Chapter 92: Snake Pit (3)
Steampunk. It was an idea that Smoker came up with within a short period of time, as well as the next step of 'Seimei Kikan: Ghost Body.'
Tssss...
Dilated blood vessels, along with the shift of muscles such that they were placed closer to one another. And most importantly, the blood... ones that oozed out of Smoker's body slowly morphed into a gaseous form, and re-entered Smoker's body.
Tssss...
That's right. The back-and-forth movement of concentrated smoke in Smoker's body—its purpose was to amplify the strength of Smoker's heart, one that will be handling the relatively lighter 'smoke' blood instead of the usual liquid blood it's been working with. In contrast to 'Ghost Body' where his innards were entirely morphed into gas, 'Steampunk' focused on the gas-transformation of blood only.
Ba-Bump.
Said gaseous blood delivered oxygen throughout the body at a phenomenal speed—at least a hundred times faster than before. The faster delivery of oxygen not only meant greater stamina and heightened overall physical capability, but also, intensified senses.
Ba-Bump.
Smoker, with his long white hair floating due to the pressure of air and smoke continuously expelled out of him, locked his eyes onto Blaise—one who seemed to have gotten cautious. His hazel-coloured eyes brimmed with life even after taking multiple critical hits.
And currently, within his sight, numerous jacket snakes were approaching—at a speed notably slower than before. But it wasn't that they've gotten slower.
Smoker simply became faster—by a lot, that is.
'Soru.'
SWOOSH!
Blaise stiffened with his eyes exhibiting a red gleam, and Smoker simultaneously moved. Through his Advanced Observation Haki, he saw a glimpse into the future, and managed to see,
'...Hah?!'
BOOOM!
Smoker's fist landing straight onto his face.
SWOOSH!
And subsequently, Smoker weaved through the incredible number of jacket snakes at once. Blaise's eyes, as he quickly re-adjusted his position while wiping the blood under his nose, shifted left and right quickly, continuously looking into the future.
CLANG—!
Blaise then grimaced as Smoker's kick came from the side. By stomping his foot on the floor and raising a wall made out of jacket, he barely managed to block said attack—
"Black Impact."
—before Smoker released a potent blast of black smoke that penetrated right through the jacket wall.
BOOOOM!
Losing his calm due to this unexpected power-up from Smoker, Blaise gritted his teeth in frustration.
'How come?!'
Future Sight granted him a vast amount of information. By literal means, it showed him what will happen in the future, and allowed him to prepare for it. However... such information meant nothing in front of Smoker's unbelievably potent strength and speed.
SWOOSH!
And there it was yet again. Smoker, standing in front of Blaise all of a sudden, was holding onto a swirling ball of black smoke. Behind him, the countless jacket snakes were found ripped, burning, and morphed back to stones and rubbles.
'...Without a doubt, this was the future that I saw.' Blaise thought with his eyes trembling in disbelief, 'But... I don't have the ability to change it...?'
A ball of black smoke then slammed onto Blaise's exposed chest,
"Black Flow."
BOOOOM!
Blaise was drilled back, his back driving through several stone walls that constituted multiple cells around. For the first time after the fight, he coughed blood out, indicating the internal damage from Smoker's technique. And finally, Blaise crashed onto the exterior wall that seemed not too far away from crumbling down, and his flight ended with the rise of the dust cloud.
"Huff... Huff..."
Meanwhile, Smoker was breathing heavily with sunken eyes. It was evident that 'Seimei Kikan: Steampunk' was inducing extreme stress on his already-injured body.
'How much time do I have?'
Briefly looking to the side where Gion was battling Shiryu, Smoker raised his body back up with all his strength. In his ears, he heard the time ticking, and he was aware that once he stops moving, all will be over.
SWOOSH!
Therefore, he, without thinking any further, dashed into the cloud of dust, using everything that he had to take down the monster ahead of him.
__________
Marineford, filled with those hailed as the best fighters of the world, was currently experiencing the might of the world's legends.
Whitebeard, also known as Edward Newgate. His naginata was clashing against the Haki-imbued fist of the grinning man of grey-coloured hair and similarly grey-coloured beard: Monkey D. Garp the 'Marine Hero.'
VROOOOOOOM!
Thud.
Left and right, marines, pirates, and Government-affiliated combatants fell abruptly, unable to withstand the might of conquerors. Their hollowed eyes stared into the thin air as Newgate and Garp consecutively exchanged blows—ones that strangely didn't touch. From the sheer impact alone, the ground underneath the fallen bodies tremored—though it was unknown if this tremor was the effect of Newgate's Tremor Tremor fruit.
"Huff... huff... w-what... in the world..." Sweating from head to toe, T Bone struggled to keep his body upright. His sword was embedded on floor, serving as a cane that upheld his weight.
"...We'll simply be a nuisance to Garp-san if we were to stay close to them." One Vice Admiral with black mohawk hair atop his mostly bald head, named Momonga, bit his lips to inflict pain on himself. Without said twinge of pain, it was impossible to maintain sanity in this mouth-agaping situation.
BOOM.
Abruptly, Newgate stabbed his naginata named Murakumogiri—one of the infamous 12 Supreme Grade swords—on the ground. As Garp halted his fist and raised his eyebrow questioningly, Newgate looked up at the execution stand. The blue-haired woman, tied up, was found unconscious along with the guards who were supposed to execute her minutes ago.
"Gurarara... I don't have time to waste with you, Garp...!" Grinning, Newgate then clenched his right hand tight before slowly readying it for a punch.
"Bwahahaha!!! So you're finally done playing around, huh, Whitebeard?!!" Garp's eyes widened along with his grin, showcasing how excited he was. The gust of air wildly blew out of him as the Armament Haki: Emission on his hand expanded and accelerated to an extent where others didn't think it'd be possible.
The two of them then jumped at each other,
"ALL OF YOU!!!" Sengoku shouted in an authoritative tone, "TAKE COVER!!!"
"Hypocenter Attack!" / "Galaxy Impact!!"
Two fists, without directly touching one another, generated an incredible ripple across the entire sky. The black lightning sparked and crackled, showcasing what it meant for the Marine Hero and the world's strongest to clash against each other.
The collision between two powerhouses—the Marineford couldn't handle it. The wind stormed by, pushing everyone away from the eye of the storm. The buildings shattered, the fallen ones were sent into the air, and the ground beneath broke into several pieces. Marines, pirates, or others—their identities didn't matter in front of the inexplicable catastrophe, and they had to exert all their focus on 'surviving' this situation. Sengoku, quickly transforming into his Buddha form, descended the collapsing execution platform with two unconscious guards in his arms. And the unconscious 'Whitey Bay,' on the other hand, freely fell... into the cloud of dust.
At the eye of the storm, the surrounding sound became muted for a brief moment due to the chaos all around. During this time, Newgate spoke, "What are you marines thinking even? Gurarara… this is unlike what I've seen from you folks for years."
"Heh, if you're talking about that Ice Witch of yours," Garp snorted, "Thank my apprentice for that! If not for him, she would've been killed a long time ago!"
"Apprentice?" Newgate's eyes narrowed, "That white snake brat?"
Garp grinned, "Who else can it be?"
BOOOOOOM!
As the clash ended, two men were blasted back from one another. While Newgate was blasted into a crumbled-down building, Garp was flown all the way out into the sea, causing the water to erupt all the way up to the high sky.
And then, a silence momentarily engulfed the entire Marineford, before one person muttered, "...Where is Whitey Bay?"
"...!"
Multiple quickly flinched in realization, coming to learn that Whitey Bay was lost into during the disastrous clash.
Yamakaji, one of the Vice Admirals, immediately shouted in panic, "Do not let the Ice Witch go into the hands of Whitebeard!! If necessary, you're permitted to execute her on the spot!!!"
Another Vice Admiral, named Doberman, stated, "Whoever kills her... the reward will be hefty!"
The ambitious marines and other warriors—those who managed to survive through Newgate's Conqueror's Haki—immediately acted, jumping into the cloud of dust giddily. Out of panic, members of the Whitebeard pirates shouted,
"They are about to kill Whitey Bay!!!"
"STOP THEM!!!"
Meanwhile, Newgate stood back up from the rubbles with a grin. His eyes briefly headed to the back, where the white-haired woman in marine's uniform dove into the bay.
"Gurarara..." Finding amusement, Newgate then watched,
BOOM! As Marco, with a groan, crashed right onto the ground on his left—with a few burns across his body due to Borsalino's attacks.
"Ugh..." Huffing, Marco stood back up. In a hurry to prevent the death of 'Whitey Bay,' he desperately opened his flame-wings once more, about to fly—
"Marco."
The phoenix man stopped as his captain called him. Newgate, grinning at his son, said,
"We're retreating."
"H-Huh?! What do you mean by that, pops?!! Whitey Bay's—" Marco, crying in disbelief, stopped in the midst of his sentence. Looking at Newgate's confidence-filled visage, he was rendered confused. As the noises of guns, metallic clanging sounds, and screams were heard from all around, Marco stood still, processing what Newgate just said. Then, his eyes widened. Turning around, he shouted loudly,
"WHITEBEARD PIRATES!!! ALL OF YOU!!!"
Jozu, the man of burly physique, raised his eyebrow at Marco's sudden yell as he blocked another attack from Kuzan—with ease.
"...What's with you, Aokiji?" Jozu muttered, "I was looking forward to facing the Marine's 'burning ice.' But you—"
"WE'RE RETREATING!!!"
"—What the fuck?"
Jozu hurriedly turned his head to Marco—who was seen nearby Newgate who was on one knee. Redirecting his head to the cloud of dust, he saw numerous marines and other combatants breaking their formation and running into it like mad-men. Jozu's face turned pale, before his eyes turned bloodshot in a rage.
"WHY?!!"
"...Retreat? Who said that we'd let you do so?"
Then, Kuzan let out a chilly breath as his right hand gripped onto a sharp sword made out of ice.
"Ice Saber—"
CLANG!
A sword suddenly found its way onto Kuzan's 'Ice Saber.' Landing in front of dazed Jozu, Vista—the man with a fine-looking mustache—spoke solemnly, "...You heard that, Jozu. We're pulling back."
"We haven't even got her back yet!!" Jozu growled, "What do you mean pull back?!! Did pops lose his mind?!!"
With keen eyes, Vista leaned in at Jozu and whispered, "Because she's already with us."
Jozu frowned in yet another confusion, wondering what Vista was speaking of. But nonetheless, Jozu then grabbed Vista by the hem of the his shirt and pulled him back,
CLANG CLANG!
preventing Kuzan's ice shards from attacking Vista with his diamond-turned arms.
"...I saw that coming." Vista mumbled.
"Yes, obviously!"
SPLASH—!
Right at that moment, the stationary Moby Dick was back to its operation, turning its huge body around in an instant and generating a wave that splashed onto the plaza close to the bay. Many Whitebeard pirates who were on the ship shouted, "LET'S GO, EVERYONE!!!"
Some seemed confused, and some seemed angered. Many Whitebeard pirates questioned Newgate's decision, but regardless boarded for now, thinking that they'll get to hear the explanation later on—
"Huh...?"
—and then they found, Newgate huffing heavily all of a sudden his hand clasped over his blood-spilling mouth.
"P-Pops... You're acting, right...?" Marco, paling up from the sudden sign of sickness from Newgate, whispered.
__________
"...How is the situation in Sabaody Archipelago."
Currently, in Pangaea Castle of Mariejois, the Five Elders were overseeing the multiple collisions at Marineford, G-1, and Impel Down simultaneously.
<
Five Elders, standing with well-hidden nervousness, exhibited darkened visages. The call was cut, and walking back and forth, they spoke among themselves,
"...Smoker managed to free himself, meaning that cuffs weren't seastone. With Rear Admiral Gion present to broadcast our plan... it is evident, that someone in Marine decided to side with him."
"We can't ignore the possibility of there being a betrayer among the staff of the Impel Down."
"Though situation seems to have gotten strange… Pierro will defeat Smoker with no problem. What must be worried about is the situation after. Judging by how Sabaody Archipelago refuses to comply, it is evident that the impact of that criminal has been much more severe than what we anticipated."
"However, the biggest issue is Garp! The purpose of this plan, in the first place, was to assassinate Smoker without Garp's notice! Now that the whole world knows... once the war is over—"
<
"...!"
A voice was spoken from different Den Den Mushi, earning all five men's attention.
"Yes. Speak."
<
"…Already?"
<
<
And that wasn't the end, as another Den Den Mushi rang even before the call with the other ended. Feeling a headache coursing through his brain, the elders picked up the call.
<
"...What?!"
The elders looked at each other, puzzled by these abrupt changes.
The overall situation has left their hands, and was turning into something completely unpredictable.
__________
"Huff... huff... why are you attacking us?"
Standing on a sinking ship were multiple Cipher Pol agents, bleeding to death. They, lying with helplessness, said to their foes—ones with blue skins and jagged teeth, Fish-Men.
"...We've seen what's going on in Sabaody Archipelago." One among them spoke up, crossing his arms as he stood on top of one wooden piece that used to be the part of the sinking ship, "Our benefactor has been locked up for a ridiculous reason, and yet, he managed to devise a plan to expose the World Government's cruelty to the entire world."
With a firm expression, this fish-man barked,
"Such man cannot be forgotten!! If now isn't the time for this rotten world to change, then when will it be?!" This fish-man, characterized by a round body and features that resembled a whale shark, glared at the CP agents, "I, Jinbe, am the man who knows honour, and we, the whole Fish-Man race, knows that scums like you can't be allowed to reach the Sabaody Archipelago!"
"...Tch," At the back, another one with saw-like nose wrinkled up his face, expressing his disdain in words spoken by the whale shark fish-man, "You're ridiculous as always, Jinbe... though I do like the idea of killing all humans here."
__________
"P-please... t-t-t-the World Government will kill us if you continue to do this!!!"
Raising his hands up, one Marine Officer cried in a tear-filled tone. He was the Commodore Barricade, and currently, on his neck was a gigantic blade—held by the huge man of jagged red hair, Bastille.
"I don't care-dara."
"A-ahhhh!!! I'm going to die!! I'm going to die—"
PUK.
Knocking Barricade unconscious with the hilt of his greatsword, Bastille gazed outside through the window, where everyone was watching the huge screen that showed the situation in the Impel Down. Slamming his bandage-covered fist on a nearby table, Bastille's face held that of frustration and helplessness.
'...Smoker.'
Bastille stared at the white-haired man on the screen, overwhelming the angered man of orange hair, Blaise. But in his eyes, Smoker seemed at his last breath, huffing rapidly with his body shaking in exhaustion.
'...This is all that I can do-dara.'
Along with Gion, he received the top-secret information regarding Smoker's plan from the Fleet Admiral himself. Acting as if his wounds didn't heal to an adequate amount, he joined the group of people who evacuated to Sabaody Archipelago and hijacked the screen present in Grove 33—the Sabaody Park.
Right now, Bastille felt powerless. He wished to go to the Impel Down and aid his friend. But he knew that in that circumstance, he'd only be a deadweight.
Having the whole world witness the true face of the hypocritical World Government—was the only thing that the current Bastille could help in.
'But still,' Bastille wistfully thought, 'I don't want to lose you like Dalmatian, Masterson, and Cancer. Me, Hina, Doll, Ain, Binz, Shuzo—all of us believe that you'd be the one to lead us in the future... to truly show what it means to be a marine-dara.'
Watching the bloody showdown between Smoker and Blaise, Bastille hoped,
'...So don't you dare die on us-dara.'