Tet leapt forward in time to the moment after Ace's execution was announced and swiftly sent out all the invitations. Once that task was finished, he appeared on the deck of his and Hestia's ship. His eyes widened as he took in the sight before him: mountains of treasure piled high across the deck, glittering under the open sky.
He let out a low, impressed whistle before muttering, "Damn, no one's been able to beat my ghost ship yet. Oh well, I'll put it back when I'm done."
With a casual snap of his fingers, the treasure vanished from sight, hidden away as if it had never existed. Tet moved to the helm, adjusted the course with practiced ease, and set sail toward Marineford, the ship gliding forward as the sea parted before it.
-----
Aboard the Moby Dick, Marco ran toward Whitebeard in a hurry.
"Pops, that ghost ship from the Grand Line is sailing towards us, and there's someone on board waving a white flag."
Whitebeard let out a long, weary sigh, his massive frame unmoving as his gaze remained fixed ahead.
"Who'd be dumb enough to bother us at a time like this? Don't they know we're busy? Fine, let them aboard, Marco. I'll hear what they have to say."
A few minutes later, Tet walked through the gathered crowd without hesitation, his calm presence cutting a path straight to Whitebeard himself. The air grew heavy as Whitebeard's eyes narrowed down at him.
"You got a lot of nerve, kid. What do you want?"
Without a word, Tet handed Whitebeard and Marco their wedding invitations. The two pirates looked down at the paper, reading in silence. Whitebeard's brow furrowed deeply.
"Is this a joke?"
"Nope. Ace and my niece are having kids in a few months, and we went ahead and made the arrangements on Ace's behalf."
Whitebeard slowly rose to his feet, the deck creaking beneath his weight as his expression darkened.
"You're not lying, are you?"
"No. This is real. It's not a lie or a prank."
Whitebeard's massive hands clenched as his body trembled with fury, veins standing out along his arms.
"That brat has a fiancée and kids on the way, and he still let himself get caught? When I get ahold of him, I'm gonna make him wish his ass was made of steel when I put my boot in it. Then he's gonna introduce me to my daughter-in-law. Then I'll retire and enjoy watching my grandchildren grow up."
Marco chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head.
"Pops, that's a nice thought, but we still need to—"
He was cut off as Whitebeard snapped his glare toward him, anger blazing.
"And you, why haven't you or any of my other older brats given me grandkids yet?"
Marco and the rest of the crew immediately raised their hands defensively. Marco swallowed before answering.
"Well, Pops, we haven't really had the time to—"
"I didn't ask for your excuses."
Whitebeard exhaled heavily, some of the fire draining from his posture as he waved a dismissive hand.
"Oh well. I'll deal with you lot later. First we need to save Ace. Then we attend his wedding and party like there's no tomorrow."
The crew erupted into loud cheers, the deck shaking with their enthusiasm. Tet watched them, quietly deciding not to correct the misunderstanding that only Whitebeard and Marco had been invited and just decided to let them come. Artemis would likely have all her huntresses and guests from her world present anyway. It would even out.
"Well, fellas, me and my people will meet you at Marineford."
Whitebeard nodded once, gratitude in his eyes.
"We appreciate the help."
With that, Tet turned and returned to his ship, leaving behind a crew fired up with purpose and promise.
----
As the ghost ship sailed into Marineford, its ominous hull cutting through the water like a specter, Apollo rubbed the back of his head and let out a frustrated sigh.
"I told you two I've got this."
Tet shot him a flat look, arms folded, clearly unimpressed.
"No. You'll go overboard and end up causing damage to this world, and I'm not explaining to Focalors that one of her bosses roasted her planet because he couldn't hold back."
Hermes snorted, rolling his shoulders and warming up.
"Besides, it might be fun to fight while holding back. There's a guy that can turn into light, right? I call dibs."
Apollo cracked his neck, eyes glinting dangerously.
"I'll take the magma prick."
Tet glanced across the battlefield, eyes narrowing as he took in the unfolding chaos below.
"Seems like Kuma still separated the Straw Hats and is still acting in his capacity as a Warlord. I don't know what's up with that, but I'll summon some people to take them on. Doflamingo and Crocodile are dead. That leaves Moria, Kuma, Hancock, Mihawk, and Blackbeard."
Apollo waved a hand dismissively.
"Hancock and Kuma will betray the Marines when Luffy shows up."
Tet paused, then nodded once in concession.
"Oh. Never mind. Just three, then. I'll also summon someone to take on Aokiji."
With a casual wave of his hand, reality rippled, and four figures materialized beside him, their presence heavy with power. Apollo shook his head with a crooked grin.
"You love overkill, Uncle."
"For real," Hermes added, eyes tracking the battlefield below. The ship arrived just in time for Aokiji to freeze the tsunami Whitebeard unleashed.
Apollo's lips curled into a sharp smirk as he stepped forward.
"You guys stand back for a sec. There's something from a game I wanna try."
He drew an arrow, the shaft humming as solar energy poured into it. Apollo took aim, and shouted,
"Ryuuga Wagatekiwo Kurau!!"
Two massive serpentine dragons formed from pure solar energy erupted from the arrow, roaring across Marineford. They tore through the battlefield in blinding arcs, obliterating everything in their path and erasing a massive portion of the enemy forces in seconds.
Tet winced slightly, then nodded in approval.
"That was cool, but I'm glad none of our guys were down there."
He turned toward the four summoned figures, his expression sharpening.
"Get to it."
Without hesitation, the four dashed off into battle, disappearing into the smoke, ice, fire, and chaos as Marineford descended into war.
-----
Up on the executioner's platform, Ace watched the chaos unfolding below. Despite the madness, his expression remained oddly calm. Garp soon sat down beside him, the wooden planks creaking under his weight.
"You look remarkably calm, Ace."
Ace glanced sideways at him, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Cause I know I'm getting out of here."
Garp snorted softly, eyeing him with skepticism.
"That so?"
Ace nodded slightly, chains rattling as he shifted.
"Yeah, but I didn't want to leave before I invited you to my wedding."
Garp blinked.
"Oh? You wanted to invite me to your wedding?"
He sat there for a moment, the words slowly sinking in. Then realization hit him like a cannonball. His eyes widened, and he shot to his feet.
"Wedding!!!!!!!"
Ace chuckled despite himself, clearly enjoying the reaction.
"Yep. I've got two kids on the way. You're gonna be a great grandpa."
Garp froze, staring at Ace for a long, silent moment, his face locked between disbelief, shock, and something dangerously close to joy. Then he threw his head back and roared,
"Damnit!!!!"
In one swift motion, he reached into his coat, pulled out a key, and unlocked Ace's cuffs. The chains clattered to the platform as they fell away. Ace flexed his wrists in disbelief.
"You're letting me go?"
Instead of answering, Garp brought a heavy fist crashing down onto Ace's head. Ace yelped, grabbing his skull and staggering.
"What the hell, old man?!"
Garp loomed over him, teeth bared in a furious scowl.
"Why didn't you say that earlier, you numbskull?! Get your ass moving. We've got a wedding to go to, and I've gotta apologize to the bride because I raised such an irresponsible moron!"
Ace scowled back, rubbing the sore spot.
"Hey, I'm not a moron."
Garp didn't dignify that with a response. He grabbed Ace, leapt clean off the execution platform, and hit the ground running, charging straight toward Tet's ship as Marineford erupted behind them.
(Authors Note: I'm Having fun with this arc so I'll probably do it all in the next day or so)