"…"
Silence dominated the battlefield as Ashen slowly pulled out his sword from Luffy's dead body. Ashen gazed at him with cold eyes before he spoke.
"This wasn't personal, we could've been allies under other circumstances or if you weren't the Joy Boy…such a shame…" Ashen said as he wiped the blood from his sword and put it back to its sheath.
Ashen then took off his coat and covered Luffy's body with it and put the Straw Hat on his face.
"I'll make sure you get a proper funeral along with your crew…" Ashen said before he turned back and left.
…
"…N-Nami…" all the Straw Hats looked at Nami's lifeless body in complete shock, they couldn't believe the scene that unfolded before them.
"NAMI-SAN!!" Sanji screamed his lungs out as Usopp tried to check her out and see if she's alive.
"It's no use, she's already dead" Diana said to Usopp who kept desperately shaking Nami's body hoping that she would wake up, until he finally gave up and despair slowly creeped into him.
Robin who was standing behind him collapsed on her knees and started crying uncontrollably. Diana can empathize with them knowing that it's not very easy to lose someone you care about since she herself lost her father before, but right now there was no room for that nor for mercy, it's a pirate fight the loser die and the winner survives, that it's always the way that it has been.
"DAMN YOU BASTRADS!!" Sanji cursed out as he jumped towards Robin and Usopp trying to protect them but not before Enel stopped his way.
"I'll make it a fair fight and fight you alone!" Enel said while pointing his staff at Sanji.
Sanji glared at Enel while his forehead veins bulged from anger before he immediately went all out. By combining his recently awakened genetic enhancements with Armament Haki, Sanji drastically increased the strength and endurance of his legs, allowing them to endure much hotter flames and then produced bluish-white flames.
"Ifrit Jambe!!"
Using his newly awakened gift, Sanji can become so fast that it is as if he can become invisible and his already impressive strength has grown to a level far greater than he originally had, and his durability is arguably second only to Seraphim.
Sanji dashed at Enel at a blinding speed as if he became invisible and then jumped, kicking with all his might into Enel's head.
Enel of course was using future vision and saw that 10 seconds ago, and he proceeded to dematerialize the area where he was going to get hit, letting Sanji's foot pass through him, before he thrusted his lightning Haki-imbued staff at Sanji's chest.
*BAM* Although Sanji was extremely fast, but Enel combining his Lightning-fast speed with Soru, he can match him and even outspeed him. Also, Enel has the perfect counter for speed and that is future sight, which he is extremely efficient at using it.
But Sanji's superhuman physical constitution and his exoskeleton that makes him nearly invulnerable is the problem for Enel.
While Enel and Sanji were fighting, Moria, Yamato, Ian, Diana, Urouge, Yamamoto and Amber were preventing Robin, Ussop and Vegapunk Lilith from interfering.
"As for you two, you should quietly watch the fight and don't try anything stupid unless you want to end up like your crewmember—well that's only gonna happen to long nose, we're keeping the Poneglyph reader alive" Moria said to Robin and Usopp with a sinister grin.
"I-I won't do anything for you even if it means my death" Robin said with tears falling on her cheeks as she glanced at Nami's dead body, Usopp who was beside her wasn't in a much better condition.
"Don't worry sweetie we already have someone for that job, we'll take you with us just in case…also even if we want to threaten you, we won't use your life, but your friends' lives" Amber responded to that.
At the same time Shaka went looking for the Vegapunk and found him deep within the Labophase along with the other Cipher Pol agents who had disappeared after their visits to Egghead.
Shaka then was shot in the head by York declaring to Vegapunk how she plans to become a Celestial Dragon and ending the conversation by saying that the world needs only one Vegapunk.
Meanwhile, Calvin who got his hands on Straw Hat's Road Poneglyph started searching around for York trying to find her since Ashen has an offer for her.
…
Egghead's port,
A noticeable change swept over the island. The temperature steadily dropped, accompanied by intensifying winds and the gradual appearance of foreboding dark clouds overhead.
The port was full of ships, more than fifty ships docked and thousands of pirates who didn't join the conflict in order to save their energy and the manpower for the upcoming war with the Marines.
"Looks like a storm is coming…" Franky and Ken were chilling inside the 'Sword of Xebec' playing cards before someone came rushing to them.
"Franky-san! Ken-san!"
"Huh? What is it, is Ashen and the rest back?" Franky asked.
"That quick?" Ken questioned as the man approached them. He looked like he had an urgent report.
"Ships!! There's too many of them, maybe in hundreds!!...I've never seen that big of a fleet in my life, it's like there is no end to them!" The man informed them in panic while pointing towards the sea.
"Shit! Hope Ashen is done with Straw Hat" Franky said.
"It's gonna be a long day"
…
[New World, Winner Island]
"Zehahaha!!...*CRACK*-*CRACK*…There is no escape, so don't bother running!!" Blackbeard said while riding Stronger, Doc Q's winged horse and flying mid-air.
"Hakugan! Take care of the Polar Tang!...Shachi! Penguin! Get in the sea and provide cover!" Law gave orders before he turned his attention back to Blackbeard.
"R-ROOM…" Law proceeded to create a spherical space above his hand and then tossed it on Blackbeard, using it to unleash one of his offensive techniques to cleanly cut Stronger in half without actually harming him "Amputate!!"
"…?!!...No one told me his power could do that!! Is he using an awakened technique?!" Blackbeard exclaimed in surprise "You bilge-sucking rat!"
"Quake Crash!!" Law's R-ROOM kept expanding before Blackbeard slammed the air with his fist, cracking it and creating shock waves.
"UWAAAAH!"
"So, this is the power of a Quake man…!!"
"The shockwaves are too intense!!" Law's crew downward collapsed on the ground from the intensity of the shockwaves.
"Protect the captain!!" As Van Augur fired a bullet at Law, Jean Bart quickly intercepted it, protecting Law.
"Tch…he's some bodyguard" Van Augur said.
"K-ROOM!...Anesthesia!!" Law created a blue spherical space and coated his sword with before he pierced Blackbeard in the chest and released an electrical shock wave through it that fried Blackbeard from the inside.
"The hell is this?!...ARGHHH!!" Blackbeard coughed blood as he received that attack.
As Blackbeard and Law started fighting a massive fleet of ships appeared in the sky, floating towards the island and the ship that was leading them has the Golden Lion Pirates Jolly Roger.
Other than the Golden Lion Pirates fleet, there was some subordinate crews of the Ashen Pirates along. The Happo Navy fleet lead by Chinjao and his grandsons, Sai and Boo and the Fire Tank Pirates lead by Capone Bege.
"Jihahahaha! Looks like we made it on time, you better show me that saving your ass from an Admiral was worth the time and the effort!" Shiki said as he spoke to a few pirates standing behind him.
"If Kaido-sama was still alive, I wouldn't have been though that shit in the first place!!" Queen the Plague exclaimed, a previous member of the Beasts Pirates.
"I'll have to get a cyborg arm as soon as I can" Basil Hawkins said, one of the Worst Generation and a previous member of the Beasts Pirates.
"Too bad, the Lunarian and the other ones refused to ride along…Puff…we'll, sucks for them, let them bitches rot in Impel Down" Shiki said while smoking a large cigar, and once the fleet reached the island, Shiki gestured with his hand and all the ships landed on water surrounding Blackbeard's warship.
When Law and Blackbeard noticed his presence, they were both shocked, especially Blackbeard who looked a little panicked by the sudden appearance of a massive fleet.
"Golden Lion…?!"
"…Shiki, why is he here?!" Law questioned in shock.
"Jihahaha! Sorry to interrupt you, Whitebeard's previous apprentice!" Shiki said while floating in the air above them before he landed beside them, he immediately shifted his attention to Law and proceeded to speak to him "Ashen said you're pretty strong, how about I give you a little hand to take down this punk?"
…
[Marine HQ]
An announcement was made through a Den Den Muchi speaker.
"Shiki again?! Didn't he clash with Murasakihyō after we sent him to clean out the remnants of the Beasts Pirates a couple days ago, how did he get there so quickly?!" Fleet Admiral Sakazuki exclaimed with a large cigar in his mouth before he blew out some smoke.
"I should've figured out he would move as well after Ashen…We're forced to wait again. Our fleet is already near Egghead and we can't spare any more warships…" Sakazuki stated.
"Being a Fleet Admiral is so damn frustrating!!"
…
[Land of Giants, Elbaf -- New World]
Eustass 'Captain' Kid and 'Dia' Emma Helios docked and landed in Elbaf's port. The place was quiet with no giant on sight.
"Tch…why didn't you pick another time to visit this place, now I have to see your face every day for the next week" Kid said to Emma in annoyance.
"No, you won't, you can just keep your distance and it won't happen and we will be cool!" Emma responded.
"Let's just leave them be, Kid" Killer said to Kid.
"Don't pay that low intelligent creature any attention, you're just gonna waste your breath with him" Kuro said to Emma
"The hell did you call him?" Killer asked Kuro in a menacing tone of voice.
"Must be true since you're irritated by that" Kuro responded while adjusting his glasses with his palm with a smirk in his face.
The tension between the two hit the limit and Killer flexed his Punishers ready to fight while Kuro responded by flexing his Cat Claws. While the two crews were having a brawl, a few dozen figures wearing black clothes showed up in front of them interrupting them.
"Are these two really worth 1,5 Billion each" asked one of them.
"And who the hell are you?!" x2. Kid and Emma turned towards the figure who spoke and asked at the same time.
"You're here sooner than I tough, good thing the Demon is not around…" Said a five meters tall man wearing a creepy white mask on his face, black clothes while carrying an insanely long sword on his back.
[A previous Warlord of the Sea, and Captain of the Ghost Pirates…]
[Ghost The Black Swordsman – Wanted, Dead or Alive 2,075,000,000 Berries]
"Let me land you a hand big brother!" Standing beside him is a three meters man wearing the same clothes with a little different mask and carrying a massive sword as well.
[Vice-Captain of the Ghost Pirates…]
[Phantom – Wanted, Dead or Alive 1,000,000,000 Berries]
"Looks like you need a good beating…" Kid said cracking his knuckles, as magnetic force surged from his metal arm.
"It seems that you've been waiting for us" Emma said as she took out her sword.
Ghost, or previously known as Katakuri, Big Mom's strongest officer and son. He calmly took out his massive sword and swung it down, sending a strong rush of air before he proceeded to speak to the two.
"One of you shall drop Kaido's Road Poneglyph and piss off"