(T/N: Please consider reviewing this Fanfic. Thanks and appreciate all who support me)
(T/N: Enjoy!)
<><><><><><>
"Kuzan, you brat," Whitebeard said, looking up at the person who had just appeared.
As the man stepped forward, a cold voice was heard, and a chill spread across the ship, frost forming on the deck. It was one of the current Five Marine Admirals, Aokiji.
"What do you mean, the Red Line? Are we going to test Pluton's power on the Red Line?"
"As far as I know, the highest city in the world is on the Red Line."
Hearing this, Kizaru's expression immediately changed. Though he was asking Aokiji, he whipped his head around to look at Arashi.
"It's just as you think, Borsalino, our Fleet Admiral plans to fire Pluton's first shot at Mary Geoise, on the Red Line, to test the power of this ancient weapon,"
Aokiji said with a sigh, his voice low. It was a decision so shocking that even the Five Admirals thought their leader might have gone mad.
"What? You're really going to do it?" Kizaru's eyes went wide, his body stiffening.
Using Mary Geoise as a test site—it was an unimaginably bold idea, a world-shattering act.
"Hey, hey, Arashi, don't you want to think this over? Mary Geoise is the pinnacle of the world! It's where the highest echelons of the World Government live, where countless officials are gathered."
"It's the centre of the world," Kizaru said loudly, his voice trembling.
Although he had been mentally preparing for something like this, now that it was actually happening, he was strongly opposed to such a crazy plan.
"So, what's wrong with that?" Arashi asked with a light laugh, a hint of surprise on his face that Kizaru didn't seem to understand.
"It is precisely because it is the centre of the world, precisely because it is where the most Celestial Dragons and nobles live, precisely because it is the gathering place of all the highest authorities, that Pluton's first shot must be aimed there."
"Because this shot," Arashi paused, took a deep breath, and his expression suddenly became grave and solemn, "is the first clap of thunder before the dawn of a new world and a new era."
As his words fell, the pupils of Kizaru, Aokiji, and Whitebeard all contracted. They stood there, stunned, not moving for a long time.
Bombarding Mary Geoise was an act that was beyond outrageous and bold; it was utter madness.
Someone else had tried to do something similar in a bygone era, a great pirate known as the "World Destroyer," Byrnndi World.
But in the end, his bold plot was thwarted, and he was thrown into Impel Down. He escaped during the Summit War and vanished without a trace.
According to intelligence gathered by the Marines, Byrnndi World was killed at the hands of Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach, and his Devil Fruit ability was stolen.
Now, another madman wanted to attempt such a world-shaking act. Would he succeed?
The Pluton sped across the rolling sea, as fast as lightning, kicking up waves of white foam.
The ship's power was undeniable; its four energy sources allowed it to maintain maximum output at all times. Whitebeard stood at the bow, his expression complex.
A young Marine officer beside him was explaining the events of the past two years, and he held a stack of newspapers with bold red headlines.
"The Title of Strongest: Marine Fleet Admiral Arashi single-handedly pacifies Wano Country, annihilating the Four Emperor crews of Kaido, Big Mom, Red-Hair, and Blackbeard!"
"A World-Shaking War: The War on Onigashima may involve the Celestial Dragons and the God's Knights!"
"Shocking: Saint Saturn, one of the Five Elders, has fallen!"
"The God's Knights were completely wiped out, captured by the Marines!"
"The Curtain Falls: A Decisive Marine Victory, Arashi achieves the title of World's Undefeatable Man!"
Although this was clearly news from two years ago, Whitebeard read it with intense focus, his expression growing graver, his eyes filled with shock.
No one knew better than him the weight behind terms like the "Five Elders" and the "God's Knights."
Even after several decades, Whitebeard still remembered the war at God Valley.
That was the first time he had faced the God's Knights, alongside his fellow pirate Roger and his old rivals Garp and Sengoku.
The God's Knights were said to be the strongest force of the Celestial Dragons, their ultimate guardians.
Their deployment meant the World Government was serious and that a true war had begun.
But Arashi! "He even defeated them? And he did it against overwhelming odds!" Whitebeard said nothing, but his heart was reeling with shock.
Such combat power was beyond his imagination. He continued to read. "The Marines become the world's largest empire, unifying the New World!"
"The Conference of Twenty Kings lays the foundation for Marine world domination!"
"The Marine Threat Theory: They will become the greatest destabilising factor in the world!"
"Terrifying: Arashi appears in the Lulusia Kingdom, crushes the remaining pirate groups, and captures the entire Revolutionary Army!"
"The Age of Pirates is Over!"
The headlines left Whitebeard utterly speechless with shock.
In just two short years, the outside world had, just as Arashi had said, changed completely, and the chaos was unbelievable.
"The Age of Pirates is over," he murmured, his expression complex. He stared out at the endless ocean before him.
The Great Pirate Era, which Roger had started with his surrender over twenty years ago, had been brought to an end by this young man.
With absolute, overwhelming power, he had crushed the ambitious dreams of every pirate in the world.
Although a part of him felt uneasy, he had to admit the man's strength.
Because this was something no ordinary person could have achieved, otherwise, Roger wouldn't have just reached the title of Pirate King before his journey was cut short, choosing to turn himself in and use his death to usher in the Great Pirate Era.
He, Kaido, and Big Mom wouldn't have remained as just the Four Emperors of the sea for nearly two decades. But Arashi was different.
He had achieved the title of a supreme emperor, and under him were five Admirals, each equivalent in status to one of the former Four Emperors.
One Emperor and Five Generals! This was the strength of the Marines in the current era.
"Where are Ace and Marco?" Whitebeard asked suddenly after taking a deep breath.
"The division codenamed 'Whitebeard' is currently being integrated. They will form a powerful Marine fleet. Their mission is to land on Mary Geoise after the first round of bombardment," Kuzan answered, his voice low.
"Land on Mary Geoise?!" Whitebeard froze, his mind reeling for a moment.
But then he burst out laughing. "Good! Good! Good! You've certainly given them a worthy mission."
"Even I'm getting fired up just hearing about it!" Landing on Mary Geoise.
For an ordinary person, it was an unimaginable feat. But in this world-changing, earth-shattering era, it was entirely possible.
"I hear that besides Ace and the others, you've also gathered the forces of the Big Mom and Kaido pirates?" Whitebeard asked.
"Correct. This total war requires a massive amount of powerful fighting strength. This is also their chance to earn their freedom," Arashi said with a nod and a smile.
"Besides them, the Red-Haired Pirates, the God's Knights, and the Straw Hat Pirates are also part of this." He paused and sighed.
"Among them are some people with whom I have... complicated relationships."
Hearing this, Whitebeard burst out laughing. He was well aware of Arashi's complex ties to certain members of the Straw Hat crew.
His laugh was genuine, a chuckle at the thought that even the most powerful man in the world could be troubled by domestic affairs.
Arashi shook his head and looked ahead. As the Pluton sailed at full speed, the Red Line drew ever closer.
Vaguely, they could already see the massive continent looming before them, like a great, sleeping dragon stretching across the ocean.
The Red Line. The ring-shaped continent that divides the entire world of One Piece into two. Its soil was red, which is how it got its name.
Its length was so great that it circled the entire planet, and it had two intersections with the Grand Line.
The first intersection was Reverse Mountain, the entrance to the Grand Line. The second was the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Their destination was this second intersection. Pirates would cross the first intersection at Reverse Mountain to enter the Grand Line, then either pass over the second intersection or go under it via Fish-Man Island to join the New World.
It is said that one can also see the Red Line upon reaching the end of the Grand Line, Laugh Tale.
It was truly a unique feature of this world. "We're almost there," Arashi murmured, gazing at the distant red continent. Beside him, Aokiji,
Kizaru, and the others tensed up in an instant. The next second, Aokiji pulled a Den Den Mushi from his coat.
"Are you keeping up? The Pluton is about to reach the Red Line."
After a brief pause, a frantic voice came through.
"The Pluton is too fast! Even the newest warships from the Technology Development Bureau have been left far behind! We can't even see the Red Line yet!"
Far behind the Pluton, a fleet of nearly a hundred warships, arranged in a neat battle formation, was cutting through the waves at full speed."
On the central flagship, Buggy, dressed in a Marine uniform and cap, was shouting into the Den Den Mushi.
"Wait for us to arrive before you act! A moment that will shake the world and divide the eras—I have to see it with my own eyes!"
As he spoke, his eyes shimmered with tears. It was, without a doubt, a moment so moving that it brought one to tears.
The first shot hadn't even been fired, but the anticipation was already making his blood boil, and he felt like crying from the emotion.
On another part of Buggy's ship, Kuina stood at the bow, a longsword at her waist. Her eyes were sharp and serious, fixed on the horizon.
She was fully aware of the mission ahead and felt a little nervous as a result. "A new era?" she murmured.
A small smile appeared on her delicate face. It was clear she understood what her teacher was doing and was full of confidence in him.
The view pulls back further, focusing on a ship at the right corner of the fleet.
"Fuffuffuffuffu, Rosinante, how are you feeling right now? For us, blood brothers, to be fighting on the same side in this war, it's truly a heart-pounding and exciting moment."
Donquixote Doflamingo said with a wide grin, squatting on a mast and looking down at his serious-faced younger brother.
"I can't see a trace of excitement on your face. It's just talk, isn't it, Doflamingo?" Rosinante snorted.
Compared to his brother's words, he was the truly excited one. When that cannonball shot into the sky, it would signify the world's revolution.
The long darkness would give way to the dawn. "No, who wouldn't be excited when faced with such a historic moment? After all," Doflamingo's lips curled into a smirk, "I've bet my entire fortune on him. This is the wager I've made, and it's time to reap the rewards."
Hearing this, Rosinante just snorted again. He had no patience for his so-called brother's nonsense, but he had to admit there was some truth to what he said.
As a Marine, what had he been striving for all this time? Wasn't it precisely for this great change that was about to happen? "Fleet Admiral Arashi's dream is my dream."
"The justice he upholds and protects is the creed I have always striven for. The fruit of success is about to ripen," Rosinante murmured, a smile on his face.
The view pulls back again, panning across the warships, showing every serious Marine face filled with a complex mixture of anticipation, nervousness, and excitement.
They all knew what was about to happen, and they eagerly awaited the moment to see what the dawn of this new world would look like.
At that moment, the Pluton began to slow from its full speed, becoming a steady, slow-moving vessel. Finally, it came to a gentle stop.
Ripples spread across the water around the ship. Fish swam to the surface, curiously observing the entirely black, strangely shaped, and terrifying behemoth.
They were nervous and afraid, not daring to get any closer. On the ship, Arashi and the others slowly raised their heads, looking at the giant shadow before them.
It was like a wall with no end, stretching from east to west, completely blocking their path and their view.
The wind howled as it swept over the top of the continent, creating a low, eerie sound.
Time seemed to stand still as a strange quiet fell over them. No one spoke.
Everyone just silently stared at the Red Line. After a long, long moment, the corners of Arashi's mouth curved into a smile, and he finally spoke.
"Let's begin."
In an instant, the pupils of everyone on the ship contracted sharply.
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
If you want to support me, join my patr**on. Have 10 advanced Chapters for you guys.
patr**n.com/saitamablast > OP:COI NOVEL TIER