Chapter 78: The Beginning of the "New Age"
[Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 27]
Upon arriving, the immediate attention is drawn to the battered Yurikiman Mangrove tree, sprawled on its side as if it succumbed to a significant explosion.
Of course the one responsible for that was none other than Kizaru who accidentally went over board and ended up destroying the massive tree.
Inside the town you could see hundreds of marines arresting the pirates and criminals who have bounties on their heads.
On the outskirts of Grove 27, there's a port frequented by pirates for docking.
At present, the port hosts a few pirate ships that haven't set sail, including the Victoria Punk.
A few Navy battleships have also surrounded the island's exit.
"Lower the sails, I'll take the helm! We'll leave as soon as the others arrived!" Saga exclaimed as he assumed the helmsman duty "Heat and Wire, you load the cannons after you finish!!"
Heat, Wire, and Kureha swiftly lowered the sails, then the former two descended to the lower deck. There, they retrieved cannonballs from the powder magazine and commenced loading the cannons.
On the shore, Bonney, Krieg, and Gin lingered, refraining from boarding the ship to hold off the pursuing marines.
Bonney was carrying a large stick in her hand that she utilized to fight.
"Don't let them escape!! Hold them off until reinforcements arrived!!" The officer leading the attack shouted orders and the soldiers replied in unison before charging at the three pirates.
"Tsk, you guys are so annoying...is there no end to you?!" Bonney exclaimed in annoyance before swiftly lunging towards the incoming marines and struck them individually by thrusting the stick in her hand into her targets, aging them into a younger version of themselves.
"Age Skewer!!"
Her victims' lost years were manifested in the form of glittering jewels of various shapes.
"UWAAAH!!!"
"MOMMY!!...I WANT MOMMY!!" The de-aged marines cried and wailed like little children.
"What the hell was that?!"
"Be careful, she's 'Big Eater' Jewelry Bonney with a bounty of 101,000,000 Berries!!"
"She's not the only one that you should be worried about..." Gin warned them before he transformed into his Hybrid Black Panther form, wielding a pair of tonfa in both hands.
During their recent stay in Sabaody, Gin seized the chance to acquire a fresh set of tonfa.
"Demonic Smash!!" Gin jumped into the middle of the enemy's formation with marines surrounding him from all sides before he raised his arms and aimed his tonfa on opposite directions. Then he started spinning around himself at a high speed, smashing the marines faces.
BAM! BAM! BAM! Due to the incredible boost in strength and speed that his Zoan Devil Fruit grants him, his attacks are very hard to see and block.
"Kuhahaha! All of you shall have a taste of the mighty Don Krieg's power!" Krieg laughed in arrogance while eying the marines with a disdain look.
"Fire! Fire! Fire!" The marines aimed their rifles at Krieg and shot him.
However, Krieg quickly pulled out a cape that is covered with fist-sized metal spikes, stored under his right shoulder-plates.
He used it to protect himself from the bullets before he took off his gloves, revealing a set of diamond gauntlets equipped with an Impact Dial.
"Eat this you marine dogs..." Krieg closed the distance between him and the enemy before he rolled his fist back and punched the air in front of him, unleashing a powerful shockwave forward.
"AAGGHHHH!!!--" Several marines got knocked out as a result.
Back at the Victoria Punk, a Navy Warship approached the ship from the side and fired at them.
"Incoming cannonballs!!" Heat alerted.
Saga unsheathed his katana and slashed the air in front of him, unleashing several projectiles that cut the cannonballs and caused them to explode mid-air.
At the same time Heat and Wire loaded the cannons and fired back at the Navy.
"We're getting attacked from land and sea...they are set on arresting us in this island" Saga said "What's taking Kai and the others so long?"
The moment those words escaped his mouths the sound of thunder was heard above him.
When looking up ahead he could see Kai flying towards the Navy Warship.
"Cloud Blow!!"
Kai turned his fist into clouds and launched it as a dense column of cloud at the ship.
KA-BOOOOM!! The attack was powerful enough that it destroyed the ship in one shot.
"That's Kai..." Sage looked at his direction in relief before Kid landed on the ship while carrying the injured Wyper and Killer with him.
"Kid!"
"Where's Kureha?! These two needs to be treated immediately!!" Kid wasted no time and called for Kureha at once.
"Take them inside, I'll take care of them don't worry" Kureha assured him and the two went inside.
Kai landed on the ship afterwards "Sorry for keep you waiting" He said and then turned outside to see Bonney, Krieg and Gin still fighting the marines.
"Everyone, get on board!! We're leaving now!!"
"Kai! You're back!" Bonney smiled hearing his voice "Let's go, Gin, dumbass!"
Gin followed her while Krieg only flashed a hostile look at her direction "Who are you calling a dumbass you little shit?!...Hmph...Surely we shouldn't just go without leaving a gift, right?"
Krieg laughed mischievously while eyeing the enemies.
"The hell are you planning dumbass?!"
"Go ahead, you wouldn't wanna get caught in this" Krieg looked confident about whatever he was planning to do. He made sure everyone was on board before carrying his next move.
He quickly took out a gas mask and wore it on his face.
"You guys are done for..." He declared before he proceeded to fire an explosive shell containing a highly potent chemical toxin from the central launcher in his left shoulder-plate, its impact spread a large cloud of gas that has a purple color "MH5!!"
"What is this?--"
"It's poison gas!!! Everyone don't breathe it!!!" The marines started panicking and tried to move outside the poisonous gas reach but it was useless as it spread quickly around the area, affecting hundreds of people from all sides.
"Hahaha!! It's too late, the moment you inhale it, it will inflict immediate organ failure and internal bleeding..." Krieg stated while laughing wickedly "...You have one hour before you die as a side effect!!"
"You bastard!!!"
"Find a doctor immediately!!!"
"I don't want to die yet!!"
"Hahaha! Have a nice trip to hell, losers!" Krieg mocked them before he scattered a large number of marble-sized bombs that created multiple powerful explosions, further disorienting the battlefield and the jumped back to the Victoria Punk that just started sailing away.
"Nice work!" Kai commended Krieg's effort in driving away the marines and providing an opportunity for them to sail away smoothly.
"I always say it…if the mighty Krieg is with you, nothing should worry you!" He declared with a cocky smile.
"The hell was that just now?" Wire asked him since this was the first time Krieg uses the MH5 since joining the crew.
"It's the MH5..." Krieg replied.
"MH5?"
Gin chimed in and provided a quick explanation "It's a poisonous explosive shell that contains a highly potent chemical toxin that last 5 minutes after launch...upon breathing it will cause organic failure and the person will die in 1 hour"
"You had such a weapon on you yet this is the first time you use it?"
"The MH5 can destroy whole villages, so I tend to use it sparingly" Krieg said.
"Boss Kai, where are we going to go now? The ship is not coated so we can't sail to Fish-Man Island" Heat question.
"Anywhere but here...We can comeback a couple of days later when the situation calms down"
Heat nodded in understanding and walked to Saga's side with a Log Pose in his hand. The latter steered the ship outside the Archipelago and sailed the opposite direction of the Red Line.
Later, Kid and Kureha left the infirmary and made their way to the crew's quarters before heading up to the ship's deck.
"What's up, how are they doing?" Kai asked Kureha about Killer and Wyper's conditions.
"Don't worry about them, they will be fine. Killer didn't suffer any serious injuries and he'll be okay in a few days, however..." Kureha stopped in the middle of sentence to take a sip from the bottle of sake in her hand before she continued "...That Shandian warrior is gonna take at least a month or a two to completely heal. He's injuries are very serious, he will most likely wake up after a week, though..."
"...he really has a strong mind and body, I don't know if it's sky people's genetics, but he'll be fine" Kureha stated before she laid on a lounge chair and enjoyed her drink.
'Well, he's the descendant of Kalgara, Shandia tribe's greatest warrior…' Kai sighed loudly thinking about the whole situation 'This was my fault to begin with, I should've left the island knowing what's gonna happen…anyway, we should come back later when things calm down, by then the Navy hands should be full for that incoming event--'
Kai's thoughts were interrupted when his brother called him "Hey, Kai…" Kid was holding a newspaper in his hand with a frown "…Did you read the news?"
Kai shook his head, but he could guess what it was about.
"The Navy announced the public execution of the 2nd division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, 'Fire Fist' Portgas D. Ace" Kid stated, throwing the newspaper to Kai "Wasn't he the one we met in Drum Kingdom? He was looking for Straw Hat back then"
"Yeah, that's him" Kai responded while reading the newspaper thoroughly "His execution has been set at one week from today"
"If they announce a public execution that could only mean one thing"
"Yeah, they're asking for war, luring Whitebeard into their turf and taking him down and his allies" Kai said.
Kid grinned in excitement "The strongest man in the world against the entire Navy. I wonder who's going to be victorious"
"Regardless of who the winner is this incoming war will mark the start of a new era" Kai placed the newspaper aside and walked to the captain's cabin "I'll take nap, don't wake me up unless it's important"
…
…
…
A few days later,
All around the world, people voice their opinions on 'Fire Fist' Ace's execution and if Whitebeard will really show up. A few doubt his strength due to his old age and the number of the Marine forces. Others, who personally met Whitebeard and even retired from piracy just by being around him, think otherwise. Even children know of Whitebeard's raw strength and sing a playground song about him.
Meanwhile, the inhabitants of Marineford, a city where the families of Marines reside, have been evacuated due to the coming war.
On the Sabaody Archipelago, monitors have been set up to broadcast the execution to its inhabitants as Ace arrives at the execution stand.
The Eustass Pirates, Crocodile Pirates and all the other Supernova are also present to watch the war.
"So, it begins…" Kai muttered while standing with his crew at the far back. He was not foolish enough to participate in a losing war that he has nothing to gain from so he decided to stay out of the conflict.
"Let's see if you're still the man I knew or if the old age finally got you, Whitebeard" Crocodile on the other hand was very intrigued by this war, or more precisely about Whitebeard's fate afterwards.
Suffering a humiliating defeat during his early days at the New World, he still holds a grudge against him and desire revenge, but he decided to not be hasty and act upon his emotions.
Soon after, Whitebeard and his allies arrived, and the war started.
Kai watched the whole thing with interest, even though he knows the outcome but seeing the war plays in real life was very different from the anime or the manga.
The event went the same way as Kai remembers with Ace dying by the hands of Akainu after being freed by Luffy, Blackbeard arriving near the end of the war and ending Whitebeard's life along with his new crewmembers made up of ex-level 6 prisoners from Impel Down and stealing the Gura Gura no Mi from Whitebeard's dead body.
After clashing with Garp and Sengoku, Blackbeard went on to shake up Marineford and the ocean around it, creating massive waves that caused a massive tsunami in Sabaody.
"That Blackbeard guy…I knew he wasn't normal from the moment we fought him back in Drum Island, to think that he's capable of eating two Devil Fruits without dying…He's a dangerous fella" Kid remarked, while watching the broadcast.
'If he can master advanced types of Haki, he could surely become the strongest man in the world, otherwise he'll just be a pirate with the most overpowered Devil Fruits' Kai thought in his head.
Meanwhile Bonney was crying tears while watching her father who was forced into fighting for the Navy side alongside his clones of Pacifista.
.
~ "Not only the ground! The Sky and the sea…Everything is shaking!"
~ "Zehahahaha!! What a wonderful power!!" Blackbeard laughed in thrill as he witnessed the destruction he caused with his new ability "ZEHAHAHAHA!!! No one can stop me! I'm gonna destroy and devour everything!"
.
"How frightening…!!"
"Disgusting!!!"
"Just what is Blackbeard going to do next?!!" The spectators watched the broadcast in fear as they witnessed the power of the Gura Gura no Mi in the hands of Blackbeard before sirens fired and a sudden announcement was made in the Sabaody Archipelago.
*Sirens*-*Sirens*
*Sirens*-*Sirens*
<Urgent warning!! Due to Marineford becoming the epicenter of these earthquakes, we are issuing a massive tsunami warning for the southern shores of the Sabaody Archipelago!!>
<We fear there may be panic, so everyone heads to the north side of the Archipelago!!>
<Evacuate to the high ground around the grove 40 to 50 area!!>
"A tsunami, huh?...Sengoku was not exaggerating when he said Whitebeard had the power to destroy the world" Kai commented before turning back and walking away "Let's get out of here, we'll move closely to Marineford and watch the end of the war"
The Eustass Pirates along with their fellow Supernova crews sailed to Marineford in order to witness the end of the war and the beginning of the New Age.
The Red Hair Pirates arrived shortly after that. Shanks stopped the bloody conflict, and the Marines finally announced the end of the Summit War of Marineford with their victory.
…
At the stage of the war on the summit, the seven ships floating in the Marineford bay as the ones who now bore the New Age of pirates on their backs, were not about to miss this critical juncture in history and stared deeply at the tumult of war rising up from Marineford.
On the Liberal Hind, the Drake Pirates ship which looks like a Marine battleship but slightly modified with inverted colors, stood Drake at the front near the figure head with his arms crossed in front of him.
"So, things have finally concluded…" One of his crewmembers said.
Drake looked at Marineford with serious expressions before speaking "The Marines also must change"
..
Beside them was the Fire Tank Pirates who were sailing on the Nostra Castello, a fortress themed ship with a castle instead of a cabin and equipped with cannons even on the figurehead.
"In the blink of an eye, Whitebeard's territorial waters were transformed into a sea of blood" Bege remarked while smoking a thick cigar.
..
The Fallen Monk Pirates' ship Hanjomaru sailed near them. The ship is eye catching with a Japanese folklore theme, with a white Oni figurehead that has sharp yellow teeth, large white wings, and a crossed naginata and hannya and a shield behind it.
"The key is Blackbeard. Without a doubt he'll be the central figure in the next few years" Urouge stated with a grin.
..
The On Air Pirates were present as well, their vessel taking on musical theme, with a massive horn for a figurehead. Apoo stood at the front with a frown with his crew behind him.
"A man who will eventually become your enemy?! Who on earth would think of saving him, seriously?!" Apoo exclaimed.
"What are you talking about, captain Apoo?"
"Trafalgar Law, That Bastard!!...he's infamous for his cruelty you know, so what the hell is he thinking about?! Saving Straw Hat, is he insane?!"
..
On the Grudge Dolph deck sat Basil Hawkins, his ship uses voodoo motif, with a voodoo doll-like figurehead with a giant nail through it.
Hawkins bore neutral expressions while he was using tarot cards to determine the outcome of the events.
"Strange…"
"What's wrong, captain Hawkins?"
"No matter how many times I try…Straw Hat Luffy's survival rate never hits zero…!!"
..
On the Sea Scourge, Crocodile was enraged after witnessing the death of Whitebeard.
"Damn it Whitebeard! To think that you'd end up getting killed by that punk Blackbeard, I didn't know you were this weak…the man who defeated me wasn't this weak!!"
..
Back at the Victoria Punk,
"I was honestly surprised by this sudden breakout of war, but the great pirate Whitebeard has died" Saga commented.
"With this, it's over…" Gin said before Kid emerged from the cabin and walked to the prow with a grin stretching across his face.
"Hahahaha!! What's over?! The force known as Blackbeard that's been born from this has got quite the balls!!" Kid said, he then added "The New World is a sea controlled by the Four Emperors! Red-Hair, Kaido, Big Mom…now that the balance has crumbled who knows what will happen!!"
"It begins now!!! A 'New Age' like nothing anyone has ever seen before!!!" Kid laughed manically before he turned to Kai with a raised eyebrow "Who do you think should be our first target?"
Kai smiled before answering "I think that 'person' is the best option for our first prey…but we'll have to get a lot stronger before doing that"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone