An Eternal Bond

Same Enemy, Same Side

Marco and I looked at each other, and with a nod I jumped down along with Oyaji and flew up to Luffy.

The allied forces flooded into the firm ice at the motion of Oyaji's spear.

"Room!" I pulled out my sword and slashed at the air, the soldiers in front of me falling apart like building blocks.

"Why hasn't the encircling walls been activated if that's what they kept threatening to do earlier?" I wondered aloud. Luffy looked around and shrugged. "I'm not sure..."

I looked down at the ice beneath me, trying to see the water rippling underneath. "Wait..." I landed on the ground, the ice not even cracking under me. I hadn't noticed before but... this ice is way thicker than I thought.

Once I looked in front of me, I saw that there weren't really any navy soldiers on the ice anymore.

"Looks like they're readying the encircling walls."

A vice admiral jumped onto the ice, making his way over to Oyaji. "Shouldn't we help out?" Luffy asked. I shook my head. "Better yet, hold onto me."

The vice admiral tried at Oyaji, but instead was pushed back and the earth seemed to tilt sideways.

Luffy rung his arms around my neck while I held him on my back, watching the chaos take place underneath my hovering figure. Not only the island, but even the sea was truly abstract art at its finest.

The ice cracked beneath me and I flew upwards a bit more. "Luffy, whatever you do, do not let go."

"What about your crew?!"

"They already know what to do." I looked back at Oyaji, seeing him fighting one on one with the giant vice admiral, and his Devil Fruit power quickly advancing towards Ace's scaffold.

I squinted to get a better look at what was protecting the scaffold, sighing and landing on the rigged ice.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Luffy asked. I shook my head. "They aren't called Navy Admirals for nothing."

Just as I said that, the dust cleared to reveal the Navy Admirals standing with their arms outstretched in front of them.

While they probably felt cool, it really didn't look cool, to be honest. They looked like they were about to dance.

The encircling walls finally pushed through the ice and rose.

There was only one place that the encircling walls most definitely cannot rise, and that's where Oars is. So naturally, that's where a lot of powerful attacks will be from.

And I was right.

Fists of magma came raining down on the ice, melting it rapidly and making the sea boil.

"The Moby Dick caught fire!"

I stopped for probably the first time in this entire mission. Between flying to Oyaji, flying from Oyaji, running with Luffy, swimming, jumping, I didn't really stand still at all.

But those words managed to freeze me in place. I hesitantly turned around and saw the ship I called my home for so long engulfed in flames, the fire getting horrifically close to our beloved flag.