Chapter 9: The Fall of Titans – Shadows of Defeated
Chapter 9: The Fall of Titans – Shadows of Defeated
Five Years Ago: The Calm Before the Storm
Five years before Dragon would grit his teeth through the Trial of Justice, the world wasn't exactly a peaceful place.
Nope, it was a chaotic mess, and at the center of it all stood the Rocks Pirates a crew so wild and dangerous they made the Grand Line itself tremble.
Led by Rocks D. Xebec, a guy who'd basically hit Pirate King levels of power, they'd been tearing through the North Blue like it was their personal playground. Hico Island? Raided. Trade routes? Wrecked.
The World Government was sweating bullets, and Marshal Kong? Oh, he was done .
Picture this: a dimly lit war room in Marine Headquarters, maps plastered everywhere like some obsessive cartographer's dream. Kong's standing there, fists clenched, looking like he's about to punch a hole through the table and trust me, he could.
Around him are the big shots: Admiral Coze Russel, all sharp edges and stormy vibes; Admiral Sugo, old as dirt but still scary as hell; Admiral Steel Bone, built like a walking fortress; and Vice Admiral Garp, grinning like a kid about to break something expensive.
"Silver Axe, Linlin, and that Kaido punk are off at Elbaf, grabbing shipbuilding stuff,"
Kong says, jabbing a finger at the map of Pirate Island.
"Xebec's alone with half his crew. We hit now, we hit hard divide and conquer."
Russel smirks, his silver hair flicking like it's caught in a breeze he's making himself.
"Leave the skies to me. My Wind Wind Fruit'll rip their defenses to shreds. They won't even see us coming."
Sugo grunts, his grizzled face twitching.
"I'll take Xebec. Been a while since I clawed something that big."
His hands flex, and you can almost hear the Black Panther Zoan growling under his skin.
Steel Bone nods, his voice a low rumble.
"Fleet's mine. I'll lock this island down tighter than a vault. No one's slipping out."
Garp slams a fist into his palm, laughing loud enough to rattle the windows.
"About time! I've been itching to crack Xebec's skull. Let's do this!"
Kong's eyes narrow, but there's a spark of hope in them.
"Move out. This ends today or we don't come back."
Behind the scenes, the Navy's intel had been gold. Kaido, Silver Axe, and Linlin's trip to Elbaf was the perfect crack in the Rocks Pirates' armor, and they weren't about to let it slip by.
Fifty warships, packed with cannons and grit, set sail under a sky boiling with storm clouds. This wasn't just a battle it was a declaration.
*********
Pirate Island: The Clash Begins
The sea around Pirate Island explodes as the Navy hits like a tidal wave. Russel's up first, soaring into the sky and turning into a literal storm.
"Let's blow 'em away!"
he yells, arms swinging wide. Gales roar out, slamming into the island's edge. Watchtowers snap like twigs, crashing into the surf; pirate ships anchored offshore get yeeted into cliffs, their crews screaming as wood splinters.
"Take that, you filthy rats!"
Russel laughs, his heart pounding with adrenaline. I've got this. Xebec's gonna eat wind!
Down below, Sugo lands on the rocky shore, his body shifting into a sleek black panther.
"Keep up, Garp!"
he snarls, claws flashing as he tears through the first wave of pirates. Blood sprays, and he's already moving, a blur of death. Xebec's mine, he thinks, a mix of dread and determination churning in his gut. I've faced worse… right?
Garp's right behind him, fists glowing with Advanced Armament Haki
. "Who needs claws when you've got these?!"
He smashes a pirate into the ground, the impact cracking stone. "Come on, let's find the big guy!" His grin's wild, but deep down, there's a flicker of Whoa, this guy's nuts because Xebec's no joke.
Vice Admiral Lusie sprints alongside, his katana gleaming.
"Stay sharp, Garp! We're not here for games!"
he snaps, his voice cool but urgent. Vice Admiral Domde, a freaking giant, stomps forward, his club a ship's mast swinging.
"Let's squash 'em!" he booms, his deep laugh shaking the air.
Then, from the island's peak, he appears. Rocks D. Xebec steps out, a walking void, his awakened Dark Dark Fruit leaking shadows that twist the light.
"Well, well,"
he drawls, his voice dripping with menace.
"The Navy's come crawling again. Guess I'll have to crush you myself."
Xebec locks eyes with Sugo, smirking like he's already won.
"You came running for the Celestial Dragons again, huh, Admiral Sugo? How's it feel, being their lapdog?"
Sugo frowns, watching Xebec charge, fists black with Advanced Armament Haki .
"Don't talk so arrogantly, Rocks," he snaps, his voice steady despite the storm in his chest.
"You and your whole pirate crew end here!" His body shifts, panther claws gleaming as he unleashes Nightmare Claw slashes tearing through the air like a blender on steroids.
Xebec chuckles, raising a hand.
"Dark Mist!"
Shadows billow out, swallowing Sugo's attack, nullifying the Zoan's power.
"Pathetic," he says,
then clenches his fist. "Gravity Domain!"
The air warps, gravity spiking trees bend, snapping like matchsticks; stones shatter into powder. Sugo stumbles, growling,
"You bastard!" as his knees buckle. He's insane… but I won't break!
Russel dives in, wind swirling.
"Eat this, Xebec!" he yells, hurling a cyclone that rips through the domain.
"I'll scatter your darkness!" His heart's racing This guy's a monster, but I'm not backing down! Xebec smirks, countering with a wave of shadow that twists the wind into nothing.
"Child's play."
Then comes the big one.
"Black Hole!"
Xebec roars, and a vortex spirals from his hands, sucking in everything debris, pirates, Marines. The island shakes, black lightning crackling as cliffs crumble. Soldiers scream, pulled into the void. Sugo lunges, claws slashing, but Xebec's ready. Coating his fist with Advanced Conqueror's Haki and Armament, he slams it into Sugo's chest.
"Die," he says, almost bored. Sugo gasps, blood spraying, his eyes wide with shock No… not like this… before collapsing, dead.
Russel's next, wind blades flying.
"You'll pay for that!" he shouts, fury overtaking fear. Xebec turns, the same Haki-charged fist smashing into Russel's gut. Black lightning erupts, the ground splitting as Russel crumples, his last thought a bitter I wasn't enough…
---------------Shiki vs. Vice Admiral Lusie
The Sky Ignites
The heavens above Pirate Island roared with chaos, a tempest of floating debris shattered ships, uprooted trees, and jagged boulders swirling in the air.
Shiki the Golden Lion hovered amidst the maelstrom, his Float-Float Fruit bending gravity to his will. His twin swords, Oto and Kogarashi , gleamed wickedly under the storm-lit sky, his golden mane whipping in the wind.
Below, Vice Admiral Lusie stood poised on a drifting platform, his katana drawn, its blade a mirror of lethal calm. Known across the seas for his surgical precision, Lusie's dark eyes tracked Shiki's every move.
"Think you can cage me, Navy pup?"
Shiki cackled, his voice a jagged edge. With a lazy flick of his hand, a massive boulder tore free from the island below, rocketing toward Lusie like a cannonball from the gods.
Lusie didn't blink. His katana sang as it sliced upward, a silver crescent splitting the boulder cleanly in two. The halves plummeted into the churning sea, sending up twin geysers of foam. "Keep flapping your gums, Shiki,"
Lusie replied, his tone icy. "I'll carve that arrogance out of you."
Shiki's grin stretched wider, feral and unhinged.
"Let's see you try, ground-crawler!" He dove, a golden blur, swords extended like the talons of a hawk. Lusie countered instantly, kicking off his platform with Moonwalk , soaring into the air to meet him. Their blades collided in a deafening clang , sparks raining down as the impact rippled through the sky.
What followed was a breathtaking dance of steel. Shiki's style was a whirlwind of chaos, his Devil Fruit granting him freedom to strike from any angle above, below, spiraling sideways.
His swords slashed in wide, unpredictable arcs, each swing a gamble of raw power. Lusie, by contrast, was a maestro of control.
His parries were tight, his counters swift, every motion honed to perfection. Their blades met again and again, the air shrieking with each clash.
"Not bad, Navy!" Shiki laughed, narrowly dodging a thrust that grazed his throat.
He twisted mid-air, planting a foot on a floating log and launching himself upward.
"But let's spice it up!"
With a grand gesture, he unleashed a storm of debris rocks, splintered masts, even a rusted cannon hurling them at Lusie in a relentless barrage.
Lusie's gaze sharpened.
He's trying to bury me. His katana became a blur, slicing through stone and wood with surgical strikes. Shards exploded around him, but the sheer volume pushed him back, his boots skidding across a drifting plank.
"You're a nuisance, Shiki,"
he growled, then vanished in a burst of Shave , reappearing behind the pirate in an instant.
Shiki whirled, eyes widening.
"Sneaky bastard !" Lusie's blade, now black with Armament Haki , descended in a vertical slash aimed to cleave him in two. Shiki crossed his swords just in time, the impact driving him downward. He crashed into a floating boulder, the rock cracking beneath him.
Blood dripped from a cut on his arm as he spat, "You'll pay for that!"
Shiki sprang up, his swords shimmering with Haki.
"Time to roar!" He unleashed Lion's Barrage , a torrent of golden slashes tearing through the sky, each wave a crescent of raw energy. The air itself seemed to scream as the attack bore down on Lusie.
Lusie's jaw tightened.
He's going all out. He spun his katana, countering with Whispering Wind a flurry of thrusts so rapid they merged into a single, piercing storm. Each thrust met a slash, the collisions birthing shockwaves that shattered nearby debris into dust. The sky trembled, a battleground of gold and silver.
Their duel escalated Into a symphony of aerial martial arts.
Shiki darted unpredictably, his Devil Fruit letting him weave through the chaos, striking from blind spots. Lusie matched him with Moonwalk and Shave , his blade a relentless shadow. At one point, Shiki feinted a downward slash, then spun mid-air, his sword nicking Lusie's cheek. Blood streaked the vice admiral's face, but he didn't falter.
"That's your best?" he said coolly, retaliating with a horizontal cut that forced Shiki to block, their swords grinding in a deadlock.
"Best?"
Shiki sneered, muscles straining against Lusie's strength. "Here's better!" He broke free, floating back, then raised both swords high.
"Lion's Roar!" A colossal wave of Haki-infused energy erupted a golden lion's head roaring toward Lusie, its jaws wide enough to swallow a ship.
Lusie braced himself on a floating rock. This could end me. He poured his Haki into his katana, the blade humming with power.
"Silent Storm!" he bellowed, unleashing a spiraling slash that met Shiki's attack head-on. The collision was apocalyptic golden light clashed with black energy, a shockwave ripping through the sky, hurling debris miles away. The sea below churned violently, waves crashing against Pirate Island's cliffs.
Both fighters were flung apart, gasping for breath. Shiki wiped blood from his mouth, his grin undimmed.
"You're tougher than you look, Navy. Let's keep this party going!"
Lusie steadied his stance, katana unwavering. He's a madman. But I'll outlast him. The sky remained their arena, swords carving paths of destruction as their wills collided, unyielding.
Battle 2: Whitebeard vs. Admiral Steel Bone
The beach of Pirate Island lay in ruins, its sands scarred and trembling. Edward Newgate Whitebeard towered like a god of war, his Murakumogiri naginata planted in the ground, its blade gleaming with menace. In his prime, he was a force of nature, his Tremor-Tremor Fruit making the world his plaything. Across from him stood Admiral Steel Bone, a mountain of a man with skin like polished iron, his fists clenched and glowing with Advanced Armament Haki .
Whitebeard's mustache curled into a smirk.
"You Navy fools never learn, do ya? Always picking fights you can't win."
He slammed his naginata into the earth, and the air cracked a shockwave tearing outward, splitting the beach and sending Navy ships rocking in the bay. Let's test this tin man.
Steel Bone's gaze was unyielding.
"Newgate," he rumbled, his voice a low quake,
"you're a terror, but I'm forged to break terrors."
He charged, his massive frame a blur of speed, fist drawn back. "Iron Fist!"
he roared, unleashing a punch that could level mountains.
Whitebeard swung his naginata, meeting the blow with a thunderous boom . Black lightning sparked as their Haki clashed, the ground cratering beneath them. He's got power, Whitebeard mused, a flicker of respect in his eyes. But I'm the storm.
Steel Bone stumbled back, flexing his hand. "Strong,"
he grunted,
"but I've got more."
He surged forward, fists flying in a relentless Iron Barrage each strike a cannon blast of force.
Whitebeard parried with his naginata, the blade a blur in his hands. He countered with a sweeping slash, the air humming with destructive power. Steel Bone blocked with his forearm, the collision uprooting trees and hurling sand skyward.
"Tough as iron, huh?" Whitebeard said.
"Let's see it crack."
Whitebeard stomped, the earth splitting as a fissure raced toward Steel Bone. The admiral leapt aside, retaliating with a spinning kick Steel Cyclone his leg coated in Haki, aiming for Whitebeard's side. Whitebeard caught the blow with his hand, the impact rattling his bones.
"Cute,"
he growled, shoving Steel Bone back with a flick of his wrist.
Steel Bone skidded, then dug in his heels.
"You're a beast, Newgate. But justice doesn't bend."
He charged again, feinting left before launching an uppercut Iron Ascension . Whitebeard blocked with his naginata's haft, but the force sent him crashing into a cliff, stone exploding around him.
Whitebeard rose from the rubble, dusting off his coat.
"That tickled,"
he chuckled, blood glinting on his lip.
"My move." He clenched his fist, black lightning crackling with Advanced Conqueror's Haki .
"Quake Punch!"
He struck the air, and reality shattered a massive shockwave blasting toward Steel Bone.
Steel Bone crossed his arms, Haki flaring.
"Iron Wall!"
he shouted, his body an unbreakable bastion. The shockwave slammed into him, the beach erupting, sand and rock flying. He slid back, boots carving trenches, but he held.
"That it?"
he taunted, though his arms quivered.
Whitebeard's eyes gleamed.
"Just warming up."
He leapt, naginata spinning, unleashing Tremor Blade Dance a flurry of slashes, each releasing tremors that warped the air. Steel Bone dodged and blocked, his iron skin denting under the onslaught.
"You don't quit!"
he snarled, landing a Haki-charged punch to Whitebeard's chest.
Whitebeard coughed, blood staining his grin. "Solid hit,"
he said, grabbing Steel Bone's arm and pulling him in.
"But I'm tougher."
He smashed his forehead into the admiral's, their Haki-coated skulls colliding with a boom that shook the island.
Steel Bone staggered, vision swimming. He's a titan… but I won't break. He steadied himself, fists up.
"I'll shield them all even if I die."
Whitebeard nodded, respect in his gaze.
"Then let's end it, admiral."
He raised his naginata, Haki surging, and swung World Shaker . The air split, a colossal tremor roaring toward Steel Bone.
Steel Bone countered with his ultimate move Iron God's Fist . His punch met the tremor, black lightning erupting, the beach crumbling into a wasteland. The island quaked, the sea surging as their powers clashed.
Both stood amidst the devastation, breathless. Steel Bone's iron skin was fractured, blood seeping through. Whitebeard's coat hung in tatters, his chest heaving.
"You're a hell of a foe," Whitebeard said, lowering his weapon.
"But this is done."
Steel Bone grimaced as retreat horns sounded.
"Next time, Newgate," he vowed, limping away with his men. I'll return unbreakable.
These battles weave One Piece 's explosive combat with martial arts flair, drawing from fan theories (e.g., Steel Bone's iron resilience) and canon elements like Haki and Devil Fruit powers. The result is a pair of duels that feel both epic and personal, with every strike shaking the world around them.
Vice Admiral Domde vs. Pirate Forces
Domde stomps through the fray, his giant frame towering.
"Come at me, you little rats!" he roars, swinging his club. Pirates fly, bones crunching, the ground cratering.
"This all ya got?!"
he laughs, snatching one to fling into the crowd They're ants to me!
More charge, blades gleaming.
"Die, giant!" one yells.
Domde smirks, smashing down, trees toppling as the earth shakes.
"Keep dreaming!" His rampage is pure power, a one-man siege.
Xebec's Black Hole turns the tide.
"Time to end this farce!"
he shouts, the vortex swelling. Soldiers vanish, the island quaking, black lightning splitting the sky. Steel Bone, locked with Whitebeard, hears the retreat horn.
"Fall back!" he yells, voice raw We've lost… too many…
Garp stands amid fallen pirates, fists bloody. "Xebec!"
he bellows, rage boiling
"This ain't over!" I'll smash him next time I swear it.
The fleet retreats, ships burning, the sea littered with wreckage. Xebec watches, triumphant, darkness curling around him like a crown.
________________________
Aftermath
Weeks later, Marine Headquarters is somber, a sea of white coffins stretching across the courtyard. Kong speaks, voice heavy.
"We lost brave souls Admirals Russel, Sugo, thousands more. Their deaths fuel our resolve."
Promotions come: Sengoku to Admiral, his gaze steely;
Garp to Vice Admiral, fists tight;
Kizaru to Rear Admiral, casual but sharp;
Z to Admiral, stoic as ever.
In a meeting, Kong lays out the future.
"Five years,"
he says. "We rebuild recruit anew. The World Government's paying."
Sengoku nods. "We'll rise stronger."
Garp growls, "Next time, Xebec's mine."
The Rocks Pirates reign, but their victory sows seeds of discord Xebec's arrogance a ticking bomb.
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