Chapter 16

CLANG!

CLANG!

"WAKE UP YOU DRUNKEN SLOBS! IT'S TIME TO WORK!"

CLANG!

Markus's eyes snapped open at all the ruckus and shouting. He looked around with bleary eyes and realized he was in a cabin with a bunch of beds and other people. All of them were groaning and swearing as they were rudely woken up. After rubbing his eyes, Markus could see clearly and smiled. He felt wonderful after a good night's sleep. All the alcohol had been neutralized by his system so a hangover was never going to happen.

While the members of Whitebeard's crew that overdrank were groaning and holding their heads, Markus walked normally out of the cabin. Marco spotted Markus and raised an eyebrow, "All that drinking and not hangover kid? What's up with that?"

Markus grinned, "I guess it's just how I am. I can drink as much as I want and the next day I'll be perfectly fine!"

Marco instantly looked jealous, "So unfair." His look of jealousy turned into a cunning smile, "Still... even if you don't get a hangover, it seems you still act like a normal person when drunk..."

Markus could hear some form of insinuation in Marco's words. He tried to remember what happened the night before but his mind was a complete blank. The system cured all status effects, like poison, but it didn't seem to cure blacking out from getting drunk. Seeing Markus starting to sweat, Marco's grin grew, "Oh? Having trouble remembering?"

Markus suddenly felt nervous, "W-what did I do?"

Marco shrugged his shoulders and turned around to walk toward the stairs leading to the deck, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Markus immediately followed Marco, "Tell me! What happened?!"

Marco refused to say anything while Markus pestered him. As they arrived on the deck, Whitebeard called out loudly, "Markus! I heard you had a lot of fun last night! Gurarararara!! We haven't had someone do something like that in years!"

Markus didn't know why but he suddenly felt horrified. He looked at Marco with panic written all over his face, "Marco! No... Big Bro Marco! What happened?! What did I do?!"

Marco just snickered and didn't answer Markus. Desperate, Markus started talking to everyone trying to figure out what he was forgetting from the night before. No one would tell him though. It was as if there was a giant conspiracy. All he knew is that whatever he did, it must have been embarrassing! Everyone he asked ended up laughing, even the more polite people covered their mouths and snickered.

Hearing the laughter and seeing that no one would answer him, Markus gripped his head and loudly shouted, "I'm never drinking that much again!!"

His outburst only earned him more laughter from Whitebeard and his entire crew. Markus felt rather depressed and worried over whatever he'd done to make everyone laugh. He found a dark corner to pout in for a while. Seeing him like that, Marco walked over and pat his shoulder, "Don't worry about it. Things like this happen all the time."

Markus sighed and decided to let it go. If no one was going to tell him what he did then he didn't need to think too deeply on it. Marco turned around and started to walk away, "Come on. We'll be rescuing Ace tomorrow. We need to make sure everything is ready so that nothing we can control goes wrong. There's plenty of work for you to help out with."

Markus followed Marco without saying much. Whitebeard's crew were trying to keep Markus busy while also keeping an eye on him. It might seem like they were carefree on the surface but, in reality, they were watching him like a hawk. Even when they asked him to cook last night, there was always someone keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't slip something extra into the food. If he'd made a single false move, he would have been dealt with instantly and harshly.

Markus was aware he was being watched, it only made sense. He had no ulterior motives or plans to betray the Whitebeard Pirates. He was here to experience something different in his life and maybe learn something. As they were walking along the deck, Markus spotted Whitebeard sitting on his chair connected to multiple medical devices. The devices were meant to help him and keep him alive. No matter what anyone did, Whitebeard would die soon. Seeing him like that made Markus think. Even he would someday die. Whether he was killed in combat or died of old age, he would still die. Everyone did, eventually.

Maybe he could make Whitebeard's final stand more epic. He stopped and tapped Marco on the shoulder, "It might not be my place but... I think I might have something that could help Whitebeard regain some of his strength."

Marco stopped and looked at Markus, waiting for him to continue. Markus held up his left hand and pulled one of his better health potions out of his inventory. He'd gotten some of these from defeating Vice Admirals in his Image Training, they were the best he had and could heal him for 1,500 HP. Marco eyed the potion in Markus's hand suspiciously. The blood-red color of the substance didn't help matter and prompted Macro so ask, "Is that blood?"

Markus shook his head, "No. It's a mixture that helps with healing."

Thinking that actions spoke louder than words, Markus unsheathed Shodai a bit and sliced his hand on the blade. He grimaced at the stinging pain and marveled at how such a small cut cost him over 500 HP. He moved quickly to uncork the potion and pour it over the wound. With his body, a cut would close in moments leaving only the spilled blood behind. The instant the liquid from the potion touched the wound it quickly closed and left behind smooth skin.

Marco's eyes widened in surprise. He was no stranger to rapid healing but that only applied to himself. He'd never seen a medicine with such a magical healing effect. He gripped Markus's shoulders tightly, "That's amazing! Do you have more? Pops is a big guy."

Markus nodded and pulled out four more of the potions. He'd only managed to gather ten of them, they seemed to be a rare drop. He was willing to give away half of his potions in the hope that it would make Whitebeard stronger for his final stand. Marco accepted the potions from Markus and jogged over to Whitebeard and the two beautiful nurses tending to him.

He held the potions out to the nurses, "Quickly put these in the IV bags. They're medicine that should help the old man."

If it was anyone below the rank of a Division Commander they might have questioned the person. Since it was Marco, they just followed his orders. Within minutes the clear liquid of Whitebeard's IVs was replaced with the blood-red health potions. Whitebeard looked on curiously but didn't voice any objections, Marco was one of his precious sons after all.

Everyone nearby watched as the red liquid moved through the tubes attached to Whitebeard's chest. Once the liquid entered his body, Whitebeard's eyes shot open. His entire body shook as black steam leaked from his pores. Everyone watching froze, unsure of what to do. Marco, in a brief moment of panic, looked at Markus accusingly. Before he could do anything, Whitebeard began to laugh loudly, "Guarararara! What is this?! It feels amazing! I feel ten years younger!"

As he laughed, the air around him vibrated. Vitality was filling his body, healing hidden wounds, and making him feel significantly better. Markus watched everything closely with his Haki. Whitebeard was definitely better but the specter of death was still present. The health potions could heal wounds but they didn't extend life. Whitebeard had regained some of this strength thanks to the magic of the potions, but his lifespan hadn't been increased at all. He would still die soon.

Once all of the potions had been drained from the IVs into Whitebeard's body, he tore the tubes off of his chest. He flexed his arms a bit before climbing to his feet and flexing more of his body. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched Whitebeard. With every moment of his body, power seemed to radiate off of him. Everyone was shocked silent for a few moments before loud cheers rang out. Everyone was excited and happy to see Whitebeard feeling better and looking stronger. It gave them a morale boost and even more confidence to take on the Marines.

Seeing Whitebeard's improved vitality, Marco walked over to Markus and slapped him on the back, hard, "Thanks! I haven't seen the old man look so good in a long time!"

Markus grinned back at Marco, "Glad I could help."

He really was glad. Whitebeard was probably one of the most interesting people in the world and knowing he helped the old man out was pretty fulfilling to him. There was a small party to celebrate Whitebeard's recovery. It really was small. Tomorrow they would be going to war and no one could afford to be even remotely hungover.

Markus enjoyed his time with the Whitebeard pirates but all good things eventually come to an end. The sun was going down once again and tomorrow would be the day of the big war. Markus had trouble falling asleep due to his excitement and trepidation. He chose to spend a few hours inside of his Image Training to work off his nerves and leveling up his Lightning Armor some more. It was a vital skill if he wanted to be sure of his success tomorrow.

To help increase the speed at which Lightning Armor leveled, Markus started to chug down Willpower Potions nonstop. He stuck with the lower grade ones that only filled 50 or 100 Willpower each. Given that his total Willpower pool was nearly 7,000, it was just a drop in the ocean and useless in real combat. After a few hours of pummeling Vice Admirals, Markus finally relaxed enough to get some sleep.

When he woke up the next morning, he could feel the tension in the air. No one showed it outwardly, but Markus could feel how nervous some of them were through his Haki. After arriving on the deck and spotting an excited and happy Whitebeard, he expanded his Observation Haki. He looked toward the bow and smiled. Not too far away he could feel a lot of life signs, some of them very powerful. He recognized three of them as Kizaru, Aokiji, and Garp. He assumed the two other large ones were Akainu and Sengoku.

They weren't the only powerful people but they were definitely the strongest that he could sense. It would be a while before Blackbeard and his crew showed up. The same for other powerful individuals scheduled to appear, such as Shanks. As they drew closer to the island of Marineford, Markus's heart began to flutter. He was excited. This battle would be one of the most epic and influential in the world. He planned to mess it up badly and deal a devastating blow to the Marines.

Whitebeard would still most likely die on this island, making his final stand against the Marines and dying on his feet. He was a proud man that knew he was dying. The Marines might have set this as a trap to kill him but he willingly walked into it knowing that. Whitebeard was a king in his own right and he chose to spend his final moments as epically as he spent the rest of his life. The Marines would succeed in killing him but he would make the moment his own. He would show the world why they had feared Edward Newgate for so long. He would show them why he was a true king.

As much as Markus would have liked to save Whitebeard from his fate, he couldn't. It would be an insult to the great man to stop him from dying in battle only to die weak in a bed later. A proud and powerful man like Whitebeard would hate that kind of death more than anything else. Markus hadn't spent much time with Whitebeard but he understood that much about the man from his memories and the little time they'd spent together. Markus respected Whitebeard enough to let him have his wish.

As the ship drew closer to Marineford, Whitebeard hefted his massive body out of his chair and collected his naginata, Murakumogiri. He slowly and confidently walked to the bow of the Moby Dick where he stood tall and proud. Seeing Whitebeard take his place, Markus opened his inventory and got prepared. He was already equipped with his weapons but he wanted to change some of his outfit. He kept his black combat boots and black pants but swapped his shirt and jacket. When he was done, he wore a dark purple shirt with a black skull on the front and a slim black leather jacket.

He walked closer to Whitebeard while running his fingers through his hair to slick it back a bit. His hair had grown longer and was becoming unruly. He randomly thought about getting it cut to look better, later. As he stepped to Whitebeard's side, the old man looked down at him, "Think you got what it takes to stand there, kid?"

Markus looked up at Whitebeard and grinned broadly, "Unlike you, old man, my massive area attacks aren't indiscriminate. I can feel thousands of people up there. Not too many are strong enough to pose a threat and I could wipe them all out in a single blow."

"Gurararara! Kids and their exaggerations! Puffing yourself up and bluffing won't impress me, kid."

Markus smirked, "Then I guess you don't know all the details of what I did to the Marines on Enies Lobby. If you did, you wouldn't be saying that."

Whitebeard paused and looked thoughtful. Of course, he knew about Markus, alone, stopping the Buster Call against Enies Lobby but he didn't have all of the details. Only the people there at the time did as the government suppressed any other information from leaking. Their reputation would take a massive hit if they let news of their impotence out. Whitebeard observed Markus and seeing the confidence he radiated, he looked away, "Fine, kid. You can stand there but if you mess anything up I'll personally gut you and feed you to a sea king!"

Markus grinned. He would show Whitebeard, and the Marines, why he should be feared. A massive battleground like this was to his advantage. There were a hundred thousand Marines, the Admirals, and Shichibukai all waiting for them to appear. The stronger opponents might take more effort but he could take down droves of the 'elite' Marines with minimal effort. At the same time, he would rake in mountains of experience and grow stronger. Even if each of the elite Marines was only worth a measly 500 experience, blasting them would fetch him millions in total.

As he pondered what level he might possibly reach during this war, he was pulled out of his thoughts by a delicious new quest.

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New Unique Quest!

WAR!

The Marines have invited destruction upon themselves by capturing Ace, oblige them. Do anything and everything in your power to show the Marines that they should never get on your bad side.

Objective 1: Participate in the War

Failure Conditions: Death, Failure to participate

Rewards:

Objective 1: Rewards based on participation, the greater the participation, the greater the rewards

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Markus stood where he was, next to Whitebeard, as the old man gave his order, "SURFACE!"

With his Observation Haki, Markus could hear exclamations of shock from Sengoku and the Marines as not one, but several Moby Dick's rapidly rose from beneath the surface of the sea. The ship Markus was on rose with so much force that it burst out of the water and flew through the air before crashing down heavily. Behind the ship he was on stood a fleet of over forty ships. All the subordinate ships of Whitebeard's fleet.

The world seemed to become silent, even the waves seemed to stop making noise, as Whitebeard began to climb the stairs to the top of the whale figurehead of his ship. The only sounds anyone could hear were the sounds of his footsteps and the metallic clang of Murakumogiri hitting the stairs. When Whitebeard reached the top of the figurehead, he stood tall and faced the massive army of the Marines. Seeing Whitebeard, Sengoku's complexion didn't look very good, "Whitebeard!"

Whitebeard grinned, "Gurararara... How many decades had it been Sengoku?" He let the words hang before he continued, "My beloved son... had better be safe and sound!"

Ace, chained to the execution platform looked on in shock. Whitebeard looked directly at him, "Just hand in there a little longer Ace!"

Ace struggled against his chains while shouting at the top of his lungs, "POPS!"

Whitebeard flipped Murakumogiri around and stabbed its blade into the figurehead to free up his hand. With his hand free, he pulled both of his arms horizontally in front of his chest to build up strength in his muscles. Markus watched every movement of Whitebeard, this would be his first time witnessing the power of the Gura Gura no Mi in person. He didn't want to miss a single moment! With a shout of effort, Whitebeard's arms snapped open and struck the very air around him.

Whitebeard's fists seemed to punch the very air with ungodly force. With a sound like glass slowly shattering, cracks began to appear in the air. As the cracks spread, the ocean beneath all of the ships turned violent. Waves crashed against the ships and the walls of Marineford. The weaker Marines were sweating and about to panic at any moment from fear. The violent waves didn't last long and soon calmed down leaving the unaware members of the Marines flabbergasted while Whitebeard continued to grin.

In the silence, Ace spoke up, "Pops... guys... I set out on a whim even though you all warned me not to, so... WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME BEHIND?! MY OWN COCKINESS GOT ME INTO THIS MESS IN THE FIRST PLACE!!"

Whitebeard was completely unphased by Ace's outburst and calmly replied, "Nah, I was the one who told you to go, son."