New Marineford.
The Summit War one year ago had dealt catastrophic damage to Marineford itself. When it came time to rebuild the fortress, the decision was made to relocate the entire town, reasoning that Headquarters should be positioned closer to the more vicious Pirates.
The old Marineford had been located in Paradise, the First Half of the Grand Line. New Marineford now stood in the New World.
And naturally, the new Marine Headquarters had been constructed there as well.
Where the old Marineford once stood, there was now the Marine's First Branch. As if the two locations had simply swapped places.
One room in this new Marine Headquarters: the Fleet Admiral's Office.
Having succeeded the retired Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Kuzan, the newly appointed Fleet Admiral, was receiving a report from a subordinate.
"Huh? The Pirate Literary Master made a move? And to... Sekan Island?"
"Sir, that is what the front line has reported!"
Hearing this, Kuzan furrowed his brow.
Right now, not just he but the entirety of Marine Headquarters was on edge, the atmosphere taut and strained.
The reason: a major incident that had occurred just days ago, one that was significant in every sense of the word.
The defection of former Marine Headquarters Admiral, Black Arm Zephyr.
And the founding of the armed organization Neo Marines, led by the man who had changed his name to Z, along with their act of violence: the destruction of an End Point.
It was said that if all three End Points in the New World were destroyed, a Cataclysmic Eruption engulfing the entire New World would reduce everything within it to ash.
This fact was known only to a select few Government Officials, but Zephyr had been among them, and so he knew. And that knowledge had been put to use.
This wasn't something that would simply eliminate Pirates. There was no way to condone mass destruction that would engulf innocent civilians.
The Marines could not hide their turmoil at having to face Zephyr, a man to whom they owed an immense debt as a mentor. Yet they had dispatched forces to Sekan Island, the second End Point, to apprehend or eliminate Z, preparing for the worst.
But now an unexpected name had entered the picture, and Kuzan found himself somewhat perplexed.
"Why would that Missy... no, wait, she was one of the people Zephyr-sensei looked after too, wasn't she? Must've caught wind of that person's defection from somewhere."
"We contacted her via Den Den Mushi and informed her that the Marines were conducting an operation, requesting she stay away, but... she refused to listen, saying 'This is hardly the time for that.' Based on the timing, she's expected to make landfall imminently."
"Wonder what she meant by that... whether she's thinking about Zephyr-sensei, or... whether she knows about the End Points..."
After a moment of thought, Kuzan issued his orders.
"How much fighting strength do we have on Sekan Island right now?"
"Approximately three Headquarters Vice Admirals... Since the Neo Marines' appearance was confirmed, Admiral Kizaru said he'd head there as well, but..."
"Won't make it in time, huh. Well, once he gets close enough it'd be one thing, but even Kizaru can't cross the ocean solo... Still, Vice Admiral class isn't gonna be enough to stop Zephyr-sensei. In that case, this might actually... work in our favor. Whether she makes it in time or not... better to use her. Hey, get me another Den Den Mushi connection to the Pirate Literary Master. I'll speak with her directly."
***
"So that's the deal. We've got forces heading that way from our end too, but it's iffy whether they'll arrive in time. I know I barely finished telling you to stay away, but... think you could deal with the old man causing a ruckus over there?"
"That was my plan from the start. ...By the way, do you mind if I ask how the Marines are currently treating Zephyr-san?"
"He left the Marines and formed an armed organization, so he's classified as a... well, not exactly a Pirate. More like a terrorist. The reason he hasn't been made a Bounty Target is because the ripple effects and unrest would be too severe, and... everything's happened so fast we haven't been able to keep up. Regardless of degree, he's treated the same as any criminal... which makes him fair game for you Shichibukai."
"I see... so it's the same as always. Capture and hand over. Got it."
"Yeah, that's the idea. If you could look after the Marines already fighting there too, I'd appreciate it."
"I'll do what I can. ...If I make it in time, that is."
Right now, I was out on the sea, having set sail.
Rushing toward the second End Point: Sekan Island.
When I'd heard from Tesoro and Stella that the destruction of the End Points, the Grand Reboot, had already begun, I thought I must have misheard.
According to Snow and Iris, it was supposed to start more than a year from now. But a quick investigation revealed that the first island, Faus Island, had already been blown away.
All of us were shaken, of course, but Snow and Iris were the most rattled.
Because from their perspective, "the Grand Reboot occurs one year from now" wasn't a prediction or a guess. It was fact. It was history. Something they knew as a past event.
It wasn't something that was "going to happen." It had already happened. Even through secondhand accounts, it was supposed to be so certain that any deviation was unthinkable.
And yet, when they checked with Stella... it had already begun.
Something that shouldn't have happened was happening, with no explanation why. They were deeply shaken.
To put it in perspective, imagine the Sun rising from the west instead of the east. Or a chicken giving live birth to a chick instead of laying an egg. That level of shock, where everything you thought you knew falls apart.
But there was no time to freeze up, so I decided to set out immediately.
If the first one had already been destroyed (and days ago at that), they'd be moving swiftly to destroy the second.
And so, while en route, the Marines had called me via Den Den Mushi. This was the second call.
The first had been a request to "stay away because an operation is in progress," which I'd flatly refused. This was no time for that... seriously.
Then came the second call, and lo and behold, it was a direct transmission from Aokiji... no, from the New Fleet Admiral Kuzan himself.
The content was threefold: "Go ahead as you are and handle the suppression of Zephyr-sensei over there," "if possible, help the Marines already fighting on site," and "please don't get too deeply involved."
The third point was probably about the End Point situation, the kind of thing that couldn't be made public. They couldn't afford to cause a panic and throw the world into chaos.
Keep any related information strictly confidential, he said. Beyond that, do as you please.
Convenient enough for me. All I really cared about was stopping the Grand Reboot before it engulfed the entire world.
Well, if possible... I'd also like to stop Zephyr-san. Or rather, help him. He was the person who saved my life, and I still respect him to this day.
...No, actually, saying it that way is almost disrespectful. Zephyr-san didn't rush into this on impulse without thinking. He was someone who carried the banner of Justice more than anyone. He must have agonized over it, suffered through it, and only after all of that arrived at this conclusion.
Whether I could understand that or not... even so...
"...Fleet Admiral Kuzan, I'm going to hang up soon. I can see the island now... I'm planning to fly ahead alone and make landfall first."
"Got it. Be careful. Sensei's got a Smasher on his arm... a Seastone weapon designed for use against Ability Users, built by the Science Unit. If he grabs you, you won't break free."
"Thanks for the intel. I'm off then."
Click.
All right, time to go. Just as I was thinking that,
"Mom, if you're going, we're coming too! Iris and Snow can both fly!"
Iris called out to me, but... hmm, what to do.
Where we were headed, the place would be swarming with Marines. If anyone saw the two of them fight, it wouldn't be just a little bit of trouble. It would be catastrophic.
My thinking had been that if I were going to fight alongside them for Grand Reboot countermeasures, it should be somewhere with no outside eyes...
"We appreciate your concern, but to stand by and leave everything to you alone, Mother, would be nothing short of shameful. Please, allow us to accompany you! And besides..."
"Besides?"
"I have a bad feeling about this. As I have already mentioned, these events... they differ from the history we know. History has changed. I realize it sounds strange coming from someone who intends to change it herself, but this should not be possible. I can only conclude that something we are not aware of is happening."
History was already changing before Snow and Iris had taken any action.
An extremely abnormal situation by any measure.
For history to change, there had to be some corresponding cause. Unless there was some kind of intervention significant enough to alter history, it shouldn't happen.
Something like, say, two Future Persons, just like the two standing right in front of me...
...Come to think of it, something similar happened in the Android Arc of Dragon Ball.
Trunks had been planning to fight Android 17 and Android 18, but when the time actually came, Android 19 and Android 20 showed up instead. And when he'd defeated Frieza and his father, a spy robot had collected cell samples, leading to the birth of Cell...
In other words... was there a slight possibility that history had changed because the two of them came to this world?
But they'd only just arrived and hadn't done anything yet. At most, they'd wiped out some small-fry Pirate Crew.
And they hadn't even been here a full day or two. For things to change this dramatically, the timeline wouldn't add up unless Zephyr-san's resignation, the formation of the Neo Marines, and the planning of the Grand Reboot had all begun months ago.
...No good. I could speculate all I wanted, but thinking wouldn't give me answers.
In that case, rather than hesitating from overthinking, the only option was action.
"All right, you can come along, but... it'll cause a commotion, so try not to use the Tremor-Tremor Fruit or Soul-Soul Fruit Powers if you can help it. Fight with just Haki and weapons. If there's absolutely no other choice, fine. Also... Suzu and Alice, come too. I need you to handle the small fry around the area. I'll take on Zephyr-san myself!"
"Understood!"
"Yeah!"
"Mama, what about me?"
"Leona, guard the ship. The Marines should be fine, but the Neo Marines will probably target our ship too, so intercept them. From what these two told me, there are only a few Executives, but... they're apparently quite strong. Plus there'll probably be cannon fire too... Blume and Beauty, please help as well."
""Roger.""
"Mom, in that case I'll leave some of my Homies behind, so use them together! They're great at both area attacks and area defense!"
Iris cut in from the side with that offer.
A generous one, but... Homies were those things, right? The same kind Big Mom used, where you put Souls into objects or animals to give them human-like form.
They had such a distinctive look that anyone who knew what they were would recognize them immediately...
When I pointed that out, Iris let out a proud little "Hmph" and grinned,
"Don't worry about that! My Homies are..."
***
A few minutes later.
Having taken flight ahead of the ship using our own abilities, the five of us, myself, Snow, Iris, Alice, and Suzu, arrived at the island first.
The Marines who had arrived before us were already in a state of near-total defeat. The Neo Marines didn't seem unscathed either, but... they still had significant numbers.
Naturally, they opened fire on us as we flew in. As discussed earlier, I left the small-fry cleanup to the other four and headed for my target. There he was.
I'd already sensed it through Observation Haki: an overwhelmingly massive presence. When I flew toward its source, I found a familiar giant with purple hair.
But unlike the figure in my memories, the one who carried an air of intellect despite his massive frame, the Zephyr-san I saw below me now had a wild, rough aura about him.
Sunglasses on, coat draped directly over bare skin. The outlaw vibe was intense.
...It was almost as if he'd dressed that way on purpose. Deliberately projecting that image.
Of course, he noticed me almost immediately. He swung the ridiculously oversized weapon on his right arm, something that looked like a giant pipe, toward me and opened fire like a gatling gun.
I wove through the air, dodging the barrage, closing the distance in one burst.
But Zephyr-san didn't flinch. With speed belying his size, he pulled that arm back and caught the Japanese umbrella I'd swung down at him with a sharp clang.
"We haven't even said hello after all this time, and you open with that? Kind of harsh, don't you think?"
"Sorry about that... but the moment I saw your face, I knew exactly why you came. So it's first strike wins. Gotta take you out before you take me out."
What an aggressive greeting... well, I did come here to fight, so fair enough.
With a metallic clash, we bounced apart, creating distance.
If I'd been even a fraction slower pulling back, that enormous arm, the Smasher, might have caught me. Truly, letting your guard down was not an option.
"Time flies... it's been a year since you became a Shichibukai. You've built up quite the presence, haven't you? The presence of a Pirate, that is!"
"That doesn't sound like a compliment."
"It's not... I know your past. But as long as you're a Pirate... to my Neo Marines, you're nothing more than an enemy to be eliminated. I can see 'I'm here to talk you down' written all over your face... don't bother."
"..."
...Not an inch of room to negotiate.
His tone wasn't particularly harsh or heavy, but the will packed into every single word was unmistakable.
'What on earth really happened to drive him to this...?'
...Hopeless. Persuasion wasn't going to work here.
This man had already steeled himself, resolved everything, and planted himself here with full conviction.
"...That said, I figured telling you wouldn't make you back off."
"That's right. ...Sorry, but I've got my own reasons and circumstances on this end... so I'm going to stop you here."
"Heh heh heh... is that so. I see."
With what seemed like a loaded chuckle, Zephyr-san said that, and then... in a low voice,
"Was it that inconvenient? The 'future' you learned about?"
"...! What do you mean by that...?!"
One instant.
In that single instant of shock at those words, Zephyr-san closed the distance and swept the massive Seastone arm at me.
I reacted just in time, managing to deflect it with my Japanese umbrella, but the speed, the weight behind it!
He was still very much in fighting form. No room for carelessness whatsoever.
I would have liked to ask what he meant by those words, but... clearly, there had been something loaded into the way he said "future."
As if he knew I'd come here because I'd learned about the future...?!
But that, along with everything else... asking right now wasn't going to be easy!
"...When this fight is over, you're going to tell me everything!"
"Don't worry... by then, you won't be in any state to care about such things!"
'...He means it. He absolutely means it...!'
First things first: suppress this man with everything I had!
Without that, nothing could be stopped, and nothing could begin!
***
Target of highest priority for elimination: Pirate Literary Master Sue, confirmed.
Neo Marines Commander-in-Chief Z encountered. Combat initiated.
All targets acquired. S-Ibis, commencing mission execution.
To be continued...