"No! You're not going. This isn't your war. Ace is my brother, this is my responsibility," Luffy said firmly.
Everyone froze.
Luffy turned around, his back to them.
"It's too dangerous. This is a war."
"Admirals, Yonko… the strongest people in the world fighting."
"I'll go alone."
"I can't drag you all into this to die."
Luffy understood it clearly.
In the previous timeline, the defeat at Sabaody was still vivid in his mind.
They couldn't even beat a single admiral.
Let alone storm Marine Headquarters.
Three admirals, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and countless vice admirals would all be gathered there.
Bringing his companions would only push them into a dead end.
"The hell are you talking about?!" Zoro snapped.
He strode forward and grabbed Luffy by the collar.
"You're the captain. We're the crew."
"You want to play hero by yourself?"
"What do you think we are?!"
Luffy didn't resist. He simply lowered his head.
"I don't want to lose anyone else."
That sentence made Zoro's hand stiffen.
The air grew suffocatingly heavy.
Luffy wasn't afraid for himself, he was afraid for his comrades.
He was truly scared now, scared of watching his friends vanish right in front of him again.
Scared of being powerless.
A hand came down on Luffy's shoulder.
It was Shinju.
Shinju pried Zoro's hand away, pressed down on Luffy's shoulder, and forced him to turn around.
"Luffy, you've got one thing wrong."
Shinju stared into Luffy's eyes.
"This isn't your war alone."
"This is my war too."
Luffy blanked for a moment.
"Shinju…"
"I'm going to Marineford."
Shinju tugged at his sleeve.
His tone was calm, like he was saying he was going next door to buy groceries.
"I have something I need to take—something I can only take there."
"And you can't save Ace by yourself."
"Even with Whitebeard's crew, your odds aren't above thirty percent."
"If the Marines dare to publicly execute him, then they've prepared everything."
"This is a trap designed specifically for Whitebeard."
"If you go, you're just delivering one more life."
"This is a trap designed specifically for Whitebeard."
"If you go, you're just delivering one more life."
Luffy panicked.
"Then I'm still going! Even if I die, I'm saving Ace!"
Shinju smiled.
"Who said you're going to die?"
"With me here, you won't."
Those three words carried weight.
In this crew, Shinju was synonymous with absolute strength.
He had never lost—he had never even looked like he was fighting seriously.
"We're going together, not to die."
"We're going to turn that damned Marine Headquarters upside down."
Shinju turned to the far end of the sea.
That direction was the Gate of Justice… Marineford.
"I also want to see how much 'world's strongest' Whitebeard really amounts to."
"His power, I'm taking it."
That last line, Shinju only said in his heart.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit that could shatter space, raise tsunamis, destroy the world.
It was also a key fragment the system had singled out. He had to get it, no matter the cost.
He didn't even need to wait for Blackbeard to make his move.
If the timing was right, Shinju wouldn't mind personally sending Whitebeard on his way.
Of course, the premise was saving Ace first.
Because that was Luffy's brother.
And a key node in this world's storyline.
"Nami, check the charts."
Shinju began issuing orders.
If Luffy's mind was a mess right now, then Shinju would take over command.
"We head for the nearest Marine base or anywhere with warships."
"We need to hitch a ride. Either charge straight into the great underwater prison, Impel Down… or go straight to Marineford."
Nami wiped her tears away quickly.
She unfolded the sea chart.
"The closest route means we have to leave Alabasta's waters first."
"If we want to get to Marineford, we have to pass through the Gate of Justice."
"Only Marine warships can open that gate."
Shinju nodded.
"Then we steal one."
"Zoro, Sanji—get ready to fight."
"The road ahead won't be peaceful."
Zoro grinned and retied his bandana.
"Just how I like it."
Sanji ground out his cigarette under his heel.
"As long as it's for Nami-swan and Robin-chan's safety—even if it's hell, I'll go."
Robin had been standing quietly in the corner.
Among them, she thought the most—and cared most about the crew as a whole.
Right now, her eyes were layered with emotions so complex they almost overflowed.
Marineford…
A name that once made the world tremble.
Whitebeard.
A man who, in the previous era, could even wrestle with the Pirate King Roger.
Was he really going to fall?
And Shinju…
what exactly did he want to obtain in that war?
Her instincts told her Shinju's purpose was far more than saving someone.
He was like a hunter.
Waiting for the fiercest beast to reveal an opening.
Luffy took a deep breath and stuffed the Vivre Card back into his hat.
"Set sail!"
The Going Merry began to turn.
A course that had pointed toward the sky was forcibly twisted away.
The bow split the waves, charging straight toward the most dangerous vortex at the center of this sea.
Vivi stood at the port, watching the ship grow smaller and smaller.
She didn't try to stop them.
She knew the place they were heading was a battlefield beyond her reach.
"Please… come back alive…"
Inside the cabin, Shinju sat down cross-legged.
He opened the system panel again.
Mission triggered: Intervener of the Marineford War.
Objective: Survive the war, and obtain key fragment—Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability data.
Optional objective: Change Portgas D. Ace's fate.
Reward: Ninja World coordinate-lock progress +20%.
"Whitebeard…"
Shinju murmured the name.
Edward Newgate—in Shinju's eyes, an old-era remnant, destined to become a stepping stone for the new era.
There was no disrespect meant, but the tide of history couldn't be changed. A world's storyline was cold. Not something one person could decide.
But the method—there was room to maneuver.
"Your era is over."
"I'll personally draw the curtain for you."
Shinju closed his eyes. The chakra in his body began to boil.
He was adjusting his state for the high-intensity battle to come.
Marine admirals—Logia-type Devil Fruit users.
Even if he had the system, ninjutsu, chakra—
in this world, rule suppression still existed.
He needed finer control and a more perfect strategy.
He might even need to use Luffy, use Blackbeard, use everyone present.
This wasn't just a clash of force—
it was a game.
Who was the chess piece, and who was the player?
That still wasn't decided.
Blackbeard thought he was the winner.
Sengoku thought he controlled the whole board.
But Shinju knew—
only the one who held the information advantage would be the last winner.
And he had the script.
He had the system.
That was enough.
"Just wait, Marineford."
"I'll prepare a big gift for you all."
(End of Chapter)
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