Naval Headquarters – The Summit War
The tide of battle surged and twisted with every passing moment.
The echoes of the false wars that had once shaped the world still rang across the sea.
The sudden intrusion of the Straw Hat Brothers and the Blackbeard Pirates…
The hidden manipulation of Sugisawa Yuuto, the strongest man in the real world…
The fearsome arrival of the flying pirate, Golden Lion Shiki…
And at last, the overwhelming descent of Fairy Tail in full force.
Where this war would lead—no one could predict.
Just as the chaos seemed to reach its peak, the battlefield was rocked yet again by an unforeseen and stunning change.
A massive Arc Moon Slash came crashing down from the heavens without warning, slicing through the air toward Sugisawa Yuuto, who had just been driven back by Sengoku and Garp.
Yuuto did not flinch. He didn't evade or retreat.
Instead, he stepped forward, meeting the attack head-on, his fists wrapped in thunderous, pitch-black lightning.
Crack!
Fractures webbed across the colossal slash before it shattered into fragments with a deafening boom.
Though its destructive force was moderate, the sheer awe it commanded was enough to make even the sky tremble.
In an instant, every pair of eyes turned upward.
Across the battlefield—Marines, Pirates, and onlookers alike—everyone stared at the heavens.
"A… a spaceship?!"
"Another one that can fly?!"
"Who's coming this time?!"
"Don't tell me—Whitebeard reinforcements?!"
"No! Look! That's the symbol of the World Government!"
"It's one of their ships! The World Government's own army has arrived!"
As soon as they recognized the flag fluttering from the ship's mast, excitement rippled through the Marine ranks.
Morale—crushed since the revelation of the false world war—suddenly began to rise again.
As the massive World Government vessel descended toward the battlefield, cheers erupted, growing louder and more fervent.
"Look! The old man standing at the bow!"
"That build… the mohawk… the mustache!"
"There's no mistake—he's the former Fleet Admiral!"
"Now the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's army—Commander Kong! Commander Kong is here!"
The moment his identity was confirmed, the morale of the Marines exploded.
From the very start, this war against the Whitebeard Pirates had been in their favor.
In numbers, strength, and command, the Marines had held the upper hand.
And yet—
From the instant the fighting began, disaster followed disaster.
After an exhausting struggle, the Whitebeard Pirates had finally been wiped out…
Only for the truth to emerge—that it had all been a dream.
They had killed Whitebeard's crew inside a dream.
The real war hadn't even started yet.
The psychological blow to Marine morale was indescribable.
And then came the intervention of Fairy Tail, driving them even deeper into despair.
The duel between Sugisawa Yuuto and Garp was the breaking point.
Their legendary hero—the undefeated Marine powerhouse—was utterly suppressed.
Had Sengoku not intervened at the last possible moment, even Garp might have fallen.
But even with that save, the situation was dire.
If nothing changed, the Marines would lose today.
All their efforts—the hundred thousand elite soldiers gathered for this "War of the Era"—would mean nothing.
If Ace and the Whitebeard Pirates managed to escape, the Marines' honor would be shattered, their prestige in the world destroyed.
The loss would be incalculable.
At that desperate crossroads, the arrival of Kong, the former Fleet Admiral and now Commander-in-Chief of the Government's army, was nothing short of divine intervention.
His presence alone reignited hope, a rallying cry that spread across the Marine ranks like wildfire.
"Jiehahahaha! It's been decades, hasn't it, old man Kong!"
Golden Lion Shiki's booming laughter filled the air.
Their history ran deep—
back to the days when Kong had still been a Marine Admiral.
Old rivals. Old acquaintances.
After a moment of surprise, Shiki's grin widened—but his attention soon drifted from Kong to the figure standing beside him.
His sharp gaze narrowed, golden hair fluttering in the wind.
That man…
He was another face from Shiki's long and blood-soaked past.