Chapter 12: Marineford
The Marine ship carrying Alaric and the other prisoners glided smoothly through the imposing Gates of Justice. The gigantic stone gate opened without resistance, allowing the current to carry them directly toward Marineford.
Onboard, the atmosphere was thick with nervousness, although Luffy remained as carefree as ever, sitting at the bow of the ship. Beside him, Buggy reveled in the cheers of his followers, who still believed he was responsible for opening the gates. However, Ivankov and Inazuma, the most attentive members of the group, seemed to be scanning the horizon for something.
"What are you looking at?" —Luffy asked casually, tilting his head toward them.
Ivankov, with his usual drama, turned his enormous head toward Luffy. His false eyelashes fluttered as if they had a life of their own, and his voice held a mix of curiosity and urgency.
"Don't you realize, Mugiwara-boy? We were looking for signs of your father, the great Monkey D. Dragon!" —Ivankov exclaimed, his eyes brimming with anticipation—. "Dragon-sama wouldn't just sit idly by while his son is in danger of being executed!"
Alaric, observing silently from the stern of the ship, raised an eyebrow. Though he knew the truth, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of interest in how Luffy would handle this conversation. Jimbe, on the other hand, was more focused on the situation awaiting them at Marineford, but the mention of Dragon piqued his interest.
Luffy scratched his head, clearly confused by Ivankov's comment.
"Huh? No, no. My dad isn't Ace's dad…" —Luffy replied, breaking the tension in the most casual way possible.
Ivankov and Inazuma stared at him in surprise. "What!?" —they exclaimed almost in unison.
"Ace and I aren't blood brothers. Ace's dad is Gold Roger, the Pirate King," —Luffy explained with his usual simplicity—. "My dad is Monkey D. Dragon, the revolutionary guy.
I forgot that was a secret; please forget it."
The silence that followed this revelation was thick. It felt as if the air had solidified for a moment. The prisoners, until then loud and excited about the opening of the gates, were frozen in place. Buggy, who had been puffing out his chest from the praise of his followers, lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud.
"Whattttt?!" —the prisoners shouted in unison, jumping back in shock. The whole ship swayed violently, causing the sails to flutter wildly and the helm to spin abruptly.
Jimbe, who already knew about Ace's connection to Roger, hadn't shown surprise until that moment. However, upon hearing that Luffy's father was Dragon, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Monkey D. Dragon… is your father!" —Jimbe exclaimed, unable to contain his shock. It was impossible not to feel impacted. The most wanted man by the World Government, leader of the Revolution, turned out to be the father of the young man accompanying him to war.
Meanwhile, Alaric couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. He had known about both Ace and Dragon for a long time, but watching the exaggerated reactions of the prisoners and Jimbe's astonished face made him enjoy the moment. Not to mention how unfazed Luffy seemed in the face of such a revelation.
"Yeah, Dragon is my dad," —Luffy repeated, shrugging as if he had just stated that the sky is blue.
The prisoners continued murmuring among themselves, some looking at Luffy as if they had just realized they were in the presence of a living legend. After swaying a couple more times, the ship stabilized again as they continued their advance toward their inevitable destination.
Jimbe, regaining his composure, leaned slightly toward Luffy.
"You truly are remarkable, Luffy-kun. It seems you carry more weight on your shoulders than many realize," —Jimbe said with a slight smile.
Luffy, as always, didn't seem to grasp the magnitude of what had just been said, but nodded happily.
"Yep! But now the only thing that matters is saving Ace."
The silence, broken only by the surprised reactions of the prisoners, returned to the ship as they sailed toward Marineford. However, suddenly, something strange began to happen.
The wind, which had been blowing steadily until then, stopped completely. The ship's sails drooped, like mere rags hanging, and the ship itself remained motionless, suspended in the vast sea. The prisoners looked at each other in confusion, and an uncomfortable murmur spread across the deck.
"What's happening?" —Buggy asked, his usual nervousness escalating—. "The wind can't just stop like this!"
Alaric, who had remained silent until that moment, lifted his gaze toward the horizon. His senses, always alert, detected a subtle change in the atmosphere, something the others didn't seem to notice yet. The air felt charged, as if the sea itself were holding its breath.
"This isn't natural…" —Alaric murmured to himself, though his voice didn't reach the others.
Then, without warning, the wind returned with devastating force. The ship's sails billowed suddenly, and the entire vessel shook like a leaf caught in a storm. The ship creaked, and the prisoners clung to whatever they could to avoid being thrown overboard.
"What the hell is happening now?!" —Buggy shouted, his face a mix of panic and confusion, as his dismembered parts flew through the air before reattaching.
The sea, which had been relatively calm, began to churn beneath them. The waves rose quickly, growing larger, dragging the ship with terrifying speed. Water crashed against the sides of the vessel, soaking everyone onboard as they were uncontrollably pushed toward Marineford.
Jimbe, the most experienced in the ocean, stood up in an attempt to control the ship, but even he seemed taken aback by the ferocity of the change in the currents.
"This power…!" —Jimbe exclaimed, his eyes wide with a mix of awe and fear—. "This power belongs to Whitebeard!"
The wind howled, almost as if the sea itself were screaming in response to the presence of one of the world's most powerful men. It was an unstoppable force, the very same that held the balance of power in the New World.
Alaric, gripping one of the ropes of the mast, let out a laugh filled with excitement and adrenaline. He could feel it—the overwhelming power that Whitebeard was beginning to unleash over Marineford. It was so immense that it resonated through the sea, affecting even the approaching ships.
"This is the power of the strongest man in the world…" —Alaric whispered, his eyes shining with a mix of admiration and defiance.
The ship pitched violently, tossed uncontrollably by the furious tide. With every moment, it seemed they would be dragged under and capsized by the waves, but the current inexorably pushed them toward Marineford, as if nature itself were calling them to the battlefield.
"Everyone hold on!" —Ivankov shouted, eyes wide as he struggled to maintain his balance on the slippery deck—. "This is going to get worse!"
Luffy, far from seeming worried, was reveling in the chaos. With a broad smile on his face, he grasped the ship's helm, laughing as the storm enveloped them.
"Let's go faster, faster!" —he shouted, as if he couldn't wait to reach Marineford.
But Alaric, unlike the others, felt something more. Not just the thrill of the storm, but a connection to the immense power that Whitebeard was releasing. Each wave, each gust of wind seemed to resonate within him, reminding him that the world was about to change forever.
This was the prelude to the greatest war the world had seen in decades, and Alaric, with the wind whipping against his face and adrenaline coursing through his veins, couldn't wait to be part of it.
"We're almost there…" —Alaric whispered, a defiant smile on his lips as he clung tightly to the ship.
The silhouette of Marineford began to emerge on the horizon rapidly.
As the ship carrying Luffy, Alaric, and the prisoners from Impel Down was swept along by the violent currents, the battlefield at Marineford was already in full swing. The island was engulfed in chaos, and tension mounted with each passing second. In front of Ace's execution platform, the Marines and Whitebeard's pirates prepared for the ultimate clash.
At the center of it all stood the imposing figure of Edward Newgate, known as Whitebeard. The strongest man in the world, wielding his massive bisento, watched the Marines with his usual calm, but beneath that tranquil facade, a storm was about to unleash.
"Father…" —Ace whispered, chained to the platform, his gaze anguished as he watched his comrades fight for him—. "Why…?"
Whitebeard did not respond to his "son's" silent pleas. He simply raised one arm, his fist trembling as he activated the power of his Devil Fruit, the Gura Gura no Mi, the fruit that could shake the world.
"The sea itself will part before me!" —Whitebeard roared, and with a single movement, he struck the air with his fist, creating a rift in space itself.
The power of the Gura Gura no Mi was devastating. Shockwaves radiated from his fist, tearing through the air as if reality itself were being ripped apart. The waters around Marineford began to move unnaturally, and within seconds, two gigantic tsunamis formed on either side of the bay, rising above the fortress walls.
"Impossible!" —shouted one of the Marines, stepping back as he watched the immense walls of water tower over them—. "It's the end!"
Terror spread among the Marine ranks. The tsunamis were colossal, high enough to engulf Marineford in mere minutes upon impact. But among the high-ranking officers, two figures remained unflinching.
Admiral Kuzan, better known as Aokiji, observed the situation with his characteristic calm. His expression remained serene, as if everything happening around him were barely worthy of his attention. Then, without a word, he stepped forward, activating his Hie Hie no Mi.
"Tsk, Whitebeard… we can't let you destroy headquarters so easily, can we?" —he murmured, raising a hand to the sky.
With a simple motion, Aokiji leaped into the air, heading directly toward the tsunamis threatening to engulf Marineford. At the peak of his ascent, he extended both arms.
"Ice Age." —he said in a monotone voice, as if his attack were a mere formality.
The air around him cooled instantly, and a gust of absolute cold emanated from his hands. The ice spread at an astonishing speed, freezing the gigantic tsunamis within seconds. The enormous walls of water were transformed into colossal sculptures of ice that sparkled in the sunlight, still and serene.
"Incredible! Admiral Aokiji has frozen the tsunamis!" —the Marines shouted, breathing a sigh of relief at their commander's swift action.
However, Whitebeard didn't seem impressed. A smile spread across his face.
"Heh, young one…" —he murmured, watching Aokiji with a glimmer of challenge in his eyes—. "You haven't seen anything yet."
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the battlefield, Admiral Borsalino, better known as Kizaru, observed Whitebeard's movements with his usual indifference.
"Ara ara… it seems the old man is causing quite a bit of trouble, isn't he?" —he commented in his slow, lazy tone, placing his hands in his pockets.
With the speed of light, Kizaru vanished from his position, using his Pika Pika no Mi to move swiftly across the battlefield. In the blink of an eye, he stood before Whitebeard, ready to strike.
"Yasakani no Magatama." —he announced lazily, unleashing a barrage of light shots directly at the gigantic pirate.
However, before the rays could hit, a bluish figure intervened between Kizaru and Whitebeard. It was Marco, the commander of the first division of the Whitebeard Pirates. With his Tori Tori no Mi, model Phoenix ability, his body glowed with regenerative blue flames as he blocked Kizaru's attack.
"Oh, what a nuisance…" —Kizaru said, maintaining his characteristic calm as he watched Marco absorb his assault—. "Are you going to stop me, Marco the Phoenix?"
"I won't let you get close to the old man." —Marco replied with a confident smile, his phoenix wings majestically unfurling.
Without wasting time, Marco counterattacked, delivering a powerful kick to Kizaru that sent him flying across the battlefield.
Kizaru, in his usual fashion, didn't seem particularly affected. As he soared through the air, his nonchalant voice echoed:
"Ooooh… I've been sent flying… what a hassle…"
Aokiji, for his part, had already landed back on the battlefield. He glanced briefly at Kizaru being launched through the air before turning his attention back to Whitebeard.
"It won't be that easy, old man…" —Aokiji said calmly, as the ice cracked beneath his feet; the water in the bay had been completely frozen by his power.
The battlefield at Marineford was filled with chaos, but among the powerful admirals and legendary pirates, the true struggle was just beginning.
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