CHAPTER 150 — One Piece!
The message lingered on the screen for a few seconds before fading.
[Feature Unlocked: Right of Crossing]
Time now passes equally across all worlds.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Naruto was the first to break the quiet.
[Naruto: Guys, are you going to use the Right of Crossing? Let's use it and go on an adventure together!]
His message carried his usual energy, the same excitement he always had when something new appeared. To him, this was an opportunity, not a risk.
Saeko replied a few seconds later.
[Saeko: We should be careful. The world we arrive in will be random. It could be dangerous.]
Her words were calm and steady. She was not trying to stop anyone, only reminding them that danger was a real possibility.
Diana answered next.
[Diana: Indeed. We don't know where we'll end up, or what kind of conflict might already be happening.]
Her agreement gave Saeko's warning more weight. Like Gaius's world, that place was far too dangerous for them. Mindy and Saeko were not meant for it, and even Naruto, for all his strength, was still too naive to fully grasp the risks.
If they were sent to a world like that without any preparation, they could be in serious danger.
Mindy, however, did not hesitate.
[Mindy: Let's accept it, guys!]
Her excitement was clear. With her new ability, fear barely crossed her mind.
Tony joined soon after.
[Tony: Let us prepare.]
He was smiling as he typed, already thinking ahead. A new world meant new ideas, new systems, and new things to learn.
Then Saeko turned her attention to the one person who hadn't spoken.
[Saeko: Gaius, will you also join?]
Gaius read the message in silence. He leaned back slightly in his chair within the Imperial Palace, the low hum of distant machinery steady and familiar.
The Right of Crossing was not like the missions issued by the Multiversal Chat. Time would move evenly across worlds now.
Gaius considered his current responsibilities. There were no urgent matters demanding his attention. Wars still raged across the galaxy, as they always did, but nothing required his immediate presence. He had already begun planning for the third month after learning about the feature. He intended to take part.
Still, there was one thing he needed to do first. Time spent on the other side would pass the same here. Guilliman needed to be informed. That conversation could not be delayed.
With that decided, Gaius did not hesitate.
Gaius: Yes. I will.
That settled it.
One by one, each of them accepted the option. There was no dramatic countdown, no warning lights. The system simply acknowledged their choice.
After speaking with Guilliman about his departure to the other world, Gaius confirmed his choice. With the decision made, he activated the feature, and in an instant, he was gone.
Across multiple worlds, their forms vanished.
Elsewhere, in a world ruled by the sea and pirates, the wheels of fate had already begun to turn.
(PS: That's right, One Piece is the world we'll be exploring next!)
Portgas D. Ace had been captured. Blackbeard had turned him over to the Marines without hesitation. During his imprisonment, the World Government confirmed what they had long suspected.
Ace was the son of Gol D. Roger.
The decision was immediate. His execution would serve several purposes. It would erase Roger's legacy. It would break the spirit of pirates across the seas. And most importantly, it would force Whitebeard to come.
The execution site was Marineford, the headquarters of the Marines.
Marineford was on high alert.
100,000 Marines were stationed across the fortress, their eyes fixed on the bay. Pacifistas lined the walls, their weapons trained on the water. The execution platform stood elevated and heavily guarded. Sengoku watched from the execution platform, giving silent orders, while the three Admirals, Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji, took their seats, ready to respond to any threat.
Garp sat beside Ace on the platform. His face was calm, but inside, he was torn. He glanced at Ace, then at the preparations surrounding them.
"Ace… you fool," Garp said, his voice steady but tight. "Why couldn't you just do what I asked?"
Even as his words were measured, tears welled in his eyes. Seeing Garp like that, Ace trembled, sadness washing over him.
Sengoku, standing on the platform, watched Garp closely, ready in case he acted rashly.
"If you have any doubts about what must be done," Sengoku said, his voice firm, "I'm afraid I cannot show you pity, Garp."
Garp lowered his head, letting the words settle. Calm returned to his face. "If I had any doubts," he said quietly, "I would have acted already."
Bay walls and trap mechanisms were activated, designed to trap Whitebeard the moment he arrived.
They were ready.
Then the water moved. The Moby Dick cut through the waves, massive and deliberate. Behind it, Whitebeard's fleet spread across the bay.
Whitebeard stood at the bow, his presence alone making the Marines tense. He spoke to his crew, calm and commanding.
"Stay sharp. Nothing happens until I say so."
The sea around him trembled as he flexed the power of the Gura Gura no Mi. Waves shivered, the air snapped with energy, and tsunamis began to swell, moving toward Marineford. Aokiji stepped forward, his expression calm and unreadable.
Before the sea cracked and before the air split, six figures appeared within Marineford.
They stood in the residential district, far from the execution platform.
The area looked nothing like a modern city. Stone walls surrounded compact houses. Sloped tile roofs lined narrow streets. Chimneys rose quietly into the air. The buildings were layered tightly together, forming a town tucked inside a fortress.
Cobblestone streets wound slightly, uneven but well worn. Large wooden gates reinforced with iron bands marked entrances and exits. Everything about the place felt practical and defensive.
Tony was the first to speak.
"This place doesn't look very advanced," he said, looking around. "Definitely not a modern world."
He turned and pointed toward the massive structure rising behind the residential area. Marine Headquarters loomed over everything, like a castle keep towering above a town.
"That place," Tony continued, "might be where we get information."
Naruto frowned slightly, glancing around.
"Where is everyone?" he asked.
The question settled over the group. The streets were empty. Doors were closed. Windows were dark. Yet nothing looked abandoned. There were signs of recent life everywhere.
Then they heard it.
Faint shouts.
The sounds came from the direction of the fortress.
Gaius and Diana heard it more clearly than the others. Their expressions shifted simultaneously as the sound reached them, countless shouts carried on the wind.
"There's a war," Diana said.
Gaius nodded. "Yes."
They agreed without further discussion. Whatever was happening, it was centered there.
They were about to move when the ground shook.
The tremor was sudden and violent. The stone beneath their feet cracked slightly. Buildings rattled. Loose debris fell.
"Earthquake?!" Mindy shouted.
The shaking didn't stop.
It grew stronger.
Gaius reacted instantly. He saw Saeko and Mindy struggling to keep their balance. Without hesitation, he grabbed them both, lifting one in each arm.
Tony activated his flight and rose into the air.
Diana swung her lasso upward, looping it around Tony, and used it to pull herself into the air, lifting him with her.
Naruto stayed on the ground. He planted his feet firmly, moving easily despite the shaking, his balance steady, as if his feet were anchored to the earth.
Gaius activated his jet pack and lifted off, holding Mindy and Saeko carefully as they hovered above the ground.
~~~
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PS. I know I said it would be next week, but my obsessive-compulsive side saw that the number was 149 and couldn't handle it, so I went ahead and made it 150.