The trio continued toward the ship at full speed, boots pounding against the fractured ground. Luffy glanced over at Ace as they ran and asked, "Hey, Ace, how'd you get caught anyway?"
Ace grimaced slightly as he answered, "It was Blackbeard. Not only was he able to cancel out my Devil Fruit, he also had some weird ability that let him control gravity. In the end, I was helpless, and Arty is gonna kick my ass for it."
Luffy blinked, then scratched his head thoughtfully. "Oh yeah, I got this invitation thing that says you're getting married."
Garp's eyes widened as he barked, "What? How come Luffy got an invitation?"
Ace shot him a look and replied, "I wanted to invite you in person. I was gonna come find you after I took care of Blackbeard. We hadn't spoken in so long, I wanted your invite to be done personally."
Garp's expression softened, just a bit. "Oh, that's good, then. And now that I'm thinking of it, I should bring the bride a gift. That's a thing you do at weddings, right?"
"I think so," Luffy said brightly. "What should we bring? Food?"
Garp let out a booming laugh. "I like where your head's at, Luffy, but it's gotta be something special."
Luffy's eyes lit up. "Oh, maybe a Sea King?"
"Yeah," Garp agreed immediately. "We'll bring a Sea King."
Ace sighed, already resigned. "My fiancée is big into hunting, so yeah, maybe a Sea King. You can ask my brother-in-law. That's him over there fighting Akainu."
"Wait, what?" Garp said, snapping his head to the side.
They all looked over in time to see a blond-haired man straddling Akainu, beating him senseless into the shattered ground. A little further away, a black-haired man was similarly dismantling Kizaru with brutal efficiency.
"Well damn," Garp muttered. "Two less things to worry about."
The trio pushed onward, nearly reaching the ship, when a furious roar echoed behind them.
Sengoku shouted louder than ever as he caught up and launched himself at them, only to be punched out of the air by Whitebeard, who had just arrived in a thunderous crash.
Garp slipped out of his blazer, rolling his shoulders as he tossed it aside. "Make for the ship, boys. We won't be long."
"You're gonna help?" Whitebeard asked, grinning.
"Don't get used to it," Garp shot back. "I'm just in a hurry to go meet my granddaughter-in-law so I can apologize to her for my irresponsible idiot of a grandson."
Whitebeard nodded slowly, laughter rumbling in his chest. "Then we have a common goal. To attend the brat's wedding—"
"And spoil our grandchildren rotten," Garp finished for him.
-----
As the fight between the three old men raged across the battlefield, Ace and Luffy finally made it aboard the ghost ship. The moment their feet hit the deck, a cheerful, almost playful voice rang out.
"Oh good, you made it. We can wrap this up soon."
They both looked up to see a young man with white hair and mismatched eyes standing casually above them, hands in his pockets and a faint smile on his face.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Tet, God of Games, and your fiancée's uncle."
Ace eyed him skeptically, brow furrowing. "You're a god?"
Without another word, Tet snapped his fingers. A massive purple elephant suddenly appeared directly in front of the two of them, trumpeting loudly. Before either of them could react, Tet snapped his fingers again, and the elephant vanished as if it had never existed.
"That enough, or do I gotta do more?"
Ace immediately held up his hands. "I'm good."
After a brief pause, Ace spoke again, curiosity creeping into his voice. "So if you're Arty's uncle, does that mean she's a goddess?"
"Yep," Tet replied easily. "But don't worry, you don't gotta be a god if you don't wanna. Though I'm almost positive you're gonna be one, 'cause I'm in need of a new God of Fire and a God of Revelry. You can be both."
Ace opened his mouth to respond, then stopped. He thought about it for a long moment before finally saying, "Let me think about it."
Luffy suddenly tapped Ace on the shoulder. "Ace, look."
Ace turned just in time to see Blackbeard approaching Whitebeard and Garp from behind. His eyes widened.
"Damnit."
He tensed, ready to leap back into the fight, but Tet calmly spoke up.
"That won't be necessary."
Music began to play, low and ominous.
Ace blinked. "What's with the music?"
A tall figure walked past Ace without a word. He was clad head to toe in green, futuristic-looking armor, each step heavy and deliberate as it echoed across the ground. A double-barrel shotgun rested firmly in his hands as he advanced toward Blackbeard.
Ace stared after him. "Who's that guy?"
"Oh, that's the Doom Slayer," Tet said casually. "Blackbeard might not be a demon, but this'll still be fun to watch. Don't worry, the Slayer has orders not to kill. He'll just beat the crap out of him. Blackbeard is for one of you to defeat someday when you're stronger. Till then, watch a professional at work."
-----
Blackbeard was just about to move in for the kill, grinning as Whitebeard reached his weakest point, when he suddenly felt a heavy hand clamp down on his shoulder.
He barely had time to turn around before a massive fist slammed into his face, shattering his nose with a sickening crack and sending him flying across the battlefield.
Blackbeard groaned as he skidded through the rubble, but he hurried back to his feet, rage twisting his features. He tried to activate his Dark-Dark Fruit on the stranger, only to be shot clean through the shoulder before he could even speak.
Clutching the wound and snarling through the pain, he growled, "Plan B," and immediately shifted tactics.
He unleashed his newly gained gravity powers, smirking in satisfaction as he saw the stranger struggle under the crushing force, their boots digging into the ground. For a brief moment, Blackbeard believed he had the upper hand.
That satisfaction quickly turned to panic.
The stranger began forcing himself forward, step by heavy step, as if the increased gravity were nothing more than a mild inconvenience. Thinking quickly, Blackbeard reversed the gravity entirely, sending the stranger floating helplessly upward.
Certain he was safe now, Blackbeard turned away.
A split second later, he howled in agony as a grappling hook speared straight through him.
Before he could react, the line went taut, and the stranger was yanked back toward him at terrifying speed. The impact knocked the air from Blackbeard's lungs, and once the stranger was on him, they began beating him into a bloody pulp, each blow landing with relentless, merciless force.
-----
Jack felt the pull of teleportation take hold and calmly sheathed his sword, the blade sliding home with practiced ease. He stepped back and offered Mihawk a polite, respectful bow, his posture straight and composed.
"This was a pleasant duel, but I must go now. Worry not, however. I have been asked to mentor a swordsman from your world and prepare him to face you one day."
Mihawk slowly sheathed his own blade, a sharp grin spreading across his face as excitement gleamed in his eyes. He returned the bow with genuine respect, his voice steady and eager.
"I look forward to facing them. Farewell, noble samurai."
With that, Jack's form shimmered and vanished, leaving Mihawk standing alone amid the shattered battlefield, his grin lingering as the promise of a future duel burned brightly in his mind.
-----
Back in his realm, Tet set up a massive luxurious resort, large enough to accommodate all the new arrivals from both the bride's and groom's guest lists. He had also teleported Luffy's crew in, along with Hancock and Kuma, as well as Kuma's family, unwilling to leave them behind after they had openly revealed themselves as traitors.
Once everything was in place, Tet plopped down into a chair beside Hestia, stretching slightly as he surveyed the organized chaos around them.
"How's all the planning going?"
Hestia exhaled, rubbing her temples but smiling faintly. "We're almost done. Just need a few things."
Tet tilted his head. "Like what?"
"We need someone to perform the ceremony, someone to cook, and someone who can keep all the Huntresses in line during the wedding."
Tet blinked. "Wait, can't we just magic up the food? And won't the Huntresses behave during their lady's wedding?"
Hestia shot him a flat look. "I will not just magic up the food at my niece's wedding. And no, the Huntresses won't behave. The only one of them that isnt upset about this wedding is Zoe."
Tet sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay, I've got someone who can handle it. And as for the food, well, that can be taken care of as well. Now, as far as getting someone who can marry the bride and groom, why not Leto? We need a new goddess of marriage anyway, and the thought of giving that position to someone Hera hated most sounds hilarious."
Hestia paused, then slowly smiled. "That's actually not a bad idea. And you're right, it does sound hilarious."
The two of them called Leto over and explained their plan. Leto's eyes widened, then narrowed with delight as a wicked smile spread across her face.
"Not only can I officiate my baby girl's wedding, but I also get to spite that bitch that trapped me on a floating island for thousands of years? Yes, please."
Tet grinned. "Okay, that takes care of that."
With a satisfied nod, Tet rose from his chair and headed off to handle the rest of the preparations, already mentally checking items off the ever-growing list.
-----
Tet stood with the Straw Hats, hands casually tucked into his pockets, and and explained things to Sanji.
Sanji took a drag from his cigarette before speaking. "So all the prep work for the wedding is almost done, but you still need someone to prep the food?"
Tet nodded lightly. "Yep. I know it's rude to ask a guest, and you're free to refuse if you want."
Sanji flicked his cigarette away and crushed it beneath his shoe, his expression turning serious. "No, I'll do it. But I've only got a few days, and I need to make a lot of food."
Tet smiled, clearly relieved. "I didn't say you'd be alone. I have a few other master chefs in mind to lend you a hand."
Sanji's posture relaxed, a confident grin spreading across his face. "Oh, in that case, no problem. Lead me to my workstation."
Before Tet could respond, Nami stepped sharply between them, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
"Now hold on there a second. What are you going to give us in exchange for Sanji's services? We can't have him working for free."
Tet raised an eyebrow, amused. "You know I was the one who made those golden keys, right? And from what I understand, you're in possession of twelve of them."
Nami stiffened, a hint of nervousness creeping into her expression. "They were glowing keys made of gold. I thought they'd be valuable."
Tet nodded. "Yes, but not as treasure. You'd know if you'd actually use them that they can be used to simulate entire worlds, and anyone who beats the simulation can obtain amazing powers, weapons, treasures, and other great stuff."
Usopp's jaw dropped as he spun toward Nami. "You mean to tell me this whole time you've been hoarding those keys and not letting us touch them, and they could have been used to make us stronger?"
Nami waved her hands defensively. "Well, I obviously didn't know that!"
Tet shrugged. "I will offer compensation to Sanji only. If you want money, work for it. I'd recommend talking to Hermes. He and his followers go on heists every now and then. I'm sure they'd love to have you."
Nami froze for a heartbeat before her eyes practically turned into dollar signs. "And Hermes is…?"
Tet smirked. "God of thieves."
"You don't say…"
Tet turned away, already walking off. "We'll see you later. I have other stuff to do."
(Authors Note: Do not worry the four summoned characters will be used again in the future next time for a longer period of time)