"We've lost contact with Kuma for over a year," Sabo said quietly, his tone honest but heavy.
Bonney's voice broke as she snapped back, "You're lying! Then where is my father?"
Everyone fell silent. No one moved.
Then a shift in the air. Bonney felt something… different. She looked up slowly.
And there he was.
Her father Bartholomew Kuma stood before her, his massive frame casting a long shadow under the setting sun. Despite the cold, metallic sheen of his body, there was warmth in his smile.
"...Father?" Bonney whispered, disbelief trembling in her voice.
Kuma couldn't cry his eyes, his face, his body had long been replaced with steel. Yet when he spoke, his voice quivered faintly, betraying the calm look on his face.
"I'm sorry, Bonney… it took me this long to finally meet you."
Around them, the world went still. The Straw Hat Pirates, the Revolutionaries, even Dragon himself said nothing, silently giving the two a moment that had been denied for years.
Bonney took a shaky step forward. "Why… why did you leave me?"
Kuma stopped just a few paces away. His towering form loomed over her, but his silence carried the weight of everything he couldn't say. Then, slowly almost painfully he raised his hand and rested it on her head.
"...I'm sorry," his distorted voice whispered, the words buzzing through static. "I chose a path that took me away from you. But I never stopped watching."
Tears welled up in Bonney's eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She grabbed his arm, clutching the cold metal like it was the only thing keeping her standing.
"Father… you should've come back. You don't know how lonely it was!"
Kuma didn't answer. His massive hand trembled slightly, the smallest sign that the man within the machine still felt.
Around them, the Bonney Pirates, Straw Hats, Dragon, and Sabo all watched in silence each of them understanding the meaning of sacrifice in their own way. Even Luffy, who didn't fully grasp the situation, kept quiet, sensing this was not a moment to interrupt.
Behind them, Jack stood with his arms crossed, eyes softening slightly as he looked away.
"At least he made the right choice," he muttered. "Before it's too late."
Luffy blinked, startled. "Huh? Hey, Jack! Since when were you here?"
...
Meanwhile, near the eastern cliffs, Vivi and Igaram finally found each other.
"Igaram!" Vivi's voice cracked with relie.
"Princess Vivi!" Igaram gasped, barely holding back tears. "You're safe! I was told you were taken by pirates!"
Vivi smiled softly. "They're not what you think, Igaram. They're… my allies. We've found new strength and a new chance to save Alabasta."
Igaram blinked in disbelief. "A-Ally? Princess, you mean the Revolutionary Dragon and Straw Hat Luffy?"
Vivi nodded. "Yes. They're fighting for freedom… and right now, I need to stand beside them. Alabasta can't survive by bowing to the World Government any longer."
Before Igaram could respond, a sharp beeping sound broke the moment.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Jack's voice echoed through the ship's comm system, calm but urgent.
"Everyone, this is Jack. Jarvis has detected multiple high-level marine signatures. They're surrounding Whiskey Peak."
Dragon's eyes narrowed instantly. "How many ships?"
Jack's visor flickered as he read the incoming data. "...At least thirty. And leading them…" He paused, the display showing a crimson silhouette. "Akainu."
Everyone froze.
Koala stepped back, clenching her fists. "He's here…?"
Sabo's expression hardened. "And if Akainu's here, that means—"
"—this isn't a regular mission," Dragon finished. "They're coming for us."
The ground seemed to hum as cannon fire echoed faintly from the horizon.
Jack looked toward the sky, his suit glowing with energy. "Everyone, prepare for impact. The storm has arrived."
....
Admiral Akainu stood at the bow of the lead ship, his white coat snapping in the wind. His eyes blazed like molten fire, and the magma beneath his skin seemed to pulse in rhythm with his rage.
"Commence full encirclement," he ordered, his voice low and merciless. "No ship escapes. Not one pirate. Not one revolutionary."
This was no mere Buster Call, it was an extermination. Every cannon was loaded, every Den Den Mushi crackled with commands. From the north, east, and south, the Marine armada converged, sealing Whiskey Peak within an unbreakable ring of iron and flame.
What began as a fleet of five had grown to thirthy ships, each one bristling with weapons and soldiers ready to enforce "justice."
Behind Akainu stood two figures whose very presence made even Vice Admirals stiffen. Saint Figarland and Saint Shamrock, Holy Knights of the World Government.
Saint Figarland spoke without looking at Akainu, his tone dripping with arrogance.
"Ensure the Straw Hat Pirates are captured… and that Dragon is executed."
Akainu didn't reply. His jaw clenched, the heat from his body warping the air around him. He despised taking orders from Celestial lapdogs but for now, he remained silent.
Across the fleet, the rhythmic boom of Marine war drums thundered over the waves. The sound carried like the heartbeat of a giant, reverberating through the island.
At Whiskey Peak's shoreline, Dragon looked up, the wind tugging at his cloak. "So they came," he murmured. "The World Government."
Sabo gritted his teeth. "They're not here for the island. They're here for us."
Beside them, Bonney clenched her fists, standing protectively near her father towering figure.
Luffy, grinning wide, cracked his knuckles. "Then we'll just beat them all!"
Nami's face turned pale. "Luffy! This isn't a few ships, we're completely surrounded!"
Usopp's voice trembled as he peered through his scope. "Fifteen… no, thirthy ships! They've got us boxed in!"
Jack's visor flickered with tactical readings as Jarvis relayed data. "They'll open fire in ten minutes. Everyone, battle stations!"
Amid the tension, one figure was thoroughly enjoying the chaos, Big News Morgans. High above the battlefield, his wings beat furiously as his camera clicked in rapid bursts.
"Ohhh, magnificent!" he shrieked with glee. "The Marines, the Revolutionaries, and the Straw Hat Pirates. all gathered in one place! This is history in the making!"
Out at sea, the Marine cannons tilted downward in perfect synchronization.
Akainu raised his hand. The air shimmered as molten lava surged from his arm, forming a massive, glowing fist that cast a hellish red light across the ocean's surface.
"For absolute justice…" his voice rumbled through the Den Den Mushi lines.
He dropped his hand.
"Fire."
The world erupted in thunder.
......
Author Notes: There is 10 advanced chapter on my patreon.
-patreon.com/zerelix