One Piece: Bai Ye Deputy Captain of the Straw Hats

Translator: PapaSmurf0700

"Kishishishi! Are they finally here?"

Gecko Moria cackled, his formless shadow writhing behind him. Several stitched-together corpses, fresh from the battlefield, rose at his command. In this sprawling meat grinder of a war, finding materials for his army was disgustingly easy.

"Straw Hat Luffy," he hissed, his eyes wide with obsession. "This time, I will claim your shadow! You will be the crown jewel of my collection! Kishishishi!"

Having lost everything once more, Moria had retreated completely into his own dark fantasy.

Elsewhere, Vice-Admiral Onigumo turned to the Pirate Empress. "Boa Hancock, you have your orders."

"Hmph. I do as I please," she retorted with a cold glare, refusing to elaborate. "I do not take instructions from foul-smelling men like you." Her gaze, however, remained fixed on the approaching Straw Hat crew, and specifically, on the composed young man leading them.

The final Warlord present, Bartholomew Kuma, said nothing. Like Hancock, his cybernetic eyes scanned the crew, searching for a specific target.

While the Warlords were lost in their own agendas, the elite Navy vice-admirals were on high alert. By now, even the most obtuse officer could see that the Straw Hats' power was dangerously disproportionate to their bounties. This crew of eleven had fought their way to the inner bay with four of their members—the captain included—not yet having lifted a finger.

The implication was terrifying. If they weren't stopped here, the path to the execution platform would be wide open. And if a small pirate crew could threaten the platform while three Admirals stood guard, it would make the entire Navy look hopelessly weak.

With that chilling thought galvanizing them, hawks and doves alike commanded their forces to charge.

As nearly twenty thousand elite Marines swarmed forward, two more Straw Hats stepped up.

Nami leaped into the air, her Clima-Tact in hand. A current of raw electricity crackled around her, bathing her in a regal, stormy aura. She raised her weapon, sensing the atmospheric pressure. In an instant, the sky above the Marine phalanx darkened, churning with ominous clouds. She then inverted the staff, gathering a dense, terrifying sphere of lightning at its tip.

"On the open sea," she said, a playful yet menacing smile on her face, "the one person you never provoke is the navigator."

She launched the sphere of lightning into the roiling clouds above. A deafening roar tore through the air, followed by gale-force winds and torrential rain. Vice-Admiral Momonga sensed the catastrophic shift in weather and opened his mouth to shout a warning, but it was too late.

Nami swung her Clima-Tact down, pointing it directly at the heart of the enemy formation.

"Weather Egg: Thunderstorm!"

Streaks of golden and purple lightning rained from the sky. The bolts struck with such raw, untamed power that even the elite Marines who had mastered Tekkai didn't dare try to withstand them.

"Is that… a Logia-type ability?" Onigumo stared, his face a mask of grim disbelief. He finally realized that the woman was manifesting elemental power, seemingly becoming lightning itself. It meant the Straw Hats had a fighter with a Devil Fruit on par with the Navy's three Admirals hidden among them all this time.

"Ah, her application of that power is quite different from our own," Admiral Aokiji noted from his chair, a flicker of genuine interest in his lazy eyes. As a master of the Chilly-Chilly Fruit, he could recognize the nuances of her control.

Beside him, Admiral Akainu crossed his arms, his expression disdainful. "Hmph. For a wretched pirate to possess such power is an insult to absolute justice."

As Nami's storm raged on one flank, another crewmate began his own performance on the other.

"SUUUUPER! Time for the main event!"

Franky watched the Marines rush toward him and calmly pressed a button on his arm. His body shifted, transforming into the familiar General Franky Siege Form. At the same time, Dock 4 of the Sunshine Merry opened, and several large metal components shot out, flying directly to him.

"Franky Siege Form: Marshal! Docking!"

He shouted as the pieces flew toward him, assembling and locking onto his body with a series of loud, mechanical clicks. His form swelled again, plates of armor and new weapon systems integrating seamlessly until he stood as a colossal, eight-meter-tall mechanical giant. The man who had installed an intercept system on the Merry had, of course, saved plenty of upgrades for himself.

Facing the stunned naval forces, Franky showed the world what a true baptism by fire looked like.

-----

With Franky and Nami holding back the tide of Marines, the path forward cleared, revealing the final line of defense. Standing before them were the pillars of the Navy: the vice-admirals, masters of Haki and the Six Powers. And with them, the remaining Shichibukai.

"Heh. Looks like we finally get some worthy opponents," Zoro grinned, his eyes locking onto Dracule Mihawk and the other master swordsmen among the vice-admirals.

"WOAH! Is that the legendary beauty, the Pirate Empress Hancock?!" Sanji, who had been admirably restrained until now, finally exploded into a fit of heart-eyed adoration. "My dear, I would be honored to be your guardian knight! All you have to do is—"

WHACK!

Bai Ye grabbed Sanji by the collar and delivered a sharp blow to the back of his head, knocking the love-struck cook back to his senses. He gave Hancock an apologetic nod. To his surprise, the ever-arrogant Empress simply shook her head slightly, saying nothing. Bai Ye filed the strange reaction away; it likely had to do with their actions on Sabaody.

As Bai Ye worked to reset Sanji's brain, Zoro drew Sandai Kitetsu, preparing to clash with Vice-Admiral Onigumo.

"Yohohoho! An opponent of this caliber is mine to face!"

Brook's voice rang out as he intercepted Zoro, his cane-sword flashing. He parried a blow from Onigumo's multi-bladed fighting style. "You four are headed for the Admirals. We can't have you getting held up here."

As he spoke, a sleek, black aura flowed over his blade. After months of intense training, Brook had finally mastered the flow of Ryuo, the legacy of the samurai Ryuma.

On the other side of the path, just as Luffy prepared to charge, several figures blurred past him, slamming into the Warlords. They were the Division Commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Straw Hats," Diamond Jozu said after sending Gecko Moria flying. "We're not here to help you. Ace is our Second Division Commander. We'll save our brother with our own strength!"

Despite his words, Jozu immediately spun around and threw a devastating punch at Doflamingo, who had been about to make a move on Luffy.

The other commanders echoed his sentiment as they engaged the remaining Warlords and vice-admirals.

"He's right! Don't think you can steal all the glory!"

"Don't underestimate the Whitebeard Pirates, you little runts!"

"Our Pops is the strongest man in the world!"

Though their words were harsh, they all tacitly worked to drive their opponents away from the Straw Hats, clearing a path. Two small incidents occurred in the chaos: when two commanders charged Hancock, she simply rolled her eyes in disdain and turned her back, leaving the two notoriously homely pirates weeping. A moment later, as two others fought Kuma, a blond young man in a top hat, wielding a simple steel pipe, appeared briefly at their side.

Ultimately, a direct route to the execution platform was opened before Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Bai Ye.

"Consider it a thank you," Flower Sword Vista said, stepping between Zoro and Mihawk to block the World's Strongest Swordsman. "The gift you delivered to Pops was more than enough for us to grant you safe passage. However," he added, his voice low and serious, "do not think for a second that we are placing our hope of saving Ace on you. Our true power has not yet appeared."

Luffy took a moment to process this. "Oh! So they are good guys," he said, clapping his hands together in sudden realization.

"Looks like the expectations for us are high," Sanji remarked, lighting a cigarette now that Hancock was no longer in his direct line of sight.

"I don't care about any of that," Zoro grumbled, tying his green bandana around his head. "I just want to cut someone." He was clearly annoyed that two of his potential opponents had been intercepted.

"Don't worry, Zoro," Bai Ye said with a suppressed smile. "The opponents ahead won't be taken from you so easily."

Luffy's gaze fixed on the execution platform, on his brother. He let out a long, steadying breath. He adjusted his straw hat, his expression hardening with resolve.

"Alright," he said to the three behind him. "Let's go."

"YEAH!" they shouted in unison.