POV THIRD
In the weeks and months that followed, Garp served under General Eisenhower's command in Normandy. He participated in every battle, staying true to his own word and rarely killing enemy soldiers.
Alongside his title of "Hero of the Navy," he earned a new moniker from his comrades. More and more, people began calling him "Garp the Fist" because he threw himself into battle without weapons. He was treated with respect and awe, which often made him a bit self-conscious. Still, he remained grounded, and his hearty laugh became his trademark.
The war was increasingly turning in favor of the Allied forces. Nazi Germany was being pushed back steadily, partly due to Hydra's withdrawal from the battles.
The Allied generals seemed untroubled by this. In their view, Hydra had retreated because of the growing losses it suffered in the war. "Perhaps Hitler and Schmidt want to preserve their scientific division of the SS," they speculated.
However, a few people saw things differently. The SSR, led by Colonel Phillips, and Sergeant Fury of the Howling Commandos continuously tried to warn the generals about Hydra's threat, but their warnings fell on deaf ears.
Garp, too, sensed that Hydra was devising a new plan or perhaps pursuing a new agenda. However, he was too deeply involved in the war in Normandy to dwell on it. Thanks to his participation, Allied losses were drastically reduced. With him at the forefront and his supernatural abilities, Normandy was swiftly recaptured in blitzkrieg fashion.
Unbeknownst to him, Garp's abilities were growing stronger. On the scale introduced by Dr. Erskine, his willpower could now be rated at 20. But Garp himself hadn't noticed. His Observation Haki was unknowingly capped at a 12-kilometer radius, he hadn't yet needed to use his maximum physical strength, and his Conqueror's Haki was only used sparingly for tactical reasons—the risk of incapacitating his own soldiers was simply too great in the chaos of the front lines.
Meanwhile, Rogers, as Captain America, toured across the USA and quickly became a national hero to the public. But to the soldiers at the front, he was seen as a joke. The "great super soldier" played war hero at home yet knew nothing of the true horrors of war.
In their minds, there were far greater heroes. The "Beast Brothers," Wolverine and Sabretooth. The Howling Commandos led by Nick Fury, who completed every mission, no matter how impossible it seemed. And, above all, "Garp the Fist," who struck fear into every enemy soldier but also had a heart as immense as his strength, capturing Nazis by the thousands rather than killing them.
Who needed a Captain America entertaining children back home?
After the successful landing in Normandy, Victor and James were reassigned to Fury. While Garp continued to drive the war against Nazi Germany in Normandy, Fury and his Howling Commandos hunted down every Hydra hideout they could find. Fury knew the risk of death had increased without Garp by their side, yet he still harbored a grudge against him for his actions on the transport boats. He had spent days explaining himself to his superiors, and as punishment, all front-line leave was canceled for the rest of the war.
In Fury's mind, he could no longer rely on Garp, which he felt endangered the entire team's lives.
"Orders must be followed, and personal opinions and concerns set aside," he said to the rest of the team.
Normandy
POV GARP
A single sentence haunted me these days like a recurring nightmare—a sentence General Eisenhower had murmured after we captured a small village in Normandy. At the last moment, when it was clear they would lose, the Nazis slaughtered the entire village, set everything ablaze, and then took their own lives.
Eisenhower had seen the horrific aftermath and quietly muttered, "War is increasingly no longer a battle, but a systematic extermination through technology."
He then ordered a moment of silence for the victims.
The war left gruesome scars on the minds of the soldiers who participated in it. I was no different, though I had already witnessed the cruelty of war before. I wasn't numb to it, but I found myself able to cope with it better each day.
The faces of my comrades grew sadder, more emotionless, more lost with each passing day. I had once been in that place, too. But Erskine, and especially Rogers, had pulled me out of that darkness with their kindness and support, bit by bit.
I tried to lift the morale of the troops through small gestures and a positive attitude, though it grew harder each day. A hearty laugh or a friendly smile often helped, but some memories were too deeply etched. The soldiers who had landed in Normandy had largely lost their will; you could read the nightmares and the horrors they had witnessed right on their faces.
The day of the landing had simply become known as D-Day. Doomsday.
More and more, different nightmares began to plague me. Dreams of faceless people, people I somehow knew I loved. I knew I was letting them down, yet I couldn't change it. People I recognized in my dreams, only to forget as soon as I woke up.
But a few names were starting to stick—names I had never heard in my life. Dragon, Luffy, Ace, Sabo, and Coby. Who were these people? I had no idea. I mean… who on earth would be named Dragon? What poor soul had parents who named their child Dragon?
"War is increasingly no longer a battle, but a systematic extermination through technology," I murmured quietly as I relieved myself in a bush.
In my future, I wanted no more war. It simply destroyed everyone involved—the people who fought, those for whom they fought, and those who unwillingly became collateral damage. Only one group of people benefited from war: the powerful, who had others fight for them. The politicians who sat safely at home, cheerfully counting the money they earned from war.
Sometimes, I wondered if I should just take over the world, like a villain from various books and comics. Then I could crush every war in its infancy, and I was strong enough for it… But that would only create new dissatisfaction, and who could guarantee that I wouldn't become the next Hitler?
"There has to be another way! And I will find it," I swore silently to myself, packed my dick back in my trousers, and set off to rejoin my comrades.
Germany, Berlin
Führerbunker
POV THIRD
Hitler had been in a worsening mood these past days. Since the Russian offensive, the war had not been going well, and the Third Reich was losing ground daily. He felt as if he were standing alone against the world, his followers abandoning him one by one, despite all he had done for them.
Dr. Shaw had everything he wanted at Auschwitz, yet despite pouring millions of Reichsmarks into his research, he had made no progress on the mutant-soldier project. Meanwhile, even the Americans already had several mutants in their ranks. Reports of the Beast Brothers and especially that giant named Garp piled up on his desk. But where were the German mutants to counter them?
The SS's scientific division, led by Johann Schmidt, whom he had always relied on, hadn't delivered any new technology to the German troops for months. Recently, Schmidt had even been pulling his forces from all battlefields. Hitler would have loved to execute Schmidt as a traitor, but he could neither afford nor risk losing him for the war effort.
Thanks to the SSS, as Schmidt called it, Schmidt was the only super soldier in the German ranks… and who else could Hitler send to face those American freaks when they eventually came knocking on his bunker door?
"Scheiße! Scheiße! Scheiße! Ich bin ganz alleine, niemandem kann ich mehr vertrauen!!!" (Damn! Damn! Damn! I am completely alone; there's no one left I can trust!) Hitler screamed, tearing apart his office.
Immediately, two SS members burst into the room, guns drawn.
"Alles gut Herr Hitler? Wir haben Lärm gehört?" (Everything alright, Herr Hitler? We heard noise?) one of them asked.
"Geht zu Schmidt und verlangt Informationen zu neuen Technologien! Wir brauchen neuartige Waffen, um die Feinde unserer Rasse zu vernichten!" (Go to Schmidt and demand information on new technologies! We need advanced weapons to exterminate the enemies of our race!)
The two SS soldiers exchanged a brief look before shouting, "Heil Hitler!" and rushed out of the Führerbunker.
Somewhere in Germany
POV THIRD
Johann Schmidt was currently preparing everything for the Nazi regime's delegation with Doctor Zola. Only minutes after Hitler had issued the command, Schmidt already knew, thanks to his spies in the Führerbunker, and he had ample time to prepare. He knew this day would come, and he was ready. He had planned everything.
Not two hours later, the gates of his secret bunker opened, and 15 men in SS uniforms entered his domain as if it belonged to them. Schmidt gritted his teeth in annoyance, picturing the satisfaction he would soon feel.
Together with Zola, he presented the energy weapons, talking about their effects and destructive power. When Zola was about to mention the Tesseract, Schmidt immediately interrupted him.
"Meine Herren, ich glaube wir haben lange genug über Technologie geredet... wie wäre es mit einer Vorführung der Waffen?" (Gentlemen, I believe we have spoken long enough about technology... how about a demonstration of the weapons?)
Hitler's men eagerly began nodding, but the mood shifted instantly as Schmidt shot the first man through the stomach. Accompanied by Schmidt's mad laughter and Zola's desperate cries, as he envisioned his life flashing before his eyes at the thought of betraying Hitler, Schmidt proceeded to shoot down the entire delegation within a minute, leaving only one man standing.
"Geh zurück zu Hitler und teile ihm von heutigen Tag mit! Hydra trennt sich ab jetzt vom dritten Reich und von Hitler! Wir brauchen euch nicht mehr! Hydra wird auf eigenen Beinen stehen und wir werden schon bald die ganze Welt auf die Knie zwingen!" (Go back to Hitler and tell him of today! From now on, Hydra separates from the Third Reich and from Hitler! We no longer need you! Hydra will stand on its own, and soon we will bring the entire world to its knees!)
The last survivor scrambled to his feet in terror and fled from the bunker as fast as he could. Zola's face was twisted in fear.
"Schmidt, ich hoffe das war kein Fehler... du hast dir einen zu mächtigen Feind gemacht..." (Schmidt, I hope this wasn't a mistake... you've made yourself too powerful an enemy...)
Schmidt interrupted him, "Es gibt keinen zu mächtigen Feind für Hydra! Wir haben den Tesserakt und die Energiewaffen auf unserer Seite! Und denk immer daran... Wenn du einen Kopf abschneidest, werden zwei neue nachwachsen. Heil HYDRA!" (There is no enemy too powerful for Hydra! We have the Tesseract and the energy weapons on our side! And remember... if you cut off one head, two more shall take its place. Hail HYDRA!)
The Hydra soldiers in the room raised both clenched fists in the air and shouted, "Heil Hydra!"
Schmidt then looked at Zola, who had remained silent. He knew Zola was a coward through and through, who would never dare stand against him. And as if to confirm Schmidt's thoughts, Zola said in a voice filled with fear, "Du hast Recht. Heil Hydra!" (You're right. Hail Hydra!)
At the Same Time
Austin, Texas
POV ROGERS
I had just wrapped up my latest show with a staged punch to Jeffrey's face, who had the glorious job of playing Hitler.
Of course, it was only a fake punch; otherwise, I'd be breaking my Jewish co-star's jaw every time.
After that, there was just a short dance with a few pretty ladies and my closing line, "Enlist in the army now," or something like that… By now, I had become numb to this miserable job.
This was not at all what I had in mind when I signed up for the army and was chosen as a super-soldier. Stupid dance routines for kids, women, and young men looking to go to the front.
Senator Palpatine had tried for ages to convince me of the great honor of this duty, but I was really fed up. I felt like a circus animal, caged for the entertainment of the masses.
But, unfortunately, I couldn't disobey my orders. And my only order was to dance and act here.
As expected, the audience burst into cheers, and with a forced smile, I waved and disappeared backstage.
The smile instantly faded from my face, replaced by a cold expression I'd picked up from the politicians around me.
"Good show, Captain!" Palpatine called, approaching me with a fake smile.
"Thank you, Senator..." I replied with an equally false smile.
We both knew we didn't really like each other. Our worldviews couldn't have been more different.
The senator wrapped an arm around my shoulder and said, "Steve, walk a few steps with me..."
Together we strolled backstage as I listened, for the thousandth time, to how important my job was here. But at the end, the senator said something that surprised me...
"Steve, we've decided to bring you to the front in Italy… not as a fighter, but so the soldiers can enjoy a good show. You'll perform your show to boost troop morale… everything's secure, don't worry… and I heard your childhood friend James Barnes is among the men who'll be attending your show. So, you just need to give your consent, and we'll fly you to the front!"
I immediately agreed… who knew if I'd ever get another chance to see Bucky again.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
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Tried something new with the people who would speak german... "german"(english).
Do u like it, or should i simply write it in english from the start?
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