Marineford

King's ship slowed down awkwardly as they got close to Marineford, the crescent-shaped island where the Marine headquarters stood. The fortress looked massive in the distance, with its thick walls lined with big cannons, and Marine flags flapping in the wind. Below the fortress, the city was full of activity. Marines in their white uniforms, swords at their sides, were moving everywhere, and rows of soldiers marched in perfect order. The number of them was crazy—tens of thousands already gathered, and more still arriving by the minute. It was a huge show of force, just to remind anyone how strong the World Government really was.

As The Throne got closer, much bigger warships moved in fast, surrounding King's ship. Their cannons were aimed right at it, casting long shadows on the deck. The marines on board, gripping their muskets, were tense, waiting for any signal to fire. No one knew what to make of The Throne—an armored metal ship with no crew in sight. If this was an enemy ship, it could only mean serious trouble. Pirates? Maybe even someone like Whitebeard.

The Grey Guard, hidden along the edges of the ship's rough plating, kept themselves out of sight. The only thing that might be spotted were the barrels of their guns, ready to fire if needed. Vice Admiral Momonga, the man in charge of the blockade, stood firm on the deck of his own ship. He wore the standard white Marine coat, draped over his shoulders like a cape, and had a sharp, no-nonsense expression. Two katanas were at his waist, and his hand hovered near them, just in case.

He wasn't playing around.

Grabbing the megaphone Den Den Mushi in his hand, Momonga barked out an order. "IDENTIFY YOURSELF! YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS! NO, FIVE SECONDS! NOW!"

The door of The Throne opened with a creak, and King stepped out, raising his hands just a little to show he wasn't a threat—yet. He cleared his throat, and that was enough to send one of the marines on a nearby ship stumbling back, thinking for a second that it was Shanks. The resemblance wasn't huge, but the red hair and the way he carried himself were enough to fool a few.

The rest of the marines recognized King from the newspapers, but they still didn't dare to act without orders. Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Momonga wasn't about to take any chances. His grip tightened on one of his katanas.

"FOUR!" he shouted, counting down aggressively.

King, trying to play it cool, yelled out for everyone to hear, "I'M THE BACKUP! DIDN'T YOU GET THE NEWS?"

'Please work,' King thought, sweating a little.

Momonga wasn't buying it. He gave a signal to aim at King and continued shouting, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! WHAT'S YOUR MARINE CODE? THREE!"

'Come on, let this work.'

Purururu

Momonga's wrist Den Den Mushi buzzed, and without taking his eyes off King, he raised his hand to answer it. There were only two people who could be calling on this line. A second later, the tired, grumpy face of Vice Admiral Garp appeared on the snail's receiver. He sounded as exhausted as he looked.

"At ease. Let this crappy floating scrap through. The higher-ups requested him and his guys to 'participate' or something. Kinda looks like a Shanks wannabe, right?" Garp said, rubbing his temple like he had a headache.

"They are indeed similar, Vice Admiral Garp," Momonga responded, still looking confused but following orders.

And with that, Garp hung up, ending the conversation. The nearby marines had all heard it, thanks to the still-active megaphone Den Den Mushi.

King, now in the clear, spun around and casually walked back into his cabin, the door closing smoothly behind him. 'Weaponized luck is the best,' he thought to himself, relieved. 'Now I can sit down and game a little.'

The Grey Guard, overhearing Garp's blunt critique of their ship, didn't take it so well. Their massive armored bodies seemed to sag slightly, deflated by the insult. Even though Garp was a legend to many, his words stung. They had always admired him. Sure, King was cooler, but Garp had been someone to look up to.

Their bald leader made a face and shook his head. "We really tried to make it nice, but we only had scraps. That's all that matters. Screw Garp."

Every single Grey Guard member within earshot immediately perked up, their disappointment flipping to anger, even if they still thought Garp was a hero deep down.

"I SAID IT."

"YOU FUCKING SAID IT!"

"WE MADE THIS SHIP WITH SCRAPS! SO WHAT? IT FLOATS! THAT'S ALL A SHIP NEEDS!"

"YEAAAH!"

"YES, SIR!"

"LET'S FUCKING GOOO!"

"RAAAAHHH!"

The Grey Guard started cheering, their deep voices rumbling through their helmets like the sound of machinery revving up. Some brandished their massive weapons, and a few even revved their chainsaws, excitement building.

"GET BACK TO WORK! PREPARE FOR DISEMBARKMENT!" their leader yelled, shutting them down before things got too wild.

Immediately, they stopped and went back to their tasks. One of them left to check on Archont, still trying to convince him to eat some of that enriched uranium, convinced it might finally work this time. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew started the engines again, steering toward the port. A few others handled the final preparations for their weapons and ammunition, getting ready for what was coming.

As they finally docked, they were greeted by a hastily thrown-together welcoming party. Word had gotten out that King of the West Blue was coming to fight alongside them, and marines, no fewer than a hundred, had gathered at the dock, buzzing with excitement.

The crude doors of The Throne opened slowly, revealing a dimly lit interior. King stepped out first, as expected.

One of the marines, clearly a Vice Admiral judging by his attire, lifted his own megaphone Den Den Mushi and announced the arrival.

"FROM THE WEST BLUE, DOMINATOR OF EVIL, CONQUEROR OF MONSTERS, GENIUS INVENTOR, AND OVERALL GOD IN HUMAN SKIN—KING!"

A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the gathered marines, some of them practically fangirling over King. Whispers spread like wildfire among those who didn't yet know him. After all, King had been making waves months ago before disappearing off the radar. More marines rushed to the area, crowding the dock until it was hard to see anything but the path leading straight to the castle.

Giant marines, part of the legendary Giant Squad, loomed in the background, their massive frames casting shadows over the Grey Guard. They avoided King, though, making sure the spotlight stayed on him as he basked in the sun.

Behind King, thirty-three massive figures marched out of the ship in perfect sync. The Grey Guard, bigger than average men clad in heavy armor, moved with mechanical precision. Their leader, a bald, imposing man, carried a large metal coffin in one hand and a satchel full of dynamite in the other. The rest of the crew hauled massive crates of weapons, some of them humming with power, and enough guns to start a small war. Their synchronized stomping sent vibrations through the ground, their heavy footsteps shaking the marines watching from the sidelines.

"We got these guys on our side?" a marine whispered.

"Yeah, even White Beard is going to think thrice before coming here." another replied.

"King saved my brother!"

The group kept walking, following the straight path to the castle entrance, where two Marine guides were waiting. One guide led the Grey Guard to a designated area to organize their equipment, while the other led King through the castle's hallways.

Eventually, the guide stopped and pointed to a tall spiral staircase. "The meeting is at the top of the tower," he said.

King sighed, mentally preparing himself for the climb. He considered himself pretty healthy, but by the time he reached the top floor, his legs were burning from the effort. It felt like climbing twenty stories.

At the top, two high-ranking officers were standing guard. As soon as King approached, they smoothly opened the big doors for him, like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"KING, HERO OF THE WEST BLUE!" one of the officers announced as King walked into the room.

'Looks like I'm just in time,' King thought, striding confidently into the room.

Inside, every important Marine and Warlord of the Sea turned to look at him. Sitting at the table were the Admirals, Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself, and the seven Warlords of the Sea—Doflamingo, Kuma, Boa Hancock, Mihawk, and Moria, all of them watching King carefully.