March to War

To Slay a Dragon
In ancient times, it was said...

...to slay a dragon, you must cleave its head off clean.

Anything less than that would be seen as naught but a nuisance to the creature.

Anything that was not a fatal wound would be written off as an annoyance.

Pirates. For the marines, they can be called a dragon with many heads; none more so prominent than the ones that command their respect and admiration above all others. A quartet of conquerors that rule over portions of the world taken by way of their own strength.

The Four Emperors.

For the dragon known as "pirate" to be slain, one must carve its heads off. And so this was the start of it all; a battle to slay the dragon heads called Yonko.

For a long time, it was only discussed; planned; debated. An effort to push forward in the marines' goal to end the influence of the Yonko in the New World, as the stepping stone toward worldwide peace. But today... Today would be the start of it all. Perhaps it would start as nothing more than a spark, but soon enough, it will bloom into a blaze that will illuminate the entire world.

The marines would make their stance clear to the Yonko on this day.

On this day, all the world will know that the fall of the four emperors... has already begun.

---

5 Days Prior to the Mission

"Three teams. Three concise attacks."

Fleet Admiral Kurama had held a meeting with several hand-picked Vice and Rear Admirals, along with the Admirals themselves, in order to discuss the mission that had been thoroughly debated by them in previous scattered discussions. It was time to finally cement the plan, and prepare to carry it out.

After a lengthy talk, the details of this monumental undertaking were finally hashed out.

Three simultaneous movements were to be made on the Yonko. In an effort to begin their efforts in removing them from power, they had to start with the outer territories. And so three islands were decided upon. Rusukaina, an island in Daddy L. Legs' territory. Shikhi, an island in Daikaku's region. And Kurona, belonging to Raptor D. Baron. Five days from now, three voyages were to be carried out by teams of Vice Admirals and other Marines assigned to those units, in order to lay siege to the three islands.

Only the pirates there were to suffer consequence. The marines would pursue dominion over those islands and provide sanctuary to all citizens that renounce servitude or loyalty to the Yonko. Above all, this was a mission of liberation, not conquest; though, perhaps to Kurama, it was both.

He stated that the marines were to storm the islands, whether by force or by infiltration, but it would be preferred to operate as swiftly as possible. The longer they could keep the pirates stationed there unaware of the siege, the better; so as to minimize the chances of marine casualties.

But there was more to this mission.

For the Fleet Admiral, it wasn't solely about conquering these lands, and beginning a march inwards toward the individual hearts of the four Yonko territories. He had also issued an additional order to the mission directive. In the most ideal case, he wanted the pirates found on those islands to be captured; brought in for questioning. Kurama always believed that people, even pirates, are resources; they have more worth alive than dead, no matter how insignificant they might be. And so, murder was always to be avoided, if at all possible.

Lay siege to the Yonko islands and capture the Yonko-affiliated pirates present.

That was the complete directive.

And so, five days later...

It would begin.

To Stomp the Spider
Wynn Erin gazed through the forests of Rusukaina, they were currently calm besides the monstrous breeze that blew through them. The island had changed ever since he'd trained there. His power had warped the weather even further, the seasons bringing blizzards, monsoons, tornadoes, and endless rain and thunder. Today was one of the only clear days on the place. It was quite the peaceful place.

"We're close to landing on Rusukaina, about twenty minutes away." Godukera spoke, he was sitting in a room with a couple other Vice Admirals and a Rear Admiral. "Sol, Gwilym, Chardonnay, and Solána. As you know us five have been tasked with claiming this island in the glorious name of the marines. It should be a simple operation as the island is uninhabited but should anything go wrong be vigilant. Those Black Widows have been crawling out of more and more nooks and crannies. Attempting to poison this world of ours. We are the cure though, the anti-venom. And we will stamp them out." His eyes narrow as his being radiated an aura of pure passion. "Establishing a base of operations here leads to taking the island of Amazon Lily and wiping their presence from the calm belt." He glared across the room. "Comments, questions, concerns?"

A hand raises. A small girl being the Rear Admiral Azeban L. Solána leans forward in her chair as to directly address Godukera himself. "Quick question, in the event we engage in combat with however many of the Black Widow Pirates, what do we do?" She crosses her legs in her chair before continuing on to say. "Do we have permission to engage in full on combat." She says letting off a large aura of intimidation for someone of her small size. "Sorry to ask what may seem like a basic an uneducated question but you can never be too sure in situations such as these." She scans the room around her taking notice of the four Vice Admirals that surround her. As a Rear Admiral situations such as this doesn't happen very often outside of training. It was clear she was slightly exited but she gave off a clear look of responsibility and seriousness as to not come off as childish.

To Maim the Monk
The island of Shikhi was truly a sight within the waters of the Bardsval Ocean, one of the waters in the New World that were almost always bathed in sunlight. For that very reason, it was extremely abundant in flora, its soil rich in nutrients and so resilient that the island has never been damaged beyond repair in all of its lifetime. Despite the many fights it saw.

Shikhi was quite large, the size of a small country.

Ten large trees, whose roots delved deep into the sea and soil, were responsible for the island's extraordinary amount of plants. These trees were known as the "Ten Gurus". They sought the everlasting nutrients of the water to constantly expand or regenerate themselves, allowing their structures to build height and grow tall like walls. Standing fierce, they complimented the numbers of the existing walls within the island, built by both past civilizations and members of Daikaku's crew, the Monk Pirates. Together, they all made a total of 999 layered walls, of different thickness and habitats each.

Wild beasts, though not much, and tribesmen alike populated the island, having built villages either on the base of the largest trees or at the place many trees converged. They were all strong, not only for living in the New World, but also because of the presence of such dangerous flora. The tribesmen made several pacts with the Monks, learning their ways of peace and fighting.

The plants, however, weren't only resilient, they were more than doing photosynthesis, some of them could expel acid, venomous gases, capable of paralyzing the strongest of gladiators or penetrating through the thickest of defenses. These species would do it at the mere sight of a new visitor, however, given their lethality, their reflexes don't prompt them to do it with the same person, unless willed.

A dangerous land calmed only by True Justice, the justice of the Mad Monk.

To Topple the Titan
Kurona was an island within the with a peculiar layout. From an aerial view, the island could be seen as something resembling a clock face. Outside of its dense forestation, there were thirteen key landmarks the island held: thirteen clocktowers in total were on the unusual island. Twelve towers on the outer rim were placed in even horizontal distance from each other, forming a circle that appeared as the numbers on a clock, while a single, even larger tower, stood grandly in the center of the island.

In fact, the central clocktower in itself was so high up in the air compared to the others that the tip of the tower appeared to be covered by the clouds itself. Although, even on this clear day, the tower was perpetually concealed by darker, almost smoky clouds. Whether this was due to abnormal weather devices or other reasons was left undisclosed, but the reason did not matter.

Across all thirteen clocktowers, workers were hard at labor producing clocks for the New World to use. Watches, pocket watches, grandfather clocks and even clocks adjusted to very specific circumstances were all being produced. The tick tocking permeated the grand island, which was protected by the towering Titan Pirates.

Little did the humble citizens know. Today would be a grand battle for the world to remember.

"Kurona the island of clocks. Basically, the reasons why the Titan pirates have no excuse to be late anywhere." Valentine chuckled at his own joke. "So we're all clear on the plan right, Hyoshimaru, Ein, Margret. I'm trusting you all to get this done as smoothly as possible. Try and keep casualties to a minimum." His tone grew darker. "This is a territory inhabited by a Yonko so I suppose there are no promises."

Glancing upwards towards her the Vice Admiral from her seated position which was located towards the outer section of their current location pressed up against a wall of sorts which granted her a full 180 degree view of the layout before her which was ideal for her considering the advantage her Devil Fruit and recently awakened the sixth granted her on the unlikely event of an attempted ambush.

Quietly mulling over the layout plans that Valentine had discussed earlier Margaret merely hummed in slight satisfaction as her mind had long since analyzed the layout of the island in it’s entirety and had already marked various locations around the island in which she held the advantage something that nearly cracked her emotionless faced with the smile that desperately wanted to surface but was forcibly subdued as her mind vaguely registered Valentine's instructions and warnings about their current enemies and their threat as one would expect from the subordinates of a Yonko.

Still the mere fact that only a few months prior she had been caught in the chaotic clash which the world now dubbed the Battle of El Dorado a deadly clash against another of the Yonko and her crew in a dramatic war for the island which was destroyed due to the titanic clash between the Fleet Admiral and the Black Widow herself. The Titan Pirates, just the name alone was enough to send a shiver of both fear, respect and excitement down her spine as it was not every day a marine of considerably low rank would be included in what is basically a high scale mission the thought along filled her with a sense of accomplishment and smug satisfaction as she no doubt has proven herself more than capable at handling such high powered situations.

Ridding her mind of her distracting thoughts Margaret refocused her attention back towards her group briefly narrowing her eyes at Hyoshimaru being well aware of the red demons deeds and connections with the Underworld before moving her eyes over towards Ein as they filled with awe at the beautiful wings currently sprouting from his back that seem to give off a faint holy glow of angelic power something which befits the leader of the Marine Winged Forces, idly her mind wondered if Middwun would look good with a pair of angel wings before she scrapped that train of thought as the image quickly became not kid friendly. Finally taking her eyes over Valentine Margaret eyes held nothing but respect and admiration for the Vice Admiral, a veteran in the marines and quite possibly one of the few closest to the rank of Admiral.

"Pardon my interruption Vice Admiral". Margaret began as she draws all attention towards herself while making sure to retain her fridges facade. "However I merely wanted to know the reason for our sudden attack upon the forces of the Yonko". She continued briefly mulling over what little information she received from the Alsa Kingdom in regards the activities of the big names in the world before retiring to Valentine. "I may already have my own assumptions of our current situation however due to my rank I do not have privileged of knowing the full situation and my curiosity as began nipping away at me". She finished in a professional manner never once breaking eye contact with the Vice Admiral nor wavering in her question.

He noticed the younger marines excitement and grinned. "It's really quite simple. Kurama wishes for us to liberate this land. Take what civilians renounce the Titan Pirates under our protection and eliminate those that swear loyalty to him till death. Destruction is inevitable but we still want the place to be habitable. Finally, there are main crew members of the Titan Pirates here. While capture is Kurama's preferred method if they are going to get away it's better that they die than leave alive." Valentine answered Margret very clearly, mostly just reciting an abridged version of Kurama's short speech to him.

"Yep, that's the gist of it Margaret-san. Although Kurama is reckless overall, his intentions are for the good of all. That's why I chose to follow him because he understands what needs to be done, yet finds a balance while doing so." Ein gently smiled at Margaret, agreeing with everything Valentine said.

"Now..." As he said this, he was looking towards the direction where the ship was headed, his eyes turning orange while gaining a triskele pattern to them. "I sense three... no, four powerful energy signature on the island we're facing. It's no doubt it belongs to high-ranking Pirates of Raptor-san's crew. Our opponents will truly be fierce." A drop of sweat fell from his face as he said this. Was this nervousness? No. It was something different.

"Anyways, Valentine-san, since you're our leader, I'm going to ask this." Ein was curious about what his senior's plans are, given that there are multiple factors that are taken into account. "Do you truly believe that your plans will work? Simply denouncing Raptor will prove fruitless if they truly swore allegiance to him in exchange for their safety, and simply killing them is no different from acting as savagely as a Pirate. Another thing, how will we get them off of the island without alerting the four Pirates on said island? Something tells us that all four are experienced users of the Kenbun shade, thus will immediately detect our presence approaching the island. This will make things difficult."

Still wanting to clear his doubts, he only continued with worry. "It seems that a formation nor a distraction will work. Since there are four of them and four of us, this will probably devolve to one-versus-one matches, and like us, they will have some sense of team work due to them being on the same team for a long time, so any formation we've prepared will be immediately disrupted the moment we make the attempt. You still want to go forward with this?"

"So you are going to take the role of not only of Justice enforcers but of jury and executioners? Most interesting, yet not quite wise I may say. I'd suggest you picking your junior's advice to the heart, Valentine-san".

A devilish sneer came from the Phantom Shogun. Sitting on the foredeck, his leg placed on a squatted position, he casually honing his katana. He passed over and over a sharpening stone upon the edge of the blade, thinning the more blunt segments. He could afford not to care about earthly steel, as his chilling powers already bit colder and deeper than metal, yet his desire for a proper and prim massacre and maim spurred him not to neglect any of his tool of death. In the warlord's mind, hacking limbs and stabbing hearts with a dull weapon is the epitome of uncouth and uncivilized.

"You Marines have the foolishness to underestimate how thoroughly the Yonko had managed to replace your Justice with their, to sway their hearts to their cause. Raptor is not like Shiguma: he does command with a velvet glove, rather than smiting his subjects with an iron fist. Offering your peace to Kurona's civilians after you had just stormed through their home, beaten down or butchered their beloved protectors and slaughtered their friends and/or relatives won't win anyone to your cause but ruffians and sycophants. If Marines' power is built on men's conviction, this is what you need from citizens; prosperous kingdoms under the sun cannot hope to thrive without the love of their subjects".

Hyoshimaru's edge screeched under the stone, embers falling from the metal, a horrendous noise breaking the already tense atmosphere.

"I do not care about any of those things: my empire does not belong to this world. It is fueled and held by the hatred of the deads, not the trivial, messy passions of the livings. Ein-san, you do forget they we are far from being only four: there is a Legion under my command. One that does not waver nor hesitate; one whose weapons are always sharp, and their ruthlessness even sharper. My specters could clear the city of its pawns: I could possess and telepathically puppeteer most of the civilians and terrorize the rest. Of course, rebellious spirits shall always exist, flames burning brighter; I shall locate them ahead of time and sniff all those pesky lights out". Hyoshimaru's grin turned wider under the ghastly mask, and even more savage and bloodcurdling if that was possible.

"Let me be your vanguard. Stirring up chaos is my forte. All of their schemes, all of their composure will be torn asunder under hundreds of screaming wraiths. They won't be able to strategize, while we can take utter control of the battlefield, dictate them the most advantageous formation for us. Once the battle is over, I may stage a fight between you and ghosts. I shall forfeit the match, and you shall gain the adoration of those who have been spared. Marines shall be adored by the masses as the true divine agents they are. Does my plan suit you?"

"Hyoshimaru-san, I thank you for agreeing with me. And forgive me for not include your phantasmal legion. In addition, your plan is a bit more sound and will give us a great boost to our reputation." Ein said with the utmost respect and sincerity. "However..." Ein's tone has gotten quite serious after this word. "I would suggest that you shouldn't be so trigger-happy to sniff out the rebellious ones. Simply knocking them out and capturing them will prove just as effective. They're citizens after all. I believe your phantoms are more than capable of doing that, as even I heard of your prowess despite you being a denizen of the Underworld."

Closing his eyes and reflecting on the ghastly samurai's advice, he only sighed and continued with the following. "I pray that this goes well and we have little to no casualties, but alas we're up against a Yonko, so I have my doubts. I can only pray for the souls of the fallen."

Valentine stood quietly, listening to the two talk. As they finally stopped he opened his eyes, letting out a breath. "The answer to all this is quite simple, We raze the island. Or at least we make them think that's our goal. Hyoushimura, take over as many of them as you can and begin some panic, have them fight but not kill each other. Tray and take the fight out of the town and away from the clock tower. Ein and Margret once that has begun pick a target and engage from above. In the meantime I'm going to bring down all those clock towers, keep your distance from them for now. We can deal with wether or not the civilians like us after the enemies are eliminated." Valentine grabbed his glass, finishing the last of his wine.

"We're all extremely mobile and capable of flight in our own ways, our mobility is what will make us able to control this battlefield so easily. We can swoop in and out of battle on a whim, I can't say the same for them." They were close enough to begin the assault now. "Alright everyone no more questions, now is the time for action." Valentine spoke in a booming voice. "This is going to be hell. Marines lets rock!" He looked directly at Hyoshimura. "Go."

“With utmost pleasure, my liege”. Valentine’s order was like the beginning of a symphony for Hyoshimaru, the music of carnage already ringing in his ears. The Phantom Shogun soared the tip of his shining blade to the sky, signaling his army to come and feast. As with any ghost invasion, their presence was always accompanied by chill and gloom; the damp marine breeze begun to frost, coalescing in a fog bench. The twelve towers at the rim soon found themselves in the same position as their brethren, shrouded from the natural light of the sun as the cold marched on and sieged the island.

After the cold, dead manifested. At first, there were only cerulean flames transpiring in the sky; candles with little brightness and no warmth, which swarmed in every corner, every district, every home of Kurona. Civilians were astonished by such drastic change of weather, turning even more flabbergasted the moment they saw wisps of ghostly fire diving through walls and closed windows as they were nothing, getting closer with their noxious cold. Surprise and fear devolved in utter horror as the first cackle echoed through the air. What were formless gas masses acquired humanlike shape, pale limbs and covetous smiles emerging from many of the wisps. They were men and women of many ages, the majority of whom carried out spectral simulacra of the weapons they brandished as living beings. Ragged clothes, dull armories, flayed skins and rotten teeth. All of them were translucent, the dim light passing through they intangible yet wholly visible bones and flogging entrails. All of them had a savage gleam in their eyes, a will to kill in the most grueling manner possible.

And they had their killings. Not all of them: most citizens were sheep protected by lions and did respond a ghost entering their home to kidnap with a feeble and toothless surrender. Some of them tried to fight, desperately clutching onto their loved ones. A foolish move: unlike what Ein suggested, Hyoshimaru control over his Onryo was not absolute all the time. Not in that occasion, when he had brought on the battlefield a very special brand of ghosts: pirates and butchers of the worst kind, slain in battlefields where the Titan Pirates had fought. Vengeful and ruthless spirits, wanting to pay back their death with ruin over what and whom the Yonko crew held dear. Sure, Hyoshimaru could have mixed the proportions of his vanguard better, inserting more grudging spirits with no bone to pick with the Titan, but were they as effective? As fun to command? Ein should spare him the fuss: Hyoshimaru was already making enough of an effort in keeping the Onryo from butchering anyone on their sight.

Besides, a far more violent fate was reserved to those bearing the Titan’s banner. Smaller fishes, assigned for patrolling duties by Raptor himself. Little lambs before the knives and claws of his ghosts. Preceded by the most chilling mist, phantasms flanked the seamen, twirled in erratic formations, uttered bestialities and threats with a rasp no living being could emulate. Despite fear grabbing their hearts and bowels, the pirates put up a valiant struggle. Still, few of them mastered Haki, too few; sword slashes and gunshots flew past their opponents’ ectoplasmic flesh, eliciting only amused and sadistic cackles from the ghosts. Onryo’s unholy weapons, on the other hand, could pierce and cut matter as they had substance, with the added advantage of bypassing all mortal barriers.

Screams ruptured in the outer rim; one with a particularly acute sense of hearing could hear the pour of blood the crack of broken bones. The garrison was, on a whole, beaten and broken, yet with few casualties. The dead had many more nasty games to play with livings, some much more pain to inflict on their defeated toys. They began possessing the pirates, slipping in their flesh as if they were clothes, many ghosts for each man, drowning the mind of the unfortunate victim with a cacophony of horrid cries. Maimed but still living pirates were lifted above the stronghold, so to be seen by the entire city; ghastly limbs were holding their arms wide open and legs, nailing their wrists with the sharp phalanxes of their hands. A macabre start of a crucifixion. visible from afar the tower.

“Now, honorable-allies”, Hyoshimaru addressed “the little ones have been caught by our net, so that their parents will come and try to rescue them. To divide they caretakers, I shall split the litter even further”.

People were flying everywhere across the city, civilians caught and raptured by ethereal manifestations. They were spared from further harm, yet their pleas for help were still overpowered by manic screaming and demonic laughter of the Onryo. Directing the orchestra with his own thoughts, Hyoshimaru had the lures split from each other, scattered in groups far from each other and the great central clocks. The city of clocks was swept on its inhabitants, flocking in whirlpools of ghosts. From a nearby position, the city was thrown in an utter disarray, but Hyoshimaru had imposed a certain logic over his chaos: making Kurona city fit for open war without further casualties, while keeping the poor citizens too busy dealing with heart attacks and wails to keep attention that the Marines were fighting with the supernatural invaders. Most importantly, the baits were arranged in a way the Titan Pirates had to split their forces in trying and rescue all if they sought to prevent a bloodbath. Taking advantage of people kindness and sense of morality and spitting over their fruitless efforts in martyrdom was truly one of the samurai most exquisite pleasures.

On some level, Kurama could observe the events as they transpired through his Kenbunshoku Shared Sight ability. He himself was stationed at sea on a ship located in the New World waters, a somewhat equal distance from each of the three islands he sent his people to, and through his Haki, he could keep tabs on some of the details occurring. With so many people acting at three different faraway locales, even somebody as powerful as Kurama could only perceive some small amount of the happenings there if he wished to maintain that connection and stay 'in the know'.

But his attention was shifted almost exclusively on the island of Kurona once he saw what his men were unleashing on the civilians there. Did they not hear his orders? Discretion was the utmost of importance, and if it was impossible to do so, then the priority of the mission would be to prevent as many causalities as possible. But here they were, unleashing a storm of ghosts on the innocent citizens of the island, and Kurama simply wasn't having it. This attack was public to the entirety of the marines; it wasn't some private mission orchestrated behind the scenes. And soon enough, the Yonko, and the rest of the world, would learn of what transpired on the islands.

World Government wipes out the entire island of Kurona to kill off the pirates stationed there.

Normally, Kurama didn't care about the way the marines or the government were painted; even if they were devils in the eyes of the people, they would carry out peace and justice as they always have. But in what way was this for marines to act in pursuit of these ideals? This wasn't going to be the way they win. In Kurama's eyes, pirates and revolutionaries — criminals — were the ones who were willing to kill indiscriminately if it means getting their way. All for their selfish ideals. Kurama in no way considered him to be noble, or a good man in general for that matter, but to him, killing was the easy way. It wasn't going to be their way. This wasn't about beating them, this was about winning, and to win, it meant to crush not the Yonko pirates themselves, but the belief the people allied to them have in the protection they provide to their territories.

Once he had the chance, Kurama projected his voice through the connection of Haki that existed via Shared Sight, so that all the people on the mission to Kurona could hear him speak. Haki itself was willpower, and was known as nothing different than the ordinary things people can sense and perceive; among those, the five senses were the most common, and through this basic understanding of Haki, Kurama could use his own Haki to transmit his voice directly to their sense of hearing. It was without warning, and like a nail being driven straight into their hearts, his voice would spike through into their minds.

"Oh... I am doing my best to hold it together right now. My orders were clear... and precise. But maybe my words were lost on some of you, so for the fuck of it, I'm going to clarify something. Killing everybody, risking their lives for the sake of our duty, letting them take responsibility for our actions... That is the easy way. That is not our way. We save people, we don't throw them to the wolves to save our own hides. Saving people might be a difficult... and hard-ass ass-hard job, but it's our job and we're going to fucking do it. So you're going to choke back whatever shit is stirring up inside of you, and remind them that we are their saviors. We are their god-damn godsend."

For a moment, it seemed like the Fleet Admiral had calmed himself down, before resuming his dialogue with them.

"People are a resource. We never risk their lives unless we know for sure that it is absolutely necessary. That's what we do. Putting them through anguish and suffering, there has to be a damn point to it, or else we're no different than the garbage who own their island. So I'll say this... just... once."

Kurama took a brief pause.

"You will do exactly as I ordered. And you will do your jobs!"

With that, the Fleet Admiral concluded his reprimanding, and closed the connection allowing him to transmit his voice to them.

Gush, water both ran across the bottom of the Clock Tower and fell from its higher floors, the place itself was famous for its many clocks indeed, but, it was also known for its large pools of water under the soil.

Many fish swam through these, their colors notable through the transparent liquid. A heavy breath, the fish along with the water changed directions, flooding away to the right.

The water in there was enough to fill the whole bottom, however, one specific area in the form of a sphere had no water in it. Amidst that area was a large figure, who sat down with legs crossed and tail waving around, the skin was grey and the body covered in many intricate garments. Most notable was the figure's head, it had extensions to the side, as if it were a hammer.

Whether it was water falling or running, it didn't enter that area at all. "Where are the others?" It wondered, were they all off doing their hobbies? He should chastise them for that, except Clau, Clau was cool.

Another breath, the water changed courses to the left, "I sweater god, Steve, you talk too loud." The figure spoke at once, his sharp teeth showing with his mouth open. A fishman by the name of Veny, one of the top members of the Titan Pirates' Seventh Division and one of Kurona's protectors.

Blob, the fish let out a few bubbles.

Some of the fish were staring at him through the water, "S-Steve, I want to hear Noodles- WHAT!" Veny screamed, eyes widening. "Marines?!"

Blob blob. The fish tranversed not only throughout the whole town, but, through the ocean, Noodles was telling him that its cousins saw a Marine Vessel approaching the island.

"It are truth?!" Veny gritted his teeth, quickly getting to his feet, "I need to find Marcus-dono, Koji-dono, Clau-dono! And Veny-dono?" He palmed his chin, "Wait, that is me." He glanced upwards, wondering if his companion had already seen their ship.

With an extremely vast forestation surrounding both villages and the various towers, being known for its vast amount of fauna and flora with numerous species deciding to make their homeland within the Titans protection.

In one of the many areas of the forest, one particular area can be seen to emit more wildlife activity than usual. And going further is seen that most animals seem to be gathering in a specific spot, surrounding an extremely robust tree, with various rots bursting out of the ground due to their immense size and numerous small animals can be seen utilizing them as their home.

As the animals began to be watched with closer attention, it can be seen that their focus is not just on the ancient tree, but mostly on a being that was seen seated right in front of it. Surrounded by animals and plant life, the tremendous person would be described by those watching him as meditating, due to his crosslegged position and unmovable body.

It was no one more than Kojīmi‎‎, the Mink top member of the notorious Titan Pirates 7th division. Appearing to be meditation after a training section he seems to focus as the various animals sitting on his shoulders and lap didn't seem even to affect him. "Prrrrrrr" suddenly was eared as several leaves and branches could be seen moving, or he was sleeping, not the best sleeping position but if it works.

Standing at an incredible height, completely covered in short white fur the various mink features could be seen, as the biggest one being his feline head with sharp fangs, small ears, and several whiskers. And as with that in a mere second, his peace and calm were interrupted as several of his whiskers began to more causing him to wake up.

"What are those noisy humans doing now?" Showing close to no care for then initially but after just a quick glance with a refined view all of the hairs on his body went up as the various animals that were once resting alongside him began to run away. Clenching his fist in extreme anger as if what he was about to say was causing him pain "I need to find the Claude."

As the Mink began to move away from the former tree, the bigger picture can be finally seen as right next to it was a colossal bolder with several crackings all around. To an average person with would seem as if Koji was merely trying to break it, but to those that knew him, it was evident that he could easily destroy something of that size.

Which then as the many animals left the area both the floor, the massive tree and several other trees could be seen to have lightning patterns within them, showing a great control by Koji that instead of destroying its surrounding his Electro was affecting the insides of the surrounding environment.

Thud Thud Thud

The ground shook as a giant walked, walking around one of the clocktowers that surrounded the island. The tower was being refurbished, it's mechanical parts updated and replaced. Antony Marcus was helping, acting like a crane and carrying objects far too heavy for any normal man. A fighter for the Titan pirates, the titan of a man was not above helping the people of the island carry about their lives.

He currently held in his hands a gear many times the size he was. A gear so heavy that many giants wouldn't be able to budge it, let alone lift it. Marcus was currently carrying it towards it's resting place, where it would be the central gear of the entire facility.

As he finished his task, the clocktower whirring back to life as all of it's gears started turning once more, a man ran up to him with a Den Den Mushi in hand.

He took it in his hand before the snail came to life. "Sir, lookouts have spotted a marine ship on the horizon. It appears to be heading straight for us."

Marc gave a loud grunt before putting the receiver down. He then looked to the foreman before motioning the foreman towards the central tower. He was understood its meaning to be to start getting ready to evacuate in case of a raid.

With this, Marcus began walking, each step eating meters of ground with his 16 foot height, towards the central tower. He had to meet with the others, he was the shield. Now he just needed the brain to put in an appearance.

"I could tell that was happening. But I appreciate your concern, soldier." A refined voice spoke to back to the Den Den Mushi that brought him the news. This was the, for lack of better terms, "ruler" of Kurona, and the man who united the Titan Pirates on this island into one cohesive force.

Long, black hair could be seen tied into a ponytail, and elegant black robes were worn by the man as he sat upon his makeshift throne at the tip of the central clocktower. "Hmm..." On the man's sharp face, his pitch black eyes suddenly pulsated, turning red, as he looked past the cloudy exterior and viewed the entire island in a top-down method, almost as if he were a gamemaster controlling the game board.

"Everyone is present. Wonderful." The man stood up, and made himself noticeable on the balcony of the floor he was seated in. A magnanimous presence that riled up the morale of the Titan Pirates, and even the citizens, by a notable measure.

Grabbing the nearby Den Den Mushi, he spoke. "Greetings, Titans. Today, we have intruders upon this island. My vision is telling me the Marines are foolishly attempting to divert our attention to the civilians with a simple tactic. To those who are curious, they are employing Tactic Number Four of my book, 'Divide and Conquer', with our humble civilians as bait. Of course...the Marines attached to us are rather foolish. By capturing hostages...they are only marring their own reputation. But indeed, they are Marines, and they will not willingly claim civilian lives. So let us ignore the specters for now."

Claude coughed, he realized that he was rambling again. A bad habit of his, but what could he do..? Tactics were his favorite thing, after all. "Now then..." Claude began to speak, as he outstretched his free left arm to the sky, revealing four fingers. "Let us employ the same tactic against them and see how they fare. Bishop Veny, it is time for you to shake the seas, and destroy their ships!" Claude announced, with a grin appearing on his face. -- Back on the ship...

"Tch, it seems like Lord Kurama is getting impatient with us, and we're just beginning the operation." It seems that Ein was slightly distressed after hearing the message administered by his superior, knowing well his ability to view what others are seeing via his mastery of Haki.

"Welp, I have to act. The cries of the island's citizens are distressing; but, as much as I hate to admit it, Hyoushimura is quite fitting in his role." As Ein said this, sunlight cloaked his body. Before he was in his standard Marine attire when on-duty, but now he was donning his battle gear — preparing to act on behalf of his Marines and "defeat" the villains at hand.

Spreading his wings and flying at breakneck speeds, he touched upon the island instantaneously. Soon after, his body glowed — the luminosity increasing by the second until his visage likened to the sun itself, with the skies turning a brilliant golden color. Soon after, streams of piercing light descended from the heavens — raining down on the citizens and the "evils" that haunted them.

Though it was like a warm shower to the citizens, it was the opposite of the spirits that plagued them. One-by-one they started to vanish as if they were purified. At the same time, those injured to various degrees slowly started to heal, as if all their pain and suffering started to melt away — replaced with a feeling of euphoria. The panic died down, peace was restored.

Looking towards the sky and marveling at its luminous color, some of the citizens started to pray, thanking the heavens for saving them at a dire hour. "Good, this is my chance." Using this opportunity, Ein called out to them. Due to being clad in light, his voiced bellowed — slightly deepening as the winds carried his message to the citizens below.

"Dear citizens of Kurona, I have come to liberate you from the evils that dare sire themselves as "justice". As you've witnessed, I saved those who were injured and dulled any sense of suffering amongst you. But... I apologize for those I couldn't save. In honor of their sacrifice, you must live. Thus, I will provide you a lifeline. Go to the edge of the island. There, Marine boats will escort you to safety. When you return, the island will be yours again and you'll be autonomous; none will govern over you."

The citizens were in awe of the message, and seeing the devastation that took place, they heeded Ein's message and made their way towards the edge of the island.

"Good, I've done my part." Ein was relieved that it went as well as expected, despite minor setbacks. However, this was quickly followed by the anticipation of the enemy revealing themselves. "Now, let's see if those four will come out since the distractions are gone." Since the citizens will be escorted off the island and into the Marine vessels, there will be no distractions for the upcoming battle.

The Marines hadn't done a sole mistake at that point, no, just when Claude had informed his partners of what was happening, Veny had been ready, it was 02:09:05PM according to the nearest clock. Preparations began when the fish informed him, however. Umidity, the presence of water upon another body or object, including the air itself, which was not spared, such was the ability of the Jujutsu practioners. Along with the flowing water of the tower and the river that connected directly into the ocean, towards the marines' direction, all of the umidity had been drawing in towards Veny, such that the river and the ocean below the ships got lower to the point the sand was more visible within the frame of a single second.

Upon arriving, each droplet of water stood like a wall before Veny, whose right arm's muscles nearly burst out of their flesh. Drop, drop. His left foot stood to the front and his right fist was drawn back, teeth grit, Veny's eyes never left the visage in front of him. Part of the tiles beneath his feet cracked.

Veny hadn't known whom specifically had come from the Marines, but, judging from Senpai's words, he couldn't just go easy. He couldn't help but wonder, however, upon noticing how the citizens floated and that a blinding light emcompassed the beach. Then again, he had never gone easy, or so he thought. The water continued to gather, the sound of droplets filling the streets, another second passed, the atmosphere was tainted with blue.

Upon his request, the fish schools he befriended managed to send several messages to all of their companions in the frontal vicinity of the island, including the ones swimming below the Marine Ships. A message of warning. Not a second later, all of them swum away to the left or to the right, whichever was closer, although there was certain difficulty. It was at that moment that the light expanded and emcompassed the floating citizens, Veny's eyes widened slightly, and the droplets went quiet.

Jujutsu did allow him to touch the water much like it were tangible, but, Veny was someone who could take it a step further through his usage of Karate. "Ogi..." He uttered, just before his attack launched. "Burukun."

Veny chose not to roar, he knew that whatever roar he spunged from his body would not be louder than what happened the next instant. In a scream, the air was torn apart by Veny's straight punch, several rings surrounded his arm, the ground behind him was pushed backwards along with part of the tower's base. Meanwhile, the blue of the atmosphere vanished away without any resistance and painted the atmosphere of the ocean instead, the water that stood before Veny shot forward without a whisper, before his fist even touched it, and went straight down the path of the river and into the ocean. The blow was certainly not aimed for the surrounding city, yet, with the ferocity it went forward part of the water caused a festival of steam explosions at the sides of the river, all appearing at the same time and likely disturbing Sophaur's work with the citizens, seeking to soak his sunlight. Similarly, the part of the island opposite to that one was engulfed in a gush of wind, the ocean behind it pushed back only a few meters.

Much like a whip, the water rispped at the atmopshere and hit the ocean in that same instant, creating another ain ring and provoking a loud hiss before the marine ships. A hiss that instantly grew into a below. More steam birthed from the strike and sent several explosions across the marine ships, the water ran away to the left, to the right, backwards, anywhere away from Veny's strike, everything rumbled, including the targets. The bottom of the sea was uncovered, its sides rising and rising until they were towering tsunamis which, too, ran away from the area and reached up to most of the highest clocktower's size, carrying away most of the fish with them. Even the sea behind the marine ships rose away into smaller tsunamis and divided, leaving all of them to fall into the sand and corals of the ocean's bottom. A spherical-shaped area was scarred upon that part of the sea, its borders made up of rising water as it refused to go back to where it stood previously.

Another glance upon the clock, Veny noted it to be 02:09:10PM and stood by there, reminding himself that once the strike was finished, his companions would rush right in. He knew this was not the decising blow to the fight.