A/N: HEY GUYS. I'm kind of like copy and pasting this across all my novels. Please don't get mad. So I have come before you, my family to humbly ask for your help. I have entered the WebNovel SPIRITY AWARDS 2026 with my new original novel. ''Can I Magic Please.'' It is about magic and stuff and is inspired by Yūki Tabata's Black Clover. The synopsis explains everything.
The first chapter has been uploaded. You can find the novel on my profile.
My dream, as big as it may is to win this competition. And I know, with your support it will be possible. Read, comment, share and drop some powerstones on there. Thank you.
Enjoy the chapter.
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Marineford's vast plaza was no longer quiet.
It had become a sea of steel, boots, and tension.
A hundred thousand Marines stood in formation beneath the towering silhouette of Marine Headquarters. The air itself felt heavy, like even the wind had been disciplined into silence.
At the front of it all stood Sengoku.
Fleet Admiral.
His arms were crossed, posture rigid, eyes sweeping over every single soldier gathered before him.
Behind him sat the three Admirals.
Akainu, unmoving, arms folded, expression carved in volcanic stone.
Aokiji, leaning slightly back in his chair, eyes half-lidded, cold breath drifting lazily in the air.
Kizaru, scratching his cheek, as if he wasn't entirely sure why everyone looked so serious.
Sengoku finally spoke.
"Two days."
His voice carried without effort.
"In two days… we will execute Portgas D. Ace."
A ripple went through the crowd, but Sengoku didn't pause.
"And in two days… we will be declared war upon by the Whitebeard Pirates."
That settled it.
No more murmurs. Only silence.
Sengoku's gaze sharpened.
"This is not a mission. This is not a raid. This is not a capture operation."
"This is the moment the world will decide whether the Marines still stand as the symbol of absolute justice… or crumble beneath the weight of pirates who believe they can challenge order itself."
Akainu finally spoke, voice like molten iron.
"They will not reach Marineford."
Aokiji exhaled slowly.
"…That would be ideal."
Kizaru tilted his head slightly.
"Waaah… sounds like a lot of work, doesn't it?"
No one responded to him.
Sengoku continued.
"Every man here will be needed. Every ship. Every cannon. Every breath."
"If even one of you hesitates… we will lose more than a battle."
He paused.
"We will lose the meaning of what we are."
That landed harder than anything else.
Some Marines clenched their fists. Others straightened their backs. Even those trembling stopped moving.
Then Sengoku raised his voice.
"So I ask you all one question."
"Will you stand?"
The plaza answered as one.
"YES, SIR!"
The sound shook Marineford.
Even Kizaru blinked slightly at the volume.
Sengoku nodded once.
"Good."
A short distance away, within the elite formation, the younger officers stood together.
Koby swallowed hard, staring ahead.
"…Two days… that's all we have."
Helmeppo smacked his own cheek lightly, trying to steady himself.
"Don't panic, don't panic… we trained for this… we trained for this…"
Kujaku leaned slightly to the side, arms folded, calm as ever.
"You're shaking, Helmeppo."
"I'M NOT—!"
Hibari cut in quietly, eyes forward.
"Focus. Everyone here is scared. That's normal."
Prince Grus scoffed softly.
"Scared? Speak for yourself. I'm just annoyed I didn't get promoted faster before this war."
Koby glanced at him.
"This isn't about promotions…"
Grus glanced back.
"…Yeah. I know."
A brief silence passed between them.
Then Koby spoke again, softer this time.
"…Luffy-san is going to be there."
Helmeppo stiffened.
"You're still thinking about that guy at a time like this?! He's a pirate!"
Koby shook his head quickly.
"No, I mean, he's the one who broke into Enies Lobby… if he's going to Marineford…"
He stopped, realizing how that sounded.
Hibari watched him for a moment.
"You're worried about him."
Koby hesitated.
"…I don't want anyone to die."
Grus clicked his tongue.
"That's not how this works, Marine."
Kujaku glanced toward the front where Sengoku stood.
"It's already decided. We're just the ones who have to survive it."
Helmeppo let out a nervous laugh.
"Survive… yeah. Easy."
No one believed him.
From the podium, Sengoku raised his fist.
The atmosphere in Marineford's plaza was still vibrating from Sengoku's words when a sudden shift rippled through the front ranks.
A Marine officer hurried up the steps toward the podium, breath uneven, posture rigid with urgency.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
Sengoku paused mid-breath.
"What is it."
The officer swallowed hard.
"Vice Admiral Garp has returned to Marineford."
A beat of silence.
Then Sengoku's expression tightened. Not in relief, but in the kind of exhaustion that came from already knowing what Garp returning usually meant.
"…That man."
He exhaled slowly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Akainu."
Akainu's gaze shifted slightly.
Sengoku turned his head just enough to meet him.
"I'm leaving the rest to you."
Akainu didn't question it.
He simply stood.
The shift in presence was immediate.
Like the temperature dropped.
Sengoku stepped down from the podium and walked off without another word, cloak trailing behind him as he headed toward Garp's location.
The plaza stayed silent for a moment longer than it should have.
Then—
Akainu stepped forward.
He looked over the assembled Marines.
His eyes were sharp. Unforgiving.
Like he was already judging who would die first.
"…Listen well."
His voice wasn't loud.
It didn't need to be.
But it carried.
"If anyone here intends to hesitate during the upcoming war…"
A pause.
"Leave now."
No one moved.
Aokiji frowned slightly from his seat.
Kizaru tilted his head.
Akainu continued.
"I will not tolerate weakness."
His hand clenched into a fist.
"If you run… I will kill you."
A ripple went through the crowd.
Some Marines stiffened.
Some went pale.
But none stepped forward.
Akainu's expression didn't change.
"And if any Whitebeard Pirate sets foot on Marineford…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"…they will not leave alive."
A pause.
"Not one."
The weight of it settled like iron over the entire plaza.
Even seasoned Marines felt it. This was not just resolve.
This was execution made philosophy.
In the elite formation, the atmosphere had changed entirely.
Helmeppo was sweating again.
"Okay… okay… that's… that's a little intense, right?"
Prince Grus clicked his tongue.
"…That man doesn't even speak like a person. He speaks like a disaster."
Kujaku glanced sideways.
"He's a Fleet Admiral candidate for a reason."
Hibari, however, shifted uncomfortably.
"…Dad is always like that at work."
All three turned to her.
Helmeppo blinked.
Grus leaned slightly back.
"…That's worse. That means he turns into that voluntarily."
Hibari groaned quietly, covering her face.
"He's not like that at home…"
Kujaku's eyes narrowed slightly, amused.
"I find that hard to believe."
Hibari muttered.
"Believe it anyway…"
Helmeppo swallowed.
"…So that's what we're going to be fighting alongside…"
A pause.
Grus looked forward again.
"…Yeah. That's terrifying."
Another Marine nearby, listening in, spoke quietly.
"Hey… what about that Captain Tenjin guy?"
Koby, who had been silent for a moment, turned slightly.
"Tenjin?"
The Marine nodded.
"The one who got taken by Big Mom. He was supposed to be in Marineford training, right?"
A few heads turned.
Helmeppo frowned.
"…Right. That guy just disappeared."
Another Marine added nervously.
"Is he even alive?"
Koby's expression tightened slightly.
Then he shook his head.
"…He'll be fine."
Everyone looked at him.
Koby continued, more certain now.
"Vice Admiral Garp went to go save him."
A brief silence followed.
Prince Grus raised an eyebrow.
"…You say that like it guarantees safety."
Koby nodded.
"I think it does."
Hibari glanced at him.
"You trust Garp that much?"
Koby hesitated.
"…Yeah."
Then softer—
"Because if he's involved… it means he already decided Tenjin is worth saving."
On the podium, Akainu's gaze swept over them one final time.
"Two days."
His voice dropped again.
"Make sure you are ready to kill… or be killed."
The wind passed through the plaza.
Cold.
Heavy.
Final.
And Marineford prepared itself for war.
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