It is said that once you enter the first half of the Grand Line, the weather becomes fickle and perilous, a place where one risk's their life at every turn. Yet, in the New World, that first half is mockingly referred to as "Paradise." This alone illustrates that the climate of the New World is beyond description.
What most do not realize is that the final stretch of the New World is the true definition of extreme. Not only is the environment harsh, but the routes are no longer predictable by a Log Pose. Laugh Tale, the island at the end of the Grand Line that only the King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger, ever reached, is the point from which one can return to the beginning.
Taking a wrong turn means either dying in a brutal environment, wandering in circles, or accidentally drifting into the Calm Belt, which is swarming with Sea Kings. Only pirates who have successfully navigated the territories of the Yonko earn the privilege of facing these ultimate dangers. Ninety-nine percent of pirates never even get the chance; they are eliminated by the Four Emperors long before they reach the end.
This was the situation Alucard found himself in as he ventured deep into the New World. He looked up at the darkened sky and the countless waterspouts, violent pillars of water rotating like dragons, surging straight into the heavens.
When Alucard first steered his small boat into this sea, his instinct was to turn back. To a vampire, the ocean is the basin of hell. While a vampire of Alucard's caliber can fight at sea as he pleases, he loathes swimming as much as a cat hates water. Naturally, he had no desire to push forward through such conditions.
However, as he turned the boat, more waterspouts erupted behind him. They acted like living beasts, boxing in Alucard as if he were prey. It wasn't that they were sentient; it was simply the nature of the environment here. Alucard was surrounded, the waterspouts so dense that any breakthrough would require him to endure a drenching of seawater.
On a small island about three miles away, a group of people watched the distant sea through binoculars.
"Looks like someone else is in trouble," one muttered. "Once you're caught in the 'Sea Dragons,' no one makes it out alive."
The "Sea Dragons" was the name given to this stretch of water because the waterspouts were as terrifying as dragons, swallowing clouds and spitting mist. The man speaking lowered his binoculars, revealing his face, he was Talacuaji, one of the captains under the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Talacuaji, what are you doing? Hurry up and come help with the barbecue!"
Someone called from behind, another captain, Delacuaji, holding a piece of half-cooked meat and speaking with a characteristically slow drawl.
Talacuaji nodded and walked over, struck by a sudden thought. "Has anyone ever actually broken through the 'Sea Dragons'?"
"Yes," Delacuaji nodded.
Talacuaji's eyes widened. "Who?"
"Pops Whitebeard and the Pirate King, Roger."
Delacuaji's words were stunning, though he was referring to Whitebeard in his prime, not his current state.
…
"Tch, no choice then."
Alucard spread his arms, and a thick, dark River of Death began to expand. From the depths of the blood-red pool emerged a giant serpent, dark-scaled and fierce-eyed. If the "Sea Dragons" were swallowing clouds, this beast looked ready to swallow the entire sky.
It was the Familiar of the True Ancestor Alucard: Jormungandr.
Jormungandr's massive tail swept across the sea, snapping the waterspouts and severing the connection between the sky and the waves. The serpent then plunged into the clouds, churning the lightning and storm clouds above, devouring the dragons of water and thunder alike. Such was the power of a True Ancestor's Familiar.
At that same moment, ten thousand meters above the ground in the clouds, a woman wearing a white military uniform with brown trim and a Marine mantle felt a powerful tremor from below.
The exaggerated vibration nearly knocked her off her feet. She quickly braced herself against a nearby ship. It was a vessel similar to a Marine warship, but with a key difference: numerous propeller fans were installed around the hull, each powered by three Dials.
As the tremors from below intensified, the woman's gaze sharpened. She crouched and pressed her hands against the cloud floor. Suddenly, the vibrations dissipated significantly.
"Amazing!"
"As expected of Vice Admiral Shirokitsune!"
As the shaking subsided, the soldiers on the ship and behind her broke into cheers. She was Alessia, code-named "Shirokitsune," a former Marine Rear Admiral and now a Vice Admiral of the World Government's Army.
Despite calming the tremors, Shirokitsune showed no joy. Her expression remained ice-cold as she snapped, "Idiots! The enemy is still in front of us! Focus on defense!"
Looking ahead, another woman stood on the clouds, also draped in a Marine mantle. Unlike the heavily bundled Shirokitsune, this woman wore a low-cut top and ultra-short shorts, carrying a famous sword at her waist.
She was Gion, also known as Momousagi, a former Marine Vice Admiral and current Army Vice Admiral.
Opposite her stood a man with a white turban. He appeared young, barefoot and shirtless, with a large ring of drums featuring three black tomoe patterns embedded in his back. Most notably, he had extremely long earlobes. The man radiated an eerie, divine aura.
"What was that vibration?" Momousagi muttered, squinting at the clouds beneath her feet.
Seeing her distraction, the man laughed maniacally. "An opening!"
He thrust his golden staff forward. "El Thor!"
Momousagi's reflexes were lightning-fast. She leaped nearly fifty meters into the air, drawing her famous blade, Konpira. A silver arc of sword energy danced toward the long-eared man, who managed to dodge just in time.
Momousagi landed back on the cloud floor, her eyes narrowing. "Your name is Enel, right? If you claim to be the 'God' here, you should consider what's best for your country. We came with sincerity to trade with the people of the Sky Island. Starting a war so recklessly... do you intend to make an enemy of the World Government?"
The lightning-man known as Enel burst into laughter. He tapped his golden staff against the drums on his back and said arrogantly: "A God never compromises with anyone. Since you have violated my law, you shall be granted God's Judgment!"
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Note:
I am having trouble which of those two captains is Delacuaji and which is an OC (or that OC might be canon but I don't know any captains under Whitebeard who has similar sounding name).
The two names in chinese are 塔拉卡吉 and 黛拉克希 which, if pronounced, sounds like tah-lah-kah-jee and dye-lah-kuh-shee. At first I thought it was the latter who is Delacuaji, since it sounds closer, however, according to Wikipedia (chinese version), it's the former, and when simply searched through google, it's the latter.
I don't know which is which here, so I'm deciding to follow the one google showed since it's in the chinese fandom. I hope the author adds descriptions of their appearances if they showed up later.