Sabaody Archipelago.
In front of a massive screen.
…
The atmosphere was heavy, suffocating, like solid lead.
Earlier, Whitebeard's final roar the command for "full retreat" had echoed clearly in everyone's ears.
Then came Admiral Aokiji freezing the bay, and Admiral Akainu's Meteor Volcano reducing the pirate fleet to ashes.
The entire Navy pursued without mercy, slaughtering the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Absolute despair.
"The survival probability of the Whitebeard Pirates…"
"Zero."
Basil Hawkins, the "Magician," swallowed hard. The cards in his hand scattered across the floor.
"The New World…"
Cappone "Gang" Bege's hand trembled slightly as he held his cigar. "Do we… still go?"
That question weighed on every Supernova present.
Each of them had been the fiercest ruler on their own island, driven by ambition and dreams, now entering this gateway to the sea.
But the scene before them was like a bucket of ice water, dousing all their pride and fire.
Silent until now, Trafalgar Law, the "Death Surgeon," slowly rose to his feet.
Trafalgar D. Water Law D is a secret initial, Water a taboo name.
He scanned the room, taking in the somber expressions of his rivals.
"I think every one of us here has endured a great deal to get to this point."
His voice was low, but carried with clarity. "If we give up on the New World now, no one will accept it!"
He did not know about others, but he himself had to go.
He had to avenge Rosinante.
He had to… personally kill that man, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Donquixote Doflamingo.
But now, the power the Navy had displayed cast a thick shadow over his once-clear plans for revenge.
Law's gaze shifted to the most volatile and highest-bounty man in the room "Captain" Eustass Kid.
"God dodges, I do not" Kid.
"Eustass…"
"Hmm… what do you want to say?"
Kid's crimson lips curled in irritation, but his eyes were deadly serious.
"The era of the Navy has arrived."
Law tapped lightly on Kikoku, his hand a subtle warning.
"The Whitebeard Pirates are about to be annihilated, and the balance of the New World will be shattered."
"Entering the New World now would be like fledglings diving straight into a forest of predators."
Law's eyes swept across each person.
"Either we are devoured by the awakened lion that is the Navy…"
"…or torn apart in the chaos of the Four Emperors."
His analysis weighed heavily on everyone present.
"So?"
Kid snapped impatiently. "What's your suggestion?!"
"How about… an alliance?"
Law finally spoke his purpose.
"An alliance?!"
He nodded, a wry smile on his face.
"Let's put it this way: we may be called the Supernovas, but the Rear Admiral commanding the battle on the screen is none other than the recently notorious 'Blood Hawk' Renn Hawk, G-3 Branch Chief of the Marines, the one who ordered the bombardment of Magu Town."
"For the past two months, for reasons unknown, he hasn't been active in the Sabaody Archipelago."
"Otherwise… I don't think any of us would have made it safely here!"
"What are you implying?!"
"You think I can't beat this so-called Blood Hawk?!"
Kid's anger flared, the parts in his metal arm spinning violently, screeching with friction.
Silent until now, Killer pressed a hand to his shoulder, his voice hoarse. "What he said… is the truth."
"To stand in the New World… we need an alliance."
…
Killer's gaze went to the screen.
The Navy was hunting down the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates.
It was not a battle.
It was a massacre.
Every Supernova fell silent.
They were proud, arrogant bastards, never respecting anyone.
But after witnessing this overwhelming war, they all understood. Charging into the New World alone would lead to only one outcome.
Kid's chest heaved violently. He glanced at Killer, who nodded firmly.
"Hmph…"
Kid let out a cold snort through clenched teeth, silently conceding.
The other Supernovas silently agreed as well.
A pirate alliance, formed by the era's most ruthless rookies, had tentatively taken shape under the suffocating, absolute pressure of the Navy.
…
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The battle had already tilted decisively.
No organized pirate formations remained on the ice.
They were divided, surrounded, and slowly crushed by wave after wave of attacks.
The Navy's lines, precise as a finely tuned comb, methodically swept the frozen battlefield, removing every trace of resistance.
Coby was in the midst of the flood.
He surged forward alongside the second-wave rookies, his mind brimming with the belief that he would one day become a Marine Admiral.
The rookies around him roared, swinging their blades.
Coby shouted too, but his voice trembled in his throat.
A dying pirate, summoning his last strength, fired a gun wildly into the sky.
The bullet hit nothing, but the shockwave sent Coby's glasses flying.
The world blurred instantly.
All he could see were shifting patches of color, all he could hear were the deafening shouts and piercing screams of battle.
A familiar voice suddenly shoved him aside.
It was his bunkmate, the guy who always bragged about the seafood in his hometown.
A short blade pierced that companion's abdomen.
Coby watched helplessly as the smile on his friend's face froze, then slowly sank, disbelief written across his eyes.
"Medic! Medic!"
Coby screamed in panic.
Two medics rushed over, quickly assessing and bandaging the wound, then shook their heads.
"Life can be saved, but his organs are destroyed. He'll never fight again."
That once-lively companion was swiftly dragged off the battlefield.
…
Coby stood frozen.
He looked around.
The Navy had already won!
The Whitebeard Pirates were defeated, they only wanted to flee, they had no fighting spirit left!
Yet the Navy's pursuit did not pause.
Pirate after pirate fell, Marine after Marine was injured, some even died.
Every second, life was slipping away.
Was this justice?
Killing those who could no longer resist was this the Navy's justice?
Coby's heart roared in defiance.
He watched his comrades charging forward, their figures blurred like moths drawn to flame.
And he would be the moth flying the other way!
He spun sharply, running against the tide of Marines.
"Hey! Coby! Where are you going!"
Angry shouts came from behind, but he could no longer hear them.
He pushed through the crowd, focused on one goal.
He had to find the man who had given all these orders Rear Admiral Hawk.
He had to stop this senseless slaughter.
…
Finally, he reached the base of the execution platform.
He looked up at the man draped in the cloak of "justice," standing with hands behind his back.
Summoning every ounce of strength, Coby let out a heart-wrenching cry.
"Rear Admiral Hawk, stop this war!"
"You are trampling on life!"