Five Worlds War: One Piece Campaign

by Author Nicholas Drew

Part 3 is here! The Alliance continues their journey in freeing their worlds from the control of the Conqueror's Coalition. It's a war on the high seas as the stakes continue to rise for Ichigo, Naruto, Luffy, Natsu, and all of their allies.

33. Chapter 33: For Greater Justice

A.N: Whew, I like how this turned out, even though this chapter has more buildup than plot progression. Hope you all enjoy it too.

Oh, and big news! Chitsujo and Konton now have fanart on the wiki. A big shoutout to HeWhoKnows12 for commissioning it and akairaida for drawing them both. They look absolutely amazing. Chitsujo looks like a cinnamon roll and Konton has a default psycho expression. Also, a shoutout to Paleodemon commissioning NarutoRenegade to make the cover art for this series. Check out Chitsujo and Konton on the wiki and the cover art either here or on SinraiPaleodemon1's deviantart.

Chapter 32: For Greater Justice

When Tobirama Senju was asked to join the Allied Forces for the assault on Mariejois, he was given a very particular mission. "Listen well, Tobirama," Chitsujo had said to him, "you and Kakashi Hatake are crucial for this mission."

"And the reason for that is what exactly?"

"Unfortunately, we do not have many warriors on our side that can manipulate space. You see, Tobirama, we are about to assault the so-called holy land of this world. It is also acting as the de facto headquarters of the Marines now. That means they will undoubtedly have some incredibly powerful warriors defending the island."

"Normally, I would gladly let the island burn with the fight." Chitsujo had then admitted. "However, as it is the so-called holy land, filled with Celestial Dragons, the island is filled with slaves as well."

"That means, we do actually have to be careful in how we fight. I will not have innocent slaves caught in the middle of our war." Chitsujo continued with a now-narrowed gaze. Tobirama could almost see him bristling in anger at the thought.

"I think I'm beginning to understand what you want from me." Tobirama did indeed immediately catch on. "You want me to use the Flying Raijin Jutsu to transport any dangerous opponents along with the people who can fight them."

Chitsujo had regained his composure, hearing Tobirama's deductions. He smiled and nodded. "That is correct. Unless we improvise, the only people capable of taking people to a completely different location are Kakashi Hatake, and maybe Minerva Orland."

Tobirama had nodded upon hearing this. "I understand completely. I'll have to mark a few locations on small islands on the way to backing them up though."

"Then, I'll have you and the rest of the Alliance's backup transported via a certain someone I've also called in for help."

Back on Mariejois, Tobirama could not help but hum, thinking about everything he had experienced since being brought back once again. I rode atop a dragon to a so-called holy land in a world where pirates and men of the navy dominate. Tailed Beasts are one thing, but a mythical beast is quite another. It certainly seemed weird that Tobirama sounded more accepting of a Tailed Beast existing then a dragon, but perhaps that is just the result of living in a world where Tailed Beasts are real and dragons are not. At least, not that he knew of.

What a strange world this place is…

Tobirama quickly cut such thoughts from his mind, remembering that he had a job to do. I certainly cannot constantly throw myself into battle after battle for that very reason. That shouldn't be too hard, I've always acted more of a Shinobi then my brother anyway, the kind that always struck when victory was certain.

Several shadowy portals then appeared, surrounding Tobirama. What in the world…

Suddenly, several Soldat emerged from the portals, charging towards Tobirama. "He's a former Hokage! The 2nd Hokage, Tobirama Senju! Show him no mercy!" One Soldat exclaimed as several bows and blades were drawn on the 2nd Hokage.

Tobirama heaved a sigh. "Well, this is just irritating." He muttered. "It's not very often I get ambushed like this. Even Hashirama can never pull it off. Of course, that's only because he's an idiot."

"Even so, I also can't help but feel insulted. By my count, you've surrounded me without about a couple hundred grunts." Tobirama noted, which made all of the Soldat look at each other in confusion.

"If you know I'm the 2nd Hokage, Tobirama Senju, why in the world would you send less than a thousand?" Tobirama inquired. "I've trained my entire life with my elder brother, Hashirama. It took the elite Kinkaku Squad to bring me down."

"Frankly, I'm insulted and a little disappointed." Tobirama admitted. "After all, it's not every day someone ambushes me successfully. And you all wasted a prime opportunity by sending only a few hundred grunts, thinking it would be enough."

"Kill him!" The Soldat advanced on Tobirama, who quickly leapt into the air and avoided any possible attacks.

"Water Style!" Tobirama stuck to a nearby wall. "Giant Waterfall Jutsu!"

The Soldat watched in horror as water appeared seemingly from nowhere dropping on top of them from Tobirama's spot. Indeed, a few hundred grunts were never going to be enough to bring down the likes of Tobirama Senju. There is a very good reason that out of all the Senju brothers, Hashirama and Tobirama were the ones to survive to see the founding of the Hidden Leaf Village, and later become its first two Hokage. Tobirama may have been overshadowed by his brother, the Supreme Shinobi, but he was still a Hokage as well. And for good reason.

As the water receded, the Soldat who foolishly tried to take Tobirama were left in a heap. Only one was still conscious, and he had a look of utter disbelief on his face and was about to fall into unconsciousness any moment.

"Lord...Nakk...Le Vaar...were we...really just...puppets for you?"

Tobirama leapt from the building he was standing sideways on. "Well that was disappointingly easy." He mused. "I'm a bit bothered by the fact that even after losing so many battles, they allow their grunts to fight so recklessly."

Tobirama's expression contorted into one of disgust. "How despicable," he growled, "do the lives of those beneath them truly mean so little to them? I may have created the Reanimation Jutsu, but mainly to use in place of living Shinobi. If I treated my fellow villagers and Shinobi like this, I would've never been able to face my brother in the afterlife! And I wouldn't be able to look my successors in the eye as well!"

Tobirama then narrowed his eyes, sensing a nearby energy signature. He looked over his shoulder. "I don't appreciate being watched, especially by the enemy!" He declared, reaching for a katana he had at his hilt.

The signature then fled, making Tobirama frown. Either whoever that was is a coward, or he was trying to lead me into a trap. He noted. Well, regardless, I have my own mission. I cannot get sidetracked trying to chase down a coward.

With that, Tobirama moved on. However, he also made a Shadow Clone.

That said, I am nothing if not thorough. Let's see how this one likes being tailed and spied on. Tobirama decided as he mentally commanded his Shadow Clone to tail whoever that was, while keeping their Chakra signature as low as possible to avoid being detected.

Meanwhile, a very foppish and lean man found himself leaning against a nearby building, clutching his chest in one hand and a picnic basket with food he had been trying to enjoy while watching Tobirama utterly decimate those Soldat he sent after him.

Sternritter D, Askin Nakk Le Vaar, took a deep breath, calming himself down. "He seriously could sense me? And here I thought I got myself out of the whole 'danger-close' range too." He mused to himself. "Damn, that guy is a monster."

"Old man even one-shotted a couple hundred Soldat. Man, this is so not what I signed up for when I was brought back to life." Nakk Le Vaar groaned. "I don't know what's twisting my stomach in knots more. The thought of that guy chasing after me, or the fact he didn't take the bait. As much of a monster he is, even the strongest enemies fall to my Schrift. Well, that's what Haschwalth would say anyway, to encourage me to be more active as a Schutzstaffel. I'm more than aware of my Scrhift's limits after that fight with Kisuke Urahara. Bah, I'm rambling. Rambling is too troublesome a thing for a fella like me."

Nakk Le Vaar then decided it was better to focus on something more important, the lunch he had brought in that picnic basket of his. He sat down indian-style, grabbed a sandwich from the basket, and began to munch on it. "Well, I'm here, so I might as well stick it out until the very end." He decided.

"After all, much like His Majesty, Lord Konton is one of the few people with the power to change the entire world. Well, I guess now it'd be more appropriate to say he's one of the few people to change the entire universe."

Nakk Le Vaar chuckled. "What, did you honestly think I was just going to change my mind on who I follow and why just because I lost once? Give me a break, man? I'm still the same Askin Nakk Le Vaar I always was. And I always will be."

"I'm not motivated by loyalty nor will I ever be. I'm just curious about what the future holds when a man like Lord Konton molds it into his own image."

Wait, who in the world was Nakk Le Vaar talking too? Meh, it really does not matter. And it certainly did not matter to Nakk Le Vaar. Not when he had a picnic to enjoy. He had his priorities straight.

However, unbeknownst to Askin Nakk Le Vaar, Tobirama Senju had taken the bait in his own way. A Shadow Clone was trying to track him down now, trying to find out just what kind of man Nakk Le Vaar was, and what kind of threat he posed to the Alliance. Hopefully, the Shadow Clone did not arrive while Nakk Le Vaar was in the middle of his picnic.

Not because Nakk Le Vaar would be woefully unprepared for a fight with the clone, mind you. Rather, it would just be incredibly displeasing to a man like Tobirama Senju to see someone like Nakk Le Vaar enjoying a picnic in the middle of a war.

If the Shadow Clone did happen to come across Nakk Le Vaar in the middle of a picnic, let's just say he would assume he has found an even bigger idiot than Hashirama and Naruto.

With the battle picking up on the surface, Yoruichi Shihoin was given free reign to enter the underground of Mariejois once more. This time, however, she intended to leave with more than just the soldiers she took with her underground. She was going to leave with the slaves who powered Mariejois from the underground. She was currently surveying the situation from the shadows with the help of Sai.

"Commander Shihoin," Sai addressed Yoruichi, who stared out at the slaves working themselves to death, uncaring of the battle going on above them. Sai winced at her expression, she looked so mortified by what was happening before her. "How exactly will we proceed with this? We cannot just set the slaves loose. They'll be caught up in the battle. Not to sound insensitive, but right now they're actually safer down here than up there."

"I know what you mean, Sai." Yoruichi acknowledged. "We'd be sending them to be caught in the crossfire. There are some armies that would argue adding the chaos of fleeing civilians would confuse the enemy."

"But these slaves...they're basically not even human to these monsters." Yoruichi noted. "They wouldn't care if they were caught in the crossfire."

"So what do we do?"

"We secure the entire underground, that's what we do." Yoruichi responded.

Sai chuckled. "Easier said than done, Commander. This island's underground is massive." He noted. "I know we had quite the journey going up the red line to this place, but we shouldn't shoot for something that could be unobtainable, just because we don't want this trip to have been a waste."

Yoruichi looked at Sai with a smirk. "And since when do you give up so easily, Sai?" She demanded. "And here I thought your time in ROOT and with Naruto would've given you an almost unhealthy determination to get the job done."

"Oh, I haven't given up yet, Commander. I simply believe that as your subordinate, it is my duty to make sure you understand the difficulty of a mission." Sai assured her.

Sai then narrowed his eyes. "But make no mistake," he continued, "I want these people freed just as much as you do. Seeing them like this infuriates me. It's the second time I've been this angry, actually. This is something I shall cherish."

"You're weird, Sai, but I'm glad we're on the same page at least."

Sai chuckled again. "Very well, Commander, we will secure the underground." He said, verbally deferring to Yoruichi's judgement.

Sai then decided to change the subject. "Do you mind if I ask why you are particularly determined to right this injustice?"

"Huh? That was kind of random." Yoruichi responded. "What? You think I need a reason to do the right thing here?"

"Oh, not at all. You're far too kind to 'need a reason' persay." Sai admitted with a sincere smile. Not at all like the fake ones he used to give. "However, with you, there is something far deeper. As someone who's worked closely with people with far deeper motivations than simply altruism, I've gained a bit of a knack for picking that kind of stuff up."

This made Yoruichi give an amused chuckle. "You're surprisingly perceptive for a guy who apparently once had no social skills."

"Well, you're right. See, here's a little secret about me only Kisuke and Tessai know, Sai. I did not want to become the head of the Shihoin Family. In fact, there were times I honestly cursed the fact I was stuck in one of the Four Noble Clans of the Soul Society."

"Oh? Now you've really piqued my interest."

"Other than a select group of nobles, most of them were arrogant elitists. The truth is, the real rulers of the Soul Society have always been Central 46 and the noble families. Everyone else was little more than canon fodder to them, so that they could keep their little power base going."

"I learned all of this from an early age." Yoruichi continued. "But, what the other nobles didn't count on was that my closest friend was a commoner, and arguably the smartest man in my world. A commoner who became a retainer for me that was allowed to grow up in the Shihoin Mansion by the name of Kisuke Urahara. Kisuke's presence in my life made me realize how ridiculous it all really was. Noble, commoner, none of it really mattered. If you have the drive and the heart within your soul, you can find the power to make a difference in this world. After I realized that, I lost all interest in noble titles and all that crap."

"Lady Yoruichi...why did you look so sad and distant when I first saw you as Princess and Head of the Shihoin Clan?" Soifon had once asked her.

"There's a lot to be sad about when you're stuck in a position like that, Soifon. And...well, I'll just leave it at that."

"I see, I see." Sai nodded. "Then not only are you a good person, Commander. But you're a thoughtful one as well, who considers what to do beyond simply being 'a good person.'"

"You're weird, Sai." Yoruichi bluntly responded. "But, I can't say I dislike your sincerity."

Sai then unscrolled a ninja scroll and brandished a pen. "Now then, shall I give the signal to the rest of the group?" He inquired.

"That you should, the sooner we can get to securing this area, the better."

Sai quickly unleashed a large flock of ink pigeons that took flight throughout the underground. "Those pigeons will be their signal to begin, just as you said, Commander Shihoin."

"Thank you, Sai." Yoruichi nodded as the two stepped out of the shadows. "Now that that's over with…"

"...How about you stop tailing us? You're really annoying for a spy ya know."

Cp0 agent Kaku sighed and stepped out of the shadows. "And you're wearing white, too." Yoruichi gave the man a deadpan expression. "It's like you're not even trying to hide."

Kaku shrugged with a smile. "Well, we are the personal assassins of gods. We have to wear a far purer color to symbolize such a thing."

"Don't give me that crap, if you work in the shadows, you're the furthest thing from pure, no matter what side of a war you fight on." Yoruichi glowered at Kaku. "Though I will say, if you really think those astronaut rejects are gods, I'd say you're objectively a bad guy."

"And that'd be the case regardless of the profession you're in." Yoruichi promised.

Kaku laughed. "And just when I thought we were getting somewhere." He mused. "But really though, don't you people believe in freedom of religion. This world was founded on the belief that gods rule over us on the mortal plane ya know."

"The Celestial Dragons are gods, such is the status quo. And it has been since the beginning." Kaku reminded Yoruichi, his expression turning cold. "I'd offer you the chance to do the right thing and surrender, but I doubt you'll take it."

"Damn straight, we've come here to free these slaves!" Yoruichi declared.

Kaku sighed. "I'm not getting through to you." He concluded. "What is with you people and your foolhardy decisions? Everyone knows it's wise not to oppose absolute power, like the Celestial Dragons. And yet here you are…"

"Well, no matter," Kaku calmly drew two katanas, "allow me to make something perfectly clear to you. You're going to die down here. This place will be your grave."

Yoruichi and Sai then sensed tremendous danger nearby. "Sai!" Yoruichi yelled, grabbing the youth and Flash Stepping away just as a new voice spoke up.

"Ice Style: Absolute Zero."

Suddenly, a massive area froze in a block of ice. Yoruichi's eyes widened. That attack was almost instantaneous! She noted.

Then, a man with long dark hair, wearing the robes of the Mizukage stepped into view. "Very impressive," he nodded, "it's been a long time since someone was fast enough to avoid my Absolute Zero jutsu."

Sai's eyes widened. "Commander...that's the 3rd Mizukage, Shirato Yuki!"

"And that's bad?" Yoruichi asked, already knowing the answer.

"Very bad, according to Danzo, he was the strongest Ice Style user in history. Had it not been for the bloodline wars that resulted in so many Kekkei Genkai users being wiped out, Danzo would've ordered ROOT to wipe out the Yuki Clan before they became a threat to the Leaf."

"I mean, from what I've heard, Danzo Shimura was paranoid about everything, so is that really a good endorsement of how dangerous this guy is?" Yoruichi could not resist making a joke in this situation.

Still...he almost caught me off guard. It's been a long time since that's happened.

Yoruichi looked at Shirato, then at Kaku who was calmly advancing. Damn, I can't fight both of these guys and protect Sai. I can't even fight the 3rd Mizukage and protect Sai. His Ice Style attacks are too damn fast!

Sai, to his credit, immediately caught onto his commander's dilemma and acted accordingly. "Ninja Art: Super Beast Scroll!" Sai quickly created a giant bird made of ink that he quickly took flight on.

"Sai!" Yoruichi called out as the youth tossed paper bombs at Kaku.

"Take care of the 3rd Mizukage, Commander!" Sai told her as the paper bombs exploded around Kaku. "I'll handle this one!"

"You sure?" Yoruichi asked. She needed to hear his certainty. She could tell Kaku was dangerous. Certainly dangerous enough that he could very well be too much for Sai. But if Sai was confident, she could not just discount his resolve.

"Don't worry, as a member of ROOT, I've had to punch outside my weight class quite a bit and come back alive." Sai assured Yoruichi. "You focus on the 3rd. You need to keep your focus on him if you want to win."

Yoruichi nodded in understanding. "Okay then," she said, "give him hell, Sai. Don't you dare on me."

As the smoke cleared, Sai's ink bird quickly took flight. "Super Beast Scroll!" Sai yelled, sending several smaller birds with paper bombs at Kaku, who looked very unhappy with being blown up.

"Tempest Kick!" Kaku threw out a kick that cut right through the ink birds, striking the paper bombs attached to them and making them explode.

Sai narrowed his eyes. If he could not hope to overpower this guy to get him to follow him, then he would simply have to revert to some old tricks. "Let's see if you can catch me, Mr. Cubes!" Sai called out to him, putting a clearly fake smile on his face. "I bet that long nose of yours would catch me before anything else."

Kaku narrowed his eyes slightly. "Do you seriously think you can bait me like that?"

"Well no," Sai admitted, continuing with his bluff, "still, I can tell you're stronger than me. And one assassin to another, are you really going to try and pass up bringing down a weak target like me?"

Kaku sighed. "Okay," he said, "you know what, I think I'll kill you just because you're annoying."

"Shave." Kaku vanished from sight. Sai grinned, managing to follow Kaku's movements as the Cp0 member sped off after him. He took the bait. He made Kaku want to kill him just by being such a bother to him. Now Yoruichi could focus on the 3rd Mizukage, who was undoubtedly the bigger threat of the two.

Do your best, Commander. Sai thought to himself as he and Kaku both disappeared from Yoruichi and Shirato's sights.

Unbeknownst to Sai, Yoruichi was thinking the same, but directed towards him. Do your best, you freaking weirdo.

"Ice Style," Yoruichi was cut from her thoughts by Shirato's almost frighteningly calm and dispassionate voice. It was just perfectly monotone with no emotion behind it. He was cold as the ice he commanded. "Absolute Zero."

Yoruichi quickly Flash Stepped, avoiding another massive blanket of ice. Near instantaneous freezing attacks. Even Hitsugaya and Rukia would be given a run for their money by this guy's control over ice.

"Very impressive." Shirato complimented as Yoruichi reappeared, standing atop a spike of ice. "Not many have the speed to avoid my Absolute Zero Jutsu."

"The Flash Master won't be caught that easily." Of course, Yoruichi could not stop herself from responding with a taunt. It was just who she was.

Shirato let out a small hum at this. "The only people fast enough to avoid it were fellow Kage. And the only person who overcame and defeated me...was the 4th Hokage, the Hidden Leaf's Yellow Flash."

"Is that so, well then I guess I've got some big shoes to fill if I'm going to be the second person who's overcome you at your best."

Shirato hummed once more. "No, not this time." He claimed. "I promise you, you won't defeat me. My defeat in the Third Great Ninja War marked a tragic decline for the Hidden Mist Village. Never again will I lose. There is far too much riding on my victory today."

"You know, considering you're fighting with the Coalition, I can't help but call that a fat load of crap!" Yoruichi was in front of Shirato in an instant, kicking him in the jaw and knocking him away from her.

"If the Mist Village really means that much to you, why fight against it?" Yoruichi demanded.

Shirato ignored Yoruichi as he rose to his feet. "You are fast," he acknowledged, "but not fast enough. Look at your leg."

Yoruichi looked down and gasped. The leg she had struck Shirato with was frozen in a block of ice. What the...when did he… Yoruichi's eyes widened in realization. Did he manage to use some sort of faster Jutsu than that Absolute Zero attack of his to freeze me as soon as he came into contact with his body?

"In my later years, as my body started to fail me after my fight with the Yellow Flash, I had to innovate my technique a bit more." Shirato acknowledged. "But now, I feel as though I've returned to my prime. And I still have the innovative techniques I developed in my later years."

"I'm afraid you can't defeat me."

Well...crap… for the first time in a long time, Yoruichi Shihoin truly felt like she had bitten off just a bit more than she could chew.

As Yoruichi prepared to take on the 3rd Mizukage, another phenomenally powerful female Soul Reaper was making her way through the battlefield as well. Retsu Unohana, however, had taken a different approach to the fight. She was calmly dispatching everyone she came across with low-level Kido spells that lacked the destructive power that higher level Kido spells would use. However, in the hands of a normally pacifistic woman who was still one of the most dangerous Soul Reapers in the 13 Court Guard Squads, they could still take out any low-level grunt unlucky enough to be struck down by them.

Unohana was not Yoruichi, Igneel or Whitebeard. She preferred the calm approach to battle if she had to. At least, when she was allowed to be 'Retsu Unohana' and not her true self. Unohana's long honed instincts then flared up as she drew her Zanpakuto and blocked a compressed blast of air shaped like a paw.

Why didn't I sense anyone's presence? She wondered.

Then, Unohana got a look at who was attacking her and her eyes widened. His body looked beaten and bruised, showing off the electric wires that made up his body now. His rotund body stood proud, but he still looked so beaten and defeated even before the battle even started.

Bartholomew Kuma took one look at Unohana and said two things. "Target acquired. Will be eliminated in the name of the Celestial Dragons."

Unohana gave Kuma a look of sincere pity. Kuma sent another compressed blast of air. Unohana responded by Flash Stepping behind the Warlord. Then, in an instant, Kuma's body began to repair itself.

Unohana reappeared behind Kuma. Her hand was shining with Kaido. She could not help but smile a little when she saw that her treatment was actually quite successful. "How wonderful, so even though you are more machine than man now, you are still enough of a man that my healing techniques can still reach you." Unohana noted.

"That means you are still in there somewhere...or perhaps your consciousness is gone and somewhere deep down your flesh is still holding out."

"Still, seeing you in a situation such as this is too horrible for a healer such as myself." Unohana acknowledged, narrowing her eyes. "I might have to have a long conversation with the people who left you in such an awful state."

Kuma gazed at his repaired body emotionlessly. "All systems have returned to a hundred percent. Mental state: perplexed. Enemy repaired body. Does not compute."

"I am a doctor first and foremost...or at least I try to be." Unohana claimed. "No matter what side of the war someone is on, if I see someone who is injured, I will heal their injuries."

Causing those injuries herself is a different story. But, to be fair, Unohana basically set her attacks to stun.

"Pad Cannon." Kuma responded with another attack.

Unohana calmly created a barrier of Kido that blocked Kuma's Pad Cannon attack. Kuma sped behind Unohana and raised his paw. He was going to 'send Unohana on a trip' if his Pad Cannon could not break through her defenses.

What Kuma did not count on was Unohana being as fast if not faster than him. Unohana Flash Stepped out of Kuma's range and blasted him with a fiery Kido spell. It was either Sokatsui or Soren Sokatsui. It was honestly hard to tell from sight alone because Unohana was so good with Kido, she could fire off spells without incantations or even saying their names.

Kuma easily shrugged off the attack and propelled himself back towards Unohana. Unohana responded with another Flash Step that moved her far away from Kuma, allowing her to blast him now with an electric-based Kido spell. Most likely Raikoho.

"Speed surpasses normal techniques." Kuma analyzed. "Readjusting strategy to allow stronger attacks that surpass enemy speed."

Kuma brought both hands together, creating a massive paw of air that began to rapidly grow in size. "Safe distance from location of Celestial Dragons determined. These parameters are acceptable."

Unohana narrowed her eyes. So the Celestial Dragons are here...but are further away.

Though it was not specifically stated to Unohana, or to anyone in the three attacking fleets for that matter, she knew that removing the Celestial Dragons from play was absolutely crucial for the Allied Force's efforts in this world. They were the symbol of the World Government's power and their cult of personality. If they were removed from play, morale on the Coalition's side would take a massive blow. And more importantly, the people of this world would begin to truly believe that they could be freed from this hellish life of servitude to the World Government.

And honestly, for Unohana, removing them from play was something she wanted as well, on a personal level. For the woman who was formerly the ruthless original 'Kenpachi', weaklings like them exerting power over others was despicable. And for the woman who is now known as Retsu, who made her career out of preserving life, and knowing of the crimes those monsters committed, horrified her to no end.

For the first time in thousands of years, the personas of Retsu Unohana and Yachiru Unohana were completely in sync about how they felt about something. The Celestial Dragons were truly despicable people. The question now is, would Retsu bring them to justice, or would it be Yachiru? Because if it were the latter...you would need a janitor to properly clean things up and get them all together. She would leave them in pieces for sure.

Why would they still be here of all places though? Unohana wondered. This place is becoming a war zone after all. Them being here makes no sense if people really do think they are gods. They should be protecting their gods, and yet here they are in the Holy Land.

Unohana narrowed her eyes as she slowly began to piece the reason behind it together. They truly believe themselves to be untouchable, even in times of war. She quickly deduced with a scowl. Bah, it's disgusting how untouchable they believe themselves to be.

Unohana then remembered she had an extremely determined, murderous cyborg that was about to attack her. "Ursus Shock!" Kuma yelled before tossing a giant paw right at Unohana.

Unohana's eyes widened slightly at how powerful the attack Kuma was throwing at her actually was. The Celestial Dragons clearly must have been pretty far away if Kuma really was going to throw such a powerful attack at her, just like that.

Well, Unohana smirked, I guess if he's going to start throwing such powerful attacks like that, I guess I have no choice but to respond in kind.

But first, I should defend myself…

"Danku!" Unohana yelled, erecting a large barrier as the Ursus Shock collided with the barrier.

Unohana gasped as the force from Ursus Shock carried itself around the barrier. Unohana grit her teeth as the force of the blast pushed her away from the barrier she had erected. Such explosive force. She mused to herself. It's a good thing I at least tried to keep up my training after becoming the Captain of Squad 4.

If I had truly retired from combat after leaving Squad 11, I might've actually been in trouble from this attack.

Kuma remained expressionless from the failure of his attack to bring down Unohana. "Adjusting parameters once again." Kuma stated. "Will not allow the enemy to go near the Celestial Dragons."

"Oh? You're going to regret insisting on fighting me." Unohana promised.

Meanwhile, the man known as Whitebeard was tearing through Mariejois with even greater ease than Unohana and Tobirama were. Even in his advanced age, this was the man who almost single handedly wiped the entirety of Marineford off the face of the earth for the sole purpose of getting back one member of his crew.

He was Whitebeard. He was the strongest man in the entire world. And for very good reason. And because he was Whitebeard, he felt entitled to follow his own agenda for this particular battle. And that was to confirm something that had been bothering him since the long forgotten God Valley Incident.

Of course, nobody knew about the God Valley Incident anymore because God Valley, the island it took place on, no longer existed. A battle between legends such as Monkey D. Garp, Gold Roger, and Whitebeard's former captain, Rocks D. Xebec would do that.

Whitebeard remembered it like it was yesterday. After all, it was the day his captain died. And with his captain, the Rocks Pirates died as well. It seemed strange, but back in the day, Edward Newgate (as he was known at the time, and not by his famous nickname) had once been a subordinate to a mighty and ruthless pirate captain named Rocks D. Xebec.

And it was not just Whitebeard. Mighty pirates such as Kaido and Big Mom were once part of the Rocks Pirates as well. And it was that strength that led to Garp and the marines joining forces with Gold Roger and the Roger Pirates to face them in God Valley. It was that day that Whitebeard bore witness to the strength of the man who would become the Pirate King, as he and the man who would become the Hero of the Marines slew Rocks D. Xebec, the man who wanted to become King of the World.

Why did Whitebeard find himself reminiscing about his former captain at this very moment? Well, it certainly was not because Whitebeard held any affection for the ruthless man. No, as Whitebeard grew older and wiser, he accepted that his former master was a monster who honestly got what he deserved.

No, the reason why Whitebeard was reminiscing about that man was for one very simple reason. During his time in the Rocks Pirates, like many, Whitebeard became aware of one particular interest Rocks D. Xebec had. Rocks was very interested in subjects the World Government kept hidden and dabbled in those subjects.

Rocks had dabbled in so many that Whitebeard often found it hard to keep track. The World Government did keep a lot of things hidden though, Rocks was right about that. However, even Whitebeard found himself wondering about one particular possibility the World Government was keeping hidden from the world.

And that was who was truly pulling the strings within the World Government. Now that he was here in the holy land of his world, Whitebeard wanted to go and confirm this for himself. And he knew exactly who he needed to confront on this matter.

He had to go and see the Elder Stars. Those five old geezers could definitely answer the questions he was looking for.

Whitebeard was no fool. Those men had been in power for years, pulling the strings. However, it was always far too easy for them to hold that power. Especially with how contentious the relationship between the marines and the Celestial Dragons often seemed from an outsider's perspective. The Elder Stars would never flaunt their power in such a manner to someone like Sakazuki. Hell, they would not even do that to someone like Sengoku.

They would not do that, not if they didn't have someone even more powerful than them backing them up from the shadows. Someone who was so powerful, that they could rule in any manner they desired without fear of retribution.

Whitebeard could certainly write off the lack of retribution against Celestial Dragons as a deeply ingrained fear and respect towards tradition. But that would be too simple. There were far too many rebellious spirits in this world, be it pirates or marines. And there were far too many secrets in this world too, buried by the Five Elder Stars and their blasted government.

Every sign pointed to the theory that there was indeed some sort of shadow-ruler pulling even the strings of the Elder Stars. And Whitebeard intended to find out just what the hell kind of monster was truly ruling the world.

With the situations underground and within the city accounted for, we can now turn our attention to the members of the Alliance fleets who are charging into the city from the shore. As the soldiers of the Allied Forces began to spread out into the city, Vice Admiral Momonga was attempting to direct his soldiers to respond to the sudden influx of enemy troops.

"Use the buildings as cover if you have to!" He exclaimed to the soldiers nearest to him. "If they mean to attack these hallowed grounds, then let them be their grave!"

Momonga then let out a small gasp as his Observation Haki went into overdrive. "All soldiers get behind me," he quickly ordered them all, "a rather ruthless beast is coming towards you."

Momonga stepped forward, drawing his saber. "Iron Dragon Sword!" And in an instant, Gajeel Redfox came charging out into the fray, swinging a giant sword of iron.

Momonga quickly hardened his saber with Haki and blocked Gajeel's first swing. "Vice Admiral Momonga!" The marines called out in worry.

"All of you stay back, focus on facing the soldiers you can fight!" Momonga yelled. "You're a century too early to be worrying about your Vice Admiral!"

Levy McGarden and Pantherlily were following from close behind. "Gajeel!" Levy exclaimed. "Will you please stop running ahead like that! What if you had run into an enemy you'd need our help with?"

"Yeah, but if I don't charge ahead like this, Salamander and Kurosaki will just take all the glory!" Gajeel countered.

"It always comes back to Natsu...though Ichigo being dragged into this little one-sided rivalry is new." Pantherlily sweat-dropped.

"THE HELL DO YOU MEAN ONE-SIDED, LILY?" Gajeel demanded.

"Well, to be fair, Gajeel, Natsu is arguably the strongest person in the guild now, considering how much he's growing." Levy pointed out. "At this point, the only two people in the guild who could give him a run for his money are Erza and Gildarts...maybe Laxus and Gray too. Honestly, if he was smarter, he'd be considered for guild master."

"You too, Levy?" Gajeel sounded so betrayed. "Why didn't you include me in that short list, huh?"

"I'm just being honest, Gajeel." Levy shrugged.

"Could you please not ignore me." Momonga sweat-dropped before forcing Gajeel away from him.

Gajeel stared Momonga down. "I picked you out because you were the closest strong guy." He noted. "Considering that outfit...I'm going to guess you're like a Vice Admiral or something like that?"

"I am Vice Admiral Momonga." Momonga introduced himself. "And this will be the second time I've dueled a member of your guild, Black Steel Gajeel."

"Momonga, huh?" Gajeel narrowed his eyes. "Hell yeah, I definitely remember that name. You're that bastard who fought Mirajane to a tie, aren't you?"

"Mirajane Strauss? Ah, yes, I did indeed fight the She-Devil." Momonga admitted. "She was powerful. She certainly set quite the standard for how I expect the so-called mighty Fairy Tail Guild to conduct itself on the battlefield."

Gajeel grinned. "Oh, you have no idea how happy I am right now, Vice Admiral."

Gajeel cracked his neck. "After all, I'm about to go toe-to-toe with a guy who fought one of our S-Class Wizards to a draw. If I kick your ass, the old man will have no choice but to acknowledge that not picking me for the S-Class Trials back then was a big mistake."

"Wait, is he seriously still on that?" Levy and Pantherlily gaped in disbelief.

"It's been...I mean, technically it's been eight years." Levy added.

Momonga narrowed his eyes. "Well now, it seems the Fairy Tail Guild has a wide variety of characters." He mused.

"Well, you're about to find that among those characters, Black Steel stands out the most!" Gajeel declared.

"Iron Dragon Roar!" Gajeel bellowed out his signature breath attack.

"Shave!" Momonga quickly vanished from sight before reappearing behind Gajeel.

Gajeel quickly hardened his right arm and blocked a swing from Momonga's saber. "Iron Dragon Club!" Gajeel smashed Momonga in the stomach with a rapidly extending club.

"Moonwalk!" Momonga kicked the air and got out of Gajeel's Iron Dragon Club attack.

"Hiyah!" Momonga yelled, swinging his saber and creating an air slash that flew towards the Iron Dragon Slayer.

Gajeel crossed his hardened arms in an 'x' and easily blocked the blow. The Vice Admiral scowled. "Moonwalk!" He kicked the air and began moving towards the wizard.

"Iron Dragon Roar!" Gajeel tried to catch Momonga in midair with his breath attack.

Momonga avoided the roar once more and fired off another air slash that Gajeel blocked once more. Gajeel's expression slowly began to shift as the fight dragged on between the two of them. Levy took notice of this and frowned. Wait a minute...is Gajeel...is he actually studying his opponent?

That's not like him…

"Iron Dragon Lance: Demon Logs!" Gajeel fired off several iron lances at the Vice Admiral.

"Shave!" Momonga charged towards Gajeel. He avoided the Demon Logs and began stabbing at him repeatedly with his saber, hardened with Armament Haki.

"Iron Dragon Scales!" Gajeel yelled, hardening his entire body to tank the flurry of stabs.

"Iron Dragon Hard Fist!" Gajeel punched Momonga square in the jaw.

Momonga grit his teeth and slashed upwards, fighting through the pain and striking Gajeel in the chest. Levy's eyes widened slightly as several iron scales flew into the air. He actually managed to destroy some of Gajeel's scales.

However, Levy took note of how Gajeel's expression still had not changed. What in the world is going through your head right now? Levy wondered.

Meanwhile, with Soldat suddenly emerging from the shadows, other Stenritter began to make their move as well. Candice Catnipp and Liltotto Lamperd were casually walking about, frying or devouring any poor fool that was unlucky enough to cross their paths.

The Thunderbolt let out a roar of unbridled glee as she called down another bolt of lightning that fried another Alliance Soldier. "7-6!" Candice proclaimed before throwing a lightning javelin right through the chest of another. "8-6!"

Candice then called down yet another bolt of lightning that was massive enough to actually fry three soldiers at once. "And that'll be 11-6!" She exclaimed before glancing over at Liltotto.

"Come on, Lil, if you don't bother trying to keep up, this isn't going to be very fun!" She proclaimed.

The Glutton rolled her eyes. "You're the one who insisted on making this a competition...probably to get your mind off the fact that Bambi hates our guts now." She mused before stretching her mouth out and munching the heads off of five soldiers in one bite.

Candice sweat-dropped at Liltotto quickly evening up the score. "How about we call it a tie? We can't exactly throw around our more destructive techniques because that'll just catch the other Soldat in the blast." Liltotto commented.

"Aww crap...well, I guess that's fine. I mean, I don't want the weak pieces of trash coming after me like this anyway."

"Yeah, you usually like weak pieces of trash coming after you in the bedroom, so you can play the dom to your heart's content, bitch." Liltotto commented with a deadpan expression.

"Oh piss off!" Candice yelled. "Don't think that just because Gigi's dead, you can start talking crap to me like that, Lil!"

"I mean it is true, right?" Liltotto kept that deadpan expression up.

"I mean, yes!" Candice admitted. "But I'm not Bambi at least! I kept the guys I slept with alive afterwards!"

"Well, if you managed to pick anything up from sleeping with all those guys, killing them might've been preferable, since you probably passed it onto a few of them."

"OH YOU DID NOT JUST IMPLY THAT!" Candice screamed at Liltotto.

Liltotto sighed. "If you want to keep screaming at me, then I'm going to go and do my own thing." She told her friend.

"I'm screaming at you because you're pissing me off!" Candice snapped.

"I mean, you could just do the mature thing and ignore my comments." Liltotto shrugged.

Candice let out a snarl and then a huff. She then began to stomp away from Liltotto in a manner that very much lacked maturity. Liltotto shrugged. "Or just walk away, that works too…"

Liltotto trailed off when she sensed an enemy coming towards her. "Looks like someone with a bit more 'nutrients' is coming to say hello." She mused.

"Yo, Candi!" Liltotto looked over her shoulder. "You can go have your bitch fit elsewhere, I'll handle this one."

"Fine by me, bitch!" Candice waved the matter off. "I've got someone way stronger in my sights anyway, so the hell do I care?"

"Well, we'll see who's the bigger challenge I guess." Liltotto shrugged while Candice sped away with Hirenkyaku.

Liltotto rolled her eyes at Candice's extremely petty behavior. "Well, I guess I do tend to provoke her." She noted with a shrug. "So, are we doing this, Mister?"

Basil Hawkins suddenly appeared in front of Liltotto. "By sending away your comrade, my chances of victory increased to 63%."

"63%? You sure you're not overestimating yourself?" Liltotto countered. "And what exactly would you have done if I asked Candi to help me fight you."

"The chances of your comrade leaving were 91%." Hawkins claimed. "A two-on-one fight just wasn't in the cards for you, I'm afraid."

Liltotto scowled. "Oh great, I'm fighting a total weirdo." She lamented as her teeth became more fang-like, a telltale sign she was about to use her Schrift. "Well, I can tell you've got some interesting powers at least. I guess we'll see what happens after I devour you."

"But seriously though," Liltotto continued, "you really think you've got more than a 50/50 shot against me? That kinda pisses me off."

"If one acts accordingly to what the cards say, then even the strongest opponents can fall at my hands." Hawkins claimed.

"I would not have confronted you if I was not confident I could increase my chances for victory as the battle continued."

While Liltotto prepared to take on Hawkins, Candice was hunting for her own opponent. Thankfully, she did not have too far to go. "Well now, you're looking wild, baby." Bacchus Groh grinned, taking note of Candice's outfit.

"You don't look so bad yourself." Candice eyed Bacchus' abs, lustfully licking her lips.

"I did originally seek you out because you had some kind of wild power stored in that body of yours, but if I'm being totally honest," Candice continued, "now I kinda just want that body of yours."

"Yeah, you know what? I think I'll keep you!" Candice declared with a ruthless grin. "Once I fry you up real good, Abs McGee, I'm gonna take you home with me and turn you into my little pet!"

Bacchus, to his credit, was actually seriously disturbed by Candice's proclamation. Bacchus was a heavy drinker who was certainly quite pervy to the point of some considering him misogynistic. After all, this was the guy who once bet with Elfman that he would get a night with both his sisters if he won a fight.

But truth be told, Bacchus would have gladly backed off if both girls had simply told him no afterwards. Bacchus was a guy who really got around due to his rugged masculinity attracting plenty. He only made that bet because he thought Elfman's two sisters were hot and the same would apply to them. But Bacchus was enough of a gentleman to back off if they said no afterwards. Master Goldmine would flay him if he did do something so...not-manly-at-all.

And then there was this other particular standard Bacchus had. He was not into dom-sub stuff at all. So Candice was really creeping him out.

"Yeah, my soul is shaking, and for all the wrong reasons." He muttered, preparing his Palm Magic for battle.

Elsewhere, a man with pale eyes was calmly meditating. Weirdly enough, it was right in the middle of the battlefield. Hiashi Hyuga's eyes widened with horror at the sight of the man. This was someone he did not want to have to confront once more.

"It seems fate has played another cruel trick on us, eh brother?" Hizashi Hyuga opened his eyes, rising to his feet to confront his older twin.

"Hizashi…" Hiashi muttered in horror, the normally unshakable man mortified at the thought of having to fight his brother again; hurt his brother again.

Hizashi shook his head. "Brother, please don't look so sad. If we have to fight, then let it be because we are two brothers who want to compete with each other, just like we used to when we were little, and didn't have to worry about the clan constantly."

"You can't ask me to treat this like that!" Hiashi exclaimed, breaking his normally stoic appearance. "You're my brother! I can't fight you in a war like this! Not a second time!"

Hizashi chuckled. "There's the real you. I was so worried. The truth is, when I died, I was so worried that the whole incident would harden you...turn you cold. You were always a very loving person towards your family...but it's because you loved so much that tragedy made you vulnerable."

"You were...you were right." Hiashi admitted, ashamed of his past behavior.

"But you're back to the way you used to be." Hizashi noted. "But Hiashi, I'm going to have to ask you to harden your heart once more and fight me with all your strength."

"Brother…"

"Hiashi, the things those damn Celestial Dragons have done...they've humiliated me, trampled all over the honor of the Hyuga Clan." Hizashi revealed. "Hiashi, they've made me treat the Byakugan like it's a damn party trick."

"They've made me look underneath the clothes of female slaves, tell them what I saw." Hizashi shuddered at the memory. "It's humiliating...the Byakugan is no party trick. It is a proud Kekkei Genkai, and they…"

"Brother, I…" Hiashi's eyes widened. Those damn Celestial Dragons were going to pay for that if he got his hands on them. How dare they treat the Byakugan, their family's pride, like that?

"Do you understand now?" Hizashi inquired. "This is not just so I can be stopped...this is to also restore my honor as a member of the Hyuga Clan."

"Hizashi…"

"Yeah, no, I'm putting a manly moratorium on this, right here and now." Hiashi and Hizashi turned to see Elfman walking towards them.

"You...you're...Elfman Strauss, right?" Hiashi asked, surprised to see him here.

"Siblings should not fight." Elfman claimed. "And they certainly should not end up killing each other, whether it's intentional or by accident."

"Hiashi Hyuga," Elfman turned his attention to the head of the Hyuga Clan, "you go on ahead and find another opponent. Let me take up the manly endeavor of saving your brother's life from this hellish servitude."

Hiashi looked at Elfman in shock. "Take it from me, even if you do treat it as a necessity, if you fight your own sibling...hurt your sibling, that's something you can't take back."

Hiashi could not argue with that. He hated himself for every time he had to use the Caged Bird Seal on Hizashi. He hated himself for having to fight against Hizashi during the 4th Great Ninja War. He was a ninja of the Leaf. He knew the necessity of such things. But damn it, as a man and as a brother, he hated himself for those exact moments.

But he had allies he could truly rely on for these moments now. Because the truth was, he just could not bring himself to fight Hizashi again. Not after everything that had happened. "Elfman Strauss...I leave my brother in your hands. Please, make sure he is restrained and cannot flee after you win."

Elfman grinned. "I'm a real man." He replied. "You don't have to worry about a thing, Hiashi. I'll defeat your brother...and I'll bring your family back together. That's a promise between men!"

Hiashi nodded and left Hizashi to Elfman. "Stay alive, Brother." Hizashi said softly. "I want us to be a proper family when this is over, you know."

Hizashi then turned his attention to Elfman. "Now then, I hope you don't mind that I have no intention of holding back." He said to the muscle bound enemy before him. "After all, I'm basically contractually bound to fight you with all my strength."

"It'd be pretty unmanly of both of us not to give it our all, regardless of the situation." Elfman claimed. "Don't worry, I'm giving it all I got too, even if you are a nice guy."

Meanwhile, Rustyrose and Kain Hikaru were stepping onto the battlefield with ruthless determination in their hearts. They had every reason to be determined, after all. Grimoire Heart was once the strongest Dark Guild in all of Fiore. Then the Tenrou Island incident happened. Then Tartarus came out of the shadows and revealed that they were leagues above them.

Needless to say, the past eight years in Earthland had been utter torture to the pride of both Rustyrose and Kain. It only got worse when Hades returned to their side thanks to Konton, and seemed almost...distracted and less interested in restoring Grimoire Heart to its former glory than he should have been as the guild master.

Kain, unfortunately, was an idiot who clung to the past and insisted that Master Hades was just sick or something like that. No matter how many times Rustyrose told him that Hades was not returning to the way he used to be, Kain insisted he just needed time. It frankly made Rusty lose hope for his comrade of the Seven Kin of Purgatory.

Rustyrose, however, was no fool. He knew that Master Hades was slowly losing the resolve to walk through darkness like he used to. He only put up with Hades at this point because he was actively choosing to stay with the Coalition. Also, Hades was still an incredibly powerful wizard, even without the Devil's Heart to continue empowering him like it used to. So as of now, he would recognize him as the Guild Master of Grimoire Heart, if only in name.

It was still better than that obnoxious bastard, Bluenote, being in charge anyway…

"Kain," Rustyrose, in spite of his determination, was extremely irritated at the moment though, "why are you following me?"

"We're comrades, aren't we?" Kain offered. "Shouldn't we stick together?"

"I fight better on my own, Kain." Rustyrose face-palmed. "My Arc of Embodiment can't exactly differentiate friend and foe...especially when I want to imagine something truly ruthless and powerful."

"But I fight better in a pair because of Mr. Cursey." Kain noted, holding up his Mr. Cursey doll. Being outnumbered like he had been in his fight with Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia certainly did not help.

"Then find someone who can actually work with you, because I can't." Rustyrose snapped.

Kain whimpered slightly at Rustyrose's behavior. "Fine, you don't have to be a jerk about it." He muttered as he began to walk away.

And then he was unceremoniously knocked away by what appeared to be a transparent square. Rustyrose shrugged uncaringly at Kain being knocked out of sight. "Well, that's one way to get him out of my way."

Rusty's instincts then flared up, only to be enveloped by mist. "This is...the Hidden Mist Jutsu." He noted before smirking. "Well, unfortunately, I have the perfect counter for that."

"My eyes see all in this world," Rustyrose chanted as his eyes lit up in a violet glow, "Eagle Eyes!"

Rustyrose's magic eyes allowed him to see the ninja swordsman, Chojuro, coming towards him. "Jet Black Sword!" Rustyrose yelled, blocking Chojuro's first swing.

"You saw through the Hidden Mist Jutsu." Chojuro noted. "That's a pretty impressive feat right there."

Rustyrose then saw someone dart past him and Chojuro. He immediately realized that this must be the one who attacked Kain. "You're not going to have your friend fight me as well?" He inquired.

"To be honest, I would've preferred taking you both out with the Hidden Mist's Silent Killing technique." Chojuro admitted. "But unfortunately, it appears that the man I ended up with isn't one for following plans."

"As soon as he saw you two, he started talking about how he was going to make his seniors proud and charged after the biggest guy in the two." Chojuro continued. "Seriously that guy...I don't know him very well personally…"

"But I don't even want to begin to imagine what it's like in the shoes of someone who's had to know Bartolomeo the Cannibal."

As confrontations began to happen all over Mariejois, Gajeel continued to clash with Momonga while Pantherlily and Levy looked on. "Moonwalk!" Momonga sped around.

"Now, take this!" Momonga slashed downwards with a Haki-enhanced saber.

Gajeel easily leapt away from the attack, keeping that same unreadable expression he had before. "Yo," Gajeel finally spoke up, "is that really all you've got, old man?"

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Momonga demanded.

"Well, if I'm being completely honest with you," Gajeel shrugged, "I just thought that someone who fought Mirajane to a stalemate would've been a bit tougher than this."

Levy and Pantherlily's eyes widened at this. "Excuse me?" Momonga narrowed his eyes.

"Ah, wait, you know what, I think I've figured it out." Gajeel face-palmed. "Damn that Mira, she really is too nice for her own good sometimes. She probably sensed that you're not a bad guy at heart and probably took it a bit easy on you. Maybe more than she meant to."

Momonga glared at Gajeel for this. "Don't underestimate me, Black Steel. I am still a Vice Admiral of the Navy."

Gajeel launched himself towards Momonga, hardening his entire body. His body...it's different from before. Momonga noted.

Shadows then surrounded Gajeel's body. "Iron Shadow Dragon!" Gajeel yelled, shadows wrapping around Momonga's body. "Iron Waxwing!"

Gajeel punched Momonga square in the jaw as the shadows unravelled around him and assaulted him from every possible angle. Momonga's eyes widened in shock before landing on his head. His neck bending at an unnatural before going still.

"Yeah," Gajeel nodded in agreement as his body returned to normal, "you're a Vice Admiral."

"And it looks like I've gotten strong enough where that doesn't matter anymore." Gajeel added with a smirk. "And who knows, maybe I was wrong about Mira being too soft and I've actually surpassed one of our S-Class Wizards."

"The old man will have to make me S-Class at this rate." Gajeel added.

"Seriously, why are you still on that?" Levy and Lily both sweat-dropped at Gajeel's behavior.

"Hey you two, let's get moving!" Gajeel yelled. "Momonga may have been a pretty decent guy overall, but being one of the only nice guys in an organization of jackasses really doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things."

"There are slaves all over this island, right? I'm not just gonna stand here and let these people bully them any longer." Gajeel claimed with a determined expression in his eyes. "We're saving them...all of them!"

Lily nodded. "That's right!" He exclaimed.

Levy was briefly taken aback by Gajeel's passion before smiling. He's weird...and he still has that annoyingly competitive streak of his. She admitted inwardly. But...Gajeel really has changed...I really do like this new him…

"You're right Gajeel, let's go save them!" Levy declared.

Meanwhile, Sakazuki was sprinting back to the battlefield, leaving a trail of boiling magma in his wake. "I'll kill them." He vowed. "I'll kill them all in the name of justice!"

Then, he stopped in his tracks as he stared down a single figure who seemed to wish to stand in his way. He stood tall with spiky dark red hair, a small pointy beard that matched in color, a vest that eerily looked like dragon scales that was opened up, showing off his incredibly muscular chest, and black baggy pants.

His yellow eyes gleamed as he grinned at Sakazuki. "Well now, you got up quicker than I thought you would. You really are strong, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki."

Sakazuki narrowed his eyes at the man. "Are you the bastard who blasted me with that fire? You certainly don't look the part."

The man laughed in a grandiose manner. "Well, to be fair, this isn't what I usually look like. I just thought I should confront you man to man and not...well man to dragon."

Sakazuki narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me?"

"My name is Igneel, I'm the Fire Dragon King." Igneel introduced himself properly in his human form. "And see, my son is having fun with his new friends."

"As a father...I really cannot let you get in his way, now can I?" Igneel grinned as his entire body lit up in flames.

A.N: Best parts of this chapter for me? Nakk Le Vaar's return and Tobirama chasing after him in his own way. Yoruichi confronting the Third Mizukage, who's Ice Style is so good it can actually catch her. And the big one, Igneel in human form about to fight Sakazuki.

Oh yeah, and I guess we did get a little bit of plot progression, considering that Whitebeard is going to go see the Elder Stars to find out who really pulls the strings. I wonder how that's going to turn out.

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to me on Youtube. You know the deal. See you all next time!