"It is massive."
I say as we enter a massive fortress in the middle of the sea. Quartz laughs at my words and says.
"Aye. Marineford is the biggest and most secure fortress in the entire world. This is the heart of the Marine and the center of power that makes sure the world continues to have peace. Maybe one day you will be one of us and receive a position in this place, bwahahahaha!"
I only smile at his words and say nothing. I don't want to join the Marines and obey the World Nobles' orders. I know what they did, and I don't like it. Oda decides that some people just want to do evil and go with it. I can respect that, but it is different when you arrive in said world.
Those kinds of people are not the people you want to follow around. The manga and anime might not show it, but I have a feeling that those people are more than willing to kill or kidnap someone when they fancy or hate them, even when they are a Marine.
Yeah. It is better to be free from them. I also don't know if I can hold myself from killing them when they get near me.
As we sail closer to the fortress, I can see ships bearing the Jolly Roger of different pirate groups.
"We have a pirate here?"
"Hmmm? Ah, those."
I can hear him sneer as he looks at the pirate ships on the other side of the port.
"They are the Warlords. They are pirates whom the World Government pardoned so they could rule a part of the world and maintain peace there. I don't like those guys, but I understand their function. Their part of the world is lawless, and we cannot spare personnel to take care of that region."
"So you send them instead."
"That's right. I don't like them, but I understand their function in maintaining peace. That is why the Fleet Admiral is more than happy to grant you the title of Warlord because it is better for a Bounty Hunter to have that title than a pirate. At least we know that you guys are decent people."
"I see."
"Anyway, we are here. Follow me. We will meet with the Fleet Admiral."
We get off the ship and follow him into the massive castle. We do not park in town; we park at the military port, which is next to the castle. It is very well fortified, and the natural small islands around the entrance also boost the defence.
This place is hard to access because of these islands; the always-active whirlpool to the north also helps defend the fortress. So, if you take this path, you need to go south through the fortified islands to reach the fortress.
The better option is through the city from the west and punch through on your way to the castle. That is the path the Whitebeard and his family take when they attempt to rescue Ace.
We enter the castle and walk through the corridor to the fifth floor of the building. Quartz knocks on the door, and I can hear a strong and firm voice from behind the door.
"Come in."
Quartz opens the door, and we enter the building to see Legendary figures sitting inside the room. Sengoku is sitting behind the table with a stack of paper on it while Garp is sleeping on the couch, munching rice crackers as if it were his home.
Man, I want to go and go full fanboy on them. More specifically, Garp. He is a legend, you know? He is the one who punches an island and destroys anything on its surface while grinning from ear to ear.
I know those two are strong, but standing near them makes my eyes open wide.
My haki tells me their power is like a volcano ready to burst. Sengoku is like a giant mountain, ready to take anything thrown at it and then crush those who attacked it. Garp, on the other hand, is like a storm. His power is ready to smite everything on its path and wreak havoc on anyone who dares to anger it.
Those two are monsters.
"Ah, Quartz. It is good for you to arrive."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral! I am here escorting Valerian Millefiore of the Millefiore Famiglia Bounty Hunter!"
Sengoku nods his head and looks at my guardians and me. I can feel his haki wash over the room, alerting my guardians, Garp, and me. I raise my eyebrow, and Sengoku looks at me with a new light.
He is testing me, and it looks like I passed his test because even a Rear Admiral cannot feel his probing.
Haki is an important power in One Piece, after all. Without sufficient haki, you will be useless in this war, where Whitebeard's crew has strong haki. Most of them know how to use haki and hone their skill to the limit as Whitebeard sails through the sea.
"Good." He nods his head and looks at me. "I have already prepared a room for you and your family, Valerian. Tomorrow, I shall give you the role you will play in the war and which part of the battlefield you will be in. Is there any question?"
"Yes. Where can a healer go?"
I look at Martha and continue.
"One of my crew is a healer. She ate a devil fruit that allowed her to create a golden fire that heals."
"Oh? That is a rare devil fruit. Very well. I shall send a nurse to your room later to show her the medical area. Anything else?"
"Nothing at the moment."
"Good. You can go now; one of the Petty Officers will take you all to your room. Anyway, I thank you for answering the call of Justice. You will not regret helping the Marine."
"Yes, sir."
We leave the room, and I can see an officer already waiting for us. He takes us to the eastern wing, where he opens a door to a large room with ten beds. Not bad. Not fancy, but not too Spartan as I thought it would be.
Quartz looks at me with a grin and says.
"This is it, my friend. The next time we meet, we will fight together."
"Yes. Thank you for escorting us here, Rear Admiral Quartz."
"Bah! Call me Quartz! We are now brothers-in-arms!"
After a few more seconds of talking, he and the petty officer leave us alone. I hum a little and look out the window. We are in Marineford. We soon entered a fight that will be written in the history of this world.
I am excited.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|3rd POV|
Sengoku releases a sigh and looks at his oldest friend before saying.
"What do you think of them, Garp?"
Garp stops munching his rice cracker and says.
"What? You check on them, right? You should know their strength, Sengoku."
"Humor me."
Garp eats the entire cracker and cleans the crumbs off his cloth.
"Well, they are strong. That purple-haired brat has a thick, ancient, and strong power. He has the biggest firepower."
Sengoku nods his head in agreement.
"Yes. His haki is dense, even denser than ours. His haki is as dense as Kong's."
"Hm. His Armament must be the strongest among the group. The one holding two pistols must be the crew's sharpshooter. His haki is like a storm. It is wild and destructive. Their swordswoman is like water, cold and fluid. Their healer is warm and inviting. Perfect for her role as a doctor. Depending on the power of her Devil Fruit, we might want to hire or, better, invite her into the Marines. However, the most dangerous one is the leader."
"Oh? What makes you think of that? According to my probing, he is the most average. His haki is dense, but not as dense as the purple-haired brat. It is strong, but not something too noteworthy."
Garp shrugs and takes another cracker.
"I don't know. My instinct tells me that if I fight that white-haired brat, I need to go all out to win the fight."
Sengoku looks at Garp in surprise. Among them, Garp has the sharpest instinct out of them, and when combined with his observation haki, Garp might as well be an investigator because he can unveil your secret using nothing but his instinct and haki.
So, it is a surprise when one of the strongest fighters in the entire Marine Corps says that he needs to go all out to win; his opponent must be a very dangerous person.
"Are you sure?"
"Yup. He is a good person, though. My instinct tells me he is not a horrible person. As long as we are straight with him, he will do the same."
Garp stands up and walks toward the door.
"Anyway, just make sure not to antagonize him. We want him to be a Warlord, after all."
"Right."
Sengoku looks down, thinking hard as he makes a plan. However, he snaps from his thoughts when he remembers something.
"Garp! Fill your paperwork! Garp! Damnit!"
"Bwahahahaha!"
"Garp!"
The sound of the wall being blown to pieces by an irritated Sengoku can be heard across the castle.