One Piece: Bai Ye Deputy Captain of the Straw Hats

Translator: PapaSmurf0700

While Garp's clash with the Whitebeard sent shockwaves across the island, the other battles of Marineford raged on without pause.

"Inugami Guren!" (Dog Bite Red Lotus!)

Akainu's arm transformed into a slavering hound's head made of pure magma. With a forward thrust, the molten beast opened its jaws, lunging to incinerate Bai Ye.

"No wonder they call you 'Akainu'—Red Dog," Bai Ye quipped, a smirk on his face even as he faced the Admiral's power. "Even your attacks have a canine theme."

He summoned his Golden Curse Mantra, a staff of pure, condensed energy materializing in his hand. He met the magma hound head-on, smashing his staff against its fiery snout.

BOOM!

Golden light and molten rock exploded at the point of impact. The two forces held in a stalemate.

"I may not have formally trained in it," Bai Ye grinned, "but I think I'll call this technique the 'Dog-Beating Staff Method'."

"You insolent brat, all you do is talk!" Akainu snarled, lashing out with his other fist and forcing Bai Ye back several meters. "Do you truly believe delaying me will change anything?"

This evasive style of combat was infuriating the Admiral. From the moment their fight began, Bai Ye had been like an eel, slipping away from every direct confrontation. Whenever Akainu attempted to move to support another front, the Priest would appear to intercept him, engaging just enough to hold his attention. It was a classic stalling tactic.

"Do you think luring me and Kuzan away from the platform will be enough to save that pirate filth?" The magma on Akainu's body began to seethe, the temperature rising so intensely that the very ground beneath him started to melt. "Do you honestly believe that Straw Hat boy stands any chance against Fleet Admiral Sengoku?!"

With a roar, the magma erupted from his body, surging toward Bai Ye like a tidal wave of fire. "You've forgotten who you're dealing with!"

Faced with the overwhelming attack, Bai Ye did not retreat. He advanced. The golden staff in his hand flowed and reshaped itself, elongating into a magnificent spear. He thrust it forward, aiming for the heart of the rolling lava.

The spear, an extension of his own innate energy, pierced the magma wave. For a moment, it was as if the golden light had split the very heavens, carving a path through the fiery deluge and parting it in two.

-----

"ACE!"

This time, Luffy didn't stretch. He took a deep breath, forcing air through his body like a pressure pump to ignite his Gear Second. With an explosive burst of speed, he shot into the air, launching himself high above the execution platform. He saw his brother kneeling, bound, and reached for him.

Just as Fleet Admiral Sengoku moved to intercept, a sudden presence from above made him look up.

"MARCO! GO!" a captain on the battlefield roared.

The chaos caused by the Straw Hat Pirates had created the perfect diversion. Marco, Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' 1st Division, seized the opportunity. Transforming into a phoenix of brilliant blue flame, he dove from the sky at the exact moment Luffy made his move, a two-pronged assault designed to catch Sengoku off guard.

"Insolent fools," Sengoku growled, his honor insulted. "Who do you think I am?"

He easily saw through their pincer movement. But just as he prepared to unleash his own power, several beams of brilliant yellow light shot down from the heavens, piercing Marco's phoenix form. The flames of rebirth instantly healed the wounds, but the impacts slowed his descent. It was all the opening Sengoku needed. A single, waiting punch sent the phoenix commander spiraling away from the platform.

As for Luffy, motes of light coalesced around him, forming into a tall, lanky figure.

"Speed is weight, Straw Hat boy," Admiral Kizaru drawled. "Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"

His right leg flashed, a blade of pure energy, and slammed into Luffy.

"Damn it!" Luffy cursed, retracting his arms and crossing them in a desperate, Haki-infused block. But suspended in mid-air with no leverage, he was helpless. Kizaru's kick sent him flying, far from his brother's side.

"Marco! Luffy!" Ace cried out from the platform, his voice filled not with despair, but with concern for his comrades.

"You're late, Kizaru," Sengoku said, his tone laced with displeasure. "At your speed, you should have been here much sooner."

"Ah, my apologies, Fleet Admiral," Kizaru replied with his signature, infuriatingly casual tone. "Things were getting a little… interesting elsewhere." He scanned the battlefield, a flicker of surprise crossing his face as he saw the pirates holding their own against the Navy's elite. When he realized the Straw Hats were the source of this unexpected resistance, he couldn't help but comment, "My, oh my. These rookies are quite the monsters."

"Enough games, Kizaru. Bring them in," Sengoku ordered.

"Of course," Kizaru said, his gaze turning toward the Crescent Bay port. Several warships were sailing into view, each carrying a number of identical, hulking figures. At the prow of the lead ship stood Sentomaru, shouldering a massive broad-axe.

"No wonder the old man sent for us," Sentomaru grumbled as he surveyed the battlefield. After the warships docked, he raised his axe.

"Go! Pacifista!"

At his command, the cyborgs disembarked, their optical sensors glowing as they began identifying pirate targets. In moments, they locked on, their mouths opening to unleash devastating laser beams. Once these precision weapons joined the fray, the fragile balance of the battle would be shattered.

But just as they prepared to fire, a thunderous, dual-toned roar echoed from behind them.

"HAKOKU!" (Conquest of the Sea!)

A colossal shockwave of red and blue energy tore across the bay, so powerful it shattered the very ice field Aokiji had created.

"What is that?!" Sentomaru yelled, turning just in time to feel the force of the blast. Even with his self-proclaimed ultimate defense, he knew he couldn't block it head-on and threw himself aside. The Pacifista units, being machines, had no such instincts. The wave hit them directly, and they were utterly obliterated before they could fire a single shot.

"Ooh," Kizaru murmured, his hands in his pockets as he watched another, even larger ship sail into the bay. Four immense figures stood proudly on its deck. "It seems some truly remarkable guests have arrived."

"You've... you've got to be kidding me!" Usopp stammered after blasting another Marine off his feet. He rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Tears of joy and shock began streaming down his face.

"It's Master Dorry! And Master Brogy!"

The former captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, Dorry the Blue Ogre and Brogy the Red Ogre, had just joined the battle.