Multiversal Recruitment

Chapter 12: Capitulo 12: Fire in Paradise



Marine Base – Marineford, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's Office

The office was silent, only interrupted by the sound of the wind rattling the windows of the most important room in the Navy. Sengoku was flipping through recent reports on rookie pirates in the East Blue when a golden Den Den Mushi—one that was never supposed to ring—suddenly opened its eyes and began to tremble.

—"…What the hell…?" he muttered.

The snail opened its mouth in a robotic tone, the panicked voice behind it trying to remain formal.

—"Level One Code, Level One Code. Emergency confirmed in Mariejois. Ongoing insurgency. Slave release confirmed in Sector Sixteen. Suspected involvement of external agents. Multiple casualties among the Celestial Dragons. I repeat: multiple confirmed casualties!"

The Den Den Mushi let out a sharp screech, signaling the transmission was still active.

Sengoku froze for a moment. The smoke from his pipe stopped in midair.

—"…What?"

—"The slave collars have been destroyed. Reports mention giants, fish-men, and minks fighting inside the compound. Some witnesses claim to have seen internal explosions. There's fire atop the Red Line, sir!"

He slammed his hands on the desk, making the documents tremble.

—"How the hell did they let this happen in Mariejois!?"

—"Security protocols are active, but CP0 units have failed to contain the uprising. They're… being overwhelmed, sir."

Sengoku closed his eyes for a moment, brows furrowed, jaw clenched.

—"Are the Dragons asking for help?"

—"No. They're demanding immediate retaliation. Direct order to evacuate survivors and publicly execute all rebels. Some have even invoked the Total Suppression Protocol…"

Silence fell in the room.

Sengoku removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, frustrated.

—"How many civilians are involved?"

—"Thousands. Including slaves, servants, and guards. But… according to reports, there's one individual leading the revolt. A slave. Still unidentified. Armed and reportedly using some kind of destructive power. Possible Devil Fruit user."

Sengoku clicked his tongue.

—"And the admirals?"

—"Akainu is in the New World. Aokiji is patrolling the South Blue. Kizaru is in Sabaody. He could reach Mariejois in under an hour."

Sengoku walked over to the window. From there, he could see Marineford's coastline—calm, peaceful. The world had yet to learn what had just happened.

—"…Send Kizaru immediately."

—"And backup?"

—"Send Momonga and Doberman with him. Two full battalions of Vice Admirals. And if they fail to contain the situation…"

Sengoku turned slowly, eyes grave as he stared at the Den Den Mushi.

—"…Tell Kong to contact the Five Elders."

—"T-The Gorosei?"

—"Yes. Because if Mariejois falls… this won't just be a crisis. It'll be the beginning of a war."

Sabaody Archipelago – Area 69

Borsalino, Admiral of the Navy, was lounging on a wooden beach chair next to a freshly destroyed takoyaki stand. Around him, smoke still rose from the unconscious bodies of several rookie pirates. The sun shone lazily in the sky—just like him.

—"Mmm… what a lovely nap…" he murmured without removing his sunglasses. "Though all this pirate noise ruins the mood…"

Just then, his special Den Den Mushi, black with golden edges, began to emit an urgent signal. The shell trembled. The snail's eyes opened slowly… and adopted Sengoku's stern face.

—"Admiral Kizaru. Maximum-level emergency in Mariejois. Immediate deployment."

Borsalino lazily raised an eyebrow.

—"Hmm? Mariejois again? Isn't that where those folks live—ones who walk like the world belongs to them?"

—"This time it's no exaggeration. The slave sector has been compromised. Hundreds of collars destroyed. Reports mention giants, fish-men, minks… and possibly a Devil Fruit user."

Sengoku was gritting his teeth, his voice cutting through the Den Den Mushi like a slap of lead.

—"Oh…? Another uprising?" Kizaru smiled, almost amused. "Isn't that what happened years ago with… Fisher Tiger?"

Sengoku paused. A heavy one.

—"Yes… and this could be even worse."

—"Well, well… I thought they'd have put on bigger locks after that little escape," the admiral said, crossing his legs and brushing some dust off his shoulder.

—"You don't get it, Borsalino. There are confirmed Celestial Dragon deaths. This isn't just a breakout. This is a direct affront to the most untouchable symbol of the World Government."

Kizaru slowly clicked his tongue.

—"They killed Dragons, huh… That's gonna sting. More for the ego than the blood."

Sengoku slammed his desk on the other end of the line.

—"This is no time for sarcasm! Fisher Tiger was a diplomatic disaster! This is a political threat! If people learn they can rise up against Mariejois and survive, it won't stop."

Kizaru slowly lowered his sunglasses.

—"Ooh… so you want me to put out another fire before the world smells the smoke?"

—"Yes. And if you can, burn the bastard who started it."

—"So violent, Sengoku-san…" Kizaru said, rising with a theatrical yawn. "But hey… duty is duty, I suppose."

His body began to glow, his boots humming with photonic energy. Light particles drifted off his coat as the air vibrated gently.

—"Who'd have thought… another madman wanting to make history. Just like that fish back then…"

He raised his arm with elegance. His figure turned into a golden silhouette.

—"Well then… let's shine a little in the history books."

With an explosive flash, he vanished, leaving behind only a wave of heat and silence.

---

Mariejois, Dock

Meanwhile, Salazar, completely unaware of the incoming calamity with a name, kept propelling himself forward with explosions from his palms until he finally spotted his target.

—About time.

Landing with a slight stumble on a rooftop, he quickly recovered, sighed, and looked down. In front of him was the dock, full of luxurious ships — the kind the Celestial Dragons used to leave the Holy Land.

In front of them, multiple royal guards stood in defensive formation.

—Of course they were waiting for us... they know these ships are our only way out —a humorless, ironic smile formed on his face.

—I haven't seen any high-ranking CP0 yet... That worries me. And it means I need to hurry.

Making a decision, he checked the ammo in his weapons and secured them.

—Alright… here I go!

Launching himself toward the dock, he landed in the middle of the crowd, making the wood groan under the impact.

Everyone was shocked, but immediately pointed their rifles, pistols, and spears at him.

—It's the slave!

—Get him!

—We need to—Aagh!

The last guard didn't finish his sentence — he took a bullet to the chest, then another to the head, fired by Salazar.

Wasting no time, Salazar generated two powerful explosions from his outstretched hands while crouched with one leg bent.

BOOM!

—Aaaagh!

—Watch out!

—He ate a Devil Fruit!

—Kill him!

Amid the fiery chaos he created, Salazar made sure not to aim at the ships. Getting up and pulling out his pistols, he didn't want to destroy the dock.

—I'd better hold back a little...

Drawing his katana from the inventory, he held it in one hand and the pistol in the other.

He began sprinting through the crowd of guards. The strength of a super soldier combined with Kaina's combat skills helped him finish them off with ease. One by one they fell — either from slashes to the neck or precise headshots. Death followed his every step.

—Tsk... Too many...

Even with the pile of corpses behind him, he was still surrounded, so he came up with a new strategy.

The guards in front of him couldn't help but tremble, sweat running down their hands as they gripped their weapons. All because of the blood-soaked figure of Salazar behind them — though not a drop was his own.

—Bastard!

—Kill him!

Knowing basic weapons wouldn't get the job done fast enough, he stored them, glancing at the ships.

—I only need the big ones.

Clenching his fists to generate heat, he braced himself and charged forward, dodging bullets. And once inside the crowd — chaos erupted.

Explosions. Many. People flew through the air as Salazar rampaged like a force of nature — unstoppable and inevitable.

Blast after blast turned some to ash, others left charred. Slow, agonizing deaths. Screams echoed across the dock.

For minutes, he slaughtered without pause, blowing up everything in his path until only one remained — a guard in his grasp, gasping.

—P-Please...

He begged, but Salazar ignored him. Summoning his blade, he slashed the man's throat without even looking, dropping him like dirty laundry onto the blackened pile.

There was no empathy left in him for these people. They enabled everything done to him. No mercy.

Trying to calm his breath, he looked toward the ships.

—It's time to go...

Approaching the grand, luxurious galleons, he unleashed a blast to burn the thick ropes holding them, freeing two of them.

—Alright, now it's time to—

—Shigan!

As he spoke, a white-masked man appeared before him in a blur of speed. Everything slowed. He had no time to think. Almost instinctively, he fired an explosion from his palms without controlling the direction.

He was blasted upward, breaking the dock beneath him. In the air, he looked down — and saw nothing.

—CP0?!

He asked himself, shocked and nervous.

Looking down, he saw the ruined harbor — but no trace of his attacker.

—There's no way that hit him...

He began freefalling, but it was the least of his worries. Looking everywhere, and seeing nothing, he launched himself with another explosion toward the undamaged part of the dock. He landed gracefully — but groaned in pain. Looking down, confused, he saw a bleeding hole in his thigh, finger-sized.

—He hit me? When?

Stunned but unable to pause, he saw blades of compressed air heading toward him — over ten. Clicking his tongue in frustration, he maneuvered using explosions, dodging everything until he slid across the wood, stopping and looking up. There he saw the same man, flying straight toward him at high speed.

—Geppo?!

Surprised, gritting his teeth, he raised a hand and fired a powerful explosion from over ten meters away. But due to his injured thigh, he lost balance and was blasted backward, crashing into barrels of gunpowder.

In pain, he stood with bits of powder and broken wood over him, looking toward the area where the explosion had hit.

—A master of the Six Styles... white mask... definitely CP0, he muttered bitterly, clenching his jaw.

—We need to get out of here, now...

Raising a hand, he leaned on a nearby pillar, ready to launch a massive blast.

But before he could, the same masked man appeared in front of him, finger pointed straight at his heart. Furious, Salazar blasted the ground beneath him, soaring upward with black smoke trailing from his hands, panting. The agent, without hesitation, used Geppo to follow him into the air.

A high-speed aerial chase began. Salazar could only flee. He was too fast. His explosions were too slow — or rather, he himself was too slow to catch him off guard.

His hair whipped in the wind as he fell backward, watching the relentless agent close in using Geppo, accelerating downward.

A silent, deadly presence with only one goal: eliminate him. From afar, Salazar could hear the screams of a relentless battle — collapsing buildings and dying people.

—I don't have time to waste on you! —he shouted desperately.

Despite knowing a large explosion would send him crashing down faster, he opened his palms skyward — toward the agent — and through the mask, he saw the man's eyes widen in surprise, not expecting such a reckless move.

But Salazar didn't give him time to think. Not even himself.

—DIE!! —he roared with fury, unleashing a massive explosion from his hands.

BOOM!

A huge fireball rose over all of Mariejois. The port was lit up, and smoke shot skyward like a bomb.

Inside Mariejois, Kaina was freeing the last slave with a shot to the collar from atop the shoulder of a tired — but still standing — giant. That's when she saw and heard the massive explosion from the port, watching it seriously from the shoulder of her companion.

—We have to go, Kujori...

—Understood, My Lady! ALL SLAVES — TO THE PORT, NOW! —he shouted urgently, his voice echoing across all of Mariejois.

Each and every slave — over 3,000 — ran immediately like a furious stampede toward the port. Every single one of them burning with the same desire:

Freedom.

----

What do you think of my battle narrative? Honestly, I think I'm a bit clumsy, but I'd like your opinion.


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