Here is the nineteenth chapter in this story released in accordance with my upload schedule for this story. The hour of Ace's execution is almost at hand and everyone is in position as Sengoku shocks the world with the truth of Ace's parentage. Now all there is to do is wait for Whitebeard to arrive and make his move. That is all that I have for the administrative stuff I have for y'all and while there are no questions there are two guest reviews that needs a response and a notification to make so I will do that now. Do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate.
To KGBeastboy (Guest), as always thank you for your reviews, support and suggestions and I will address them now. In terms of who gets the spears, I agree that Gungnir as the clear strongest should go to Spear herself and your point on Fiona solidifies why I was leaning towards her getting Gáe Bulg with some amusement when she gets them. As for Joanna, you make some good points on why she and not May should get Birgha, which I will consider when the time comes though I may still give her the fourth one I've created for it depending on which fits best. That fourth spear has a name, style based off something in the real world, and an animal that is fitting to the origin of the spear's style and the name I've given it but you will have to wait and see what it is. In terms of designs, I'll take into account your suggestions and see if they work as I don't really have a mental image for Birgha at the moment though Gungnir is a famous one with a few styles out there though a more axe like blade is fitting for Spear's own style and I'm likely going to go for a sea king bone shaft for Gáe Bulg as a way to pay homage to its inspiration. Still, any suggestions are useful and I will see what works and what doesn't when the time comes. As for Nagant knowing or not knowing about Inanimate Zoan Users, that I'm not sure about yet as a lot will factor in on whether or not Nagant knows Spandam and how long he's had Funkfreed as we don't really know how long ago Vegapunk figured out how to make an inanimate object eat a Zoan type Devil Fruit. That said, your suggestion for how they find them is rather interesting and I'll see if it works better than what I have for the raid on the marine ship though that raid is not for Devil Fruits per se, it will be because Nagant realizes that it has something valuable due to her Navy knowledge and orders the attack to secure it and see how her new crew works together. It's one I've got well planned out though the cages idea is new and I'll think on it and see if it works better, it might and could add to some things I have planned so thanks for another thing to enjoy thinking about. In terms of the Revolutionary Army suggestions, they're not bad and I really need to get back into Vigilante and finish it so I will address them now. The trio from Vigilante works well and give them something to focus on especially with Knuckleduster's connections to All for One and it does broaden the Revolutionary Army somewhat so I don't see any reason not to add them. In terms of Koichi's Devil Fruit, I'll think on it as his Quirk may be a bit hard to adapt though I'll know more once I get back into it and finish the series but Kazuho's works fine and does fit a bit with what the Revolutionary Army does. As for the Diamond trio, I can see them being a part of it as well and bridging a gap between them and the Black Bulls given Fanzell's ties to Asta. All of this will likely be addressed during the Black Bulls' time skip arc and while editing this chapter I got a good idea for all of this which works better than my original plan so this suggestion really helped there. In terms of powers, I agree that Fanzell shouldn't have a Devil Fruit and just focus on sword fighting though similar to how Kinemon can cut/generate fire, Fanzell has a similar skill set with wind to adapt his powers best. Dominate does fit more of the support and gear role and as we don't know her magic at all I can't begin to adapt a Devil Fruit for her so this works though she will have other ties as well as the Revolutionary Army. As for Mariella, she does want out of the assassin life that work so being a stealth trainer who can also teach quick killing methods when they have no other options works for her though her recruitment by Fanzell may not come until the time skip arc. In regards to her Devil Fruit, I will think on it and check that list. Unfortunately, ice is one of the most common powers along with fire so adapting it into One Piece can be tricky and I have to prioritize who gets what. That said, this isn't a Mythical Zoan power so it's easier to work in for someone like Mariella. Regardless, she'll have cold weather training and experience to accommodate her adaptation. All this has given me a lot to consider so thank you and do keep reading and enjoying my work.
To GUEST (Guest), things are being hyped up and the war is at hand. Your list of what you want to see will be shown in time and a good thing to reference for the order as preparing and planning this arc is going to take some time. All but one of those moments will be seen with focus on how the Night Pirates react and don't worry, Tatsumi will focus on Luffy and the ramifications of the war and their interactions will be felt come the post time skip arcs. The only one that won't be shown is the first one, Ace being Roger's son. When I was preparing this chapter I realized that Sengoku's declaration came before the Whitebeard Fleet arrived so they wouldn't have heard of it and as such it can't be seen. Still it will be in the papers in the aftermath so that will be where the Night Pirates learn of it so that will be where their reactions are. Otherwise the other points should be seen. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.
Anyway, that is enough for this long pre-chapter note so sit back and enjoy the nineteenth chapter in The Ultimate Worst Generation.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these great franchises.
Chapter 19: Declaration of War
The wind seemed to die down as the flags stopped flapping and silence descended over Marineford. There was still a few hours to go before the scheduled execution but you could feel the palpable tension in the air as already everything and everyone was in place at the heart of the Navy's power.
Portgas D. Ace was kneeling and shackled to the top of the scaffold behind the plaza, sea prism stone cuffs ensuring that when the executioners stabbed him he'd be killed, and above everyone so that all could see what was about to happen. Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood next to him tall and proud awaiting what was to come and the 5 Admirals, other than Vice Admiral Garp the best warriors that the Navy had to offer, were seated at the base for the scaffold in a display of might.
In the center sat Akainu with Aokiji on the left and Kizaru on the right. Next to Aokiji sat the sole female Admiral, Shirokami, while at the other end sat Guresai. All 5 were ready for conflict, their presence calmed the gathered mass of marines as they sat there with stern, serious looks. Well for the most part they did as Shirokami couldn't really calm anyone at the best of times and her battle lust was palpable for all to feel but at least she was on their side and if what they expected to happen happened they'd need it.
So far there had been no sign of an attack but that didn't meant that it wasn't coming. The moment that the Navy announced Ace's execution everyone knew that there would be a war because there was no way that Whitebeard would let the Navy execute his second division commander and adoptive son. It was a calculated move on the Navy's part and why they had gathered almost 100,000 marines in Marineford for the coming conflict.
Many were top tier marines ready to fight whatever Whitebeard had to offer though there were a few notable absences. Shirokami's personal squad, the Jaegers, for example, had been left in the New World with orders to act should things devolve, though Guresai's Ace Ops were present under Vice Admiral Winter and stationed in the main block of marines. Similarly some of the top Vice Admirals like Enji, Arcadios, Lotus, and Tsunagu were absent.
While the Navy surely needed their power, Sengoku had opted to keep them in various hotspots around the world that could descend into chaos should the Navy lose so they needed contingency plans. After all, this was Whitebeard, only the third person to ever achieve a bounty of over 5 billion berries and the top Emperor of the Sea, even at his age he could kill an Admiral or Sengoku himself and just one lost Admiral would be a major blow to the Navy's power.
Naturally were plenty of plans to deal with and either capture or kill Whitebeard before he could inflict too much damage to the Navy. Hell the public nature of this execution was an attempt to do just that as it allowed them to meet the world's strongest man with their full might, but Sengoku had other contingencies just in case.
To add to all of this, and make it clear that the Navy was doing the right thing today, Sengoku had publicly announced Ace's true linage as the son of Gol D. Roger, the King of the Pirates. Ace may have foresworn that connection and publicly claimed that Whitebeard was his father just as everyone in hi crew did but the blood of the worst criminal in history ran through his veins and that had to be made known before he was executed.
Naturally such a revelation had caused a stir, especially as it had only been a few moments prior, but now it had died down and the anticipation was thick in the air. Even the concerning report that the control room couldn't be contacted had been pushed to the back burner as the hour drew near and the inevitable approached.
"It's so quiet." Hancock said from the ledge overlooking the harbor where the 11 Warlords had been stationed for the coming battle, well the 9 Warlords who'd shown up that is. "Especially after what was just revealed."
"Yeah you could cut the tension with a knife." Doflamingo said licking his lips eager for the bloodshed to come. "Come on already, let's get this started. I'm hungry for some slaughter."
"It's coming." Dante said an evil grin breaking across his face as what looked like fog clouds gathered on the horizon. "I can feel the malice in the air, it's delicious. Alright Whitebeard, show me some new types of malice and remind me what being human means."
"Power is gathering and coming as we expected." Ivan said grinning as well. "I wonder what we'll see."
"It's a little early, I'd have liked another few minutes to truly heighten the stress of the situation." Rikiya added blotches appearing on his forehead. "But the fog is a nice touch, we can't see who's in it so I'm getting really stressed now."
No one else spoke at that as the fog bank got bigger and bigger. It clearly wasn't natural though what was causing it was unknown and frankly no one cared as they were more concerned with the sudden arrival of the fog rather than what was making it. The main issue was that the fog was blocking out the view of the horizon and could be used to hide the number of ships that could now be approaching Marineford so the spotters were on their telescopes scanning the fog for incoming enemy ships.
It didn't take long for the expected ships to be start emerging in the fog. First one and then more began to appear sailing in formation towards Marineford, an eclectic array of styles, sizes, flags, and jolly rogers indicating just what they'd expected and the marine on lookout sounded the alarm right away.
"Their here! Ready battle stations!"
The cry came out over a speaker as sirens blared while the canons on the walls of the harbor and the battleships stationed before it moved into position. As they did the whole fleet began to come into view to the naked eye, a mass of silhouetted pirate ships, almost 4 dozen of them, that appeared out of nowhere. They'd snuck past the Navy's attempts to blockade them and were now bearing down on Marineford.
Steadily the ships came into view, one of them towering over the others at the back of the formation, and as they did the jolly rogers became clear and the Captains of the ships could be identified through a telescope as they stood at the fore of their ships all grinning and prepared for battle. They were looking for Whitebeard of course but they couldn't see him. Regardless what they could see was more than bad enough as quickly they were identifying the infamous Captains who were present.
There was Bohemian Knight Doma, Thunder Lord McGuy, the DeCalvan Brothers, Whirl Spider Squard, Ice Witch Whitey Bay, and many others all of whom were notorious pirates. In short the marines on lookout counted 43 ships all from the New World with infamous Captains and all were sworn allies to Whitebeard. This was not good and to top it all off Whitebeard and his commanders were still not present.
"Hang on." The marine on lookout duty said as he scanned the ships while listing the various Captains so that the top brass knew who they were up against and noted that there was one that looked odd and out of place. "Is that one of ours? It looks like a battleship."
"What?" The other marine with him who was relaying the identifications to the command center and thus onto Sengoku asked looking out to the approaching ships. "Where?"
"It's at the end and slightly off the formation but it's got the shape and guns of a battleship only it's painted jet black." The marine on the telescope said as he looked at it. "Yeah and it's got a jolly roger flying so it's got to be part of the Whitebeard Fleet but the latest intel on him didn't mention that he had an ally with a battleship. Even Oars Jr. doesn't have a battleship, we can see his ship from here."
"A battleship that's black?" The other marine asked a sinking feeling in his stomach. "Focus on it, if it's what I think it is we need to tell Sengoku right away but not advertise that it's present because if I'm right our patience will be ruined. What's the jolly roger?"
"Huh well it looks like a Celestial Dragon's head in the bubbles they wear when not in Mariejois only just the skull with a katana and a straight sword for bones that piercing it and a spear thrust up through it from the bottom though the hair styling they all seem to have is still in place." The telescope marine said which confirmed to his partner who that ship belonged to but the spotter kept talking and quashed all doubts. "That's ominous. Wait, the front gun emplacement has been removed and replaced with an owl figurehead and behind it is a woman who's got to be the Captain. One sec…"
The marine on the telescope trailed off as he focused on the figure standing at the prow of the ship just like many of the other Captains were. He had to take a good look at her, and his focus was such that he didn't notice the rest of her crew besides and behind her, as he thoroughly analyzed the woman.
Despite the masculine vibe, the person was clearly a woman in her mid to late 20s with short, choppy silver hair, a black eye patch over her right eye and a black cigarette in her mouth. She wore a simply black suit with an elaborate center over her above average bust and a black coat draped over her shoulders like a cloak similar to a marine officer's coat. In fact it looked exactly like a marine officer's coat only dyed entirely black and without any frills. To top it all off, the woman either had green armor over her right arm or a full prosthetic there.
Even without the arm the marine on spotting duty would have recognized her. After all, her face was on numerous wanted posters with a bounty of 289 million berries but beyond that she was known to every marine. The Navy made sure their greatest traitors were well known so that they could be brought to justice and this woman was up there with some of the worst in the Navy's history.
"It's her, the former Vice Admiral." The telescope marine said as he noted the woman was flanked by her two highest bountied subordinates along with a few others on her notably bloodthirsty crew behind her while his partner relayed the news to the command center with explicit orders that only the Fleet Admiral be informed of this particular crew. "Najenda, she's returned to Marineford."
"Marineford should be in sight soon." Najenda said as she stood at the prow of her ship, the wind lightly flapping her coat as she looked out with her one eye over through the mist and towards where she knew Marineford was. "Mine will have the first visual from her hide but we'll see it soon as well. It's not hard to miss."
Flanking Najenda was Akame and Tatsumi with Leone, Bulat, Sheele, and Lubbock behind them while Su stood at the helm in the rear completing the portion of the crew that was on deck for the arrival at Marineford. While the crew had no first mate, Akame served in the role by default due to her skills and experience but ever since Tatsumi joined his influence, charisma, and abilities had allowed him to rise to a similar position of trust and authority within the crew. The fact that both of them were also Super Rookies with bounties well over 200 million and there really wasn't any doubt that they should be there.
True Lubbock had been with Najenda the longest, mainly because he was deeply in love with her and had sworn to always follow her, but even he'd admit that he wasn't suited to being her deputy while both Bulat and Su were more soldiers and bodyguards given their backgrounds and natures. Mine was a skilled sniper but that didn't transition well to leadership, nor did her attitude, Chelsea's work necessitated that she stay in the shadows so much so that she didn't have a wanted poster, Leone was a skilled fighter but not serious enough for leadership, and Sheele was a total airhead when not in combat.
As such a lot of the deputy work, at least what couldn't be covered by a quartermaster, had ended up falling to Akame and Tatsumi almost by default but none of the crew could deny the impact that Tatsumi had had. He just made them better, more focused, and stronger as a whole, and no one really knew why. They were all skilled and good at what they did but it hadn't been until Tatsumi joined and had accepted that his hometown and all the people he knew there were gone that they'd become a true crew. They all still had their own reasons for fighting the Navy but their bonds were much stronger these days.
Today would be the truest test of that, their greatest moment of combat as they allied with Whitebeard and his fleet to attack Marineford. Naturally they had their own separate agenda that the attack would facilitate, Chelsea was already in one of the crows nests out of sight and ready to use her Devil Fruit the moment the chaos began to sneak into Marineford and begin gathering intel while everyone was distracted, but they couldn't achieve it without Whitebeard's attack so the alliance was mutually beneficial.
"A return home for some of you then." Tatsumi said simply, a slight frown on his lips as he stood there wearing only a loose, white, unzipped jacket and ragged shorts as he knew he'd need to transform at some point so there was no point in wearing his usual outfit though his sword was strapped to his back. "Few of us can relate."
"This is no longer home for me so in a sense I am like the rest of the crew." Najenda replied no emotion for Marineford in her tone while Bulat and Lubbock nodded as neither saw it as home either, Lubbock because to him home was wherever he was with Najenda and Bulat had defected when he saw the rot in the World Government that had led to Liver's arrest. "It's high time it was torn down and exposed for what it really is, a tool of oppression. Today is the best shot in 20 years to do so. Not since the rampage of Shiki the Golden Lion has there been such a threat to Marineford. It's time they learned that their power is not absolute and that their corruption cannot remain hidden."
"Do you think we will be able to expose it though?" Tatsumi asked. "Even with the coming war that's going to be hard."
"I am sure that we can manage it but a lot rides on Chelsea." Najenda said though she had full faith in Chelsea's abilities to at least get them information that would damage the Navy. "Thanks to that little raid we did just before Sabaody we got our hands on Vegapunk's latest prototype transponder snail and she's got it in as do I so I can give her orders so don't worry about that. It also means that I can use a normal transponder snail to direct Mine and thus properly coordinate those two aspects of the mission. Your sole goal is to cause as much death and destruction during the coming battle. Make sure the Navy knows that the cost of this war will be paid in their blood."
"Any who blindly follow the orders of the World Nobles are as complicit as they are in their crimes so I will lay them to rest in pieces." Akame said her left hand on the hilt of Murasame which as sheathed at her left hip. "We've memorized the list of good marines but some of them they will be there as there's no way that someone like Vice Admiral Garp isn't here. What should we do if we face them?"
"If you cross paths with a good marine then you are to wound to incapacitate and make it clear that they're spared because they are what the marines should be, not what they've become." Najenda said as they reached the end of the fogbank and the silhouette of Marineford could be seen in the distance. "When the World Government does fall those are the people who will be needed to rebuild and run the Navy the way it is supposed to be run. Looks like we're here. Su, remember the plan and maintain speed within the formation."
"Of course." Su said from the helm.
The plan was a simple one and had been explained to them by Whitey Bay as they sailed to the rendezvous point and then onto Marineford over the last few days. The gathered Whitebeard Fleet, all 43 allied subordinate crews, would amass at the point bit by bit along with the Night Pirates who would make up the 44th ship and then sail from there to Marineford on the day of Ace's execution several hours before said execution so that they were in place a few hours before it was scheduled to happen. That way they'd be there with time to spare and after Ace had been led to the scaffold.
How they'd gathered and the means by which they'd approach without being noticed were not divulged to Najenda. They couldn't risk that intel getting out, and besides, she was after all not suborning herself and her crew to Whitebeard but lending their aid, power, and willingness to kill marines to Whitebeard's cause because their interests aligned so she wasn't privy to any of the Fleet's secrets.
Normally this wouldn't be allowed but Najenda's in depth knowledge of Marineford and the workings of the marines ensured that she had enough use to join up. After all, she had been an Admiral candidate 4 years ago when the last vacancy appeared and was one of the highest ranked defectors in the Navy's history,
That did mean that their ship would be on the far flank and they'd have to find their own way to the battlefield, along with following the general plan and doing what they could to free Ace, but Najenda was more than fine with that. Their goal was to do damage to the Navy and World Government anyway that they could so they would follow the plan and lend aid as it ensured that their true aims were met as well.
That included being part of the Whitebeard Fleet that would be the first thing the Navy saw when the attack came. The whole planned hinged on getting Whitebeard and his commanders in place and so it would be the Fleet that appeared first and then the old man would make his arrival. Only when Whitebeard gave the order would the attack come and the Night Pirates had to wait for that as well. That was fine with them, they were facing a massive marine force so they had to attack it en mass anyway.
"The time is almost upon us." Najenda said quietly as the ship kept moving forward at the same pace as the other ships in the Fleet. "Let's see what Whitebeard does. One thing is certain, this will be one hell of an entrance."
The others with her just nodded and prepared themselves. Most would be going in to fight on the frontlines of this war so they had to be ready for when the order was given and just stood watching the harbor as the moment of Whitebeard's arrival drew ever closer.
"Now this is fun! Just what I came for!" Doflamingo said with a laugh as the ships approached now visible to the naked eye though their flags weren't. "Come on, I'm eager for war! My desire for battle in insatiable so feed me Whitebeard."
"Yes show me your malice in all its forms." Dante said just as eager as Doflamingo for the coming battle. "I'm so glad that I accepted this position, this alone makes being a Warlord worthwhile."
"This is just the cost of doing business, as a member of this board I will do my job." Rikiya said as he made sure his tie was straight the blotches on his forehead growing. "Still, the fact that Whitebeard isn't out there, well that just adds another level to the stress of the situation which is good for me."
"I smell thieves." Sienna said licking her lips. "Good, I'll make sure that they pay for their crimes."
"There will be some good bodies and powerful shadows ripe for the taking today." Moria added while Kuma, Mihawk, Hancock, and even Ivan remained silent. "I can't wait to get my hands on them."
In fact no one else spoke as they waited with baited breath to see what came next. The Whitebeard Fleet was approaching, the size of which was now clear for all to see though as of yet the Night Pirates either hadn't been identified, or their presence hadn't been relayed to the Admirals at least though Sengoku was aware of them and was already bracing for when Shirokami realized it as well. Just so long as she didn't learn of them before Whitebeard appeared it should be fine as Shirokami might react if she saw them and the Navy couldn't afford to break formation right now.
That moment was about to come as there was suddenly a small plopping sound and a bubble burst in the still water of the crescent shaped harbor. There was only one thing that could make it and with a bead of sweat running down his face Sengoku said what all were thinking his jaw clenched.
"It's him."
"So that's how he plans on showing up." Najenda said as ripples appeared in the center of the harbor that all could see before the center of them started to froth. "Not a bad plan actually, if there is one thing the Navy has always neglected it's this."
"What do you mean?" Tatsumi asked as there was a burst from the harbor. "What have…oh."
"The Navy has no need for coated ships because they have so many ships, all of which follow a specific design depending on what class it is, that they just make them on both sides of the Red Line." Bulat said as the first ship, a large pirate ship with a white whale figure head erupted from the water encased in a bubble coating and soared into the air before it landed in the harbor facing Marineford with enough force to send small waves crashing into the walls of the harbor. "They have a few subs but that's about it. As such the easiest way to launch a surprise attack is to coat their ships and attack from underwater. The only challenge is finding the harbor but this is Whitebeard, that's not an issue for him."
"I can see that." Tatsumi said as the ship settled on the now choppy waters of the harbor and the coating fell off the Moby Dick for it was clear that the ship was Whitebeard's distinctive flagship. "But why not prepare for it in advance by coating a few ships of their own and having them under the harbor or even have an alert via fish-men or merfolk?"
"Because that's not how the Navy things, they are too rigid to anticipate surprises like this, well the upper brass is at least." Najenda said as the sea frothed again before a in short order 3 more ships appeared from the water one after another to face all 4 cardinal directions though these were a bit smaller and had a blue not white whale figurehead. "They don't even bother coating ships; they just go over the Red Line and station ships in the area where ships leaving Fish-man Island will surface. Plus there really aren't any fish-men or merfolk in the marines."
"But they have giants." Tatsumi pointed out, they could all see the 6 giants standing in the plaza, as the coating on the other 3 ships fell off and that wasn't including Vice Admiral John Giant who was also present but not visible. "So why not have fish-men and merfolk? I know the World Government is run by bigots but does that extend to the Navy?"
"Not really, just more the whole human supremacy shit has led to the other races not enlisting in the Navy what with the Navy being the tool the World Government uses to keep order." Najenda said as she took a drag from her cigarette a lull falling now that Whitebeard had appeared, his 14 free and alive commanders visible on the deck of the Moby Dick. "Mother Carmel changed that with the giants, at least that's the official story but I learned before I left that it was a whole setup to get giants to enlist as she was a child trafficker before her mysterious disappearance 60 years ago, but the other races almost never join."
"There are a few though." Bulat said. "Commodore Shishido is a lion mink and Rear Admiral Kugo an orca mink but…"
"Hold up, I know I'm from the boonies in the North Blue but I've been brushing up on the various races ever since we entered the Grand Line and I know that minks are fury and have land mammalian appearances." Tatsumi said. "Right? I've heard that there are some faunus that have aquatic traits but the difference between a faunus and a mink or fish-man is that a faunus has a sole animal trait whereas the other two are full bodied. So how can there be an orca mink?"
"Right, there are only two or three known aquatic minks in the world, and two of them are marines, so you'd not have heard of them." Najenda said as they waited for Whitebeard to make his move, the suspense at a fever pitch now that the Moby Dick was in Marineford's harbor. "They're so rare that they haven't been classified yet so some consider them to be a subspecies of mink while others consider them a different race entirely. I believe that they're the latter given what it takes to make an aquatic mink and the various differences between them and normal minks."
"Let me guess they're not pure minks." Tatsumi said. "Mixed race, right?"
"Correct sugar." Bulat said with a flirtatious grin at Tatsumi that Tatsumi ignored, he no longer shuddered at Bulat's flirting, while Akame felt a pang in her chest at it that she didn't fully understand. "An aquatic mink in the scion of a mink and a fishman. Both species will take on the animalistic traits of something in their family trees but when they mate with each other the offspring are always mammalian like a mink, hence the term, but a sea mammal, not fury land mammal. No one knows why that is the case and the only two are Rear Admiral Kugo and Captain Selkie so it's hard to predict."
"Plus they are like fishmen in the sense that they keep certain abilities tied to their animal heritage so Kugo can project hypersonic waves and Selkie can use echolocation like a seal as he's a spotted seal mink." Najenda said. "However they can't use electro like normal minks can nor do they have a Sulong form which lends to the belief that they are a separate race entirely. How both of them ended up in the marines I don't know, or what their background is as the mink population is both small and for the most part isolated to Zou, but they did. I knew both of them in my time though and both are honorable and good marines who are on the do not kill list."
"Then surely they could have been used as scouts." Tatsumi said still trying to understand why the Navy hadn't prepared for an attack from underwater. "After all they can go underwater unless they've eaten a Devil Fruit."
"Neither did in my time and I don't think they ever will given the benefits of being able to swim is part of their strength." Najenda said. "But two scouts for 4 ships isn't going to work as if they're found out they'd be easy to stop. Also, I know that one of Whitebeard's commanders and one of his subordinate Captains are fish-men so there is no doubt that he has allies underwater scouting ahead just in case the Navy did try anything underwater. My guess is that Kugo is in the crowd as he's a strong fighter and Selkie is at sea somewhere ready for what happens afterwards because Sengoku will have stationed marines throughout the world."
"I see." Tatsumi said deferring to his Captain's assessment in this given her personal experience but adding one more question. "And are there any fish-men marines?"
"I knew of a half fish-man, or maybe she was half mermaid I'm not actually sure, but there is at least one marine who's mixed race between a human and one of the undersea races." Najenda said. "Back then she was a Warrant Officer but she's likely an Ensign now. If I remember her name is Sirius and she serves under Selkie. She's likely not here and I know little about her. Anyway, whatever the case is the Navy weren't prepared for this strategy and it's almost time so be ready to move the moment we can."
Tatsumi nodded as he saw for himself that a tall man, well above human height though he was human, carrying a massive naginata and wearing a white coat with a purple jolly roger on the back had climbed up onto the prow of the Moby Dick. There was no question who it was, even from behind Tatsumi and his friends could tell that the man was Whitebeard and silence fell over the harbor once again.
There was a pause and it was clear that Whitebeard was saying something to Sengoku, Mine confirmed this in a whisper over the transponder snail that connected her to Najenda but they couldn't hear from where they were. Between the distance and the slight sounds of the ocean they were out of hearing range but they could see all and it was clear that something was going down between the two old, seasoned, commanders. Suddenly whatever was being said was interrupted by a single, clear, word that all could hear.
"Father!"
The cry came from Fire Fist Ace as he shouted to Whitebeard from the scaffold but it was ignored and frankly the Night Pirates weren't paying attention to it. That was because as Ace shouted, Whitebeard spun his spear in his hand and drove it point first into the top of his figurehead. Then he held his arms out to the side for a second with his palms spread before clenching his fists and bringing them into his chest as he crouched down.
All anyone could do be they marines, pirates, or warlords was watch in silence as Whitebeard held his pose for a moment, his coat flapping in the wind. Then he rose and thrust his arms out to the side, punching the air there with a pair of violent thrusts.
Even from where they were, Tatsumi could hear the sound of the air being hit and see the cracks in the air that emanated from his fists showing the raw power that Whitebeard had. The air around shook and Tatsumi could feel that this was serious and that was before the water suddenly surged to the sides of Marineford and rose as the whole began to shake.
"A seaquake to turn the ocean against the Navy." Najenda said calmly as the shaking got worse and the waters rose on either side of the harbor so that it towered almost as tall as Marineford. "A display of pure power and intent for all to see. Get ready because it has officially begun. With that attack Whitebeard has declared war on the Navy."
I think that's a good place to stop at, a nice little cliffhanger of sorts that matches the title and marks the official beginning of the War of the Best. I know that this is a bit shorter than my usual chapter but I wanted a clean and clear spot to stop this chapter at while also not rehashing canon stuff like Ace's parentage which doesn't need to be changed so I went for this moment to end the chapter on. This may be a bit of a theme as I adapt the Marineford arc as finding places to end chapters could be tricky so expect some variation in chapter length but don't worry all will be covered. Next up is of course the results of Whitebeard's declaration of war and the commencement of the action so stay tuned as the battle begins. That is all that I have for y'all, however, so I will leave this chapter off here. If you liked this please favorite, follow, leave a review, or let me know in a PM and if there are any questions will posed in reviews and PMs I will try to answer them as best I can. Until next time.
Stringdog