Cold iron shackles bit into the young Marine's wrists.
Sitting on the damp stone floor of a dark cell, Koby rested his head against the wall. The air of Hachinosu, the notorious Pirate Island, carried the sounds of drunken laughter and brawling from the streets above.
Closing his eyes, the captive captain replayed the events of his capture.
Following the invasion of Amazon Lily, Marshall D. Teach had dragged him back to this stronghold. The Emperor had not taken a Marine hostage simply for cruelty. Standing in the center of a tavern days earlier, Blackbeard had laid out his ambition.
"A legitimate kingdom!" Teach had laughed, tossing back a mug of rum. "I am going to use you to force the World Government to recognize Hachinosu as an official nation. And I will sit on the throne as its recognized King!"
Koby had immediately shut the idea down.
"It won't work," the young captain had stated firmly, despite the chains binding his arms. "I am a member of SWORD. The World Government will not negotiate for my life."
Standing near the edge of the tavern, nursing a drink, Kuzan had stepped forward to explain things to his new captain. The former Admiral kept his tone casual.
"He is telling the truth, Teach," Kuzan had murmured, freezing a spilled drop of rum with his boot. "SWORD operatives are Marines who have formally resigned from the main branch. They act as an independent strike force, free to ignore orders from the top. The trade-off is complete disavowal. If they are captured or killed, the Marines accept absolutely no responsibility. He is useless as a bargaining chip."
Hearing the explanation, Blackbeard had only laughed harder.
The details of Marine bureaucracy meant nothing to the Emperor. Pointing a ring-covered finger at the captive, Teach brushed off the warning.
"They can say whatever they want on paper!" Blackbeard roared. "But the Hero of Rocky Port is too famous! The public outcry will force their hand! Lock him up!"
The memory faded.
Opening his eyes, Koby stared at the iron bars of his cell. Figuring out an escape route occupied his every waking thought, but slipping past an island filled with pirates seemed impossible.
A sudden explosion shook the prison.
Dust fell from the stone ceiling. The iron bars rattled in their frames. Distant shouts replaced the drunken singing above.
Koby scrambled to his feet, pressing his face against the bars. The sound of organized combat echoed from the town square.
Someone had invaded Pirate Island.
Out in the streets of Hachinosu, chaos spread through the pirate ranks.
Running out of taverns and brothels, armed corsairs found themselves surrounded. A burly pirate with a missing eye swung a cutlass, beheading a charging Marine soldier.
Instead of blood, thick brown mud sprayed from the severed neck.
The headless Marine did not collapse. The mud bubbled and shifted, reforming into a faceless earthen golem. Swinging a clay fist, the construct punched the pirate in the jaw, knocking him out.
Standing on a rooftop overlooking the street, Rear Admiral Prince Grus directed the assault. Controlling dozens of clay golems at once, the Marine officer formed a shifting frontline.
"Keep them contained!" Grus ordered.
On the other side of the district, the island's buildings turned against the pirates.
Rear Admiral Kujaku walked down the street, cracking a long leather whip against the cobblestones. The Muchi Muchi no Mi allowed her to command anything she struck. Whipping the stone foundations of the surrounding buildings, the structures groaned and shifted.
Whole taverns and houses tore themselves from the ground, sliding across the streets to form an enclosure.
"Herd them toward the plaza!" Kujaku called out, cracking her whip again.
Trapped between the moving buildings and the clay golems, thousands of pirates were forced into the central square. Panicking, the corsairs raised their weapons, preparing for a last stand.
Watching the trap close from a high vantage point, Tashigi gripped her sword. Beside her, Helmeppo held a transponder snail, his hands shaking.
"The square is packed!" Helmeppo yelled into the receiver. "We are ready!"
Miles off the coast of the island, a Marine battleship rested in the water. Hearing the signal, the crew engaged a modified propulsion system. Mimicking the Coup de Burst technology used by the Straw Hat crew, the rear thrusters fired.
The warship shot from the ocean and flew toward the center of the island.
Standing on the prow, Vice Admiral Garp crossed his arms.
The Hero of the Marines looked down at the approaching pirate stronghold. Reaching into the pocket of his suit, the veteran pulled out a small glass vial. The liquid inside had been a parting gift from the magician during their encounter in Water 7.
Popping the cork, Garp drank the potion in one gulp.
The reaction came immediately.
The wrinkles on his face smoothed out. The gray hair around his head darkened, returning to black. His shoulders broadened as his body returned to the physical condition of his prime.
Clenching his fists, the de-aged Vice Admiral laughed.
"Bwahahaha!" Garp roared, cracking his knuckles. "How long has it been since I felt like this?!"
Standing behind him on the deck, the younger Marines stared in shock. The man on the bow no longer resembled their aging mentor. He looked like the Marine who had once cornered the Pirate King.
The flying ship crossed over the central square of Hachinosu.
Looking down at the thousands of trapped pirates, Garp did not wait for the vessel to land. Leaping from the prow, the Vice Admiral dropped toward the center of the enclosure.
"Listen up, pirate scum!" Garp bellowed, his voice echoing across the island. "You made a fatal mistake capturing my protégé!"
Pulling his right fist back, Garp channeled his Haki. Black lightning erupted from his knuckles, wrapping his fist in advanced Conqueror's Haki.
Galaxy Impact!
Garp punched the air above the plaza.
The shockwave expanded outward, crushing the cobblestones, shattering nearby buildings, and blowing thousands of pirates away. The force leveled the central district of Hachinosu.
Deep underground, the ceiling of the prison block cracked and collapsed.
Using the destruction, Koby slipped free from his cell. Grabbing a set of discarded keys from a fallen guard, the young captain sprinted down the corridor, unlocking every cell door he passed and freeing the other captured Marines.
Back on the surface, the Marine battleship descended toward the ruined plaza.
Reacting quickly, Prince Grus generated a mound of soft clay in the center of the crater. The ship crashed into the mud, sliding to a halt without damage.
Landing among the broken stone, Garp rolled his shoulders.
Looking down at his fist, a grin crossed his face.
"Damn. This power is even sharper than I remember."
Running across the ruined square, Hibari holstered her sniper rifle. Tears of joy ran down her face as she hurried toward the hero who had just saved their friend.
"Vice Admiral Garp!" Hibari cheered, waving her arms.
Before she could take another step, a wave of cold swept across the plaza.
Frost spread across Hibari's boots. In an instant, ice encased her completely, stopping her mid-stride.
The surviving Marines gasped, drawing their weapons and looking toward the source.
Stepping through the dust, Kuzan walked into the clearing. The former Admiral kept his hands in his pockets, breathing out a cloud of freezing mist.
Garp narrowed his eyes, staring at his former student.
"What do you think you are doing, Kuzan?" Garp demanded.
"Just doing my job," Kuzan replied lazily, scratching the back of his head. "I am the Tenth Commander of the Blackbeard Pirates now. I can't let you tear up our home base without putting up a fight."
The admission hung in the cold air. The mentor stared at the student, recognizing the clash that was coming.
"You lost your way, boy," Garp said, raising his fists.
"Maybe," Kuzan shrugged.
Raising a hand, the ice user launched the first attack.
Ice Ball!
A sphere of freezing air shot forward, encasing the Vice Admiral in ice.
For a second, the plaza fell silent.
Then, the ice shattered.
Garp broke free through strength and Haki, crossing the distance in a blur. Reaching out, the hero grabbed Kuzan by the face.
Blue Hole!
Coating his arm in advanced Conqueror's Haki, Garp slammed the former Admiral into the ground. The impact drove Kuzan through the bedrock, creating a deep pit and taking the ice user out of the immediate battlefield.
Miles away from Hachinosu, the freezing winds of Winner Island continued to howl.
The skirmish had reached its conclusion. Standing near the edge of a rocky cliff, Trafalgar Law panted heavily. Blood dripped from his chin and soaked his white shirt. His nodachi rested against the snow.
He had held the line. The Heart Pirates had escaped, diving into the ocean and leaving the island while their captain provided the distraction.
Looming over the exhausted surgeon, Marshall D. Teach laughed.
"You put up a good fight, Trafalgar," Blackbeard gloated, black smoke drifting from his hands. "But you are out of stamina."
Staring down at the defeated pirate, Teach rubbed his beard. The Ope Ope no Mi presented an interesting dilemma.
"What should I do with your power?" the Emperor mused. "Should I steal it for myself? Sell it on the black market for billions? Or maybe... I can force you to perform the Perpetual Youth Surgery on me before you die."
Before the Emperor could decide, a white blur exploded from the snowy tree line.
Bepo charged across the clearing. The Mink navigator had consumed the medicine Chopper had given him in Wano. Instead of needing a full moon, the drug forced a temporary Sulong transformation in the middle of the day.
Roaring, the massive polar bear swatted the Emperor backward with an electrically charged paw.
Caught off guard, Teach stumbled away, cursing.
Scooping up his injured captain, Bepo did not stay to fight. Turning toward the cliff edge, the Sulong Mink leaped into the ocean below.
Hitting the water, the navigator swam into the depths, escaping before the Blackbeard Pirates could pursue.
Inside the cafeteria of New Marineford, the atmosphere was grim.
Sitting at a wooden table, former Fleet Admiral Sengoku chewed on a rice cracker. He stared at the newspaper on the table. Beside him, Vice Admiral Tsuru stirred her tea, a frown on her face.
The headline was devastating.
Marine Vice Admiral T Bone Murdered! Civilian Claims Cross Guild Bounty!
"It is exactly what we feared," Tsuru murmured, taking a sip of tea. "The Cross Guild is turning the civilian population against us. They are weaponizing poverty. Desperate people are hunting our officers for the reward money."
Sengoku nodded slowly, swallowing his cracker. The shift in global dynamics had placed a target on the backs of Marines operating in the field.
Looking up from the paper, Sengoku spotted Rear Admiral Hina walking past the tables.
"Hina," Sengoku called, waving a hand. "Where is Garp? I haven't seen that old fool all morning. I wanted him to see this."
Stopping near the table, Hina adjusted her sunglasses, looking uncomfortable.
"Vice Admiral Garp is not at Headquarters, sir," Hina reported. "He departed Base G-14 hours ago. He took Rear Admiral Kujaku, Prince Grus, and the SWORD operatives with him."
Sengoku blinked.
"Took them where?"
"To Hachinosu, sir," Hina admitted quietly. "They launched a full-scale invasion of Pirate Island to rescue Captain Koby."
The teacup slipped from Tsuru's fingers, shattering against the floorboards. Sengoku dropped his rice cracker, staring at Hina in shock.
A small strike force invading the stronghold of a Yonko was madness.
Far across the Grand Line, on the shores of Karai Bari Island, a different meeting was taking place.
Inside the colorful circus tent serving as the headquarters of the Cross Guild, Buggy the Clown sat upon his throne. The Emperor looked down at the trembling man kneeling on the floorboards.
The man wore ragged clothes. He clutched a bloodstained Marine coat in his hands.
"I... I didn't want to do it," the civilian sobbed, pressing his forehead against the floor. "He was a good Marine. He gave his own rations to the hungry. But my family... my children were starving to death. We had nothing left."
Watching the desperate man, Buggy hid his own panic behind a wide grin.
"Do not weep, my friend!" Buggy announced, throwing his arms wide. "You did what you had to do to survive! The Marines serve a corrupt government that ignores your suffering! Here in the Cross Guild, we reward action!"
Gesturing to a nearby subordinate, a wooden chest was dragged forward and opened, revealing stacks of Belli.
"Your family will never go hungry again!" Buggy declared, projecting his voice across the tent. "Take your reward! And fear no reprisal! You are under the protection of the Star Clown now!"
The civilian wept harder, bowing repeatedly in gratitude before gathering the money.
The Cross Guild was becoming a refuge for the desperate, turning the world into a hostile and unpredictable battlefield.