One Piece: Path to Power - Chapter 129

[2394 words]

Idk if you’ve noticed, but I’ve gone full 3rd POV now. I used to keep it 1st POV for normal instances and 3rd POV for fight scenes. Yet the latter is now the norm.

It just feels better in terms of writing, so yeah.

———————————————-

It was the early morning of August 22nd of the year 1485.

Most people had woken up, had a nice breakfast, and waited for the daily news to arrive.

And it did.

Yet it came with such a storm that left even the newborn babies in disarray!

It was widely known that the 32nd Pirate Festival had occurred just 4 days ago, on the 18th.

It was a feared event. Anytime large amounts of pirate crews came together signalled a joyous spectacle. And joyful pirates tend to do things they enjoy, which almost always comes at the expense of the innocent!

.

Over 11 years ago when the 31st Pirate Festival was held, the New World felt a spike in deaths and destruction and led to enormous casualties.

However since then, the marine presence had increased, just recently there was a huge flux of recruits worldwide.

Tens of thousands flocked in from all the seas both in and outside the Grand Line.

Headed by powerful Admirals and Vice Admirals, things had mellowed down. Even 2 Overlords had fallen!

.

Yet 2 months ago, the invincible power of the Marines was left shaken.

It was a greatly publicized event that had gone down and led to a defeated Admiral and the destruction of a Navy stronghold – G-2!

The names of the Rocks Pirates had ballooned out once more after the Angelic War once the ‘Sin Incarnate’ laid siege upon the marine base.

.

So when the Pirate Festival was announced, naturally the world was left shaken in trepidation.

Roger Pirates, Prideful Pirates, Rocks Pirates.

3 major forces were said to come together, who wouldn’t be worried? Could the Navy hold up against such disasters?

Alas, the news update had arrived!

———————————————-

[Sabaody Archipelago]

.

The streets were packed, as usual, at least the areas where the pirates were suppressed.

The shops were filled, as usual, business was booming for wandering merchants.

Tens of thousands were present all around the island.

Being the island at the center of the Grand Line with access to the New World, Paradise, Mariejois, and Fishman Island kept the population growing constantly.

Yet the worried glances of the older folks remained as the pirates hid too, waiting for the coming storm.

*Flutter*

In the dazzling mangroves of Sabaody came a rain of pages.

Eyes drifted up as the seagulls brought the much-awaited news.

.

Shocked gasps went off one by one as the headlines were read.

[ THE SCORCHED SEA WAR! ]

It documented the start of the Festival to the very end.

Pictures of Sol’s arrival, the 6 Capital Vices, the endless sea of pirates.

Images of the Rocks’ arrival were then shown.

Prideful Pirates vs the New World’s Pirates.

Roger vs Whitebeard.

Shiki vs Redfield.

Damien vs Sol.

These 3 were the major duels documented on the first day of the Festival.

.

Pictures of Sol’s magnificent Zoan form were followed by the clash between Damien and Rayleigh vs the Holy Terror.

Hadean Form made its debut!

Such a horrifying appearance was enough to make the little girls cry while the boys were left feeling admiration.

———

“Such a young man can cause so much terror!” A widow yelled out in shock.

It was a widely accepted notion that made its way through the minds of the masses.

Especially as Sol’s initial defeat was shown.

.

When the report finally got to the end and the majesty of the explosion was shown, well, it caused a major panic.

Seeing tens of thousands marines led by 5 Admiral-level powers being enveloped in such an apocalyptic sight was enough to cause hyperventilation.

The nuke unleashed was surely the major instant where the tides had shifted.

Even the nannies had begun to use Damien’s name as some sort of monster to quiet their kids.

And of course, Xebec’s victory against Sol also made its way to the top of the report.

.

“At least the Navy was able to save many of the innocents of Superbia!” A man exclaimed.

His companion nodded, “Thankfully Sengoku-sama was there.”

A woman on the side also added her bit, “It’s good that over 30000 pirates fell at such a terrible event. One less pirate is one more innocent saved!”

.

Due to the Government’s deal with Morgans, they did save some of their reputation as the world’s guardians.

Hundreds of thousands were saved and tens of thousands of pirates were either dead or imprisoned.

But that didn’t stop the names of the Roger Pirates and Rocks Pirates to echo in everyone’s minds!

Especially with the attached posters.

—–

Firstly, the minor bounties.

—–< WANTED >—–

< ZENORA INDRA >

< ‘Swift Death’ >

< ???? 666,000,000 – >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

—–< WANTED >—–

< SHAKUYAKU >

< ‘Black Death’ >

< ???? 833,330,000 – >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

—–< WANTED >—–

< SILVER AXE >

< ‘Blinding Light’ >

< ???? 930,000,000 – >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

—–< WANTED >—–

< KAIDO >

< ‘Kaido of the Beasts’ >

< ???? 1,261,110,000 – >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

—————————-

These numbers alone would strike fear into the eyes of the people. Even exceeding 300 million berries would be considered a great feat before entering the chaotic seas of the New World.

And yet compared to the true forces of terror, these numbers were still far too little!

.

When it came to the Roger Pirates, they were a pirate crew that had recently made huge tides even before the Scorched Sea War.

Their feat? Conquering the Grand Line!

It was said that they had reached the final island documented on the Log Pose Trials – Lodestar Island!

Their names had already spread far and wide with the current top 3 officers being hailed as great threats.

—–< WANTED >—–

< SCOPPER GABAN >

< ‘Twin Axe’ >

< ???? 1,370,550,000 – >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

—–< WANTED >—–

< SILVERS RAYLEIGH >

< ‘Dark King’ >

< ???? 2,558,600,000 – >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

—–< WANTED >—–

< GOL·D·ROGER>

< ‘The Mad King’ >

< ???? 4,064,800,000- >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

—————————-

“Good lord! F-Four billion!” A man cried out as his body fell with a thud from sheer shock.

Not even the 3 Overlord of the Sea had managed to enter the four billion range, causing quite the uproar.

“Only that demon Xebec has been given such a number,” an experienced bounty hunter commented with a solemn tone.

Sabaody Archipelago was quite familiar with the entire world, being at the practical center of it.

.

“K-Keep reading! The next part is entirely on the Rocks Pirates!”

*Flutter*

Pages were flipped aggressively as another collection of bounties were shown with their own separate descriptions.

With the numbers written in their usual bold and eye-drawing font, it was enough to cause an island-wide silence.

.

The extended report began mainly focused on the current pirate crew with the greatest threat to the order of the world and the safety of its people.

Known for their infamous endless strength and lack of camaraderie, they were practically a coming of natural disasters.

They had been in the news since the Water-7 Incident followed up by the Saboady Archipelago Upset where 3 World Nobles were left dead.

Somehow they were connected to the fall of the 3 Overlords and were practically the ones who took them down.

Apart from the numbers already shown earlier on, this entire section of the report detailed the top pillars of the crew – The 4 Titans and their Captain!

.

Firstly.

She is known for her great beauty and world-class figure. Yet with that attraction came great dread.

A woman with a bottomless belly that could destroy a village of Elbaf as a child – a true monster.

—–< WANTED >—–

< CHARLOTTE LINLIN >

< ‘Evil Sprit’ >

< ???? 2,799,388,000 – >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

————————–

The next man was known for his rather overwhelming strength all the while holding the power that could destroy the world!

His name has remained ingrained in the minds of the masses since he alone took down the Overlord, Esso Borealis.

—–< WANTED >—–

< EDWARD NEWGATE >

< ‘Whitebeard’ >

< ???? 3,291,046,000 – >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

————————–

Beyond that was a man with just as much of a terrifying fruit power.

With his Float-Float Fruit, he could send entire islands into the sky.

He was known for his great arrogance and strength and was widely reknown as a masterful dual-wielding swordsman.

—–< WANTED >—–

< SHIKI >

< ‘Golden Lion’ || ‘The Flying Pirate’ >

< ???? 3,304,990,000 – >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

————————–

The penultimate poster was that of a name that dominated much of the report.

It wasn’t for some experienced pirate with decades of training but rather for a young man.

His days began as an apprentice on the Rocks Ship. He made his way through the rankings and arrived as the Fifth Division Commander.

What followed was pure anarchy.

.

He took down the Overlord with a bounty of above 3 billion – Thaddeus Enigma.

Caused the West Blue Massacre.

Destroyed G-4 and disarmed Vice Admiral Zephyr.

Was the mastermind of the Amethyst Island Crisis.

Brought about a new Supreme Blade.

Defeated the Navy Admiral. Basara the Mountain, and destroyed G-2.

And just recently fended off Pryde D. Sol alongside the Dark King.

Fought toe-to-toe with Vice Admiral Garp.

But worst of all, he somehow held the power to cause an instant defeat for the marines, leaving them in horrible shape!

The talks about the nuclear bomb were not hidden, alongside the collapse of another Admiral Kurowashi.

—–< WANTED >—–

< EINAR·D·DAMIEN>

< ‘Damien the Undying’ || ‘Sin Incarnate’ >

< ???? 3,387,600,000 – >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

[Image]

————————–

And lastly, the man who stood at the helm of all these walking terrors.

The Supreme Commander of the Rocks Pirates and the one who had slain the Prideful Overlord.

With his savage look and superior strength, he was surely the worst of the worst.

He was everything a pirate entailed and far more.

His name and appearance alone caused 200 reported heart attacks over the world at a yearly basis!

The death toll to his madness was in the millions!

—–< WANTED >—–

< ROCKS·D·XEBEC >

< ‘The Great Sin’>

< ???? 4,670,500,000 – >

< ONLY DEAD >

———————————————-

[At a Church in Grove 67]

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An elderly man wearing the attire of a priest knelt down before a large statue.

Tens of nuns did the same behind him.

Behind them were over 300 people of varying ages, all mimicking the motion of the pope at the front.

.

A few bounty posters were laid on the ground before the mass of faithful believers.

“Oh Divine One, have mercy on our souls and send these devils to the deepest pits of the afterworld!”

“””””Please Lord!””””””

———————————————-

Similar scenes occurred throughout the world, whether it was the 4 Outer Seas, Paradise or the New World.

People were afraid and they went to where they felt safe.

Some prayed to god, some accepted reality, and some were so afraid that their minds forced them to go to the local brothel. Their primal instinct to procreate and continue their family line was awakened in the fear of death.

.

“Look, they updated the Threat Index!”

.

The Threat Index was a list of criminals categorized into 6 levels.

Level 6 – Threats not worth mentioning by higher powers.

Level 5 – Emerging threats, usually Supernovas of their respective eras.

Level 4 – Threats known for their brutality and destruction, usually only from the New World.

Level 3 – Threats that could cause the collapse of smaller kingdoms.

Level 2 – Threats that could be said to bring enough destruction that would warrant the eyes of Navy Admirals. Usually pirates with at least a billion berry bounty.

Level 1 – The absolute terrors of current times. Anyone names found in this list were an instant no-no. They had either the power or the capital to cause untold amounts of chaos. The World Government will have to send out great amounts of forces to even attempt to take down any of those who belong to this level.

The Level 1 Threats are usually the ones most discussed in the Reverie as many major kingdoms remain wary of them.

.

“‘Pirate Queen’ Herja, ‘Crazed Wind’ Borealis, Enigma the ‘Chessmaster’, the ‘Holy Terror’ Sol. All these monsters were in that list until their fall!” A man shouted out as he looked over the new list.

.

Of the 9 names in the First Level of the Threat Index, 8 of them were involved in the recent war!

Those eight being:

1) Charlotte Linlin.

2) Silvers Rayleigh.

3) Patrick Redfield.

4) Edward Newgate.

5) Shiki.

6) Einar D. Damien.

7) Gol D. Roger.

8) Rocks D. Xebec.

.

And of course, the D. middle name was not exactly invisible.

Even an idiot could see the reappearances of this name as 4 had already made their way to the first level.

It was another thought for the Reverie scheduled in three years.

———————————————-

[A Few Hours Later]

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“Haaa, I can’t believe so much happened at that Festival,” a man sighed as he sat down.

His heart finally had calmed down from the news report.

“Who could have expected the marines to lose so many troops in a single attack, what a tragedy!”

“Even the dazzling Kurowashi-sama was left so broken!”

“Why do all the handsome guys have to be villains!” A teenage girl cried out as she held a bounty poster.

…

Conversations broke out as the Scorched Sea War had become a heavily talked-about topic.

The major topic being – who won?

On one side, over 50000 pirates were wiped out alongside a terrifying Overlord.

And these weren’t your run-up-the-mill pirates either, they were the scum of the New World! Such a huge purge was always welcomed.

.

On the other side, over 120000 civilians died at just Superbia and many other nearby islands were also hit with giant tides and powerful shockwaves.

The Navy also took nearly 20000 losses alongside the destruction of the fabled Ox Lloyds Warship.

Furthermore, an Admiral was left in critical condition.

.

So at the end of the day, was it really a victory for the people?

The last remaining Overlord fell and yet a far, far more frightening pirate crew seemed to take their place.

.

Another new topic and a cause of fear was connected to a single saying – “There can only be one king!”

With the Order of the Overlords being a thing of the past, only 2 real crews remain.

The Rocks Pirates and the Roger Pirates!

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It wasn’t a reach to say that another world-shaking war was due!

———-

“Hey did you hear about the giant hole left in from the war?” A man remarked.

His friend nodded with some fascination, “I wanna go see it myself! A landmark left behind by the Scorched Sea War!”

The man nodded.

.

“I hear they’re calling it one of the 7 Wonders of the New World!”