CHAPTER THIRTEEN
On the battlefield of Marineford, amidst the chaos and destruction, a young Marine named Coby stood trembling. His eyes were wide with horror at the senseless violence and loss of life.
Bodies of fallen comrades and pirates littered the ground, their blood staining the once-pristine ice. The air was thick with smoke and the stench of burning flesh from Akainu's relentless lava attacks. Screams of pain and terror echoed around him, as friends and foes alike were engulfed in the inferno.
He saw a Marine, no older than himself, cut down by a pirate's blade, the light fading from his eyes as he fell lifeless to the ground.
As Coby stood there, he began to experience something strange and overwhelming. His vision blurred and then sharpened, allowing him to see things happening far from his immediate vicinity. He could see the intense battle between Jinbei and Akainu, the fierce determination in Jinbei's eyes as he fought to protect Luffy and Ace. He could see Trafalgar Law on the deck of his submarine, his crew working diligently to prepare the medical bay.
A pirate struggled to crawl away, his legs missing from a brutal explosion, leaving a crimson trail in his wake. The shattered remnants of ships and cannons lay strewn across the battlefield, evidence of the intense and unforgiving combat.
Coby saw a Marine officer with a prominent scar across his face, standing defiantly against a group of pirates. Despite his grievous wounds, the officer fought valiantly, his sword swinging with diminishing strength. Just as Coby thought the officer might turn the tide, a pirate's spear found its mark, piercing through the officer's chest. The Marine fell to his knees, clutching the spear, before collapsing onto the ground, lifeless.
He locked onto a pirate woman cradling a young man, no more than eighteen years old, in her arms. The young man was motionless, blood trickling down from a deep gash on his forehead. The woman's cries were heart-wrenching, echoing across the battlefield as she desperately tried to rouse her lover.
Voices began to fill Coby's ears, voices that were not near him. He heard Jinbei's resolute declaration, "I will protect them, no matter what," as he clashed with Akainu. He heard Crocodile's smirk-filled remark, "Looks like you could use a hand, Fishman," as he intervened with his sand powers. Even Buggy's panicked shout, "What's going on here?!" reached Coby's ears, adding to the cacophony.
Near the remnants of a shattered cannon, Coby saw a young Marine, tears streaming down his face, kneeling beside the body of his fallen friend. The deceased Marine's hand was still outstretched, as if reaching for something, his face frozen in a final expression of shock and pain. The young Marine clutched his friend's hand, sobbing uncontrollably, the reality of loss hitting him hard.
Amidst the chaos, a solitary pirate stood with a wild look in his eyes. His crew lay dead around him, and his hands were stained with their blood. Driven to the edge of madness by the carnage, he swung his weapon aimlessly, attacking anything and everything in sight, including fellow pirates and Marines. His rage and despair were palpable, a stark reminder of the battlefield's toll on sanity.
It wasn't just sights and sounds that overwhelmed Coby. He began to feel the emotions of everyone on the island. The fear and desperation of Marines and pirates alike, the anger and hatred radiating from some, the determination and resolve from others. So much confusion and panic from so many. The sheer intensity of these emotions crashed over Coby like a tidal wave, threatening to drown him in their depths.
Coby's heart pounded in his chest, his breath coming in shallow gasps. He didn't understand why he was experiencing these things, why he could see, hear, and feel so much. It was all too much to bear, a sensory overload that left him trembling and on the brink of collapse.
But amidst the overwhelming chaos, a realization began to form in Coby's mind. The senseless violence, the endless cycle of death and destruction—it had to stop. Summoning every ounce of courage and strength within him, Coby shouted:
"ENOUGH ALREADY!"
His desperate plea momentarily halted the battle, drawing the attention of both Marines and pirates. The pause was brief but significant, a moment of clarity amidst the madness. Why they listened, he did not know. He did not care.
"ENOUGH OF THIS FIGHT! LET'S STOP!"
Even as Akainu moved amongst the quiet battle ground to stand before Coby, the young marine yelled once more, "THIS IS A WASTE OF LIFE!"
He could still see things. Feel them. A Marine medic was frantically trying to save a man who had been severely burned by Akainu's lava. The medic's hands were steady, but the sheer extent of the injuries made it clear that the effort was futile. The man's agonized screams gradually faded into whimpers and then silence as his body gave out.
"Wishing for wars that could be avoided…" Coby gasped. "Chasing pirates who have no desire to fight," he continued.
He saw a Marine battleship engulfed in flames. The cries for help from those trapped onboard were chilling, as sailors desperately tried to escape the inferno. Some leaped into the icy water below, only to be swallowed by the unforgiving sea, their final screams echoing in the air.
A pirate with a weathered face and desperate eyes cradled the lifeless body of his son. Tears streamed down his face as he rocked back and forth, whispering words of comfort to the son who would never hear them again. The raw grief etched into his features was a stark contrast to the fury of the battle that still surrounded them in the far corners of Marineford.
A young Marine officer, covered in soot and blood, propped against a fallen mast. The officer's breaths were labored, his chest heaving with effort. His eyes were fixed on a photograph clutched in his hand—a picture of a smiling family. As his life ebbed away, he whispered a name, the sound lost in the din of the battle.
Coby wanted to sob from the emotions and scenes. Desperately, he tried to explain. "Every sailor who dies from now on—don't you think it would be better to be saving those who could be rescued, rather than sacrificing more and more lives…?
The young marine shouted once more, "We're acting… LIKE COMPLETE IDIOTS!"
"What are you…?" Akainu's fist raised up, lava flowing, ready to strike Coby. "The Navy doesn't need this kind of people who don't know how to follow their orders! Precious seconds were wasted."
Coby realized he was going to die but had no regrets. He managed to say what he wanted to.
Suddenly, a figure appeared before Coby, blocking the attack aimed directly at him. "Well said, young Marine," It was none other than Red-Haired Shanks, his presence commanding and awe-inspiring.
Author's Note:
I'm posting Chapters 12-14 all at once. Can I say that I loved writing the scene for Coby? It was kind of tough. I hope I didn't hit too much detail. I really wanted to capture how he might have felt with that overwhelming sense of his opening up during this horrible time.
Reader's Response (3/11/2025):
None. Posting Chapters 12-14 all at once.