One Story Ends; Another Begins
Nobody knew just how the Marines caught Straw Hat. The information had been deemed "classified", as if the government didn't want people to know how it happened. But in the end, it ultimately didn't matter; the fact remained that the man was now in Marine custody.
Vice-Admiral Smoker strode down the halls of the prison. There had been debate on where to execute him, and it was quickly settled on Marine HQ in New Marineford, which was the most defensible position. It was reminiscent of Roger's execution, a fact that was no lost on anyone. Fears had been abounding of a repeat of the Whitebeard War, where a swarm of pirates and allies would come to Straw Hat's defense, and yet there were no reports of increased activity anywhere in the world, and no signs of any pirate ships on the horizon. Nonetheless, the waters surrounding HQ were filled to the brim with just about every vessel the Marines could spare.
Eventually, Smoker came to the cell Straw Hat was in, the man's form unclear through the shadows. Ironically, he wasn't wearing his iconic hat, as he sat passively in his cell, barely looking up as Smoker arrived. For a moment, Smoker waited for Straw Hat to acknowledge him, but realizing that was pointless, ended up speaking himself.
"It's time," Smoker said, as he took another puff of his cigar.
"Good," Straw Hat answered, as he finally glanced up, "I was starting to get bored." Through the shadows, Smoker couldn't see his face, but could feel the smile on it.
"Any word on the others?" he then asked.
"Don't know, but if they had any sense, they'd be halfway across the world at this point," Smoker answered. Straw Hat just laughed at that slightly, though Smoker couldn't imagine just what was so funny to him.
"Well then, let's get this done," Smoker said. He then gestured to a few other guards that were standing nearby to come and collect the Pirate King.
The march to the execution platform wasn't very far, but to Smoker, it might as well have been miles upon miles, as they walked on, and their destination never seemed to get any closer. Eventually, they came to the platform, staring out over the plaza, which was filled shoulder to shoulder with armed Marines, all with their guns trained out at the sea, for enemies that weren't there. It made Smoker wonder just why no one had shown up; if anything, it seemed like this would call for even more people than the execution of Fire Fist Ace. And yet, no one had come to save the Pirate King; despite himself, memories of Gold Roger leaked into Smoker's mind, and the aftermath of his death certainly hadn't proven a net gain for the Marines. As they arrived, Smoker took note of Fleet Admiral Sakazuki standing there, glaring at them.
"Fleet Admiral," Smoker said respectively, as he saluted him. Sakazuki's glare didn't soften any bit, as he glanced down at Straw Hat, who just grinned defiantly at him.
"Put him on his knees," the Fleet Admiral ordered. The guards did as commanded, forcing Straw Hat to his knees, as the swords were crossed before him.
"With your permission, Fleet Admiral, I would remain here," Smoker said. Sakazuki just grunted his approval, as he folded his arms, and looked back over the plaza. Smoker took up a position on the other side of Straw Hat. Even though there weren't any civilians present at HQ, they were still broadcasting the execution across the world. No doubt the entire world was watching diligently. Some had suggested a fate other than death, but no one in Mary Geoise would hear it; the Celestial Dragons wanted his head to roll, even if they had to chop it off themselves.
"Monkey D. Luffy," Sakazuki then suddenly announced, "For the crimes of piracy, insurrection, and defiance against the World Government, you have been sentenced to death. You have been denied the privilege of last words." Smoker winced at that, even if he wasn't surprised to hear it. But that was when he started to hear the Pirate King starting to laugh. Smoker looked down, just as he looked up.
His face hadn't changed much since the Battle of Laugh Tale. He had some stubble gracing his face, and his features were slightly stronger, but beyond that, one could look at his first wanted poster, and notice little actual difference.
"You'll never find what mattered most to me, so don't bother looking for it," was all Straw Hat said. That's when he finally looked up, showing a massive grin. His glare getting hard, Sakazuki nodded to the executioners, but Smoker knew there was nothing to be done. Once again, this would only be the beginning. All the Vice-Admiral could do was take one more good puff of his cigar, before throwing it to the side.
"Well anyway...," Straw Hat then said. As he said that, the swords came up.
"See ya'," he said. And the swords came down.
And the world shivered...
Straw Hat's death was supposed to be the definitive end, just as Whitebeard's was before that, Gold Roger's before that, and Rock's before even that. But, just like all the others, it wasn't, and now, for the second time in its history, Mary Geoise was on fire.
It had been almost farcical, how quickly word came in of countries across the globe renouncing the World Government's authority and declaring for the Revolutionary Army. Alabasta, Ryugu, Dressrosa, and even countries that weren't under the government's broad authority like Wano and Amazon Lily, rose up against them. And that wasn't even counting the pirate crews that rallied together to avenge their leader.
They all emerged out of the horizon at once, an armada so vast that it seemed to go on forever. The Marines were supposed to hold them at the base of the Red Line, but over half of the fleet deserted. What ships remained were no match for the combined forces of the Grand Line, both Old World and New. How they climbed the Red Line was anyone's guess, but how it happened didn't matter. What mattered was simply the fact that it happened and, and that they had been able to invade the capital. True, the Gods Knights were more than capable as fighters, but they were vastly outnumbered. Nothing could stop the assault, and it became ever more apparent that it was only a matter of time before the World Government, an institution that had existed for centuries, would be no more.
All the while, Imu just watched from a balcony, their cloaked face betraying no emotion as they watched their city burn away. From their perch, they could see almost everything; there were pirates, giants, Fishmen, and even a dragon could be seen hovering overhead, spewing fire over the city. Imu briefly wondered if any of the nobles had escaped; not that they were particularly concerned with them, it was just a novel curiosity. To be frank, Imu always found them rather irritating; if not for the fact that they provided a useful face for the government, Imu probably would've done away with them some time ago. Again, no matter, most of them were probably dead by now anyway.
Curiously enough, reports were that the remaining crew of Straw Hat were conspicuously absent. Perhaps this simply wasn't their revolution. But still, one would think they would have some drive to avenge their captain. Some would say that was a small mercy; it was an amusing word "small mercy".
"Great Imu!" The ruler of the world looked behind them, to see Saint Shepard Ju Peter of the Five Elders leaning on the entry way, holding his side. His suit was torn, and his face bloodied; in a way, it was kind of amusing, seeing one of the men who prided himself on such order in such a disheveled fashion.
"The rebels have taken the Southern district," Ju Peter said, wiping the side of his mouth, which had some blood leaking from it, "We should be able to hold them before they reach the castle, though."
"Hmm," Imu answered, as they turned back to look at the city, "And the others?"
"I… haven't seen them since the battle began," Ju Peter answered, "To be honest, I fear the worst at this point." As always, Imu betrayed no reaction, as they resumed staring out at the raging battle.
"You… You should evacuate," the Elder said slowly.
"Come again?" Imu asked, finally turning slightly.
"I… I was just saying you should evacuate," Ju Peter answered, "This way there may yet be continuity, and the Government can endure."
"Evacuate?" Imu answered, their eyes narrowing under their cloak, fulling turning to face their enactor, "This has been the seat of power in the world for generations upon generations, and you want us to leave it?"
"Many of the other nobles have evacuated, and like I said, if we are to maintain continuity of governance, you must be protected," Ju Peter said, "If you go now, then maybe…" He suddenly stopped talking, as water seemed to manifest around his head.
"Oh, my dear Elder," Imu said coolly, "You talk as if this place is just some other insignificant city from below, which can be abandoned at a whim. But this is a city of gods; it cannot be abandoned. It mustn't be abandoned, even if it is falling apart at the seams." With that, they clenched their fist, as the water compressed into a ball, ironically resembling the bubble helmets the Celestial Dragons would wear to keep their own personal air safe. It was a sentiment Imu always found rather ridiculous, but they always indulged it, the way a parent would indulge the odd quirks in their children.
"As such, tis better to die defending the city, then to live fleeing it," Imu declared, "And I fully intend on you following by such a mantra." Ju Peter struggled against it, clawing at his throat, and trying to escape, but it was all in vain. He succumbed to the lack of oxygen and collapsed to the ground. It was a suitable punishment for such treasonous words.
"I think you for your years of service," Imu said coldly, as they stepped over Ju Peter's body, "You were indispensable." With that, they started making their day down the hall.
Even as the sounds of battle got ever closer, and the very foundations of the palace trembled, Imu didn't break their stride, and soon found themselves in their garden. In the past, Imu would come into this garden to enjoy the atmosphere and savor the company of the butterflies. It was always calming to them and provided much needed reprieves in otherwise stressful days.
As they approached the center of the room, the floor opened up, as a metal panel rose out of the floor. At the top of the panel was a button. Imu looked down at it for a time, as their gaze briefly shifted towards the garden skylights. The explosions and the cries were now far closer, as the flames and smoke danced across the glass.
No, it would not end like this. Imu would not allow this... rabble to know they had won; if the world was to end, it would do so on Imu's terms, and no one else's. Imu knew that the world would burn after what they were about to do, but as far as they were concerned, let it burn. Let the rebels reap the fruit of their "freedom"; let them see the price of the chaos they were about to unleash upon this world.
"They will not have this day," Imu declared. With that, they pushed the button.
"They will have no day..."
And the world shook…
(six years later)
With the fall of Mary Geoise, the Great Pirate Era had ended, and a new era began. Nobody knew what to make of it, let alone just what to call it; all they could discern, was that it was an age of chaos. The World Government was no more, and it had been no more for over half a decade at this point. Its tyranny may have been gone, but its place had been taken with near constant war, and people did what they could only do at this point: adapt.
Far away from all this chaos were the Conomi Islands, and on one of the islands, right next to the water, sat a small boy named Dris. He had spiky orange hair and was wearing a red t-shirt with jeans. His legs were dangling over the edge, just above the water, as he stared out over the ocean; in the bright, summer morning, it could be hard to discern where the ocean ended, and the sky began.
Sitting on a table behind him was the boy's mother. She was wearing blue jeans with a yellow top, her long orange hair tied into a bun, and a straw hat with a red band atop her head. She was making drawings on a piece of paper, drawings Dris was currently too young to understand.
"Hey Mommy!" Dris said, getting his mother's attention.
"Yes, Sweetie?" she answered, not looking up from her work.
"What kind of cloud is that?" Dris asked, pointing. His mother looked up, to see the particular cloud he was pointing at.
"That's a cumulus cloud," she said, going back to her work.
"Does that mean it's going to rain?" Dris asked, looking at his mother, pouting slightly. He didn't like the rain, because it meant he couldn't play outside.
"Oh no," his mother answered, shaking her head, "Those are cumulonimbus clouds. I don't think we'll see one of those for a while."
"Cumu... Cumo... Culo," her son grumbled, as he tried to pronounce the complicated word, making the mother chuckle slightly. Setting her quill down, she got up from her seat, sat beside her son, placing him in her lap.
"Don't worry," she said, "I'll make sure you'll get it someday." Dris giggled slightly as he leaned into his mother's embrace. As he did, he looked up at her, taking a good look at the hat gracing the top of her head. He'd always wondered about it, but never got around to actually asking about it.
"Hey Mommy, where'd you get that hat?" Dris asked. She leaned her chin on his head, while tightening her hold on him.
"I got it from your father," she said softly. The boy knew that his father was a touchy subject for his mother, even though there was still so much he wanted to know about him. Deciding this may be the best and only chance he'd get, Dris decided to take the plunge, and try to learn something more about his father.
"What was Daddy like?" he asked. At that, he felt his mother tense up, and her already close hold grow tighter.
"He was... my best friend," was all his mother said. Dris looked up at his mother, to see her eyes getting teary.
"Mommy, are you crying?" Dris asked. He didn't like seeing his mother crying.
"No, it's fine," she said, as she quickly wiped her eyes, "Just a little dust." She then put her arms around her son, and leaned her chin on his head, as she joined him in staring out at sea.
"He took me on the greatest adventure I ever had," she continued, "One that gave me more than I ever thought I wanted."
"Where did you go?" Dris asked.
"Where didn't I go may be a better question," his mother answered with a laugh. She then squeezed her son's flanks slightly, making him laugh and squirm in her arms.
"One day, you'll go on an adventure of your own," she said, looking down at him, "And you'll make all sorts of great friends of your own. Maybe you'll even have kids of your own one day."
"Blech!" Dris said, sticking out his tongue in disgust, which made his mother chuckle again. She looked back to the horizon, and the endless oceans that she had charted. But that wasn't really she was looking at; she was looking at something, or more accurately someone, or even more accurately, a certain group of someones. People that she hoped one day her son would be able to meet.
"One day," she muttered softly, as she kissed her son on the top the head, "One day."
And the world waited…
Note: I know I said this in the summary, but I'm going to reiterate it here: this is NOT going to be a harem fanfic, even though it's going to seem like such a story.
Anyway, it's been a long while since I last did a One Piece fanfic, and with all the One Piece material available right now, between the manga, the anime, and the Netflix show, it was an itch that needed scratching.
Obviously, this chapter doesn't go into too much detail, but I hope it at least sets the stage for the story. More will definitely be revealed next chapter, and things will hopefully take from there. The things to take away from this are basically the WG has fallen, but it wasn't a victory for the Revolutionaries either. Now the world has been plunged into chaos, and no one knows what'll happen. Again, I'll go into more detail as we go on; this is just a prologue, after all.
Be sure to leave a comment.