The sea around Enies Lobby burned.
Fire licked across the water where warships had once ruled, black smoke coiling upward like funeral incense for the fallen. Broken masts drifted like corpses. Cannons lay silent, half-submerged, their mouths forever frozen mid-roar.
The Straw Hats were gone.
And what remained—
Was hell.
⸻——————
The Bridge shook as ten figures advanced.
Ten Vice Admirals.
Veterans of countless battles. Men and women who had crushed pirate fleets, quelled rebellions, and enforced the World Government's will without question. Their coats snapped violently in the wind, blades drawn, fists coated in hardened Haki.
They surrounded him.
Bullet stood at the center of the shattered bridge, unmoving.
No stance.
No guard.
No fear.
"Do not underestimate him," one Vice Admiral barked.
"That is Douglas Bullet of the Nyx Pirates!"
"He has a bounty of over three billion berries!"
Another snarled.
"So what?! He's still just one man!"
Bullet tilted his head slightly.
"…One is enough."
The Vice Admirals moved.
⸻——————-
Two charged head-on, swords blackened with Armament Haki, slashing in perfect synchronization.
Bullet stepped forward.
Not back.
The blades struck—
And stopped.
His forearms caught them barehanded.
The Vice Admirals' eyes widened in horror.
"…Impossible—!"
Bullet twisted.
Metal screamed.
Both swords snapped clean in half.
Before either could react, Bullet slammed his forehead into the first Vice Admiral's face.
CRACK.
The man was launched backward like a cannonball, smashing through a watchtower and disappearing in an explosion of stone.
Bullet's elbow came down on the second Vice Admiral's neck.
The body collapsed instantly.
Two down.
⸻——————-
A Vice Admiral leapt high, roaring as he brought down a massive Haki-coated axe.
Bullet glanced upward.
He jumped.
The bridge cratered beneath his feet as he launched himself skyward.
Midair—
He punched.
Not the Vice Admiral.
The air.
The shockwave detonated outward, catching the attacker full-on.
The axe shattered.
The Vice Admiral spun violently, bones breaking mid-flight as he crashed into the sea far below—unmoving.
Bullet landed softly.
Three.
⸻—————-
The remaining Vice Admirals attacked together.
Fists.
Blades.
Rokushiki techniques ripping through the air.
Bullet walked through it.
A punch glanced off his shoulder—he didn't flinch.
A kick struck his ribs—he didn't slow.
He grabbed one Vice Admiral by the face and slammed him into the bridge—
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The stone gave way before Bullet did.
He hurled the body into two others, crushing all three into a collapsed section of the bridge in a cloud of dust and blood.
Six.
⸻——————
The last four spread out, fear now visible in their eyes.
"Keep your distance!"
"Don't let him get close!"
They unleashed everything.
Rankyaku blades tore through the air.
Cannon fire thundered from the remaining ships.
Haki-coated spears and swords rained down.
Bullet exhaled slowly. "…Annoying."
He clenched his fist.
The pressure around him exploded outward.
Stone vaporized.
Rankyaku shattered.
Cannons were torn from decks and hurled into the sea like toys.
One Vice Admiral was crushed against a wall by the shockwave alone, blood spraying as he slid down unconscious.
Seven.
Bullet blurred.
One moment he stood at the center—
The next, he was behind another Vice Admiral.
A single chop to the back of the neck.
The body dropped.
Eight.
⸻——————-
Two remained.
Both trembling now. "This—this isn't possible…"
"He's not human…"
They screamed and charged together, haki blazing brighter than before.
"For justice!!"
Bullet finally looked annoyed.
He stepped forward.
One punch each.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
Just final.
Both Vice Admirals vanished in twin shockwaves that split the bridge straight down the center, their bodies hurled into the abyss below.
Silence followed.
⸻—————-
Only the waterfalls roared.
Bullet stood alone once more, surrounded by ruin.
Ten Vice Admirals.
The full command of a Buster Call.
Defeated.
He rolled his shoulder once, exhaling slowly.
"…That's it?" he muttered.
A broken transponder snail crackled weakly nearby before going silent.
Bullet looked out toward the burning horizon where the last surviving warships were retreating—those that still could.
"Hmph," he said quietly. "You ran faster than I expected."
He turned away, cloak fluttering as Enies Lobby groaned beneath its own weight.
The island of justice was broken.
Just as planned.
————————-
Marineford — Headquarters of the Marines
Marineford had not known silence in hours.
Transponder snails screamed from every corner of the command hall, their distorted voices overlapping into a wall of noise—reports from fleets, emergency alerts, casualty counts climbing by the second. Officers ran between stations, coats half-fastened, sweat beading at their temples.
Something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
At the center of it all, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood rigid behind his desk, arms crossed, jaw set like stone. His sharp eyes cut through the chaos, following every movement, every snail call, every whispered exchange.
Then—
A Marine Captain burst forward, nearly stumbling as he slammed both hands onto Sengoku's desk. "R–REPORTING FROM ENIES LOBBY!"
The room quieted—just slightly.
Sengoku's head snapped up.
"Speak," he ordered.
The transponder snail in the captain's trembling hands crackled violently, its eyes bulging as if even it struggled to process the message it carried.
"After the Straw Hat Pirates defeated CP9—"
"—a single pirate appeared."
A ripple passed through the room.
"A single… pirate?" an officer repeated under his breath.
The snail continued, voice shaking.
"He engaged the Buster Call forces alone."
"All ten Vice Admirals—defeated."
"Most of the warships—destroyed."
The words landed one by one.
Like hammer blows.
The command hall went deathly silent.
Paper froze mid-air.
Snails stopped wriggling.
Even the distant roar of the sea seemed to fade.
Sengoku did not move.
For a long moment, he simply stared at the snail.
"…Who?" he asked quietly.
The Marine Captain swallowed so hard it was audible.
"Douglas…Bullet," he said. "Of the Nyx Pirates."
The name detonated.
Sengoku slammed both fists into the desk.
The solid wood cracked under the force, deep fissures spiderwebbing across its surface.
"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING THERE?!"
The shout thundered through Marineford's command hall.
Several officers flinched outright. One transponder snail squealed and fainted mid-call.
"I–I don't know, sir!" the Marine Captain stammered, sweat pouring down his face as he struggled to keep his balance.
"He didn't attempt to capture the Straw Hat Pirates—"
He swallowed hard.
"—he let them escape!"
That—
That was worse.
The room fell into a suffocating silence.
Sengoku's expression darkened, fury giving way to something far more dangerous. Clarity.
"…So he wasn't there for them," Sengoku muttered.
He straightened slowly, towering behind his desk, his shadow stretching long across the floor. The lines in his face deepened, carved by years of war, betrayal, and hard-earned wisdom.
"Which means Enies Lobby was only the beginning."
No one spoke.
Even the most seasoned officers felt it now—that creeping sense of being outplayed.
"Bullet does not act without purpose," Sengoku continued, voice low and cutting.
"And he does not act alone."
His eyes narrowed.
"…The Nyx Pirates are moving."
A murmur rippled through the hall.
That name alone carried weight—rumors whispered in back rooms, reports sealed behind layers of classification, encounters that ended with entire fleets erased from records.
Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward.
Her expression was calm.
Too calm.
"…Bullet appearing openly is not his style," she said, fingers folded neatly within her sleeves. "He prefers decisive, overwhelming engagements—not distractions."
She turned her gaze toward Sengoku.
"If he revealed himself at Enies Lobby," Tsuru continued, "then it was meant to be seen."
The implication settled like ice in their chests.
An officer spoke up hesitantly. "Sir… if Bullet was deployed openly—then this may be a diversion."
Sengoku's teeth clenched.
"No," he corrected sharply. "It's a declaration."
Tsuru's eyes sharpened.
"…Then the question is," she said quietly, "who declared it?"
Silence.
Sengoku didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned toward the massive map lining the wall—its polished surface now marked with burning red signals. One of them pulsed violently over Enies Lobby.
Tsuru followed his gaze.
"…Nyx D. Ada," she said.
The name was barely louder than a whisper.
Several officers stiffened.
"…You think this is her doing?" one asked.
Tsuru's lips thinned.
"Bullet does not move without her approval," she replied. "And he certainly does not cause chaos without a larger objective."
Sengoku's fist tightened.
"…Is she moving?" he growled. "What the hell is she up to?"
No one had an answer.
And that terrified them.
Sengoku turned sharply, voice rising with iron authority.
"Mobilize the Admirals," he barked. "Immediately."
The command hall erupted into motion.
"Yes, sir!"
"Signal all nearby fleets!"
"Prepare emergency deployment protocols!"
"Seal all classified routes!"
"Admiral Aokiji is the closest!" an officer shouted.
"He's currently patrolling the region!"
Another voice followed quickly.
"And Vice Admiral Garp is stationed nearby as well!"
At that—
Several heads turned instinctively.
Tsuru's gaze flicked briefly toward Sengoku.
"…Sending Garp," she said evenly, "means this situation is already beyond containment."
Sengoku didn't hesitate.
"Send them," he said. "Both of them."
The words carried finality.
"If Bullet thinks he can turn Enies Lobby into his playground—"
"—then we'll remind him what the Marines are."
He stared at the map.
At the burning mark where Enies Lobby once stood as an unshakable pillar of justice.
"…This war has already begun," Sengoku said quietly. "And we are behind."
Tsuru closed her eyes for a brief moment.
"…Ada," she thought. "If you've finally decided to move… then the world is about to change."
Sengoku's jaw clenched so tightly the veins in his neck stood out.
"Open a direct line," he ordered. "To Kuzan."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
A large transponder snail was placed on his desk. Its eyes blinked, then—
"…Moshi moshi?"
Aokiji's lazy voice crackled through, half-asleep.
"This better be important," he said. "I'm still in my vocation."
Sengoku didn't waste time.
"Kuzan," he said sharply. "Enies Lobby has fallen."
A pause.
"…Come again?"
"All ten Vice Admirals deployed with the Buster Call have been defeated," Sengoku continued.
"Warships destroyed. Survivors minimal."
Another pause—longer this time.
"…That's not funny," Aokiji said quietly.
"It's not a joke," Sengoku replied. "The pirate responsible is Bullet of the Nyx Pirates."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop just from the name.
Aokiji exhaled slowly. "…So he finally moved."
"Yes," Sengoku said. "And you are the closest Admiral in range."
Aokiji straightened slightly, the laziness draining from his voice. "…You want me to engage."
"I want you to stop him," Sengoku corrected.
"At any cost."
Another transponder snail was pushed forward.
"And Garp is joining you."
A loud laugh burst through the second snail.
"BWAHAHAHAHA!"
"Bullet, huh?!"
Vice Admiral Garp's voice boomed through the hall.
"Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while!"
Sengoku pinched the bridge of his nose.
"This is not a game, Garp," he snapped. "He defeated ten Vice Admirals alone."
"Then they were too weak," Garp replied cheerfully. "I'll handle it."
Tsuru stepped forward.
"Do not underestimate him," she warned. "And be mindful—this may be part of a larger operation."
Garp hummed.
"…So Ada's finally moving," he said. "Tch. Figures."
Sengoku's eyes narrowed.
"Your objective is simple," he said. "Engage Bullet. Contain him. Do not let him leave Enies Lobby."
Aokiji spoke again, voice calm but serious now. "…Understood."
Garp grinned. "Heh. Guess I'll stretch my arms a bit."
The snails went silent.
Sengoku stared at the map once more.
"…If this fails," he muttered, "then we've already lost more than an island."
———————-
Back in Enies Lobby.
The sea temperature plummeted without warning.
One moment, waves crashed violently against drifting wreckage—
The next—
They froze solid.
Ice spread outward in a perfect, unnatural sheet, locking ships, debris, and even fire in place.
Aokiji stepped forward onto the frozen ocean, hands tucked casually into his coat pockets, breath misting faintly in the air.
"…Man," he muttered. "This really is a mess."
A thunderous crash echoed overhead.
A cannonball hurtled down from the sky—
And landed perfectly on the ice beside him.
Garp stood atop it, arms crossed, coat snapping violently in the wind, a grin plastered across his face.
"Bwahahahahaha!"
"They didn't exaggerate, did they?!"
Before them—
Enies Lobby.
Or what remained of it.
The great judicial island—once a symbol of absolute authority—was broken.
Half the towers lay in ruins.
The bridge was split down the middle.
Warships burned or lay capsized, frozen mid-sink.
Marines dragged bodies from the water in stunned silence.
Aokiji adjusted his sunglasses.
"…Vice Admirals," he said quietly. "So many of them…"
Garp's grin slowly faded.
"…This wasn't a battle," he said. "This was a slaughter."
They stepped forward together onto the shattered bridge.
And then—
They felt it.
A presence.
Heavy.
Unmoving.
Like the pressure of a mountain refusing to yield.
Aokiji stopped mid-step.
"…You feel that?" he asked.
Garp's eyes sharpened, his instincts screaming. "…Yeah."
Ahead of them—
A lone figure stood at the center of the destruction.
Bullet.
His cloak was torn, boots planted firmly into cracked stone. Around him lay the fallen—Vice Admirals, broken weapons, shattered pride.
Not a single trace of exhaustion touched his face.
"…Yo," Bullet said casually. "Took you long enough."
Aokiji sighed.
"So it really is you," he said. "Bullet of the Nyx Pirates."
Garp rolled his shoulders, knuckles cracking loudly.
"Heh."
"So you're the idiot who wrecked this place?"
Bullet smirked faintly. "Idiot?"
"No."
He slowly rolled his neck, bones popping audibly.
"The Marines don't send you unless they're desperate," he said calmly. "And right now—they are."
The air tightened.
Ice crept along the stone at their feet.
The bridge groaned.
The sea itself seemed to hold still.
Garp stepped forward, grin returning—sharp and dangerous.
"Bwahahahaha!"
"You've got guts, brat!"
Bullet's eyes gleamed. "…Good."
He planted his feet. "I was hoping you'd say that."
———————-
Far away—
The Straw Hat Pirates fled across the sea, unaware of the collision about to shake the foundations of the world.
——————
At Enies Lobby—
Three monsters stood face to face.
A hero of the Marines.
An Admiral made of ice.
And a pirate who had come to break the system itself.
The wind screamed.
The sea froze.
And history—
Was about to be rewritten.
————————
Author's Note
Hi guys! First of all happy New Year to everyone! I hope you all enjoyed yours, because I definitely enjoyed mine.
Only one chapter for today, unfortunately. I may or may not have gotten a little too drunk last night and ended up doing karaoke until late… and now I'm paying for it with a pretty nasty hangover 😅 My head is still pounding as I write this.
Still, I really wanted to get a chapter out for you all. Thank you so much for sticking with the story and for all the support. You honestly make this worth it.
Much love to all my readers, and I'll make it up to you in the next update. 💙