The heavy iron doors of Gecko Moria's palace were completely gone, leaving a massive, jagged hole leading out into the morning fog of Thriller Bark.
The Straw Hat Pirates marched out of the grand foyer, their boots crunching over the shattered stone. The playful, chaotic energy from inside the castle had completely evaporated. They were geared up, focused, and ready for war.
"Alright," Ben said, stopping in the center of the devastated courtyard. "We split up here. You all know your assignments."
Ben stepped forward, reaching into his spatial storage. "Before we separate, we need to bolster the front lines. The Marines brought twenty Pacifistas. We will bring our own."
With a flick of his wrist, Ben tossed twenty metallic capsules onto the stone ground.
Hiss.
The capsules burst open, releasing a thick cloud of pressurized vapor. Stepping out of the smoke were twenty sleek, humanoid machines. They were painted in the Straw Hat colors—red, gold, and black—each sporting a slightly different, specialized armor configuration, and glowing blue arc reactors in their chests. It was a full Iron Legion, built by Ben for situations like this.
Ben looked at Merry. "Merry, link up with them. Take control and give them their orders. House Party Protocol."
Merry tapped the side of her headset. Her blue eyes flashed as she established a direct wireless uplink with the twenty metallic soldiers.
"Iron Legion, online," Merry announced in cheerful voice. "Primary directive: Escort Captain Luffy to the main docks. Engage and suppress all Marines and Pacifista units. One-on-one matchmaking. Lethal force authorized against non-organic combatants."
The twenty Iron Legionnaires simultaneously turned their heads toward Luffy, their visors glowing bright blue. They fell into a perfect military formation behind the rubber captain.
"Whoa! Cool robots!" Luffy grinned, adjusting his straw hat. He looked at Zoro and Sanji. "Let's go beat up some Admirals!"
"Try not to die, Captain," Sanji smirked, lighting a fresh cigarette.
"I'll carve us a path," Zoro grunted, his hand resting on the hilt of his newly acquired black blade, Shusui.
He confidently drew his sword, turned, and immediately marched ninety degrees in the wrong direction, heading straight toward a solid brick wall.
One of the Iron Legion robots seamlessly glided into his path, physically blocking him. Its visor flashed red.
"Recalculating," the robot stated in a polite, synthesized voice. "Warning: Swordsman is geographically compromised. Please follow the glowing green arrows projected on the ground."
Sanji burst into tears of laughter, leaning against a pillar. "Geographically compromised! Even the machines know you're an idiot!"
Zoro's face turned dark red. A vein throbbed on his forehead. "I'm going to turn you into a toaster, you tin can!"
The Vanguard group—Luffy, Zoro (guided by glowing arrows), Sanji, Nami, Franky, Dory, Oimo, and Kashii—broke off, heading straight down the main path toward the eastern docks where Akainu and the Marine fleet awaited.
A moment later, Ace adjusted his hat, his eyes burning with focused intensity. "Usopp, Brogy, Chopper, Vivi. With me. We have a fat, treacherous pirate to hunt on the north wall."
"Counter-sniping duty," Usopp muttered, adjusting his goggles and gripping his Transforming Bow. "I've got your back, Ace."
"I have the skies," Vivi nodded, gripping her vibranium spear tightly.
Ace's group turned and sprinted toward the northern perimeter, disappearing into the dense, creeping fog.
That left Ben, Robin, Merry, and Sunny standing alone in the ruined courtyard.
"Our turn," Ben said. He reached into his spatial storage and pulled out a sleek, matte-black hoverboard. He dropped it onto the ground, where it hovered perfectly two inches above the dirt.
Ben stepped onto the board. He turned to Robin and offered his hand. "Robin, if you please."
Robin smiled her serene, quiet smile. She took his hand and stepped gracefully onto the back of the hoverboard, resting her hands lightly on his waist for balance.
"Merry, Sunny," Ben looked down at the two androids. "We are heading to the western wall. Activate your thrusters and follow us."
"Let's go," Ben commanded.
Merry and Sunny's boots ignited with a low, humming blue plasma. They lifted off the ground. Ben engaged the hoverboard, and the four of them shot into the sky, flying swiftly over the crooked tombstones and dead trees of Thriller Bark, heading straight for the western wall.
The Western Graveyard
Eustass "Captain" Kid marched confidently through the foggy cemetery, a cruel, arrogant smirk plastered on his face. His massive metallic arm, constructed from a terrifying amalgamation of scrap swords, cannon barrels, and iron gates, clanked heavily with every step.
Behind him walked his first mate, Killer, his twin Punisher blades resting securely on his forearms.
Trailing slightly behind the Kid Pirates were the rest of the allied Supernovas: Trafalgar Law, Capone Bege, Scratchmen Apoo, Basil Hawkins, Jewelry Bonney, and X Drake. They walked with their respective crews, an unprecedented alliance of the worst rookies of the generation.
"Keep your eyes open," Kid ordered, glancing at the gothic palace looming in the distance. "Moria's zombies could be anywhere. We crush the army, corner the Warlord, and take his head. No one gets in our way."
"We haven't seen a single zombie yet," Law noted, his eyes scanning the fog. "For a man who relies on an undead army, his front yard is conspicuously empty."
"Maybe he's scared!" Apoo laughed, playing a discordant tune on his teeth. "Apapapapa! He knows we're coming!"
Suddenly, Hawkins stopped walking. He pulled a tarot card from his deck and flipped it over. The Chariot. But it was inverted.
"Something is approaching," Hawkins said in his usual monotone voice. "From above."
The Supernovas stopped. They all looked up into the dense, gray mist.
Cutting silently through the fog, a sleek black hoverboard descended toward them. Standing on it was a tall man with silver-white hair, accompanied by Nico Robin. Flying effortlessly beside them were two young children with plasma thrusters extending from their metallic boots.
Ben guided the hoverboard to a smooth stop a few dozen yards in front of the assembled pirate crews. He stepped off, helping Robin down, before waving his hand and sending the hoverboard back into his spatial storage. Merry and Sunny landed quietly on the dirt beside him, the metallic plating of their joints and thrusters still clearly visible.
"Merry, Sunny," Ben instructed quietly, keeping his eyes on the pirates. "Shift into your full human forms. Use the artificial Hito Hito no Mi you consumed."
"Aye aye, Papa," Sunny nodded.
The power of the artificial Human-Human fruits rewrote their physiology and turning them into perfectly normal, flesh-and-blood humans.
"Good," Ben murmured. "I don't want Eustass Kid using his magnetic powers on you before we can establish a dialogue."
The Supernovas instantly tensed. They all recognized the man standing before them.
"Edgar D. Benjamin," Law muttered, his hand dropping to the hilt of his nodachi. "The Magician."
"The Straw Hats' tactician," Bege puffed his cigar, his eyes narrowing. "What is a two-billion-berry crew doing in this graveyard?"
Kid took a heavy step forward, his magnetic arm whirring with red electricity. He wasn't intimidated; he was annoyed.
"Straw Hat's lapdog," Kid sneered, glaring at Ben. "We didn't come here for you. Move aside. We are here for Gecko Moria's head."
Ben dusted off his sleeves casually. He looked at the assembled captains with a calm, analytical gaze.
"You are wasting your time, Kid," Ben said smoothly. "Gecko Moria is currently unconscious and folded in half on the other side of the island. He is already defeated."
The graveyard fell dead silent.
"Defeated?" Drake frowned, stepping forward. "You took down a Warlord already?"
"That's impossible," Apoo stopped laughing.
Kid's face twisted into a mask of pure fury. The veins on his forehead bulged. He had formed an alliance, sailed into the Triangle, and prepared for a massive war, all to steal the glory that the Straw Hats currently held. And now, he was being told that they had beaten him to the punch yet again.
"You stole my prey!" Kid roared, metal debris from the graveyard beginning to levitate around him. "Fine! If Moria is already down, then I'll just have to be satisfied with killing you and taking your bounty instead!"
Ben didn't flinch. He just sighed softly.
"I am not here to fight you," Ben said, his voice carrying clearly over the humming of Kid's magnetism. "I am here to propose an alliance."
"An alliance?" Law raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
"For survival," Ben replied flatly. "While you were busy breaching the western wall, the World Government breached the front gates. There are currently two Marine Admirals—Akainu and Aokiji—three Vice-Admirals, a fleet of six galleons, three CP0 agents, Another Warlord, and twenty Pacifista cyborgs marching on this castle. They are here to hunt our crew. And on the northern wall, Marshall D. Teach has landed."
The Supernovas froze. The sheer, apocalyptic scale of the forces Ben had just casually listed was entirely beyond their current comprehension.
"Two... Admirals?" Bonney swallowed hard, her eyes widening.
"You expect us to believe that?!" Kid barked, pointing his massive metal arm at Ben. "You're lying to save your own skin! I'm not going to be a subordinate to your idiot rubber captain! I fight by my own rules, and I want absolutely nothing to do with your plans!"
Killer stood silently behind Kid. The masked first mate didn't say a word. He knew his captain better than anyone. Once Eustass Kid locked onto a target out of pride, there was no talking him down. Rationality was irrelevant.
"I'm leaving this place," Kid scoffed, deciding he had enough today. "But before that..."
Kid's eyes drifted from Ben to the two children standing beside him.
"Those kids beside you..." Kid grinned maliciously. "They look like they're hiding some high-grade metal under their skin. How about I take them away from you? They would be put to very good use in my armory."
Kid lifted both of his hands. Red electricity sparked violently from his fingers as he activated his magnetic powers, attempting to violently rip Merry and Sunny toward him.
Merry didn't even flinch. She simply looked up at the magnetic Supernova with her clear blue eyes.
"Please stop that," Merry said in her normal, polite voice, though her expression was deadpan. "Unauthorized magnetic tampering with our bodies is not allowed. If you try to pull us again, I will have to permanently delete your kneecaps."
Ben's eyes went completely cold.
"Dick move."
Ben didn't run. He simply vanished.
CRACK.
The sound of Apparition cracked through the graveyard. Kid's eyes widened as the man standing fifty yards away instantly disappeared.
Before Kid could even turn his head, Ben materialized directly in the air above him. Ben's fist was already coated in pitch-black Advanced Armament Haki, radiating the terrifying, world-shaking physical power of the Thomas Andre.
"Ruler's Descent."
Ben brought his fist down directly onto the top of Eustass Kid's skull.
The impact was devastating. The kinetic shockwave shattered the ground beneath Kid's boots, creating a massive, ten-foot-deep crater in an instant. Kid's eyes rolled into the back of his head, his metallic arm instantly collapsing into scrap as his consciousness was entirely snuffed out. He face-planted into the dirt, completely out cold from a single, overwhelming strike.
"Kid!" Killer yelled.
The masked first mate didn't hesitate. He spun his twin Punisher blades, launching himself at Ben with blinding speed, aiming to decapitate the Magician in retaliation.
Ben didn't even look at him. He simply side-stepped with casual grace. As Killer flew past him, Ben raised his hand and delivered a swift, precise, Haki-laced chop to the back of Killer's neck.
Thud.
Killer crashed into the dirt next to his captain, equally unconscious.
It had taken less than two seconds. The captain and first mate of the Kid Pirates, two of the most notorious Supernovas in the world, had been utterly dismantled without landing a single blow.
The remaining Supernovas—Law, Bege, Apoo, Drake, Hawkins, and Bonney—instantly jumped backward. They drew their weapons, taking defensive fighting poses, their faces pale with shock. The power gap was astronomically larger than they had calculated.
Ben stood calmly over the bodies of the two fallen pirates.
"Never mess with my children," Ben said, his voice deadly quiet.
He waved his hand. A swirling portal of spatial energy opened beneath Kid and Killer. The two unconscious pirates fell into the void, neatly deposited into a specialized stasis vault within Ben's spatial storage. He would deal with them later.
Ben turned his attention back to the terrified rookies. The killing intent receded from his aura, replaced by the calm, calculating demeanor of a businessman.
"Now," Ben said smoothly, as if he hadn't just instantly defeated two of their peers. "As I was saying. I am proposing an alliance against the Marine forces. However, I am not asking you to help us for free."
Law tightened his grip on his nodachi. "What are you offering?"
"Survival in the New World," Ben answered simply. "You are all rushing toward the second half of the Grand Line. But none of you know how to use Haki. You rely entirely on your Devil Fruits. In the New World, without Haki, you will be slaughtered by the Yonko within a week."
Ben reached into his coat and pulled out a small, thick, leather-bound book. He held it up.
"This is a comprehensive training manual on the fundamentals of Armament and Observation Haki," Ben explained. "I will give a copy to every captain who aids us today. Furthermore, if it is wealth you desire, I will compensate your crews with as much Belli as you want. Money is not an issue for me."
The Supernovas stared at the book. They had all heard rumors of the invisible armor used by the highest-tier fighters, but none of them possessed the knowledge to unlock it. The offer was incredibly tempting. Haki was the key to their future ambitions.
Jewelry Bonney was the first to step out of her defensive stance. She ignored the book entirely, her eyes fixed fiercely on Ben.
"You said there was a Warlord accompanying the Admirals," Bonney demanded, her voice tight. "Who is it?"
Law also leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing. He was holding out a sliver of hope that Donquixote Doflamingo had been dispatched. If Doflamingo was here, Law would gladly fight the Marines to get his revenge.
Ben looked at Bonney. He knew her history. He knew exactly why she was asking.
"The Warlord is Bartholomew Kuma," Ben answered honestly.
Bonney's breath hitched. A complicated mix of relief, anger, and sadness flashed across her face. Kuma was her father, currently being used by the World Government.
Bonney clenched her fists and smiled a sharp, determined smile. "I'll join your alliance. But I am the one who confronts Kuma. Nobody else touches him. Understand?"
"Understood," Ben nodded, respecting her request. "He is yours."
Law exhaled a quiet breath, disappointed that it wasn't Doflamingo. However, he was a pragmatic man. Learning Haki was the most efficient way to prepare for his eventual war against Joker.
"One hundred million Belli," Law stated, lowering his sword. "And the Haki manual. Do that, and the Heart Pirates will assist you."
Ben stepped closer to Law, his expression turning deadly serious.
"Deal," Ben whispered softly, tossing Law the leather-bound book. "I will pay you in cash after the battle. But if you ever mention that exact amount in front of my Navigator, she will murder us both. Understood?"
Law blinked, slightly confused but recognizing a genuine survival threat when he heard one. He simply gave a pragmatic nod.
With Law and Bonney agreeing, the remaining Supernovas looked at each other. Kid was gone. The Straw Hats were offering a massive payday and the literal key to the New World. And the alternative was fighting a man who could instantly teleport and crush a Supernova's skull.
"Apapapapa!" Apoo laughed, throwing his hands in the air. "Money and power! Beats dying in a foggy graveyard! The On Air Pirates are in!"
"My syndicate accepts the contract," Bege said, relighting his cigar. "We will provide artillery support."
Hawkins flipped another card. The Emperor, upright. "The odds of survival increase exponentially with this alliance. I accept your terms."
Drake, the former Marine, simply nodded. He knew the terror of the Admirals better than anyone here. Fighting alongside the Straw Hats was the only logical choice.
Ben smiled. "Excellent. A pleasure doing business with you all."
Ben then looked past the assembled captains. Standing near the edge of the cemetery were the remnants of the Kid Pirates. Without their captain and first mate, the crew was trembling, staring in sheer terror at the man who had just dismantled their leaders.
"As for you," Ben said, addressing Kid's subordinates.
Ben didn't raise his voice. He didn't move. He simply let a very small, highly concentrated pulse of Conqueror's Haki slip from his aura.
The invisible wave of dominating willpower washed over the Kid Pirates. It wasn't enough to knock them out, but the sheer, suffocating weight of it drove the point home.
"Escape while you have the time," Ben advised them coldly. "I have some long-term business with your captain. If you stay on this island, the Marines will slaughter you. Run."
Instead of just screaming and running in a blind panic, Kid's notoriously tough lieutenants—Heat and Wire—felt the terrifying weight of the Haki. They looked at the ten-foot-deep crater where their captain used to be. They made a collective, highly logical decision.
They straightened up, placed their arms rigidly at their sides, and bowed deeply and stiffly at the waist to Ben.
"Excuse us," Heat muttered politely.
"Have a nice day," Wire added.
"Sorry for the inconvenience," they said in unison.
Then, abandoning their pride entirely, they spun around and cartoonishly sprinted for their lives back toward the western wall, desperate to get back to their ship and flee the warzone.
"Robin, Merry, Sunny," Ben turned to his family. "The Vanguard is secure. Let's move to the front lines and show the World Government what a real alliance looks like."
The newly formed coalition of Supernovas, led by the Magician, turned their sights toward the eastern docks.
But before they could take a single step, the air pressure vanished.
From the northern side of the island—where Ace had gone to intercept Blackbeard—a colossal shockwave hit the sky.
The heavy, eternal fog of Thriller Bark was blown away in an instant. The clouds above them violently split in two, creating a massive, gaping chasm in the heavens. Jagged streaks of black and red lightning cracked across the atmosphere, the deafening roar of colliding Conqueror's Haki shaking the very foundation of the island.
Everyone froze. The sheer, overwhelming weight of the clash paralyzed the Supernovas.
Basil Hawkins, who had been calmly holding his deck, stared at the sky. His fingers went slack, and his tarot cards slipped from his grasp, scattering into the dirt.
The true war of Thriller Bark had begun.