Beneath the imposing execution platform, where a man's fate was sealed, the silence weighed heavily in the air. Tsuru, the veteran strategist of the Marines, stood motionless for a few seconds, her eyes scanning the unconscious bodies of the sailors scattered around. Her cold, calculating gaze didn't hide a touch of exasperation.
"Without a doubt... he really is your grandson," she murmured with a slight sigh, crossing her arms. "He certainly knows how to make a mess."
At her side, Garp let out a muffled laugh, raising a hand to the back of his neck and scratching it with that typical sheepish gesture.
"Hehehe... Yeah..."
As much as he tried to hide it, pride and worry mingled in his chest. The enemy hadn't even truly begun... and yet, one of their men had already fallen.
Tsuru, with a discreet smile, remarked without taking her eyes off the battlefield:
"However... he really is impressive. With that power... not even Whitebeard's pirates will be able to break through the Shichibukai's defensive line."
But upon hearing that, Garp couldn't help but sigh, his gaze turning somber for a brief moment.
(I wish you were right...)
He knew the true reason Luffy was there. It wasn't just a display of youthful strength, nor an impulsive urge to test his limits, as many might think. It was the harbinger of something much greater. A son desperately trying to save his brother.
As the tension grew on the platform, a distant and ominous sound began to echo, coming from the direction of the colossal Gates of Justice.
The maritime horizon filled with black sails and dreaded flags.
More than forty pirate ships slowly emerged, advancing in disciplined formation, each with tattered sails and hulls marked by countless battles. The forty-three pirate regiments of the New World marched toward the battlefield like a devastating tide ready to swallow everything.
On the deck of one of the frontline ships, an imposing figure raised his sword high, his voice cutting through the sound of the waves.
"FAAATHER!!!" shouted the captain known as the "Whirlpool Spider," Squard, his gleaming sword reflecting the midday sun. "We're here to help you!! Follow me, brothers!!"
"OHHHHH!!" roared the pirates in unison, fueled by fury and loyalty, ready to fight to their last drop of blood.
---
Meanwhile, in the frozen waters ahead of the inner bay...
The serene and glacial figure of Aokiji crouched atop a vast block of shattered ice, the frozen fragments creaking beneath his weight. Calmly, he extended his hand toward the sea.
"Ice Age..." he whispered.
In an instant, the sea, which had begun to break free from its icy shackles, froze once again with even greater ferocity. Ice crystals surged and expanded violently, trapping the forty-three pirate ships like cornered rats, leaving them ensnared within the lethal range of the coastal artillery.
From the decks of the pirate ships, cries of rage erupted.
"Damn Aokiji!" one of the captains bellowed, unsheathing his blade.
"We won't back down! Advance!!" screamed another.
In a coordinated movement, the pirates began leaping from the ships one after another, running and sliding across the forming ice bridges, advancing under the fierce command of their leaders.
"For Whitebeard!!"
"For Ace!!"
Explosions and cannon fire echoed, blending with the roar of the sea.
But suddenly, a colossal shadow began to emerge slowly behind the pirate ships.
The Marines' eyes widened in pure shock.
"W-what... what's that giant body?!" exclaimed a trembling Marine.
The monstrous figure took a step forward, making the ice tremble under its weight.
"ACE!!" he roared with a voice as powerful as thunder. "I'm here to save you! Hang in there!"
The giant was none other than Little Oars Jr., the titanic ally of the Whitebeard Pirates, whose massive body dwarfed even the warships.
"Concentrated fire!" ordered Sengoku coldly, his golden eyes analyzing every movement. "Don't let him reach the plaza!"
The naval batteries immediately swiveled, and the deafening sound of the main cannons filled the air, unleashing a barrage of projectiles against the giant.
Machine guns and rifles joined the chorus of destruction, turning the sky into a deadly rain of iron.
But to the giant, they were mere scratches.
He raised his colossal fist and, with a primal roar, unleashed a devastating punch that split one of the nearby warships in half.
BOOOOM!
Wood, steel, and screams mingled as the ship cracked like a nut, its crew plummeting into the void with expressions of pure terror.
And without hesitation, Oars Jr. grabbed the surviving half of the ship, swung it through the air as if it were a mere toy, and hurled it violently toward the Execution Plaza.
The screams of the Marines still aboard echoed through the skies.
"Hehehehe!" Gecko Moria laughed sinisterly, extending his hands in a theatrical gesture. "I want his corpse! Come! I'll grant you eternal life!"
"Do zombies count as life?" Doflamingo asked sarcastically, floating with invisible threads as he manipulated his powers with a simple flick of his hands.
With a casual gesture, he sent a sharp string slicing through half of a warship.
ZAAASH!
Before the hull could crash to the ground, it disintegrated in the air, transforming into hundreds of debris pieces that rained down onto the battlefield.
One of those fragments flew straight toward Luffy, who was calmly sitting atop Salome, holding an improvised cup of tea in his hand.
"Hmph... you can't even stop that?" he commented nonchalantly.
Before the piece of wood could hit Luffy, Hancock rose gracefully.
With an elegant leap, as if dancing in the air, she delivered a powerful kick.
"Perfume Femur!" she exclaimed.
The debris exploded into dozens of smaller fragments that scattered across the field.
"Thanks, Hancock," said Luffy with a serene smile.
Immediately, the Pirate Empress's cheeks flushed intensely. She covered her face with her hands, averting her gaze, lost in romantic daydreams.
(Thank you, Hancock... These are two fruits for our sisters...) she repeated mentally, fantasizing.
"O-our...?" she asked, hesitantly.
"Of course! Your sister... is my sister too!" Luffy said simply.
"AH~!" Hancock nearly fainted, interpreting it as a veiled marriage proposal.
(Could... could he be proposing to me?! What should I do?!)
While she was lost in her fantasies, Luffy, oblivious to her thoughts, kept his eyes fixed on the battlefield.
His attention, however, lingered especially on one figure: Akainu.
He knew there was still a bit of time left before the execution... but Akainu wouldn't stand there forever. Sooner or later, he would move.
And when that happened... Luffy would be ready.
The battlefield, meanwhile, was growing ever more chaotic. Explosions, gunfire, and screams intertwined like a symphony of war.
The pirates pressed forward without hesitation, determined to reach Moby Dick, the legendary ship of Whitebeard.
On Moby Dick's deck, Whitebeard watched the scene with a grim expression, his lips curling in disapproval.
"Oars..." he muttered, gritting his teeth. "Dying and being brave are not the same thing...!"
But the giant, undeterred, turned to his "father" with a determined smile.
"Father, don't stop me! I'm going to rescue Ace!!"
And without waiting any longer, he took another large step, advancing toward the inner bay.
A few meters away, Aokiji let out a resigned sigh, extending his right hand. Several ice spears began to form rapidly, sharp and deadly.
But before he could launch the attack...
BOOOM!
A colossal figure shot through like a missile, violently colliding with Aokiji and hurling him against the metallic wall of the inner bay.
"That Oars guy is really reckless... but if you want to stop him, you'll have to ask me first, Admiral!" roared "Diamond" Jozu, half of his body gleaming like an unbreakable jewel.
Without wasting time, another man leapt from Moby Dick's deck.
"Let me clear the path!" shouted Vista, the master swordsman.
With a masterful flourish, he unsheathed his two swords and charged toward Aokiji, who was slowly getting up, brushing the snow off his shoulders.
(End of chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."