Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 52: Hail to the King.
- Shin –
The atmosphere in the place was as if a powder keg had been lit and was only awaiting the blast. Sakuya, Jibril and Shion were in front of me guarding me while Akeno was right behind them. Ingvild, Merlin and Lavinia had taken their place behind me.
Issho was standing beside me, his hand on his cane.
The others had retreated a fair distance.
"I am handcuffed as you can see and I have just had a big fight so I would like to rest. Can you all take care of this fight?" I looked at them and then amended my own words, "On second thought, all seven of you will be too much. Sakuya, Shion, Jibril you all can take the lead. Ingvild, Lavinia and Merlin will stay here in defense because as you can see", I raised my handcuffed arms, "I am unable to fight. Akeno can you please get Mr. Issho and me some tea?"
The words were softly spoken but had the desired effect of the ones hearing it.
"YOU BASTARD! WHAT ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR ATTACK!." Akainu shouted and I smirked inwardly and walked back not paying any attention to the idiot.
He dove towards us despite the cries from Tsuru and Gion and the very next second, Sakuya was standing behind him with her back facing his back. Akainu crashed into the ground, losing a leg….and all hell broke loose.
Shion and Jibril followed after them.
The Vice Admirals all jumped towards Shion and Jibril, with the Admirals following close by.
Akeno seemed to have understood my meaning and followed me. "Ingvild, Lavinia, our Captain doesn't have a place to rest."
Ingvild's Demonic power surged and a part of the sea was lifted like a humongous tsunami in the shape of a dragon.
The mouths of the remaining Marines were wide open as they feared their deaths but it was for naught.
Next, Lavinia went ahead as her hair turned longer and minty blue in colour. She lifted a hand and touched the water, freezing the entire Tsunami in a moment.
The eastern dragon type staircase with the head which was far higher than the platform on which Sengoku stood, containing a table and chairs around it was now made of ice, ready for us to rest.
….
Ainz-sama taught us the value of….showing off to make our enemies cower.
And what a lesson it was. The dumbfounded looks on their faces was worth this.
Sasuga Ainz-sama.
"Mr. Issho, please join me for tea."
Issho looked a little confused at the sudden turn of events but I nodded at him and he followed me.
"Mr. Issho, whatever happens for the next two hours, have faith in me. Believe me, you will understand everything."
He stopped for a moment but then continued following me, "This one has already decided to lend Young Sir his support and will live by his word. What confused this one is why you have only let those four girls fight. I know Young Sir has had a difficult fight but this one still feels a little uneasy watching children fight for me."
I looked at the man, understanding the reason for his worries and couldn't help but smile slightly. "You are really kind, Mr. Issho but don't worry. Sakuya, Jibril and Shion could take down the entire Marineford alone by themselves. What I did was not hold back but is rather overkill."
His stunned expression soon disappeared when he saw the fight between Shion, Jibril and the Vice Admirals.
- Whitebeard –
"Are you worried about your friends, Asia?" Whitebeard asked the tiny girl who was looking at the screen with both her hands clasped in prayer.
"N-no. Jibril-sama and Shion-sama are very strong. Sakuya Onee-chan is also very strong. They are all very strong and….and Shin-sama is there so nothing will happen to them. I am just…." She quieted down, bowing her head.
"Speak child. You are my daughter, Whitebeard's daughter. You have no reason to fear."
"Yeah yeah Sis, we will beat up anyone who speaks bad about you." the members of the Whitebeard Pirates called out from the side.
Asia had continuously healed everyone during and after the war. In a sense, she had probably worked the most among all the people involved in today's raid. This has also won her the recognition of the entire Whitebeard Pirate Group as well as the Minks, Samurai and the Kuja.
The Whitebeard Pirates adored her because she was taken in by Whitebeard himself.
"I….I don't like seeing people hurt. They….many of them don't want to fight but still have to and they get hurt. It's….it is very sad." She whispered and Whitebeard himself couldn't help but want to hug the child.
She was truly an angel. It had nothing to do with the Devil fruit or anything. She had the heart of an angel. And if she didn't, Whitebeard refused to believe in any other kinds of angels.
He had spent some time with her and had found out about her life.
While many of his children had unfortunate stories and he was no stranger to these, it was still a first to see someone still so pure after suffering what she had in her life.
It also made him realize why Shin was offended when his sons had joked about her, although casually.
"It is how life is sometimes child. The world is like a wild animal. Have you seen a lion spare a deer just because they are vegetarian? The people in this world are not all kind. They hurt others, sometimes because of their greed, sometimes because they are forced and sometimes….just because they can. What we have to do is fight for our loved ones, for their wishes and happiness in this world while not forgetting our own kindness." He patted the child's head and made her sit beside her.
"Don't worry, Asia. Everything will be alright." The other blonde headed girl came and sat beside her and reassured her while looking dreamily at the screen.
"Oi oi oi, is that? Is that Shiki's ability? She just raised the sea oi!" Marko shouted as she saw the girl, Ingvild probably make a dragon out of sea water and raise it above Marineford and it was soon frozen by another blonde girl. "What is he doing?"
"Wahahahahaha that brat." Roger burst out in a laugh.
Even Rayleigh shook his head, "He really….likes to make a show of everything. That is so like him."
"What is he doing Pops?" Marko asked as Whitebeard himself watched the scene and heard Shin's words.
His lips couldn't help but curve a little.
This brat.
"That brat is….showing off."
….
….
….
….
"Showing off!"
"A show of power to weaken the will of the enemies and reduce their morale. It will make the weak willed ones simply give up but then again…." Looking at the fight that was going on, those girls even gave him a feeling of danger.
"I have something to ask?" Vista asked the red haired girl, Rias.
"Yes?"
"How did the maid….I mean the silver haired girl cut Akainu's arm? I might not like the bastard but he is very strong. Even if his Devil fruit is gone, he would still be stronger than any Vice Admiral and almost at the Admiral level. He was….he was taken down too easily. Why didn't he move?"
"It was not that he didn't move but he couldn't move. Sakuya, the silver haired maid that you are referring to can….stop time in a certain area. She is the only one who can move while the others are completely paused. If I am not wrong then the Den Den Mushi recording this was also paused at the scene and thus you couldn't see what happened in between."
Whitebeard felt as if he missed a heartbeat.
"Stop TIME!"
"Oi Oi are you kidding me?"
"How is that even possible?"
"Is there such a Devil fruit?"
"Wouldn't such a person be invincible."
"That is not possible at all."
He watched his crew breakdown in chaos from that information. Even he had to collect himself after that as he banged his Naginata on the floor quieting everyone down. "Silent. She can stop time but why should we fear? They are our allies. Be happy for them children. They are the family of your new sister, our extended family."
"Oooooooohhhhh"
"Our allies are kicking Marine asses, let's party."
"Yeaaaaaahhhh."
- Smoker –
Smoker watched the boy he had met back then, walk up with hands cuffed and an old memory surface in his mind.
A man with black hair and black mustaches, red admiral's coat and hands cuffed being brought to the platform.
He gripped his seat stone tipped chute as his cigars fell from his mouth.
The figures seemed to overlap.
This time however the scene was completely different.
Back then, Gol D. Roger was captured but he walked to the execution platform with a smile on his face, his head held high.
This time, another person declared war on the world….no, accepted the war against the world and still has that same look.
Smoker didn't know why but even with all the people on their side, he felt a severe sense of powerlessness.
"Captain….umm Rear Admiral Smoker, what should we do?" Tashigi asked. He felt bad for the girl who was starting to have a crush on the Pirate Hunter.
The boy might have been a little cruel with his words but his words did hit the dirt that the Marine covered. At the core of his heart Smoker knew that he would have turned to Piracy easily if he had experienced the same things yet he stayed a Pirate Hunter. Teacher Zephyr had been very optimistic about him.
It was all those damn….
He looked at the white dressed and masked men who were standing with Fleet Admiral Sengoku and clenched his fists.
"We fight. No matter what the case, we are Marines first."
"But…."
"Remember your position Tashigi." He growled to prevent any hesitation that could get her killed.
"S-sir yes sir."
He felt disgusted saying this himself and looking at the eyes of Tashigi, the girl must have felt even worse but if Shin was going to fight and kill Marines, then he would fight him, all reasons be damned.
"Tch, this is so annoying."
- Sakuya –
Sakuya walked towards the hordes of Marines who had remained conscious after her Master's haki attack.
"Attack! They are just a few people. We can crush them all. We will win this war." someone, supposedly a Vice Admiral, took charge.
To be honest, the battle she had just been in before this was much better. These foot soldiers were way below what her Master's side had been.
Over ten thousand soldiers charged towards her, swords drawn. Rifles pointed towards her.
"Fire."
She could see the bullets charging towards her and the very next moment, everything stopped.
Master had asked her not to kill the common soldiers. People who needed to be killed were all marked already.
Those who needed to live were also marked.
And the same was the case for those who needed to suffer.
She walked past the crowd of soldiers.
The handcuffs on her Master's hands had made her angry. She couldn't kill them but that didn't mean she couldn't make them feel some pain.
She invoked the full power of her Artifact, creating thousands of swords, pointed at the limbs of the attacking armies.
Her time stopping abilities had increased vastly after her training and increased Demonic Power reserves.
The time restarted and all the soldiers fell to the ground, their limbs falling apart.
"Please do not be confused. This is not a war. I am a maid. I am just cleaning up some trash."
- Shion –
"These people are so weak." To be honest, the Orc Lords army was much more intimidating than ….well this.
She looked at the Vice Admirals surrounding her.
Two of them had changed to some kind of dog human hybrid while the last one was a half spider half human.
Two of these were on the 'To Kill' list.
"Surround her. Capture her and use her as a hostage to stop the last one." The spider shouted as he rushed towards her.
Capture her?
He dies first.
She clenched her Hercules' Edge as hard as she could before swinging it.
The spider was adept in Haki as Great Shin had said and dodged towards the side.
But….
Unique Skill: The Cook.
To get the desired result, irrespective of the steps taken.
The slash cleaved the island into half.
The spider who had dodged the attack suddenly fell down, in two pieces, bisected from the middle.
"W-what?"
"Take your distance."
"Shoot."
"Don't get near her."
"How did she attack Vice Admiral Onigumo?"
"He dodged."
"Shit, she's a devil fruit user."
"Get the sea stone handcuffs."
"Let out the Pacifistas." Their leader shouted.
She looked around and saw ten bear shaped people flying towards her with light from their mouths.
*BOOM* *BOOM**BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*
She looked back and saw Akeno tossing a coin in her hand.
Well they were ranged fighters so they were more or less her prey.
Ten Pillars of lightning crushed the rubble completely.
"T-that's the Rumble Rumble Fruit….the strongest Logia. They have the strongest Logia on their side. We need the Admirals. Where are the Admirals?"
- Roger –
"What brute strength. Her strength wouldn't fall behind that of Garp's at his peak."
"Hmm" Whitebeard nodded. "How did that Marine die though?"
They turned towards Rias who answered their curiosity.
"Shion's special ability is called 'The Cook'. It allows her to get whatever result she wants irrespective of the steps taken by manipulating reality itself. She could cook potatoes with sugar and still make it taste like chicken. Similarly, if she wants to cut someone, even if the steps are messed up, she will still get the result and the person will be cut."
….
"B-but that's….that's cheating. How do you even dodge something like that?"
"You don't. You can only counter it head on or be strong enough to tank it or heal from it or be so strong that her skill doesn't work on you."
"You want us to resist that kind of strength?" someone from the group gulped.
"Actually maybe a Logia user can live." Someone called out giving others hope against such an unreasonable ability.
"Not likely. Boss would never leave such an obvious weakness."
One of Shin's peerage, pointed out.
"The sword she is using is special. It directly attacks the spirit when it hits. So when Shion hits someone, she damages both the physical body as well as the spirit. Logia users will still be affected. Shion is also learning Haki."
And that crushed the hope of many people.
It was honestly too unreasonable.
At first he had thought that the brat was going over his head when facing the entire Marines force, a force that they had prepared for Whitebeard and his children with just that many people but now….
"They could still snipe her. She will get tired and they could just overwhelm her with numbers." Marko pointed out. "Injuries and fatigue will keep on piling after all."
"It won't. Shion's healing is the best among all of us. Infact she has a healing almost comparable to you, Mr. Marko. Moreover, the others will never let her fall into such a situation."
Whitebeard looked at Roger, "You knew about it?"
"A bit. Not the exact powers but only what they were capable of. The brat is still not at his full power from what I understand."
"Not at full power? How strong is he? Not even Captain Rocks was this strong."
"….yes. Rocks was still slightly below this." Roger sighed. "The whole world will be after the brat after today. How will he turn this around?"
- Jibril –
Jibril flew over the common rabble towards the main fighting group.
A giant suddenly came forward. "Do you think you can escape from the air?"
The oaf had a giant club and waved it towards her.
He was on the 'No Kill list' unfortunately.
She sighed and raised her hand, blasting the club into smithereens with a simple attack and then dived towards the giant, grabbing him by his now injured hand.
She pulled him up and smashed him into the ground.
Then once more.
Then once more.
Then once more.
And one last time.
The ground under the giant cracked and whoever came up to assist the giant were crushed under the giant's body.
The Giant Undead she had fought in her Lord and Master's Realms were far more interesting than this.
This giant was disappointing in comparison.
"Puny Giant. A bigger ant is still an ant in the end." She stared towards the leader of the idiots. "You idiots think this is a war? Are you worthy of declaring a war against my Lord and Master? War is fought among equals. This is a massacre. Let me show you just how utterly helpless you people are against the power of an Angel."
She raised her finger as purple coloured destruction magic manifested on the tip of her finger.
"STOP HER. DON'T LET HER DO WHATEVER SHE WANTS TO DO." One of the Marines shouted but she couldn't be bothered.
Her shield easily blocked any and all attacks thrown towards her.
"This is 5% of my full power."
She waved her hand and there was a flash of white.
- Sengoku –
"We will all die." Sengoku whispered as he witnessed the winged Angel….the Angel of Death perhaps, attacked. "Can we even survive against such a being Garp? Was Dio Brando speaking the truth? Are there really Gods?" Sengoku whispered with difficulty.
"I-I don't know." Garp replied, open mouthed staring at the devastation caused by the attack.
Behind them, the Marineford headquarters had been erased, the sea had been parted into two and was still trying to flow in the unending trench caused by the attack.
The most terrifying part was the hole through the Redline.
Yes, a hole had been torn through the Redline from the attack.
The Power of the Angel.
If this is the power of the angel….he looked towards the black-haired boy sitting atop the ice dragon, looking down on the whole world as a….as a God.
He still wore those handcuffs as a slap to the face of the Marines and the World Government.
- Sabaody Archipelago –
"I-i-is she a God?" Jewelry Bonney fell to her knees.
Eustass Kidd looked at the scene open mouthed while his crew had fallen on their behinds.
The trench that the attack had caused was visible even from Sabaody….and so was the hole, right below Dio's name.
"Just what kind of monsters are they?" Drake's hand was shivering.
"The chances of surviving a fight against them….zero. The card of 'The Reaper'. That man is Death." Basil Hawkins stared at his cards.
"Reaper. Reaper Shin. Angel of Death, Jibril." Morgans was shivering in both fright and excitement. Dio had come over last night and informed him about a few of the things that might be revealed today. To think it would be THIS.
THIS was big.
No, THIS was HUGE.
- Sengoku -
Tsuru had brought Akainu while Gion guarded them.
To be honest he understood that she just brought them out of the fight.
"WHY ARE YOU ALL NT FIGHTING!?" Akainu shouted as soon as he was brought back.
He had already lost two limbs to that….to that maid who was reaping life as if they were crops in a field.
"Well you tried, how'd that end up for you?" Kizaru poked, causing the man to glare at him and Aokiju beside him.
"Don't give me that look Akainu. You know that as much as us that you were scared of him getting a position of power and sided with the CP members just now. All these deaths are partly caused by your fucking ego." Kizaru replied however there was a very different tone in his voice. Kizaru was always relaxed because no matter what happened, he could always run away. That was the basis of his confidence.
Now that he has lost his Devil Fruit, the Admiral was slightly on edge.
"Why? Scared that you can't run away anymore?"
"I'd run twice as fast as you with double the legs. What about you?"
"Would you two shut up? Sengoku, what should we do?" Tsuru asked him but he for the first time had no idea.
He watched as the maid flashed between the soldiers and chopped their limbs off.
None of them were dying but they would probably have fates worse than deaths.
An injured Marine would have to leave work and there is a high chance that they would be hunted and killed by the Pirates. These were the elites of the Marines and each of them had their own enemies.
"I-I don't know, Tsuru. I have no idea."
"Ask the CP0 for help. Where are they anyway?" Aokiji suggested.
"Those bastards left right when this started. Said, they had some more things to take care of." Sengoku replied, already regretting the decision more than anything else. "The only one who can probably stop this from happening is that man." He turned towards Tsuru. "What did he say?"
"He caught on to our intentions." She said while glaring at Akainu. "but still let himself be cuffed because I had asked him if he would like to join the Marines one last time to try and overturn the situation. He however said…." She quieted down.
"What did he say Tsuru?"
"He said that if we put those cuffs on him, he will become a criminal and we will become his enemies." Tsuru had felt a chill back then at those calm words but snuffed it away realizing the ridiculousness of the situation….the slap of reality came only a few moments later.
"Are you going to give up?" Tsuru asked.
"Not without fighting. Even though I know that it would lead to nothing, I still need to fight."
"I'll go too." Garp added getting up.
- Shin –
I saw Sengoku and Garp entering the battlefield. Aokiju, Kizaru, Tsuru and Gion also entered.
Sengoku headed towards Jibril and Garp headed towards Shion while the other four headed towards Sakuya.
"Yeahhhhh."
"Take them down. The Admirals and the Marine Hero are here."
The soldiers got their morale slightly boosted as Garp rushed towards Shion and punched her into a crater.
Akeno shot a coin towards Sengoku which he dodged albeit barely but it was soon followed by a barrage of coins laced with lightning.
The man was far stronger than King which was shown when he tanked several of the coins using Haki while dodging more of those.
He could have been more of a challenge if he had his Devil Fruit but I always like my games easy.
"Don't kill him, Akeno." I said and the coin barrage stopped.
"Ah, I just started having some fun. He withstood my attacks the longest yet."
"The man is fighting for his dignity. Let it be for now."
After all, with what I have planned, he wouldn't have any of it left.
Sengoku was left limping and with a broken arm.
The momentum of the soldiers calmed down just as quickly.
It was not over though.
The crater where Shion had fallen burst out and out came Shion, completely unharmed.
Her injuries had been healed.
"That was a good punch. It seems some of you are good."
"Stop this war and leave. I don't want to fight you all but I will if you continue this." Garp gritted out. The man's moral dilemma holding him back.
"I think you are mistaken here. If we just leave, it would mean that my Master has accepted being a criminal. Who do you people think you are to declare him that? Do you think just calling yourself the World Government makes you the king of the World? As for fighting, let's see that for ourselves."
Shion picked Hercules' Edge back up and rushed towards Garp.
Garp punched and so did Shion but this time Shion used her Haki from the Tensura world. The Demon's Haki.
Her fist gained a purplish tinge and she punched with all her might.
Garp's fist was like black steel with red lighting on it.
The fists collided and a tremendous shockwave passed around the area.
A crater formed.
The crater became bigger.
Shion took a step further and forced her fist to push Garp back.
The situation lasted for a few moments before Garp was pushed back.
The two people started exchanging punches.
Both sustained injuries but while Shion's injuries were healed in a moment, Garp's injuries piled up.
In about a minute, Garp was punched back.
"Hahahaha that was good old man." The soldiers got their hopes up that someone could stop my peerage but that hope was crushed by her very next line. "Apparently Jibril was right, holding back can still make you enjoy a good fight. But Master Shin is still handcuffed and I cannot be having fun while my Master is in such a disgraceful situation so prepare. I will stop holding back now." Shion invoked The Cook.
She punched again but this time, no matter how Garp dodged or defended, the attacks harmed him just as Shion wanted.
Shion's ability is really borderline cheating.
The Reputation Scores were flashing in front of my eyes and I had to push them aside with my mind.
Garp couldn't hold on for much longer either and was thrown aside, an arm broken.
I looked at Sengoku and the man stared back at me.
"Shin, stop this war. You are not a criminal." He shouted, holding his broken arm.
I smiled inwardly.
It was almost time for the real drama.
"How could that be Sengoku-san? I am a criminal. I was put in cuffs even after I defeated Kaido and assisted the Marines, tried to bring some peace to the world. Surely there must be a reason for making me a criminal."
Sengoku's face paled.
"What, no answer? I didn't expect one either. You people always crush everyone who dares ask any question so you have probably never faced this situation right? What's it called….ah yes….Absolute Justice."
I glared at Akainu for a moment.
"Many people are dying pointlessly, Shin. Your father wouldn't have wanted it." Sengoku spoke again.
This bastard is really shameless.
"My father?" I bowed my head. "Yes. You are right. He wouldn't have wanted this." I saw a slight light return to his eyes. "But then again, he didn't want his newborn child taken away and killed either along with thousands of other children when the Marines and the World Government were trying to 'purge' the bloodline of the Pirate King Roger to show their dominance. News flash, the intended target still lived. So who was responsible for the deaths of those children, Sengoku-san?"
He shut his mouth immediately.
"Then again, my father didn't lose his faith and still believed in what you call justice. When the then Vice Admiral Akainu ordered a village of innocent villagers to be burned down when they suspected members of a certain pirate group hiding there, my father refused to do so without checking. What was his end, Sengoku-san?"
He didn't speak.
"What ashamed to speak? Or did you forget? Yes yes, after all why would the Fleet Admiral remember a simple Marine Ensign? Let me remind you then. He was declared a traitor on the spot and killed by the then Vice Admiral Akainu." The atmosphere chilled but I continued. "What was the result though? The village was burned and over two thousand people were killed. Were the pirates killed too? The answer is….no. The pirates lived. Wanna know something funny though? That same pirate is right here in this field." I pointed towards the crater where Moriah had fallen. I had taken advantage of the chaos and already stabbed him through his head. "That pirate was awarded the title of a Shichibukai and allowed to 'legally plunder'. That's something I haven't understood yet. What do you mean by 'legal plundering'?"
"After the death of my father I travelled all around the world to find out what justice actually is. The Four Pirate Emperor Pirate Groups protect the countries in their territory for a fee just like the World Government takes Heavenly Gold. Hell, the Red Haired Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates don't allow slave trade in their territories while the World Government does nothing even when the people of their member nations are caught and sold in slave auctions by their famed Schibukai Doflamingo despite the Slave Trade being banned for the last two hundred years. The highest buyers of slaves are also the World Nobles. Didn't you people cause a ruckus about the Kuja Island recently? Why do the World Government want slaves if Slave Trading is illegal? Bloody motherfucking hypocrites….that's what you people are. People pay you heavenly Gold to protect them and you allow 'legal plundering' just so that these pirates can assist you? To maintain your rule? You people are even worse than the Four Emperor Pirate Groups. You have captured people of unaffiliated nations just like the Beast Pirates and forced them as slaves for you people. Enough people to make an entire country, do you still have any shame?"
Sengoku's face was completely ashen by now. He couldn't refute anything.
But there was someone who couldn't stop shouting.
The death seeker shouted again, "FILTHY CRIMINAL, HOW DARE YOU SLANDER JUSTIC….."
BAAAAAAAAAM
Akainu was half buried in the ground.
Jibril standing over his head with her feet.
BAAM BAAAAAAAM BAAAAAAAAAAAAAM BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM
"Did my Lord allow you to speak, mongrel? Now be a good dog and keep quiet."
"Thank you Jibril." I turned towards the other marines and spoke, "To be honest I had thought that there was only one difference between the Four Emperor Pirate Groups and the World Government, was that it had no sole leader. But from what Dio Brando has said today, even that seems to be false. You, the World Government, are really the biggest pirate group in the world. The only way you can call yourself 'Justice' is because it's the winners who decide what 'Justice' is."
I am pretty sure that the entire world would be in chaos by now but the best part was still to come.
Mind Haze.
Minor Confusion.
I layered some common spells on some of the high level marines for the last part for the play.
"And you know what? Sengoku-san, I am a Pirate Hunter. So tell me why, give me one good reason why I should stop today. I am against the biggest Pirate Group in the world after all."
"Brat….you….please stop." Garp stood up huffing.
"Shin, please stop this. There are many innocent people here." An unexpected voice came out. Zephyr had arrived at the scene.
I slightly bowed down from my seat towards Zephyr.
"Mr. Zephyr and Mr. Garp are people whom I respect so I can let go of today's incident on two conditions." Seeing their quiet and accepting looks, I continued, "First." I raised my hands, "Open this. I am not a criminal and I won't be treated like one, certainly not by Pirates like you people."
Garp clenched his fists but kept quiet
Sengoku was being influenced by the spells.
"Second, answer some of my questions. I have been on my part to find Justice. I need answers. Beware though, the moment you lie, I will know and Sakuya will cut off the limbs of ten thousand soldiers per lie or no answer."
"YOU…."
I raised my hand. "This is my final condition. Either accept or let's continue."
….
"I accept." Sengoku accepted.
Tashigi was sent to open the handcuffs.
- Monkey D. Dragon –
"This madman. This utter madman." Bello Betty trembled as she saw the screen.
The utter massacre and the speech which Shin had delivered had completely shaken everyone in the crowd.
Dio Brando….his alternate identity had claimed him to have eaten the God of Death Fruit and Dragon wouldn't dare question that fact for an instant.
The man sitting on that ice dragon was without a doubt a God of Death
The World Government had ruled the world with power for the last several centuries and this was probably the first time they had encountered such a group that could unilaterally crush them.
"Hahahaha well said. The biggest pirate group in the world, the World Government pirate group. Those bastards killed thousands of young children. They are worse than any pirate groups out there."
"Boss, this new guy is our ally, right? I like him." Someone shouted from the crowd.
"What shall we do after this, Commander?" Sabo questioned. "Shin-san has given us a massive opportunity. What should we do with it?"
"Contact any country that wants to be free from the World Government. We will be getting the new medicine batch from Shin soon. The Marines have been injured in this fight and their reputations deeply shattered. We have to use this opportunity to free as many countries as we can." Dragon commanded.
This opportunity was God sent for the Revolutionary Army, even if it was from a God of Death and he'll be damned if he let go of this opportunity.
- Shin –
I dropped the handcuffs to the side and smiled towards the girl who looked as if a rabbit had walked in front of a lion. "Thank you Tashigi-chan. Could it be that you became even cuter in the short time I didn't see you?"
The girl stiffened but I just patted her head and let her go. "Don't worry. After you listen to the answers to the questions I ask, you will understand why I went so far."
She walked back and I looked towards the Marine higher ups.
"My first question, who defeated and captured the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger?"
….
….
….
….
"Shin you…." Sengoku trembled. The other older Marines had pale faces. Akainu had fainted so there was no one to shout.
"Please be quick."
"This…."
"Sakuya."
"Yes Master."
Swords appeared all over the sky.
"Wait…." Garp called out. He was taking the blame for everything. I wanted it to be Sengoku.
"No Mr. Garp. I had a deal with Mr. Sengoku, let him answer. He is the leader of the Marines. Let him bear responsibility for it."
"Shin, you are too heartless." Garp gritted his teeth.
"I am forced to be."
Sengoku stared at me for a moment.
"Sakuya, do it."
Ten thousand limbs fell before anyone could do anything.
"STOP THIS MADNESS."
"This is not Madness. This was a simple deal you all agreed to. I am just keeping my end of the deal. Now, answer. Three limbs left for those ten thousand."
Zephyr's reputation dropped like a stone in a sea.
So did other people's.
Doesn't matter for now.
"I'll answer." Sengoku called out and I stopped myself from ordering Sakuya for the second attack.
He took a deep breath in.
"Roger….Gol. D. Roger was not defeated. He surrendered himself voluntarily. We spread the news of his defeat to boost the Marine's reputation."
One on one for Team Shin.
"Second Question. Thirty eight years ago, Vice Admiral Garp is said to have defeated Xebec D. Rocks, whose name if I may add you people have tried to erase from history, unsuccessfully if I may add. His crew consisted of some really big names including Whitebeard, Golden Lion Shiki, Big Mom and even Kaido was just a trainee on his ship." The looks on their faces was worth savouring. "Vice Admiral Garp is said to have defeated that crew and received the title of the Marine Hero. My question is, were the Marines alone against the Rocks Pirates."
….
"Merlin, 3 O' Clock Barriers. Jibril cover the island." I commanded.
The Barriers were laid in an instant.
Jibril is very proficient in such defense spells.
I watched as no sooner than the Barriers had been set, an explosion shook the entire Marineford. Enormous clouds of flames erupted from the point where the explosion started. I knew this. I had used this.
Dyna Stones.
On the other end of the island, White Masked CP0 agents had the insides of the coat filled with Dyna Stones.
Suicide Bombers.
The Marines soldiers fell on their asses as the higher ups looked with sheer terror at those explosions.
Lavinia didn't wait idly either as Absolute Demise worked along with the Snow Maiden Devil Fruit and kilometers of area froze along with the CP0 agents and their Dyna stones.
They didn't even get any time to attack.
I looked at Sengoku. "Would you look at that? Your masters gave up on you all and even tried to kill everyone here to hide their misdeeds and yet you try to cover for them? Do the lives of your subordinates mean nothing to you, Sengoku?"
"I-I…."
Someone else answered instead of Sengoku.
Another Vice Admiral, Mozambia came forward. "I-I'll say."
"Mozambia" Tsuru shouted.
"What Tsuru-san? Didn't you see that? Those bastards tried to blow up the entire island. We would all have died if not for Shin. Do you not care about the lives of the soldiers here?"
The soldiers had turned towards Tsuru and the old woman kept quiet.
He turned towards me and continued, "The Marines would have lost and everyone would have died including a large number of World Nobles if they hadn't been helped by the Roger Pirates. It was Monkey D. Garp and Gol D. Roger who defeated Xebec D. Rocks together. The Marines took the whole credit of it and erased Roger's involvement in the attack."
The entire crowd went abuzz. Even the soldiers who had their limbs cut off.
Garp looked at the ground. Knowing him, he must have abhorred the title of the Marine Hero for something that he didn't even do.
But I wasn't done today.
I am going to milk this situation as much as possible.
"Now, that is surprising. I wonder why Roger would do such a thing? Wasn't he the evilest of the Pirates? What were his crimes again? Ah yes, this is my next question. What were the crimes of the King of Pirates, Gol D. Roger?"
Tsuru answered the question before others trying to salvage the situation. "He and his crew have destroyed many Marine bases and killed many of our brave soldiers."
Oh, so shrewd.
But not enough.
"And I have destroyed the entire Marine Headquarters and yet you accept that I am not a criminal. Let's get over the sophistry Tsuru-san. As I have already established, you people are the members of the World Government Pirate Group. If someone kills any Marines, they are Pirate Hunters, not Pirates. For me a pirate is someone who hurts the civilians, the innocent common people. So how many common people have the Roger Pirates hurt and killed, how many villages burned, how many towns pillaged and how many countries have they destroyed to become the most feared Pirate Group and their captain the King of the Pirates?"
- Rayleigh –
"Shin….I didn't think he would go this far." Rayleigh downed another glass of alcohol.
The God of Death….it seems Shin's bounty title was already decided….that is if the Marines dared to put a bounty on his head.
"You have a good apprentice, Roger." Whitebeard looked with a complicated look on his face. "Going so far to clean your name."
Roger however didn't answer. He had a small smile on his face.
Shin….that brat really went and did something crazy.
The whole world would be boiling after the stunt he pulled.
He would face the entire world after today's events.
This stupid apprentice of his.
Crocus was right….Shin is too crazy.
He turned his head slightly to look at Ace who was paying attention to the screen.
"World Government Pirate Group. Does that mean we are Pirate Hunters? I don't want to be a Pirate Hunter. I AM THE MAN WHO WILL BE THE KING OF THE PIRATES." Luffy shouted.
"The Roger Pirates never hurt civilians. They had a rule to kill any member who robbed or killed normal people. They were hunted because they had found out about some sensitive information about the World Government." Sengoku said on the screen.
"Hahahahaha would you look at that, The King of the Pirates has lower innocent kill counts than you Admiral Akainu. Makes you proud doesn't it? Hell, I am pretty sure any World Noble has tortured and killed more civilians than Gol D. Roger AND YET….and yet….he somehow became the worst criminal in history. Wonder what else the power for false news can do, right?" Shin laughed and none of the Marine higher ups could face him. Some from fear, some others with shame.
Roger saw Ace's eyes reddening and clenched his hands.
He might have done his best for his dream but he had certainly failed Rouge and Ace.
Maybe when Shin returns, he could ask him to let Ace meet his mother, even if it is only for a while. From what he saw, the brat's Haki and swordsmanship had already reached a point where he couldn't teach him anything else and Ace was sitting safely with his brothers. The deal between them is now complete.
- Shin –
"Good, fourth question. The Marines had once organised the execution of The Giant Pirate Group members but were stopped by a nun called Caramel who later on went and resided in Elbaf. Tell me the entire story and plans behind that."
I saw John Giant look up but was too injured to speak.
Sengoku had practically given up by then. The prolonged Mind Haze, the overwhelming odds and the highly tense situation had almost crushed his ability to resist. The last three questions had practically tore off the Marine's face and now he was not resisting.
The following answer came very easily.
"Caramel was an agent of the World Government and the whole execution was a ploy to get her into Elbaf. She was to collect children and sell them to the Marines. She did this until we lost contact with her."
"So how many children had she sold? Tell me about some important ones."
"Over two dozen giants. Vice Admiral John Giant and former Vice Admiral Jaguar D. Saul."
"And you people still have the gall to carry the cloak of justice. You steal children from their families and brainwash them, making them your puppets. That's worse than what most pirate groups do. Really, the name of the World Government Pirate Group suits you people a lot."
"Next question, Flevance, the White Country, the country which was destroyed by the Amber Lead Disease. What was the truth about it?"
This time however Sengoku was a bit confused.
"Oh, what a surprise? You don't know about this one. Very well. Let me enlighten you all. The White City was white due to the reserves of Amber Lead that was under the city. This ore was used to make several items and was very expensive. One hundred years ago, the World Government and the country's royal family who were affiliates of the World Government found out that Amber Lead was highly poisonous and each successive generation of people died faster. They however choose to conceal it for the profits. By the end, the Royal Family had escaped and it was the Marines who had brought them out while the entire country was killed or destroyed by the greed of the World Government. There was only one survivor in this entire fiasco, one of my crewmates. Tell me Mr. Zephyr, are you still feeling innocent?"
Zephyr's face was covered by his glasses as he looked down but his hand was clenched and bleeding.
"Well this question was a bit out of your knowledge so I will give you one that is well known to you. Why was Ohara destroyed? I don't want that ridiculous reason about Ancient Weapons but the real thing. Why was Ohara destroyed and what is Nico Robin's crime? You should know it right, Sengoku-san? After all it was you who ordered the Buster Call."
I won't leave a single inch for them to escape.
- Nico Robin –
"Robin…." She felt Nojiko and Nami hold her while Rindo brought her a plate of snacks and placed it in front of her before joining in.
"It's fine. I have made my peace with the situation."
To some extent this statement was true.
Today, she had seen the objects of her worst nightmares being trounced around like common thugs, the people who had killed her friends and family, butchered like chickens. The sight, horrific it may be, was also cathartic for her who had been harassed by these people for decades now.
"The sinners of Ohara are being revealed to the whole world. My people won't be slandered even in death. I….I am happy." And she really felt a hint of relief with each word that Sengoku spoke, revealing the innocence of the citizens of Ohara, of how she was wrongfully chased by the Marines all around the world since the age of eight, the false charges on her, everything. She didn't know how Shin had done this but for this incident alone, she would owe him for her entire life.
"Thank you…." she whispered slowly looking at the screen. The man sitting on the Ice Dragon's head looked like a God who was finally delivering judgement upon the sinners of her life.
She then heard Rias' voice. "Asia, Morgiana, come on. It is our turn."
- Shin –
"Using trumped up fake charges against an eight year old child because of your insecurities to chase her around the whole world, slander some innocent scholars even after their deaths for trying to reveal the truth to the world. The World Government prevents any research on the Poneglyphs not because of the Ancient Weapons but because of the atrocities they had done in the past being recorded there. The Void Century. And you….you people help cover all this up, allow them to commit even more crimes, take slaves, slaughter innocent people on whims, destroy anyone who dares resist. My oh my, your Justice is really incredible. How do you people even sleep at night? "
I looked around and didn't see a single raised head.
"Oh and don't you dare….DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE HIDE BEHIND THE EXCUSE THAT YOU HAD GOOD INTENTIONS….because it would that would be just that….you 'had' good intentions, you stopped having those as soon as you started doing all these things. You are no less guilty of these crimes than the World Government. You people are BLOODY CRIMINALS." I shouted the last part loudly, finishing my last blow.
I had already felt Rias arrive with Asia and Morgiana. It was time for the climax of the play.
"Young Sir…."
"They are my people. I told you to trust me for the next two hours right, Mr. Issho. Now let me show you why. Merlin, bring them here."
Merlin teleported them from their observation place to beside me.
I did this to conceal her race.
All three appeared beside me and I could see Asia staring at the battlefield, shaking slightly. It must have been a very difficult experience for her to see something like this.
I went ahead and hugged Rias with one arm and brought Asia close to me with another and then patted Morgiana's head.
"Shin-sama….these people….they…." Asia stuttered.
"They are in pain. I know. That's why I called you here. Do what your heart wants. I'll support you and your choice. Morgiana, have you boosted to the maximum extent."
"Yes Master."
"Good job." I patted her head again. Her hair is really soft. "I want you to boost Asia in whatever she chooses." I turned towards Asia and gave her a pill. It was something similar to the Rumble Ball which I had made to increase the resonance of the Devil Fruit spirit with the user and increase its power. "Here, eat this. It will help you."
I gave a slight nudge to Asia.
She looked at me and I nodded. Finally she took a deep breath and swallowed the pill before walking forward.
She clasped her hands in prayer.
Then the magic happened.
Twelve White Wings appeared on her back and a halo above her head.
If Jibril was an Angel who inspired fear, Asia is an Angel who inspired utter devotion.
"TRANSFER."
Morgiana transferred all her boosts to Asia. She had been stocking up while waiting there with Rias.
"The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted."
The golden light around Asia became blindingly bright.
She raised her hand and the entire Marineford was covered in a bright and blinding light.
The light lasted for about a minute and when it passed, the miracle had happened.
I heard Issho's deep breath as his cane fell down from his hand. "This…."
"I told you to have faith in me, didn't I? Do you regret it now?"
"I-I….no. I do not."
The soldiers who had their limbs cut off, the people who were lying in pools of blood barely hanging on to their lives….were all healed.
This was the highest extent of Asia's healing.
This was one of the main reasons why I had instructed Sakuya to leave them all alive.
I looked towards Garp and Sengoku who were in a daze. The soldiers were all checking their bodies in amazement and gratitude.
I even saw some people kneeling in front of Asia.
"If I had just butchered everyone here just because they opposed me….how would I be any different than those Celestial Dragons you people follow. This is the last chance that you will be given by me. If you ignore this and meet me on a battlefield after this, I will end you, all else be damned."
I turned towards Ingvild. "We are done here. Please open a path for us. We are going home. Mr. Issho, will you join us?"
"If you will allow me."
"Then please."
Ingvild turned toward the ocean and started her work.
She had been in an almost trance like state since she started using her powers to control the seas.
An irregularity appeared in the sea in front of us before the waves started flowing in a different direction from that irregularity.
Ingvild spread her hands apart and then it happened.
The whole sea split apart in front of her. A space wide enough to swallow the entire Marineford several times over. This is the power of the Sea Serpent of the End and Nereid Kyrie working together in tandem.
Her twelve wings spread behind her as her long hair flowed wildly.
The tear in the sea continued even under the Redline making a path for us to walk.
Issho banged his cane on the ice dragon and the head tore off as it floated towards the path.
All of my and Rias' peerage members had arrived on the ice dragon head.
The Marines, the other Shichibukai and the rest of the world watched as we floated down into and away through the split in the ocean in peace.
Plan successful.
- Scene Change –
I was sitting in our meeting room. Almost all members of our peerages and my crew were present there.
Asia was resting.
She had exhausted herself with the healing.
The other crews were resting as well. Today has been an extremely tiring day for all of us.
"Things went pretty well. Although I was a bit scared when you were attacked by those CP0 agents. Those weapons they used were scary." Rias said as she snuggled slightly into my side.
"Yeah….the World Government really wanted to erase all of us. I was petrified when I saw those blasts. Thank God, Merlin and Jibril stopped those in time."
The two in question however looked a bit embarrassed.
"Ah, about that…."
"Hmm?"
"Well it was Boss' plan." Merlin spoke casually and all eyes turned towards me.
"Those blasts were controlled remotely. I was the one who had the controller and activated them only after the barrier was up. Those CP0 agents were my shadow clones. Actually Mariejois had all their signals and outside communication cut off in between so there was no way they could have reacted to whatever happened there. It would mess up my entire plan if the World Government didn't take the bait and attacked me….so I didn't give them any choice."
"So ...those agents had always been on your side?"
"Yup."
"So you had your clones shoot mini nukes on your face to make things more believable?" Rias asked me, appalled.
"I had it under control."
"There could have been a problem."
"I had future sight. I would have known what was going to happen and had enough time to solve it. Moreover it was the last straw that broke the faith of the Marines in the World Government."
*Sigh*.
Law looked at me and then shook his head. "Madman."
Everything in today's event was planned.
I didn't leave anything up to the World Government to decide.
The only reason Kizaru was not killed directly was because he didn't really attack me and that he hadn't been an extremist. He will die soon though. I had placed a curse on him that would take away his life in two days.
Even the healing part was planned from the very beginning to clear my image from being a ruthless murderer to a victim, someone who was forced to make a move.
Everyone took their leaves and I came to my bedroom.
Rias followed me.
I was too tired to check the rewards for tonight.
We saw a figure sleeping in my bed.
Asia had asked for something when I wanted to reward her.
She wanted to sleep with me….well normal sleep.
She looked so adorable when asking that.
Rias had agreed as well.
I lied down. Rias undressed and joined me as well.
I hugged Rias on my left side and then put my arm as a pillow for Asia, hugging her as well.
"So, anything else you did that I don't know of?"
"Ah….the Vice Admiral who broke down first….he was my plant in the Marines."
"What?"
"I needed someone to give them the first push. That guy was actually my Queen disguised as the Vice Admiral."
"You have a queen?"
"I have had one for about a month before the jump."
"Oh, what's he like?"
"Hmm….he's…."
We talked as I explained all my plans to her.
Tomorrow is going to be another tiring day when the results of today's events hit the world.
_x_x_
Beta Reader: LuluViBritania(FF.N, SB and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th Britannian Emperor(Discord)
Author's Note :
I will complete the reactions and results of today's events in the next chapter.
I wanted to try something new with the Marineford War than what is usually done. This is my attempt at it.
I tried to show Shin's planning regarding this event. Hope I didn't disappoint.
The next chapter will have the reactions of the world and probably summoning others to help Shin establish his territory.
Then a time skip.
And then we will finally return to DxD.
I bet everyone is waiting for it. I have been waiting too.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.