The New World (about 2 weeks Before Execution)
On a remote sea in the New World, Kaido stood at the bow of his massive flagship, sake gourd in hand, watching the horizon with an expression caught somewhere between boredom and anticipation.
"Worororo!" His laugh echoed across the water, loud and infectious. "Whitebeard's going to war! Finally, something interesting happening in this boring world! How long has it been since we've had a real fight, old man?!"
King, his right-hand man with massive black wings folded against his back, approached from behind with measured steps.
"Kaido-san, the fleet is ready. All divisions are prepared to move on your command. But are you certain about this course? Interfering in Whitebeard's war with the Marines could trigger consequences we haven't fully calculated—"
"Could what?" Kaido turned, his eyes gleaming with dangerous, almost manic excitement. "Could start an even bigger war? Even more chaos and destruction? GOOD! That's exactly what I want! That's exactly what this world needs!
I'm bored out of my mind, King! This world has become too peaceful! Too predictable! It needs more chaos! It needs massive destruction! It needs to be completely broken down and rebuilt from nothing but ashes and blood!"
"You're not planning to help Whitebeard," Queen observed, smoking his cigar nearby while reviewing tactical documents.
"Help? Worororo! Why would I help that old bastard? We're rivals! I'm going to show up and kill whoever's left standing after they finish destroying each other!
Whether it's Whitebeard, the Marines, or everyone! The strongest will survive, and I'll test myself against whoever remains! That's the whole point of going!"
Jack, the youngest of his three Calamities, grinned viciously. "Then let's get moving! I want to crush some Marines! Show them what real power looks like!"
"Patience, Jack," King cautioned, his voice cold and measured behind his mask. The flames on his back flickered with contained intensity. "Rushing in blindly accomplishes nothing. Timing is everything in war."
"Worororo!" Kaido's laugh boomed across the deck. "Listen to King, Jack! He's the smart one! We wait until they're all bleeding and broken, then we sweep in and take everything!" He took another massive swig from his sake gourd, alcohol spilling down his chest. "Let Whitebeard and those Marine bastards destroy each other first! I want to see how this plays out! Will the old man still have that same fire? Or has age finally caught up to him?"
Queen puffed on his cigar, his round face twisted in a grin as he reviewed the tactical maps spread across a table. "According to our intelligence, Whitebeard's entire fleet is moving. All sixteen division commanders. The man's going all-in for Fire Fist Ace."
He paused, doing a little dance move despite the serious situation. "Funky! This is going to be one hell of a show!"
"You know what I really want?" Kaido said suddenly, his voice dropping to something almost wistful. "I want someone to give me a real fight. A fight like Oden did. That bastard actually hurt me! Gave me this scar!"
He touched his chest where the massive X-shaped wound marked him permanently. "Twenty years and it still aches when I think about it. Whitebeard's old now, but maybe... maybe he'll give me that same feeling. Or maybe one of those Admirals will surprise me."
"Kaido-sama," King said carefully, "if we're doing this, we need a clear objective. Are we aiming to claim Whitebeard's territory? Kill him and take his position? Or is this purely for your... entertainment?"
"Entertainment?" Kaido's eyes gleamed dangerously. "This is about war, King! I don't care about territory or position! I want to see the world burn! I want to test myself against the strongest! And if I die..." He laughed again, that slightly unhinged sound. "Then I die! What a glorious way to go!"
Queen shook his head, still dancing slightly. "Boss wants to die again. How many suicide attempts are we up to now? Forty?"
"Forty-seven," King corrected emotionlessly. "None successful."
Kaido stared out at the horizon, his expression shifting between excitement and melancholy.
"This war... this might finally be it. The greatest war in decades. Three forces colliding at once - the Marines, Whitebeard, and us. Maybe even Shanks if he shows up. The world government will panic. The balance of power will shatter. And in that chaos..." His grin turned vicious.
"In that chaos, I'll find what I'm looking for. Either a death worthy of my legend, or proof that I truly am unkillable. Either way, it'll be fun! Worororo!"
"This war is going to change everything," Kaido said quietly, almost to himself. "After Marineford, the world will never be the same. The Age of Pirates that Roger started? It's about to enter a whole new phase. And we're going to be right in the center of it all."
He raised his sake gourd high.
"To war! To chaos! To the greatest battle this world has ever seen! Worororo!"
The Beast Pirates' fleet began moving with coordinated efficiency, dozens of ships cutting through the New World's treacherous waters with practiced ease.
*****
Meanwhile, in a different part of the New World, the Red Force cut through the waves at incredible speed, its red sails catching every possible breath of wind.
On the deck, Yonko Red-Haired Shanks stood at the bow, his expression grave in a way his crew rarely saw.
"Captain," Benn Beckman said, approaching with his rifle slung over his shoulder. "We're pushing the ship to its absolute limit. Any faster and we risk structural damage."
"I know," Shanks replied, not taking his eyes off the horizon. "But we're still going to be too late. Far too late."
"You tried to warn them," Yasopp offered from nearby, checking his rifle. "You went to Whitebeard yourself. Told him it was a trap. He wouldn't listen."
Shanks's jaw clenched. "Of course he wouldn't listen. Ace is his son in everything but blood. What father wouldn't go to war to save his child?"
He paused, his single eye troubled. "But this isn't just about saving Ace anymore. This has escalated into something far more dangerous."
"The God Knights' deployment," Beckman said grimly. "That's what has you worried."
"The Five Elders don't deploy the God Knights unless they're sure of victory and preparing for a world-altering event," Shanks said.
"And Kaido moving? That's even worse. This isn't going to be an execution and a rescue attempt. This is going to be a convergence of powers that could reshape the entire world order."
Lucky Roux approached, munching on meat but looking uncharacteristically serious. "So what's the plan, Captain? We can't fight the entire Marine force, Whitebeard's crew, AND Kaido's fleet all at once."
"We're not going there to fight," Shanks said. "We're going there to stop the fighting. To prevent this from spiraling into complete catastrophe."
His crew exchanged looks. They'd followed Shanks through impossible situations before, but this?
"I made a promise once," Shanks spoke quietly, thinking about the straw hat he'd given to a certain young pirate years ago.
"A promise about the future, the next generation. If this war destroys too many of the old guard all at once, if it creates a power vacuum too large... the world will descend into chaos unlike anything we've seen since the Rocks era."
"You think it's that serious?" Yasopp asked.
"I know it is," Shanks replied. "Whitebeard, Kaido, the Admirals, potentially even the God Knights all fighting in one location? The casualties will be astronomical.
The fallout will be like nothing seen before. And somewhere in all of that chaos..." He frowned. "Someone will take advantage. Someone always does."
Beckman lit a cigarette, exhaling slowly. "You're thinking about Blackbeard."
Shanks nodded. "Teach. He orchestrated this entire situation by capturing Ace. He became a Shichibukai by turning Ace over to the Marines. He's positioned himself perfectly.
Whatever he's planning, it involves this war.
And men like Teach don't make elaborate plans unless the prize is enormous." His hand absentmindedly touched the scar over his eyes.
"You think he'll show up at Marineford?"
"I think he's already there, or close to it," Shanks said. "And I think whatever he's after, getting it requires the chaos of this war as cover."
The Red Force sailed on, racing desperately toward Marineford. But even at their maximum speed, even pushing every limit, they were still days away.
Too late to stop the war from starting.
Too late to prevent the first blood from being spilled.
But perhaps, just perhaps, not too late to prevent the absolute worst outcomes.
"Luffy," Shanks murmured, thinking of the boy he'd inspired years ago. "I hope you're not caught up in this mess. You're not ready for this level of conflict. Not yet."
But deep in his gut, Shanks suspected that Monkey D. Luffy was exactly where he always ended up - right in the center of the chaos, fighting against impossible odds with that same reckless determination.
"CAPTAIN!" A lookout's voice suddenly rang out, urgent and terrified in a way that made everyone's heads snap up. "Something in the water! Multiple contacts! They're moving fast and they're NOT normal!"
Shanks's eyes narrowed immediately, his hand instinctively moving toward his sword. "What do you mean, not normal? Be specific!"
Before anyone could respond, the water around the entire Red Hair Pirates' fleet erupted violently.
Creatures burst from the depths in coordinated assault. Their bodies were twisted amalgamations of flesh and something else, something that looked like reality itself had been corrupted and molded into physical form.
Their eyes glowed with sickly green light that hurt to look at directly. Their mouths opened far too wide, revealing spiraling rows of teeth that went back and back and back like infinite nightmares given physical form.
And they moved with terrifying speed and disturbing intelligence.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE THINGS?!" Lucky Roux shouted, his gun already out and firing rapidly.
The bullets hit squarely but barely slowed the creatures down. They absorbed the impacts and kept coming, claws extended.
The creatures leaped onto every ship in the fleet simultaneously, coordinated like a military strike force. Their claws tore through reinforced wood like it was wet paper, gouging deep furrows in the hulls.
"They're not Devil Fruit users!" Yasopp shouted from his sniper position, his professional instincts immediately analyzing the threat while firing with deadly accuracy. "No weakness to seawater! They're swimming between ships! They're coordinating their attacks!"
Shanks drew his sword in one smooth motion, Haki immediately coating the blade midnight black. "All hands! Combat formation! Protect the ships at all costs! Don't let them breach the hulls!"
What followed was brutal, desperate chaos.
The Red Hair Pirates were among the strongest crew in the entire world. Every single member was capable of using Haki at least at a basic level, and most of them were master combatants with years of experience against the most dangerous opponents in the New World.
But these creatures were utterly relentless, attacking with mindless fury that felt almost programmed, and their numbers seemed endless.
Wave after wave emerged from the depths.
"They're targeting the ships specifically!" Benn observed with growing alarm, blasting one creature with a Haki-infused gunshot that actually made it explode into corrupted flesh.
"They're not just trying to kill us, they're trying to sink the fleet! Every attack is aimed at structural weak points!"
"They know ship construction!" Yasopp realized with horror, putting down three more creatures with precise headshots. "They're hitting load-bearing sections, targeting the keels, going for the masts! This isn't random!"
"Get out of my way!" Shanks released his Conqueror's Haki in a massive wave that rippled across the entire battlefield.
The weaker creatures collapsed immediately, their corrupted minds unable to withstand the sheer force of will from an Emperor of the Sea.
But the stronger ones kept coming, completely unaffected, perhaps not even sentient enough to be intimidated by dominance.
The battle raged viciously. These things didn't fight like living beings trying to survive—they threw themselves at the ships with suicidal determination, clawing at hulls, tearing at sails, attacking masts and support beams with disturbing knowledge of exactly where to strike for maximum damage.
Despite the crew's incredible skill, despite their Haki and decades of experience, despite being among the most elite fighters in the world, the sheer numbers and relentless assault took their inevitable toll.
Ships began to sink.
One by one, the Red Hair Pirates' vessels took catastrophic damage. Hulls breached beyond repair, masts toppled and crashed through decks, support beams snapped under coordinated assault.
The crew, mostly non-Devil Fruit users who could swim had to abandon ship after ship, diving into the water and swimming desperately for remaining vessels as their fleet was systematically destroyed before their eyes.
"ABANDON SHIP!" Benn ordered as another vessel listed dangerously to port, water flooding the lower decks. "Everyone into the water! Swim for the nearest ship! Stay together!"
The creatures kept coming. For every ten they killed, twenty more seemed to emerge from the depths.
"There's too many!" Lucky Roux shouted, helping a younger crew member stay afloat. "Where are they all coming from?!"
Shanks stood at the bow of the Red Force itself as his flagship—his beautiful, legendary ship that had carried him across the world—began listing dangerously. Water poured through multiple breaches in the hull, and the main mast had a massive crack running through its base.
His expression was dark with fury. Around him, his crew swam for their lives, helping weaker members, keeping everyone together through training and brotherhood.
"EVERYONE OFF THE RED FORCE!" Shanks ordered, his voice cutting through the chaos. "She's going down! Stay together! Form up!"
He stood on the bow until the last crew member had abandoned ship, then dove into the water himself as the Red Force—his pride, his home, his companion for decades—began her final descent beneath the waves.
Shanks stood in the air, his hair floating wildly as he looked at his beloved ship sinking into the ocean. He could hear the sad cry of the ship spirit.
He pointed his swords at the creatures still trying to drag his crewmates into the abyss. When his voice came out, it was far different from his usual carefree tone. " I don't what you are, you'll die here."
Red lighting crackled around him and his sword coated in armament haki as he swung it down . "Divine Departure!"
A massive slash of destructive force engulfed the writhing mass of fleshes. Everything in it's path vanished, even the sea itself was parted. The creatures hissed angrily and screeched in pain.
The shockwave caused a storm to break out, sending massive waves of water
When it finally ended, when the creatures suddenly retreated back into the depths as mysteriously and abruptly as they'd appeared, the Red Hair Pirates floated in the open ocean, treading water and helping each other stay afloat.
Not a single ship remained above water.
Their entire fleet, vessels they'd sailed for years, ships that had been modified and improved and become homes—all of it was gone. Sunk into the sea.
"What... were those things?" Lucky Roux asked between gasps, exhausted from prolonged combat and treading water while helping two younger crew members. I've never seen anything like that? Did world government make new weapons?"
Shanks stared at the dissipating creature remains floating on the surface, they were evaporating like mist now that they were dead, leaving no physical evidence of their existence.
"I don't know. But I've sailed these seas for decades, and I've never seen anything like them before. They felt wrong. Corrupted somehow. Like the world itself was rejecting them but they existed anyway."
"Boss," Benn said grimly, swimming closer while keeping his cigarette somehow dry. "If things like that appear right before the biggest war in decades, right when multiple Emperors are converging... that's not coincidence. That's enemy action."
"I know." Shanks looked toward the horizon where Marineford lay, far in the distance beyond sight. "Something else is happening. Something beyond Ace's execution."
"What do we do?" Yasopp asked, using floating debris to rest. "We have no ships. We're hours from the nearest island."
Shanks's expression hardened with determination. "We swim to the nearest land. Then we find ships, steal them if we have to. We're still going to Marineford. This changes nothing except our timing."
It took them six grueling hours to swim to the nearest island—a small, uninhabited rock barely large enough to beach on. They rested there briefly, regrouping and assessing their situation.
"We need to move fast," Shanks said, studying the horizon. "Find some Marine patrol, take their ships. We can't let this delay stop us completely."
It took another full day of searching before they spotted a Marine patrol route. Three Marine battleships on standard reconnaissance.
The Red Hair Pirates struck with ruthless efficiency. Within minutes, the Marine vessels were theirs, the crews subdued and restrained but alive.
"Set course for Wano!" Shanks ordered once they'd secured the ships. "We'll intercept Kaido before he reaches Marineford!"
But when they finally arrived at Wano's waters three days later, after pushing the stolen ships to their absolute limits, Kaido's fleet was already gone. The island's informants confirmed what Shanks feared.
"He left four days ago," a local contact reported. "Heading toward Marineford with his full fleet. Said he was going to start a war."
"We're too late," Benn said quietly.
"Then we follow," Shanks decided immediately. "Set course for Marineford. Maximum speed. We won't catch him before he arrives, but we can still get there before everything falls apart completely."
But even as they adjusted course and pushed the stolen Marine ships to their limits, even as his crew worked tirelessly despite their exhaustion, Shanks knew the bitter truth.
They were too late.
Whatever was coming had already been set in motion. By the time they reached Marineford, the battle would already be well underway. The war would have started. Blood would have been spilled.
And they'd be arriving not as preventers, but as late participants in a conflict that would reshape the world.
The stage was set. The players were in position. And some pieces were arriving late to a game that had already begun.
*****
Nearly 7k words. Needed to explain the Au better.
So this world was invaded by the Outer God herald 800 years ago. It was beaten by Joy Boy but he also perished, and Imu took over . Imu used the remnants of the Herald's power and developed technology and energy sources that would grant strength, but remove humanity from the subject.
God Knights here are examples of that. They're all admiral level here. And Garling is at Marejois, he'll get...ehem... Arrive later.
I want to make proper AU and it takes time to plan out the new changes and their impact. If there are any issues, please point them out. I'll fix them if it's actually a mistake.