"If there's anyone here who hasn't had their fill of fighting yet... then we will be your opponents!"
Shanks' cold gaze swept over the assembled forces, his expression stern. A wave of Conqueror's Haki, so potent it felt almost solid, erupted from him. This terrifying, sharp pressure washed over the battlefield like a tidal wave. Dark red lightning, like demonic claws, crackled and arced through the air around him. His senior officers flanking him followed suit, releasing their own powerful auras that dominated the entire area.
The Marines who had been lost in a bloodlust felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on their heads. Their eyes cleared, and sanity began to reassert itself.
"Shanks," a voice growled, thick with killing intent. A figure drenched in blood stalked forward, his towering, magma-dripping form inspiring fear. Admiral Akainu's eyes were like chips of ice. "The losses Marineford has suffered today are too great. We must eradicate the Whitebeard remnants completely!"
Marine officers of the hardline faction tightened their grips on their weapons, their aggressive stances making it clear the fight wasn't over for them. The standoff intensified once more.
"Enough!!"
Before Sengoku could speak, Kong, the Commander-in-Chief, cut in with a sharp, authoritative bark.
"Whitebeard and Ace are dead. The Whitebeard Pirates are no longer a threat. Sakazuki, this ends here." Kong's voice was iron, brooking no argument. "Right now, Leo is the most pressing enemy the Marines face!"
Upon hearing this, Akainu's fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white, but he could only bite back his fury and endure. The man before him held a rank even higher than Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Even a Marine Admiral had to obey.
"...Understood," Akainu gritted out, the words tasting like ash.
Kong's eyes scanned the battlefield, growing colder with each detail his Observation Haki fed him. The entire headquarters was filled with the moans of the wounded; dying Marines were a common sight. While the battle had been brutal, the Marine casualties were still within an acceptable range for him. After all, the Whitebeard Pirates had suffered equally, and they had successfully eliminated both Ace and Whitebeard. The one thing he could not accept was the death of Garp and Kizaru. Losing two Admiral-level powerhouses in one day was a devastating blow to the Marines' very foundation.
Leo must be eradicated.
Seeing that Kong had taken control, Shanks immediately withdrew his Conqueror's Haki. "I'm taking Whitebeard's body," he stated calmly.
Members of his crew immediately moved into the bay towards the massive, still-standing figure of the fallen Emperor.
"All remaining Whitebeard Pirates, withdraw from Marineford immediately!" Shanks' loud command snapped the dazed pirates out of their stupor.
Soon, under the cold stares of Kong, Sengoku, and the two remaining Admirals, the Whitebeard remnants and the Red Hair Pirates gradually disappeared from the plaza.
"All units, tend to the wounded and begin cleanup operations!" Sengoku commanded, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
Marines who still had strength or only light injuries began the grim task of sorting through the rubble. Of the 100,000 elite Marines deployed, countless lay dead or wounded. Even many officers of Captain rank and above were injured.
"Quickly! There are survivors over here! Move this rubble!" Vice Admiral Stainless, his own body wrapped in bandages, pointed at a pile of debris, directing rescue efforts.
"Stretchers! We need stretchers over here!"
Teams of medics rushed onto the field, performing emergency triage on the most severely injured. The bodies of dead Whitebeard pirates were unceremoniously tossed into the sea. Similar scenes played out in every corner of the bay.
After Shanks and his crew departed, Kong also prepared to leave. He needed to return to Mary Geoise immediately and report the outcome to the Five Elder Stars. As for Soma Z, the God's Knight, he hadn't uttered a single word the entire time. Under any other circumstances, anyone daring to set conditions in the presence of a Celestial Dragon would have been executed on the spot. But this was Shanks. There was no need to provoke a conflict with him over a defeated enemy. The Whitebeard Pirates had been propped up by Whitebeard alone; Ace was just riding on Roger's coattails. With Whitebeard dead, the rest were insignificant.
In front of the ruined Marineford headquarters building, Sengoku, Akainu, Aokiji, and Vice Admiral Tsuru sat wearily on a pile of rubble. The four of them sat in heavy silence, their morale at rock bottom. The deaths of Garp and Kizaru had completely overshadowed any satisfaction they might have felt from killing Ace and Whitebeard.
"The responsibility for this... lies with me," Sengoku finally said, breaking the silence. As Fleet Admiral, he bore the ultimate responsibility for such a catastrophic outcome.
"Sengoku, don't blame yourself. No one wanted things to turn out this way," Tsuru安慰 (comforted) him, her voice soft.
"She's right. The blame lies with Leo and Hancock!" Akainu interjected, his face a thundercloud. "I've always said we can't trust any pirate!"
"I will make my report to the Five Elder Stars," Sengoku nodded, unusually refraining from arguing back. The sudden disappearance of the Warlords, Blackbeard's betrayal, and Hancock's defection had shaken his faith in the system.
Meanwhile, by the inner bay walls, a group of zombies was using thick chains to drag the colossal body of Little Oars Jr. towards the open sea.
"Kishishishishi... Once Hogback sews his legs back on and we find a suitable shadow, he'll be an invincible zombie!" Gecko Moria rubbed his hands together in excitement, his eyes gleaming. Securing Little Oars Jr. made this entire trip to Marineford worth it.
"Fufufufu... Gecko Moria, it seems you've had a good haul today."
Amid his excitement, a sinister laugh came from behind him. Moria turned to see Donquixote Doflamingo approaching, hands in his pockets, swaggering with an air of arrogance.
Finally can't hold back, ready to make your move? Moria thought to himself, a knowing, mocking smile playing on his lips.
"Kishishishi... Doflamingo, even Mihawk has left. What are you still doing here?!" Moria asked, feigning ignorance while remaining on high alert.
"Why... to kill you, of course!" Doflamingo drew out the words, his gaze suddenly turning sharp and murderous.
"Five Colored Strings!"
Doflamingo struck without warning, five razor-sharp strings of different colors shooting from his fingertips towards Moria. Though they were just thin strings, they could easily slice through rock and steel.
"Kishishishi... I've been expecting this! Shadow Spear!" Moria laughed coldly, retaliating without backing down. Countless black bats materialized, swarming through the air as he roared, "I followed orders and came here for Ace's execution! If I have no功劳 (merit), I at least have苦劳 (hard work)! You bastards still want to take me out? Do you really think I'm made of clay?!"
Calm Belt, near Amazon Lily. The Luxury Ship.
Inside the opulent vessel, the atmosphere was one of relieved tension.
"Leo! Are you okay?"
"Leo! You're not hurt, are you?"
The moment Leo returned, the women swarmed him, their faces etched with concern.
"I'm fine, don't worry," Leo said, genuinely touched by their worry. He gave them a reassuring look.
"Leo, I've already healed Nami and the others," Kaya said, stepping forward with a gentle smile.
"Good job," Leo replied, affectionately ruffling her hair.
"Captain."
"Captain."
"Captain~"
Amidst the circle of women, Leo heard three relatively unfamiliar voices. He looked over. It was Isuka, Tashigi, and Sadi, the three women now marked with his crew's insignia.
That last, breathy "Captain~" from Sadi sent a jolt of desire through Leo, making him want to pick up his "spear" and fight another kind of battle right then and there.
Leo stepped forward and lifted each of their chins in turn, appraising them. Under his gaze, a delicate blush spread across their faces. He leaned in close, able to feel their breathing quicken. Tashigi bit her lower lip. Isuka nervously twisted the hem of her shirt. Sadi's eyes grew completely hazy, soft moans escaping her cherry-red lips as if she were on the verge of... losing control.
"Wait, where's the fourth one?" Leo asked, suddenly noticing Domino was missing.
"Leo..." Vivi pointed somewhat awkwardly towards an inconspicuous corner.
"Empress-sama, please, favor me with your attention~"
"Master, I will be good, I promise~"
"Just how annoying are you?! Get away from me!"
Leo focused and saw Domino clinging to Hancock like an octopus. Ever since being petrified by Hancock in Impel Down, Domino had been completely captivated by the Pirate Empress's peerless beauty. She had thought of little else since. Now, reunited with her object of obsession, Domino's latent masochistic tendencies had exploded to the surface for all to see. She had only one thought: she wanted Hancock to take a long whip and lash her fair back. No, any part of her would do!
Leo stared at the scene, momentarily speechless. He had to admit, people with specific… preferences could be incredibly intense.
Ahem. Leo cleared his throat.
Hancock's face darkened. She took a deep breath and commanded, "Domino! I order you to get over to Leo's side! Now! Immediately! At once!"
Hancock's slender finger pointed directly at Leo.
As if receiving a divine command, and under the baffled and stunned gazes of the other women, Domino actually rolled over to him. She literally used a rolling motion.
Hancock facepalmed. That was not what she meant!
"Captain," Domino said meekly once she arrived before Leo.
Leo decided not to dwell on it. He smiled. "You four, go take a bath. Then wait for me in the training room."
Hearing the words "training room," Sadi and Domino's reactions were visibly immediate.
Drip...
Drip...
In the suddenly quiet lounge, the sound of liquid hitting the floor was突兀 (conspicuous). The other women covered their faces with their hands, blushing in secondhand embarrassment.
"Captain... can the Empress come too?" Domino begged, biting her lip, her eyes pleading. She knew Hancock obeyed Leo. If he gave the order, Hancock would do anything.
"Fine. Hancock, you come too," Leo agreed with a nod.
Hancock shot Leo a look filled with a mix of annoyance and resignation. "This Queen understands~" she said, then turned and strode directly towards the baths.
"Empress-sama, wait for me!" Domino scrambled to follow. The other three women trailed behind them.
Leo shook his head wryly and headed to his own room. He had raided Impel Down, fought in the Summit War, recruited Isuka and Tashigi, and received the corresponding system rewards. The haul this time was exceptionally large. While Hancock and the others were bathing, it was time to take stock.
Open system panel, Leo mentally commanded.
A virtual interface materialized before his eyes.
[Host: Leo]
[System: The Conquest System]
[Constitution: Steel Balloon Talent]
[Devil Fruit Abilities: Weather-Weather Fruit, Heal-Heal Fruit]
[Swordsmanship: Top-Tier Great Swordsman (Peer of Golden Lion)]
[Observation Haki: Future Sight]
[Armament Haki: Internal Destruction]
[Conqueror's Haki: Infusion]
[Special Ability: Teleportation]
[Conquered Beauties: Makino, Nami, Nojiko, Kaya, Carmen, Tashigi, Vivi, Laki, Robin, Conis, Kalifa, Doll, Margaret, Perona, Jewelry Bonney, Hancock, Makino, Sadi, Domino, Isuka, Tashigi...]
[System Warehouse: Ark Maxim, Going Merry, Observation Haki Fruit, Armament Haki Fruit, Conqueror's Haki Fruit, Rokushiki Training Manual, Three Haki Training Manual, Vast Amount of Gold, Vast Amount of Pure Gold, Golden Den Den Mushi, Ancient Weapon Pluton Blueprints, Seven Star Sword, Thousand Demon Slayer, Sleepy Town Eternal Pose, Blank Devil Fruit x6, Morgans' Contact Info, Bubble-Bubble Fruit, Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Giraffe, Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika, Poison-Poison Fruit, Glint-Glint Fruit, Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Merge-Merge Fruit, Moa-Moa Fruit... (Other miscellaneous items)]
Looking at the list of conquered beauties, Leo felt a brief sense of awe. Without even realizing it, he had recruited twenty-four women, more than half of the notable beauties from the storyline.
Shaking off his reverie, he turned his attention to the treasure trove that was his system warehouse. Any one of these items could spark a bloody war across the seas if thrown out there.
His eyes finally settled on the collection of Devil Fruits. He scanned them one by one, quickly forming a plan.
The Bubble-Bubble Fruit goes to Vivi. He wasn't interested in its offensive power, but rather the characteristic that made the user's body exceptionally smooth. As one of his personal favorites, Vivi deserved a little extra pampering.
The Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Giraffe, can continue gathering dust.
The Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika, likewise. The only person suited for this mythical fruit was Luffy, the one it had chosen. Anyone else eating it would just get a subpar Rubber-Rubber Fruit, with more drawbacks than benefits.
The remaining five fruits were his harvest for the day.
The Poison-Poison Fruit and the Grass-Grass Fruit. Leo already had suitable candidates in mind, but both women were in the New World. The fruits would stay in storage for now.
The Glint-Glint Fruit, a Logia, would go to Doll. In terms of innate talent, Doll was among the best of his crew. Even among the eight primary combatants, her strength was top-tier. Plus, she wasn't a Devil Fruit user.
The Merge-Merge Fruit would be temporarily shelved. He'd see if any future recruits in the New World were a good fit.
And the last one... the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Widely considered the paragon of destructive power among Paramecia-types.
Leo retrieved the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, his eyes blazing with anticipation. A Devil Fruit re-manifested by a Blank Fruit had no sea-water drawbacks or taste. He could still eat another!
Without a moment's hesitation, Leo took a large bite. It was... surprisingly sweet.
As the first piece of fruit slid down his throat, a completely new, vast, and overwhelming power was born within him, flooding every fiber of his being.
Leo chewed methodically, consuming the entire fruit before casually tossing the core into a trash bin.
He then clenched his fist and threw a light, experimental punch at the empty air before him.
CRACK!
The sound of shattering glass filled the room. The very atmosphere in front of his fist fractured, a spiderweb of cracks spreading outwards before fading as Leo instantly released the power.
Looking at the space where the air had broken, a satisfied smile spread across Leo's face. He now wielded the most destructive power of the Logia class—Lightning—and the most destructive power of the Paramecia class—Tremors. The world had just become a much more fragile place.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T/N :
Access 25 chapters in Advance on my P@treon: [email protected]/GodFic