The Dog-Head Battleship, Fearless Heart, plowed through the last stretch of the indigo sea. When the anchor chain fell with a deafening crash into the waters outside Marineford's outer harbor, dragging along its rusted weight, it was the first time Luffy truly understood what it meant to face the steel tide that ruled the world!
This was nothing like the quiet harbor of Windmill Village, with its few broken fishing boats.
Here was an endless iron jungle, saturated with the breath of cold rust, smoke, and cannons!
A fortress! His first impression was an unending fortress!
Towering rock walls, heavier than mountains and higher than the sky, stacked layer upon layer, their battlements climbing upward like eternal ramparts forged from indomitable steel will!
These massive rock walls weren't natural—they had been carved and shaped by human hands into the menacing skeleton of a colossal beast, encircling the entire bay.
On the towering cliffs, the golden insignia of a seagull clutching scales loomed in relief, gazing down upon the ships and sailors like ants below, radiating suffocating majesty. This was not just a symbol—it was a law, etched into the very air: Absolute Justice.
But beyond the fortress, what truly seized Luffy's gaze was the water itself!
Ships—but nothing like anything he had ever seen in the East Blue!
A sea full of them—giant steel battleships, packed so densely across the vast bay they looked like the fangs of some monstrous beast!
Angled armor gleamed with a cold metallic luster, cannon barrels as thick as trees jutted out like a steel forest, their muzzles wide enough to swallow two grown men whole!
The hulls shone with a piercing white coat, massive blue numbers painted across them, announcing rank and order. From nimble single-masted scout craft to colossal warships the size of moving cities, the fleet formed a terrifying ocean of war!
The air was heavy with a pungent blend: sharp sea wind mixed with salt, oil, the scorched bite of overheated steel, and the lingering, bone-deep scent of rust… and gunpowder.
It was the smell of countless drills—and real battles—soaked into the marrow of the place.
"Woooooo—"
A long, deep horn bellowed across the harbor, carrying with it the weight of command.
The decks were already lined with Marines standing rigid at attention.
No one spoke. The formations were straight as rulers, epaulets flashing silver in the gray sky. The only sounds were waves slapping against hulls and the faint scrape of boots against steel decking.
An invisible, overwhelming order filled the space, pressing down like an iron hand.
This was the heart of the Marines—Marineford!
A bastion not of freedom, but of order and power.
Luffy stood in the shadow of the stern, the cold sea breeze whipping through his rough linen clothes, his small body tense.
Zanpakutō (Zangetsu)'s heavy presence slumbered in his soul, even it suppressed by the suffocating atmosphere.
Suddenly—SMACK!
A calloused, fan-sized hand crashed down on Luffy's shoulder so hard it nearly flattened him into the deck!
"Wahahaha! Brat! Stunned, aren't you?!"
Garp's thunderous laugh ripped through the grim silence, shattering it. "This is our nest! Impressive, right?!"
Luffy winced, gritting his teeth against the sting of the blow. He glared upward at his heavy-handed grandfather.
But Garp didn't care in the slightest. His rugged, granite-carved face was full of unrestrained pride, as though he had built this iron jungle with his own two hands.
His filthy Marine coat hung carelessly from one shoulder, greasy stains marking him apart from the crisp, rigid soldiers around him.
Finally, the ship eased into a small berth. Ropes were quickly lashed and secured by Marines onshore.
The instant they docked, Garp impatiently waved his hand. He didn't give Luffy a chance to adjust, much less argue—he simply grabbed him like a sack of rice.
"Off we go!"
The world spun wildly. Luffy's feet left the ground as the fortress flipped upside down before his eyes.
Garp's thick arm clamped him at the waist, slinging him over his shoulder like cargo, his face pressed against his grandfather's solid back.
"Put me down, old man!" Luffy shouted, his face burning red as he kicked uselessly in the air. His high-pitched voice cracked with embarrassment and rage. "I can walk myself!!"
The Marines' muffled snickers stung his ears like needles.
Garp ignored them, marching even faster, his shoulder deliberately jostling to make Luffy bounce. His booming voice drowned out the bustle of the docks:
"Brat, what are you embarrassed for?! Everyone here knows I'm Monkey D. Garp's grandson! Wahahaha! From today on, you'll learn what a true forge looks like!"
His massive sandals thudded against the steel gangway, leading them straight to a modest registration booth.
It was tucked into an inconspicuous corner of the harbor, little more than a battered oak desk and a few filing cabinets.
Behind the desk sat a man in a short-sleeved gray Marine uniform. His posture was straight as a spear, his cropped hair bristling, his jawline sharp as a blade. His hawk-like eyes flicked quickly over the documents in front of him.
The single silver star on his shoulder marked him as a Major—Shūzō.
(End of Chapter)
[50 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
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