00:00, May 1st, Year 1503 of the Marine Calendar!
Thirty thousand marines were already standing by, ready for action. While no one truly believed Shiki would launch an attack in the dead of night, the possibility of a surprise strike could never be ruled out, hence why so many troops remained on high alert.
This battle to assault Marine Headquarters sounded remarkably similar to the legendary Summit War that would take place years later—the conflict sparked when the Whitebeard Pirates rose up to rescue Portgas D. Ace.
In reality, however, the two events were completely different.
Back then, the Navy held Ace as their hostage and bargaining chip, which meant they controlled the initiative. It was they who decided exactly when the fighting would begin.
But this time, things were different. Not only were the forces involved on an entirely different scale, but most importantly, the Navy had no way of predicting when the Golden Lion would choose to strike.
Furthermore, Whitebeard could only bring his forces across the sea; Shiki, on the other hand, could simply fly over everything.
On a side note, if Shiki and Whitebeard had swapped their Devil Fruit powers, both men would likely have been absolutely delighted with the exchange.
As the expected time of battle drew closer, the tension gripping the naval forces grew tighter with every passing moment.
As one watch shift came to an end, the soldiers who had been on duty headed off to rest, while the relief team stepped in to take their place. Still trying to relax their strained nerves, one young marine—only recently awake—could not help but let out a yawn. "Ah… today's the day Shiki said he'd attack, isn't it? But it's barely past midnight. Surely he wouldn't try to ambush us now? He'll probably launch a proper, head-on assault from the front in a few hours' time, won't he?"
Although this was officially the day Shiki had announced for the attack, only a few minutes had passed since midnight. For an entire month, Shiki had made no attempt to launch a surprise attack, leading many soldiers to assume he had abandoned the idea entirely and would instead strike openly and directly once daylight came.
"Quiet down and keep patrolling! And pay extra attention to the skies above us!" the leader of their patrol squad warned them sharply. Even as he spoke, however, he found himself secretly agreeing with what his subordinate had said.
Come to think of it… he didn't attack us for a whole month. Why would he choose to sneak in just a few hours before the main battle is due to start? If he was planning something like that, why even hold that grand press conference in the first place?
While tens of thousands of marines continued their patrols, Yamakaji, a marine officer stationed at the central plaza, suddenly frowned and looked up toward the sky, a cigar clamped firmly between his teeth.
At first, he thought it must be nothing more than his imagination. But within two seconds, his narrowed eyes widened in pure terror. He quickly looked down and turned around, shouting with enough force to carry his voice far across the area: "Everyone in the central plaza, get back! Retreat! Move as fast as you can!"
Although he had used Haki to amplify his voice so it could be heard from great distances, the soldiers patrolling the square simply did not have enough time to react. A massive shadow plummeted down from high above, crushing everything beneath it and turning flesh and bone into nothing but blood and ruin.
The ground of the inner plaza was shattered completely, sending shards of metal and stone flying in every direction. Thick clouds of dust and smoke billowed upward, while the shockwave and gale-force winds that accompanied the impact forced the marines standing on the city walls and around the edges of Marineford to cover their faces, lest they be cut or bruised by the flying debris.
The force of the impact was so powerful that the entire island of Marineford shook violently more than a dozen times before finally coming to rest.
Marines still resting in their quarters immediately jumped to their feet and shouted, "What just happened?!"
In that split second of impact, Yamakaji—who held the rank of Vice Admiral—had caught a clear glimpse of what had fallen from the sky: it was a mountain peak, a whole small mountain dropped down from thousands of metres above. Because it had fallen with such incredible speed and the darkness of night had obscured the view, he had not been able to make out every detail, but one thing was certain—he had seen two enormous figures standing atop that mountain.
Those figures were none other than Kaido of the Beasts, and his strongest commander and greatest defensive force, Jack the Drought.
Meanwhile, high above Marineford, Grimm stood on one of the smaller landmasses separated from the main Island of Miracles. In his right hand, he held a Den Den Mushi whose face bore a striking resemblance to Shiki's wild golden mane. "That was a mistake… definitely an error in judgement. I had planned to drop them right onto the roof of the main headquarters building, but it seems that from a height of five thousand metres, our aim still isn't precise enough!"
"Does it really matter where they land? It makes no difference at all!"
Grimm walked over to the edge of the floating landmass and sat down comfortably. "While Kaido is busy drawing all the Navy's attention toward himself, we will move the entire Island of Miracles and position it directly above Mary Geoise!"
"I'll leave that matter entirely in your hands!"
Shiki's voice came through the receiver with a note of warning. "Mary Geoise was built upon the highest point above the clouds. The moment we bring the island into position, anyone with strong Observation Haki will sense our presence immediately…"
"Shiki, you don't need to worry about me. The Holy Light will guide and protect me! Hahaha… you should instead focus your energy on making your own life shine brighter and more brilliantly than ever before! This is the moment you have been waiting for!" Grimm cut him off mid-sentence and pulled his weapon, Truthkeeper, out from his system inventory.
"Hmph, I won't waste my breath telling you what happens to those who underestimate the power of the World Government. But remember—you are seen as the hope of this new generation of pirates, and the one person I, Shiki, recognise as my true successor. Don't go throwing your life away so easily!" Shiki replied with a low chuckle.
"Tch… Shiki, I don't need or want your approval!" Grimm answered, sounding completely dismissive.
"Gahahahahaha! That stubborn, unyielding attitude of yours… it is exactly why you are worthy to be called my heir!"
…You old bastard…
With that, Shiki ended the call and turned to give orders to his crew. "Indigo, it's time. Begin the operation!"
Standing in the middle of his laboratory, Indigo acknowledged the order and immediately set to work, his fingers flying rapidly across the keys of a complex control panel. Finally, he turned to the other scientists working in the room and shouted, "Start the transfer procedure… now!"
These men, already sweating heavily from nervousness and anxiety, forced their trembling hands to steady themselves and began operating the equipment as instructed.
"All systems ready and standing by!"
As soon as the last scientist finished his report, he pressed a large red button set into the console. "Let the Mad Party… begin!"
All the devices and mechanisms that had been installed over such a long period of time onto the bodies of the powerful creatures captured and raised on the Island of Miracles were activated at once. The deadly Blood Plague virus, together with the special suppressant formula Indigo had developed, was injected directly into every single one of them.
In less than thirty seconds, every creature began to undergo violent, terrifying transformations. At the same time, one of the large landmasses that had been separated from the main island began to move rapidly, driven by Shiki's powers, speeding straight toward the skies above the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
"Hahahahaha… The Holy Light… hahaha… The Holy Light? No! I am the Holy Light! I am the light that purifies all creation! I am the light that punishes all sin and filth! I am the judgement that will bring retribution to every evil in this world!"
Grimm threw back his head and laughed wildly and uncontrollably. For the first time since arriving in this world of pirates, he felt this level of madness, this overwhelming excitement, this burning urge to unleash every desire hidden deep within his heart.
The desire to kill and destroy…
No…
The desire to purify the entire world of its corruption and sin!
"I am coming… Are you ready for me, you heretics and sinners?!"
---
"W-What on earth is that thing?!"
Sengoku and his fellow officers had rushed out of the main building the moment the first tremors shook the ground. Right alongside him was Borsalino, one of the leading candidates for promotion to Admiral, followed shortly by Tsuru, Sakazuki, Kuzan, Fujitora, and Tsuru…
And also, Sentomaru, the elder cousin of Borsalino, who arrived from another direction accompanied by more than a thousand airborne combat machines of the EX model.
"What happened here?"
Tsuru walked to the centre of the plaza, where the ground had been torn apart to form a massive crater, surrounded by piles of broken stone and rubble.
Yamakaji did not even bother to salute, speaking urgently and directly. "A mountain fell down from the sky… and there were two enormous figures standing on top of it…"
The moment Sengoku heard the report, he immediately thought of Shiki's unique abilities. He raised his head sharply and glared up into the dark sky above, shouting with fury: "SHIKI… YOU DAMNED BASTARD!"
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