Noir wore a wide, almost feral grin as their ship cut through the misty waters toward Marineford. Perched casually on the figurehead of the massive warship that Bullet had reforged from three marine vessels, Noir's eyes gleamed with anticipation. His blood boiled with excitement, a fire stoked by the growing influence of the Hanma Bloodline coursing through his veins. He could feel it changing him, shaping his demeanor into something more primal and battle-hungry, a shift he had first noticed back in Impel Down. The further they sailed, the more the itch to fight clawed at him.
"What's going through that head of yours?" Shiryu asked, stepping beside him with his sword at his hip. His eyes flickered with curiosity, though there was an edge of amusement in his tone. Behind them, Bullet lounged arrogantly on the deck, Tanya sharpened her weapon with a grin plastered on her face, and Sanjuan Wolf sprawled lazily like a giant child, content to let the recently freed prisoners handle the ship's rigging and provisions. The marines had left behind untouched stores of food, which the prisoners now devoured eagerly.
"I was just wondering," Noir said, his grin widening, "what my bounty would jump to if I killed an admiral during this war."
The words made Shiryu chuckle darkly, and even Bullet turned his head with a booming laugh. Their eyes locked with Noir's, and for a moment, a silent agreement passed between them. Despite the short time they had known him, both Shiryu and Bullet could feel it—Noir was someone worth following.
"Kahahahaha! Don't think you'll have all the fun," Bullet declared proudly. "I'll be taking down an admiral myself."
Shiryu nodded in agreement, his smirk betraying the same intent. Both men radiated the bloodlust of predators preparing for a great hunt.
Hantengu, trembling as always, piped up in a wavering voice. "H-Hah? Captain, that's too dangerous! If you actually kill an admiral, the whole world will come for us!" His voice cracked as he shook with fear, his cowardice earning him a sharp slap on the back of the head from Tanya.
"What a pathetic coward," she snapped. "I want my name to resound across the seas once more. This war will be my stage, and I'll carve my legacy into history with blood." Her grin widened, filled with unrestrained ambition.
Hantengu clutched the back of his head and glared at her, resentment bubbling beneath his fear, but he didn't dare speak further.
"Anyway," Noir interrupted, raising his voice so all could hear, "important question. Who here actually has Devil Fruit powers?"
Three hands rose—Bullet's, Sanjuan Wolf's, and Hantengu's. Noir already understood the monstrous powers that both Bullet and Wolf commanded, but his eyes lingered on the trembling Hantengu with open curiosity.
"And what about you, Hantengu? What fruit did you eat?" Noir asked.
"I… I ate the Emotion-Emotion Fruit," Hantengu stammered, "which lets me manifest clones of myself based on five primal emotions—anger, fear, sadness, disgust, and enjoyment. Each clone has its own personality and unique abilities."
The revelation made Noir arch a brow in surprise. The resemblance to Hantengu's namesake from Kimetsu no Yaiba was uncanny, almost eerie.
"Oh, so your main body must be 'fear,' huh?" Bullet mocked with a sneer. "Explains why you're always shaking like a leaf."
The insult struck a nerve. Hantengu's fear twisted into anger, and before anyone could react, he lashed out at Bullet. Their clash shook the deck, yet strangely, neither seemed able to inflict real damage on the other. Noir watched closely, puzzled, but his attention shifted as the ship slowed to a halt. Ahead loomed the massive Gates of Justice, towering over the fog-covered waters.
But before anyone could speculate on how to breach it, the colossal gate began to creak open on its own.
'So, Laffitte's hypnosis worked just like in the original timeline,' Noir thought with a grin. Their passage was secured.
As the warship slipped forward, the sea suddenly rumbled beneath them. Noir's eyes narrowed—he knew this sensation. Whitebeard had finally made his move.
"It's starting," Noir muttered, excitement in his voice. His crew nodded grimly. Even the most notorious criminals among them felt the shift in the air. War had begun.
Moments later, a titanic wave surged from the depths, lifting both Noir's ship and the vessel carrying Luffy and his allies high into the heavens. The current roared, carrying them upward until it felt like they could brush the clouds. Prisoners clung to ropes and railings in terror, while Sanjuan Wolf, despite his immense size, clung on with childlike innocence.
"Wolf! You holding on?" Noir called out.
"Yes, Captain!" Wolf replied cheerfully, grinning down at him, a strange contrast to his fearsome reputation.
At last, the towering wave froze solid beneath them, courtesy of Admiral Aokiji. Their ships became stranded atop the frozen crest. The crews disembarked, stepping carefully onto the ice. Luffy's group gathered quickly, with Crocodile pointing toward the chaos erupting below.
"The battle's already begun," Ivankov confirmed gravely. Below the frozen vantage point, the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines clashed in a storm of violence.
Noir's blood surged hotter than ever at the sight. His hands trembled, not with fear, but with eagerness.
"Wolf," Noir ordered, his voice commanding yet strangely protective, "stay here and guard the ship. Don't join the battle—you'll only draw the marines' heaviest firepower. Protect the prisoners instead."
The order shocked many of the freed men. They had expected to be thrown into the frontline slaughter, but Noir's decision revealed something different: he wasn't reckless with his allies. Sanjuan Wolf's eyes softened, touched by the consideration.
Noir then strode to the ship's edge, planting his foot against the hull. With one explosive kick, he sent the vessel sliding backward, breaking free from the ice in a controlled descent. Unlike Luffy's crew, who blasted the ice apart, Noir chose precision. His ship glided smoothly downward toward the battlefield.
"Are you all ready?" Noir shouted, glancing at his remaining companions. Each one stared at him with a different light in their eyes—even Hantengu's usual mask of fear had shifted into something fiercer.
They leapt from the ice, following after the Straw Hats, who had already plunged into the chaos below.
"OI, MARINES!" Noir's voice boomed as he fell, drawing every eye upward. Soldiers and pirates alike froze as his shadow grew larger, his fist cocked back.
"FALL BACK!" both Whitebeard and Sengoku roared simultaneously. Veterans on both sides recognized the danger, but their warning came too late.
Noir's right arm glowed with power, coated in Advanced Armament Haki infused with his raw Conqueror's spirit. For the first time since entering this world, he unleashed his full strength.
"SERIOUS… PUNCH!" he bellowed, naming the attack with inspiration drawn from Saitama, his idol of overwhelming strength.
The admirals reacted instantly, their haki clashing outward, while Whitebeard unleashed his quake-quake powers in a desperate attempt to offset Noir's strike.
The three forces collided at once—Marineford itself quaked under the explosion. The frozen sea shattered like glass, shockwaves rippling through the battlefield.
Noir's laughter echoed through the chaos as he descended, Shiryu, Bullet, Tanya, and even Hantengu grinning fiercely as they followed their captain into the maelstrom of war.