10 The opening salvo

- Apparently Whitebeard's reinforcements have emerged from an underwater passage beneath the mountain. - Chopper reports through the holographic projectors. - It'd appear that aside from his ally crews, Whitemustache have an underwater base just below us acting as a buffing zone.

- He's a tough cookie, I'll give him that. - Replies Lucious as he takes another bite out of his favorite pop tart. - It's not everyday that you get to meet a human with the balls to grow a mustache and call it a beard , you know. And it's true, according to our mutual friends in the marine corps, there's an island right in front of the entrance leading to the other half of the world, literally. This world is truly wondrous.

- Wondrously whack, you mean. - The smaller male murmurs under his breaths.

- Regardless, it's a nice bit of information to have. - The inquisitor smiles, wiping the crumps off his face as he stands up from his desk. - Better still, the inhabitants there are said to be many times physically stronger than their surface counterparts and are adept in aquatic warfare.

- Looks like the Scholarus Janissarium is getting a few more new courses. - Chopper giggles, recognizing the prideful look in his friend's golden eyes.

- Yes, yes indeed. - Lucious nods, tail beating excitedly. - Which reminds me, how goes the training at headquarter?

- We're doing good. - Chopper nods. - The human here are extremely warlike, especially the marines and outlaws, we'll have the first regiments readied for deployment in a year or two.

- Don't get too cocky, Chopper. - Lucious smirks, picking up the holographic projector the size of a pocket watch and slowly walks out of his cabin. - We still have the issue of their loyalty.

- Nothing a good indoctrination won't fix. - The smaller Anacondrai waves his hand dismissively. - And to be honest, we're still using the usual recruitment procedures.

- I figure they don't take having their children taken away to be trained into soldiers well? - Lucious raises one eyebrow, walking out to the commanding platform of his naval flagship, the Tide Hunter, overseeing the deck bellow where hundreds of his troops, both from the Inquisition and the many regiments of janissaries are busy preparing for battle.

- Most accept willingly, others are too afraid to refuse. - The younger inquisitor smirks. - Personally I thinks all of them are too afraid to refuse such an honor.

- True. - Lucious nods approvingly. - Return to your post Chopper, keep an eye on Rayleigh and his janissaries, I'll be back in a few hours. This little "war" shouldn't take long.

He watches as his subordinate nods, then disappears from the hologram as the device shuts down, pleased and eager by recent developments. The local resistances in all of the invading forces' outposts have already gave up willingly or collapsing on themselves, pressured by both his inquisition and the people, and almost all of the lesser pirate gangs in their territories have also bent their knees. Almost all, save for those under the Four Emperors' rules. The Lord Inquisitor scoffs at the title, for they're only just that, titles, self-proclaimed and recognized by no-one save for their lackeys and those who fear them, having neither standing domain nor true legitimacy, engaging in neither statecraft nor political nor economical affairs. Primitives. Savage. Absurd. Lucious thinks as he staring at their destination, a crescent shaped artificial island, surrounded by a fleet of puny ships that would be sunken with a single salvo of one of his. As they will be soon, once his chess piece moves into place.

This will be an easy fight, for Lucious at least, as there's nothing these marines could throw at them will give them any advantage. Theirs are mobs of enforcers, brawlers, sell swords with a permanent contract, hell, even calling them sell swords would be an insult to sell swords everywhere, at least sell swords know how to fight. The invaders have seen them fight, both the marines and the pirates whom they usually clash with. Disappointing is the only word Lucious could use to describe it, for a force of elite troops, their strengths seem to come their overwhelming number and individual prowess, rather than a cohesive effort of a collection of soldiers. Even their tactics would leave new bloods shake their heads, charging blindly into the enemies with neither formation nor battle lines, gunners mixed into the front lines, easily surrounded and quickly cut down. Pathetic.

- You smell that? - Severus asks, resting his arms on the handrails at the edge of the platform.

- Fear. - Lucious chuckles lowly, crossing his arms as he eyes the tensed marines waiting for Whitebeard to show his face. - Look at them, huddled together into a tiny fort in the middle of the ocean like canned sardines, they're lucky the island is open or else they'd all die of intoxication if one of them shits themselves.

- True. - The Lycanid nods, then raises his body, his hands still resting on the handrail as he looks at his friend. - You sure you don't want us to join?

- Don't you think that's a bit of a overkill? - Lucious turns to meet his friend with a cheeky smile. - No thanks. Beside, we have to uphold our end of the bargain.

- Ah yes, "keep a stonk holdin' on da exit". - The Lycanid rolls his eyes and makes a sarcastic gesture, along with his joking voice.

- Yep, and we can only do that if our best troops are in the reserve. - The Lord Inquisitor smiles, before turning toward the marine base, Marineford as they call it, where Whitebeard's ships are slowly making their presence known. - Moreover, I need a handful of janissary cohorts to crush them. Simply keep the bay clear and bombard the wings, I'll take the fifty to one odd.

- Understood, my Lord. - Severus nods, watching as the four of Whitebeard's ships emerge from below the sea, at any moment now, the old pirate captain would bait out the admiral to create a stable footing for the rest of them. - Shall I prepare Kraksus for battle then?

- Yes. - The Anacondrai smiles. - Inform the prefectus cohortis, it's time.

***

- What…is that?

Both the marines and the pirate alliance can see dozens of smoke jets coming from behind the grand pirate fleet, fiery projectiles draw dark and ominous pencil lines across the blue sky, just below the highest peaks of the two ice mountains on either side of the island. Their roars seem to have given the combatants on both side pause, too awestruck from the magnificent display, for they have never seen cannon balls being fired to such height before. But they're not cannon balls, more like semi sell-propelled missiles of destruction, Whitebeard grins, finally their "allies" have made their move, a proper respond to Akainu's attack earlier. The earth and sky shake as the first shells make contact, rivaling Whitebeard's earthquakes and even the Ursus Shock that took down Oars, made even worse by the earthshattering explosions that followed. Fortification reduced to ashen rubbles, battleships burst into flaming hells, cannon turrets were sent flying hundreds of meters inland. Almost immediately, the mighty marine fleet of battleships has been reduced to half strength, with a portion of the outer most walls of Marineford now nothing but sinking piles of rocks, creating a wider opening for the alliance, much to the horror of the defenders. Not even admiral Akainu's magma attacks could match the destructiveness of the barrage.

Another thunderous barrage comes from behind the grand pirate fleet, now slowly moving through the all but destroyed hulks of the marine battleships, just moments ago they were mighty floating fortress, now all that remain of them are debris fields easily swept aside by the uncontested pirate ships. Tashigi freezes, unable to move, unable to accept the fact that their defenses have been breached, even when she's that far away from the mouth of the bay, she could feel the raw hopelessness and terrors of the poor marine soldiers there. Looming shadows now come into view behind the fleet, a second fleet of gigantic hulking beasts of metal, each twice the size of a marine battleship, led by an absolute monster of a flagship the size of a small island, the sight alone invigorates the pirates and sends the marines fleeing in terror.

From atop the deck of the newly arrived ships, flashes of light flare, followed by series of thunderous roars as their mighty guns sing their song of destruction, their missiles shriek as they draw pencil lines across the sky. Even over the screaming of confusion and the crazed cheering of the pirates, Tashigi could hear the oncoming shrieks of the incoming barrage and recognizes them for what they are. They're not cannon balls, they're something much, much worse. The master chief petty officer hurls herself flat, screaming as her arms jars on the diamond-hard ice made by admiral Aokiji. The ice whips upward, tossing her through the air as the first bombardment shell impacts, blasting a hole two dozens meters across and obliterating anyone unlucky enough to be in the immediate range of the explosion in an instant. Shrieks sound as further shells strike the ground with thunderous hammer blows. Even the Warlords of the Sea are sent fleeing, unable to nullify the bombardment as unending shells rain down seemingly from all direction, those that were destroyed midair rained fire and shrapnel, while the ones that were turned to stones simply slammed into the ground like giant bullets. Ice, rocks and bloodied body parts are blasted through the air around Tashigi as she and her surviving comrades try desperately to retreat back to the main plaza, all the while the unending volleys of the enemy are still raining down, pushing them further and further back into the island, cutting off the retreats of those in the entrance of the bay. Suddenly, she hears the dreaded shriek, giving her just enough time to bark out a haphazard warning for the soldiers around her before slamming back to hard ice, hands covering her ears. A flash of light, a deafening explosion, and the marine's sense of balance is utterly shattered, the earth and sky seem to have melded into one, swirling in an endless vortex of colors and shapes, the shockwave of the explosion forced the breaths out of her lungs as she's rag dolled through the air, catching glimpses of an incoming white shape before she succumbs to the titanic force.

It is chaotic, it is horrifying, Sengoku can't believe it, mouth agape, eyes wide opened, his hand trembles so much that the Den Den Mushi falls to the execution platform, completely shell-shocked by the attack. A single salvo, that's all it took for whatever monster Whitebeard has called upon to aid him to nullify, nay, obliterate a sizeable chunk of their defense, if it comes to it, Sengoku doesn't think even he, the admiral, the giant, the Warlords, the entirety of Marineford or all of them combined, would be able to take whatever it is behind the pirate fleet down. But what is it? What or who is Whitebeard's mysterious ally? Who could possess such…

The fleet admiral's heart sinks, remembering the visitors a few nights ago, Nicolin and Naemeria, remembering their offers, one that he refused. They told him their lord wants to resolve this peacefully, that the "Lord Inquisitor" wants Ace to be handed to Whitebeard unharmed, and Sengoku's refused, damning his entire army with death and destruction. He watches in horror as the bombardments of explosive shells stopped, replaced by fiery contrails arching their ways through the smoke-filled sky, dozens, hundreds of them, flung from the decks of the titanic warships of the enemies by towering shadows the size of giants. They collide into the middle of the fleeing mobs of marines, shattering into shards of burning magma as their cargos disembark, much to the delight of their master, whom the fleet admiral assumes is the new comer who's now standing next to Whitebeard.

Monstrous forms now stride along the pirates' ranks, towering humanoid…things, each an abomination of its own right, a multiple of human bodies sewed, nay, forged together, moaning, shrieking tree trunk-shaped frames, with heads, arms and legs sprouting out like roots and branches, spewing lava as they push past the pirates and charge headlong into the marines, pulling out weapons made of brimstones out of their charred bodies.

- What the fuck? WHAT THE FUCK!?

- Run! Run for your lives!

- No! God! No! Please no!

The marine soldiers cry as they flee, their weapons all but useless against such abominations while theirs cut through their ranks like knives through butter. Like ravenous beasts, the abominations leap and pounce at their preys, cutting them down with burning swords and axes, or simply grabbing hold of them and drag the unlucky sods along as they burn. Even the giants are no match, vice admiral Ronze was all but torn to ribbons by Lucious' horde of monsters, the shock troops "made" from captured marines and unruly pirates, the hecatoncheires. Dear gods, Whitebeard thinks as he observes the carnage unleashed by the Lord Inquisitor with pure horror, if this is what "the least amount of efforts" looks like for the alien invader, he wonders what a full blown invasion would be like.

- Impressive, no? - Next to the pirate captain, Lucious stands proudly, arms folded behind his back while his tail waves excitedly, looking more like a child on Christmas' Day than a lord commander of a ruthless army.

- I didn't think your kind could get anymore…creative. - Whitebeard mumbles disapprovingly.

- Idled hands on the Devil's workshop, mi querido capitán. - The Lord Inquisitor smiles, pulling out a scarred telescope that he's "confiscated" from a pirate captain, eagerly looking through it to survey the battlefield better, or so Whitebeard thinks. - Your son is looking at me funny.

- Maybe he thinks you're his brother. - The pirate captain rumbles, realizing that Lucious' just enjoying himself. - You look a lot like the brat.

- Yeah, well he looks a lot like that pervert Aurellus of the Imperatus Custodeans. - Lucious grumpily replies. - Gods he's so annoying.

- So this is your plan then? - Whitebeard smirks. - Letting loose a few volleys of your guns and let your pets do the clean up?

- Oh no, no no no, - Lucious shakes his head as he puts away the telescope. - This is just the preparation, the coup de grâce is still to come.

- Pops! - Marco lands behind them, his phoenix wings burning brilliantly with blue fire as he makes his report. - Scout reserves reported a marine battleship stuck on top of the glacier.

- That Sengoku. - Whitebeard narrows his eyes. - He must have had a second fleet hiding nearby, that one probably got caught in the tsunami.

- A surprise attack? How interesting, your people are not as dimwitted as I've thought. - Lucious smirks amusingly, turning his gaze to the sky, he can see the hulk of the battleship sticking out of the glacier like a sore thumb, wondering how many there are left. - It makes no difference, they are hopelessly dead.

- Sly little bastard. - Whitebeard chuckles. - You still have a trump card to play, don't you?

- You can say that. - Lucious replies ominously, pulling his sleeve up to check the watch of his wrist, glancing at the sky every once in a while to check for his ride. - Or you can say that I have two thousands trump cards readied to be deployed.

The sea once again churns as great metallic hulks part themselves from the great black fleet, four of the lesser ships push pass the pirate ships and the wreckages of the battleships. The marines on the outer walls on either side of the bay could only watch as the monstrously huge beast made of black steel make their way toward them, the ships that have rendered the gun turrets lining the bay all but useless. The fleet admiral is speechless, unable to move, unable to speak, he could only watch as his carefully constructed plan being ripped apart, demolished through sheer firepower alone. Reports are coming in, the outer siege walls are useless, someway, somehow, they've known, or perhaps the bombardment shells were just that monstrously strong, capable of damaging the walls even when they're submerged.

- This is it… - The executioner next to him murmurs in horror. - This is the end…isn't it?

The fleet admiral remains silent, eyes glued to the first ship ramming itself into the ruined bay, will the others barge through the rubbles, then stopping halfway in, sealing the fate of that section of the siege walls. It's all hopeless, they can't stop it, he can't stop it, no one on this planet can. Sengoku falls to his knees, tears falling down his face onto the scaffold platform as he clenches his teeth, trying to hold in the tears of despair. It's over. It's hopeless. One more volley from those blasted ships and Whitebeard and his mob of pirates would be in the plaza. And they'd be pigs in the slaughterhouse.

- Ad-admiral Akainu? What ar-what are you doing here? W-wait…what are you doing? Wait. Wait! No! NO! NO PLEASE N…!

The bubbling of magma and the sizzling of wood as it burn mercifully drown out the death rattle of the cowardice executioner, which is then replaced by ominous footsteps coming closer and closer to him. Sengoku can smell him before he can even feel his presence, the burning, intoxicating smell of sulfurs that makes his already watery eyes soak with salty tears. Yet it is a welcoming development, as it means the man whom the fleet admiral trusts the most to come up with solutions has done just that, he's came up with a solution for their plight. He pulls himself up, wiping the tears of despair from his face and adjusts his clothes, before turning toward the man in deep red suit looking eagerly at him from below his marine cap, though his face shows little emotions. Absolute Justice, the man seems to be the essence of that ideology incarnated, so stoic and steadfast on his crusade against all vile scums of the world, going so far as to purge his own regiments of cowards and traitors through cleansing magma. Though they don't usually see eyes to eyes, the sight of the admiral, Akainu Sakazuki, fills Sengoku with hope, especially in such dark time.

- "The end" you say? - The admiral says coldly into a Den Den Mushi, his voice echoes across the battlefield, reaching every of his soldiers. - Yes, my friends, my comrades, my brothers and sisters. This is The End. Lo and behold the Darkness has come to lay us low! They have destroyed half of our defenses! They have murdered a fourth of our ranks! But do not give into despair! For we are Justice! We are the defenders of all that is just and fair! We are the fist of the World Government! In our veins flow the blood of martyrs and heroes! And they can never put us down! We are Absolute Justice! We! ARE! MARINES! AND BY OUR HANDS SHALL THIS DARKNESS BE REPELLED! FIGHT, BRAVE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF JUSTICE! FIGHT FOR YOUR WHITE CAPES! YOUR HONORS! YOUR FAMILY! YOUR WORLD! THIS IS THE END FOR THE WHITEBEARD'S PIRATES! THIS IS THE DAY WHITEBEARD FALLS! THIS IS THE DAY WE DESTROY THEM! FIGHT!

A deafening roar responds to the admiral's speech, followed by the thundering of thousands of footsteps charging through the plaza to block the Whitebeard's Pirates from getting anymore footholds. Incredible, with just a few words, Akainu has roused the fear stricken mobs of marine soldiers into a crazed horde of fanatics, a white tide of capes and caps rushing toward the pirates, uncaring of the dozens falling from gun fires, waving weapons and blasting guns as they run. The fleet admiral blinks, watching as the shocked pirate mobs being halted and even slowly pushed back by crazed soldiers of justice. Even the remaining battleships and the remnant of the giant squad have joined in the war efforts, offering fire supports to secure the flanks. Yet half of the Shichibukai are simply…standing there, the Pirate Empress, Hawkeye and Gecko Moria remain motionless, cautious of what to come, with Dofflamingo and Kuma being occupied with the fiery monsters, even with their considerable power, all they could do is drawing their attention from the frontlines.

- The situation is bleaker than we've ever expected. - Fleet admiral Sengoku murmurs to his "friend".

- Nothing we can't handle. - The admiral snarls. - But I think there should be a change of plan.

- I'm listening. - Sengoku nods, watching the black ships' bows open up, lowering the rams for rows upon rows of silk-clad warriors to march out.

- Raise the remaining walls and deploy the Pacifista on the flanks, - Akainu says coldly. - have our remaining ships circle around theirs, they don't seem to have much fire power on the rears. We'll crush them from behind while keeping their guns occupied in the flanks.

- A bold plan. - Sengoku nods. - We only have enough Pacifista to block the bay, but if this is what must be done to secure victory, then so be it.

- As you command.

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