One Piece: Bai Ye Deputy Captain of the Straw Hats

Translator: PapaSmurf0700

On the stage in the Newkama Kingdom, as the crowd waited for their queen to make her grand announcement, Emporio Ivankov suddenly faltered, looking faint.

"Ah… all this excitement…" he gasped, a hand flying to his forehead. "I believe I'm feeling… anemic."

His body swayed, as if he might collapse at any moment. A wave of concern washed over the audience. "Queen Iva! Are you alright?!" they cried out.

Then, in the next second, Ivankov snapped upright, planted his hands on his hips, and let out a booming, uproarious laugh.

"Hee-Haw! AS IF THAT'S EVEN POSSIBLE!"

The crowd erupted in a frenzy of cheers and laughter.

"HE GOT US!"

"I TOTALLY FELL FOR IT!"

It was a bizarre scene, but here in this paradise of "new humans," it felt perfectly natural.

"EVERYONE!" Ivankov's voice silenced the room. The theatrics were over. "Listen to me! Though I have been enjoying my time in this sanctuary our revolutionary comrades built, I have kept a close eye on the state of the world!"

"A war that was supposed to be fought between the Navy and the Whitebeard Pirates has been thrown into complete chaos by a rookie crew from the East Blue!"

"Today, the battle between the World Government and one of the Four Emperors is about to begin! And my compatriots! The leader of the Revolutionary Army, my dear Dragon, is preparing to take the stage himself!"

"The time has come for me to leave this place and lend him my strength! Those of you who wish to follow me, be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice!"

A fire ignited in the eyes of every person below. They raised their fists to the sky and roared as one, a single, thunderous cry of devotion.

"URA!"

And just like that, with no further discussion, three separate rebellions ignited simultaneously within the walls of Impel Down.

-----

At the same time, in the waters of Marineford, a short distance from the great prison, the stage was set. One hundred thousand of the Navy's most elite soldiers stood at attention. The whole world watched on live broadcast as a fleet sailed into the crescent-shaped bay.

Forty-three allied pirate crews, led by the colossal flagship, the Moby Dick.

And there, standing on its prow, was the man they called the Strongest in the World.

"Whitebeard" Edward Newgate.

"Are you certain about this, Sengoku?" Vice Admiral Tsuru asked, her face etched with worry. "We could have shelled them with our warships before they even entered the bay. Letting them sail in unscathed will only lead to greater casualties on our side."

As a voice of reason in the Navy, her concern was valid. But the decision had been made.

"Of course, I know that," Fleet Admiral Sengoku replied without looking away, his eyes locked on Whitebeard. "But this is no longer just the Navy hunting pirates. This is a clash between two global powers. If we shy away from their challenge before the first blow is even struck, how can we ever restore faith in the Navy's might?"

Sengoku's voice grew hard as steel. "This time, we will crush them with absolute, overwhelming force. We will bury them here and show the world that only the Navy is fit to keep the peace on these seas."

He spoke loud enough for the Admirals seated below the execution platform to hear. Aokiji remained impassive, his expression distant, almost bored.

Akainu, however, let out a quiet, contemptuous snort. He and Sengoku had originally devised a plan to sow discord among Whitebeard's men, to use the pirate Squard's hatred for Roger to trick him into backstabbing his own captain. But after the Straw Hats' antics had damaged the Navy's credibility, Sengoku had become furious. He abandoned the deception, deciding instead on a full-frontal assault to utterly annihilate Whitebeard's forces.

To Akainu, this was sentimental foolery. It didn't matter how you won. You use any means necessary to eradicate the pirate plague. Kill them all, and the Navy's justice would be the only one left standing. But when he had voiced his opinion, Sengoku had shut him down with the full weight of his authority as Fleet Admiral.

In that moment, Akainu's desire for the top position burned hotter than ever. Only by taking complete control of the Navy could he finally enact his vision of Absolute Justice. But for now, he had to wait.

"Gurararara… It's been decades, hasn't it, Sengoku?"

The voice of the man on the Moby Dick boomed across the water. It was almost a friendly greeting. In the years before Sengoku became Fleet Admiral, he had been one of Whitebeard's greatest rivals, much like Garp had been to Roger.

But then the friendly tone vanished. Whitebeard's presence swelled, his Conqueror's Haki flooding the battlefield.

"I trust you've taken good care of my son."

The unspoken threat hung in the air, a force of nature in itself. The sheer will of his spirit crashed against the 100,000 Marines, a tidal wave of intimidation that shattered their battle formations before a single weapon was drawn.

Behind him, more than a dozen figures appeared—the Division Commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates.

"ACE! WE'RE HERE TO GET YOU!"

"Just hang on a little longer, Ace! We'll tear them apart and bring you home!"

"WE'RE HERE, ACE!"

Marco the Phoenix, Diamond Jozu, Flower Sword Vista—they all yelled to their brother on the execution platform.

"Everyone… Dad…" Ace watched them, his heart a torrent of emotion. Then, his face contorted, veins bulging on his neck as he screamed with all the air in his lungs. "DAD! EVERYONE! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!"

Tears streamed down his face, born not just of gratitude, but of crushing regret. "I'm the one who disobeyed you! I'm the one who chased after Blackbeard! This is all my fault! You should have just let me die here!"

"WHY?! WHY DID YOU COME TO SAVE ME?!"

"You're wrong," Whitebeard's voice cut through his cries, slow and deliberate. "I was the one who told you to go, my son."

"Liar!" Ace choked out, the guilt twisting inside him like a knife. "You tried to stop me! I remember!"

Whitebeard turned his head slightly toward his first commander. "Marco. I told Ace to go, didn't I?"

Marco, arms crossed over his chest, nodded slowly. "Yeah. I heard it too, yoi."

"You hear that, Ace?" Whitebeard looked back at his son, his eyes filled with a fierce, unwavering fatherly love. "I am your father. I am Whitebeard. And if the Marines want to execute my son… they will have to face my wrath."

He clenched his left fist. The air around it seemed to shimmer and distort as a sphere of pure vibrational energy formed in his palm.

Then, he threw his fist sideways into the empty air.

KRAK-KOOM!

In that instant, every Marine on the island and every person watching the broadcast shared a single, terrifying thought.

The sky… it's cracking apart.