Whitebeard stood on the prow of the Moby Dick, thinking quietly as the battle continued to progress. So far, not much has changed... He thought to himself. Marco was currently fighting with Kizaru, and that Hawk eyed brat had tried to attack him only to be blocked by Jozu.
And now Jozu... He glanced over in time to see his Fourth Division commander rip a chunk of Ice, almost the size of a ship, out of the frozen bay.
"Try blocking THIS!" Jozu shouted as he hurled the ice over himself, towards the execution platform.
Unfortunately... Whitebeard's eyes shifted to the lone figure that stood now, glaring down the inbound attack. That little brat is there... Akainu, the Magma man, final of the three Admirals of the Marines, and arguably the strongest of them all, stepped forward and annihilated the giant ice block with a massive blast of lava. Destruction rained down on the bay from the resulting explosion, scattering marine and pirate alike.
One of the globs of magma was falling directly towards Whitebeard, however this was still within the realm of his memories. With a grunt, he stabbed his Bissento up, stopping the meteor in it's tracks, and leaving him with a large torch. "Tch," he said with a smirk, "These attacks of yours are still too flashy, Magma Brat." Inhaling deeply, he blew on the flaming rock, extinguishing the flames. "Why don't you go light some birthday candles instead?" He called out jeeringly, "Much better use of your time."
Across the distance he saw the admiral's mouth split into a smirk. "What's the matter Whitebeard?" Akainu replied, "You don't want a flashy funeral?"
"Gurarararara." Whitebeard chuckled lightly, his mind already moving forward through his memories. Pulling out a Den-Den mushi, he called up one of his allies. "Oye, put Oars on the line."
A moment later, the giant's voice sounded through the small snail, "I was just about to go save Ace-kun."
"I know Oars," His mind played through the giant's death several times, "But I need you to do something else for me. It'll help us save Ace that much faster."
There was a long weighted pause. For a moment, Whitebeard thought Oars had left anyways. "You're sure oyaji?" Finally the response came through.
Whitebeard let out a small breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Yes Oars, I'm sure. I need you alive, and the amount of fire you'll draw from just charging in is more than even you'd be able to live through." He glanced over his shoulder at the bay's entrance, "Now, here's what I want you to do..."
Chairon Chronos smiled to himself even as he winced in horrific pain. It was taking almost everything he could muster to keep himself anchored in this current timeline, but he refused to give up. Not while he had a family that was, whether they knew it or not, counting on him. And especially not while the Old Man still had use for him.
He smiled at the thought. He had a family again. This was a feeling that he had spent so long without, that he had forgotten what a beautiful feeling it was.
Suddenly, he felt something in the timeline shift. The Old Man's done something else new. He thought, looking around the bay from his vantage point atop the Moby Dick's crows nest. Ah. There it is. He smiled, watching a giant among giants stomp his way towards a group of Navy battleships. He's going to try and keep Oars Jr alive.
"Look at that fucker!" Eaustus 'Captain' Kidd exclaimed as he watched the war from the deck of an unfamiliar ship. "How the fuck is old man Whitebeard afraid of losing when he's got a monster like that on his side."
"You really think that Whitebeard's the only one with monsters on his side?" Asked a pink haired woman from behind Kidd. "If the Navy didn't have at least four things that could break that giant with ease, then they would have gone extinct decades ago."
Kidd turned back to look at the woman who was talking back to him, "You've got some nerve running your mouth off like that at me bitch." He said, setting his hand on the hilt of his dagger.
Jewelry Bonny glared at the foul-mouthed man, "Oh? Big man thinks he can take me on?" She sneered, slowly dropping down into a combat-ready stance. "Well then 'Captain' Kidd. Let's see what you've got."
"Enough." A voice from behind them brought them both up short. Basil Hawkins, 'The Magician' fixed them both with an impassive stare, "You are each guests on my ship. You will abide by that, and not draw blood while here." From behind Hawkins, several other Pirate captains watched the argument with mixtures of amusement and annoyance. "We are all gathered to discuss Whitebeard's offer. Nothing else. If the two of you absolutely must kill each other, then please wait until after the era defining war."
"Tch." Kidd lowered his hand, turning back to watch the battle through his spyglass once more. Bonny glowered at him for a few moments before making her way back to the large table that had been set up for the gathered captains to sit at.
"On that note," 'Mad Monk' Urouge glanced across the gathered faces, "What do we think?"
"Why should any of us care what the others think?" Asked Capone 'Gang' Bege, "Our only relation with each other is that the tabloids have all decided to call us 'Super Rookies' because of our bounties. Personally I don't really care about any of you. I'm just here to watch the fireworks."
"And yet you accepted the Magician's invitation to attend this little get together?" The 'Surgeon of Death' Trafalger Law asked with a smirk.
"Simple manners." Bege dismissed with a wave of his hands.
"'Gang' brings up another reason for this meeting." Hawkins nodded slightly, drawing confused glances from them all. "None of us are allies, in fact, there is clear and obvious animosity between us all. However, if some of us choose to aid the Whitebeard pirate alliance, we would be leaving our backs exposed to those of us who choose not to."
The others glanced around suspiciously. "So, what do you recommend?" Asked 'Red Flag' X-Drake.
"Well that's obvious isn't it?" Scratchman Apoo chuckled. "He wants promises that we won't shoot him in the back."
"No." Law spoke up from where he lounged, turning his gaze towards Marineford, "There's more too it than just that, isn't there 'Magician'? You could have gotten those promises out of us over the Den-Den Mushi."
Hawkins nodded, a small smile creeping onto his lips. "My readings of the future have all gone wrong since the beginning of this war. History is being rewritten this day, in more ways than one. And so, I believe that the best way to deal with this change is to change along with it." He looks around him at the seven other captains, even Kidd had made his way over to the table. "I propose that we enter this new era on a unified front. I propose an alliance between the eight of us."
Silence descended over the table. Everyone present simply stared at Hawkins as if he had grown a second head. Finally, it was Urouge who broke the silence, bursting out into a roaring laugh. "BAHAHAHAHA! You really are a weird one, Basil Hawkins." He locked eyes with the blonde pirate, still grinning widely, "What the hell makes you think that any of us would accept that offer?"
"Because some of us aren't stupid." Urouge looked over towards Law, who now stood up. "If this war is going to teach us anything it's that what awaits us in the New World is nothing like what we've faced up until now. I mean come on. Look at that thing!" He gestured out to the entrance of the Bay, where Oars Jr had managed to pick up one of the battleships that had been shooting at him, and was now using it as a baseball bat to shatter another ship. "Do any of you think that you can take that on your own?" He looked around the table, no one spoke up. "That's just one of Whitebeard's allies. And Whitebeard is only one of the powers that run that sea. If any of us want to stand a chance over there, then we need to be smart about it."
"Much as I hate to admit it..." Apoo sighed, shrugging with a resigned look on his face, "The doc makes a valid point." He looked over the gathered captains, "So then, for the sake of argument, let's say that everyone accepts. How would this 'alliance' of yours work Hawkins?"
Hawkins steepled his fingers before his face, "For the start, a simple cease fire between us will work. An accord made between the eight captains present, that no pirate under their command will strike against another crew protected by the alliance without due consideration by all captains involved. Once we enter the New World and begin gaining in strength, the accords of the alliance will no doubt begin to change and evolve with time."
The seven other captains glanced between each other, clearly gauging who would possibly do what.
After several moments, a voice spoke. "Eh, hell, why not. I'm in." Everyone blinked in shock as Capone Bege stood up, "If nothing else, this will let me keep an eye on my primary competition." He said with a vicious grin.
"Not a chance in hell I'm loosing to some shitty mafioso." Kidd said, stepping up to the table with a sneer at Bege. "I'm in."
"As am I." Said X Drake.
One by one, each captain steadily stood up, and each agreed to join the alliance.
"Good." Hawkins nodded. As he did, a strange chill ran down his spine. This accord is a powerful force on the strands of fate... He thought, turning to look back towards the bay. "Then shall we decide how we plan to deal with Whitebeard's offer?"
Suddenly, one of Kidd's crew members let out a surprised cry. "Holy shit! Boss! You've gotta come see this!"
The Marine's battle lines were in disarray. By setting Oars Jr on the encircling fleet, Whitebeard knew that their original strategy had been derailed. Now he had to only wait for the final few pieces of the war to fall into place.
Speaking of which... He thought with a small chuckle, The first one should be making his appearance right about...now. He looked up, grinning.
As he did, the rest of the bay seemed to go silent as one of the strangest sights that anyone had ever seen greeted them. There was a ship falling out of the sky.
A Navy battleship toppled down towards the frozen bay, spinning and flipping through the air, it's occupants all shrieking and flailing as they were thrown into open air by the fall. Miraculously, the ship and crew somehow landed in the hole that Jozu had created earlier when he had ripped the ice chunk out to throw at the admirals.
A few moments later, a single voice ripped it's way across Marineford. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" A young man in a yellow vest screamed as he climbed up onto the top of the wreckage, several other figures appearing behind him. "I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU! WE ALL ARE!"
Whitebeard glanced up towards the Execution Platform, catching sight of Sengoku cursing something at Monkey D. Garp. Ace was transfixed in horror at the sight of his little brother appearing on the battlefield, even Garp seemed to be having a conniption fit. "Gurararara..." He chuckled, "If nothing else, the kid knows how to make an entrance."
Several seconds later, there was a sudden rustling sound. "Long time no see, Whitebeard." A voice growled behind him, as the former Shichibukai Crocodile materialized out of thin air, his claw hand raised to strike.
"You really never learn do you brat...?" Whitebeard grumbled quietly, as a streaking, human shaped missile smashed into the Sand man's hook hand.
Monkey D. Luffy planted himself between Crocodile and Whitebeard. Soaking wet, the young man seemed to give off steam, and his body seemed to almost glow. The two exchanged words angrily, however Whitebeard tuned them out, not even bothering to look down at them. His eyes traveled up to lock with those of Vice Admiral Garp 'The Fist', the old Marine was glaring down at the boy as if preparing to give him the worst scolding that the world had ever seen. Whitebeard smirked, an action which didn't go unnoticed by the legendary Marine officer.
Finally, Whitebeard turned to Luffy. "So, you're Shanks's 'Wager' eh?"
"Eh? You know Shanks old man?" The boy looked up at him, "What do you mean be 'wager'?"
"Nothing." Whitebeard smirked. "You're here to save Ace yeah?"
"Of course!"
May as well play this bit out. "Do you have any idea what you're up against here brat?" He smashed the butt of his bisento into the deck of the Moby Dick and put on his very best 'angry pirate' face. "Someone like you doesn't stand a chance here!"
For the briefest of moments, it seemed like the boy was shocked, or possibly reconsidering his actions. Then he glared up at the strongest pirate in the world, and shouted, "SHUT UP! That's not for you to decide!"
Even though he knew it was coming, Whitebeard still felt his face twitch in annoyance, but the boy wasn't finished. "I know perfectly well! You want to be Pirate King don't you?"
Here it comes. Whitebeard thought with a small sense of excitement.
"THE ONE WHO WILL BE PIRATE KING IS GONNA BE ME!" Luffy bellowed, loud enough that it echoed across the entirety of Marineford, shocking and terrifying Marine and Pirate alike with his audacity.
This kid really is something... Whitebeard thought, as he lifted his bisento and began to spin it through the air, creating a small whirlwind, before smashing the butt of the pole-arm back down. A small extension of his will caused the action to emit a small but powerful tremor, more than enough to knock several marines and pirates off balance down in the bay. All the while, the two glared angrily at each other, both seemingly trying to force the other to submit with just their glare. Finally, Whitebeard's glare twisted into a wide grin. "You're a damn cheeky brat." He turned back towards the battle, "Listen boy, if you get in my way, I won't hesitate to cut you down."
"I'm doing what I want to do!" Luffy snarled, stomping around to square himself with the bay as well. "I'm saving Ace on my own!"
And so... Whitebeard thought, as Luffy began passing along the message of the Marines moving up Ace's execution time. All that's left is for you to play your little 'robot army' trick, Sengoku. Then we'll see some new fireworks.
Whitebeard grinned widely. Now it was time for this great war to take a different direction.
Finally updated again! *cheers erupt from imaginary bleachers*
But all kidding aside, I once again owe my readers an apology for how long you all have to wait between updates. I usually start off these projects really strongly with an idea that I think of and go "Oh shit! That'd be a really cool idea for a story!" But then I get three or four chapters in, and realize that I either have no idea how to continue, or that my source of inspiration has gone quiet for some reason.
That's a shitty excuse I know. But regardless, it's all I've got for you guys. I'm sorry. I will continue to update all of my stories as I am able. And to those of you who also read my Bleach story "Rise of the Hollow King" please know that I have heard your words, and Orihime will be making her appearance soon enough.
SOO then! Moving on, I have possibly figured out how I'm going to deal with the Supernovas, and Luffy is now in the thick of it. Next time, things are REALLY going to start changing. Hold onto your seats, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.
