Running up the path to the scaffold, Ivankov glanced up at his sizeable afro. Clasping tufts of purple hair, Luffy emerged from the massive do and took a breath. His eyes went over to the execution platform as he pressed his legs against Ivankov’s head.
“Ace!” he yelled, launching forward. “I’m coming to ge—”
He stalled at the sight of Ace standing upright, flames swirling around him and flickering off his body. Curling his fingers into a fist, he launched a massive ball of flame that Sengoku deftly dodged. A veins pulsed on his head at the sight of Luffy joining Ace on the platform.
“Oh, huh...” said Luffy. “Guess you got free by yourself.”
“You think getting some shackles off guarantees your freedom!?” Sengoku snapped.
His body exploded outwards, rising higher and higher until it dwarfed even the giants’ mass. Unable to contain his new size, his uniform fell to his sides, leaving only his coat draped over his shoulders. Sunlight glistened off him as his skin gained a sheen to it brighter than the purest gold. Pulling back a colossal arm, he aimed it down at Ace and Luffy.
“I’ll execute you myself!” he roared as his fist came crashing down.
“Luffy!” Ace called out. “Move!”
“No way!” Luffy shouted before biting down on a thumb.
Luffy jumped up into the path of Sengoku’s fist as his torso swelled up to match the size of the attack. The blow slammed into him, sending a bit blood out of his mouth. Below, Ace looked up as Luffy and Sengoku’s fist bared down on him. Gritting his teeth, he summoned flames just as Luffy was about to crash into him. However, before impact occurred, Luffy slammed into a flickering blue shield.
On her knees, Trixie shook as she stared upwards, her horn sending out sparks and glowing bright. A sharp crack from below broke her concentration, the shield vanishing as the ground fell away from her. Timber splintered and metal bent and the entire platform titled to its side before the wood fully snapped and the bolts holding the steel beams together shot off like bullets.
“Men!” a vice-admiral bellowed. “Fire on them while they’re in the air!”
“Damn!” Sengoku cursed, shrinking back down to normal size and kicking himself away from the collapsing platform.
Mortars, cannons, and every manner of gun took sights on the platform. The stench of gunpowder filled the air, the weapons’ loads homing on the three falling figures. Trixie screamed and flailed around, eventually grabbing onto Luffy, easily wrapping her hooves around his shrunken form.
“Trixie can’t die this wa—”
The rest of her cry was drowned by the roar of explosions. A great ball of flame and smoke swallowed the three up. What was left of the scaffold turned into scrap in an instant, split timber and I-beams launching into the battle, which had come to a sudden halt at the sight of fire followed by Sengoku’s looming form atop the platform.
“Ace!” said Whitebeard.
“Look!” someone called out.
Smoke drifting into the air, the remains of the explosion turned brighter. As the haze cleared away, roaring flames came into sight. They spiraled around in a huge tunnel, more and more of the blaze spilling off Ace’s back. Clutching Luffy, he looked down at him and Trixie, who was now stuffed in between Luffy’s chest and arm.
“You never change, Luffy!” he said. “You never do as I tell you and you get yourself in big trouble!”
Sending out more flames, Ace channeled them down into a great pillar. Waves of fire spread across the ground, turning the stones red and white and blasting away the nearby marines. He landed in a ring of flames, followed by Luffy as he set Trixie down.
“Can you still fight?” Ace asked.
“Of course,” Luffy huffed. “Now that you’re free, I—”
A beam of light flew through the plaza and went straight through Luffy’s chest. He glanced down at the clean hole that pierced him before tumbling to the ground. Shallow guttural gasps escaped from his mouth. Amidst the fray, Kizaru lowered his extended finger.
“That’s one,” he mused.
“Luffy!” Ace cried out, grabbing his brother.
“A-Ace,” Luffy coughed.
“Dammit!” Ace twisted his head towards Trixie. “You! Help me get Luffy on your back!”
“Trixie is not a mule!” she shouted back. “And Trixie is not staying here any lo—”
“Help me now!” Ace roared, flames erupting off his back, flowing around Trixie and licking at her hooves.
“I-it might j-just be uncomfortable,” she quibbled as she got to her knees.
She gave a small whimper as Ace place Luffy on her back, a shiver running through her when something hot and wet spread over her coat. Pushing herself up, she saw marines bursting through the smoke and flames. They raced at her, swords raised high and guns clocked. An enormous fist, radiating like the sun smashed into them, blowing them away and leaving only cinders and scorched stones behind.
Retracting his arm, Ace looked back at Trixie. “Come on! We need to find one of my crew’s doctors!”
They rushed through the carnage, explosions and bullets raining down on them as the clang of steel rang through their ears.
~~~
“Unacceptable!” Sengoku growled. “How the hell could this happen?”
His hand shot down and grasped onto one of Garp’s burly arms, pulling him out of the cracked earth at the base of the ruined scaffold. His uniform was stained red on one shoulder, with two large puncture wounds and one needle-like fang tearing through the cloth. His tanned skin was slightly pale and there was glaze over his eyes. Placing a palm against his left temple, he gave his head a shake.
“Are you back with us?” asked Sengoku.
“Yeah, ju—” Garp was cut off by a Sengoku burying a fist in his stomach. Hacking, he went to his knees.
“Sorry,” said Sengoku. “Had to make sure you weren’t a changeling. You deserved it for hesitating as well.”
“Guh.” Shuffling up to his feet, Garp placed a hand over his navel. “Anyone else and they wouldn’t be getting up. Now what do we d—”
A rumble shook Garp, silencing him. He went one knee as the full force of an earthquake slammed into Marine Headquarters. Above, the entire structure cracked, the great characters of “Navy” splitting apart, the right side sloping down slightly. Across the plaza, Whitebeard brought his arm back and slammed his bisento into the ground.
“Get away from here, my sons!” he called out. “Survive and return to the New World!”
“Damn!” Sengoku cursed, his fists rattling at his sides. “Now that Ace is free, he’s going to throw everything his has left into sinking this island!”
“He’s gonna bring this whole era end,” Garp huffed. “And take us with it…”
~~~
“Hey, hey.” Mr. 3 gave Buggy another shake. “Come on, even the Den Den Mushi woke up before you.”
With a guttural snort, Buggy awoke and sat up. Before him was a lake aflame with fires and rocks the glowed red like coals. Beyond that, infernos swept across the island, the flames dancing along to the macabre song of gunfire, the clang of swords, and battle cries. Above all the madness, chunks of Marine HQ tumbled out of the damaged fortress and disappeared into the chaotic battle below. So thick was the smoke and gunpowder that it loomed over the entire island like a second sky, casting everything in a harsh red light.
Buggy limply fell backwards. “Hell again. The fresh air of life was so nice.”
“We’re not dead!” Mr. 3 delivered a slap to Buggy’s head. “Now, pull yourself together, the cameras are rolling!”
“What?!” Buggy cried.
~~~
“T-trixie needs a minute,” Trixie huffed, her limbs quaking under Luffy’s weight.
“You heard Pops!” Ace shouted back.
He looked up to the remains of the Marine HQ, debris raining down on the plaza. Whitebeard marched through the bloodshed, his arms banging against the air, decimating everything in his path. Attacks came at him from all sides, not even his might affording him absolute defense from assault. Gaining more and more injuries, Whitebeard continued on his path, leaving only ruins in his wake.
Crunching his teeth together, Ace grabbed Trixie by the scruff of his neck. “We have to go!”
“You’re not going anywhere.”
Spinning around, Ace was met with Akainu advancing on him. He felt his grip shift and glanced back to see Luffy on the ground; Trixie had disappeared into the fog of dust and smoke. Summoning his flames, Ace placed himself in front of Luffy.
“So, you do know how to face a man,” said Akainu as he stepped closer, magma dripping off him and boring glowing holes in the ground. “More than I could expect with your relic of a captain.”
“You take that back,” Ace growled.
Punching out a marine, Jinbei looked around, his eyes widening at the sight of Akainu closing in. He turned to run over, but an array of swords rose up, cutting him off. “Ace! No!”
“Your father, Gold Roger, was alway blocking Whitebeard, forever marking him as a loser,” Akainu continued. “Now he’s taking his last breaths, all because of his foolish ‘sons.’ I can’t think of a greater failure.”
“Shut up!” Ace shouted, his flames growing higher. “You don’t know anything about Pops or what he’s done for me!”
“I know that Whitebeard will die a loser!” Akainu shot back, pulling back his right arm is glowed a hellish red and thick smoke pooled off of it.
“Whitebeard is the greatest pirate in the world! He created this age!” Ace screamed as he engulfed his own arm in flames. “The name of this era is ‘Whitebeard!’”
Both Akainu and Ace’s fists exploded outwards into plumes of flame and lava. They raced forward and collided in a smoldering display of heat. The lava sloshed over the fire, consuming it and adding to its own inferno. Gasping, Ace pulled his hand back, the entire arm now red and blistering.
“Rookie logia,” Akainu spat, “you thought your fire could win against my magma? Allow me to show you how powerless you really are!”
He raced to Ace’s left, pulling his arm back again. The color drained from Ace’s face as Akainu came down upon Luffy. Leaping into the attack’s path, Ace reached out his arms and wrapped them around Akainu’s, his fist hovering only inches above Luffy’s chest.
Acrid smoke billowed up from Ace’s body, his grip unbudging around Akainu’s arm. His left arm popped and hissed as the skin blackened and cracked. Still, he glared at Akainu, a gust knocking off the admiral’s cap.
“Even born with the same accursed haki as Roger,” he growled, pushing his arm forward and burning Ace further. Bits of lava dripped from his fist and fell onto Luffy, making his scream and twitch. Ace dared to look back, turning more white when Luffy stopped screaming and went limp. Planting his feet, he pushed harder against Akainu, but he just kept advancing. “Die a failure like your beloved ‘Po—”
A green blaze smashed into Akainu, knocking him away. Ace gazed at the empty space in front of him before falling down, the left half of his body still glowing from the magma. He reached out his right arm to try and spin himself around, letting out a yelp when a black hoof stomped on his hand.
Chrysalis leered down at him, labored breaths escaping out of her mouth. Ichor trickled down her forehead, past her swollen left eye and running across her lips. One of her wings bent at an odd angle with its thin membrane torn to shreds. Her reptilian pupil contracted and a maniacal grin spread across her face, revealing the gaping hole in place of one of her fangs.
“Just… made it,” she rasped, opening her mouth wide. “All that love. Give it. Now!”
She sank her fangs down, but into blue flesh rather than Ace’s. Hefting her up, Jinbei glared at her for a moment before slamming a fist into her abdomen. Her carapace rippled before countless cracks sprang up across it. Chrysalis unclenched her jaw, gasping for air. Just as she got a breath in, Jinbei delivered a swift kick to her chest, making her hack up ichor and launching her to another part of the island.
“Ace, Luffy,” Jinbei said, his voice quiet and strained. Reaching down, he picked them up, both now unconscious from their wounds. “I swear, I won’t let you die here!”
~~~
Unleashing a torrent of magma, Akainu cleared away the rubble from his crash. Getting back up on his feet, he scanned the battlefield, eyes locking on trails of black smoke rising from the bulky figure making its way to the bay. A bit of blood trickled down the side of his face. He clenched his fist, air distorting around it from the heat.
“Admiral!” a marine called out, rushing over to his side. A glare from Akainu made him turn white.
“Destroy the pirates!” he snapped. “They will not leave this island aliv—”
A shockwave blasted into Akainu, forcing him down. Hand glowing with destructive power, Whitebeard pressed his fist further down on Akainu, the stone around him cracking and jutting upwards. He said nothing, just glaring down at Akainu, his mouth hidden behind his sickle of a mustache.
Managing to twist his upper body around, Akainu faced Whitebeard. His left arm turned the color of blazing coals. Pushing with all his might, he launched upwards, shooting his incinerating hand at Whitebeard’s head. In an instant, part of his mustache turned to ash, along with a chunk of his face.
Yet, he did not even flinch. Instead, he drove his forearm into Akainu’s side, the sharp crack of his powers mixing in with the breaking of Akainu’s ribs. He remained caught on Whitebeard’s massive arm for a brief moment as the sound echoed outward. Then, the sky was rent asunder by a deafening rumble, louder than thunder, cannon fire, or even the great shattering of the tsunami Whitebeard himself had created.
All these were nothing to the great roar of the earthquake as it tore across the island. Half the plaza instantly turned to rubble, swallowing up stone and marine alike. The main walls of Marine HQ, already on the verge of destruction, showered down on the war like rain, ruble smashing what Whitebeard hadn’t. Chasms erupted across the island, plunging anyone close by into the sea. Coughing up blood, Akainu tumbled downwards into such a fissure.
Turning, Whitebeard put the giant rift to his back. In front of him, a collection of the remaining naval forces struggled back to their feet. Past the divide, the pirates stared in awe and horror at the decimation before spinning around and racing to the bay, tears in their eyes.
~~~
“Almost there!” Jinbei gasped.
Clearing over the rubble, he jumped past the docks and braced himself for the cold splash of water. Below, the sea glinted up at him, waves crested high but didn’t come down, and their frozen tips dangling above a field of ice. Amidst the frigid ocean and paralyzed ships, Aokiji looked up.
“Sorry, Jinbei,” he yawned.
“No!” Jinbei cursed before multiple shots of light torn through his chest.
Nearby, Kizaru kept his hands glowing, fingers pointed at Jinbei as he fell onto the ice below. He landed with a thud, a small bit of the ocean breaking underneath him. Ace and Luffy were sprawled out next to him, their breaths shallow and their bodies unmoving. Aokiji strutted over, summoning three ice partisans around him. He raised them up, but a quake in the frozen area made him pause.
“An aftershock?” he muttered.
His eyes widened at the sight from the edge of his frigid domain. A yellow submarine rose out of the water, a stylistic smile set in what appeared to be a ship’s wheel emblazoned on its sides. A hatch opened up on it and man with a spotted white cap and deep bags under his eyes marched out. Balancing a sheathed sword against his shoulder, he stared out across the ice at Jinbei.
“Hey!” the man yelled. “If you can still move, get Straw Hat and Fire Fist over here!”
Scraping his fingers against the ice, Jinbei grunted and pushed down. His wounds dripped onto the frozen sea, staining it red. Another set of lasers struck him in the back, sending him back to the ice. Aokiji turned his attention back to him and raised up his partisans once more, leveling that at all three injured pirates. They rattled in the air but then collapsed to the ground along with the upper half of their creator.
Falling, Aokiji stared at his lower body and the blade of sand that had cleaved through him. Sighing, he turned, meeting Crocodile’s cold glare. “You gonna do that every time we fight?”
Crocodile took a puff of his cigar as he landed on the bay. Glancing to his left, he saw a glimmer and dispersed his right arm into a wall of sand. Kizaru’s beam rammed into it, leaving a glowing hot bit of glass in place of a small amount of sand. Crocodile bit down on his cigar and traded glances with both Admirals as they advanced on him.
“You’re smarter than this, Crocodile,” said Aokiji.
“Apparently not.” Everyone still conscious tilted their heads upward. Celestia floated above them, darting down to Crocodile. “You should have stayed locked up.”
“Celestia!” Crocodile snapped. “What the hell are you doing?!”
“This.” She raised up her leg, turning it back into a hoof and shot it into Crocodile’s stomach.
The wind flew out of him as he careened backwards, smashing into a ship in a storm of debris. Spinning around, Celestia glared down at Jinbei, Luffy, and Ace.
“All of this,” she muttered, her whole body beginning to glow. “This is because of fools like you who couldn’t follow the law! Now to finish what this war began.”
She went down onto all fours, her body shifting back to equine shape. The glow faded from most of her body, but her horn grew even brighter, until Aokiji had to look away and Kizaru jumped back. Jinbei tired to lift himself off the ground, face pale and marred with confusion as his arms gave out and his collapsed to the ice again.
Gritting her teeth, Celestia unleashed a small beam, similar in size and speed to Kizaru’s at the injured group. It struck the ice below Jinbei and then exploded into a great blazing ball. It raced outwards, reducing ships to scrap, shattering the docks, and melting all the nearby ice, turning the sea into a boiling cauldron. Kizaru and Aokiji leapt away from the inferno while Celestia remained in place and let it wash over her.
Explosion rushing towards his vessel, the grasped the hatch and spun around. “Dive!”
The submarine vanished under the waves, the sphere of heat and flame growing outward until it reached the edge of bay. Its glow them dimmed and it contracted until it was about the size of a large boulder and no brighter than light bulb. A flurry of embers flecked off it, dispersing into the wind until only Celestia was left, floating amid cinders. Her wings gave small erratic flaps, barely keeping her above the water. Her hooves skimmed against the sea, soaking the grotesque black figure in her grasp.
Reaching the edge of the ice, she gasped for air as her wings limply fell to her sides. Her muzzle slammed into the frozen bay, while her body dipped into the turbulent sea. With a snort, she gave her wings one more flap, hefting herself and the body onto the ice. It slid across the frigid ocean, leaving a black stain. Aokiji walked over and looked down at the corpse. Hidden under the ashes, the faint remains of a large tattoo, its white mustache now grey and flaking, stared back at Aokiji with what was left of its skull.
“Scaaarrry,” Kizaru commented, looking over the vast damage left by Celestia’s attack.
“What about Straw Hat and Jinbei?” Aokiji asked.
“I got what was left of Fire Fist,” Celestia coughed, her body limp against the ice. “Now, I must rest.”
“Still…” Kizaru looked over to the edge of the bay. “We can’t just have a pirate ship show up out of the blue and leave. Aokiji, take Warlord Celestia back to shore. We can deal with Ace’s body later.”
“Got it, but first…” Aokiji bent down, melding his hand with the ice. It surged outward reforming over the sea and speeding to where submarine had dived. “That should slow them down.”
Kizaru took a glance at what was left of Ace and then launched into the air, sending a volley of light through the ice. His attack came to a sudden halt and he raised up an arm, blocking a set of fiery talons.
Marco glared down at Kizaru and then at the blackened figure next to Aokiji. His eyes widened at the sight of the tattoo before he ground his teeth and his flames roared upwards. Flying back, he transformed his other leg into talons and unleashed a storm of kicks and scratched mixed with trails of fire on Kizaru.
Kizaru continued blocking the attacks, a well placed strike ripping his suit’s left sleeve, leaving a gash across his flesh. He shot up a glowing white leg into Marco, sending him high into the sky. Gasping for breath, Marco swooped through the air, correcting his flight path as his whole body shifted into his bird form. He raced down, stretching out his wings in an attempt to smother Kizaru. In return, Kizaru dissipated into fractions of light, zooming behind Marco and firing off an array of beams.
“You think I’ll let you live!?” Marco roared, the holes from the Kizaru’s beams quickly filling up with fire.
“Commander Marco!” a pirate shouted down from the docks. His finger jabbed towards one of the sea walls. “Look!”
Atop the wall stood a collection of figures. Behind them loomed a great shape as tall as Marine HQ when it was still undamaged. Celestia twitched an eye up at where the pirate was pointing and her breath caught in her throat. With arms crossed, a hooved figure glared down at the war and snorted. Jagged horns rose of out his head, sharp like the fanged smile spread across his face as he breathed in the smoke and gunpowder.
“Ah, the smell of carnage and despair,” he mused, stomping one of his four cloven legs against the ground. “It has been too long.”
“Tirek,” Celestia gasped. “No…”
Color drained from multiple marines as they took in the sight.
“San Juan Wolf!”
“Avalo Pizarro!”
“Vasco Shot!”
“W-why?” one marine quivered, his eyes on the tall figure cloaked in Impel Down’s uniform. “Why is Chief Jailer Shiryu here?!”
“Those are all criminals that should have been erased!” a vice-admiral snapped. “What madman would unleash them back on the world?”
Whitebeard held his bisento in midair as the glow vanished from the tip of it. He slammed the butt of it down into the ground, fist rattling its pole. With his remaining eye, he glared up at the group atop the wall, a scowl spread across his face when he locked onto the rotund figure in the middle of them.
“Teech,” he spat.
“Zehahaha!” Blackbeard cackled, leaning on one leg and looking down at Whitebeard. “Long time no see! I’m glad I’ll get to see you die, old man!”
~~~
“Captain Law!” a crewmate yelled, spinning away from a sonar screen. “Reading say the sea is freezing above us and we’ve got projectiles inbound!”
“Then dive lower!” Law commanded.
“Seismic activity is turning the seabed into a deathtrap! We ca—” The crewmate’s mouth dropped and he pressed his face close to the screen. “Captain! The ice… it’s flowing around us! Nothing is getting within half a click of us!”
“What?” Law shouted.
“We’re picking up unknown readings at our two o'clock and keeping pace with us!” another crewman yelled.
Law scanned over the screens across the deck, his crew rushing around him in all directions. “What the hell is going on?”
Squeezing through a tiny door, a hulking man lumbered into the room and raced over to Law. “Captain! Bepo needs your assistance!”
Law grabbed Jean Bart and pushed him back from where he’d come. Racing through the narrow halls, they rounded a corner and came upon a gaggle of wounded bodies, limbs going in every direction. Jinbei gasped for breath as he tried to shift around, his injuries immobilizing him. Parts of Ace and Luffy dangled out from under him, their bodies limp and pale. Underneath all of that was a bear head, struggling under the weight of the three others.
“Bepo!” Law called out as he pushed on Jinbei. “How did they get on the ship?”
“I don’t know, Captain!” Bepo coughed. “I was just walking down the hall when…”
He paused, turning his snout up to the Jinbei and frowning. Jean joined Law and managed to roll Jimbei flat onto his back, freeing those below him. He groaned in pain, managing to twist his head in Law’s direction.
“C-can you help them?” he huffed.
“Room,” said Law.
Holding out his hand, a small circle of wind rotated beneath it. A bubble of distorted air expanded outward, phasing through everyone else. Suddenly, a group of crewmen appeared out of nowhere, hands still wrapped around where they’d held instruments. Blinking, the turned over to Law.
“Get them to the medical bay,” he ordered.
His men rushed over and gently took hold of Luffy and Ace. Taking care to move the two as little as possible, they disappeared down a corridor. Those that remained grasped Jinbei and attempted to pick him up, grunting under his weight.
Law walked away from his crew and down towards the medical bay. Pulling open the door, he entered into a scene even more hectic than his bridge. Luffy and Ace were both already on operating tables, the crewmen sticking ivs into the former’s arm. The men standing over Ace held the needles in their hands, but hesitated injecting them.
Making his way over, Law looked down and saw the source of his men’s problem. Even his stomach roiled slightly at the sight of Ace’s left arm. His right arm was horribly burnt as well, but at least it still resembled flesh. Shooting out a hand, Law ripped an iv from one of his men and poked it into one of Ace’s legs. The action garnered him a moan.
“Damn,” Law cursed, twisting to his men. “Get him out before he goes into shock!”
“W-what?” Ace coughed, barely able to form words. His vision fell to his right, eyes widening at the sight of men gathered around Luffy, jabbing needles into his arm and bringing scalpels down to his chest. A small tongue of flame rose up from his right arm, forcing the crewmen back. “S-stop.”
Scowling, Law loomed over Ace and put another needle into his leg. “Straw Hat has a collapsed lung along with severe trauma and lacerations to most of his body. Your limbs and torso are covered in third and fourth degree burns. So, let my men work, or you both die.”
Ace’s face turned white. He gasped as another needle went into his leg before his entire body slackened. Vision darkening, he stared up at Law. “Luffy… save Luffy.”
“He should be the least of your worries,” Law said, unsheathing his sword.
A thwak echoed throughout the submarine.
~~~
“Someone will find it, that day will come,” Whitebeard called out, his shaky voice growing in strength until it reverberated across Marineford. “The One Piece does exist!”
Like a wave, greater than even the tsunamis he summoned, his words crashed down upon the island. On the Shabondy Archipelago, crowds stared up at the lone screen that displayed the great war in a brief moment of silence. It shattered in a roar of gasps and shouts as reporters grasped for dropped notepads and everyone swarmed over to the closest Den Den Mushi.
From afar, hidden amidst a pile of rubble, Trixie stared at Whitebeard, her whole body covered in goosebumps and her heart racing in her chest. His words were gibberish to her, but their weight pressed down like the great quakes he caused.
Yet, what truly made her shiver was the sheer monstrosity of the man. With half his face blown off and bleeding to death, he’d still ravaged Blackbeard’s crew, swatting them down like flies. Even when Blackbeard had grabbed him and the tremors had ceased, Whitebeard was relentless and had driven his bisento deep into Blackbeard’s shoulder. He’d been so focused on squashing him that he hadn’t noticed Blackbeard’s crewmates recover and race at him.
A hail of gunfire had fallen upon Whitebeard and swords had slashed him from every direction. Yet, he hadn’t fallen. Like an immovable mountain, he’d taken all of the attacks from Blackbeard and his men and would not budge.
Now he stood, unmoving. His body had been riddled with bullets, his flesh had been cut and stabbed by all manner of blades, and his bones had been battered by cannons and mortars. Even though he had spent his final breath on the Pirate King’s Treasure, he still would not fall.
Only one thing of Whitebeard’s plummeted that day. Slipping off his shoulders, his great jacket dropped to the ground, revealing his sculpted back. A few marines sucked in their breath at the sight of Whitebeard’s bare skin. In spite of years of voyaging, countless battles, and the damage he had accumulated in just the war alone, not a single scar marred his back.
The awe-inspiring sight vanished under a black tarp, hiding both Whitebeard’s body and Blackbeard under it. While marines and pirates alike watched the scene with trepidation, Trixie slipped out of her hiding space and crept across the ground. She didn’t even make it a yard before a red clawed hand scooped her up.
Hot putrid breath blew back her mane. Eyes, smoldering like hellfire, glared at her. She couldn’t even take a breath as Tirek held her in his grasp.
“Well, this is a surprise,” he said, tightening his grip with each word. “I was hoping to find Celestia and pay her back for taking my castle and locking me up!”
His hold suddenly loosened and Trixie gasped for breath. Grinning, Tirek pulled her closer to his face until she was right next to his mouth, inches away from his fangs and brushing against his rough beard.
“P-please,” Trixie stuttered, “d-don’t… don’t….”
Tirek gave a great booming laugh more akin to roar. Ears ringing, Trixie found herself staring into eyes. His sclera were wreathed in dark flames that spilled off to the sides of his head. Trixie felt a chill looking into his pupils, great abyss far more foul than his mouth that threatened to swallow her. Yet, she could not turn away.
“Kill you? That’s the last thing I want,” he said, voice echoing like thunder. “No, you’re the rare exception to your race.”
He squeezed Trixie again, this time not enough to cause her serious pain. His grin widened.
“Yes,” he mused. “Pride on your talents, even as a… showmare. Greed to always want more cheers, more fans, more money. And, even though it glows dim, rage.”
As Tirek spoke, Trixie’s irises grew red and her pupils widened. Her muscles tensed up and her face contorted into a scowl. “They made a fool of me. Made a fool of Trixie.”
“You want to make them pay?” Tirek’s horns glowed with the same hellish aura as his eyes, the glow creeping down and wrapping around Trixie. “I will give your vengeance.”
Unleashing her, Tirek stepped back, his magic keeping Trixie floating in the air. It tightened around her as she gnashed her teeth, fangs poking out of her mouth and pupils shifting into narrow slits. Tirek’s magic turned black, wrapping Trixie in a shadowy cocoon that grew outwards until it was just slightly smaller than Tirek himself.
In a blast of blood-red light, the darkness faded away, revealing a abominable creature. Blue scales, glistening like steel, covered it from its sharp snout to its razor-like talons. Tusks with tips like swords protruded out of its face, past fangs that bit at the air. Growling and thrashing its spiked tail around, it sent a jet of flame, dark like the depths of the sea, into the air.
Tirek’s hand glowed again and a steel collar appeared in it. Bending down, he snapped it around the beast’s neck and gave it a tug. “All I ask is that you be my steed.”
Nearby, the tarp came down, revealing Whitebeard’s body still standing with Blackbeard at his side, mad grin plastered across his face. A few marines gathered their courage and advanced on him with their weapons raised.
“Zehahaha!” he bellowed before shooting his hand down.
Shadows, thick like fog, emanated from his right hand, staining the ground around him black. Before the marines could fire or swing their blades, they were swallowed up by the abyss.
“That’s my Dark-Dark Fruit powers!” Blackbeard proclaimed. He twisted his torso right and flexed his left arm, achieving a stance that made a pit form in everyone’s stomach. “And this…”
In a blur, he slammed his left fist against the air, fissures spreading across the sky from where he’d struck it. The rumble returned to the island, like a devil arising from the deepest pit, filling everyone’s heart with terror. The earthquake exploded out from Blackbeard, demolishing the left half of the remaining parts of Marine Headquarters. His laugh filled the island, christening the advent of a nightmare the likes of which the world had never known.
“Today, my era begins!” he proclaimed, cackling the entire time. “And to start, I’m gonna sink Marineford!”
“Wahaha!” Tirek joined the group, his beast hissing at Blackbeard. “I love it! Oh, if on—”
A massive shockwave, on par with Whitebeard’s slammed into Blackbeard’s crew. Scowling, Sengoku thrust out his other enormous golden hand, unleashing another great blast that cleaved through stone and made Blackbeard and all his men cough up blood. They hurtled backwards under the force of the attack, barely managing to get back to their feet once they’d landed.
At the edge of the island, with spray from the rolling bay washing over them, Aokiji and Celestia looked on, the latter’s eyes wide with fear.
“Admiral,” she huffed. “Tirek, you have to defeat him… while he’s weak.”
“Well…” Aokiji replied, “looks like whoever that is is fighting against the Fleet Admiral and Garp. That’s a death sentence, even for me.”
“Then I have to go.” Celestia dug her hooves down and pushed, only getting up an inch before falling back to the ground. She put one foreleg in front of the other, dragging herself forward. A faint pink glow appeared on her body for a moment before vanishing again and she collapsed.
Aokiji bent down to grab her, but stopped at the click of a rifle. Shifting his view to the left, he was met with a muzzle pointed right at him.
Holding the rifle was a grizzled man, his hair grey like the smoke that drifted off his cigarette. “We’ll be taking that Warlord from you.”
Aokiji gave a deep sigh. “I’ll get in big trouble if I just hand a Warlord over to an Emperor’s crew.”
~~~
“Zehahaha!” Blackbeard yelled as his shockwave met Sengoku’s in midair, the combined attacks titling the entire island and the seabed around it. “No one can stop me! I will destroy everything! I will swallow everything!”
The harsh scrape of metal against stone drew his attention away from the destruction he caused. Out of the chaos, a small group marched through the battlefield, marine and pirate alike stepping out of their path. In spite of the carnage around them, one of the men moving forward took a big bite out of a leg of meat. Another with a scar like a crescent running down his face let a monkey pull at his mouth. They and the other members all made the marines gulp and the pirates stare in awe and confusion.
None more so than the man at the head of the group. His black cape fluttered in the wind, occasionally flapping back enough to reveal an empty space in place of a left arm. His eyes glared at Blackbeard, the left one twitching around the three diagonal scars that ran across it.
“Shanks!” said Sengoku. “How the hell is he here?”
“I’ve come to put an end to this war!” Shanks declared, red hair flowing in the air. “Enough blood has been spilt by both sides, but if you still want a fight…” He swung his sword down, sending up sparks against the ground. “Come on! We’ll fight you!”
~~~
Ace’s eyes shot open, he sprung up, only for intense pain to flare up in his side. He shot out his right arm to grasp at it, but only felt at stump press against his chest. Looking down, he was met with a red hoof.
“Hello?” he called out, room spinning around him as he stared up at the ceiling.
Silence greeted him, making his heart race. Gaining more and more consciousness, memory flooded back into him. He remembered the yelling, the battle, and the fear as Akainu had raced towards Luffy. Not able to take it anymore, he rolled to his side, tumbling over the bedside and taking the linen sheets with him.
He gave a sharp gasp from the landing, biting back a cry. He pushed up with his hooves but slammed down onto his left side. This time, he did scream, fresh blood staining the bandages wrapped across his torso. Blinded by pain, he stumbled forward, continually banging his left side into the ground.
The click of a door unlocking entered his ears. Something purple rushed over to him and frantically tapped against the ground.
“Princess! Princess!” it called out. “He’s conscious, but it looks like he fell out of bed! He needs help!”
Ace suddenly found himself lifting off the ground. A sharp stab of heat hit his side, quickly replaced by a cooling sensation that spread across his body. Sight refocusing, he looked up to see that a golden aura surrounded him and kept him a few inches off the ground.
At his side was a purple pony, her mane a deep indigo with a twin stripe of magenta and lavender running through it. Her large eyes looked back at him, slowly gravitating over to his left side. Her muzzle turned a shade lighter.
“Twilight, you’ve done enough, leave us.”
Breaking away from Twilight, Ace looked over at the voice’s source. Celestia stood at the room’s door, moving aside to let Twilight pass. Twilight paused for a moment, eyes sweeping over the bandages that wrapped around various parts of Celestia’s body. With a bow, she left, disappearing down the hallway outside. Once she and Ace were the only two in the room, Celestia closed the door and locked it. She kept Ace floating in the air, but pulled him a little closer.
“What’s going on?” Ace asked. “Why am I here? Where’s Luffy?!”
“Calm yourself. You’ve already reopened one set of wounds,” Celestia sighed. “I don’t wish to constantly keep healing while I’m still recovering.”
“I don’t care!” Ace yelled, a few flames streaking across his body.They instantly vanished and Ace grabbed at his throat.
Celestia sighed again before dissipating the aura around Ace’s head. He gasped for air before glaring at her.
“You take me to wherever this is and now try to kill me?” he coughed.
“I can’t stop you from burning up your own oxygen,” Celestia replied. “And since you won’t listen until I tell you, Straw Hat is in stable condition. I’d hoped he would awaken first, but it seems whatever trials he went through rescuing you have drained him of everything but sleep.”
Muscles loosening, Ace slumped against Celestia’s spell, the aura bending to match his relieved posture. He sniffled as tears flowed out of his eyes and dripped onto the floor. “Thank goodness. Thank goodness!”
“You can also thank the ‘doctor’ who saved your life as well,” said Celestia. “He was adamant about staying here until at least you were awake.”
The memory of the man with the spotted cap looming over him came back to Ace. “Him. Good, I want to thank him for everything. Without him, Luffy and Jinbei might not have made it… Jinbei is okay too, right?”
“Yes, he’s actually just outside and has waited there since he woke up.”
“Great!” Ace said, daring to smile. “Well, lets tell him then.”
Celestia frowned, lowering her head to the ground. “He can come see you, after we’re done talking and if you’re cooperative. For one, you won’t be leaving that bed again without assistance.”
“I felt a little woozy when I first got up but that’s…” Ace trailed off, noticing that Celestia was staring in the same spot Twilight had focussed on.
His eyes wandered downward. Row after row of bandages wrapped around his shoulder and continued all the way down to his hips, but there was nothing further to his side. Trembling, he extended a hoof out and brushed through the empty air where a limb should have been. Lips trembling, he looked over to Celestia.
“I’m sorry,” she said with her head low, “when my sister managed to reach you, it was far too late to save your arm.”
Ace shifted backward and stared up at the ceiling, eyes dulled. The room was silent for a long time before Ace spoke again. “Pops… what about Pops?”
“That can come later,” Celestia answered, her face tensing up. “Whatever happened, nothing you do will change it now.”
“What?” Ace yelled, flames billowing up around him again. “Just tell me what happened!”
“No…” Celestia trotted over to Ace and placed a hoof on him, smothering some of his flames and pulling him close so that they were eye-to-eye. “I will not burden you with things that don’t matter to you anymore.”
“Of course it matters to me! They’re my family!”
“I know.” Celestia closed her eyes and took a breath. “They shed enough tears to prove that.”
“W-what?” Ace repeated, voice shaking.
“Your arm is not the only price you’ve paid for your life,” said Celestia, her tone heavy and somber. “Portgaz D. Ace is dead. It will take some time to adjust, but a life in Equestria, free of the hatred that cursed your very blood, is far more preferable to execution at the hands of the World Government. I promise, until the end of your days, you will be safe here, my little pony.”