One Piece: The Marineford War

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Ken, Marine K9 Unit © Me

Summary- Luffy and Blizzard have arrived at the Marine HQ, Marineford, where Ace is due to be executed. There, they find themselves involved in a full scale war between the mighty Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines. With Warlords, Marines, and the three Admirals standing in the way, Luffy's strength and the love for his older brother will be put to the ultimate test, and a race against the clock begins. Will Luffy be able to save Ace in time, or will it all be in vain?

Ch. 1- Marine Headquarters

In the South Blue, the weather is very stormy. People would have to be crazy to sail a ship in this weather…especially on this day.

In a marketplace, people were buying whatever food they could get.

"Well," said a young man, "only three more hours to ago. Where do you think Whitebeard might be? You think that the old man will ever show up?"

"I don't know, and to be honest, I don't give the slightest damn!" an older man snapped. "I haven't heard much about ol' Whitebeard anyway!"

XXX

In the East Blue, it was cloudy, and some shepherds were out herding some sheep.

"Whitebeard's practically a living fossil from an era-gone-by, including that mutt of his," said an old shepherd. "What makes you so sure that he'll beat the Marines at his age?!"

"It doesn't matter who's gonna win or who'll lose," said a man with tattoos on his bald head and smoking a pipe. "I do know this: a lot of people are gonna die in that war. "If Whitebeard's wised up over all these years, then he and Stefan won't show up and let Ace die. I mean, what's the life of one pirate against those of so many, anyway?"

XXX

In the North Blue, it was a snowy, freezing cold day. A couple of men were hoping to get some drinks at a local pub, but upon getting there, they saw it had been closed, as their neighbors had said.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!"

"I want my booze, old man!"

"You shut up!" the barkeep snapped at them. "The pub's closed all day, today! Maybe I'll open up tomorrow, that is if there's a still world, tomorrow! Until then, get your booze someplace else!"

"Can't you sell me just one bottle, at least?! I need some booze to get through this thing! Please!"

XXX

In the West Blue, some men were enjoying drinks at a bar that had decided not to close for the day. Apparently, the barkeep didn't believe that the world would be in shambles once Whitebeard attacked. However, others still spoke of him.

"There's no way that old-timer's gonna win against the World Government, now. Look at him, and his dog, too!"

"You're right. Whitebeard and that dog of his should just give up while they're ahead. Let the rest of his crew handle taking care of rescuing Ace!"

"Shut up!"

KLUMP! A peg leg stomped into the floor.

"Whitebeard may be old," said the punter, "but don't you dare go underestimating him! If you ask, he's still as strong as ever! Why, it was just one year ago…the moment my crew and I first laid our eyes on that old man and his dog…our lives were as good as over. Whitebeard…is a living demon, and that dog of his…? He was no dog…he was a bloodthirsty beast from Hell."

A pause, but then, everyone broke out into laughter.

"Whitebeard? A demon?!"

"And that mutt of his, a beast from Hell?! Yeah, right! HAHAHAHAHA!"

The old pirate seethed before he took a drink of his grog.

XXX

In the Grand Line, a mother was watching her children play jump rope with their friends. However, she did not take delight in doing so like she used to.

"Listen," the mother told her friend. "Even the children know about the terrible Whitebeard and his dog. Listen to them singing."

"Whitebeard is humming~!

The Devil is coming~!

With his beast by his side,

They all run and hide,

They know that death is coming~!"

(A/N: I know, not a good rhyme, and it sounds dark, but it's the best I could do.)

The mother sighed. Did her children even realize the morbid things they were singing about? About death, the Devil, and a beast? She closed her eyes, raised her head up to the heavens, and folded her hands in prayer.

"O, heavenly Father," she prayed. "Deliver us."

XXX

On the island of Marineford, where Marine Headquarters is stationed, there is a large town mostly inhabited by the families of Marine personnel. The streets are completely empty, save for one stray cat. The reason: the citizens have been evacuated to the safety of the Sabaody Archipelago. There, they shall bear witness to Ace's execution on monitors. Reporters and photographers have gathered there from hither and yon to report the news to the entire world.

At the Sabaody Archipelago, the evacuated families stood in front of the monitors, watching every event that shall take place, along with news reporters and photographers, when suddenly…

"Look!" a man shouted. "There's Ace, on the scaffold!"

XXX

Outside of Marineford, the Marine surveillance ships have all disappeared in the fog. So far, there has been no sign of Whitebeard, but even so, the entire island holds its breath.

CHANK! KLANK! Ace drops to his knees as he is being chained to the scaffold, and the executioners hold their blades in front of him in an X-position. There are only three hours to go until his head rolls.

"Stay alert, men! We have to be ready for anything!"

The owner of the voice is revealed to belong to Vice-Admiral John Giant. As his name implies, he is a giant that towers over regular Marine soldiers by several times in height and has curly brown hair. He wears a red Marine bicorn hat and a variation of the standard Marine coat with yellows colorings, red borders, and medals adorned on the left side. Unlike other high-ranking Marines, like Garp, John wears his coat with his arms in the sleeves. Underneath the coat, he wears an orange shirt, simple loose pants, and boots. Overall, he appears to be a well-decorated Marine. Slung over his shoulder is a katana that fits his size.

"In three hours," John boomed, "it will all be over!"

The Marines roared in agreement.

100,000 elite Marine troops stand ready for battle.

Marine K9 Units 1-10, each holding up to 5 dogs or more, stand at the ready. Leading the first unit is Marine K9 Officer Ken, the younger brother of "White Wolf" Blizzard.

While Ken sits at the bay, patiently, the rest of his troops seemed anxious and frantic. Their handler is trying to his best to calm them down.

"Easy, now, Shiyu," the handler said as he gently pet a Golden Retriever with a blue collar with a Marine dog tag. "Don't be nervous, guys. Everything will be fine. Look at Ken! See how poised he is? If he can be brave, then so can all of you."

Crystal, a female Shepherd dog, looked at Ken, who sits at the ready, waiting for Whitebeard to attack, if he ever does.

Ken has been trained for this day long before he even knew it was coming, and if there was one thing the Husky/wolf-hybrid knew, it was that when you are a Marine, about to face down thousands of pirates, you must show no fear and do whatever it takes to make sure that justice shall prevail.

That was the law of Absolute Justice, which the dog had learned from Admiral Akainu, himself.

Suddenly, Ken's body seemed to twitch, and then, out of nowhere, KOFF! A small but audible cough emanated from his mouth, which he covered with his front paw. As he pulled his paw away from his mouth, he saw small specks of red.

Ken's eyes widened, and he sighed, putting his paw down before anyone could see.

Dammit, he thought. Why now, of all times?

"Commanding Officer Ken?"

Ken turned to look at Crystal, approached him from behind.

"What's wrong?" she asked him in her canine language. "Is something the matter?"

"There's nothing wrong, here," Ken replied. "Return to your post, rookie."

"But sir-" Crystal began.

"Crystal!"

Crystal turned to look at Shiyu, the Golden Retriever, Ken's second-in-command and best friend.

"Don't distract the Commander," he said to her. "We must be on constant alert. The Whitebeard Pirates could attack at any given moment. We, the Marine K9 Unit, as well as all the Marines here, have been trained for this day long before it even arrived. As a rookie, this will be your first real test as a Marine, and if you're successful, you might finally be able to earn your dog tag."

Crystal looked at her empty collar, and sighed. She had joined the Marine K9's 1st Unit about several months ago, but she had yet to earn the coveted Marine dog tag. As long as she does not have that dangling from her collar, Crystal will still be considered a rookie. Hopefully, today shall be the day that she will finally earn it and walk proudly among her comrades, but let's save that for another time.

Meanwhile, there are 50 battleships surrounding the island of Marineford, as well its crescent moon-shaped bay.

Batteries of heavy cannons line the shore, and on the wall stand five warriors, ready to decided the outcome of the upcoming battle. They are pirates, the five remaining Warlords of the Sea who have answered the summons of the World Government: Dracule Mihawk, Boa Hancock, Gecko Moria, Bartholomew Kuma, and Donquixote Doflamingo. While Mihawk, Kuma, and Doflamingo are dressed in their usual attire, Hancock, on the other hand, is dressed in a purple dress with the mark of the Kuja printed all over, as well as purple high heel pumps, and Moria is wearing a blue cape with beige fur trimmings.

Finally, high atop the execution scaffold in the town plaza, the central figure of this drama, 2nd Unit Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Portgas D. "Fire Fist" Ace, kneels and quietly awaits his fate. The platform is guarded by the World Government's Ultimate Powerhouses: the three Admirals, Aokiji, Kizaru, and finally, the one in the middle, Admiral Sakazuki, better known by his alias, "Akainu".

Akainu is an incredibly tall man, about as tall as his fellow Admirals, with a broad, square-shaped face, very pronounced facial features and short black hair. He wears a standard Marine cap and sports a crimson double-breasted suit, decorated with what appears to be a pink rose on the top left buttonhole. Unlike many high-ranking Marines, however, Akainu does not appear to wear a tie. Instead, he leaves his light flower-patterned shirt unbuttoned, showing off his muscular neck and part of a light blue tattoo.

These might defenders of justice have come to prevent Ace's rescue and to do battle with the mighty Whitebeard and his pirates.

XXX

Meanwhile, in the Tub Current, a Marine battleship has reached the Gates of Justice. However, its passengers are anything but Marine.

On board is Monkey D. Luffy and his dog, "White Wolf" Blizzard, who have come to rescue Ace from execution, and joining him are Jimbei, Buggy the Clown, and hundreds of other Impel Down escapees.

"Hey, Jimbei! Look!" Luffy called. "The Gates of Justice! We made it!"

And hopefully, with time to spare, Blizzard thought.

"Actually, Luffy," Jimbei said, "it took longer than expected. The wind was against us. Now…how to get through the gate is the question."

Gulp! Blizzard swallowed the lump in his throat. That uneasy notch in his stomach had returned, and it felt worse than before.

Dammit, he thought. Why can't this feeling just leave me alone?

"All right, then, men!" Buggy called to the prisoners. "We're here! And just what is beyond that gate?!"

"Fortune and glory!" the prisoners cheered.

"You got that right! HAHAHAHAHA!"

XXX

Back at Marineford, two figures are walking to the scaffold.

"Garp…don't try to stop me. I'm going to tell them everything."

"Fine. Do whatever you please. I'll be waiting, down below."

Fleet Admiral Sengoku appears atop the scaffold while Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Garp stayed behind.

"Stand back," Sengoku ordered the executioner, who stood aside to allow him to stand next to Ace.

"Yes, sir."

Everyone looked up when they saw Sengoku, who was given a Mini Transponder Snail.

"Attention, everyone," Sengoku said. "I have something to say to you all The execution of this man, Portgas D. 'Fire Fist' Ace, is a matter of enormous importance!"

Smoker, Tashigi, Momonga, and the Marine K9 1st Unit looked up, wondering what Sengoku meant.

Vice-Admiral Tsuru turned to look at Garp and said, almost sympathetically, "It's not your fault, Garp."

"BWAHAHAHA!" Garp laughed, albeit halfheartedly. "You women sure are kind about this stuff like this, eh, Tsuru?"

"Ace," Sengoku continued. "What is your father's name?"

A slight pause came.

"His father's name?"

"What does that have to do with any of this?"

"…my father's name," Ace began, "is Whitebeard."

"Not true!" Sengoku bellowed.

"Yes, it is!" Ace shouted. "Whitebeard is my father! My REAL father! There's nobody else!"

"We were looking everywhere," Sengoku continued, ignoring Ace's protests, "when Cipher Pol gave us intelligence of the possibility that one of his children might be born on a certain island. We examined newborns, even unborn infants and their mothers and found nothing…but that was only natural. Your mother used a trick to hide you. A trick that cost her her very life!"

Hina, Jango, Fullbody, Coby, and Helmeppo looked up, the latter of the two looking somewhat nervous.

"We were fooled. The whole world was fooled! Your mother, Ace, lived on the island of Baterilla in the South Blue. Her name was Portgas D. Rouge. She did something we never imagined was possible. She hid her child in her womb for 20 months in order to save it!"

Ace's eyes went wide.

"She bought your life, Ace, at the cost of her own. One year and three months before you were born, your father was executed. The blood of the most terrible criminal that the world has ever known…courses through your veins."

A pause.

"Don't you start playing dumb, now!"

No, Ace thought. No! Don't say it! Please, DON'T SAY IT!

"Your father, Ace, was the one and only Gold Roger, the Pirate King!"

Everyone in the plaza gasped. Even the Marine K9 Units had to gasp at the revelation, for no one except Sengoku, Garp, and Ace himself knew about this.

Portgas, or rather, Gol D. Ace…is the son of Gol D. Roger, the former King of the Pirates, and judging Ace's facial expression, it appeared to be something he did not take pride in.

Garp stood behind, looking down with guilt, and he let his mind wander to the day before Roger's execution.

"My unborn child is innocent, Garp," the old Vice-Admiral heard the Pirate King's words in his memory. "I ask you…take care of my son!"

Garp sighed.

Forgive me…Roger.

TO BE CONTINUED…

That's right, everybody, the most epic (and also sad) arc is about to begin. Stick around for the action...that is until...well...

Review, please.