Hi guys Azza here!

Ok so just a quick thing before you get stuck in. Most of this arc is centred around this massive battle so I figured I'd explain how I'm going to work it.

When dealing with multiple things going on at once, I will simply refer to the segment as /Marineford/ since I can jump freely wherever I want. If the focus is on a specific area then I'll specify it like for example /Marineford Bay/ or something similar.

Now, when major stuff is going down we'll be jumping to the usual POV's and there will be way less description of the greater picture and more vicinity based stuff.

I probably didn't need to explain it but I figured I would anyway since this was the best way I could conceive doing it. So, if there's anything I forgot I'll mention it next chapter but otherwise on with the story!

I do not own Fairy Tail, One Piece or the Nasuverse.

The War Of The Best Begins

/Marineford/

"EVERYONE BRACE," was the loud warning over the various speakers as the seas themselves seemed to rise up in response to Whitebeard's actions.

The gathered forces could only watch in horror as the left and right sides of Marineford became shrouded in a giant shadow. Looking toward either side revealed two colossal sized tsunamis were currently bearing down upon the island and it's gathered forces.

"He did give them a chance," Iskandar shrugged, his grin on full display as he watched the gathered forces opposite him begin to panic.

"Agreed. They already knew of Whitebeard's power and yet they thought they could just disagree to his reasonable demand without consequence," Artoria added as the two tsunamis started to come crashing downward.

"It's a damn Seaquake," Sengoku growled as he looked over to Rider who then looked downward. "He's distorting the sea!"

"Sengoku," Garp snapped as he vanished from his position below the execution platform and appeared right next to the Fleet Admiral. "This was a reckless setup!"

"You don't have to rub it in Garp, I know," Sengoku growled as the two tsunamis struck the front of Marineford, washing away hundreds of troops instantly. "But …"

Many of the forces assembled below were shocked at how light the attack had been. Of course, that wasn't to say that the instant deaths of hundreds was anything to scoff at, but they had been expecting the attack to do far more than it had.

This made many of them overconfident as they started raising their weapons in defiance, believing that it was the best Whitebeard had to offer.

They quickly fell silent.

"Fools," Boa sniffed from her place at the front with Mihawk chuckling softly in agreement.

"They've got no idea," the Hawk-Eyed Swordsman agreed as everything started to shake three times harder than before.

"WH-WHAT'S GOING ON," a Marine cried out as many of them started losing their balance. "IS WHITEBEARD ATTACKING AGAIN!?"

"Those last two tsunamis were only the prelude," Garp muttered as he clenched his fists. "A taste of what was to come!"

"This is Rider," the two men heard as Rider picked up another call. "Understood, keep an eye on the recordings."

"What is it," Sengoku asked as Rider motioned for the pair to look out at the sea for their answer. "Ah …"

From the left and right sides of Marineford, two tsunamis were coming toward the island with terrifying speed. The tsunamis that had struck the island were merely propelled forward by the attack to come with these one's being enough to was the entire place away.

"Magnitude Nine Point Three," Rider muttered darkly as the two horrific waves bore down upon them within moments.

"That's the power of the Tremor Tremor Fruit," Garp suddenly shouted over the sounds of rumbling and panicking soldiers. "He's an Earthquake Human!"

"Our superior forces never guaranteed us victory," Sengoku continued as everyone seemed to contemplate how they would even survive this mess. "Because that man … HAS THE POWER TO DESTROY THE WORLD!"

"The war has only just begun and the scales are this high," Rider said as his voice suddenly blared out across the chaotic forces. "But know this! Regardless of who wins or loses this war … A NEW AGE SHALL MEET THE DAWN!"

"What power Whitebeard has, even at such an old age," Doflamingo grinned as he extended his arms outward. "He certainly is a legendary monster, fufufufufufufu!"

"GURARARARARARARA! WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW, FORCES OF JUSTICE," Whitebeard roared with laughter as the twin tsunamis started arching downward.

Just as it looked like there was no chance for the Forces Of Justice, someone appeared right at the centre of the bay and extended his hands outward.

"Ice Ice: Ice Age!"

At the centre was Admiral Aokiji, two pillars of ice connecting his hands to the rapidly freezing tsunamis that now loomed over the shocked forces like white mountains. Aokiji meanwhile glared right at Whitebeard who appeared more amused than annoyed at his attack being foiled.

"Aokiji, you little squirt!"

Snapping his connection to the two recently threatening tsunamis, Aokiji summoned a series of lance shaped ice constructs and fired them directly at Whitebeard himself.

"Ice Ice: Ice Partisan!"

"Heh, cute," was all Whitebeard said as he clenched his right fist and struck the air in front of the attack, creating large cracks in the space he'd punched in the process.

"Uh-oh," was all Aokiji could say, his body turning fully into ice as his attack was shattered along with his entire body.

Everyone from the Government side watched in horror as Aokiji's destroyed form fell into the centre of the bay. No one, however, expected the spot he'd landed to freeze up and for Aokiji to literally reform himself in less than a second.

The entire bay froze over in seconds, a thick coating of ice also locking in any ship within a three-kilometre radius from where he'd landed as Aokiji slowly rose back to his full height.

"Phew! Wasn't expecting that, ah well!"

"That's a rather interesting move," Leonidas noted as he looked down at the new foothold they now had. "Surely this wasn't intentional?"

"Doubtful," Iskandar replied as he too looked down at the ice-covered bay. "Either way, we've got to use this to our full advantage."

"Agreed," Artoria nodded before pulling out a Den Den Mushi. "All Eden forces, disembark and attack at once!"

There were roars coming from dozens of ships with the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies quickly joining in as thousands of combatants made their way onto the icy battlefield. The Whitebeard Pirates were the first to get into the battle since they had been directly in the bay and were the first to engage the heavy resistance that had charged in to meet them.

"Oi, look over there," Leonidas said as he nodded his head toward the ramparts blocking them from the Execution Plaza. "That's got to be just about every Vice Admiral and Lieutenant General they have."

"That's rare," Whitebeard noted as he tapped his staff gently whilst thinking back. "Not even Buster Calls would have this many high-ranking officers within them."

"We've got our own line-up of strong people though," Iskandar pointed out as he motioned behind them. "Your Division Commanders alone would be enough to deal with these guys."

"Most of them," Whitebeard muttered as his eyes locked onto several notable people. "I can see a few who might give my stronger ones trouble like Thaddeus Ryker, who was a pain in the ass even before I got old."

"Interesting," Iskandar hummed as he looked over to the individual Whitebeard pointed out who looked rather haggard and seemingly out of it. "He doesn't look very well, does he?"

"No," Whitebeard muttered as he looked up to where Sengoku, Rider and Garp currently stood. "Something else is going on, I can sense it."

And coincidentally, right as Whitebeard said that, his eyes darted toward another troublesome foe who took several steps forward from his seemingly eternal vigil.

"Oh, what's this," Doflamingo grinned as he looked over at Mihawk who had jumped up onto the edge of the ramparts. "You planning on fighting?"

"To think that the legendary 'Hawk Eye' Mihawk is going to fight so soon," Kizaru noted from his position just below the scaffolding.

"He's usually rather reserved, let's see what he decides to do," Akainu commented as he slightly moved to look in the man's direction.

Meanwhile, back down with the Warlords, Boa was eyeing Mihawk warily. She knew full well that aside from the strange beast of a Knight next to her that Mihawk was one of the strongest taking part in this battle.

'Those piercing eyes of his … Any warrior, no matter how seasoned, would feel something from it. The title of the Hawk Eye suits him well.'

"I'm not planning on going all out, Doflamingo," Mihawk said softly as his eyes locked onto his target. "I merely wish to measure the distance between us … and the beast before us."

"Fufufufu! Well then, he's all yours," Doflamingo grinned as Mihawk's hand snapped to the giant hilt of his blade that was currently strapped to his back.

Slowly drawing the blade out, most of the battles that had only just erupted below seemed to quiet down as the legendary Mihawk, the Greatest Swordsman, prepared to attack. Even the higher-ranking Officers of the Army and Marines held back knowing full well that what was about to come would obliterate them, should they be caught within it.

"That blade, it looks quite powerful," Artoria noted with her gaze not once faltering from the prospective opponent.

"That blade suits someone like him," Whitebeard replied as he lazily spun his naginata once before returning it to its original position. "Like my Murakumogiri, it is one of the Twelve Supreme Graded Weapons. One of Twelve blades that are of the highest quality in the world, only matchable by another. A blade like that suits a man like him, a man who could be considered a Devil Candidate of this world without even needing a Devil Fruit."

"Seems like he'll be a worthy foe to face in battle," Iskandar grinned back. "I wonder if he'll be able to match up to my own blade!?"

Back on the platform, Mihawk fully drew his Black Blade and swung it with one arm in what one could perceive to be a 'lazy motion' even though you could easily see the power behind the swing.

"Black Blade: Ship Cutter!"

To the shock of those who hadn't experienced the power of a seasoned swordsman before, the colossal aerial slash attack produced by Mihawk nearly made them all faint on the spot. The attack was at least several hundred metres in length and its height easily matched that of a Man O War's.

Also, the green hue put out by the attack was so bright that the entirety of Marineford seemed to turn the same colour as the attack rocketed toward Whitebeard himself at high speeds. Pirates and World Government forces alike bolted to avoid the attacks path as it sliced a clean fissure through the thick ice shelf created by Aokiji.

However, much to the confusion of everyone present, neither Whitebeard nor any of the Kings present next to him even bothered to move. Instead, they simply watched as the attack came closer and closer until it was right before them.

Then suddenly, it stopped in place and seemed to be struggling against something. Many looked toward the front of the ship and were shocked to see a lone figure single handedly holding back the attack by himself using his own body as a shield.

The man let loose a brutal roar and flung the attack skyward where it quickly dissipated, much to the shock of everyone including Mihawk himself.

"Heh, how's that Mihawk," Whitebeard grinned as all eyes turned toward the smoke to see just who had managed to stop the attack.

"OI, LOOK!"

"That man …"

Standing with his arms held out defensively in front of him was a man completely covered head to toe by Diamonds, his body shimmering in the sunlight. The man looked right at Mihawk and grinned which in turn prompted Mihawk to simply narrow his eyes and sheath his blade.

"That man … that's the Commander Of The Third Division!"

Member Of The Whitebeard Pirates

Commander Of The Third Division

Sparkle Sparkle Fruit User – Model: Diamond

Diamond Jozu

Bounty – 835,000,000 Berries

"Hmm. All the Commanders of Whitebeard's crew possess monstrous power," Kizaru said as he slowly rose to his feet. "To end this battle with minimal damage, we've just got to cut off the head nice and quick …"

Kizaru's body turned into a bright yellow light that quickly broke up into thousands of particles, all shooting directly upward into the sky. Everyone down below had just recovered from Mihawk's attack only for a blinding light to halt them in their tracks again.

"ARGH! I CAN'T SEE!"

The light quickly died down and, in its place, Kizaru was simply standing in mid-air, looking down upon the Allied Forces and Whitebeard himself with an amused grin.

"Hmm, what have we here?"

"Oh shit, IT'S ADMIRAL KIZARU!"

Crossing his arms and creating a circle using his thumb and middle finger, two bright lights burst to life in-between the circles as Kizaru prepared to attack.

"Glint Glint: Yasakani No Magatama!"

From the bright lights, Kizaru fired thousands of controlled projectiles directly at Whitebeard who simply squinted in response, seemingly more annoyed than worried by it as he moved a hand to obscure the attack from direct view.

"That's way too bright!"

Everyone watched with baited breath as the attacks drew closer however, just like with Mihawk's earlier attack, someone suddenly came in to block it at the last moment. This time, something seemingly flew out in front of the attacks and took them head on until they ceased raining down upon the area.

"H-he warded off the Admiral's attack," one of the shocked Marine Officers cried out as blue flames roared to life from the area Kizaru's attacks had struck. "No way … that's-!"

"Hmm? Blue fire," Kizaru said in what appeared to be a confused tone as a young man fully emerged, his arms completely engulfed in blue fire that appeared more like wings.

"You can't … go straight for … the King, just like that," the man grinned with half his body now coated by the fire.

"So fearsome, these Whitebeard Pirates," Kizaru said in a slightly amused tone as more of the forces below realized who he was.

"So, he has that power, just like they say! The power to regenerate from any attack, regardless of how strong it is, with blue fire!"

"It's even rarer than the Logia Type Devil Fruit," Kizaru said to himself as the man's body started to fully transform into a beast of blue flame. "The Zoan Type, Mythical Creature."

"So, he's the First Division Commander," one of the ground forces below cried out as the beast soared overheard and appeared to be charging Kizaru directly.

Vice Captain Of The Whitebeard Pirates

Commander Of The First Division

Bird Bird Fruit User – Model: Blue Phoenix

Marco The Phoenix

Bounty – 1,677,200,000 Berries

"HARGH!"

Marco charged in and tried to kick Kizaru however the Admiral blocked it with his forearm as the two remained locked in a clash high in the sky. Kizaru's arm was shaking as he held back the attack however both appeared to be grinning at the other the whole time.

"Ouch! This is rather painful," Kizaru whined only for Marco to snort in amusement.

"Don't go lying like that," was the immediate response as Marco seemingly put even more power behind his attack.

Kizaru's body was suddenly turned into an unstable beam of light and was shot directly into the side of one of the battlements, setting off a massive explosion. Marco looked down on the scene without dropping his guard, knowing full well an attack like that wouldn't really faze an Admiral.

Sure enough, a slight flash of yellow later and Kizaru was standing next to a bunch of shocked troops looking no worse for wear as he dusted himself off.

"Haki, huh?"

"Admiral, are you alright!?"

"Fine, just surprised," Kizaru replied as he scratched his head. "This might prove to be a bit of a problem if we can't even get close to Whitebeard …"

"Gurarararara! You didn't think we were going to make it easy, did you," Whitebeard laughed as the Allied Forces resumed their all-out attack. "We've got a purpose here and nothing will stop our advance!"

The Allied Forces roared in agreement and seemed to almost start fighting harder as Whitebeard turned to face Artoria.

"How are your forces doing? Are they prepared? We'll likely need them for reaching the ramparts."

"They should be here soon, I'll let you know when I hear something," Artoria replied neutrally as Iskandar pulled out a transponder snail of his own.

"I want all bombardment ships to begin targeting the ramparts before the cannons and machine gun nests bog down our forces!"

Looking over at the rear of the fleet, The Brittania, The Cypritine Jewel and dozens of other heavy warships started targeting the outer wall with their massive long-range cannons. The roars of the cannons soon sounded out over the battlefield as the walls and area surrounding them were hit hard by a constant barrage of fire.

"Don't relent, keep firing upon them," one of the Officers cried as the cannons and machine gun nests continued to assault the ground forces.

/Mordred's POV/

"This is fucking insane," Mordred shouted over the deafening roar of the cannons as she touched down onto the ice shelf. "Such a tight quarters battle with this many troops …"

"It shall be a bloodbath," Tristan sighed as he summoned his signature bow to his side. "We must remain vigilant to protect both our allies as well as Master Ritsuka."

"I'll be fine Tristan, you guys just focus on the battle," Ritsuka cut in shakily as the projection of Da Vinci popped up in front of him.

"Ritsuka! The staff and I have been rushing to sort out the flood of data coming through on your end. We haven't even had a chance to identify any of the enemy Servants yet so be careful as you proceed out there!"

"I will Da Vinci, don't worry about me!"

"Tristan, Gawain, Lancelot! You said earlier that this war was to rescue the man atop the makeshift execution platform, correct!?"

"Indeed we did, Lady Da Vinci," Lancelot nodded sharply. "Is there something amiss?"

"Not with that area in particular, but I have already managed to identify several structural weaknesses in the outer walls that could be exploited by Newgate's ferocious power!"

"That will help us heaps," Gawain said with a grin as he summoned his blade to his side. "Assuming we make it that far, of course."

"What do you mean," Ritsuka asked confusedly only for Lancelot to summon a white and gold helmet into his hands and slide it atop his head where his armor shifted to lock it firmly into place.

"Our King has ordered Gawain and I to lead the charge to disable the armaments atop the ramparts with support from the guns of our fleet."

"By yourselves, that's suicide," Ritsuka gasped only for Gawain to place a firm hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Fear not Ritsuka, for we are not alone in this battle," Gawain grinned as his helmet also manifested itself, though unlike Lancelot it automatically appeared equipped on Gawain's head.

"Huh?"

"I'll take care of Ritsuka and Mash, you guys do what you do best," Mordred said as she too summoned her helmet with Clarent at her side. "Damn, this really does feel like old times."

"Indeed, it does," Lancelot agreed as he summoned his sword. "Come Gawain, we have work to do!"

"Right," the Knight Of The Sun said firmly as the pair vanished in a burst of speed.

"Are they going to be alright," Mash asked softly as Tristan turned to look out in the direction they'd run off to.

"They will fight with honour as always, there is little need to fear for the two of them. They are some of our King's best, after all."

"That's a fair point," Mordred agreed as she looked ahead to where Whitebeard's ship remained frozen at the centre of the bay, her eyes slowly drifting up to where Artoria stood. "We should get stuck in ourselves Tristan."

"Agreed. Some of the others shall be delayed slightly due to the ice shelf obstructing our ships which means we must do everything we can to hold the line until reinforcements arrive."

"Well then, what are we waiting for!"

Mordred looked back to Ritsuka and Mash, both nodding subtly, before shooting off toward the battlefield at speeds easily eclipsing the surprised Sir Tristan.

"Mordred's gotten faster," Ritsuka gasped only for Tristan to shake his head.

"Not just faster, I can almost feel the strength she has acquired over the course of her journey. She truly has matured far better than any of us could have ever hoped."

Ritsuka and Mash could only nod in agreement as they trailed behind Tristan, the sounds of battle growing louder and louder by the second …

/Marineford Bay/

"KILL THE PIRATES!"

"DESTROY THE GOVERNMENT!"

"SAVE ACE!"

As minutes went by, more and more of Whitebeard's forces and World Government troops flooded out onto the ice shelf created by Aokiji. The two armies smashing into each other head on with bombardment coming from both sides throwing the entire battle into complete chaos.

"FOCUS FIRE ON THE EXPOSED PIRATES, BLAST THEM APART AND RIDDLE THEIR BODIES WITH LEAD," an Officer roared from atop the ramparts as the guns shifted their target to the area just behind the main force and began to offload a bombardment, supported by a hail of bullets that ripped through the ranks of the Pirates.

"SHIT, THEY'RE TARGETING THE REAR FLANK!"

"WHAT'LL WE DO!?"

"Whitebeard," Artoria said firmly as the old man drew his attention away from the battle and toward the King. "They're ready."

"Good. Send them in."

Artoria nodded and picked up the speaker on her Den Den Mushi before beginning to speak.

"Sir Gawain, Sir Lancelot … COMMENCE THE COUNTERATTACK!"

There was no reply, but there didn't need to be. The shocked sounds of the World Government forces was all the leaders needed to hear as one of their plans went into full effect.

"L-LOOK! OVER THERE!"

Moving out of cover from behind the left and right ships Whitebeard had brought into the bay were hundreds of heavily armoured Silver Knights. What freaked out the enemy however wasn't simply the intimidating sight of hundreds of Knights marching out onto the battlefield, but rather their size being four times larger than a human.

The Knights suddenly broke off into full sprints, despite the gear they had on, and had moved to take up defensive positions throughout Whitebeard's Pirate forces. With towering great shields, the hulking Knights shielded their comrades from the gun and cannon fire and started slowly advancing forward.

"ALL RIGHT!"

"IT'S THE PALADINS OF EDEN!"

Whitebeard's allies cheered as the infamous Paladins warded off the attacks from the ramparts using their seemingly impenetrable armor and sheer size. Whitebeard's forces regrouped into smaller teams and made sure to keep behind the Paladins as they marched toward the rampart walls.

And, emerging from the front of the ranks of the Allied Forces, was Gawain, Lancelot, Jozu and Marco who all openly charged toward the enemy. None of them seemed to be affected whatsoever by the cannons, machine guns or anything else the World Government forces could put out with Gawain himself not even bothering to ward off the attacks at all.

"Oi, gotta admit that your Knights are pretty damn impressive," Marco grinned as he tore through a squad of Marines.

"Yeah, that armor you guys make is pretty tough," Jozu added as a Soldier unloaded a full clip from his assault rifle only for it all to bounce off and harm his comrades instead. "Of course, I still have the best defence!"

"Of course you do, you're a Diamond Man," Gawain laughed as he ran through a Captain with his blade. "I doubt anyone is getting past that!"

"Even so, we should not let our guards down," Lancelot chimed in as he motioned toward something that made the ground begin to shake.

"Well now, they're sending in the big boys," Marco chuckled before taking to the skies. "Let's see how this goes!"

From the back line, a squad of Giants started charging toward the group who all adopted defensive stances. Just as the Giants were about to reach their position a blue blur shot past all of them and slammed into the lead Giant's face, blasting his head into paste.

"WHAT THE HELL!?"

"SOMEONE JUST KILLED THE VICE ADMIRAL IN A SINGLE HIT!"

"WHO WAS IT!?"

All the other Giants stopped in place and looked toward their fallen comrade as Mordred appeared atop his corpse with her entire armored body coated in blood.

"THAT'S THE SERVANT OF NATSU DRAGNEEL AND CHILD OF ARTORIA PENDRAGON, MORDRED!"

"Well, at least you assholes got the order right," Mordred laughed before vanishing and reappearing next to Gawain and Lancelot.

"The hell are you doing here Mordred, you said you'd be keeping an eye on Ritsuka and Mash," Lancelot snapped only for Mordred to wave him off.

"Tristan is with them, plus I'm more useful on the front lines than in the back anyway. You both know that."

"She's right Lancelot," Gawain admitted with a sigh. "But still, you shouldn't just change your mind so suddenly …"

"And you don't? Remember that one time-!"

"Not now Mordred," Gawain suddenly snapped as he lightly punched her helmet. "I can't afford to be shitty at a time like this!"

"YOU'RE ALL GONNA PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO THE VICE ADMIRAL," one of the Giants roared as they came charging toward the group.

"Idiots," Lancelot sniffed as he looked over toward Jozu and Marco. "You guys want to deal with this one, or can I?"

"You can, we'll go on ahead and try to break through their ranks," Marco replied as he and Jozu shot past the Giants who clearly had zero interest in them.

"You go too Gawain, out of all of us you can take more hits than anyone."

"True. I'll see you both soon," Gawain nodded before taking off after the others.

"Alright Mordred, how many do you want?"

"I'll take at least half, surely?"

"Half? You assume I won't have killed them all by the time you get a chance to even consider moving?"

"HUH!? Are you calling me slow!?"

"Gee, I can't remember if I was," Lancelot replied mockingly prompting Mordred to clench her armoured fist.

"That's it! Whoever takes out the least has to buy the other enough booze to get hammered and being Servants that'll be a fat tab!"

"Deal," Lancelot laughed as he entered an offensive stance. "No offense Mordred, but even with all this extra power you've managed to gain it won't be enough to match me!"

"We're taking you both down in the name of Justice," one of the Giants roared as the group inched closer and closer.

"Yeah, don't take us so light-!"

The Giant who spoke was suddenly screaming as both Lancelot and Mordred vanished, reappearing with their blades sunk deep into the Giant's eyes. Purple and Blue explosions rocked the skull of the Giant, killing it instantly as the duo landed on the icy ground coated in blood.

"That's one to me," both snapped at the same time before butting heads.

"HUH!? You must be blind Lancelot; I totally blew his brains out!"

"No, you didn't! I sliced its brain apart first!"

"Oh yeah, well I'll be the first to take out the next one!"

"As if," Lancelot snapped back as the two set their sights on the remaining Giants who all took a step back in fear.

It would not end well for them.

/Meanwhile – With Natsu, Luffy And The Escapees/

"The shaking finally stopped," Luffy sighed as he slid out from under one of Natsu's scales. "What the hell was that anyway?"

"I can think of one thing," Crocodile replied as he took a drag of his cigar. "I doubt there are many others who could shake the foundations of the world itself like that man could."

"I agree," Jimbei nodded as he looked out over the horizon. "There's little doubt that it was old man Whitebeard who did that."

"Whoa! You mean the guy who Ace works for did all that!?"

"It was him," Natsu's voice rumbled which startled some of the other prisoners who could literally 'feel' the vibrations of his voice beneath his scales. "I've been watching Marineford for a little while now, the war has begun."

"No …"

"It isn't your fault Jimbei, you did all you could."

"I should have just joined up with the old man when I had the chance-!"

"And do what, exactly? Yes, you suffered in Impel Down because you defied the call to arms against your friend. But consider that had you joined up with Whitebeard you would have never had the chance to speak to Ace like you did, to offer him comfort in what he thought were his last waking days."

"…"

"You were there for him Jimbei when he truly needed someone. Even if he was taken from Impel Down before we could save him, he still had you there to give him some comfort."

"That's true …"

"Besides, we're coming to aid Whitebeard with a significant force. I would call that a win, wouldn't you?"

"You're right Natsu," Jimbei nodded solemly. "Though it pains me to know that I was unable to prevent this senseless war, I can take heart knowing that so many are coming together to help save Ace."

"Quite a large number, to be more specific. The Servant State Of Eden have heeded Whitebeard's call to arms and are attacking alongside him."

"Well, that's certainly going to shake the World Government up," Ivankov muttered quietly. "They fear Dragon and the Revolutionary Army by itself, yet those two teaming up …"

"Servants alone would shake them up," Crocodile noted as he held out his hand. "Just one Servant is worth more than a small army, let alone an entire faction of them. Whitebeard lucked out getting their support."

"It is said that they possess powerful armies capable of legendary feats," Jimbei continued. "I wonder how much of their forces they've committed?"

"A sizeable force, to be sure," Natsu replied as he flapped his mighty wings once more to stay aloft. "There are almost half a million people centred around Marineford right now, so do with that information what you will."

"That's insane!"

"The World Government is desperate to see him dead," Crocodile noted curiously. "I wonder if its to stick it to Whitebeard and show the world they aren't to be messed with, or if there's other motives?"

"Who knows," Ivankov replied with a shrug. "They gave Dragon the highest bounty even though the Four Emperors arguably control as much territory as him, they just aren't directly against the Government like he is."

"All of you, we've got a situation," Natsu said suddenly as all chatter ceased, the sound of wingbeats being the only thing piercing through the tense silence. "Something is coming from Marineford, in our direction."

"They know we're coming," Jimbei asked confusedly. "But how, we destroyed Impel Down?"

"Casters most likely," Crocodile sniffed in response. "From what I've read, most Casters are good at scrying people from far off in order to glean information."

"Is that what's headed our way Natsu, a Servant!?"

"No," was the rumbling reply to Luffy's question as they slowly began to ascend toward the clouds. "This is something different, something alive and yet …"

A horrific screeching roar sound had everyone covering their ears, the sound so bad that some of the prisoners started bleeding from there not even several seconds afterward.

"The hell was that!?"

"The company we were expecting," Crocodile growled as he pointed out toward the vast sea of clouds … and the huge Black Ebony wings that were piercing them.

Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!