At Marineford, something big was about to happen.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku slammed his hands on the desk, his face twisting in disbelief.
"What do you mean thirty ships have been deployed to Whiskey Peak!? That's more than what we use for a Buster Call!" he roared.
The officer swallowed hard. "Sir! It's Admiral Akainu leading the operation. He's surrounded the island completely. Their target is Monkey D. Dragon, the Revolutionary leader!"
"Akainu… Dragon…" Sengoku muttered through clenched teeth, pacing back and forth. "That man wouldn't dare act alone without my authorization." He turned sharply. "Who approved this!?"
The room went silent until another Den Den Mushi rang. The officer snatched it up, listened, and his face drained of color.
"Sir… confirmation from Cipher Pol. The World Government itself sent the Holy Knights to help Akainu, they have personally joined the operation. Akainu was ordered to lead the attack against Monkey D. Dragon and the Straw Hat Pirates."
Sengoku froze. "The Holy Knights…" he repeated slowly. "So the World Government decided to act without consulting me." His hand curled into a fist, it had been so many times the World Government did this but to use his Admiral and do what ever they want, it is first time for him.
He turned toward the corner of the room where Vice Admiral Garp stood silently, arms folded and expression heavy.
"Garp… they've sent Akainu and the Holy Knights after your son," Sengoku said grimly. "And your grandson is there too."
For a moment, Garp didn't respond. His gaze stayed fixed on the floor, his jaw tight. Then he gave a low, humorless chuckle.
"It won't be easy to capture my son."
Sengoku blinked but said nothing. He'd known Garp long enough to recognize that this was his way of grieving.
***
The island below had been lively only moments ago, laughter from the Straw Hats' camp, whispers from Baroque Works agents, and the quiet hum of Revolutionary scouts.
Then the world went silent, after Jarvis sent the warning.
Thousands of cannons fired in unison.
The sound was deafening, like the roar of a thousand beasts. Shells streaked through the air, tearing the sky apart as they fell. Explosions consumed Whiskey Peak. Buildings crumbled, stone shattered, and the once-bustling town was swallowed by flame and smoke.
And then, Akainu raised his hand to the sky.
"Meteor Volcano!"
Magma surged upward, bursting through the clouds before raining back down in blazing torrents. Within seconds, it became a storm of molten fire, an apocalyptic bombardment that turned the ground unrecognizable.
Eighty percent of Baroque Works vanished in an instant. The shockwave split the coastline, melting stone and sand alike. Ships anchored near the shore were obliterated before their crews could even scream.
Only one ship remained untouched amid the chaos, it is going merry.
A shimmering golden barrier surrounded her hull. Magma that struck the ship dissolved into harmless sparks, the energy absorbed and redirected into her glowing core below deck. The Merry groaned like a living creature, humming softly as it stored the power, the shield can convert the attack to new energy reserve.
Jack stood at the bow, his expression cold as the inferno raged around them.
"So this is how they greet us," he muttered. "Pathetic."
Smoke blanketed the sky. Through it, survivors crawled from the ruins, among them, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine who was sent here to deal with Vivi, their faces burned and clothes torn. They could barely stand, yet they turned toward the Revolutionary forces.
They were not alone. Every remaining Baroque Works agent still breathing turned their gaze toward the Revolutionaries and the Straw Hat Pirates. Because the only way to survive in this massacred is to help revolutionary, they are the one who have the highest probability to defeat marine.
Jack, Luffy, Usopp, Nami, Nojiko, Sanji, Zoro, Bartolomeo, Vivi and even Dragon, had already activated their suits.
Each suit filtered the thick smoke, allowing them to breathe clean air as the sky filled with poisoned smoke.
...
The island burned and the air itself shimmered under the suffocating heat. Screams echoed through the smoke-filled chaos.
Jack stood taller with his suit had been activated, his eyes glowing faintly with data streams reflected across his lenses.
"Jarvis," he said. "Activate Stealth Protocol, Phantom Veil."
"Affirmative," replied Jarvis.
In an instant, the Going Merry vanished. The ship form blurred, its edges dissolving into the haze until nothing remained but faint distortions in the air. Beneath the illusion, the Merry began to rise silently, her thrusters humming while floating on the air
"Altitude twenty meters," ordered Jack. "Engage filtration field... Blue Wall."
A shimmering dome of blue energy expanded from the ship hull, spreading outward like ripples across a pond. It rolled over the burning ruins of Whiskey Peak, and as it did, the smoke was drawn upward, purified, and expelled as clean air.
The Revolutionaries commander and officer below gasped for breath as oxygen returned to their lungs. The revolutionary looked at what really happen, this time the smoke was too thick and added with Akainu magma, they couldn't breath properly.
But Jack wasn't done. He extended one hand toward the horizon where the Marine fleet loomed. "Jarvis. Execute Protocol: BARN."
"Protocol BARN activated. Deploying Iron Legion."
The ocean churned. Beneath the ship, hatches opened around the invisible Merry, and thirty sleek, metallic figures shot into the air, humanoid drones glinting in gold and silver. Their eyes blazed crimson as they formed ranks above the battlefield.
"Target: Marine vessels," Jack commanded. "Authorization: unrestricted."
"Confirmed."
The Iron Legion moved.
Beams of concentrated plasma streaked across the sky, slicing through cannon lines and detonating magazines. In mere seconds, twenty Marine ships erupted into fireballs, their steel hulls twisted and broken. Sailors and marines screamed as they were thrown into the sea, their formations collapsing into chaos.
"Admiral Akainu, we are being counter attack!" shouted a vice admiral from the deck.
Akainu's jaw tightened, magma already bubbling along his arm. "Don't make me laugh."
One of the Iron Legion bots shoot Jerico missile toward his ship. Akainu raised his hand and unleashed a torrent of molten magma, vaporizing missile and also humanoid drone instantly.
From the air, the Iron Legion continued their relentless barrage. Gunfire, plasma, and explosives tore through the Marine line, sinking ship after ship. Only the vessels carrying the Vice Admirals, Admirals and Holy Knights managed to endure the onslaught, protected by their haki.
Akainu's patience snapped.
He slammed his molten fist into the rail of his ship, the steel hissing and melting beneath his touch. "Enough!" he roared, his voice shaking the sea. "They think they can fight me with machines?"
His magma flared hotter, glowing white. "Prepare a landing party! I'll burn every last one of them myself!"
The surviving Marines cheered weakly, clinging to his words as hope amid disaster.
Author Notes: There is 10 advanced chapter on my patreon.
-patreon.com/zerelix