One Piece: Bai Ye Deputy Captain of the Straw Hats

Translator: PapaSmurf0700

In the heart of the Devil's Triangle, a shimmering, rainbow-colored mist materialized out of the gloom, hovering above the colossal, ghost-like form of the Thriller Bark. From within the haze, a single figure emerged, stretching lazily as his silhouette became clear against the eerie light. It was a boy in a straw hat.

"Aaaaah, finally full," he sighed in satisfaction.

He didn't get to enjoy the feeling for long. A sharp kick launched him out of the mist, followed by the irritated voice of his crew's cook.

"When are you ever going to eat at a normal time, Luffy?" Sanji snapped, stepping out of the portal. "We're supposed to be saving your brother, and the entire world has to wait for you to finish your damn snack?"

Luffy, completely unfazed, picked himself up and rubbed the back of his head with a wide grin. "Gotta be full to have strength!"

"You idiot..." Sanji's brow twitched, ready to launch into another lecture, but he was cut short. Another foot connected squarely with his back.

"Don't block the path, you useless cook!" Nami growled, shoving him aside as she stormed out.

One by one, the rest of the crew followed: Robin, Usopp, Chopper, Merry, Franky, and Brook. Finally, two more figures stumbled out of the mist, deep in an argument.

"How in the hell do you see an exit right in front of you and decide to walk in the opposite direction, Zoro?"

"Shut your damn mouth, Priest. One more word and I'll chop you to pieces."

Bai Ye and Roronoa Zoro emerged, marking the end of the Straw Hat Pirates' intense five-month training. To a casual observer, they looked mostly the same, perhaps a little more mature, a little harder around the edges. But they alone knew the earth-shattering power they now held.

The group wasn't alone. Sabo and Trafalgar Law stepped out together, a new familiarity between them forged in the crucible of training. After learning the truth of Flevance's destruction, Sabo saw a kindred spirit in the surgeon, a potential ally for his cause. Finally, their legendary mentors, Monkey D. Dragon and Silvers Rayleigh, appeared. Their part in this chapter was over.

Sabo, of course, would sail with Luffy to Marineford. Law, however, had his own path. After talking with Bai Ye, he understood that charging into the Summit War was not the right way to get his revenge on Doflamingo. He would rejoin his crew and sail for the New World on his own terms.

Rayleigh and Dragon would not join the battle, either. The Dark King had already made his reasons clear back on Sabaody; his time for war was past. Dragon, the world's most wanted man, had to return to the Revolutionary Army's base and command the global currents of change. His presence at Marineford would only escalate the conflict into something far more uncontrollable.

After a short, solemn farewell, the Straw Hat Pirates and Sabo boarded the Sunshine Merry. Luffy stood at the prow, gazing at his transformed crew, his face lit with his signature, unshakeable confidence.

"Alright everyone," he yelled, his voice echoing across the water. "Let's go save Ace!"

"YEAH!"

-----

At Marineford, the atmosphere was electric.

"Fufufufufu... now this is what I call entertainment!" Donquixote Doflamingo cackled, his fingers twitching in anticipation as he lounged in his chair among the Seven Warlords.

"Straw Hat Pirates..." Gecko Moria snarled, his face a mask of pure hatred. He had lost everything to them—his ship, his crew, his pride. "This time, I will personally see to it that every last one of you dies."

"Hmph. Such a vulgar man," Empress Boa Hancock sniffed, shifting away from Moria with a look of utter disgust.

"The Straw Hat crew?" Dracule Mihawk's golden eyes narrowed slightly. He remained impassive, but the name sparked a memory of a certain green-haired swordsman with foolish, impossible dreams.

Suddenly, a roar erupted from the tens of thousands of assembled Marines. "The Admirals! They're here!"

Below the execution platform, three grand chairs awaited. Two figures emerged from the fortress, their presence alone enough to shift the air. On the right, Admiral Aokiji, clad in his usual relaxed blue-and-white attire, his sleep mask pushed up on his forehead. On the left, Admiral Akainu, wearing a crimson suit that seemed to smolder like magma, a look of absolute, unforgiving justice carved onto his face. They moved with an unnerving calm and took their seats. As the senior officer, Akainu sat in the center, crossing his arms and legs in a rigid, imposing posture. Aokiji, by contrast, simply slouched into his chair, the picture of lazy power.

Though one chair remained empty, their presence was like a mountain, a promise of the overwhelming force the World Government wielded. They were the ultimate weapon.

Thump. Clank. Thump. Clank.

The sound of footsteps and dragging chains silenced the crowd. A figure known to every soul who sailed the seas was led into the light, broadcast to every corner of the globe.

"Fire Fist Ace, Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates."

"He's the one who started all this?" whispers and murmurs rippled through the world as his face appeared on the screens.

Escorting him was a man whose name was a legend in its own right: Marine Hero, Vice-Admiral Iron Fist Garp.

Ace, bare-chested and bound in Sea-Prism Stone, walked to the center of the platform and was forced to his knees. He knelt there silently, his posture mirroring Gol D. Roger's all those years ago. But one detail was different, a detail that confirmed Sabo's suspicion. There were no executioners present. The Navy wasn't just planning to kill him; they were using him as bait, a hostage to control the inevitable confrontation with Whitebeard.

Garp took a seat on the steps of the platform, his face a battlefield of conflicting emotions. Where is that damn brat Luffy? As a Marine, he could not betray his duty. He had already told Luffy that he would do everything in his power to stop him. And Luffy, with a grim determination that made Garp both proud and terrified, had promised to knock his grandfather out of the way.

As Garp wrestled with his demons, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stepped forward, holding a golden Den Den Mushi to his mouth.

"People of the world," his voice boomed across the plaza and out of every broadcast snail. "Before the war commences, there is something you all must know. You must understand the true significance of this man's life... and his death."

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. But just as he was about to reveal the secret that would shake the world, a piercing siren shrieked across all of Marineford.

Twin lighthouses flanking the bay shot massive beams of light across the water, illuminating the horizon. There, emerging from the sea, was a fleet. Dozens of pirate ships, all sailing at full speed toward the Gates of Justice.

Onlookers and reporters began screaming, identifying the flags.

"That's the ship of the Ice Witch, Whitey Bay! And the Decalvan Brothers! And there's the Maelstrom Spider, Squard!"

"And that one... that massive ship at the head of the fleet... It's the Moby Dick! The flagship of the strongest man in the world!"

In that moment, the war began.

The Whitebeard Pirates and their 43 allied crews had arrived.