Third-person POV
A tall, blond person with four drums on his back could be seen. This person was Enel, who had just been defeated by Luffy.
Enel was frustrated inside, but at this point, he didn't care, since he would soon be able to fulfill his dream.
???: "I didn't think God could be defeated by a brat, how low the deities have fallen."
Enel opened his eyes upon hearing the voice; he had fought not long ago, so he was exhausted and worn out.
He turned around to see a tall, blond man with red eyes and a ponytail. He wore simple pants and a trench coat without a shirt; he had a gold hoop earring in one ear and a moon necklace around his neck. The other striking thing about him was the scars on his body, one diagonal across his chest and the other on his neck. Even stranger was that he was carrying a basket full of loose fruit; not a single fruit was the same.
Enel: "Who are you? How dare you speak to a god like that?" he said arrogantly and angrily.
???: "I speak to you like that because you're a cheap god; you can't even beat an old man," he said, setting the fruit basket on the ground.
Enel: "You will pay with divine punishment for your audacity," he said; to him, Luffy was an anomaly; there shouldn't be anyone else capable of facing him.
And with that, he attacked with a beam of light in the direction of his opponent.
His enemy simply summoned a spear out of thin air and vanished from sight.
Enel opened his eyes, but by the time he realized what was happening, it was too late. His head had already been severed from his body. Without understanding what was happening, he died in his ignorance of the world's threats.
???: "I should add him to the list of people I've killed who thought they were gods," he said, returning to his fruit basket.
There, he saw a peach transform into a Devil Fruit, specifically the Goro Goro no Mi.
???: "Great, I saved myself some LP points. This will be a good birthday present," he said, flying away from the golden ship that had begun to slowly fall into the void.
...
Dante's POV
Dante: "Why won't this baby sleep?" I said, holding my new daughter in my arms.
Isis: "It's your first time taking care of a newborn, now that I think about it," she said.
Trini: "Suffer, suffer for all those times you were here, all those times you were here and you weren't; now you have to pay for it, a thousand times over," she said, gesturing with her hands.
Dante: "What if you help me a little?"
Trini and Isis: "No." They said in unison.
It's been quite a few months since I was with the Straw Hats. It's been from Alabasta to Enies Lobby.
If I'm not mistaken, they should be in Sabaody right now, or somewhere nearby.
At that moment, someone arrived, forcing open the doors; it was Irem, who had a Den Den Mushi.
Irem: "It's Uncle Marco. He says this is serious." He said, placing the snail right in front of me.
Marco: "Hello, Dante, are you there?"
Dante: "Yes, it's me," he said, trying to calm a crying baby. How I wish Balesca could help me, but I'm doing this so I can get some rest, and Celestia doesn't want anything to do with this baby.
Marco: "Something very bad has happened. Ace has been captured and will be executed."
Dante: "Ah," that's all I said; I knew that could happen, but with the training I gave Ace, I thought it could be avoided.
Marco recounted how everything happened, how Teach killed Thatch and escaped. In retaliation, Ace went to take care of Teach. But it didn't go as planned, since he was captured and Teach used him to become a Shichibukai.
Once the call ended, asking me to come to where they were to discuss something important face-to-face, I stood up.
Dante: "Hold Morgana for me for a moment," I told Isis, asking her to hold the baby. Then I took the Den Den Mushi and dialed Bogard.
My call with Bogard was very enlightening; he told me what happened, more or less what's already known, with one difference: Teach arrived badly wounded and covered in injuries.
In the original story, Teach defeated Ace quite easily, but here it was much harder for him to achieve his goal; I think they were on the verge of losing, only winning because they used bullets and weapons made of seastone. Teach had to keep Ace's strength in mind, especially knowing that Ace was following him, so he took precautions. You could say that everything turned out well thanks to the fateful effect, or the movement of the world, which makes things that are meant to happen happen. Like canonical events.
...
A few days have passed since Marco's call. I went to where everyone was, and they asked for my help as part of our alliance to rescue Ace. I half-heartedly agreed; I told them I'd stay away, waiting for an opportunity to quickly get Ace out of the place and leave. That was a lie; I had something else in mind. Besides waiting to see if the "canonical" thing would happen.
Before all this, the old man asked to speak with me alone, and the conversation was about something I knew deep down, but I never expected him to confirm it himself. It turns out the old man wanted to die in combat; he was already old and very sick, so if he died, he wanted to die fighting like a warrior, not in bed surrounded by tubes and medicine.
Celestia had asked me to help and save her father, but that was complicated; in the end, I had to call her and explain everything; she finally agreed, though her heart was broken.
I realized that, up to that point, nothing had changed. Right now, Whitebeard's pirates had arrived and begun the siege of Marineford, and on the other side were the regular marines, the admirals, the Shichibukai, and Sengoku.
I realized Hancock was there; I don't know what had happened, if Luffy had ended up on Amazon Island, or if the canon events had occurred or not; I forgot to contact her to find out.
Another thing I noticed was that neither Gil nor Marie was there; I'll probably find out why all this is happening later.
I was on the Skíðblaðnir, watching everything that was happening from above. Only a few people in the air noticed me: Sengoku, Garp, Marco, and the admirals.
Marco knew what I was supposedly going to do, so he didn't say anything. The others most likely expected me to stay put and do nothing, so they decided to pretend I wasn't there, hoping I wouldn't interfere.
That's a shame, since I was planning to act right now, no matter what. This was thanks to noticing I had a ship not far from the Gates of Justice, which meant the canon had indeed occurred; I was just wondering if there would be any changes or not.
So, using the Skíðblaðnir, I approached until I was visible.
Marine 1: "Look, there's something up there in the sky," she said, pointing at me.
Marine 2: "That's right, it's a flying ship."
Marine 3: "Wait, I only know one other person who has a ship that can fly."
The words of the marines could be heard as they slowly realized who I was.
The admirals and Sengoku were a little tense as they saw me approaching. Garp gave a small smile before it vanished before anyone could notice. Some marines were already panicking, including some Shichibukai. And you might wonder why; well, it's because my gaze was upon them.
The Whitebeard Pirates watched, confused by what was happening, since, according to them, I shouldn't act yet. I saw Ace, my former son, revealing to the world that he wasn't mine but Gold Roger's; they looked at me with concern and resignation at what was happening.
Sengoku was about to speak, but I spoke before him.
Dante: "Calm down, I'm not here to rescue Ace; from my point of view, he could free himself."
Sengoku: "So, what did you come for?" he said tensely. The admirals were already ready to act against me; at least those who were standing around doing nothing.
Dante: "I've come for a rematch with an old friend," I said, revealing Murasama in all its splendor.
My vision was still on the Shichibukai; they began looking at each other, all except one.
Mihawk: "I see, so I'm your target," he said, taking a few steps forward.
I just looked directly at him and smiled.
And with that, I jumped from the ship, falling slowly into the sea, and at supersonic speed, I launched myself at Mihawk.
With my sword coated in both Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, I attacked Mihawk. He responded by defending in the same spot. And in the clash of swords, a shockwave was generated that sent everything within about 5 meters of us flying back.
Everyone around us jumped back and left, distancing themselves from us, not wanting to get hurt by missed attacks.
I saw Mihawk's calm vanish, replaced by shock and uncertainty. I saw him pushing himself to the limit to match my strength, something that pleased me.
Dante: "This time there are no citizens I have to protect for you to take advantage of; this time I'll go all out from the start."
With that said, I jumped back and unleashed a slash, which my opponent blocked and deflected into the ground. The entire floor and about three meters behind me were destroyed, proving that my attacks are meant to destroy and leave my enemy pulverized.
Mihawk glanced at the scene for a moment before turning back to me and counterattacking.
And so began our deadly dance; those around us could barely dodge the collateral damage of our confrontation.
We covered two-thirds of the battlefield, exchanging attacks and counterattacks.
With a powerful blow, I threw Mihawk back about 10 meters, and from our distance, I launched several energy blasts, which were intercepted mid-flight by Mihawk's own.
Our fight was the most striking and spectacular part of the entire scene.
Once our attacks were over, we stared at each other. This time it was Mihawk who lunged at me with a slash, which I dodged by shifting my body, leaving me in a perfect position to counterattack, which my opponent was clearly expecting.
I attacked, but for a reason: to draw him out of the fighting between the pirates and marines. My intention was to fight in the residential area, where no one should be. So I attacked the obvious side of the counterattack, but in that direction, which he immediately blocked, sending me flying where I wanted.
On the other side, the fight was still raging, including Whitebeard using his Devil Fruit and Aokiji stopping the tsunamis.
At that moment, we both stopped to watch a ship full of pirates crash, several of whom were prisoners from Impel Down.
Dante: "I have to talk to that brat about how he managed that," more than anything to find out if anything had changed.
And with all my speed, I launched myself at Mihawk, who managed to block the attack but was dragged along by me.
After destroying three houses, we stopped, face-to-face once again.
Dante: "How about we get serious now that nothing's bothering us?" I said, adding Haki to my sword again.
Mihawk responded with his usual enlightening silence, but his hands were coated in Haki and he assumed a counterattack stance.
I gripped Murasama with both hands, something I'd only done for a few seconds while fighting the fake Roger, and got into an attack stance.
And both of us ready, we charged at each other.
...
Third-person POV.
Luffy: "ACE, I CAME TO SAVE YOU!" he shouted at the top of his lungs as he got closer to the place where his brother was about to be executed.
Ace: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, YOU IDIOT? THERE'S NOTHING TO SAVE HERE!" he retorted to his younger brother. He had heard Dante's words, and he was partly right, but there was a problem, and that was his self-esteem.
Ace didn't believe he deserved to live or be saved, which is why he wasn't doing anything and was waiting for the moment to leave.
But Luffy would fight with tears and blood to save his brother, and luckily, he had people helping him.
Jimbe: "I sense two people fighting a good distance from here; it must be Mihawk and Dante."
Luffy: "Dan-ojisan is here." Luffy cheered up knowing that Dante was there.
Jimbe: "Dan-ojisan," he repeated, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.
???: "So Dante's here. I'm eager to see him and talk to him about a few things," said a tall man with long hair; he was only wearing the prison pants from Impel Down.
This person was Johnny, someone Dante had fought long ago, a former leader of a church from a fallen kingdom, the ancient kingdom where Isis was a princess.
Jimbe: "It's true that you were imprisoned by him," he remarked, sensing no malice in the man's words.
Johnny: "This time in prison has given me time to reflect; now I only want two things: to talk to him again and to see how my sister is," he said, before assuming a fighting stance. "But I haven't forgotten that I'm here to help Luffy by granting him the chance at freedom; I can talk to Dante later," he said, using his Devil Fruit powers to lift debris and hurl it at the surrounding marines.
Whitebeard simply watched the scene unfold, then smiled. He now understood why Dante had changed his plans; he expected this brat and his entourage to do their job while he had a rematch with an old enemy.
He would have to see just how special the brat was for Dante to let him do this.
Whitebeard: "Well, it's time for me to make my entrance," he said, leaping from the ship with his spear, ready to launch his true attack.
...
Dante's POV
I could feel the multiple tremors of the main battlefield, but I was focused on Mihawk. We both had several wounds; I had to admit this guy was stronger than the first time we faced each other, but there was always a difference, and right now, I had the advantage.
Using all my speed, I managed to land precise and direct blows; most of them were blocked or dodged, but not all. That was evident when you looked at Mihawk's body covered in wounds.
I had wounds too, but far fewer than him.
It had been quite a while since we started fighting, and sensing what was happening over there, I glimpsed Ace breaking free and, with it, his will to live.
The old man is about to kick the bucket; at the very least, you should be here, so I have to finish this now.
Using my speed and my sword, I tried to plunge my blade into his mouth, intending to decapitate him in the process. However, my opponent saw this coming and moved, albeit very slowly.
My blade didn't pierce his mouth, but it sliced his entire left cheek in half, leaving it open and revealing almost his entire mouth.
(Note: Kishibe style from CSM, but on the other cheek).
I stepped back about 5 meters, turned around, and saw him clutching his cheek, his face covered in blood.
Dante: "An eye for an eye," I said simply. "The next time we meet, one of us will be dead for good."
With that said, I stood at attention and, using a movement I copied from Roger's drawing but with a twist, attacked Mihawk.
Dante: "Kurimuzonmūn." I said, unleashing an energy slash infused with Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki.
(Note: Kurimuzonmūn is an attack inspired by Kamusari, but since he didn't know how to use that attack, he could only use variations until he arrived at this attack, which is unique to Dante. "Kurimuzonmūn" means "crimson moon," according to the translator; I hope that's true, or I'm going to cut my...).
Mihawk was barely able to block the attack with the Yoru using only one hand, since he was covering his wound with the other, and was dragged back into the sea, disappearing from my sight.
And with that, I ran to where they were fighting.
I saw Luffy nearly unconscious, having pushed himself even further than in the original story. The old man's body was covered in wounds. Teach had already arrived on the battlefield with his crew, plus those he'd brought from Impel Down.
The Whitebeard Pirates were already hiding, but Akainu appeared, attacking their pride. This caused Ace to turn around and attack, but he was repelled by the magma.
Luffy went to retrieve Ace's Vivre Card, leaving himself exposed, which allowed Akainu to attack him with his sword.
I saw Ace rush to block the attack with his sword, sacrificing himself. I wasn't going to allow that.
I quickly drew the Fusion Sword and swiftly buried it in the middle of Akainu's attack on Ace, blocking it.
Everyone had been holding their breath, but seeing my action made them breathe again.
Dante: "Forgive me, Sakazuki, but even though this guy is a pirate, he's still my student, so I can't just stand by and watch you kill him," I said, pausing on top of my sword.
Akainu: "You dare protect this spawn of evil?" I saw Ace tense up at those words.
Dante: "Would you like it if your daughter were harassed, tortured, raped, and murdered just because she's Admiral Akainu's daughter? Don't punish the child for the father's sins. Back off, Sakazuki, if you want me to get violent." I glared at him.
He only took a few steps back, but I kept looking at him angrily.
Dante: "Go," I told them both, which Ace noticed, grabbing a Luffy who was on the verge of unconsciousness and escaping the scene.
I simply stood on the ground, grabbed my sword, and left, turning my back on Akainu, just to see if he would do anything.
I sensed his intention to attack, only for him to stop, since he had already been attacked by the old man.
I ran to where the others were, ending up next to Ace.
Dante: "He's in very bad shape; he needs a doctor immediately." I said, seeing Luffy's horrific condition.
Ace exuded anger and worry, anger because all of this was his fault, and worry for Luffy and the old man.
At that moment, I noticed the submarine, just in time. I saw my number one target at the moment appear: Law.
I hadn't gone looking for him in Sabaody only because I knew I would have other opportunities to find him.
Law: "I'm a doctor; bring him here so I can see him."
Dante: "Give him to me so I can take him to that guy. He claims to be a doctor. If anything happens, I'm here, and I'll save him," I told Ace, who nodded and handed Luffy to me.
I transformed and flew to where Law was.
When I arrived at the submarine, Law saw Luffy's condition and immediately sent him to the operating room. I just followed behind, watching everything he did.
That's how we left Marineford.
I didn't witness the old man's death, but this was a higher priority for me. I also sensed another ship arriving with someone quite powerful, most likely Shanks; that would end the war, so there wasn't much else to see.
And so I waited in the submarine until Law emerged from the room, his hands gloved and wearing a mask.
Law: "I never expected to meet the great hero in these conditions," he said, turning his gaze to me.
Dante: "I wanted to meet you too, user of the Ope Ope no Mi."
Law just frowned.
Law: "What do you want from me?" he asked simply.
Dante: "I want you to help two of my former comrades; they suffered irreparable injuries during our last adventure; only your fury can restore them to their former selves."
Law relaxed, realizing that he only needed his medical services, not his Devil Fruit powers.
Law: "And what do I get in return?" he asked.
Dante: "An opportunity, and the best way to assassinate Doflamingo," he said with a smile.
This was the reason I hadn't killed this son of a bitch yet, only to use him as leverage to help Sulli and Isis.