One Piece: Bai Ye Deputy Captain of the Straw Hats

Translator: PapaSmurf0700

"Holy hell… this place is something else," Usopp muttered, his cool-guy mask doing nothing to hide the tremor in his voice. He could feel the sheer weight of the two armies pressing in from all sides, a suffocating pressure that promised nothing but death.

Alongside him, Nami and Chopper were pale, their mouths dry. There was nothing to be done about it. The biggest fight they'd ever been in was Enies Lobby, and that was just against a bunch of glorified government spies. This… this was one hundred thousand elite marines, the absolute pinnacle of the World Government's military might. It was a whole different fucking league.

Not everyone was terrified, though. Franky and Brook, those magnificent perverts, were practically vibrating with excitement. A scene of total chaos like this was their playground. Robin, who'd been a fugitive since childhood and had witnessed the horror of a Buster Call firsthand, was utterly unfazed.

Then there were the monsters. Zoro, Sanji, Bai Ye, and Luffy weren't looking at the scale of the army. They were scanning the enemy ranks, their eyes hungry, searching for a worthy opponent to crush.

From his throne on the Moby Dick, the great Emperor watched them arrive.

"Gurararara… What a fine bunch of brats," Whitebeard's voice boomed across the deck. He could sense their power, a wild and untamed energy. He had to admit, these kids had the strength to be here, to actually make a difference in this war. The thought put him in a damn good mood, and his gaze drifted toward the execution platform. My son has a fine brother.

Ace, however, was filled with nothing but guilt and horror. "LUFFY! GET BACK!" he screamed, his voice raw. "THIS ISN'T YOUR FIGHT! YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!"

"THE HELL I DON'T!" Luffy's roar was even louder, cutting through the battlefield's din. He pressed a hand down on his straw hat, his eyes blazing with fury as he locked onto his brother. "You're my brother."

That simple statement sent a ripple of confusion through Marineford and across the watching world. The papers had reported that Fire Fist Ace was Straw Hat Luffy's brother back during the Alabasta incident. If that was true, then didn't that mean… Straw Hat Luffy was also the son of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger?!

"No wonder he declared war on the government," a Marine whispered. "He's Roger's bloodline."

"So all of this… he's just trying to avenge his father?" a viewer wondered aloud.

The high-ranking officers who knew the truth turned their heads to the one man who had been silent on the platform, his face a mask of stone: Vice-Admiral Garp.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku seized the moment, his voice amplified by a Den Den Mushi to echo across the bay. "STRAW HAT LUFFY INDEED CARRIES THE BLOOD OF A DEMON!" he bellowed. "BUT HIS FATHER IS A MAN WHOSE EVIL SURPASSES EVEN ROGER'S! HE IS THE WORLD'S MOST HEINOUS CRIMINAL, THE LEADER OF THE REVOLUTIONARY ARMY… MONKEY D. DRAGON!"

"BOTH OF THEM ARE CANCERS THAT THE NAVY MUST ERADICATE! FOR THE SAKE OF JUSTICE!"

The Marines' morale surged. But just as Sengoku's declaration reached its peak, a calm, mocking voice sliced through the air.

"Justice?" Bai Ye, the Priest, sat casually on the railing of the Straw Hats' ship, a serene smile playing on his lips. "Did I just hear someone say the word 'justice'?"

He glanced at Luffy, a silent question in his eyes. Luffy understood instantly and gave a firm nod. Normally, he wouldn't give a damn about this kind of grandstanding, but he trusted Bai Ye. He knew everything the Priest did was to help him. So, Luffy sat down on the lion figurehead of the Sunshine Merry, crossing his arms. It was time for his Vice-Captain to perform.

With the stage set, Bai Ye turned his attention back to Sengoku. He pointed a finger at the massive screen broadcasting the battle to the world. "Is the Navy's 'justice' so pathetic that you had to beg a pirate crew to rescue two thousand slaves from your own auction house? Is that what it has come to, Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"

The words hit their mark, reminding everyone of the Navy's recent, profound humiliation.

"Speaking of which, do you remember a little place called Cocoyasi Village?" Bai Ye continued, his voice dripping with condescension. "The Arlong Pirates ruled over twenty villages there for years. If it wasn't for us, those people would still be living in despair, just like those slaves. And why did that happen? Because one of your own Captains was taking bribes to protect Arlong's tyrannical rule."

He leaned forward, emphasizing the word. "Oh, and I believe I asked you a question back then, didn't I, Fleet Admiral?"

Bai Ye, the man from another time, knew exactly how to twist the knife, how to weaponize the truth and control the narrative. Sengoku's face contorted with rage. He remembered the question.

"Is justice delayed still justice?" Bai Ye asked again, his voice now carrying across the silent battlefield, reaching the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and the millions watching across the globe.

The parallel was undeniable. The Navy protected Arlong. The Navy protects the Celestial Dragons as they pillage and enslave. The logic was a hammer blow to their righteous facade.

"Allow me to answer that for you, Fleet Admiral." Every time Bai Ye used his formal title, it sounded like a curse. The Marines fidgeted, the question echoing in their own minds. Is justice delayed really justice?

The battlefield fell eerily silent, waiting.

Bai Ye's voice rang out, clear and final.

"Justice delayed is a fucking insult to the very idea of justice!"

...

"GURARARARA! WELL SAID, BRAT! VERY WELL SAID!"

As the Navy stood stunned and silent, Whitebeard's thunderous laughter erupted, filled with genuine admiration for the boy. He bellowed towards the platform, "How does it feel to get your ass handed to you by a rookie, Sengoku?! Gurararara!"

"That bastard," Sengoku seethed, his plan in ruins. He had tried to steer public opinion, to paint his enemies with the brush of "evil blood," and this upstart hadn't even bothered to address it. He'd sidestepped the trap entirely and turned the entire concept of Marine Justice into a joke. Sengoku, the famed strategist, was completely outplayed by a man wielding tactics he couldn't even comprehend.

He made one last, desperate attempt to regain control. "The Whitebeard Pirates harbor the son of the Pirate King! The Straw Hat Pirates follow the son of a revolutionary! What could scum like you possibly know about the Navy's justice?!"

Bai Ye simply looked at him, the picture of calm, and delivered the final blow with two simple words.

"That's it?"