CHAPTER 155 — Opportunity
The battlefield did not quiet down.
If anything, it grew louder.
Smoke rolled low across Marineford, mixing with heat, dust, and the sharp smell of blood. Stone that had once been smooth and white was now cracked, broken, or melted into dark glass. Fires burned in places no one was tending. Shouts overlapped, orders, pain, rage, panic, until they blurred into a single, constant roar.
Whitebeard stood at the mast of his ship, towering over the deck below.
He did not rush. He did not shout yet. His massive frame remained steady as he watched the war unfold around him, eyes sharp despite his age. He saw more than chaos. He saw movement, pressure, balance.
And he saw opportunity.
Akainu was fully engaged.
The Magma Admiral was no longer free. His power was driven forward, locked in a brutal clash with the woman who wielded lightning and steel. The ground around them burned and cracked with every exchange. Marines kept their distance. Pirates stayed even farther away.
Kizaru, too, was occupied.
The light Admiral was fighting the armored giant, Gaius. Their battle had torn apart an entire section of the plaza. Craters overlapped. Stone had collapsed inward. Marine artillery was shattered, crews scattered or injured. Kizaru's light flashed constantly, but even he was being forced to react instead of dominate.
Two Admirals.
Held down.
Whitebeard tightened his grip on his weapon.
This moment would not last.
Sengoku would adapt. Reinforcements would move. The Admirals would adjust. If Whitebeard waited, the chance would close like a wound sealing itself.
He raised his voice.
"NOW, SONS!" he roared.
His words cut through the battlefield like a wave.
"GO SAVE ACE!"
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to freeze.
Then the pirates exploded into motion.
A roar rose from Whitebeard's forces, loud and wild, filled with hope and fury. Pirates abandoned their fights without hesitation. Blades turned. Feet pounded against broken stone and frozen sea.
Whitebeard's commanders surged forward.
Jozu charged like a living wall. Vista drew his swords mid-run. Countless captains and crews followed, screaming Ace's name as they rushed toward the execution platform.
Marine lines buckled.
Officers shouted for reinforcements. Guns turned. Cannons tried to realign, but the pressure came too fast. The battlefield became even more chaotic as pirates and Marines collided in uneven clashes across the plaza.
At the same time, Marco descended from the air.
Blue flames flickered around him as he landed near Whitebeard, his boots touching down lightly despite the destruction beneath them. Naruto, Saeko, and Mindy were with him, moving quickly to keep up.
Whitebeard's gaze shifted to them.
He recognized them instantly.
These were the companions of the two fighters holding back the Admirals. Outsiders, yes, but powerful ones. More importantly, they had not attacked his people.
Whitebeard threw his head back and laughed.
It was deep, booming, full of life.
"Well I'll be damned," he said. "You brought friends, eh?"
Naruto looked up at him.
His eyes widened.
"Woah," Naruto said, genuine awe in his voice. "You're also a giant!"
Whitebeard laughed even harder.
The sound rolled across the battlefield, cutting through the noise like thunder. Marines flinched. Pirates grinned.
"I am," Whitebeard said proudly. "And I thank you, boy. You and your friends fought well."
Naruto scratched the back of his head, grinning.
"No problem!" he said. "Your guy helped us earlier."
Marco blinked but said nothing. He hadn't really helped much, he could see they were capable of holding their own. He had only come to warn them about the Vice Admiral-sized giants and cover their backs if needed.
Saeko and Mindy stepped forward cautiously, keeping their eyes on the approaching threat.
Saeko's posture was respectful, though her eyes stayed alert. Mindy gave a small nod, her weapons already brought inside the Parcel System but ready to reappear if needed.
Saeko spoke first.
"Can we ask," she said calmly, "what exactly is happening here? And where we are?"
Marco turned toward them, surprised.
"…You don't know?" he asked.
"This is Marineford," he continued, gesturing around them. "The headquarters of the Marines. Their main base. The center of their power."
Mindy frowned.
"Then what is happening?" she asked.
Whitebeard answered this time.
He leaned forward slightly, resting more weight on his weapon, eyes fixed toward the execution platform.
"They took my son," he said, voice steady. "And they plan to kill him."
His tone was simple. Clear. There was no doubt in it.
"We came to take him back."
Naruto went quiet.
He turned his head, following Whitebeard's gaze.
Far away, high above the plaza, he saw it.
The platform.
Chains.
A man sitting there, head lowered, surrounded by Marines and executioners.
Naruto understood immediately.
"…That's him," Naruto said softly.
Whitebeard nodded once.
Naruto clenched his fists.
"Then I'll help you," he said without hesitation. "Old-"
"Whitebeard," Marco snapped instantly. "Call him Whitebeard."
Naruto blinked.
Whitebeard laughed again.
"It's fine," he said, waving it off. "Let the boy speak."
Marco clicked his tongue but said nothing more. Still, his eyes lingered on Naruto, thoughtful.
Whitebeard had taken a liking to him. Marco could see it clearly.
Elsewhere, the war continued to tear itself apart.
Gaius stood across from Kizaru, his massive form unmoving despite the destruction around them. His helm turned slightly as he drew a bolter from his parcel system.
Without warning, he fired.
The weapon roared, each shot loud and heavy. The shells slammed into Kizaru's body, tearing through him in bursts of light. His upper torso vanished, then began reforming even as more rounds followed.
Kizaru did not dodge.
He watched.
Even as his head was blown apart, his voice remained calm.
"That weapon," he said, tone curious, "it's pretty strong. Can it be mass-produced?"
The shots passed through him.
And kept going.
Behind Kizaru, the shells struck stone and flesh. One detonated against the plaza, tearing open a crater. Marines were thrown aside. Pirates were ripped apart. Some never stood again.
Kizaru noticed.
He glanced back.
"That's a problem," he said plainly. "Your shots don't stop."
Gaius did not answer.
Data streamed across his vision. Reaction time. Reform delay. Cohesion instability. Everything was measured.
The bolter clicked empty.
Gaius let it drop.
It hit the ground, and exploded as a stray beam clipped it. The blast flung rubble outward, adding to the destruction. Kizaru had angled the beam upward, away from Marine lines.
Light vanished.
Then streaked across the plaza.
Kizaru moved fast, skipping between points of light, firing beams that carved lines through stone and steel. He adjusted angles mid-movement, avoiding dense Marine clusters.
Pirates were not as lucky.
He reappeared above Gaius and drove his foot down.
The kick landed.
Stone collapsed inward as Gaius was driven into the plaza. Shockwaves rippled outward, throwing nearby fighters off their feet.
Gaius pushed himself up.
His right gauntlet shifted.
The power fist fully engaged.
The air around it distorted, pressure building in a low hum that could be felt more than heard.
Kizaru paused.
"Oh," he said. "That explains it."
He fired again.
The beam struck Gaius square in the chest.
The auramite held.
Light washed over the armor and dispersed across layered plating. Gaius did not slow. He walked forward through the beam.
He swung.
Kizaru phased,
and the field caught him.
Light scattered violently instead of dispersing cleanly. Kizaru was forced solid and thrown backward, crashing through Marine artillery. Cannons ruptured. Crews were injured but alive as Kizaru redirected the impact at the last moment.
He landed on one knee.
That was new.
Kizaru stood slowly, coat scorched, expression calm but focused.
"So that's it," he said. "Your weapon forces me to stay solid."
They clashed again.
Kizaru formed a blade of light, cutting down pirates rushing in before turning it toward Gaius. Gaius blocked with his forearm. The armor screamed but held.
Gaius punched the ground.
Marineford shook.
Stone folded inward as a massive section collapsed. Marines and pirates alike fell into the rupture, scrambling for footing.
Kizaru reappeared behind Gaius and fired again, angling away from Marine clusters. The beam struck Gaius' side and hurled him across broken stone.
Gaius seized Kizaru's arm.
Light resisted.
Then failed.
The power fist locked.
Gaius slammed him into the ground.
Everything nearby flattened. Bodies and debris flew outward. Marines nearby were injured, but alive.
Kizaru dispersed at the last moment and reformed at a distance.
He stood still.
Marineford around them burned.
"This fight," Kizaru said evenly, "is tearing the base apart."
He raised his hand.
"And if we keep going, a lot more people die."
Pirates surged past them, rushing toward the platform.
Kizaru sighed.
"…I don't really want to keep fighting," he said. "What about a truce?"
Gaius did not respond.
He advanced.
Inside, Kizaru cursed Akainu. None of this should have happened. If the magma man had not attacked first, if he had listened, this might never have become a war within a war.
But now it was too late.
The ground shook again.
A massive figure charged through Marine lines.
"OAAACE!"
Little Oars Jr. roared as he smashed through formations, tearing apart barricades with his bare hands.
Doflamingo watched from afar, his eyes scanning the battlefield. A small fufufu escaped him, this war was proving far more interesting than he had expected, full of surprises.
He glanced up at Sengoku and caught sight of the Marine Admiral's dark, angry expression. That drew a louder laugh from him, low and amused.
"Fufufu…" he murmured, shaking his head, watching the chaos unfold.
Threads shot out.
They pierced Oars' body, blood spilling from his mouth.
Oars did not stop.
On the platform, Ace saw it all.
Tears streamed down his face.
"Oars! Stop!" he shouted. "Go back!"
Oars kept moving.
The execution platform loomed closer.
~~~
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