Chapter 224
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[Portgas D. Ace's execution will be held in 3 days!]
Kaido had a large grin on his face as he read the headline of the newspaper this morning.
"Wororororo!!"
The large barrel of wine smacked the ground and shattered under the crackling black lightning surrounding Kaido's fist.
"What would you do, old man?"
He asked towards the sky, addressing Whitebeard.
"Your son is gonna die! Would you sit still? Or would you jump at them and show them why you're called the STRONGEST!?"
He hoped it's the latter. Because if so, he'd also get a chance to 'show'. He'd be able to show who's stronger, the Strongest 'Beast' or the Strongest 'Man'. After all, there can't be a Lion and a Tiger in the same jungle. Fortunately, as far as Kaido was concerned, someone like Edward fucking Newgate would rush to the depths of hell if it concerned any of his 'Son'. So a War amongst Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines is inevitable.
Kaido was actually planning to go after Amon when he first heard about Big Mom's death, he was so infuriated, but somewhat around the same time, he learned about Ace being taken by the marines from his information sources, so he decided against it.
Amon was a brat, he can fight him later, but Whitebeard? Edward Newgate was a man. If he goes after Amon and receives an inevitable injury, that'd mean he won't be able to be the guy who would end that Man's life. He didn't like that fact, so he controlled, he stayed patient, he convinced himself which was the better deal.
He can always hunt down Amon after the War, right? But he might not get the chance to face Whitebeard ever again because… he had a gut feeling that the old man was going there intending to die.
"Wororo! King!!"
Kaido stood up, calling King who appeared behind his throne, out of the shadows.
"We leave for Marineford right now!!"
It'd take a bit of time since they will go slowly considering they don't want to waste their energy by flying too fast.
At Kaido's words, King nodded, just when another deep and heavy voice flew in the room.
"Can I come too, Lord Kaido?"
Kaido turned to the broad and tall man, huge enough to reach his chest, who walked inside through the front door.
"It's you, Reo."
Kaido looked down on him. Reo is a Skypiean who freed himself from Amon's ruling a few years ago by starting his journey as a Pirate before joining the Beasts Pirates via Jack later on, who died not long after that, giving Reo a chance to prove his worth and become… one of the Three Calamities of Kaido.
He's been greatly useful and helpful for the past few years. He is strong too. So Kaido thought over his proposal for a bit.
"Hm, I don't see a problem in that since you can fly fast."
Kaido's confirmation caused Reo to nod while King eyed him with unreadable eyes.
"Follow me, now, I won't wait."
Saying such, Kaido jumped out of the window and transformed, 'flying' in the sky just as King - The Wild Fire, and Reo - The Eruption followed suit.
—★—
Luffy didn't expect to hear something this absurd after being sent to this island.
Unlike the original timeline, this wasn't the Amazon Lily, after all, Dragon wouldn't risk sending his son to an island ruled by Amon.
At first, when he fell to this unknown island after Kuma's paw-bubble burst, he coincidentally met Belo Betty, the East Army Commander of the Revolutionary Army, after looking around for a bit.
Things weren't bad after that. He got to eat the meat of tasty sea kings, eat desserts, and sleep tight. Oh, he also learned that all his friends are at good places after Betty confirmed that Kuma and she were comrades at arms, and all of this was Monkey D. Dragon's plan.
After that Luffy learned about the Revolutionary Army a bit, and since now he knew Monkey D. Dragon was his father thanks to Garp, he felt much safer here since even if he never met his father, being under the protection of a blood was better than being at a random place. He didn't bother asking Betty about Dragon though, he simply didn't care.
But of course, eating meat, sleeping tight, then waking up and continuing the cycle wouldn't make him the Pirate King. So he did bother Betty with his constant wish to see his crew asap.
However… Betty kept refusing. This annoyed Luffy, so he at last tried to fight his way through. Betty being a woman didn't concern her. His fist didn't care about gender. Though surprisingly, Betty was super strong from a woman with a slim body and huge boobs. From his experience, girls with huge breasts are dumb. Nami, for example.
But… he couldn't can't stand it any longer.
"Betty! You don't understand! I need to be there!"
This wasn't about his crew. This was about his older brother, Portgas D. Ace. He wouldn't let anyone touch Ace as long as he was still breathing.
"You're the one who doesn't understand." Betty took a puff out of her cigarette. "It's impossible for us to reach there in 3 days. It'd at least take 2 weeks for us to reach Marineford from here, in the New World."
Luffy wanted to say something, no, he wanted to say a lot. But he couldn't find any words, he couldn't find any excuses… Betty doesn't have any reason to lie to him. And he for one knew how long it takes for one to travel from one island to another, and this was travelling from one part of the Grandline to another. He… couldn't blame anyone.
He didn't yell this time and thinned his lips instead, a weak voice leaving him.
"Is there… no other way?"
Luffy looked at Betty, his determined eyes glittered in wetness. If he couldn't reach Marineford and even try to save his older brother, then… How would he ever become the Pirate King?
But… Betty sighed. "If only Karasu was here…"
She was acting. Luffy didn't know, but Monkey D. Dragon could send him to Marineford in a second, no, less than a second. If we don't count Dragon, there is still Karasu, like Betty said, but he wasn't at this place right now. However, from his current location, it'd take him a mere hour or two to reach here.
The reason why Betty was lying was because of the orders she received from her higher-ups. Monkey D. Dragon could see how the battle of Marineford would end. By the time the battle starts, this won't be a battle between Whitebeard vs Marines, this…. would be the War between The Emperors of the Sea and the World Government, instead.
This would be the biggest war since the one that happened 800 years ago.
—★—
"So who'd go to the War?"
"Why don't we take the 3000 Super Animals of Shiki Island? Oh, and Nola too."
"How about we bring all of God's Army, instead?"
"Wait, why not both?"
Amon simply tapped the table once.
"That's enough."
Everyone Sin sat around the round table stopped talking.
"We are not going to eradicate the Marines, no need to go that far. We are just showing them what we can do, not by quantity, but by quality."
Raki raised her hand. "Then-"
Amon raised his hand to stop her and continued. "That means, we'd only take our best. Meaning, Me, the Sins, and the entire Motor Gang- oh, and Miss Yamato as well."
"Serious question," Raki raised her hand slowly, praying he'd not stop her again. "Since we are indeed going and not just you, does that mean we get to show off a little? Or would it just be you?"le? Or are we just there to fill the player count?"
Amon considered her words. This indeed was a serious question.
"Hm…"
He hummed.
"Both."
—★—
The meeting of the Sins was taking place in a room inside the Shrine of God. There. Raki was slightly wrong when she said 'To fill the player count-' because just in the room beside it, multiple... Amons were present.
They were training.
"You think this is the way I should do it?"
"You mean we?"
"Just say it, dumb fuck."
"Try to move it reverse clockwise."
They were conversing with each other as if they were different people. This would shock anyone, anyone other than Doflamingo and Kizaru who could make clones using their devil fruits, as well.
Doflamingo did it in a very creative way. He first made a copy of his own body using his strings, even going as far as giving colours, after that he connects his brain directly with the 'Clone' using the same technique that he uses to control other people.
Kizaru is different, kind of. He uses his <Light> to reflect his body which automatically creates a copy of himself along with the clothes he was wearing, then he uses 'Light Solidification' to make the intangible light tangible. However, Kizaru can't control his 'Clone', or rather, his 'Reflection', as accurately as Doffy since he can't control it with his mind directly, so he instead just manipulates its movements using his, well, Light-Manipulation.
Amon, on the other hand, does… a mix of these two, in a sense, but it is more complex. In short, just like when Amon once learned to make different electrical objects using the art techniques taught by Robin, now Amon merely focuses his imagination then forms a Look-Alike using his electricity, copying every detail of his body. After that, he uses something called 'Electricity Solidification', quite similar to Kizaru truthfully, which solidifies the usually tangible Electricity. After that, things are easy~ since the 'Clone' Amons are made of pure electricity, Amon can control them with his brainwave, his neurons, directly. They're just external neurons, at this point.
The edge Amon had that the other two don't is exactly that. Kizaru would be able to create thousands of 'Clones' but not control even two. Doffy would be able to make a few properly functioning clones, but the number won't pass double-digit. However, Amon can create clones on the triple-digit yet leisurely control all of them. Now he was not a man, he was an army.
On second thought, he has always been a one-man army.
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