Chapter 133:
A Moby Dick Move
In important cities around the world, screens and snails had been set up at the behest of the World Government without telling anyone what they were for. They had, however, told those in charge of said cities to have everyone watching them on a certain day at ten in the morning and to have nothing planned for the following three hours. Everyone did so, save for the capital city of Alabasta whose leaders' opinions of the World Government were tentative at best and bordering on rebellion. They were a little more preoccupied dealing with the kidnapping of their princess anyway.
Even so, the rest of the world laid in wait as the snails awoke, journalists across the globe readying their pens for what was sure to become the story of a lifetime. Light glowed from the snails, landing on the canvass to become an image sent directly from Marineford. The image cleared to show the Fleet Admiral with two young men in chains, one with black hair and the other with pink. All was silent for three seconds before Sengoku opened his mouth to speak.
"People of the world, you are about to witness the executions of two pirates. To my left is 'Tri-Horn' Coby of the Straw Hat Pirates and to my right is 'Firefist' Ace, the Second Division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates."
Neither Ace nor Coby struggled against their bonds as the Fleet Admiral began his speech, introducing them as those selected to die. His words continued, going on about the evils of piracy and the terror caused by the reign of the first Pirate King, the graciousness of the World Government, the importance of the Celestial Dragons, and the unity that was needed to make their "perfect system" work.
"And now," Sengoku continued, "the damned shall profess their sins before the world and beg for forgiveness in the world to come. 'Tri-Horn' Coby, who are your parents? Profess your transgressions and pray for their forgiveness."
"I will pray for one thing," Coby breathed. "My parents' names were Rubiar and Margo. They died when I was young. The only man who showed me kindness and friendship was my captain who led me to my crew, my Nakama. Because of that, the only thing I pray for is for my captain, Monkey D. Luffy, to find the One Piece and become the King of the Pirates."
"Tell the world why you are here," the Fleet Admiral ordered. He wasn't surprised; very few selected for execution begged for forgiveness.
"I am here because I stand for my ideals. Because I stand for True Justice. Zoro-sensei attacked a Celestial Dragon just like I was willing to. For that, I will face death with a smile."
Far below, Boa Hancock twitched, her eyes widening at the declaration.
"You do not regret your actions?"
"The only thing I regret... is that it wasn't my blade that put that filth where it belongs. No one is above recompense for their actions! Not pirates! Not marines! Not revolutionaries! And certainly not those fat, ugly, arrogant pieces of shit you call Celestial Dragons! I stood, and I still stand, for the justice the Marines will not give!"
"You have pride if nothing else," Sengoku muttered. "For the crimes of piracy, assault, murder, arson, and destruction of Marine bases including Enies Lobby, 'Tri-Horn' Coby of the Straw Hat Pirates is sentenced to death!" Sengoku turned, addressing Ace. "Portgus D. Ace, your crimes are more extensive. Start by telling the world who your father is."
"My father is Whitebeard!" Ace yelled.
"Wrong!"
"Whitebeard is the only man I accept as my father!" Ace reaffirmed.
Sengoku scowled, turning to the camera.
"People of the world, allow me to tell you a story..." Coby's eyes widened as the Fleet Admiral began, the blood draining from his face as the bearded man told the story of Gold Roger and Portgus D. Rouge, the raid on the world in search of the King's progeny, and the lengths Rouge went to to protect her child. "And that child," Sengoku began to finish, "was you, Portgus D. Ace, son of Gold Roger!"
Both around the world and in Marineford, the peoples' reactions were similar; shock, anger, and bowel-loosening terror. Marines and Warlords alike stared at the Fleet Admiral in dumbstruck awe as the world came to terms with the fact.
"It lives," Coby heard one marine say. "The blood of the Pirate King lives."
"It's not true!" Ace screamed. "It's not! Roger was never a father to me!"
"Be silent!" Sengoku hissed. "Your crimes warrant your arrest, but your existence alone is an offence to the sanctity of the peace the World Government and the Marines have worked so hard to achieve."
"You're going to kill him for the crimes of a man who died before he was born?!" Coby exploded. "For existing?! If evil is hereditary, then why is Garp still-?!"
"I said silence!" Sengoku demanded, smacking the pink-haired prisoner. "You know nothing of the fear and hatred spread by that man. His very presence was a poison that infected those around him. Killing his bloodline is not only a blessing for the world, but a mercy."
"You're sick," Coby hissed, spitting out a tooth loosened by the blow. Be side him, Ace started to hyperventilate. "You commit crimes in the name of Justice and genocide in the name of Peace. The Marines are nothing but hypocrites."
"So says a pirate who helped slaughter hundreds at Enies Lobby."
Coby didn't have an argument for that. Yes, the circumstances there had been different, but the world certainly wouldn't take his side. Sengoku turned away from him but paused as the roset took a hard breath.
"I killed a man named Kuromarimo on the island of Drum, the former Drum Kingdom," Coby admitted, redirecting the attention from his captain's brother. "He was an advisor of the former king who had abandoned his people when strong pirates attacked. The former king had attacked us out at sea a few days prior, so we weren't on good terms with him, and we got into a fight. That man I killed, Kuromarimo... He was my opponent, and I stabbed him with the horns of my Zoan form and dropped him off a cliff. I didn't mean for him to fall. I didn't, but he threatened to kill my friend who was sick and couldn't fight back. I couldn't find it in myself to care about my actions then.
"But I wake up at night sometimes. My dreams turn into nightmares where I see his dead body walking towards me. I did the same thing at Enies Lobby. I dropped an agent off the island. He appeared in my nightmares, too. I suffer the consequences of my actions, Fleet Admiral, but I do not regret them. They threatened my Nakama. They made their choice, and I made mine."
"Talkative, aren't you," Sengoku grumbled. "That was a cute little speech, anyway."
"There is nothing cute about death and power, Fleet Admiral. Do not make light of my words."
"I suppose now you'll tell the world how you feel," Sengoku frowned. "Trying to earn pity from the world?"
"Oh, I'm terrified," Coby answered quickly, glancing at Ace to see how he was doing. The man's breathing was slowing from the hyperventilating it had been. "No one is ever truly ready to die with an unfulfilled goal, but the words of my captain repeat in my head. 'If I die, then I die.' So I'll tell the world now, if I die, so be it. I don't want pity. I'll die a hero's death, standing up to the injustice of the Marines!"
"I have no words," Sengoku said. "No words can describe how utterly stupid you are, Tri-Horn. Injustice in the Marines? What lies have you been taught?"
"Tell that to Ohara," Coby snarked, earning another smack.
"Ah, Sir?" a marine below called. "We have a problem. The Gates of Justice are opening without our command. We can't get in touch with the gate crew, either."
"What?!" Sengoku demanded. "Keep trying and shut it down. Break it if you have to."
"Sir!"
The Fleet Admiral sighed as the marine ran off, putting on a strong front for the camera.
"I can admire the strength of your ideals, Tri-Horn, but you are just a tag along for this show. Portgus D. Ace, you were a hard one to track once we learned who you were while you roamed the seas as the captain of the Spade Pirates. Unfortunately, Whitebeard got to you first. His ambition was so great he evenwillingly took in the son of his most hated rival, raising you to become the next King of the Pirates."
"That's not true!" Ace yelled. "I joined Whitebeard to make him the King!"
"No one believes that but you, Firefist." Ace felt like the breath had been knocked from his lungs. "That is why the world will watch you die, and why the Marines will even risk a war with Whitebeard to see your bloodline perish before you become the King of the Pirates."
"Wrong!" Coby piped up. "Captain Luffy is the man who will be the King of the Pirates!"
"They're here!" a marine cried before Sengoku could retort, the ringing of alarm bells echoing across the water. "Ready battle stations now!"
Marineford came alive, the assembled marines preparing for war. Cannons repositioned and companies formed as shadows across the water began to take shape.
"They appeared out of nowhere," Sengoku muttered. "How did they get so close?"
"Its an entire fleet!" Coby heard one marine gasp.
"Keep an eye out for Whitebeard," another warned, trying to identify the attacking pirates. "'Bohemian Knight' Doma and 'Thunder Lord' Megai are there! The Decalvan Brothers and the 'Whirl Spider' Squard, too! It's worse than we thought! There are at least 43 ships and no sign of Whitebeard, but almost every one of them is a big name from the New World! Every one is a sworn ally of Whitebeard!"
"They actually came?" Ace whispered, eyes wide. "Why? I told them not to come if I got caught!"
All motion froze as a massive bubble rose from the center of the bay, popping loud enough to make several marines flinch. Another bubble rose. And another and another, causing ripples to become regular.
"Why didn't we plan for this,?" Sengoku hissed. "They got their ships coated for a surprise attack!"
Marines shook in their boots as a shadow began to take shape under the water, growing slowly and ominously. Until finally, a whole galleon with a white whale motif all but flew out of the water, slamming back down hard enough to send a wave washing over the unfortunate marines on the lowest level. A shimmering gloss glimmered over its every surface before popping like a bubble, leaving the ship bare of the coating that had kept it underwater.
"It's Whitebeard's flagship!" a corporal yelled, quite unnecessarily considering every person in the vicinity knew the information. "It's the Moby Dick!"
"Heh," a marine with a panda face giggled. "You said dick."
"Now is not the time to be laughing Captain Pandaman!"
The punches did not stop there, three more shadows rising from the bay before surfacing into identical copies of the flagship save their blue paint on top of their whale motifs, each pointed a different cardinal direction.
"Two... four... eight... twelve... fourteen," a marine counted, eyeing the people standing on the deck of the first ship to surface. "Every one of the Division Commanders are here!"
THUNK
The sound echoed through the air before being repeated, each growing clearer and closer as they came until Whitebeard himself joined his upper echelons in standing at the front of the ship. He was massive, deep scars littering his upper torso while a coat that looked similar to a Marine Captain's flapped in the wind. Despite his moniker, the man had no facial hair save for a proud, curved moustache. A massive naginata rested in his grip, glimmering in the light.
"Murakumogiri," Tashigi's voice muttered from somewhere in the crowd. "One of the 12 Supreme Grade Swords."
"Sengoku," Whitebeard smiled. "It's been a while. We've got a lot to talk about. Mainly, you not killing my son."
"POPS!" Ace screamed. "Why are you here?! I ran off on my own when you told me not to! Go! Save yourself!"
"Now what sort of father would I be if I abandoned my son?" the Emperor grinned, his eyes examining the Marine ranks. "Gurararara! Ah, there's that. We'll be taking the horn brat, too."
Coby's eyes widened. He wasn't nearly important enough for an Emperor to acknowledge him, yet here was one demanding to take him. It felt good in a way, even if it confused him.
"Why?" the head of the Marines asked. "What connection does Tri-Horn have to your crew?"
"He's important to a certain 'cute baby brother' of one of my sons," the pirate answered, his gaze drifting between Ace and Coby. "We'd never hear the end of it if we let him die. Isn't that right?"
"That's right, Pops, yoi," Marco 'The Phoenix' answered amongst the laughter of the other Division Commanders. "Brother complexes are scary things. We don't want to make that sibling sad or else, yoi."
"You're too late, Whitebeard," Sengoku hissed. "It doesn't matter how many allies you've brought. You're facing the entire force of the Marines, all for the child of your greatest rival and a tangentially related boy. Do you think you stand a chance?"
Whitebeard did not respond verbally, stabbing his blade into the wood beside him before falling into a wide horse stance with his arms crossed over his abdomen. The marines around the bay stiffened, all motion failing for a half-second. Then, Whitebeard moved, slamming his hands to either side.
The air cracked.
"Holy shit," Coby muttered as Whitebeard flexed his powers, the spacial cracks widening in the air as the water beneath stirred to life. Waves rose and fell in the span of milliseconds, taking on an almost cartoonish look.
"It's a seaquake," Sengoku muttered. "If this keeps up, he could flip the island upside down! All cannons, fire!"
The marines watching snapped out of their awe, scrambling to follow the Fleet Admiral's order. Cannons boomed, their ammo racing toward the intruders. Whitebeard didn't flinch, every one of his 14 Commanders defending him as he completed his goal.
On either side of Marineford rose two massive waves, the waves dwarfing the Marine stronghold by half.
And then, as quickly as they appeared, they receded, falling into the ocean.
"What was that about?" Coby muttered. "A show of power?"
"Pops!" Ace cried. "Just go! I abandoned you and everyone else to go after Teach!"
"No, I don't think so," Whitebeard responded with a smirk. "I'm pretty sure I told you to go."
"That's right, yoi," Marco affirmed. "We all heard it. That's why we're here, yoi."
"Sounds about right," the other commanders muttered.
"Everyone..." Ace whispered. "I can't believe you all."
Another quake shook the island of Marineford, the marines below the platform crying out in surprise. On the horizon, a line poked over the edge of the sea, rising into the sky and growing.
"Tch, damn," Sengoku hissed. "That's his ploy. That seaquake before wasn't for show. It was triggering a tsunami."
"He can make tsunamis?!" Coby gaped as the waves drew closer, rising higher than the previous show.
"That's Pops' power thanks to the Tremor-Tremor Fruit," Ace nodded absently.
The tsunamis on either side of the Marine base broke, their tops starting to fall and shade the fighters below.
"Well, we can't let that happen," a familiar voice said, a figure appearing above the battlefield with their arms outstretched. "Ice Age!" Ice lanced out from Aokiji's hands, meeting and freezing both tsunamis. The Admiral readjusted, three arrows of ice forming in his hands aimed at Whitebeard. "And Artisan!"
The Emperor didn't even blink, his fist cracking the air once more in a shockwave that broke both the arrows and the archer, the ice-man shattering and falling toward the bay below. The worried cries of the marines were expected but unnecessary, the shards freezing the water they hit before reforming into the shape of the kneeling Admiral. Ice raced out from that point, freezing all four versions of the Moby Dick in place and providing a massive battleground in the process.
"All cannons fire!" a Vice-Admiral yelled. "Sink the Moby Dick!"
"Heh. He said-"
"Shut up, Captain Pandaman!"
"Well, we've got something to stand on," a Whitebeard pirate shrugged, unconcerned for the incoming cannonballs. "Might as well go."
"Go men!" 'Flower Sword' Vista of the Fifth Division yelled. "Let's show them the power of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Certain in their victory, both sides charged across the frozen battlefield, triggering the start of the shortest yet one of the bloodiest wars in the history of the Marines.
Such began the event that would be called The War of the Best.
End of Chapter 133
Everything starts to change next chapter! That's when the war starts in full swing in a clash of both fists and emotions! I had to stop here because of how long the next chapter turned out.
On a different note, I hope all of you stay safe from the pandemic spreading across the world. I don't want to lose anyone you! So remember, wash your hands, don't Panic Buy , and as always:
Read and Review!
-SwordOfTheGods