Hello, everyone and welcome back to Coby's Choice! It's been what, almost four whole months considering I last updated in November? Yeah, writing the war has been that hard and I've still got one epilogue to finish today. There are only so many ways to change it since war is nothing but chaos and two of the factions weren't changed by the story, but I think I've managed well enough and established enough butterflies for the future. (Seriously though, Coby and Helmeppo didn't do anything in Canon until the end, which is easily butterflied away.) Who's ready for this arc?

Well, I've kept you long enough.

Chapter 132:

Reunions of the Marine Kind

"So you are the ones Monkey D. Luffy cares for? I could not care less if you live or die, but Luffy does and I have given my word to help him. He is here for you."

"He is here for you." Hancock's words echoed through the minds of Ace and Coby, the darkness around them both brighter at the thought of rescue and exponentially darker at the knowledge of what dangers Luffy may be facing for them. Dangers especially Ace wasn't sure he was ready to face.

Their worry only grew as the day passed with no sign of the lovable pirate. The hours stretched on in silence, no words able to explain the oppressive air of Impel Down's Level 6. Not even Jinbei knew what to say that could help the two in their hours of emotional turmoil as the day wore on.

The residents of Level 6 didn't know if it was afternoon or evening when the elevator doors opened, the Logia and Zoan set for execution straining their necks to get a glimpse of the arrival. Their hopes were crushed as Jessie and James, along with their cat, exited the elevator.

"Firefist and Tri-Horn," Jessie began as James rifled through his keys. "Come with us. It's time for you to go."

"What about-?" Ace cut himself off, not wanting give his brother away.

"Oh?" James wondered as he transferred the prisoners' cuffs from their cells to the chain in his grip. "If you've somehow heard word of Straw Hat, you can throw those thoughts away. Warden Magellan has dealt with him."

"L-Luffy," Coby whimpered, the last of his will to resist dying at the news.

"Pink Hair," Crocodile called. The group leaving paused, prompting the former Warlord to continue. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. You and Straw Hat show more guts than half the Navy combined. You have my respect."

Coby couldn't respond, he and Ace silently following the guards without a fight. The pair passed them to another group a few flights up, who passed them to another group in turn. The guards marched the pair of prisoners through the Marine stronghold of Impel Down, occasionally seeing other guards running around to deal with various problems. The pirates didn't argue or show any protest along the march, nor did they show any emotion. They didn't have the tears to cry.

"It's not true, is it?" Ace finally whispered as the prisoners and their guards reached the top floor of the prison. His voice was simultaneously hopeful and dejected. "He's not here. He's not. Please tell me he's not. Please tell me this is all one cruel joke."

"I don't know, Ace," Coby answered. "I don't know."

"Shut up," the guard behind them ordered, his sword prodding the two in the backs. "Get a move on. You're expected in Marineford by ten-hundred hours tomorrow."

The final hallway of Impel Down grew brighter as they walked, the light of the sun pelting them as the prisoners stepped into it for the first time in neither-knew-how-long. It was evening, the sun above beginning to make its way toward the horizon. The dock extended a short way to where a battleship waited for them. More prods by the guard behind them prompted the two to begin their final trek to the ocean.

A man Coby recognized as Marine Vice-Admiral Strawberry held control of the ship, his men scurrying around the deck as the prisoners marched up the plank. The Vice-Admiral did not greet them, only indicating where the mast had been prepped with Sea Prism Stone chains to keep the prisoners sedated during the voyage.

"Put them there," Strawberry ordered. "We'll leave as soon as they are secure. And put a shirt on Tri-Horn. We don't need to public to see those sadists' handiwork."

"Yes sir."

"You can do it, Straw Hat! YOU CAN DO IT! SURVIVE!"

Coby and Ace somehow found a fitful sleep during the night of sailing. Periodically, one of them would wake up screaming Luffy's name with worry, but neither remained awake for long, whether do to their own exhaustion or because one of the nearby marines knocked them out shifted. They weren't aware, but the battleship actually sailed around the Tub Current many times; the only reason they were moved so quickly was to avoid any chance of Straw Hat from reaching them and causing more damage to the prison's reputation than he already had in the past 24 hours.

"Wake the Hell up, pirates!" Vice-Admiral Strawberry demanded, kicking both Devil Fruit users in the ribs. Coby and Ace wheezed in pain as they were forced back into consciousness. The sun wasn't too high in the sky, but all traces of early morning were long gone. Ace recovered sooner than Coby did, scowling at the marine. Strawberry scowled back, kicking him again for the look.

"Marineford," Coby breathed, wide eyes staring at the massive building they were approaching. The large kanji stamped across its front read Justice, the words all but towering over the circular bay ringed by the island's wings. An armada of Marine ships bristled on the edges of the base, every weapon pointed out toward the horizon.

They were ready for war.

"All this for little old me," Ace snarked. "I'm so honored."

"Wonderful," Strawberry shot back with the same tone. "If it were up to me, they would've just stabbed you to death in the depths of Impel Down and been done with it, but they want you to vanish with a bang. Your death will help kill the Great Pirate Era."

"Oh yeah," Ace muttered, rolling his eyes. "Because I'm such a big deal." Strawberry did not respond as his battleship pulled into Marineford's dock, the entire level covered in shoulder-to-shoulder marines. Several broke away from the crowd and onto the ship, transferring the prisoners' shackles from the mast to their own new set of Sea Prism Stone chains.

"Get a move on," the guard Coby assumed was in charge ordered, the group escorting the pair from the ship. The sea of bodies parted from them, the grunts whispering to each other as they passed.

"That's him... Firefist..."

"They say he can scorch a man with one look."

"I heard he burned down a town because he didn't like the beer."

"I heard he went toe-to-toe with Kaido."

"I'd believe it. He's the son of the devil."

"The student of the Pirate Hunter."

"That pink hair... is he related to Big Mom?"

"Don't be stupid. He's from East Blue."

"I'm not sure about this... I met him when I worked at the 51st. He was just a kid with hopes of being a marine."

"Then pirates got to him. It's a disease."

The whispers continued as the pirates climbed the steps, sweating under the sudden strain of stiff muscles. Within minutes, they reached the base of the execution platform that had been built for the occasion. The guards around them paused, a giggle forming from Coby's right. He frowned, turning his eyes to find the source. He didn't need to look long, the giggling person stepping in front of the prisoners.

"Well, well, well," the man giggled, his eyes on Coby. "We meet again, brat."

"Do I know you?" Coby eyed the figure in his blurry vision, completely at a loss.

The man was a couple inches taller than Coby, his body rippling with lean muscle. He was dressed in a purple suit tailored to his lean frame. Sunglasses covered his eyes while a maniac's smile stretched over his cleft chin. Blond hair in a low ponytail reached the middle of his back. He leaned in, pushing his shades down his nose and bending over to stare Coby in the face with his piercing blue eyes.

"You've forgotten me?" he asked. He held the gaze for a second more before standing up fully. "No matter. The point is I remember you, Tri-Horn. You ruined my life. I lost everything because of you and your bastard of a teacher. You took everything from me." He paused, taking a breath.

"I suppose I should thank you, though. That loss taught me a valuable lesson. My father was weak, and in this world, the weak are crushed and pushed around by the strong. Because of you, I found a teacher of my own, a man far stronger than my stupid father or your pathetic excuse of a sensei.

"Because of you, I, Vice-Admiral Helmeppo, have learned the true meaning of strength, and now I can watch you die."

"H-Helmeppo?" Coby stuttered. "Morgan's son?"

"Do not say that name," the blond hissed, backhanding Coby with a gloved hand. "That fool thought he was tough shit, but he was nothing in a sea of nothings. When you pirates left me there in Shells Town, my stupid father was court marshalled and I was conscripted to pay off his debts. How very much like pirates, you just sailed away without a care.

"But I trained. I learned my lesson and grew stronger, feeding off my hate for you and Pirate Hunter and Straw Hat. I drove myself into the ground every damn day on the chance we would meet again, and my hatred was rewarded. I grew strong enough to go into the Grand Line like you had, and there I found what you left behind."

Helmeppo reached his hand out, a thick, purple syrup dripping from his palm. The ooze morphed into a spear with a wide, four-pronged head like a harpoon.

"Thanks to your carelessness, I gained a power far better than yours, and it caught the attention of my idol. And now, I will watch as Absolute Justice is passed on you, just as Sakazuki-sensei said it would one day.

"But you see, Tri-Horn, I don't fully agree with my sensei's philosophy. Oh yes, Absolute Justice stamps out all evil, both the roots and the soil that allows it to fester, but I don't believe it works alone, for the soil at fault is far wider than anyone can see. Nor is it the strongest Justice. No, Tri-Horn. My path is the path of Poisonous Justice, where I am judge, jury, and executioner.

"I am the weed killer that will not only cause you to wither, but I will follow your roots and the roots of your crew, until every being that has made you what you are is brought to light and snuffed out. And once that's done, I'll find the next group of weaklings that has slighted me until I stand at the top, where no one can ever push me around again. Then, the soil will no longer have the nutrients or willingness to bare weeds like you."

Coby stood there, gaping at what had become of the scrawny teen that had held him at gunpoint so long ago. Anger smoldered in Helmeppo's eyes, mixed with a bloodthirst Coby had never seen the likes of before.

Ace whistled. "Wow. Strong words. Did you practice that little speech of yours? How long did it take? A week? A month?"

"You are no concern of mine, Firefist," Helmeppo spat.

"Like I'm worried. I wouldn't be scared of a glorified gummy."

"The Candy-Candy Fruit is nothing to scoff at!" Helmeppo cried, a nerve touched.

The pieces clicked in Coby's mind, finally understanding what Helmeppo meant about finding what they left behind. Somehow, the blond had gotten the Fruit used by ex-marine Gasparde whom they had beaten so long ago during the Dead End Race.

It might not be the scariest Devil Fruit, but it was more formidable than Ace was making it out to be. Logias were inherently difficult to fight, sticky candy even moreso when physical blows can get stuck.

More purple syrup dripped from the marine's hand, the blond slapping it over Ace's mouth where it rapidly hardened. The fire-man tried to break free of it, but wretched at the taste.

"That should keep you quiet until it's time for you to scream your sins." Helmeppo nodded before turning an acidic glare on the younger pirate. "I will enjoy watching you die more, however. Make it loud for me."

"Bite me, ass-chin."

"Wha-? I-I...!" Helmeppo had no words for the audacity of the insult, settling for an attack instead. His gloved hand oozed until it was covered in a solid ball of purple candy. "Sucker Punch!"

Despite the Sea Prism Stone, Coby's natural Zoan constitution and the results of Zoro's training kept him from losing a tooth as the candy ball shattered against his jaw, but only just. His vision swam in and out of focus as his long-ago foe stomped away. Even so, the Straw Hat pirate managed to think 'was that a pun?'.

"Mph!" Ace growled, pulling Coby from his daze. The Zoan shook the aftereffects from his head, turning to his captain's brother. Unfortunately, Ace wasn't in any position to get any words out.

"Move," the guard behind them ordered. "Everything starts in half an hour. Make yourselves pretty. We're gonna broadcast this to the whole damn world."

Without further ado, the prisoners were marched up to the top of the podium, their shackles transferred to the locks set into the sturdy wood beneath them.

"Well, uh..." Coby muttered as he and Ace watched the marines below scurry like rats. "This sucks."

So there they knelt as the sun climbed higher in the sky, Marine ships dropping their captains and higher officers off. There were faces Coby recognized from his research: Vice-Admirals Momonga, Onigumo, Doberman, Yamakaji, John Giant and Lacroix (who were impossible to miss), and many others. Coby's eyes widened as he watched Smoker disembark from a ship with his second Tashigi in his wake. After Smoker came Jonathan of G-8 Navarone with his second, Drake. 'Black Cage' Hina came off the next ship with two familiar faces, the former Lieutenant Fullbody and someone who looked suspiciously like the Black Cat pirate Jango. Even Garp appeared alongside a smaller woman Coby suspected was the famous Vice-Admiral Tsuru, he didn't look good, though. There was a weight in Garp's shoulders Coby hadn't seen before and his face was shadowed.

At least, he thought so. The world was still a blur.

After the marines were assembled, the Warlords made their appearances. Boa Hancock and her snake arrived first, the crowds of marines parting for her. Dracule Mihawk came next, his coffin-ship leisurely floating in. Doflamingo arrived by swinging from the clouds, his pink feathers somehow looking intimidating on his tall frame. Much to Coby's shock, Moria arrived fully recovered after the beating the Straw Hats had put on him, his annoying laugh drifting through the air. Finally, Kuma himself appeared out of thin air, scaring a scream out of the shadow-man. The male Warlords chatted amongst themselves, Mihawk and Moria glancing at the stand.

Or more accurately, Coby. Unfortunately, they were too far for the roset to hear what they had to say about him and he had become far too dependant on his dinosauric eyesight. Without his powers, much if what he saw was little more than sploches and guesswork.

"I must say I'm disappointed," a voice said, Coby and Ace twisting around to see the marine that had spoken.

"C-Captain Smoker!"

"That's Commodore to you, pirate," the white-haired Logia corrected. His glare softened into pity. "Do you remember the first time we met in Alabasta, Tri-Horn? In the bar that day, you said you'd wanted to be a marine with the most perfect salute I'd ever seen."

"Commodore Smoker!" Tashigi hissed, her eyes looking out for anyone who might hear them. "Talking with the pris-!"

"Relax," Smoker ordered with a wave, taking a breath through both of his cigars. He sighed. "This might sound strange, Tri-Horn, but thoughts of what you told me keep me awake at night. When I saw that salute of yours, I saw so much wasted potential. And that haunts me. What happened to you, Tri-Horn? What broke your faith in the Marines and put you on your path, ultimately here in chains?"

"Are you sure you want an answer, sir?" Coby responded. "Do you want to hear my thoughts, the thoughts of a pirate set to die?"

"I do," Smoker nodded. "You are not dying because of your actions, but to make a statement because of your teacher. That doesn't sit well with me. I heard you even had an offer from Vice-Admiral Garp to leave piracy behind."

"Really?!" Tashigi gasped.

"Yeah, I turned him down," Coby sighed. "If you want the truth I'll give it to you, but you might not like what you hear." Coby paused, considering his words. "Smoker, before my crew left the East Blue, we ran into a total of five marines of note. Of those five, only you and your second stood true to what I thought the Marines stood for. The others were either arrogant beyond measure or corrupt. Not only that, but my captain was the one that crushed the highest names of our Blue, doing the job the Marines should have.

"When I was young, I accidentally boarded the ship of 'Iron Mace' Alvida, thinking it was a simply fishing boat. She held me captive for two years on her ship. By chance, the ship her crew was attacking had picked up a barrel from the ocean, and that barrel contained the man I would come to call my captain. He got me to admit my dream of being a marine aloud and sent Alvida flying. We ended up in Shells Town, following rumors of Roronoa Zoro. The captain of the Marine base there was 'Ax-Hand' Morgan."

Coby looked up from his reminiscing to see the expressions on the marines' faces. Tashigi looked confused, but Smoker understood where the story was going.

"Him..." the Logia muttered. "He broke your faith."

"Yeah," Coby muttered. "He claimed that to have strength makes your ideals right, no matter what they are. When is solders were weak or talked back, he ordered them to kill themselves. Just like that, the dream that kept me alive for two years was shattered. I had nothing left except the clothes on my back and one friend in the world. What else would I choose?"

"Y-You said you met five marines," Tashigi stuttered. "You've only mentioned three."

"We ran into Lieutenant Fullbody at the floating restaurant Baratié. He wasn't exactly corrupt, but he was a moron and a coward who acted like a dick."

Ace, still gagged, snorted out a muffled laugh.

"The other was Captain Nezumi. He was working with 'Saw Tooth' Arlong to extort the Conomi Islands and had been for nearly a decade. Our crew got our first bounties because we beat him up to take back what he stole from our navigator. He actually shot me in the shoulder for trying to protect a villager."

"What?!" Tashigi exploded, turning to her superior officer quickly. "Sir! Permission to report that scumbag and start an investigation?"

"Postponed," Smoker answered. "Wait until tomorrow, Ensign."

"With all due respect, Commodore, Ensign," Coby interrupted, "you'd do more good outside the Marines."

"How dare-?" the swordswoman began.

"Morgan," Coby answered. "Buggy the Clown. Kuro of a Thousand Plans. Krieg. Arlong. Nezumi. Wapol of Drum Kingdom. Crocodile. Gasparde. Whetton. Eneru. CP9. Spandam. Moria. Shiki."

"...Eneru?" the woman questioned.

"You have an impressive track record," Smoker conceded. "I'll give you that, but that's not going to get you out of this execution. For what it's worth, I petitioned against adding you to the chopping block."

"You're a good man, Smoker," Coby responded. "If I die here, that's fine. That's a lesson I learned from Captain Luffy, but, Smoker, I beg you, hold on to your morals. Even a little bit of power can corrupt. Don't let it corrupt you, too."

"I don't make deals with pirates, Tri-Horn, but that is one request I think I can oblige." He turned his back to walk away.

"Please, Smoker. My name is Coby."

"Tri-Horn... I won't use your name."

"Why not, sir?"

Smoker refused to turn, keeping his eyes away from the pink-haired young man.

"Because... if I called you Coby, I'd see you as a decent person, not a criminal. I can't do that. Not for the sake of my sanity."

"Commodore Smoker," Tashigi muttered uncomfortably. "It's almost ten."

"Right, we should get going. Goodbye, Tri-Horn, and I'm sorry."

The White Hunter and his second walked away quickly, passing the imposing figure of Fleet Admiral Sengoku who barely glanced at them before climbing the stairs and taking a stance between Ace and Coby. A black substance covered his hand, breaking the candy gag over Ace's mouth before he turned to where a camera snail had been set up to film the proceedings.

"This is it," Sengoku muttered. "It's time for war."

End of Chapter 132

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-SwordOfTheGods