CHAPTER 158 — Lines Drawn
The ice cracked beneath Luffy's feet as he ran.
Every step sent sharp pain through his legs, but he didn't slow. The cold bit through his sandals, through his skin, but it barely registered. All he could see was the execution platform in the distance. All he could hear was the echo of his own voice still ringing in the air.
Ace.
The battlefield around him was chaos. Cannon fire thundered. Explosions shook the frozen sea. Giants clashed, Marines shouted orders, pirates screamed names and curses, and the air was thick with smoke and heat that felt wrong against the ice.
And then
He stopped.
Someone stood in front of him.
Luffy skidded slightly as he halted, boots scraping across the ice. He looked up.
The man before him was tall. Very tall. His armor was unmistakably Thick, heavier and more refined than anything Luffy had ever seen. Plates of auramite covered him from head to toe, polished.
Behind his helm, a golden iron halo floated in place, steady and unmoving, framing his head like a symbol of authority rather than decoration.
One arm ended in a massive power fist, its knuckles set with red gem inlays. On the other, a claw of contained energy rested at his side, faint lightning tracing along its talons. He stood completely still, yet to Luffy's senses, his presence alone felt dangerous.
Gaius.
Luffy didn't know his name. But he understood what the man was.
Danger.
Behind Luffy, the others arrived one by one.
Ivankov landed with a heavy thud, cape fluttering as he straightened, eyes sharp and alert. Inazuma appeared beside him, calm and ready. Crocodile stepped forward slowly, coat dragging across the ice, eyes narrowed beneath his scars.
Mr. 1 stood solid as a wall. Mr. 3 fumbled behind them, breathing hard. Buggy stumbled, nearly tripping over his own feet as he looked around in horror.
Jinbe moved to the front, placing himself slightly to Luffy's side, his large frame steady and protective.
They all felt it.
The pressure.
Gaius didn't move. He didn't raise a weapon. He didn't take a stance.
But the air around him felt heavy, like the space itself didn't want anyone to step closer.
Marines nearby slowed, sensing the tension. Pirates hesitated, instincts screaming at them to be careful.
This was the man who had fought an Admiral.
This was the man who had made Kizaru pull back.
At the far end of the battlefield, Boa Hancock watched.
She stood among the other Warlords, her back straight, her face calm on the surface. But inside, her heart was racing.
Luffy.
He was here.
He had escaped Impel Down.
Her chest tightened at the sight of him standing there, small compared to the armored giant blocking his way. Pride welled up inside her, fierce and bright.
He did it.
But that pride was tangled with fear.
Because Luffy was standing in front of someone terrifying.
Someone who had fought Kizaru and walked away.
Hancock clenched her fists.
She didn't hesitate.
Her body moved before thought caught up. She launched herself forward, heels barely touching the ice as she accelerated, cloak snapping behind her.
Luffy didn't hesitate. He could sense the danger coming from Gaius, but Ace was right there, on the execution platform, one order away from death. There was no time to stop. No time to think.
He shouted, breath rough, and charged forward.
Luffy leapt, twisting his body mid-air, and swung his leg with all his strength, aiming straight for Gaius's head. The kick was fast and powerful, driven by urgency, fear, and everything he had left to give.
Gaius sensed it.
Not with sight alone.
Something in the movement, in the shift of air, caught his awareness. He turned his head slightly, already adjusting.
At the same time, his gaze flicked past Luffy.
He saw her.
Boa Hancock.
She was closing in fast, faster than most fighters he'd seen in this world so far. Her presence was sharp, focused.
He noticed her beauty.
And dismissed it.
It didn't move him. Didn't distract him. It was just another detail.
Gaius stepped aside.
Luffy's kick missed by inches, slicing through empty air. Before Luffy could land, Gaius's left arm moved.
The Power Fist activated.
Energy hummed as he fired a punch straight forward, not at Luffy, but past him.
Straight toward Hancock's face.
The punch was clean. Direct. Dangerous.
Hancock felt it the moment it was thrown.
Her Observation Haki screamed a warning.
She twisted, bending her body just enough. The punch passed where her head had been a heartbeat earlier, the force tearing through the air beside her. Even dodging, she felt the pressure brush her cheek.
If that had landed
She moved past Gaius in one smooth motion, boots touching down lightly as she slid to a stop.
Gaius watched her.
He had seen this kind of movement before, too many times, most clearly in Kizaru.
Attacks that should have landed.
Targets that shifted just enough to avoid them.
Perfect timing.
He filed it away.
This world had something, an ability that warned them before danger arrived.
Something that let them dodge what should be unavoidable.
Hancock stepped forward and placed herself directly in front of Luffy.
She didn't look back at Gaius.
She looked at Luffy.
"Move on," she said firmly. "I will continue it here."
Luffy blinked.
Then he smiled.
His eyes lit up like the battlefield wasn't on fire around them.
"Thank you, Hancock," he said, bright and sincere.
And then he ran.
He didn't argue. Didn't hesitate. He trusted her completely.
Gaius watched him go.
He didn't reach out.
Didn't block him.
Didn't care.
Hancock froze for half a second.
He thanked me.
Her cheeks burned.
She shook her head sharply, forcing the feeling down. Her face hardened as she turned back toward Gaius.
But Gaius wasn't there anymore.
He had already turned away.
Without another word, he stepped back and lifted off the ground, armor humming as he rose into the air.
Hancock stared after him, confused and tense.
He wasn't attacking.
He wasn't chasing.
He was leaving.
Gaius flew toward the execution platform.
As he moved, his eyes scanned the battlefield below. Marines and pirates blurred past beneath him, flashes of color and motion.
His gaze shifted.
Saeko.
Mindy.
Naruto.
They were on the ship near Whitebeard.
Alive. Unhurt.
Whitebeard stood like a mountain behind them, massive and unmoving, a presence that bent the battle around him.
As he continued forward, the Emperor's Lightning Claw on his right arm faded. Energy receded, the crackling talons dissolving back into the simpler shape of his Power Fist.
He wasn't here to fight.
But he stayed aware.
Tony.
Naruto.
Saeko.
Mindy.
Part of his attention remained on them at all times, even while he fought Kizaru with intensity.
On the execution platform, Sengoku was issuing orders through a Den Den Mushi, his voice sharp and controlled despite the chaos below.
"Reinforce the right flank."
"Hold the line."
"Do not let them advance."
Then
He felt it.
His Observation Haki tightened.
Gaius was coming straight toward them.
Sengoku ended the call immediately and turned.
Tony sat nearby, relaxed, legs crossed, hands resting casually. Garp stood beside Sengoku, arms folded, eyes sharp. Kizaru leaned against the railing, shoulders slumped, expression tired.
Sengoku glanced at Tony.
Tony raised both hands with a shrug. "Hey, don't look at me. I didn't call him."
Garp's posture stiffened. Kizaru sighed.
"I really don't want to fight him again," Kizaru muttered.
Sengoku stepped forward.
His body began to grow.
He didn't intend to strike, but he would not be caught unprepared.
Golden light spread across his frame as his form expanded, muscles swelling, skin glowing. The Buddha emerged, towering and radiant, power pressing outward.
He didn't attack.
Not yet.
Tony sat right there.
And Tony was dangerous.
Sengoku knew it. Garp knew it.
Attacking Gaius could mean Tony would respond.
And that could end dangerously.
"YOU," Sengoku called, voice booming across the platform. "Where are you going?!"
Gaius slowed mid-air.
He descended smoothly, boots touching stone without a sound. He didn't raise his fists. He didn't reach for a weapon.
He looked at Sengoku, noticing the sudden transformation in his body, mass and strength expanding, an energy radiating from him.
Then Garp.
Then Kizaru.
"I'm not here for you," Gaius said calmly. "If I was, you'd already know."
The air grew heavier.
Sengoku's golden eyes narrowed.
"You expect us to believe that," he said, "after everything you've done today?"
Gaius tilted his head slightly.
"I fought the one who attacked me," he replied. His gaze flicked to Kizaru. "He disengaged. So did I."
Kizaru rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah… that's true," he said with a tired smile. "Scary guy. I'd rather not do that again."
Tony leaned back in his chair. "See? Told you."
Garp snorted softly, but his eyes never left Gaius. "You're awfully calm for someone walking into the middle of Marineford."
"I'm retrieving my companion," Gaius said, looking at Tony. "Then I'm leaving."
No threat.
No demand.
Sengoku studied him closely.
No killing intent.
No surge.
Just pressure.
"You will go no further," Sengoku said. "And you will not interfere with the execution."
Gaius met his gaze.
"I won't," he said. "Not unless I'm forced to."
Tony stood and clapped his hands once. "Well. That's about as peaceful as today's been."
No one laughed.
But no one attacked.
~~~
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