Hmm?"
Garp walks forward and grabs the light orange kyber crystal. Orange-yellow, like Ace had been. Garp closes his fist and then turns around, starting to walk out of the cave. However, before he reaches the exit...
"Garp?"
"...Sumari?"
.
Outside the entrance to the caves, Yoda and the rest of the Younglings are waiting for Garp and Kantor, the Tholothian boy, to return. The rest of them have made it back. The ice on the door is growing back at a rate as the sun goes down slowly.
"Will they make it, Master?"
"The door is sealed again. How will they get back?"
"Give up on your friends, do not," Yoda says and closes his eyes.
He is surprised on one hand, and on the other, he isn't. He has come to know Garp as a young boy who loves freedom more than anything else, so he will always do what he pleases. Yoda can see his young student walk around the caves, not looking for a crystal at all and simply enjoying the moment. But he hopes that's not the case.
On the other side of the ice door, Kantor has made it back, only to find the exit sealed. He hammers against it, calling for help, but no one is coming. He is trapped inside, and just as he found his kyber crystal, too.
"Help! Help!" he shouts.
Tears run down the young boy's face as he comes to the terrible conclusion that he will never get out again.
"I'm trapped... *sniff*... I want to go home..."
Kantor hears steps approaching down the hall and looks up. He sees the figure of Garp approach with his hands balled into fists and a massive grin about to split his face in half. His white teeth are visible as he looks forward.
"Trapped? BAHAHAHA. And who decided that?"
He pulls back his right fist and, with a huge grin, smashes through the ice. The cracks travel through the entire door and cause it to shatter entirely.
"Garp! Kantor! You made it!"
"But how did they break the ice?"
"Only water made solid was the door. Easy to break if you have the will," Yoda says.
"But you said we would be trapped."
"Not by the cave, you were. But by your mind. Lessons you have learned. Take the crystals back to the temple and keep them safe, young Jedi."
.
The Initiates make it back on the Jedi shuttle, taking them back to the temple. But while they are on it, they still need to complete one thing, and that's to create their lightsabers.
"Well, Younglings. It is time. You have harvested your crystals. Allow me to introduce you to architect and lightsaber designer Huyang," Master Katri says.
{Greetings, Younglings. All of you have passed the Gathering?}
"They have."
"A droid?"
{Ah, you have doubts? I have been on this ship for many generations, teaching many Jedi before you, and I will continue to do so after all of you are gone. Inside my memory banks, I contain a record of every lightsaber ever made and the Jedi who fashioned them.}
Huyang creates a hologram, displaying the various styles of lightsabers the Younglings could choose from.
{Which will you choose? A simple grip? A curved approach? One inlaid with the bone of the Cartusion whale, pastillion ore, or black onk?}
Huyang stops talking as he sees that one of the Younglings has fallen asleep. He walks towards Garp and taps his head.
{Excuse me, are we boring you?}
"Huh? Oh, right. Is it time for food yet?"
{Food? No, but you could start creating your lightsaber. Come, we shall start with you. Hold out your hand, Youngling. Describe what you see your lightsaber to be.}
"Uhh, ok. I see... a bat, yes a bat. There are nice markings on the side, with all my favourite dishes on it. And then-"
{No, no, no, not what you imagine. But what you feel in your hand.}
"I feel... nothing. No lightsaber."
{No lightsaber? How peculiar. Perhaps you are a bit more unorthodox than? What do you feel?}
"A staff?"
{What?}
"You're right, that's not it either... A blaster! No, a..."
This goes on for quite a while. The other Younglings have all started to create their lightsabers, while Garp is still thinking about what he should do with his. After a while, Huyang approaches him and looks at the ground in front of Garp.
{Oh, my. Well, I see. You are special. A special Jedi needs a special lightsaber, or should I say, lightsabers?}
Garp tries to concentrate for real. He has learned that there seems to be some truth to all this Force-thing, that Yoda told him about, and now that he has recovered his memories and experienced what he did, he is willing to at least give them a try. The Jedi Order seems to be similar to the Marines. They are not much better than dogs to the ruling class. But Garp won't be like that. He has decided to stick to his principles, even if those don't align with the Jedi Order.
He starts to meditate, and the different pieces on the ground and his two kyber crystals start to levitate. Without Garp doing anything much, the pieces start to align and build something, as if they are returning to a state they were always meant to be. The proess continued until a pair of kyber gloves hovered in front of him.
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