One Piece: Crimson Shadows

Chapter 204 203 - Descent into Marineford

Earlier.

Far from the center of Marineford's battlefield, before Whitebeard's arrival shook the world, before Sengoku revealed Ace's bloodline, before the war truly began.

Another storm was approaching. One far more chaotic. One far less organized and somehow just as dangerous.

A stolen Marine warship cut through the sea at full speed.

Its sails torn. Its deck damaged. Its flag barely recognizable after the chaos of Impel Down.

And standing at the front of the ship.

Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy.

His fists clenched.

His eyes locked forward.

His entire body burning with one goal.

Save Ace.

Beside him stood monsters and madmen alike.

Crocodile leaned against the railing with his usual cold expression, cigar smoke rising around him.

Jinbe stood firm and calm, watching the sea with veteran focus.

Buggy paced nervously, already regretting every life decision that led him here.

Emporio Ivankov stood dramatically with arms crossed, somehow looking fabulous in the middle of war.

Inazuma remained composed and silent.

And near the front like a living weapon. Douglas Bullet stood with his arms crossed, staring at Marineford like a predator looking at prey.

Ahead. Marineford. At last.

Luffy's eyes widened.

His voice burst out like a child seeing adventure. "We're finally here!!"

He pointed ahead excitedly. "That's Marineford!"

His expression hardened immediately.

"Ace… just wait! I'm coming!"

Bullet narrowed his eyes. He looked across the sea. Dozens upon dozens of ships. Warships. Pirate ships. Chaos waiting to happen.

"…Look at all those ships."

His voice was low. Cold. "Whitebeard's fleet."

Ivankov placed a hand dramatically on his cheek. "Hee-haw!"

Even he looked impressed. "So many…"

His eyes scanned the horizon. "The old man really brought everyone."

Crocodile let out a dry laugh. Smoke escaped from his cigar. "So…"

His eyes narrowed. "The old bastard did come after all."

A faint smirk. "As expected."

Luffy looked between them. "Of course he came!"

He shouted. "He's Ace's family!"

His fists clenched tighter. "Why wouldn't he?!"

Before anyone could answer. The sea changed. The ship suddenly tilted violently. Everyone lost balance.

Buggy screamed immediately.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

He grabbed the mast.

"WHY ARE WE TILTING?!"

Massive waves rose beneath them.

No. Not waves. The sea itself was lifting. A monstrous tsunami rising from both sides like the ocean had decided to stand up and somehow their ship was riding it.

Luffy stared in disbelief.

His mouth dropped open.

"WHAT THE HECK?!"

He pointed wildly.

"WHY IS THERE SUDDENLY A TSUNAMI?!"

Bullet remained calm. Almost amused. He crossed his arms.

"That…"

He looked toward Marineford.

"…is Whitebeard."

Luffy blinked. "…Huh?"

Bullet smirked slightly. "The Quake-Quake Fruit."

He watched the sea rise like a living disaster.

"It's considered the strongest Paramecia-type Devil Fruit."

His eyes sharpened.

"It creates earthquakes. It cracks the air. It can tilt the sea itself."

A pause.

"It creates disasters."

Luffy stared.

His jaw still hanging open.

"EHHHHHHHH?!"

He pointed again. "That's from a DEVIL FRUIT?!"

Bullet nodded once. "Yes."

Even Luffy looked impressed. "That's awesome…"

Then his face hardened again. "But also super annoying right now!"

Crocodile looked toward the tsunami with narrowed eyes.

Smoke curled around him.

"Hmph."

A faint grin.

"So he didn't lose his touch."

Then In an instant everything froze. The giant tsunami. The sea. The waves. The entire world around them turned to ice.

Silence. Absolute.

Ivankov blinked.

Then pointed dramatically.

"That ice…"

His face darkened.

"That's Aokiji."

Jinbe frowned deeply. His voice was calm. But serious. "More importantly…"

He looked around. "…we are now stuck at the top of a frozen tsunami."

A pause.

He looked down. Very far down. "…How exactly are we supposed to reach the battlefield from here?"

Everyone looked and realized they were ridiculously high up. Their ship was now perched on top of a frozen mountain of ocean.

Far below. Marineford. War. Death.

Buggy's soul almost left his body.

He screamed. "WE'RE GOING TO DIE!!"

He grabbed Luffy by the shoulders. "THIS IS HOW I DIE! ON A FROZEN WAVE!"

Luffy looked down. Thought for exactly one second.

Then smiled. Simple. Terrifying.

"Let's just break the ice."

Silence. Everyone stared at him.

Buggy slowly turned. "…Are you dumb?"

A beat.

"No seriously—are you actually stupid?!"

He pointed downward.

"We break the ice—"

He screamed.

"WE FALL TO OUR DEATHS!!"

Luffy nodded confidently. "Yeah!"

Buggy nearly fainted. "THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING!!"

But then—

Bullet smirked. A dangerous one. The kind that meant destruction. "…I like your idea, brat."

Buggy froze. "No."

He turned slowly. "No no no no—"

Bullet cracked his knuckles. "If we land in the water…"

He glanced toward Jinbe. "Jinbe here can save us Devil Fruit users."

Jinbe gave a calm nod. "Yes."

Perfectly serious.

"I can do that."

Buggy pointed at all of them in horror. "WHY ARE YOU ALL AGREEING WITH THIS?!"

Ivankov struck a dramatic pose. "Then it is decided!"

He pointed forward like a revolutionary general.

"TO WAR!"

Inazuma adjusted his glasses calmly.

"…It is the fastest route."

Buggy looked betrayed by existence itself.

"I hate every single one of you."

He pointed at Luffy specifically.

"Especially you!"

Luffy grinned. Bright. Fearless. Completely insane.

"Then let's move!!"

And before anyone could stop him. He jumped. Straight off the ship. Without hesitation. Without a plan. Without sanity.

Buggy screamed like a dying bird.

"STRAWHAAAAAATTT!!"

Bullet laughed. Then jumped too.

"HAHAHAHA! Now this is fun!"

Ivankov leaped dramatically. "Hee-hawww!"

Crocodile clicked his tongue. "Tch."

Then followed.

Because apparently dignity had died already.

Jinbe sighed. Then jumped.

Because someone had to keep these idiots alive.

Inazuma followed. Calmly. Professionally.

Buggy stood alone. Shaking. Trembling.

Crying.

"…I hate being a pirate."

A pause.

"…I hate all of you."

Then he jumped too. Screaming the entire way down.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Midair. All of them kicked downward.

Feet slamming into the frozen tsunami beneath them.

CRACK.

CRACK.

CRACK.

The ice shattered. Splitting apart beneath the stolen ship. The frozen mountain broke.

And suddenly everyone was falling. Fast.

Very fast. Toward Marineford. Toward war.

Toward madness.

All of them screamed. Some in excitement.

Some in terror.

Mostly Buggy.

Especially Buggy.

And as they fell. Marineford waited.

——————————-

Back in Marineford.

The frozen battlefield trembled beneath the clash of monsters.

Whitebeard stood at the center of the bay like an emperor challenging the world itself.

The Admirals watched.

The Warlords waited.

Cannons roared. Marines shouted.

And somewhere in the distance. Two young Marines were doing their best not to die.

Hidden behind part of the fortress wall, far from the direct center of battle, Koby and Helmeppo stood together, both pale from everything they had witnessed so far.

Whitebeard's arrival.

The frozen tsunamis.

The Admirals clashing.

The overwhelming pressure of war itself.

For two young officers. It was too much.

Helmeppo clutched his sword nervously.

His hands were shaking. "This is insane…"

He looked around frantically. "How are we even supposed to survive something like this?!"

Koby swallowed hard.

Sweat ran down his face.

His Observation Haki wasn't fully awakened yet—but even without it, he could feel it.

The fear.

The killing intent.

The weight of thousands of lives.

Then Helmeppo froze. His eyes slowly lifted upward. "…What's that?"

Koby blinked. "Huh?"

Helmeppo pointed to the sky with a trembling finger.

His voice cracked. "THAT!"

Koby followed his gaze.

And his face immediately changed.

"…A ship?"

A pause.

His jaw dropped.

"…A SHIP?!"

High above Marineford. Something massive was falling from the sky. Fast. Very fast.

Koby stared in disbelief. "A ship is falling from the sky?!"

Helmeppo grabbed his own face.

"WHY IS THERE A SHIP IN THE SKY?!"

"IS THAT NORMAL?!"

"THIS WAR DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!"

Nearby Marines also began noticing.

One soldier looked up and shouted.

"Something's falling!"

Another turned. "What now?!"

Then he froze.

"…No way."

Across the battlefield, more and more heads turned upward.

Confusion spread like wildfire.

Even the pirates paused.

Even Whitebeard's commanders looked up.

On the execution platform, Sengoku narrowed his eyes. "…Hmm?"

Something above. Something wrong. Something ridiculous.

Even Ace looked up. "…What?"

One Marine officer shouted from below,

"Is that… a warship?!"

Another Marine panicked.

"A surprise attack from Whitebeard?!"

"Did they have reinforcements in the sky?!"

Doflamingo tilted his head.

Then laughed. "Fufufufu…"

His grin widened. "This war just keeps getting better."

Mihawk looked up silently.

His golden eyes narrowed.

That ship. Something about it felt absurdly familiar.

Even Whitebeard raised an eyebrow.

"…Gurarara?"

————————-

Far above Marineford.

A stolen Marine battleship was plummeting straight toward the battlefield.

Completely out of control.

Sailing through the air like a coffin thrown by the gods.

And inside it. Pure chaos. Everyone was screaming.

Especially Buggy.

"THAT'S WHY I DIDN'T LIKE YOUR IDEA IN THE FIRST PLACE!!"

He was crying. Fully crying.

"This is TOO MUCH!!"

He grabbed onto anything he could.

"This is how legends die?! Falling from the sky like idiots?!"

Douglas Bullet crossed his arms despite literally falling through the air.

Completely calm. Smirking.

"Too late to blame each other now…"

He glanced sideways.

"…Clown nose."

Buggy pointed at him with absolute fury.

"DON'T CALL ME CLOWN NOSE AT A TIME LIKE THIS!!"

Crocodile held onto the railing, furious.

Smoke somehow still coming from his cigar.

"This happened because of his damn wink!"

He pointed directly at Ivankov.

"I knew trusting you was a mistake, you freak!"

Emporio Ivankov was somehow posing dramatically while falling to death.

"HEE-HAW?!"

"How is this MY fault, Crocoboy?!"

He pointed back. "You all agreed!"

Luffy stood at the front. Wind blasting his face. Completely unfazed. Mostly.

"DOESN'T MATTER!!"

He yelled at the top of his lungs.

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!"

He looked down. Saw the frozen battlefield.

Saw the giant ice below.

Then blinked. "Oh wait…"

He scratched his cheek. "I'm a rubber man."

A bright smile. "So I'll probably be fine!"

Everyone turned toward him in rage.

Mr. 3 nearly lost his mind. "YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT YOURSELF?!"

He pointed wildly. "DO SOMETHING!"

Ivankov flailed dramatically. "I DON'T WANNA DIE LIKE THIS!"

He raised both hands toward heaven.

"SOMEBODY STOP MEEEE!"

Buggy was beyond reason now. "I SHOULDN'T HAVE LISTENED TO YOU, STRAWHAT!"

His voice cracked. "DAMMITTTT!"

Jinbe stood firm despite the madness. Still the only sane man on board. "There is no point arguing now!"

His voice boomed over the chaos.

"Prepare yourselves!"

"We're landing!"

Everyone screamed louder.

———————-

Below. Marineford watched. Thousands of eyes stared upward.

Marines. Pirates. Warlords. Admirals.

Even the execution platform.

Everyone. Watching the same thing.

A giant ship. Falling from the heavens. Straight into the war.

One Marine whispered. "…What kind of entrance is that?"

Another muttered in horror. "…how did they even get there?!"

Ace's eyes widened. Something about that chaos. That stupidity. That impossible recklessness felt painfully familiar.

"…No way…"

His voice barely escaped.

"…Luffy?"

———————-

The giant warship fell like a meteor from the heavens.

Straight through the frozen air of Marineford.

Straight into the center of the battlefield.

Straight into history.

Marines pointed upward in panic.

Pirates stared in disbelief.

Even the Warlords paused.

Because no one, absolutely no one expected a stolen Marine battleship to come crashing down from the sky.

And then—Impact.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The warship slammed into the frozen bay with catastrophic force.

Ice exploded everywhere. Massive cracks spread across the battlefield like spiderwebs.

Snow and frozen debris blasted into the air.

Cannons were thrown aside.

Marines lost their footing.

Even giants stumbled.

The ship itself half-sank into the frozen battlefield, buried into the ice like a spear driven into the earth.

Smoke rose. Wood splintered.

Silence followed. Just for a moment.

Everyone stared. Waiting. Watching.

What kind of monsters would walk out of that?

Then. Movement.

A hand gripped the edge of the wrecked ship.

Then another.

Then several.

One by one figures rose from the wreckage.

Alive. Ridiculously alive.

Because of course they were.

At the very top of the ruined ship stood one person.

Hat still on. Fists clenched. Eyes burning.

Monkey D. Luffy.

He looked up. Straight at the execution platform. Straight at Ace and screamed with everything he had.

"ACEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

His voice tore across Marineford.

Loud enough for the entire battlefield to hear.

Loud enough to stop war for a heartbeat.

On the platform Ace froze. His eyes widened. His entire body locked. That voice.

That stupid, reckless, impossible voice.

"…Luffy…"

Below the Marines near the crashed ship quickly noticed the others climbing out behind him.

And their faces turned pale. Very pale.

One Marine officer pointed in horror. "Hey is that who I think it is?!"

Another Marine squinted.

Then nearly screamed. "IT'S CROCODILE!"

More Marines stared.

"And he's not the only one either!"

"Look at that lineup!"

Another shouted,

"Is that Jinbe?!"

"A Warlord!"

Another corrected him in panic.

"A former Warlord and an active Warlord?!"

Another pointed again.

"And those two!"

"From the Revolutionary Army!"

"It's Emporio Ivankov and Inazuma!"

But then everyone's eyes landed on the last one.

And the fear changed.

Because this one was different.

A Marine's voice trembled.

"…But look at the last one."

He swallowed hard.

"…It's Douglas Bullet."

Silence.

Then—

"From the Nyx Pirates!"

That name spread like fire.

The battlefield reacted instantly.

"BULLET?!"

"A commander of Ada's crew?!"

"What is he doing here?!"

"Why the hell is Strawhat with that Demon?!"

Even veteran officers stiffened.

Because if Bullet was here, it meant something bigger was coming. Something far worse.

Ivankov looked across the battlefield and gave a dramatic spin.

"Hee-haw!"

He spread his arms. "I'd expect no less from the Navy's full force!"

His makeup somehow still flawless.

"They are not to be underestimated!"

He pointed dramatically at the enemy lines.

"But don't worry!"

A grin.

"All the big names are here!"

Buggy immediately climbed higher on the wreckage like he was some legendary conqueror.

He pointed dramatically toward the world.

Completely ignoring reality.

"GET READY FOR ME, WORLD!!"

He screamed. "THE GREAT CAPTAIN BUGGY HAS ARRIVED!"

No one cared.

At all.

Luffy ignored literally everyone. His eyes were only on Ace. Only his brother mattered.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted again.

"HEY, ACE!!"

His grin was fierce.

"JUST SIT TIGHT, OKAY?!"

He pointed upward.

"CAUSE WE'RE GONNA GET YOU OUT OF THERE!!"

On the execution platform. Sengoku looked like his blood pressure had ascended to heaven.

He turned sharply toward Garp. Vein practically visible.

"HEY, GARP!!"

He pointed furiously.

"YOUR FAMILY IS MESSING THINGS UP AGAIN!!"

Garp looked up. Saw Luffy and immediately looked like he had aged ten more years.

"LUFFY NO!!!"

Below, Marines shouted in panic.

"Straw Hat has company!"

"There's a ton of criminals behind them too!"

"They must've escaped from Impel Down!"

"This is a complete disaster!"

From the Warlords' side. Mihawk watched silently.

His golden eyes rested on Luffy. Then briefly on Bullet. Then Ivankov. Then back to the battlefield.

Ada…

His thoughts were quiet. Cold. Certain.

Your son really did come.

A faint thought of amusement.

And look at him…Causing trouble again.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

As expected of someone carrying your blood.

A small pause.

Looks like Bullet and Ivankov are here too.

His gaze shifted toward the battlefield.

So the plan worked in the end after all.

Nearby, Gecko Moria nearly exploded.

"THAT BRAT?!"

His face twisted in rage.

"IS THAT STRAWHAT?!"

"KISHISHISHI!"

"I'LL KILL HIM MYSELF!"

Boa Hancock looked toward Luffy.

And for once her cold beauty softened.

A small smile.Relief.

Luffy…I'm glad to see you're alive.

Far behind the battlefield—

Koby and Helmeppo stared like reality had personally insulted them.

Koby's jaw dropped. "I can't believe it…"

He pointed. "Helmeppo!"

Helmeppo looked exhausted. "What is it now?!"

His soul already half gone. "Please tell me it's not another surprise!"

Koby yelled, "IT'S LUFFY?!"

Helmeppo froze. Then screamed. "OF COURSE IT'S STRAWHAT!!"

Koby shook his head in disbelief.

"That's crazy…that means…he escaped Impel Down somehow?!"

Above the battlefield, Aokiji glanced over lazily.

"…Now those are some big names."

He adjusted his posture slightly. Then his eyes narrowed.

"And is that Bullet?"

Even he took that seriously.

Kuma silently looked toward Ivankov. His expression unreadable. But his thoughts were clear.

Iva-chan…So you escaped.

A rare sense of relief.

I guess Ada and Dragon's plan worked. I'm glad.

His eyes shifted briefly toward Luffy. Then back.

Both you and Bullet did well. I suppose you helped Luffy once you learned about his lineage.

A pause.

I wonder what your reaction was, Iva-chan.

Kizaru looked over. Hands in pockets. Far too calm.

"Well now…"

He adjusted his glasses.

"Fancy seeing him here."

A slow smile.

"That boy sure gets around."

From Whitebeard's ship. Marco looked down and smirked. Blue flames flickering around him.

"So that's him…Ace's famous little brother."

He chuckled. "He talks about him a lot."

Doflamingo spread his arms wide, laughing.

"Fufufufufu!"

"A former Warlord and an active Warlord hand in hand!"

He pointed at Luffy.

"And look! We even have the famous rookie Straw Hat in attendance!"

His grin stretched wider. "This is too good!"

On the battlefield below. Tashigi pointed urgently.

"Smoker! Look there!"

Smoker followed her gaze. His eyes narrowed instantly.

"Straw Hat Luffy…"

Then.

"Crocodile…"

His cigar burned brighter. "What the hell are those two doing together?"

And then—Akainu looked toward Luffy.

His face darkened. His voice became pure hatred.

"So…it is him."

A pause.

"The grandson of our very own Marine Hero, Garp."

His eyes burned.

"And the son…of the Revolutionary Dragon."

Magma bubbled at his fist.

"I'll make that boy regret…"

His voice dropped. Cold. Absolute.

"…the day he decided to become a pirate."

And above them all. Ace stared at his little brother. At the idiot who had broken into hell itself. At the fool who had come all this way.

For him.

His eyes trembled. His voice broke. And for the first time he shouted with everything he had.

"LUFFY!!!"