One Piece: Bai Ye Deputy Captain of the Straw Hats

Translator: PapaSmurf0700

As the most powerful and violent organization on the seas, the Navy was no stranger to the horrors of large-scale war. Their doctrines were written in the blood of pirates and rebels across the globe. But even their most seasoned veterans had never conceived of a battle like this: one hundred thousand of their finest elite soldiers arrayed against a mere eleven pirates.

Despite the absurd odds, an order was an order. For the Marines who had already drawn their weapons, the only path forward was the complete annihilation of the enemy.

The first volley came from the ranks of riflemen. As the Straw Hats stepped into range, thousands of flintlocks were raised in unison, all aimed at the small band of intruders, with a particular focus on Monkey D. Luffy. Simultaneously, the colossal cannons mounted on the high walls encircling Marineford roared to life, spitting shells and fire down upon the plaza.

Faced with a storm of lead and iron from all directions, the Straw Hats stood their ground, unmoving. Luffy's eyes remained locked on the execution platform, a single point of focus in the unfolding chaos.

From his vantage point on the Sabaody Archipelago, Eustass Kidd let out a derisive laugh. "Is that all they've got? Hahaha! A little cannon fire isn't going to scare them!"

"The Straw Hat Pirates don't seem concerned with dying today," Basil Hawkins observed, his gaze fixed on the strange, colorful mist swirling behind Bai Ye. "And the energy emanating from that fog is... unsettling."

As if on cue, countless figures poured out from the mist. They were not tall, but each shared an identical, impassive face. They wore helmets and suits of armor forged from a strange, gleaming metal, and in their hands, they held spears crackling with arcs of electricity. These were the automata, the robotic guards the Straw Hats had discovered in the ruins of a forgotten civilization on the moon.

To disguise their otherworldly origins, Bai Ye had tasked Franky with a series of modifications. The wings were removed, their frames were built up to appear more human, and they were outfitted with custom armor and powerful electro-spears. The work was painstaking, and even now, their numbers only reached eight thousand.

But eight thousand was more than enough to make an entrance.

"Straw Hat Army, advance!"

With a unified cry, the robots surged forward, a river of steel and lightning. They flowed past Luffy and his crew, charging headlong into the formations of Marine riflemen. The bullets that had been meant for the pirates pinged harmlessly off their advanced armor, failing to even scratch the metal.

At that moment, the cannon shells from the fortress walls reached the apex of their arc, preparing to rain down death. Just as they began their descent, a second wave of figures emerged from the Priest's iridescent fog. These were different, lighter, almost ethereal. They floated upward, rising to meet the artillery barrage head-on.

"Are those... paper dolls?" a Marine shouted, his voice thick with disbelief.

The paper figures met the shells in mid-air, and what happened next stunned every soul on the battlefield into silence.

Some of the paper soldiers sprouted razor-sharp blades from their hands, slicing the massive cannonballs in half with a single, elegant motion. Others glowed with a dazzling golden light, forming an unbreakable barrier that deflected the explosions. Still others condensed balls of fire on their chests, launching them forward to detonate the incoming shells prematurely.

In moments, the sky above the Straw Hats was clear once more. The only things remaining were the paper figures, drifting gently on the wind, silent testaments to an impossible power.

"Hey, Hawkins," Capone Bege growled, chewing on his cigar. "Did you cut a private deal with the Straw Hats like that bastard Trafalgar Law?" As a fellow conspirator against them, Bege knew all about Hawkins' Straw-Straw Fruit and its voodoo-like capabilities.

The Magician remained perfectly calm. A small scarecrow even materialized on his shoulder as if to prove a point. "Those are not my straw men," he said, his voice low. "Whatever those are... they are a far greater creation."

Hawkins was right. His own abilities were child's play compared to this. Bai Ye had employed an ancient, esoteric art: Paper Cutting into Soldiers. After months of practice, he could finally create paper warriors capable of true combat, each imbued with extraordinary strength.

By the Navy's own metrics, the robot corps possessed the strength and speed of a Headquarters Captain. The paper soldiers, with their varied and destructive abilities, were easily on par with a Vice-Admiral. While they lacked the combat instincts and experience of a true warrior, their sheer impact was undeniable.

Before the bewildered Marines could even begin to understand the enemy they were facing, the Straw Hat Pirates and their newfound army had already shattered the first line of defense at Crescent Bay.

Aboard the Moby Dick, the Whitebeard Pirates watched in awe.

"Dad, we have to move," Marco urged, his eyes wide. "It looks like the Straw Hats are really going to take on the world's strongest, just like Ace's brother said."

"Gurararara! That they are!" Whitebeard's laughter boomed across the deck. He looked at the small group on the plaza, his expression filled with undisguised admiration. He hefted his legendary bisento, Murakumogiri, and pointed its massive blade toward Marineford.

"Follow the Straw Hats' charge! We're going in! Rescue Ace!" he roared. "MY SONS!"

"OOOOOHHHH!!!"

With a thunderous cry that shook the very seas, the Whitebeard Pirates joined the fray.

Meanwhile, backed by their army of robots and paper soldiers, the Straw Hats had already reached the second line of defense: a towering steel wall defended by eight of the Navy's Giant Squad Vice-Admirals.

Faced with this insurmountable wall of flesh and steel, one of the Straw Hats finally stepped forward.

"Twin Barrels: Frost Pathway!"

Usopp, wielding two strange, modified pistols, fired at the ground, instantly creating a slick ramp of ice leading up the wall. With his Skypiean Wind Shells strapped to his feet, he shot up the ramp, rocketing toward one of the giant Vice-Admirals.

The giant saw him coming and swung a colossal battle-axe, intending to swat the sniper out of the sky. But having never been to a Sky Island, he was unprepared for the three-dimensional, cloud-based combat style Usopp had mastered. Weaving and dodging with impossible agility, Usopp was already at eye level with the giant.

Finally locking onto his target, the Vice-Admiral swung his axe in a massive horizontal arc.

"Twin Barrels: Wind Burst!"

Usopp aimed his pistols downward and fired. Two violent gusts of wind erupted from the muzzles, launching him high into the air, far above the axe's path, and temporarily out of the giant's line of sight.

In battle, hesitation is defeat.

Flipping gracefully in mid-air, Usopp clapped his hands together. A flash of white light, and the two pistols merged, transforming into a sleek, silver sniper rifle. He leveled the barrel at the disoriented giant below him and spoke a single command.

"Sniper Art: Wind and Thunder!"

A huge sphere of condensed water shot from the rifle, propelled by a powerful gust of wind. It burst directly above the giant's head, drenching him from head to toe. A split second later, the lightning followed.

KZZZZZRRRAACKKK!

The giant convulsed as thousands of volts coursed through his body, and then he crashed to the ground, smoke rising from his smoldering form.