CHAPTER 159 — Departure
Gaius turned his back on the execution platform.
The wind brushed against his armor as he lifted slowly into the air. The heavy auramite plates hummed softly, The Jet pack adjusting without any visible strain. He did not rush. He did not hesitate. He simply rose and moved away, as if the battlefield behind him had already lost its importance.
Tony followed a second later, small repulsor bursts glowing beneath his boots as he ascended beside him.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Below them, Marineford continued to burn in chaos. Explosions rolled across the frozen sea. Cannon fire echoed like distant thunder. The clash between pirates and Marines shook the battlefield over and over again, but Gaius did not look down for long.
He had already made his decision.
Sengoku watched them leave.
He did not lower his guard at first. His Buddha form still towered above the platform, golden light spreading faintly across the stone. His muscles remained tense, ready to react if either of them turned back.
But they didn't.
They kept moving forward.
Garp stood beside him, arms folded across his chest. His expression stayed hard, though the sharp edge in his eyes slowly eased as he followed their retreating figures.
"They're really leaving…" Garp muttered quietly.
Sengoku did not answer immediately.
His Observation Haki stretched outward, tracking their movement. He felt no hidden aggression. No sudden spike in killing intent. Just steady motion as they headed toward the battlefield where Whitebeard's forces gathered.
After several seconds, Sengoku exhaled slowly. The tension in his shoulders loosened just a little. Not enough to call it safe, but enough to breathe.
He allowed the Buddha glow around his body to dim slightly, though he did not fully return to normal.
"They are unpredictable," Sengoku said. "But it seems… they were telling the truth."
Garp snorted softly.
"Still don't like them," he said. "But they ain't lying."
Behind them, leaning against the railing, Kizaru finally straightened.
He had been quiet the entire time, his half-lidded eyes following Gaius as he disappeared into the smoke-filled sky. When he was sure the armored warrior was truly leaving, his shoulders dropped in visible relief.
"Good thing…" Kizaru muttered lazily, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't have to fight that monster again."
Sengoku glanced at him.
Kizaru continued, voice calm but honest.
"He clearly doesn't have Haki," he said. "I didn't feel it once. Not Armament. Not Observation. Nothing."
He paused, remembering the fight.
"But his reaction speed…" Kizaru sighed quietly. "Fastest I've ever seen."
Garp raised an eyebrow.
Kizaru shrugged lightly.
"I attack at the speed of light," he said. "And he still answered every move. That's not normal."
Sengoku remained silent, his gaze still locked on the horizon where the two figures had disappeared.
He did not like variables he could not understand.
~~~
Gaius and Tony moved across the battlefield sky, flying toward the massive ship where Whitebeard stood like an unmoving mountain.
Below them, Marines and pirates clashed without pause. Swords struck armor. Gunfire flashed across the ice. Giants roared as they charged through broken lines. The frozen sea had become cracked and uneven, filled with burning wreckage and shattered stone.
Tony glanced down briefly, his visor flickering with scanning lights.
"Still insane down there," he said casually. "I've seen worse, though. Your world still wins that contest… but this place is trying."
Gaius did not reply. His eyes scanned ahead.
Saeko.
Mindy.
Naruto.
And behind them…
Whitebeard.
The massive Emperor stood on the ship's mast, unmoving despite the chaos. His presence alone bent the battlefield around him. Even from the air, Gaius could feel the pressure that surrounded the old pirate.
As they approached, Marco noticed them first.
The phoenix commander stood near the mast, blue flames flickering across his shoulders. The moment he saw Gaius flying toward them, his expression sharpened instantly. His posture straightened, wings spreading slightly as his body prepared to move.
He did not attack.
But he was ready.
After all, this was the man who had fought an Admiral evenly.
Whitebeard remained silent.
His sharp eyes followed their approach without a word.
Gaius and Tony landed heavily on the deck.
The ship creaked slightly under the added weight of Gaius's armor, though it held strong. The air smelled of salt, blood, and smoke. Around them, pirates moved quickly, preparing weapons and shouting orders, but many slowed when they saw the two newcomers land.
Naruto spotted them first.
His face lit up immediately.
"Hey! Gaius! Tony!" he shouted, running toward them with wide excitement.
Mindy followed behind him, looking around with bright curiosity. Saeko walked beside her, calm and composed as always.
Mindy crossed her arms and grinned.
"This world is very interesting," she said, eyes scanning the battlefield beyond the ship. "There are so many giant people… and everyone is huge."
Saeko nodded slowly.
"It almost feels like a magical world," she added. "People capable of cutting the air itself… projecting sword strikes across entire battlefields."
Her eyes briefly shifted toward the distant horizon.
"That swordsman earlier…" she said quietly. "The strongest swordsman, right? That slash he released… it didn't feel real."
Tony gave a low whistle.
"Yeah, guy's got style," he said. He had seen it too. From above, he had a clear view of everything happening below.
Gaius listened to them but remained silent for a moment, observing the battlefield again. His mind replayed everything he had seen since arriving in this world.
The swordsman capable of unleashing attacks that cut across entire landscapes.
The three Admirals, each commanding elements with impossible control. Light. Magma. Ice.
The sheer scale of combat here.
He finally spoke.
"We will leave this place," Gaius said calmly. "We are here to learn as much as possible about this world."
The others turned toward him.
Gaius continued, his voice steady.
"What we have seen today confirms this world holds power beyond simple warfare. Observation, abilities, and forces that bend nature itself. Remaining here would not increase our understanding. It would only trap us in their conflict."
Tony nodded immediately.
"I'm with him," he said. "I'm curious as hell about this place. The tech possibilities alone…" He gestured toward the battlefield. "Element control, that guy turning into a giant golden statue, actual giants walking around… Yeah. I want data."
Saeko gave a small nod.
"I agree," she said.
Mindy shrugged lightly.
"I'm fine with that too."
But Naruto frowned slightly.
"What about big sister Diana?" he asked.
They all turned.
In the distance, across the shattered battlefield, lightning clashed violently against molten magma.
The explosion of heat and thunder could be seen even from the ship. Shockwaves rippled across the frozen sea as two figures collided again and again.
Diana moved like a living storm.
Her shield shone with crackling lightning as she pushed forward with fearless energy. Every strike she delivered shattered ice and forced magma backward, but the Admiral she faced answered with equal destruction.
Akainu.
The magma around him erupted constantly, pouring across the battlefield in rivers of burning rock. His attacks spread across wide areas, forcing Diana to block again and again.
Even when she deflected his blows, heat still rolled outward like a living wave.
She was clearly working hard to hold him back.
But she was smiling.
Even from this distance, her expression carried excitement and battle joy.
Gaius watched for several seconds before speaking inside the Multiversal Chat.
Gaius: @Diana, we are leaving this place. Are you coming with us, or continuing your fight?
At that exact moment, Akainu drove forward with a massive magma fist.
Diana raised her shield, lightning erupting across its surface as the magma slammed into it. The impact exploded outward, molten rock scattering in every direction. The heat wave surged across her armor, but she stood firm.
Then a notification blinked before her eyes.
She glanced at it mid-battle and smirked.
Diana: No need to wait for me. Continue on. I want to keep fighting.
Gaius responded immediately.
Gaius: Then contact us if anything changes.
She did not reply.
She had already charged forward again, shield first, lightning tearing across the battlefield as she clashed with Akainu once more.
Gaius closed the chat without a word, his gaze shifting back to Naruto.
Naruto turned back toward Whitebeard, determination filling his face.
"I want to help this old man rescue his son," Naruto said seriously.
Marco heard him.
A vein appeared briefly on Marco's forehead.
He exhaled slowly, forcing the irritation down. He could tell Naruto meant no disrespect.
Whitebeard, however, heard everything.
He threw his head back and laughed loudly.
"Gurararara!"
The deep laugh rolled across the battlefield like thunder. He turned his gaze toward Naruto, his eyes sharp but calm.
"There is no need for your help, Naruto," Whitebeard said. "Your companions have already helped me enough."
It was true.
Even though Gaius had stopped fighting Kizaru, the impact of his battle had already shifted the flow of Marineford. And Diana was still clashing with Akainu, keeping one of the strongest Marine forces fully occupied.
Whitebeard nodded once, firmly.
"That is more than enough."
Naruto hesitated.
His fists clenched once.
Then he nodded slowly, trusting the old pirate's words.
Gaius stepped forward slightly, facing Whitebeard directly.
"Then we will leave this battlefield," he said.
Whitebeard studied him carefully.
Then he nodded once.
"Do as you wish," the Sea Emperor said.
Tony clapped his hands lightly.
"Perfect timing," he said.
He pulled a package from the Multiversal Chat parcel system, and a soft light appeared before them.
Within seconds, a sleek flight vehicle had taken shaped.
It was large enough to carry them all, built with reinforced alloy plating and multiple propulsion thrusters glowing faint blue beneath its frame. The cockpit canopy opened automatically as internal systems powered on by the Arc Reactor.
"I built this for situations exactly like this," Tony said proudly. "World exploration. Emergency extraction. Also… it fits Gaius."
The vehicle's interior was spacious, clearly designed to accommodate Gaius's massive armored frame.
Saeko, Mindy, and Naruto climbed aboard first.
Gaius stepped inside next, the vehicle adjusting weight distribution smoothly. Tony entered last, sealing the cockpit as systems locked into place.
The thrusters ignited softly.
The vehicle lifted into the air.
Marco stared as the machine rose above the battlefield.
"Th… they are a strange group of people," Marco said quietly.
Whitebeard laughed again, louder than before.
"Indeed," he said.
Then his expression shifted, becoming serious.
He turned his gaze toward the execution platform.
"Ace…" he muttered.
Whitebeard raised his bisento tightly.
"Move forward!" he roared.
The entire battlefield froze for a moment as Whitebeard leapt from the mast, crashing down onto the frozen sea below with enormous force. The ice shattered beneath him as shockwaves rippled outward in every direction.
The pirates erupted into cheers.
Their morale surged instantly.
"Pops is moving!!"
"Forward!!"
The Whitebeard Pirates roared as they charged again, following their captain into the storm of battle.
Above them, Tony's vehicle accelerated, rising higher into the smoke-filled sky before turning toward the distant horizon.
Toward Sabaody Archipelago.
Behind them, Marineford continued to burn.
But for now…
~~~
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