The time has come and the wait is over. How will Uta react and what will her opinions be? Read and see. There will be lines from both manga and English dub in this chapter for . I don't own One Piece.
~Three more hours until the execution of Portgas D. Ace...
Uta, Rayleigh, and Shakky sat in their chairs silently. Uta holds her newly repaired spear tight almost as if her life depends on it. Rayleigh can sense Uta's nervousness, but doesn't have any words of comfort. Uta looks at the time nervously and takes in some deep breaths.
"They're going to start soon." Rayleigh said standing up.
"Yeah. It's time to go." Uta nods as she stands up as well.
Shakky simply nods and lets them leave without saying a word. The two walk through the groves and to where the citizens set up the snail where they're planning to show the execution. The two didn't exchange any words the entire walk there and eventually got to Grove 60. Since Rayleigh is a wanted man, the duo have to stay low since there are many news reporters.
"Let's get to higher ground." Rayleigh whispers. "There's an abandoned building above us that we can use."
Uta nods and she and Rayleigh jump from wall to wall silently until they reach the balcony. From above, they can see civilians and reporters flock around the projector with their notebooks and spyglasses out. Uta can only wait patiently to witness the greatest war the world has ever seen. Uta stares at the screen with her heart beating out of her chest. She saw it clearly, Marine Headquarters from multiple angles. Uta has seen many large buildings, including the ones in Elegia, and this one towers over all of them completely. The main stone building makes the giants look like normal people and the battleships like sailboats. The walls were lined with cannons and had the kanji for justices painted on the front.
"So this is what war looks like." Uta gasps as she stares at the screen. "I never thought the building of Marineford would be so big."
The building aside, Uta has never seen a navy battleship before and is surprised at how heavily reinforced it is and seeing how there are over a dozen of them, it's a wonder if anyone would dare approach Marineford as is. The number of marine soldiers there was staggering. Just by a glance, Uta can tell that their numbers are around eighty, maybe even a hundred, thousand. Ranking from Captain to Admiral, the strongest of the Marines were there guarding the scaffold ever so tightly. In the center, Uta could see the Seven Warlords of the Sea, two who she recognizes as 'Hawk Eye' Mihawk, her father's rival, and the 'Tyrant' Bartholomew Kuma, who was the one who separated the Straw Hat Pirates and defeated her. Despite being in the safety of the Archipelago, Uta gets cold shivers and goosebumps just from the sight of it. The others she knows by face, but not by name. There was a man with glasses and a pink feathered cape, a large obese man dressed in black, and a woman with a pet snake. Uta can know they were all Warlords, but never bothered to learn their names. The woman in purple in particular pisses her off for some reason for which she can't explain why. Finally, there were three men sitting right below the scaffold. They were the Marine Admirals. The only one Uta recognizes is the man dressed in yellow who is commonly known as Kizaru. Uta can only assume that the others are just as tough as that man. Uta was talking big about Whitebeard and Luffy coming to rescue Ace, but her confidence has been taking a serious blow.
"They aren't kidding about this." Uta said shakingly. "With a setup like this, can Whitebeard even pull it off?"
"Knowing Newgate, he has a plan." Rayleigh said as he took a sip from his flask. "He may be old, but not senile."
Uta gulps as she stares at the projector and then her eyes widen. As I look at the dead center of the screen.
"Ace." Uta whispers quietly.
Sitting on top of the scaffold on his knees is none other than the persecuted man himself.
"So that's Roger's son." Rayleigh said out loud. "Can't say I see Roger in him, but..."
Uta then sees a large man with a hat that has a seagull on it walking up the scaffold and stands right next to Ace.
"Who's that?" Uta asks.
"That's Sengoku." Rayleigh answers. "He's the Fleet Admiral of the Marines."
Sengoku picks up a transponder snail and the speaker suddenly turns on.
"Men, I have something crucial to tell you all." Sengoku said. "Something about the true meaning of Portgas D. Ace meeting his end here today."
Everyone in the crowd murmurs as they try to guess what the Fleet Admiral is talking about.
"Ace, tell me the name of your father." Sengoku orders.
Everyone was confused on what Sengoku tells Ace, but Uta was getting cold shivers of what everyone's will be once the truth is revealed.
"My father is Whitebeard." Ace answers sternly.
"He is not!"
"Yes, he is! Whitebeard is my only father! I have no other!"
"Back then, we searched as though our lives depended on it. Searching for the possibility that there existed on that island a child of that man based on nothing, but the tiniest leads from Cipher Pol." Sengoku said to Ace. "We investigated all newborn children, all children who were yet to be born, and all of their mothers, but ultimately found nothing...or so we thought."
Uta was intrigued by the story and couldn't help, but be enveloped by it.
"No surprise though, considering the lengths your mother took to hide you." Sengoku continues. "She performed a miracle that can only come from the love of a mother and as a result, she misled the marines. No, she misled the entire world."
Ace's mother? Uta wonders.
"You come from an island in the South Blue called Baterilla and your mother's name was Portgas D. Rouge." Sengoku said.
"That's the name of Ace's mother." Uta said. "So he took his mother's name instead of his fathers."
~
I wonder who will find the One Piece next.
My son of course!
You don't have one.
Not yet, but I may have one in the future!
~
That island was where we saw Roger off. Rayleigh thought. I guess he really did have one, what a wild man.
"She performed a feat that we could never have hoped to imagine and out of devotion to her child, bore him in her womb for a full twenty months!" Sengoku said. "And when the birth finally came, her strength all but spent, she left this world as you entered it."
Uta's mind was blown. Sure Ace's father was a shock in the beginning, but his mother was amazing in her own right. Uta can't imagine the thought of anyone being pregnant for more than a year. It was no short of a miracle.
"One year and three months from the father's death, a child was born bearing the most accursed blood to be found in the world." Sengoku said. "That child is you."
Uta's eyes widened in shock and horror. As if putting him to death publicly wasn't torturous enough, this man is going to ruin Ace's life by revealing the secret he kept from others for so long. Uta's rage begins to boil and the veins in her head bulge.
"Surely you must know the truth." Sengoku said glaring at Ace angrily. "Your true father is Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates!"
"...."
Everyone was speechless from both Marineford and Sabaody. It was so silent that you could hear the bubbles float and pop in the wind.
"'Fire Fist' Ace is Gold Roger's son?!"
"This is huge news! Send word back to the main offices!"
"Then it survived. Roger's bloodline lives!"
Uta stares at the commotion below her. Ace's public execution was already big news, surely this was overkill, but the media is eating it up as if it's a five star meal. She can only assume that the marines at Marineford were just as equally shocked by the commotion happening on the screen.
"I get it." Rayleigh said. "They're treating Ace as if he is Roger. The marines are hoping that they'll end the pirate era with Ace's death."
"Two years ago, it was choosing to take your mother's name, you had risen with frightening speed and remarkable power to notability as captain of the Spades Pirates." Sengoku continues. "It was then that we finally realized that Roger's blood still lives on!"
Everyone was silent as they listened to the Fleet Admiral.
"But, Whitebeard came to the same realization and got you before we did." Sengoku said. "In order to secure your mantle as the next King of the Pirates, he warmly accepted the son of his own rival aboard his ship."
"That's not true!" Ace yells. "I joined my father's crew in order to make him the next king!"
"Nobody believes that except you." Sengoku tells Ace. "Why do you think it took us so long to finally catch you? You were under Whitebeard's protection."
Ace just stares at the Fleet Admiral in shock, refusing to believe his words.
"So today, we know that if you were to go free, you'd use your abilities to become the next king." Sengoku confirms. "That is why it is absolutely imperative that we take your head here today! Even if that means going to war with Whitebeard himself!"
The marines cheer in response and raise their weapons while everyone in Sabaody watches silently. Uta and Rayleigh were intrigued by the story that Sengoku talked about.
"Do you think Whitebeard really planned all that out and protected Ace from the World Government?" Uta asks. "That seems like a long shot theory in my opinion."
"I knew Whitebeard for a long time." Rayleigh said, taking a sip from his bottle. "He's a clever and careful man when it comes to protecting his family. I'm sure he was protecting Ace at the very least as his own son."
Uta looks back at the screen and notices that the marines stopped cheering. In fact, they were much too silent. Suddenly the marines started screaming and several sirens rang out from Marineford. One of the screens zooms out and scans the bay beyond Marineford. Uta's eyes widen in shock at the number of pirate ships coming forward from behind the fog that surrounds Marineford. Some of the faces were recognizable to her. She has never seen such a ferocious fleet of pirates before, even on her time with Shanks.
"If it's a fleet like that..." Uta mutters.
Then, a large ripple begins to form in the bay area of Marineford and bubbles slowly begin to rise up from the depth like a geyser.
"They coated their ship and infiltrated from beneath the sea." Rayleigh said. "Very clever."
Just as Rayleigh said, a massive coated ship rises up from the water. It was the Moby Dick. Then, three more large ships rose up from the water and eventually, the waves settled. The Whitebeard Pirates have successfully infiltrated the bay without any issue. The camera zooms in and the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates are seen. Marco the 'Phoenix', 'Diamond' Jozu, and 'Flower Sword' Vista were some of the pirates that stood out.
"To think I'm seeing the Whitebeard Pirates again under these circumstances." Uta said as she stared at the screen. "It has been over a decade after all."
The camera zooms out and a towering figure begins to walk on the stern of the Moby Dick. It was Whitebeard, the legendary pirate himself. No one could hear exactly what Whitebeard said as he was talking low enough for the mic not to pick up. All of the sudden, Whitebeard crosses his arms and swings it to his side and by doing so, he makes a crack in the air. Then, waves began to form from both sides of Marine ford before they went off into the distance.
"He's done it now." Rayleigh said. "Whitebeard is serious."
"What did he do?" Uta asks astounded. "That must be a devil fruit ability, right?"
"Whitebeard ate the Tremor Tremor Fruit and has the power to create earthquakes with his fists and weapons." Rayleigh explained. "What you saw was a taste of what is to come."
"You seem awfully happy." Uta said nervously. "Maybe you're taking this too lightly."
"It has been awhile since I've seen that old man in action." Rayleigh said. "Makes me think back on the good old days."
Uta gets sudden shivers and looks around her.
For a moment, I thought I felt shaking. Uta thought. Must be my imagination.
"Why didn't you just leave me behind?" Ace asks Whitebeard. "My own cockiness got me into this mess in the first place!"
"Nah, I was the one who told you to go, son." Whitebeard said.
"Liar!" Ace yells back. "Don't you screw around! You stopped me back then, but I still..."
"I told you to go." Whitebeard repeats. "Isn't that right, Marco?"
"Yep, I heard you say that." Marco confirms. "You sure caused us a lot of trouble, Ace!'
Everyone on this sea knows well, what happens to them if they lay a single hand on one of our crewmates!"
"We won't let anyone who hurt you get away with it alive, Ace!"
"Just you wait! We're going to save you!"
"Prepare yourselves, Marine HQ!"
Uta couldn't help as she shivers in fear and excitement. On one hand, she fears the worst of what is to come during the war, but on the other, she can't help, but look forward to what the Whitebeard Pirates, a crew that rivals her father's, is capable of. All of the sudden, the image of the screen begins to shake and the marines began to murmur and panic. The camera pans out to the side and Uta's eyes widen with shock.
"Don't go thinking we can overcome him with sheer military force!" Sengoku yells. "We might be the ones to meet our end because that man holds the power to destroy the world!
"It's a tsunami!"
The projector shows a giant tsunami coming from both sides of Marineford. The waves were nearly twice as high as Marineford and if that landed, everyone would be lost at sea. Everyone at Sabaody knew that regardless of who comes out on top, the world will never be the same again. The justice of the marines or the ruthlessness of pirates, only one can come out on top. Uta knew she was no longer hoping for some simple rescue operation, this was history in the making. The war has officially started. Whitebeard laughs loudly as he watches the soldiers of Marineford panic in fear. One of the Marine Admirals jumps out of his seat and then shoots out ice from his hands and into incoming waves. Then, the tsunami quickly froze thus saving everyone.
"An ice power user?" Uta asks.
"Aokiji holds the power of the Ice Ice Fruit, a logia type." Rayleigh confirms.
Aokiji then formed several ice shaped tridents and aimed it at the emperor. However, before the admiral could finish his attack, Whitebeard cracks the air which shatters Aokiji's body and sends him falling into the ocean. On one of the screens, it's shown that Aokiji managed to save himself by freezing the bay below him. The ice formed by his powers eventually froze the entire bay, trapping all the pirate ships and the ships that were just a few meters away from the bay area. Now that both marines and pirates have a foothold, both sides jump on the ice and begin to attack each other. Cannons from both sides begin to fire at each other hoping to destroy both vessels and buildings. Uta watches as both sides begin to battle it out and both parties seem to be at a standstill. It didn't take long before both New World pirate captains and Marine Vice Admirals began to take action. Then, Uta notices something from another screen.
"Uncle?" Uta wonders. "Don't tell me he's making a move."
Just as Uta has noticed, the world's strongest swordsman begins to walk forward and he slowly draws his sword. Mihawk swings his sword and unleashes the world's strongest slash towards the Moby Dick. Despite this, somebody stood in front of the slash, stopped it, and threw it in the air. Uta was shocked that anyone other than Shanks was even capable of stopping a slash of Mihawk. The one who stopped the slash was a large man covered in diamonds.
"I see, so it was Jozu." Rayleigh said. "His Sparkle Sparkle Fruit powers can handle a slash like that."
Then, a bright light shines brightly from another screen and when the light finally simmers down, another Navy Admiral shows himself.
"That's the guy you fought against a few days ago." Uta said, recognizing him. "What was his name?"
"That's Kizaru." Rayleigh said. "He has the power of the Glint Glint Fruit. He's a logia user who can turn into light."
The admiral then fires several balls of light at Whitebeard using his devil fruit powers. Before the attack could hit its target, something flew towards it and took the attack head on. Once the attack finished, what was left in its wake was the First Division Commander Marco. Uta recognized that man before, but never saw him use his powers. In fact, she didn't know any of the Whitebeard Pirates were power users.
"He took that attack head on and he looks fine." Uta said. "Wait, no, the places he was hit are covered in flames and he's regenerating. Is he a logia user?"
"Not quite." Rayleigh answers. "Marco ate a Mythical Zoan devil fruit, a devil fruit rarer than Logias. He can turn into a phoenix and any attack that lands on him can be healed by the flames he generates."
"Earthquakes, ice, diamond, light, and phoenix." Uta lists. "These devil fruit users are beyond amazing. No, everyone there from Uncle to the Vice Admirals, they're all so strong."
"See what I mean?" Rayleigh asks. "This is why you shouldn't be overconfident with your abilities. Uta, after you watch this war closely, you will know what it means to be strong."
Uta gulps and nods to Rayleigh's comment and focuses on the war. It didn't take long before some of the marines and pirates fell. Both strong individuals from both sides were dealing heavy blows to each other. Eventually, the Marine giants begin to charge and take action. It looked as if the marines had the upper hand, but then Jozu threw a giant glacier, bigger than Marineford, above his head and towards Marine HQ. Just as the glacier was about to hit, a giant fist made of manga. Uta looks in shock at how enormous the fist of magma evaporated into mist, then the fist erupts and as if a volcano erupted, pieces of magma begin to fly across the battlefield. The pirates scream in horror as they try and dodge the pieces of magma. In the midst of the chaos, one of Whitebeard's ships was hit and went up in flames.
"A magma devil fruit power?" Uta asks. "Do all Marine Admirals have logia powers?"
"They do." Rayleigh said. "But their devil fruit powers alone isn't the only reason why they're so dangerous to us pirates. They're strength and haki are above the Vice Admirals and even before they were Admirals."
If hell ever existed, then this is it right before her. The battlefield that she's watching is hell.
"What the hell is that?"
"Is that a giant?"
"It has horns!"
Uta looks up in awe at the screen in awe to see a demon looking giant, standing taller than any living thing she has ever seen. In fact, it's even taller than the giants that are present in Marineford.
"What is that thing?" Uta asks as she stares at the screen. "Looks like a demon."
"Might as well be." Rayleigh said. "That thing is an ancestor of the 'Continent Puller' Oars. His name is Little Oars Jr. an ancient giant!"
Little Oars Jr reaches for one of the Marine Battleships and lifts it up with ease before tossing it towards the giant squad. The monster then proceeds to go into battle with the others and take them down with relative ease.
"Ace! I'm here to rescue you!" Little Oars Jr. roars. "Don't kill him!"
"That's one hell of an ally." Uta said. "Still, he's a bit too big for this war."
"The only thing we can do is to watch and see how this will pan out." Rayleigh said. "Regardless, his actions have already made a dent in the marine's military force."
Uta looks to another screen and sees a giant paw print which gives her some confusion. Uta's eyes widen with fear as she recognizes that shape.
"It's him." Uta said, clenching her fist. "It's Kuma."
The pawprint shape suddenly disappeared for a few seconds. Uta blinks a few times thinking she was seeing things, then suddenly the pawprint grows huge engulfing the giant in an explosion. The audio goes in and out as and the image of the screen shutters. When everything settles, Oars Jr. falls to its knees heavily injured. Once Oars Jr. raises his head, several cannonballs open fire at him causing the giant to groan in pain. In response, Oars Jr. raises up and punches the wall as an attempt to take down one of the Seven Warlords. However, this resulted in getting his foot severed off. Uta looks at the scene in fear as the giant struggles to get up. Oar Jr. then desperately tries to reach over Ace's scaffold, only to be stabbed a black substance. The ancient giant wrecked havoc no longer than three minutes before he fell victim to the Seven Warlords.
"This war is out of control." Uta said as she began to sweat. "Even that ancient giant fell victim to the war."
"When two great forces collide, you can't expect everyone to leave unscathed." Rayleigh reminded Uta. "That's what it means to go to war."
Uta remembers what Kuma last told her about the war and understood what he meant. Wart isn't as easy as left and right, it's much more complicated than that. All of the sudden, all of the screens go white as something big landed into the ice, or more accurately, into the only hole on the battlefield that wasn't covered in ice.
"Something fell from the sky!"
"Is that a sneak attack from Whitebeard?"
"No, that's a marine battleship!"
"Maybe the marines are making a counterattack!"
"Did you see that Rayleigh?" Uta asks leaning in to get a closer look.
"This is something unexpected."
Uta looks closely and sees a familiar figure rise up from the ship. She couldn't as a stream of tears went down her face.
"ACE!"
"LUFFY!"
"I FOUND YOU!"
Uta smiles and wipes her eyes.
"Well, I'll be damned." Rayleigh chuckles.
"Luffy!" Uta said softly. "He did make it! I knew he would!"
The crowd below begin to murmur with confusion and shock as they witness Luffy and several other pirates. Despite Luffy's sudden appearance, Uta couldn't help but notice the others that are with him. A fishman, the Warlord who was defeated by Luffy, Crocodile, a pervert with a huge head, Buggy the Clown, and several hundred prisoners. It was an odd group to say the least and Uta isn't quite sure if everyone there is on the same page. Specifically Buggy and Crocodile.
"Why is Buggy and Crocodile with Luffy?" Uta wonders. "Last I checked that Luffy was their enemy. At the very least, someone like Crocodile must want some other role in this rather than saving Ace."
"'The First Son of the Sea' Jimbe is there along with Ivankov who's one of the main leaders of the Revolutionary Army." Rayleigh adds. "Jimbe is understandable, but why would someone from the Revolution Army join?"
"Must be because they know of Luffy's bloodline." Uta said. "I mean there's no other way he would've persuaded someone like him otherwise."
"Hm, at the very least, it seems like the fallen Warlord is not an actual ally." Rayleigh said, staring at the screen.
Uta looks back and sees Crocodile going towards the emperor with his hook ready to seek blood. The Warlord successfully approaches Whitebeard from behind, but someone zooms in and stops him. It was Luffy. It was then that Uta understood how Luffy was able to defeat people as strong as Crocodile. Regardless, it was clear that Luffy did it with the intention to save Whitebeard. Luffy and Whitebeard then begin talking to each other.
"I'm pretty sure that Whitebeard could've handled it, but still nice to see Luffy moving fine." Uta said as she watched the screen. "Although, I doubt the man is thanking him."
"A squirt like you is gonna get slaughtered real easily." Whitebeard warns loud enough for the people to hear.
As long as Luffy doesn't say anything stupid, it should go okay. Uta thought as she remembers the last time she smacked talked Whitebeard.
"Shut up! You don't know! You don't even know me!" Luffy roars back.
Uta sighs as she remembers that Luffy doing stupid things was his specialty.
"I know what you're up to! Yeah, you want to be the king, huh?" Luffy said boldly.
"And now he's making an enemy of Whitebeard." Uta sighs as she puts a hand to her forehead. "I'm sure this will go well."
"The one who will be the king, will be ME!" Luffy yells.
Luffy's voice echoes not only throughout the battlefield, but the archipelago as well. All fighting and chatter ceased as everyone's face pales from the shock of Luffy challenging Whitebeard.
"Wahahaha!"
"Shh! Stop laughing! They're going to find us!" Uta hushes.
"Well, it puts a smile on your face to still see Luffy rambunctious as ever doesn't it?" Rayleigh asks. "You're smiling from ear to ear."
Uta takes a moment and touches her face and fails to realize that she was indeed smiling. Ever since Luffy talked back to Whitebeard in fact. After their brief argument, Luffy and Whitebeard seem to have calmed down and are talking together rather normally. Uta couldn't make out on what they were saying, but it seems they were in agreement. Luffy then jumps off the ship and runs headfirst into battle.
"Luffy is now part of the war." Uta said as she watched her childhood friend take out some marine soldiers. "As long as he and Ace don't die..."
Uta was so stressed that her nails dug into the handrails as she watched Luffy dodge and fight his way to Ace. Kizaru appears before and attempts to shoot him down, but the man with the purple afro saves him thankfully. A marine woman with some sort of cage devil fruit tried to catch him, but Luffy was too fast and got away. Up next to try their luck was the large man shaped like an onion. He somehow raised several people from the ground and made them march towards Luffy. Several marine soldiers chase after him and pummel him down, but Luffy will get back up and knock them back down.
"Stay away, Luffy!"
Uta turns to a different screen and sees Ace looking towards the battlefield with a distressed look.
Ace.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Ace asks. "You became a pirate because I wanted to! You only went to sea because you were following me!"
Surely that's not entirely true, but Ace must've been a key figure when Luffy wanted to be a pirate. Uta thought sadly. Who's he trying to persuade? Luffy or himself?
"But I got my own damn life without you in it!" Ace yells angrily. "I already got enough of my own friends! You get it?! I want you to stay the hell away from me!"
Uta felt nothing, but sorrow as Ace's threat fell on deaf ears. She knows the feeling of watching people who care about you die before your eyes, helpless to do anything at all. Something that you will never forget.
"Do you really wanna save me? A scrawny wimp like you?" Ace asks angrily. "What makes you think I'd even want something like that, huh?! That's just humiliating!"
Uta's eyes widen as Ace becomes more desperate.
"Go home, Luffy! I didn't ask for this!" Ace screams before he begins to break down.
"Ace..." Uta whispers.
"Ace!" Luffy yells back. "You're my brother!"
Everyone gasps in shock from what Luffy said. The marines, pirates, and the reporters watching in Sabaody. Uta frown slowly straightens out and begins to curve upwards. Ace stares in shock as Luffy runs towards him.
"I don't give a damn of what you want!" Luffy yells angrily. "I'm here to save you!"
"You, stubborn jackass!" Ace roars back.
Several more marines attempted to stop Luffy, but to no avail. The warlord also tried to attack him with his men, but stopped moving after getting hit by seawater. Despite being clobbered and beaten over and over again, Uta couldn't help but smirk at the sight.
"Gather your wits! You're making a mockery of the marines by letting this rookie take control of things!"
Everyone focuses on Sengoku who's speaking through the transponder snail. After two failed attempts on subduing Luffy, one of the giants approaches Luffy and begins to attack him with a club.
"Make no mistake, he's a true threat in the making!" Sengoku said. "He was raised alongside 'Fire Fist' Ace as his stepbrother and if that's not bad enough, he's the biological son of the Revolutionary Dragon!"
"Wow, the cat's out of the bag now." Uta said smiling. "Guess Kuma wasn't lying after all."
The reporters begin to go crazy as they hear the news. The chaos involving Luffy from down below was like a party for Uta. People are being too dramatic and she loved it. If this type of information won't change the tides of the war, then nothing will. Uta looks up at the screen and her jaw drops as she looks at Luffy arm grows bigger in size. His fist became so huge that it rivaled the giant he was about to throw the punch at. His punch made its mark and knocked him down.
"Hey, Ace!" Luffy yells. "I don't care what you say! I'm going to save you, even if it kills me!"
Uta chuckles at the sight.
"Just don't go and get yourself killed out there, Luffy." Uta said. "So Ace, what are you thinking right now?"
It didn't take long for the pirate to push forward, now that Luffy has brought morale, they are all more than happy to lay their lives down to save Ace. Uta watches as Luffy and his allies fight through more marines. One in particular was able to pin Luffy down, a logia user, but was stopped by the woman in purple.
"Who's that?" Uta asks. "She saved Luffy even though she's a warlord."
"That's Boa Hancock." Rayleigh said. "She's the empress of Amazon Lily."
"I guess she's the reason why Luffy was able to make it to Marineford relatively ok." Uta said, sighing with irritation. "I don't get it, but she rubs me the wrong way."
"Well, she does hate men so it is a wonder why she would help Luffy." Rayleigh hums.
"You sound like you know her well." Uta said.
"I met Hancock and her sisters a long time ago." Rayleigh said. "Right after they met a horrendous fate."
"Horrendous?" Uta asks.
"It's not my place to explain any further." Rayleigh said. "Let's just say I'm just confused as you are."
Luffy and Hancock seem to be talking to each other, then Luffy suddenly jumps and hugs her. Uta's eyes widened with shock and anger. Rayleigh drops his flask in response to Luffy's actions.
"What the f..."
"That's very surprising." Rayleigh said
Uta's face turns red and her teeth grind against each other. She doesn't know whether this is jealousy or something else, but whatever happened was clearly Hancock's fault. Even if Uta doesn't know the context behind it.
"To think that vixen gets to be hugged." Uta growls. "Even I never..."
"Uta, you seem to be losing the point." Rayleigh said as he picked up his flask. "I'm sure it's not what you think."
"Eh?!" Uta growls. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Anyways, Luffy is on the move and Whitebeard's allies are changing battle tactics." Rayleigh noted. "Seem as if the allied forces are attacking the surrounding battleships."
The pair continue watching to see Luffy and Ivankov being stopped by Kuma. Since Kuma helped Luffy earlier it would be a fair statement to say that he would help, but Uta knows that Kuma is not an ally. Kuma opens his mouth and fires at Luffy. Uta looks away knowing that Kuma wasn't lying about being a mindless machine. As seen on the screen, he no longer has a freewill. Luffy was able to get out of the way and the big headed person left to take over. Uta's eyes widened with fear.
"No, anyone but him." Uta gasps.
Standing before Luffy, is the world strongest swordsman, Dracule 'Hawk Eyes' Mihawk. The only person who can possibly compete with him was Shanks and Uta knows Luffy has no chance against him. What can his fist possibly do against a black blade? Mihawk slashes through the ice multiple times and grazes Luffy more than once which causes Uta's blood to run cold. All of the sudden, the people on the scaffold are beginning to move suspiciously.
"They're not going to...are they planning to execute Ace early?!" Uta asks angrily. "I guess that just proves how unconfident the marines really are!"
"Your anger isn't going to mean anything to them." Rayleigh said. "From a strategic point of view, this is, unfortunately, the right call."
The camera then pans over to see several, no, an army of Pacifistas. Uta remembers the stories Abell told her along with what Kuma has described to them. To think that the marines had this many under their control was mind boggling to Uta. The Section Leader could barely hold their own against one, how would the pirates manage to beat several dozen? The New World pirates attacked the Pacifistas, but they didn't so much put a dent in their skin. People in the crowd were commenting on how monstrous those Kuma copies were and Uta couldn't agree more. This is her first time seeing a Pacifista with her own eyes and she can be sure that there is no way she could beat that thing easily. The media begin to scatter and jot down what they see before them. It didn't take long before the Pacfistas began to open fire their laser beams at the pirates.
"This is utter madness." Uta gasps as her eyes stay glued to the screen. "This is not a war, it's a slaughter."
Uta looks at the other screen and notices the marines retreating. No one seemed to have noticed as the Pacifistas were stealing the show. Suddenly, the screen on the left goes black, then the one on the right.
"This is not normal." Uta said, narrowing her eyes. "The timing is too convenient."
"Your right, the marines are cutting off the communications." Rayleigh said. "You noticed their movements too, didn't you."
"Yeah, I did." Uta nods. "A change in battle strategy that the marines don't want us to see."
The center screen stays on and by the looks of things is like it's being held. Pretty badly at that too. Everyone was murmuring curiously as to what was happening. Then, a poster blocked the view of the battle with the words 'Please wait a moment!'. Without a doubt this had to be some sort of stupid prank. Uta was downright irritated. Once more, the quality those bozos put into this is terrible and hard to watch.
"We're all set."
"Hey, you're blocking the shot."
"Ok, camera is ready to go!"
"We're going to live in five..."
Someone begins a countdown from five and when they say 'action', the people lift the panel up revealing the war.
Something is definitely not right. Uta thought as she glared at the screen. It's being tampered.
"Ahem, we apologize for keeping you waiting." a voice said. "Uh, we're live here at Marineford surrounded by the dead bodies of pirates and marines."
"You don't say? What kind of ridiculous commentary is this?!" Uta asks angrily as she makes a fist with her hand. "Whoever is doing this is making a mockery of this whole war!"
Rayleigh stood in silence and continued to observe. Then the camera shifts to see a light and someone wearing a captain's hat and marine coat with the kanji for 'justice' crossed out.
"Wait, is that who I think it is?" the commentator asks. "Oh, it is! I can't believe it's him! He's been laying low for all these years, but he was a member of the legendary crew that served under Gold Rogers, the King of the Pirates!"
The audience were staring, jaws dropped, not in shock, but utter confusion. Uta was no different than them.
"Rayleigh?" Uta asks, hoping to get a response from a member of the said crew. "Know who this is?"
"I don't." Rayleigh said, scratching his head. "However, only one person on the battlefield is there to hold the title of being a member of Roger's crew."
"You gotta be kidding me." Uta growls as the veins in her forehead bulge. "It better not be who I think it is."
"Can it really be the renowned pirate, Captain Buggy?" the commentator asks with joy.
The man turns his head to reveal himself as none other than Buggy.
"Did someone say my name?" Buggy asks, smiling at the camera.
The crowd were silent and were all more confused than before. Rayleigh sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. Uta grabs the handrails and cracks it beneath her grip as she tries and controls her rage.
"It is classified information, but I admit it." Buggy said smiling.
Before Buggy could continue, he gets a nosebleed and someone in a prison uniform jumps in front of the camera and yells cut, before putting up the sign from before.
My childhood friend is risking his life. My friend is about to be executed. All I can do is watch from afar. Uta mutters as breaks off a piece of the handrails. I didn't hold my emotions for five days to watch a comedy bit!
"Take two! Ready go!" the commentary yells as the sign is put down again to reveal Buggy's back. "Oh! Is that who I think it is? The legendary member of Gold Roger and sworn brother of Shanks of the Four Emperors?"
AND you have the nerve to drag Shanks' name into this mess?! Uta curses under her breath. Unforgivable! Sworn brother my ass!
Rayleigh looks to his side and takes a step back as black streams of electricity begin to envelop Uta.
"Could it be the mythical pirate Captain Buggy?!" the man asks as he zooms in on Buggy.
Buggy turns his head and looks at the camera showing off a stupid toothy smile.
"Did someone say my name?" Buggy asks again.
Uta was so livid that her frown turned into a demonic smile and her hair began to waver menacingly. Uta remembers that day clearly when that same man on the screen attempted to decapitate Luffy. She would never forget that face. Rayleigh decided it was best for now to keep away from Uta as no words could ever comfort her.
Unforgivable.
"I just saw you get sliced in half by the infamous 'Hawk Eye' Mihawk, but there's not even a scratch on you!" the man adds.
Unforgivable.
Every word that commentator said was fuel to the rage that was burning in Uta.
Unforgivable.
"Who, me?" Buggy asks. "That's right, I'm Buggy! The living legend!"
"I'M GOING TO KILL THAT STUPID RED NOSE SON OF A BITCH!" Uta screams as she cackles maniacally. "YOU HEAR ME, BUGGY?! I'LL SEND YOU TO HELL!"
Well, Uta lost it. She lost it on so many levels. Relief, sadness, jealousy, anxiety, hope, and anger. At least we got to her breaking point. Judging by the pacing, you all can imagine how slow this will be. There is twelve manga chapter stuffed inside this one and hopefully I can add less in the future so I won't overburden you guys with information you all know already. I'll try my best to speed up the pace somewhat. Also, here are two links to fanart https://twitter.com/Raychel_Bell/status/1682127207463030785 is where you can see a design for Abell.
The second drawing is a scene in chapter 38 made by https://twitter.com/ArtistTanizami. Please check them out and praise them for their efforts. Next time we meet, I'm assuming the big day will be here. In the meantime, look forward to the next chapter! Bye!