BOOM! BOOM!
CRASH! CRASH!
"CHAAAAARGE!!"
At the front lines, Marines leapt from the elevated docks of the harbor, their battle cries shaking the skies as they stormed toward the charging pirates.
"Push forward!"
"We'll take Ace back!"
"Fight!!"
The pirates roared back with equal fury, clashing head-on with the Marines.
In an instant, a chaotic battle erupted—the largest scale war in history had officially begun.
Within seconds, over a hundred lives were lost, slain by blade, bullet, or cannonfire.
Pirates and Marines alike were bathed in blood, their own or their comrades'.
The stench of fresh blood saturated the air, fueling adrenaline and war frenzy like a drug.
---
"Kill them all!"
"Don't let them near the execution platform!"
"For Justice—destroy every criminal!"
"For Ace! For our brother—charge!"
"Let the Navy taste the wrath of the seas!"
The bay inside Marineford descended into a storm of chaos and violence.
And far away, at the Gates of Justice, another scene was playing out.
---
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"AAAH! They're firing again!"
"There's too many of them behind us!"
"More Navy ships incoming—RUN!"
Near the towering Gates of Justice, a solitary ship was under siege from a fleet of pursuing warships, their cannons relentlessly firing.
"This gate… how the hell are we supposed to open something this massive?!"
"There's no way that thing opens with manpower!"
"Damn it! We made it this far, and there's no path forward…"
Onboard the ship carrying Luffy and his crew, despair was sinking in. All eyes stared helplessly at the towering Gates of Justice.
They had made it this far—only to be stopped at the doorstep.
"What do we do now, Shark Guy?!"
Buggy shouted, grabbing Jinbe by the collar.
"We smash through it," Jinbe replied calmly.
"Smash?! Are you out of your mind?! Look at the size of it!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Behind them, the Navy warships continued to fire—Luffy's group had been pushed to the brink.
If they couldn't get through the gate…
They were doomed.
---
Whooosh...
Suddenly, a gale tore across the sea. The already gloomy sky darkened even further.
"W-What the hell is that?!"
"It's... HUGE!"
Someone on deck looked up—and their eyes went wide in horror.
A massive black shadow was descending from the sky, thunder rumbling in its wake.
"It's HIM…"
Up ahead, Luffy's pupils dilated at the sight of the descending beast.
Was he here to punish them for not helping...?
---
BOOM! BOOM!
"Oh? Blocked by the Gates of Justice?"
Ghidorah's eyes swept over the scene, instantly taking it all in.
With a flap of his enormous wings, he began gliding downward in a swift descent.
---
"AAAAHHH!!!"
Buggy's body parts flew in all directions in panic as he screamed in terror, seeing Ghidorah dive straight toward them.
BOOM!
CRACK!!
With a thunderous impact, Ghidorah landed on one of the Navy warships in pursuit—crushing it beneath his feet, driving it into the sea like a paper boat.
Compared to Ghidorah's massive, 150,000-ton frame, the battleship might as well have been a toy.
Without pause, Ghidorah's wings flared again. He surged forward, skimming over the sea, and pounced onto another nearby ship.
The sea exploded into chaos.
CRUNCH!
Ghidorah snatched a battleship in his claws, beat his wings, and soared upward—dragging the massive vessel into the sky.
Ooooohhhhh…
When he reached nearly a kilometer above the sea, he let go.
The broken ship plummeted like a bomb, crashing into a fellow Navy ship below.
BOOOOOOM!!
A massive blast rocked the harbor. When the smoke cleared, only wreckage and screaming Marines remained.
That flying monster…
That Sea King from hell…
was a natural disaster.
---
"Ghidorah…"
Jinbe's face turned grim as he stared at the sky.
He remembered what Ace had told him back in Impel Down.
A thousand-year-old monster named Ghidorah.
And now—he was clearing the Navy out of their path.
But why? What was his goal?
---
"Gaiiiiii~!"
"Raaaad! Ghidorah is so cool!!"
Luffy's eyes sparkled as he watched in awe, his previous fear completely gone.
"Don't be stupid!" Jinbe snapped, glaring at him.
"That creature is nothing you want to mess with!"
No one knew what Ghidorah wanted. If they angered him…
They wouldn't survive.
Fortunately, Jinbe's fears didn't come to pass.
After his assault, the remaining Navy ships froze in place, the sailors too terrified to move.
Ghidorah hovered above them, eyes scanning Luffy's crew—then turned toward the Gates of Justice.
A cold sneer formed on his face.
---
"The World Government… shameless dogs and hypocrites."
"They even dare defile the Gate of a Fallen Kingdom…"
"To paint the World Government's emblem on it... how disgraceful."
Even though he'd known about the Gates of Justice from the original story, seeing it with his own eyes stirred an indescribable fury.
He recalled the man who built the gate, long ago—an idealist who dreamed of leaving behind a miracle of architecture.
"Heh… Darsik (OC), your wish came true."
"One day, I'll bring him back too."
With a sigh, Ghidorah spread his wings and ascended, gliding up toward the top of the gate.
---
"Straw Hat…"
"You don't have the strength to save Ace."
"If you step into this battle, you may very well die. For Garp's sake, let me offer you one warning—"
"Take your crew… and get as far away from here as you can."
"Because after today…"
"There will be… no more Marineford."
---
"EH?!!"
Everyone on the ship gawked in disbelief.
No more Marineford?
Not even Whitebeard would make a claim that bold.
They stared at the colossal figure soaring ever upward, their hearts pounding with disbelief.
Could… he actually do it?
---
"No."
Luffy's voice cut through the silence.
He stepped forward, eyes burning with resolve, and shouted toward Ghidorah:
"I'm going to save Ace. Even if it costs me my life—I'll go!"
"Tch. Stubborn little brat…"
Ghidorah muttered to himself as he soared toward Marineford.
He wasn't surprised by Luffy's answer.
This war… it was inevitable.
He didn't intervene out of curiosity or sport.
Partly, it was to repay Garp—to help save Ace.
But more importantly…
It was to announce to the World Government—and the world itself:
**He, the former Sovereign of the Skies…
had returned.**
---
It had been eight hundred years, but he believed that the old ones were still alive.
After all, in that ancient era… the secret of eternal life had not been unknown.
And it was that very secret which had ignited the war of the old world.
Greedy men would always face justice.
Even if they called themselves gods—
He would drag them down from their throne.
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