In the New World, chaos reigned as pirates scrambled to conceal their locations, unaware of the events unfolding at Mary Geoise. News had yet to reach their ears.
The Whitebeard Pirates were no exception. Whitebeard and his "sons" were preparing to leave their current territory, wary of drawing the attention of the Five Elders and their forces, who were actively mobilizing in the New World.
No one wanted to be the scapegoat for the wrath of the World Government and the Navy during such turbulent times.
The Whitebeard Pirates' fleet, comprising four massive main ships in addition to their allied crews, was making a significant move. The size of their fleet made them hard to miss.
"We might be targeted, but the New World is vast. It's unlikely we'd be so unlucky to run into trouble," Whitebeard reassured his anxious sons.
"Father! There's a mysterious ship approaching ahead—it's moving incredibly fast! Its speed isn't normal!" a crew member suddenly reported.
"What?"
Whitebeard and his division commanders, including Marco, rushed to the railing to peer into the distance.
A ship that had been a mere speck on the horizon moments ago was now rapidly closing the gap. Its speed was astonishing.
By the time it neared, the figures on its deck were clearly visible without the aid of Haki. Among them were Akainu, Garp, and others.
Both sides froze.
Wide-eyed, they stared at each other in mutual shock.
"This is too much of a coincidence," Kizaru remarked, lazily blinking as he recognized the Whitebeard Pirates' flag.
"What's Whitebeard doing away from his territory? What's he planning?" Garp muttered, his eyes narrowing.
Meanwhile, Whitebeard's expression darkened. His teeth clenched as he processed the sight before him.
"Damn it," he growled. "So they've really come for me. Unable to handle the Sun and Moon Pirates, they've decided to target me instead."
Whitebeard didn't believe this was a mere coincidence. It had to be deliberate.
"Prepare for battle!" Whitebeard roared, shattering the uneasy silence.
"If they want to take us down, we'll make them pay dearly!"
Marco and the other commanders shared grim expressions, their killing intent palpable as they readied themselves for a desperate fight.
Even knowing they stood no chance against the overwhelming strength of their enemies, they resolved to resist with everything they had.
"It seems today is the day I die," Whitebeard thought, gripping his naginata. His gaze sharpened with resolve.
Even if he perished, he would ensure his sons' safety.
"Kuke, this is the promise you failed to keep," Whitebeard muttered, recalling Kuke's words after their last clash.
He had believed Kuke would rise to uphold the new era for pirates, but now it seemed that hope was misplaced.
The two forces were moments away from clashing.
On the naval ship's deck, everyone except Akainu hesitated. Kizaru, Kuzan, and even Garp showed little enthusiasm for a battle.
Only Akainu, simmering with pent-up rage, saw Whitebeard as the perfect outlet for his frustration.
"This is a golden opportunity," Akainu said, his fists igniting with magma. "Today, we send Whitebeard to his grave. If we eliminate him, this trip to the New World won't have been in vain."
With Whitebeard's head as a trophy, Akainu felt his humiliation at the hands of the Sun and Moon Pirates would be somewhat alleviated.
"Five Elders, allow me to annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates here and now," Akainu requested, addressing the grim-faced elders aboard the ship.
The three Five Elders present glanced briefly at Whitebeard before dismissing him entirely.
Whitebeard's importance paled in comparison to the crisis at Mary Geoise.
"The priority is to return to Mary Geoise immediately," the sword-wielding elder commanded with finality.
"Why?" Akainu asked, baffled. "This is the perfect chance to strike. We outmatch them completely—victory is certain!"
"If we hadn't encountered them, it wouldn't have been worth the effort to search. But now that we have, why..." Akainu trailed off, his frustration mounting.
"Silence! Are you questioning our orders?" the elders snapped, their icy glares silencing him. Their foul moods left no room for dissent.
The naval ship, like an arrow loosed from its bow, bypassed the Whitebeard Pirates without a second glance. It sped away into the horizon, leaving Whitebeard and his crew in stunned silence.
"They're... gone?"
Whitebeard stared at the rippling waves left in the ship's wake, disbelief etched across his face. He had braced himself for death, only for his foes to vanish without a word.
Marco and the others were equally dumbfounded.
"We were rallying ourselves for a fight, and they just left? What kind of situation is this?" Marco muttered.
"They must have been afraid of us," one of Whitebeard's sons suggested. "Yeah, they were scared of Father!"
"Father is the strongest... uh, was the strongest man..." the sons exclaimed, their spirits lifting.
However, Marco and the other commanders weren't convinced.
"Afraid? Those monsters?" Marco frowned. "There's no way. Something's not right."
The naval forces, feared by all pirate crews in the New World, wouldn't simply retreat out of fear.
"Father, what's going on?" Marco asked, seeking clarity.
But Whitebeard, just as puzzled, could only speculate.
"They wouldn't spare us out of mercy. Their haste suggests something more urgent than dealing with me," Whitebeard mused.
"Is something significant happening elsewhere in the seas?"
"Could some pirate crew be taking advantage of the Navy's weakened forces to stir up trouble?"
"No," Whitebeard concluded, shaking his head. "Even with their forces spread thin, the Navy isn't so weak that any small crew could threaten them."
The thought struck him again: "Unless someone like Kuke is involved—someone capable of threatening the Navy or striking elsewhere. But Kuke must still be in the New World..."
Unable to make sense of the situation, Whitebeard decided not to dwell on it.
Survival was a blessing in itself.
"Let's move! Quickly, before they change their minds," Whitebeard commanded, leading his crew away.
As the naval ship sped across the seas, it encountered several pirate crews but didn't engage them.
Pirates who saw the ship, carrying admirals and warships, expected death but were instead left bewildered by the lack of confrontation.
Rumors began to spread.
"Has the World Government grown merciful? Have they decided to spare the pirates of the New World?"
Speculation ran wild.
Three days later, as whispers of Kuke's descent upon Mary Geoise began to circulate, official confirmation came.
The World Government's newspapers reported the truth:
The Sun and Moon Pirates had invaded Mary Geoise.
A storm was brewing across the Grand Line, and it was only beginning.
_____TRY OUT____
Check out my new fanfiction, The Infinite Reincarnation: Starting from Naruto! You can find it on my profile—give it a read and let me know what you think!
and here you have a little Synopsis:
One day, countless natural wormholes suddenly appeared across Earth, opening gateways to other worlds. Humanity officially embarked on an era of interdimensional conquest.
Sora, an ordinary high school student from Rivertown First High, lived a mundane life—until his final year, when he awakened a Reincarnator System. However, he wasn't just any ordinary teenager; he had already transmigrated from another world.
His first stop? The Warring States Era of Naruto.
From that moment on, he set foot on an endless journey across the vast multiverse…
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DONT FORGET POWER STONE
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up 50+ chapters at patreon.com/Emik01.