Clash of the Titans

"The Marines are here!!!"

Someone suddenly shouted, and every pirate on the island looked in the same direction.

Beyond the horizon where the sea met the sky, numerous blurry silhouettes gradually appeared. As time passed, they grew clearer.

The first thing that came into view was a flag.

It bore a seagull carrying a set of scales in its beak, with "MARINE" written beneath it.

There was no doubt about it. They were Marines!

As the warships loomed larger in the distance, the pirates on Hachinosu showed no fear. Instead, they grew even more excited.

Why go to war with the Marines? Because it meant they could do whatever they pleased, of course!

They dared to challenge the Marines to a decisive battle like this, and they were going to win. If they pulled it off, they would be the most badass people in the world!

For pirates, the reason was that simple.

"Everyone! Listen up! We can't let those Marine scum land easily. Ready the cannons!"

Clatter~~

Along the shore, the pirates prepared their weapons.

As soon as the Marine ships came close, they would open the first round of fire.

There was no shortage of intelligent people among the Marines, either. How could they possibly sail straight in?

So the Marines stopped their warships far enough away to avoid long-range fire, but not too far from the island.

And so the two sides faced off across the water.

"You haven't been bullying our Admiral, have you, pirate scum?!" A roar shook Hachinosu.

The pirates looked closely and saw a man step onto the bow of the foremost warship. He was powerfully built, with a semicircular scar beneath one eye.

Marine Vice Admiral, Monkey D. Garp!

His appearance alone cast a solemn mood over Hachinosu. Clearly, Garp's reputation was enough to strike fear into most pirates.

"That bastard Garp came too?" Charlotte Linlin said with a twist of her lips.

"Roger isn't here!" John said with a grin.

Maybe I can test my strength against that guy... Kaido thought.

"I'll blow up anyone who comes ashore!" Ganzui said.

On the Execution Platform, Kong saw Garp too.

Garp had been on leave. Now that he was here, there was no need to explain what it meant.

Of course, Garp wasn't the only one. Kong saw many more.

The Marine forces:

A serving Marine Admiral, Black Python Bright!

Marine Vice Admiral, Sengoku the Buddha!

Marine Vice Admiral, Iron Fist Garp!

Marine Vice Admiral, the flower of the Marines, Tsuru!

Marine Vice Admiral, Black Arm Zephyr!

And others...!

Dozens of warships spread out across the sea, filling the view with blue and white. Who knew how many tens of thousands of Marines had been deployed?

On the flagship, the senior officers stood together.

"Admiral Bright, the enemy is clearly prepared to defend the island. How should we launch our attack?" Sengoku asked.

Bright said nothing. Arms folded, he studied the island ahead with a solemn expression.

"Just charge in!" someone said.

"No! Every Marine soldier's life is precious, and the enemy outnumbers us. We have to be cautious!" Zephyr shook his head.

"Kong looks like he's been through hell," Garp said, still gazing at Kong on the Execution Platform.

"At a time like this, we might as well send that special force of natural-born warriors in first." Tsuru stood to one side, her face calm.

"That's right. Go tell them that if they want to show their sincerity, they can clear the way for us!" Bright waved a hand and gave the order.

As a Marine hurried off to pass on the message, an inexplicable aura gathered over the sea.

Kong, you really landed me in a mess, Bright thought.

He was leading the Marines in today's war, and having only one Marine Admiral in the force seemed a little underwhelming.

But there was no helping it. Kong had been captured and was awaiting execution.

Another Admiral had fought Rocks at Holy Land Mary Geoise more than a decade ago, when Rocks had only just made his debut. He had died of his injuries after the battle.

The Fleet Admiral had also said someone needed to guard headquarters; they couldn't leave it completely empty.

So Admiral Bright was the only one who could lead the force.

That would have been one thing, but lately the Celestial Dragons had been up to something mysterious, and nobody knew what.

The Marines had summoned personnel from all over the world and screened them, only for the World Government to pull several battalions out of the assembled forces!

They said the Celestial Dragons' safety was important and sent them to guard an island somewhere in the West Blue.

Bright had nearly died of anger!

Those Celestial Dragon lords should have stayed put in the Holy Land! Why the hell did they have to come running out?!

Damn it! A bunch of lunatics doing nothing but causing trouble!

But there was no helping it. The World Government reigned supreme, and even a Marine Admiral could do nothing about it.

Still, the World Government presumably understood how tense the situation was. If they caused trouble instead of helping, what would happen if the Marines were wiped out?

So they found the Marines a force of reinforcements.

Although this force had little to do with either the Marines or the World Government itself, at least it had come along.

"What's that?"

On the island, one pirate thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. But after taking a closer look, a bead of cold sweat the size of a bean rolled down his forehead.

He wasn't the only one. People had still been talking just moments ago, but now the entire island fell silent.

Everyone stared blankly into the distance.

A fog seemed to have risen over the sea, and through the thin mist, people saw a shadow.

It was enormous, seemingly even larger than the island!

When the colossal ship's bow emerged from the mist and the figures aboard came into view, countless people were left breathless at the sight.

There was no flag or emblem, but that didn't matter. They could tell who they were just by looking at them.

Look at those... bodies far larger than those of ordinary people!

"It's the Giant Warrior Pirates!!"

"No! They're just giants from Elbaf!"

"What? Are they here to help us?"

"Probably not..."

The appearance of the giants caused an uproar!

The pirates had especially noticed that the giants' ship had appeared from behind the Marine warships.

Once they ruled out the fantasy that the giants intended to ambush the Marines, the more likely conclusion was that they were all on the same side!

"Oh, crap! Why did my dad come too?!"

On Hachinosu, Loki, whose height made him stand out from the crowd, had been striking a pose to look cool. Now he panicked.

It was like finally managing to run away from home, only to suddenly come face-to-face with his own dad!

Just thinking about the feeling made him miserable.

At this point, things were clear.

The giants from Elbaf had arrived, and they would join the Marines in this rescue battle.

"So you chose their side in the end."

"I'm sorry, but... the government said it was willing to consider letting Elbaf become an Affiliated Nation!"

Rocks on the Execution Platform.

Harald on the deck of the enormous warship.

The two looked at each other across the distance. They needed no words; their gazes alone told them what the other meant.

On the Execution Platform, Kaya tilted his head up slightly and noticed that the birds in the sky were a little strange. They seemed to be passing by, yet they lingered overhead instead of leaving.

An intriguing smile appeared on his face.

And so,

The pirates of Hachinosu!

VS

The Marines and their giant reinforcements!

With both sides' players assembled, the grand drama finally began: a clash of titans worthy of the history books!