Pointless Struggle

My chest heaved as I fell back after sending Kuzan through a portal. The landscape of the battlefield had changed. As I looked over the destruction, there was a rumble overhead, and in a matter of seconds, dark clouds formed overhead, and flashes of lightning peaked through the clouds.

There was a buzz again from my pocket, and I reached in to pick up the call, "What is it?" I asked while flying into the air in an attempt to find Kizaru.

"Where do you get the idea to dump him on me like that?" Dragon said with so much anger that I could almost see the steam pouring from his ears. I cracked a smile, "What can I say? I can always piss off anybody. But I hope you have more to say than that."

Dragon huffed, "Well, thanks to you, Kuzan was able to tell me where they're holding Ethos. They don't plan to execute him there. It's all a ruse. They're taking him to the secret base where the Five Elders are."

I sighed not in boredom but anger, "Where is it?" Dragon was silent for a minute before he spoke two words, "Laugh Tale." I wanted to chuckle, but suddenly my throat ran dry.

"Give the order to retreat. I'm ending this once and for all." I hung up, and a second later, a bellowing horn rang through the air, and like a tide, my forces started to give ground.

Before I could try and open a portal, Kizaru finally showed himself and shot a beam of light that I blocked with a shield of darkness, redirecting the be into the marine fort, which was now a pile of rubble with some parts on fire.

"Just fuck off for a minute. It would you!" Turning back towards my forces, I created several portals, which they began to stream into as the remaining ships unfurled their sails and started to flee from the island.

Trying to keep the portal from collapsing, I started to run, focusing on not getting hit by Kizaru was right on my heels. As we near the ocean, I suddenly stopped in my tracks and turned around to face the admiral, who had a total look of determination for once.

Reaching into my inventory, I pulled out a dagger with a blade of glowing blue crystal. Thrusting out my hand, I pulled Kizaru towards me, and his speed doubled. I could see in his eyes that he recognized the Sea Essence, but it was too late.

In sheer desperation, Kizaru threw several light spears at me, but I bared the brunt of all of them. In one attack, the fight was over as the admiral slammed into me, gutting himself on the knife.

Leaving the dagger in his side, I turned back to my forces and reopened the portals that had closed, allowing the last vestiges of my people to escape.

There was a heavy thump, and I looked over to see Kizaru on the floor, his eyes glassy and lifeless. Spitting aside some blood, I grew a pair of wings and slowly rose into the air.

When I was high enough, I held my hands overhead and started to collect the void, creating a sphere until it dwarfed the sun in the sky. Then I dropped it, watching as it fell to hit the island below.

I watched as the marines on the island scrambled, but I knew nothing would survive as the gravitational pull tore their bodies to shred. A force not even light itself could escape.

It was a pointless struggle, and I didn't stay around to watch the destruction unfold as I stepped through a portal onto the deck of Akuma. Looking around, I saw that my beloved ship had taken heavy damage, and people shuffled around no without injures.

Going into the mindset of a doctor, I immediately those least injured to gather bandages as I went around to those worst off, stabilizing them so they wouldn't die before receiving the attention they needed.

Soon enough, Robin found me and embraced me in a hug, "I'm so glad you're safe, but why are we retreating? I know you wouldn't leave Ethos behind like that."

"He's not there. It was all a ruse to draw us into another battle. Dragon was able to find out the secrete marine base is at Laugh Tale." Robin froze, "That can't be possible. How were they able to find its location. Only after reading all the Poneglyph's should one be able to find the final island and where the One Piece is stored."

I shook my head, "I don't know how but I plan to find out."

A day later everyone was back on the main island as we recovered from the biggest fight in all of our lives. All newspapers left untouched by the World Government were already reporting on the fact I had overpowered three marine admirals, eaten a third devil fruit, and destroy the entirety of Marine Base in a single attack.

But I only heard of it through passing as my mind was racing of how to find Laugh Tale. Even at my top speed, it would take days to fly to each Poneglyph location and that was only counting the ones I knew from the anime.

I didn't even want to consider how many were hidden on the grand line if not the entire world. It seemed as if I now found myself in a pointless struggle.