**Time: One Year Before Gol D. Roger's Execution**
**Location: Enies Lobby, Gate of Justice**
The sky hung low over Enies Lobby, bruised with storm clouds that churned like a wounded beast. Salt stung the air, carried by gusts that whipped the World Government's banners into frenzied snaps.
Enies Lobby, bristled with cannons, warships, and the glint of ten thousand Marine rifles. Crowds packed every inch of the towering platforms—nobles in silks, fishermen reeking of brine, street merchants trying roasted squid to uneasy onlookers.
At the center of it all loomed the execution platform: a slab of ancient rock carved with a colossal crimson 'X' mark, its cracks stained darker by centuries of blood.
Den Den Mushi cameras, bulbous and unblinking, lined the edges of the scaffold. Their lenses broadcast the scene to every corner of the globe be it shadowed taverns, slaves' quarters, and pirate ships anchored in stormy seas, the world watched.
*Waited*.
The Marines had promised a spectacle of justice.
But What was about to unfold—that was what the future archeologists/historians would refer to as the beginning ceremony of the world government's funeral…
**Boom** **boom**
Fleet Admiral Kong's boots thudded onto the platform, his presence alone silencing the crowd. His coat, starched white and studded with medals, gleamed under the dim light. He gripped the Den Den Mushi microphone, his voice a landslide of authority.
"People of the World Government!" he boomed, the speakers crackling.
"Today, we eradicate a blight! A *coward* who hides behind the lies of 'revolution'!"
He thrust a finger toward the scaffold's iron gates…
"Joy D. Marcus—the so-called 'Devil'—believed he could defy the Gods! But let his death remind you: No one escapes justice!"
The crowd erupted, Nobles clapped with all their might and enthusiasm, Marines chanted their slogans, even the crowd clapped with them—still their noise felt hollow.
In the back rows, a cloaked man with a straw hat tilted low crossed his arms. "Justice, huh?" he muttered, his voice muffled, Beside him, a silver-haired man wearing a ridiculouse looking disguise mask under his cloak smirked hearing him….
*Clank. Clank. Clank.*
The sound of chains dragged all eyes to the iron gates. Joy D. Marcus emerged, his wrists and ankles bound in Seastone cuffs thick enough to anchor a warship, his body restrained by chains—yet they didn't seem to bother him.
He was young, tall, lean, his dark hair matted with blood yet his grin seemed brighter than ever.
The Marines behind him—flanking him—jabbing rifle butts into his ribs every now and then, yet he didn't seem to care, he walked slowly and steadily as if he was going on an afternoon stroll…
A ripple of jeers snaked through the crowd, punctuated by the sharp intake of breath from those who sensed something unsettling in Joy's serene demeanor.
A young boy, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and fascination, pointed a chubby finger. "Mama, look!" he whispered, his voice barely audible above the murmuring…His mother, her face etched with worry, quickly clapped a hand over his mouth, pulling him closer, her own eyes darting nervously to the platform.
A child pointed. "Mama, look he is smiling" which prompted his dazed mother to cover his mouth and hold him closer.
Joy reached the X mark, his eyes sweeping the crowd. Then, without warning, he sat down cross legged breaking his legs in the process.
The executioner froze… not knowing what to do other than hitting him and yelling "Kneel, filth!" Which didn't seem to do anything to him.
Joy's legs— now broken due to the way he was chained which only allowed kneeling— bent at grotesque angles, bones snapped like dry twigs, Blood bloomed through his pants, pooling beneath him, yet his smile never wavered.
He tilted his head back, laughing—a sound so bright it clashed with the storm.
"You…!" Kong anger flared—fist shattered the podium, you see, Marcus was chained that way because the five elder ordered that he die kneeling… they should have seen this coming.
The Den Den Mushi cameras zoomed in, capturing every twitch of his enraged face, so he did the only thing could do in this situation, finish it quickly so he asked
" ANY LAST WORDS?" Kong asked with barely concealed anger
Joy's gaze locked onto the nearest camera. His smile clear for everyone to see…
In a Mariejois cellar, a slave group of different ages leaned toward the screen, On a distant island, the revolutionary held their breath.
" Viva La Revolution !" Joy said, his voice carving through the world's silence. " for I am the Amber that sparked the fire of revolution hahahahahahaha". and then started laughing in clear abandon, a laugh that said everything he needed to say, a laugh that clearly said he had WON..
The executioners moved frantically, Not with a blade to the neck—but a jagged spear plunged into Joy's back.
*THUNK.*
The crowd gasped. Blood sprayed, splattering his clothes and seeping into the pool of blood that was already under him…
But Joy's laughter somehow grew louder , wilder, echoing through the speakers….
The executioner yanked the spear free. Joy slumped forward, his laughter grew quiter before fading into choked giggles…
then silence.
For a heartbeat, the world stood still.
Then his body began to *crumble*, Flesh peeled away like ash, bones dissolving into shimmering dust…
The wind surged, carrying the glittering remnants upward, scattering them across the sea.
The spear clattered to the empty X mark , its tip stained with blood that now vanishing like mist.
The crowd erupted in a mix of yelling, crying, laughing And a plethora of other reactions.
The Marines scrambled, barking orders as if Joy might reappear.
Kong seized the microphone, veins bulging.
"THIS CHANGES NOTHING! THE REVOLUTION DIES WITH HIM!" Kong roared, his fist clenching so tightly that the knuckles whitened. Yet, a tremor ran through his voice, a barely perceptible crack in the facade of unwavering authority.
His eyes, usually steely and cold, flickered with a fleeting uncertainty, a momentary glimpse of the doubt gnawing at the edges of his absolute certainty… He knew deep down that this is not the End, if anything this seemed to be the beginning
On board The Moby Dick, in the New World, Whitebeard stared at the Den Den Mushi screen, his massive hand tightening around a sake jug.
"To a fire that even the sea can't drown," he muttered and then the drank deeply, his crew following suit—a toast without cheers, but heavy with respect.
In Marineford HQ, A young Sakazuki (Akainu) who had been watching the broadcast crushed his cigar, molten rage in his eyes.
"Martyrdom is a disease. We'll have to burn every trace of him."
In the Revolutionary Hideout, North Blue:
A 20 something -year-old man with a dragon tattoo closed his eyes.
Joy's last moments seemed to swirl in his mind.
He stayed like that for a few seconds before he opened his eyes, took a multi-colored den den mushi from the first drawer and put it in front of him.
"Now, let's the final piece you left behind be heard by everyone." He muttered before touched the den den mushi and leaned back on his chair, waiting to hear the message his friend, superior, and founder of the revolutionary army left behind to be played right after his execution….
Suddenly, everywhere around the world, the broadcast started getting static, before it cleared showing the picture of the man they had just saw die.
This sudden change stunned everyone watching, and brought their attention from whatever they were doing…
"Moshi~ Moshi~ is this thing on??" Then after a second of fumbling he continued " oh~ it is. So everyone pay attention to what I am about to say"
The man they were watching looked and sounded the same, carefree, playful, yet somehow commanding attention.
"Hello to everyone who's watching, this is Joy D Marcus, or as the marine and the world government call me, The devil." He did some scary face that looked comedic, like an adult doing scary faces to a child for a few seconds, after he was done messing around he continued
" if you are hearing this message then that means I have just recently died, and if everything had gone according to my plan then I was executed by the world government, but even if not this recording is still going to be broadcasted"
There was a few seconds of silence that was then interrupted by Kong and the Marine trying to shut down the broadcast, only for them to fail and for the call den den mushi to start transmitting the message too.
"Anyways, for those who are wondering why I planed to be executed by the Marine, you see, I was already dying, in fact I was dying since the age of twelve but I wanted to go out with a bang—so I started preparing for this moment,
In fact I was preparing for this very event every since I escaped enslavement in god valley,
Because to tell you the truth, I was never going to live past 27.
I wasn't dying of terminal illness or anything like that I was dying because of how many experiments has been done on me by the world government since I was a baby,
still it wasn't all bad. In fact I should thank the old geezers from here, they created their worst enemy by their own hands but I guess that's how god created the devil
Pfffft~~ gods I can't say that with a straight face
Anyways, like I was saying, it wasn't all bad
I gained powers, I gained the chance to take revenge, I gained more than I needed or dreamed of having in exchange for these few years so it was a very fair deal in my opinion. And if you know me you'd know I do love a good deal hahahahah".
He laughed playfully
"Oh how I would have loved to see the faces of those old monsters when they see this but hey, You can't have everything in life" he made a regretful face but then smiled again and continued saying;
"Now, for the serious talk, I only have 2 things to say,
First, for those who have made a deal with me in the past, I would like to tell you that the deals will continue the same way even after I die so if some try to renegade on them I invite you to try, because as of now the penalties of breaking the deal is ten times more. Heheheeheh" he chuckled a little while saying this
this piece of news was very much unwelcomed by most of those who heard it. Especially the five elders who looked like they wanted to set the world on fire…
" Second, for those who will carry my will, live for freedom, die for freedom, for nothing is scarier than losing the will to be free.
They will try to enslave you, to break you, to make you lose the will to live yet fear to die, don't let them. If you have to die the die fighting, die laughing and die a death that is worth something to you.
And for those who don't know what freedom is, I can not express how sorry I feel for you, how saddened I am by just imagining what it feels like to not know the meaning of freedom because for me freedom is like the sea refusing to bow to the sky,
it's a slave tearing out his collar even if it kills them and the one enslaving them,
so rise, and be free,
not for me but for the you they'll try to bury tomorrow
May you find the will to be free, may you be the revolution.
Viva la revolution"
And then everything went quit.
The snails stoped speaking and the world have heard the last words of the ember of revolution…
The weight of Joy's words hung in the air like a storm cloud ready to burst.
Across the world, people stood frozen, caught in the gravity of his final message. A small spark of defiance ignited in the hearts of those who truly listened.
In the Revolutionary Hideout, the young man with the dragon tattoo clenched his fists, feeling a new wave of determination course through him… Joy D Marcus—his leader, his friend—had found a way to give the middle finger to the government even after death;
and now it was time for him to talk with the rest of the group and start implementing the rest of the plans.
The plans Joy had been carefully developing and implementing all this time.
Truly the revolutionary Army is about to become a force to be reckoned with….
In Marineford, chaos erupted as the Marine HQ scrambled to regain control of the situation, to try and think of anything to stop the madness that's about to start….
Kong, now drenched in cold sweat, realized they had underestimated the resolve of a man they considered a mere nuisance.
Desperation sharpened his commands, but it was all for naught, the recording has already finished, and the torch had been passed.
- ———-
This is the first chapter, I will be editing, and doing the finishing touches later depending on the response as well as posting advanced chapters on pat reon, Ko-Fi
Enjoy~