Breaking Free

The sight was horrifying. The already thin layer of clouds split apart, and a colossal object plunged straight down from above.

Huge! Huge! Huge!

It seemed to fill the entire view. The only thing visible was that one object! It was huge—beyond imagination, as enormous as a small island. Compared to the magma projectiles from before, it was like a giant beside a baby. The sky, which had begun to clear, turned gloomy once more simply because this thing was falling.

"It—it's..."

Snake looked as if he'd seen something utterly unbelievable. "Admiral Golden Lion's flagship!!!"

Its lower half was made of earth, with a wooden hull above. It was the Golden Lion's flagship, the one that had always floated in the sky.

"It's fallen! Has his ability stopped working?"

Sword said with difficulty, "Has Admiral Golden Lion been defeated?"

"The winner's been decided."

Louis took a deep breath, trying to rein in his emotions. "Did Roger win?"

"But we don't have time to marvel right now!! Turn! Turn!! Hard to starboard!!"

Louis shouted, "Don't go near it!!"

Given the little boat's speed and direction, they would definitely be swept into the depths by the enormous wave raised when that ship crashed into the sea. There was no other possibility.

"Get away from here!"

The people on deck immediately scrambled into action, and the ship began to turn.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"

The Navy's bombardment continued, but it was no longer the greatest threat to their little boat. With terrifying momentum, the unbelievably huge ship crashed down hard.

"We won't make it in time!"

Louis roared, "Hold on to the ship!! Don't get thrown off!!!"

"Boom!!!"

The great ship crashed into the sea. With that impact, an era came to an end. Golden Lion's dominion in the New World was over.

"Whoosh!!"

The tremendous impact raised a towering wave that swept straight out in every direction.

"It's coming!!!"

Louis gripped the railing tightly as the huge wave swept toward them.

"Boom!!!"

The boat immediately began to roll. His body was plunged underwater, but Louis still didn't let go, clinging tightly to the railing. A force like an avalanche battered everything around them, and the little boat was swept away helplessly by the powerful current.

"Guh..."

Underwater, Louis's hand had sunk deep into the railing, and his hair was wrapped tightly around a gap in the deck. If the current carried him away, he had no idea where he'd end up.

"Damn it! I can't hold on much longer!"

Louis gritted his teeth. His body couldn't withstand such terrifying force. His hair felt ready to tear out, and the railing was on the verge of splintering in his grasp.

"Boom!!"

Fortunately, at that moment, the ship shuddered violently, was launched into the air, and then slammed down hard onto the ground, breaking apart completely.

"Ugh..."

Louis collapsed onto the ground and rolled over. Blood mixed with seawater poured from his mouth.

The ground?

Louis froze. He was lying on a sheet of ice. It seemed their ship had struck the ice Aokiji had created, sending them flying onto it. Otherwise, who knew where the waves would have carried them?

"Hey! Anyone still alive?"

Louis panted heavily and looked back. The little boat had been completely smashed to pieces by the earlier impact and fall.

"Cough, cough, cough! I'm not dead yet, at least!"

On the ice in the distance, Shak sat up. There was blood at the corner of his mouth, but at least he was still alive.

"We're pretty lucky, huh? Maybe we should thank the Navy for once?"

Snake and Sword crawled out from the wreckage of the ship.

The casualties from that wave were severe. Of the thirty people they'd started with, only fifteen remained, including Louis. The others had disappeared.

More things were falling from the sky, both intact and broken. The ships Golden Lion had carried into the sky were now plunging down one after another. The flying pirate fleet had completely collapsed.

"Whew."

Louis stood and looked back. "The Navy was hit pretty hard too! They froze the giant wave, but now it's blocking the way, isn't it?"

Behind them, the pursuing Navy was blocked by an iceberg—the very wave that had swept toward them earlier. Aokiji's power was truly convenient at sea.

"What should we do, Mr. Mario?"

Shak came over, holding his chest. "The ship's destroyed."

"Should we escape across the ice?"

Sword frowned. "We'll still have nowhere to go once we reach the end."

"We need a ship."

Snake spoke up. "Before the Navy destroys that iceberg."

"As for a ship, we've got one right under our feet."

Louis stamped his foot.

"Right under our feet..."

Shak looked down, and his eyes lit up. "Genius! You're a genius, Mario!"

The ice beneath them was the perfect ship. It could float on the sea, and it was quite sturdy. Given Aokiji's strength, it would probably take three or five days to melt. It was an excellent vessel for a short voyage.

"So we escape across the ice, then?"

Snake asked. "And build an Ice Ship when we reach the end?"

"No."

Louis shook his head. "We don't know what we'll face next. I think we need more people. Besides, we're all members of the Golden Lion Grand Fleet. We should see if we can find any other survivors."

"Mr. Mario..."

Sword looked at Louis in astonishment. "What a generous heart!"

"There's no Golden Lion Grand Fleet anymore."

Snake shook his head. "That ship's fall just now was the final ending, wasn't it? But if that's Mr. Mario's decision..."

"Then, everyone,"

Louis said solemnly, "let's move out!"

They went to the edge of the ice and cut out a huge slab with a sword. They planted the little boat's mast in the middle of it, then dug a hole into the other end of the ice. They shaved down a smaller piece of ice, leaving a protrusion, and inserted it into the hole. The shaved-down part went into the sea, making a simple rudder. That was all it took to make a crude vessel. They moved the supplies from the little boat aboard, and the Ice Ship set off.

Louis now understood why, in the original story, the Navy had brought out all its forces but hadn't managed to do anything to either Golden Lion or Roger. The iceberg blocking the Navy was simply too enormous. Even if they shattered it, the pieces would still block the Navy's advance. Even Akainu would need a great deal of time to melt it, and the flying magma projectiles would threaten the Navy itself. Meanwhile, the Navy was still trapped behind the iceberg.

"Is he still alive? His chest is rising and falling! He's not dead!"

Every so often, a pirate floated by on the sea. Louis hauled them aboard, tossing the dead back into the water and doing his best to revive the living. If he couldn't save them, he tossed them back too.

Soon, dozens of gasping pirates had joined them on the Ice Ship. Fortunately, they'd built it large enough to carry them all.

"Gather more wood and food,"

Louis said. "We don't know how long we'll be drifting at sea. It can't hurt to prepare extra supplies."

"Yes, Lord Mario!!"

They were already calling him "Lord."

"Hey! Th-that's..."

Shak suddenly cried out. "The Roger Pirates!!"

Not far ahead, a large ship was speeding across the sea.

"Lord Mario?"

The pirates looked at Louis.

"Forget them! Keep going!"

Louis shouted. "The battle's over! Roger isn't that kind of man!"

He said it confidently, but Louis couldn't deny that he was nervous. Still, the more powerful the figure standing before you, the less you could afford to show fear.

"A-as expected of Lord Mario!!"

"What incredible courage!!"

"Ch-charge! So what if it's the Roger Pirates?!"

The Ice Ship surged forward.

"Hey!! Hey!! Shanks, you idiot! Look, it's that bastard! He's still alive!"

Aboard the Olga Jackson, at the stern, the red-nosed kid shouted, "This is our chance! Let's take them out!"

"That guy?"

The red-haired boy touched the missing piece of his left ear and smiled. "Forget it. The battle's over."

"Huh?"

Red Nose looked incredulous. "What are you talking about, you idiot? That guy nearly killed us! Hey, Mr. Rayleigh, sink them!"

"No, Buggy. Leave them alone."

Roger came over unsteadily. He was covered in wounds, with a gash running across his chest so deep that his bones were clearly visible. Despite his injuries, he was the victor. "They saw us and still dared to come over. Ahahaha! That kid's got guts! So even Shiki has men like him. They survived the battlefield. It'd be a shame to die here! Consider it a reward for their tenacity! I'm looking forward to seeing what becomes of him!"

"I'll defeat him,"

the red-haired boy said with a smile. "Fair and square."

"You bastard!"

Red Nose could only sulk on his own.

"All right! Hahahaha, quit standing around! The Navy's catching up!!"

Rayleigh's voice rang out. "Get ready to fight back!!"

Meanwhile, as Louis passed the Roger Pirates, cold sweat ran down his back. The pirates looked at him with admiration, convinced that he wasn't even afraid of Roger and possessed extraordinary courage.

"Keep going!! Let's get clear of this battlefield once and for all!!"

Louis shouted, and a slash blasted an incoming cannonball away.

"Whoa!!!"

The Aethelwold Sea Battle came to an end.