The Bridge of Life

However, Whitebeard, who was caught up with his own fair-share of Vice-Admirals, did not think as highly of Roger as his opponents did. It might have been ego that Roger was so much more stronger than himself, but this matter was way deeper.

Whitebeard was showing interest in Monkey. D. Luffy.

Looking at his Haoshoku, he was stunned, but his bloody face did not show anything.

This kid… he's no ordinary boy…! Just try it, little brat! If you have 'The Will of D' then show me the result of this Era!!

Just thinking about how steadfast and impressive the kid was, Whitebeard bellowed. "Men!!!"

He shouted, and all his children turned to look at him. He continued, with a grim satisfaction. "Use all you've got to backup Strawhat!"

Yes, it was true that Luffy was nearer to the Execution Tower than Roger, but any pirate would've chosen to march behind Roger. They were startled for a moment, but only a moment. The next, they shouted out approval and ran behind Luffy and Ivankov.

The commanders naturally started to provide encouragement to Luffy.

"Hurry, Strawhat! Pops and Roger are holding off the Marines. This is your only chance to get past the Admirals when they are occupied!!!"

When all of these things were happening concurrently, Mihawk stirred. All this had been very, and I emphasise, very interesting. For a few minutes he had just been standing there, admiring the works of the Pirate King, while also simultaneously fending off any pirates who dared to lay a weapon on him. And that flow of Haki. . . Oh, so delicious.

Mihawk, an usually secluded and reserved person, now burned with a passionate desire to do the Dance of the Sword with Gol. D. Roger. His fervent passion shone like the shining sun in his eyes; it was that obvious.

And when at last he decided to go at it again, he was intercepted by a criminal, and a rather famous one at that.

Mihawk, disgusted by the interference, muttered, "Ugh, you're Daz Bonez."

Daz Bonez, a sturdy tall man with tanned copper-like skin, possessed the power of the Supa Supa no mi. His shaved white hair made him look like a monk, except that his body gave out the fact that he was a combatant suited for battle and no other profession.

Daz Bonez looked not a little fazed even when he was facing one of the strongest swordsmen in the world. He calmly replied, in a monotone. "Orders from above. Treat the Marines as enemies for now."

Nevertheless, those were the last words he spoke, before he was instantaneously attacked by Mihawk, a frustrated monster. And suddenly, the one who appeared to obstruct Mihawk's path was none other than Strawhat.

Luffy, who unknowingly trudged upon the way of Mihawk, got caught under his sword, or almost did. Before Luffy could even react to Yoru slicing him apart, he was saved by yet another ally. Though not a very loyal one, the ally did his part at that particular time.

He was Crocodile.

Crocodile, of all the people available. Just ending his beef with Doflamingo, he had come straight away to pick another fight. The man of sand, he had once been the king of the Alabasta Kingdom, and was now reduced to nothing but a law-breaker. His dignity and honour might've have reduced, but that never made him lose his materialistic power. His strength was as overwhelming as always, but compared to the might of Mihawk, it was but a mere sea compared to the vast ocean.

Still, Crocodile's ego was miles above most. Keeping a grim attitude, he declared, " Now! Watch out so that you don't get stepped on like a bug, Hawkeyes."

Mihawk's sharp angular eyebrows twitched. "Tsk. One after the other fodder just keep coming… why won't they just go die silently…"

In his frenzied state, Mihawk did not even pause to think a bit before speaking.

Where the Pacifistas were rallying, Sentomaru questioned Boa Hancock to test her loyalty to the World Government. Of course, one should not completely trust or rely on those so called 'allies' of the Marines, but still the Marines did their best to tie a leash around the Shichibukai' necks. While his huge belly bounced as he landed in front of Hancock, his axe swinging to be placed on top of his shoulders, he asked her in an accusative manner, " What's the big idea?! Aren't you one of the seven Warlords?! Act like one! How many Pacifistas have you destroyed, might I ask?!" Yelled he, as he glared at the Empress with eyes that could melt blocks of iron.

When Boa Hancock answered, his accusative angry look changed to one of a frustrated frown.

"Let me tell you one thing,…" said she, as he head flung around, still graciously. "…Love always comes in a hurricane!!!"

"Huh!??!?"

Still running without any further delay or noticeable slowness, Ivankov ran beside Luffy, an awkward fit of a gigantic head on a weird body. While he ran, he shouted out to his loyal friend and comrade, " Sorry, i'll be needing your power… A simple task, Iva-san!"

Iva, also a queer person, who possessed a lightning shaped scar across his face and a goblet of wine in his hand, replied without hesitation. "Yes, have no worry."

If these might be called queer, then only God knows what the in-between floor in Impel Down could be called.

Iva, with unexpected moves and agility, ran swiftly with his long legs which made him a lofty man. Ivankov and Luffy offered him cover, whether knowingly or not.

Fast he ran, and with a rapid transformation his hands turned into something more sharp, and out came dual pairs of scissors.

The leftover Marines didn't stand a chance against the ravaging might of the duo who gave protection to the Scissors Man, who then used his Devil Fruit to make the numbers of Marines drop their jaws.

The soldiers of the Navy witnessed something. The very road under which they were standing on was being ripped apart, and miraculously, the stony road was being used to creat a bridge on which Luffy would later on climb to reach the Execution Tower.

Iva ran his hands through the ground, and it sliced apart like butter. To anyone who saw it would think that the ground was nothing but paper, but the cemented plaza was actually being cut to make a long strip of land which would eventually connect to the place where Ace and the fallen Executioners lay.

Iva himself seemed unfazed; his face was expressionless, with only his mouth moving. "Luffy-kun! Go forth!"

And when he shouted, Luffy saw his act of fellowship and thanked him, and boarded on the bridge of life. "Kani-chan! Yeah, thanks!!!"

From then, several Marines began to set their targets upon the man who was sprinting to save his beloved brother, but in ignorance did they forget the immense invading force of the pirates.

A few turned their barrels and bazookas in they direction of Luffy, and were obliterated by Flower-sword Vista.

Admiral Kizaru turned to blitz Luffy, only to be sliced at by Whitebeard himself. Akainu too tried, though Roger intervened.

Sakazuki, fully noticing that he would never be able to defeat the Pirate King, decided to fly back to the Execution Tower to protect Ace from being rescued. But of course, Roger would never let him go that easily.

Roger swing his great blade, and it came down upon the Admiral, and dodging was all he could do. Right and left he dodged, and the thought of pressing never even crossed across his mind. Well, that was a goodness in itself, because if he had tried to oppress, those would've been his last thoughts.

And none of the melees could reach Luffy, for there were Emporio Ivankov and Iva standing in their way. None but one.

Monkey. D. Garp, seeing his grandson working his way up an abnormal bridge, decided to break the bridge. Simple as that.

He walked up to the bridge, and then one punch he gave.

And then, the bridge crumbled like building blocks falling after a punch.

Luffy, desperately trying to reach the Tower before the bridge collapsed, failed. And down he fell, and landed on his limbs right in front of his grandfather.

With a frustrated yell, he said, "Pops, move aside!!!"

But then, Garp's forehead twitched. "No, I wont move!!! Luffy! I'm a Vice-Admiral of the Marine HQ!" He continued, the nerves of his temples showing. "I've been fighting pirates for long, since before you were even born, Luffy! If you want to get through here, you'll have to do it after killing me, Strawhat Luffy!" That last part came out as a struggle, but the words were solid enough.

On the tower, Ace was witnessing everything, perceiving all clearly. And his heart was broken into two, or perhaps many more, pieces as he watched his own family members clash against each other. He felt his heart burden as he realised that he, and he alone was the sole reason for everything that was happening there. Leave Roger, that guy had not even turned back and helped him since the day he was born. But these were his actual family, the mean whom he loved and who loved him. The times were countless when they had made him laugh and feel joy. Without them, his life would've been less colourful than a black and white photograph.