CHAPTER 151 — THE WAR BELOW
The shaking did not stop.
At first, it had felt like a strong tremor, the kind that rattled walls and made loose stone fall from rooftops. But now it grew worse, far worse. The ground beneath them shook like it was alive, rolling in waves that traveled through the streets and open spaces.
From above the residential district, Gaius and the others could feel it even while hovering. The stone buildings below creaked loudly. Roof tiles slid and shattered as they fell. Chimneys cracked and collapsed. The narrow cobblestone streets split apart, thin lines at first, then wide enough to see darkness beneath.
The quake grew stronger with every heartbeat.
The sea reacted next.
From the air, the group saw it clearly. The water beyond the buildings began to pull apart. It was not a gentle movement. It was violent, sudden, and unnatural. The ocean split open in long, jagged lines, as if something enormous had dragged invisible blades through it.
The surface of the sea cracked like broken glass.
Huge gaps opened, stretching far into the distance. The water on each side pulled away, exposing depths that should never have been seen. The world looked broken, cut into pieces.
This was no natural disaster.
Whatever was causing this had intent.
Then the water came rushing back.
From both sides of the split sea, massive walls of water began to rise. They climbed higher and higher, moving with terrifying speed. The waves were so tall they blocked the horizon. The air filled with the deep roar of moving water, a sound so loud it pressed against the chest.
Tony's eyes widened as his mind caught up with what he was seeing.
"Tsunami!" he shouted.
The word carried urgency. This was not a wave that buildings could survive. The residential district below would be erased in seconds.
Naruto, who had remained calm through the quake, turned his head sharply toward the sea. His confidence faltered for the first time since arriving. His eyes widened as he took in the size of the wave.
This was different.
The ground shaking was something he could handle. He could stick to the earth, move with it, adjust. But this wave was something else entirely. It filled the sky.
There was no time to think.
Naruto formed hand signs quickly, his movements sharp and practiced. Shadow clones appeared around him in bursts of smoke. They appeared in midair, one after another, forming a rough path upward.
Naruto leapt.
He stepped on a clone, then another, using them as solid ground for just a moment before they vanished. He moved fast, jumping higher with each step, pushing himself toward Gaius.
Gaius saw him coming and reacted instantly.
Mindy, sensing the shift, climbed higher onto Gaius's shoulder, wrapping one arm around his neck for balance. That freed one of Gaius's hands.
Naruto reached him just as the wave loomed closer.
Gaius caught him without effort, securing him firmly in one arm. His other arm already held Saeko, who had gone quiet, focusing on staying calm as the world seemed to end beneath them.
Mindy held on tightly, her excitement gone, replaced with sharp focus.
Tony flew higher, pulling Diana with him as her lasso stayed wrapped around his arm. The group rose together, gaining distance from the rising water.
Below them, the tsunami rushed forward, filling the broken sea, towering above Marineford.
Then it stopped.
The wave froze in place.
Ice spread across the water instantly, racing from the base of the wave to its peak in less than a second. The sound of rushing water vanished, replaced by a deep, sharp crack as the sea turned solid.
The frozen wave stood like a wall of glass and stone, stretching across the bay. The broken sea was now a frozen battlefield.
For a moment, no one spoke.
The group hovered in the air, staring at what should not have been possible. A disaster that could have destroyed the entire area had been ended as easily as turning off a light.
Tony was the first to speak.
"This world," he said slowly, his voice steady but filled with awe, "is quite unique."
The frozen sea was proof. Someone here had power on a scale far beyond normal.
As the shock faded, something else became clear.
The sound.
What had once been faint shouts carried on the wind now roared clearly through the air. Explosions echoed across the open space ahead. Gunfire cracked in sharp bursts. Orders were shouted. Pain, anger, and determination filled every sound.
The source was obvious.
Marine Headquarters.
They did not need to discuss it for long. Everyone understood that whatever was happening, it was centered there.
Gaius adjusted his grip slightly, ensuring everyone was secure.
They flew forward.
As they approached, the view opened up fully.
From above, the battlefield revealed itself.
In front of the massive headquarters building stretched a huge open area. Thousands of soldiers filled it, standing in tight formations. Their uniforms were identical, their movements disciplined and practiced. Rows upon rows of Marines covered the ground.
Among them stood giants.
Not metaphorical giants. Real ones.
Vice Admiral Giants towered over the soldiers, their massive forms holding enormous weapons. Each step they took shook the ground beneath them. Their presence alone was enough to intimidate.
On the opposite side of the frozen sea stood another force.
Ships were embedded in the ice, their hulls cracked but steady. Pirates gathered on the frozen surface, rough and dangerous looking, their weapons drawn. Flags marked their allegiance clearly.
Whitebeard's fleet.
Two sides faced each other across the ice.
A full war.
Even though they were high above the battlefield, the group did not go unnoticed.
Those with strong Observation Haki felt them immediately.
Sengoku sensed it first.
His awareness spread across the battlefield as it always did, a broad, steady scan that never truly turned off. Most presences felt familiar. Marines were disciplined and orderly. Pirates were loud, emotional, aggressive.
Then his focus sharpened.
One presence stood out.
It was not loud.
It was not large.
It was dense.
Sengoku did not stop moving, but his attention locked onto it instantly. The presence felt compressed, as if everything unnecessary had been burned away. There was no excess emotion, no wasted intent.
He reached deeper, trying to read it.
There was no fear.
No excitement.
No hatred.
That absence struck him harder than any violent aura could have. Everyone leaked something. Even the most disciplined fighters gave off traces of anticipation or pride.
This one did not.
Its will felt fixed, already decided long before Sengoku sensed it.
This isn't a civilian. And it wasn't anyone he recognized. It felt like CP0, but on a completely different level. Compared to it, CP0 would be like children, Sengoku thought.
No.
It was far more dangerous than that.
Around the battlefield, others felt it too.
Garp's eyes narrowed slightly.
Tsuru paused in her steps.
High-ranking pirates stiffened, their instincts screaming danger as they sensed something monstrous.
Even the Warlords noticed, their attention shifting upward.
Whitebeard felt it next.
The moment the presence came closer, it pressed against his awareness. It was tight, controlled, heavy. There was no rage riding on it, no thrill of battle.
It felt like someone shaped by war as routine.
Not battles.
War.
It was the kind of presence forged in a place where survival was expected and killing was routine. A world where emotion had long been stripped away.
Whitebeard compared it without meaning to.
Kaido's presence was loud and overwhelming, shaped by a life of constant war since childhood. But this was different. Whoever this was, their presence felt colder, more controlled, something even Kaido could not be measured against.
This one was not.
It was quiet.
And heavy.
Whitebeard understood one thing clearly.
If that will turned outward, it would move without hesitation.
Still, he did not feel fear.
He was Whitebeard.
The strongest man in the world.
Akainu saw them clearly now.
A figure in golden armor, floating above the battlefield. Others hovered near him, unfamiliar, out of place.
Akainu did not recognize them.
That was enough.
Unknown figures appearing in the middle of Marineford during the most important execution in history could only mean one thing.
Pirates.
He stood from his seat, magma rolling beneath his skin.
"How dare you unknown pirates intrude in Marineford!" he shouted, his voice carrying across the battlefield.
Without waiting for answers, he formed a massive magma fist and hurled it upward, straight toward Gaius and the others.
~~~
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