One Piece: Path to Power

Chapter 21: [21] The Power of Whitebeard

[2850 words]

For reference, 50 meters = AoT walls.

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"Bwahahaha! Basara-san, It's your time to shine!"

Garp was as lax as ever. He stood on his dog-headed ship while looking towards the bear-headed one.

The man he spoke to, however, was not amused.

He stood around ten feet tall (~3 meters) with short black hair. The marine wore brown Navy attire with a white coat draped over his shoulders, a powerful air surrounding him.

He was perhaps in his late thirties. The scowl on his face was rather unsettling as he turned his gaze to the surrounded pirate ship.

*Thunk*

*Thunk*

Heavy footsteps echoed through the thick wooden deck of the marine warship. The nearby marines revered the Admiral as he slowly raised his hands as if accepting a prayer.

.

"Pit of Despair."

.

"..."

A silent yet foreboding moment passed.

*Rumble*

The entire sea began to quiver, growing from a subtle trembling to a distinct rumbling which was growing in intensity.

Even the pirates nearly half a kilometer away felt the shaking as huge volumes of water began to displace.

*Splash!*

Towering bursts of seawater shot into the sky, eclipsing the Navy warships and unveiling something far more terrifying.

Ginormous walls of pure earth, brown in colour, rose out from the ground in a uniform, circular shape. They were 10 meters thick as they extended further and further into the sky.

*Rumble*

The shaking continued for a few seconds, far outshadowing the disastrous weather.

Soon enough, the walls reached their maximum height of 830 meters and entirely encased the battlefield in a circular ring made of thick earth.

[830 m = ~half a mile = Burj Khalifa.]

"!!!"

The sight of the encircling walls nearly 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) from the center alone cast a shadow that would put the fear of death into the souls of most, simultaneously raising Marine morale. 

Shakky sighed at the sight.

"The Mountain-Mountain Fruit; a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit with the ability to erect mountains wherever the user pleases."

[Image of Basara the Mountain (in Discord)]

.

Damien took a deep breath as he witnessed the power.

"He can even pull earth from below the ocean?"

The woman nodded, "Basara's control over anything mountainous is deeper than the water here... so he can do as he pleases."

The young pirate narrowed his eyes, glancing at the barriers: 'Even though the Admirals outside of Sengoku were forgotten and never mentioned, it would make sense for them to be monsters to be the powerhouses of the Rocks Era.'

.

Meanwhile, Whitebeard focussed elsewhere.

"Basara playing with his rocks as always but this weather is also a little too depressing…," he muttered.

The man's eyes were locked onto the hellacious climate that had graced them: snow, sleet, rain, snow, lightning and howling winds.

Suddenly Newgate coiled his hand to the side, the familiar earthquake bubble pulsing like a heart.

A single swing onto the area above.

Boom! 

The atmosphere around the fist was spreading with fern-like cracks, resembling glass. They continued their advent, stretching and branching off to the point where nearly 100 meters of the sky was left cracked!

*Shatter*

In a cacophony of crashes, the very air exploded into giant transparent shards, unleashing a powerful blast of white shockwave energy that reached the clouds.

*Gulp* The Marines who were high on the Admiral hype were brought back to reality as they saw the astonishing act.

*Vvoooo*

The entire storm and thunderous welcome were utterly and completely shattered. Bright and warm rays of sunlight soon bathed the entire canyon, gracing its prisoners with better weather compared to the Outer Seas!

Such a sight was as incredible as the walls being erected, yet Basara remained motionless.

Garp, not so much.

"Bwahaha! Get ready, you guys!" he roared to the other Vice Admirals.

Though they were of the same rank, it seemed as if they either respected Garp enough or were simply numb to his insolent behaviour.

*Whuuu* Whitebeard twirled his weapon, feeling the tense air spread across the pit.

"The ship is already on its last life, keep the battle away from it," he warned.

Thud!

The wooden deck shook as the twenty-plus-foot-tall pirate lunged forward with a single jump.

His body arched through the sky as he crossed the sea.

*Purrup*

Whilst in the air, Newgate wrapped his weapon in the white bubble that pulsated in impatience.

"Ha!" the pirate grunted as he swiped the weapon across the sky, directing it onto the Marine formation.

A silver tear cut through the atmosphere, giving birth to a shockwave that raged out to the five warships in its way.

*Fwooo!*

The air screeched from the incoming hell, giving way for the attack to meet its target.

BOOM! The entire marine formation shook, though the three warships at the front bore the brunt of the damage.

Thick chasms opened up through the ship that was the size of Ancient Giants, forcing the marines on board into a grave panic. The seas underneath grew chaotic and rampaging, summoning giant tidal waves that enveloped the warships.

"Ahh!"

"Hang on!"

"Eugh!"

Basara stood tall under the raging winds, annoyed by the turn of events, "Don't act so pathetically," he told the soldiers screaming at the five sinking warships.

He then raised his right hand.

*Rumble*

The seas shook once more as huge, blunt spikes of earth shot from the seafloor and pushed the collapsing ships up and out from the water, saving them from sinking; three crumbling ships were easily salvaged without significant casualties.

Yet the true threat, Whitebeard, was still mobile.

"Garp, hold him down!"

The order went out as a silver figure dashed through the sky and rocketed on ahead like a comet.

BOOOM!

A huge explosion rang through the sky, originating from a Haki-clad fist meeting a giant glaive.

…

"Let's go too, Kaido!"

Two bursts of air boomed as the young duo of pirates dove onto opposite sides.

While Whitebeard went down the middle, holding down three Marine Warships and the two unique battleships himself, the other available ships began to move in.

*Pop*

Damien Moonwalked through the air as he found himself landing on a warship.

Thud!

The Sin Incarnate's black boots made contact with the enemy ships, all the while alerting the near-thousand marines on board. A grin etched on his face.

"Take down the pirate!"

"For justice!"

"Fire!"

Damien eyed the masses. A sharp red glint passed through his eyes.

The rambunctious marines soon paused as dark-red waves of pulsating energy emanated from the young pirate.

The overwhelming weight and despair overtook many of the marines as their eyes darkened and rolled back into their sockets.

*Thud*

*Thunk*

*Twuck*

Tens, hundreds, and thousands of bodies soon fell to the ground, taking victims from not only the immediate ship but all three other nearby ones. 

"T-That was… Conqueror's Haki!"

The marines on Damien's side of the battlefield, though thinned out, still had a few thousand standing.

*Whizz!* Two shadows shot forth towards Damien.

"We must take him down before he reaches the Pirate Island!"

Damien saw the coming shadows and raised a hand that released some ominous red particles.

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"Utter Ruin."

.

The crimson energy bubbled into a crimson circle as it exploded forth.

A huge current, nearly ten meters in diameter, shredded apart everything in its wake, drilling through a huge chunk of area.

"Ahh-"

The incoming Rear Admiral Duo was encompassed wholly in the energy. They couldn't even finish their wails before all that remained was a cloud of blood.

*Splatter*

The crimson liquid dyed the wooden floor with a fresh paint of red, eerily reflecting the imminent fate of the others.

Damien wasted no time and tapped on the ship.

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"Shatter."

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The crimson energy spread out and began to encase the entire ship.

Reaching a good ten meters every passing second, slowly but surely endangering the hundreds of marines on board.

A nearby Vice Admiral felt an ominous feeling.

"Abandon ship!"

*Creak*

Boom!

A few lucky marines near the edge were able to jump out, however, the others were not as lucky. The deck under them crumbled to dust as they fell from the height into the bottom of the ship. 

Damien was about to jump to another ship and yet a shadow appeared behind him.

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"Iron Body: Slam!"

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The opponent's arm thickened as he slammed his fist onto the unsuspecting Damien.

Yet the result wasn't what he expected.

Clang!

Damien's blackened fist clashed with the enemy marine's fist, sending out a burst of shock.

The navy officer saw the smirk on his opponent, hearing a few passing words, "Don't you know Iron Body locks you in place?"

Within a split-second, Damien's finger wrapped with a current of air drilled into the man's shoulder, exploding his rotator cuff.

"Ugh!" a loud groan rang as the marine yelped in pain.

His right arm was no longer functioning from the torn shoulder, sending out copious amounts of blood.

The officer forgot his pain as saw the enemy pirate jump onto another warship.

*Whizz*

He soon reappeared onto another warship utilizing Shave of the Rokushiki, grasping his right shoulder.

"Vice Admiral Hux!"

The marines saluted.

"Be ready, that pirate is aiming at our ships!" Hux warned, tying a cloth over his deltoid.

"..."

An ominous silence arrived as a dark figure appeared in front of the marine, utilizing a familiar technique.

"How did a pirate get a hold of the Rokushiki?!" Hux questioned in surprise as realized Damien had used three of the Six Styles already.

*Click*

*Cock*

*Clank*

Not only dozens of rifles and pistols but also cannons locked on the invader. 

Damien gave a small grin as he began to release his power.

Hux saw the pirate's smirk as his Haki began to flare: "No-!"

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"Desolation Zone."

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A powerful and crushing power soon exploded from the young pirate like a volcano. It stemmed from his heart that had gathered a large clump of pulverizing energy.

It spread out in mere moments, encapsulating everything nearby in a complete circle, stretching out over the majority of the warship.

*Vvooo!*

The air within the zone began to bubble and churn as the crushing energy rained down like red raindrops, leaving hell behind for anyone in its way.

The men, the weapons, and the deck began to crumple and shred from being compressed and crippled.

Damien walked on under the carnage, the circular zone moved alongside him. The soldiers closer to the center, in other words, closer to Damien, had long become nothing more than droplets of blood and bits of bone.

The bright sunny sky was completely dulled away, replaced with a crimson cloud.

"..."

The grinding energy soon dissipated, leaving a sole Damien at the very center of the ship. Going from a mix of yellings, groans and grunts to complete silence was truly deafening.

*Creak*

The sails were long gone, just some simple framework remained as it touched the seawater that dispersed his attack.

*Whizz*

Damien's eyes widened as he felt the movement of air behind him, it was the bloodied-up Hux!

Bang!

A dull boom went off from hundreds of meters away, echoing past the turbulent seas.

"Augh!"

Damien saw the Vice Admiral's eyes lose their luster, and a small hole appeared through his head.

The marine fell into a pool of blood with a loud thud.

"Hmm?"

Damien's eyes drifted to the far side and locked onto the figure of a woman with a pistol, blowing the smoke.

Feeling his gaze, the woman gave a wink in return.

However, it seemed something had clicked in her mind as she proceeded to mouth out an order: "Clear the path for the ship to sail to the walls."

That said, Shakky returned to unloading endless mags of bullets at distant marines.

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

One hand holding the cigar, one hand pulling the trigger. 

Damien no longer waited and jumped into the sky with his Moonwalk and raised a hand.

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"Utter Ruin."

.

The stream of ravaging red energy once again blazed out and enveloped the ship and its backside where the rudder was located.

Not only was the back half left in dust but the entire navigation of the warship was gone, leaving it impossible to be salvaged.

…

"Damn pirates!"

The voice was that of the Admiral himself.

Basara stood at the bow of his ship as he saw the mission begin to fall apart.

Garp was busy holding down the powerful Newgate aboard a wrecked warship, sending seismic torrents from the core of their clash.

This forced seven Vice Admirals to jump from ship to ship, clearing up the tsunamis and shockwaves to protect their troops.

It seemed that a naval battle against a man of quakes was not the best idea.

.

Whitebeard also saw the battle turn in his favour, yet something was afoot, credit to his alarmed Haki.

Boom!

The air suddenly exploded as a giant tentacle-like structure made of pure earth shot out from the seafloor toward Whitebeard.

The attack began to morph into a hand that spanned a good 200 meters in width (656 ft). In a simple and crude motion, the limb balled up into a fist, crushing Whitebeard in its palm.

*Fwwm!*

A pristine black colour soon wrapped around the arm, wholly capturing the enemy pirate with dense Haki.

*Splash!*

More and more tendrils of earth continued being birthed from the seafloor, wrapping and crushing their lone prisoner.

Within moments, Whitebeard was entirely covered in a giant mass of earth, resembling a small moon.

"..."

Pebbles and debris floated down from the structure, leaving a silence behind. The nearby area was eclipsed by the ball, spreading its darkness to the edges of the walls.

"T-The Admiral made a move!"

Garp landed on a shaken ship, narrowing his eyes on the locked-up pirate.

*Shiver*

The hair on the Vice Adimiral's arm stood up in instinct, alerting him to the coming chaos.

*Rumble*

The short tranquillity came to an end with a rumbling of the giant earth arm-turned-moon. Dull shakes broke out as increasingly larger bits of stone rained down.

BOOM!

With a single beat, the colossus exploded into a rain of endless bits of earth, revealing the silhouette of the unhurt Whitebeard.

*Creak*

Basara rose from his ship under an identical stone platform in the shape of a rising arm from under the sea.

The Admiral's own arm and half of his body were covered in thick rocks as he glared at the pirate.

"I won't let you harm my troops any further."

Whitebeard returned a grin, "Then protect them!"

He then smashed both his hands towards opposite sides as the cracks spread through the atmosphere.

Basara's mountainous defences were against their greatest foe. Perhaps using the earth to stop a man of earthquakes was not overly efficient.

A giant 200-meter-tall tsunami rose from up ahead and began to rage toward the main battalion of marine Warships.

"Garp!" Basara roared.

*Woosh!*

The charismatic Vice Admiral shot in chase towards the giant wave, his metallic fist ready to pummel it.

…

Boom!

Dull explosions carried on near the other sides of the battlefield.

Kaido had been on a rampage, destroying a couple of ships only to be stopped by a Vice Admiral.

His size was working against him as he had trouble keeping up with the smaller, and more agile master of Rokushiki.

Only with the aid of Shakky was he able to take the marine down.

"I had him!" Kaido roared out.

Yet his roar was left on read, angering him further.

Boom!

Clang!

Bam!

Once again, sending the Hundred-Beast into a frenzy to unload hell upon unsuspecting marines.

…

The clash of Whitebeard and Basara alongside the roaring seas holding down Garp gave way for the tired ship led by Shakky to reach its destination.

"Damien-chan, can you break open a large piece of that mountain?" the woman asked in her usual playful tone.

The pirate in question looked at the ring of earth trapping them in, spanning over 800 meters.

"Define 'a large piece'."

Shakky puffed out some smoke and casually said, "As big as possible."

Damien nodded and jumped into the air and towards the mountain.

*Tap*

His hand touched the earth.

A sound of pixelation broke out as the dull-brown wall began to turn red with a chequered pattern, spreading in all directions.

Not long after, a giant piece of pure earth was dislodged from the wall. It was around a quarter as tall as the barrier, 10 meters deep and 100 meters across.

Shakky smiled at the display, "Perfect~"

She then aimed her beloved pistol at the mountain, much to Damien's confusion.

His eyes zoomed in on the weapon as he saw the bullet to be fired change colour. It went from the usual black to a gray hue, wrapped in some form of inconspicuous energy.

Bang!

The Sin Incarnate traced the bullet's trajectory as it nailed the separated mountain dead in its center.

*Poof*

Damien's jaw almost fell at what followed.

"..."

"The mountain… where'd it go?" 

Shakky winked and charmingly replied, "To Marineford, of course~"

To Be Continued...

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Author's Corner.

Damien certainly is not yet strong enough to take the limelight from such a battle, giving it to Whitebeard instead was fun to write up.

Images: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q