"Calm down, Sakazuki. Can you rein in your magma a bit? Let's try not to destroy the rest of this place," Kizaru said, his voice a slow drawl as he looked at the ruined plaza.
"None of your business," Akainu snapped, glaring at the other Admiral. However, he did pull back his power, the molten rock cooling and the black smoke dissipating from his shoulders. Kizaru simply shrugged, his face returning to its usual mask of indifference.
Yamato turned her attention back to the Fleet Admiral. "So, about my request. Can you hand Whitebeard's body over to me?"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you cannot agree to this!" Akainu interrupted, his voice thick with frustration. "If you hand the body to a pirate, it will be a humiliating loss of face for the Marines."
Sengoku didn't answer immediately. He stood silent, his brows furrowed as he weighed the political consequences of the request.
"Oh? So the Marines aren't even willing to show their enemies the minimum amount of respect?"
A new voice echoed across the battlefield, ringing with a power that made the air itself seem to vibrate. Every soldier and pirate froze, turning their heads toward the source. A man with vibrant red hair was approaching, radiating a Conqueror's Haki so potent it made the weaker-willed tremble where they stood.
It was one of the Four Emperors, Red-Haired Shanks.
"Red Hair! Why is he here?!" the Marines cried out in shock. Just days ago, intelligence reports placed him in a standoff with Beast Kaido in the New World. No one expected him to sail into the heart of Marineford today.
"Red Hair..." Marco whispered. He knew that if Shanks hadn't blocked Kaido's path, the Whitebeard Pirates would have been crushed before they ever reached the bay.
Haruko looked out toward the horizon, where the massive Red Force was slowly coming to a halt near the shore. "Even he made it," she noted.
Yamato let out a sigh of relief. "Red Hair, you're pretty fast. Perfect timing. You can be the one to talk sense into them."
Shanks looked up at Yamato and flashed a grin. "Yamato, you're here too? I saw that dragon form from the distance—it's magnificent. How about it? You want to join my crew?"
"Give it a rest," Yamato rolled her eyes. "Even at a funeral, you're still trying to poach people?"
Shanks didn't seem bothered by the rejection. He turned to face the Marine leadership, his expression turning solemn. "Everyone, I am here to end this war. I hope you can give me 'face' and hand over the bodies of Whitebeard and Ace for a proper burial."
"Here we go again!" one of the younger, hot-headed officers yelled. "Don't think you can boss us around just because you're a Yonko, Red Hair!"
These "Little Akainus" were fuming. First Onihime, and now this—it felt like the Marines' authority was being trampled by every pirate with a bounty.
"Then if he wasn't a Yonko, would you let him boss you around?" Yamato retorted instantly.
The officers turned red with rage, glaring up at her. They had realized that Yamato's tongue was as sharp as a blade; every time they opened their mouths, she made them look like fools.
"What are you looking at?" Yamato snorted. "Never seen a beautiful woman before?" She punctuating the sentence by raising her hand and giving the group of officers the middle finger.
"You brat! Come down here and say that to our faces!" they screamed.
"Why don't you guys come up here instead?" Yamato looked at them with genuine pity. "Are your legs broken, or are you just idiots?"
The junior officers began stomping their feet in a frenzy of pure rage. They were being played like a fiddle.
"That is enough! You are embarrassing yourselves!" Sengoku roared, silencing his subordinates. He had realized that arguing with Yamato was a losing battle that only led to high blood pressure. He took a deep breath and looked at Shanks. "Fine. You may take Whitebeard's body. I will take full responsibility for this decision."
"Thank you," Shanks nodded.
"Fleet Admiral!" the officers protested.
"I said the matter is closed!" Sengoku barked.
"A sensible old man," Yamato praised. "It's true what they say—with age comes wisdom."
Sengoku's mouth twitched. He wasn't sure if he should be offended by a girl barely in her twenties talking to him like an old peer.
"Well, my job here is done," Yamato said, looking at Marco and then at Shanks. "I'm heading out. You guys can handle the rest."
"Leaving so soon?" Shanks asked. "Sure you won't reconsider the job offer?"
"No thanks. See you in the New World," Yamato waved. She grabbed Haruko, and the two of them vanished into the clouds.
"Yamato, thank you!" Marco shouted after her. He knew that while she hadn't officially joined their side, her presence had tipped the scales just enough to keep his brothers alive.
After leaving the battlefield, Yamato and Haruko made their way back toward the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Young Master, the war is over. Shouldn't we be heading back to the New World?" Haruko asked, adjusting her own mask.
"No rush," Yamato replied. "Let's have a couple more days of fun first. Besides, with everything that happened, the New World is going to be a mess. Let the dust settle a bit."
Whitebeard's death was a seismic event. Images of the battle were already being broadcast across the globe. While Marines were cheering their victory, the pirate world was preparing for a land grab. Without Whitebeard to protect them, his territories were now open season.
"I almost forgot something important," Yamato said, stopping mid-air. "Devil Fruits."
"Devil Fruits?" Haruko asked, confused.
"When a powerhouse like Whitebeard dies, his ability respawns somewhere in the world," Yamato explained. "Do you know why Blackbeard was so desperate to get to the plaza?"
"To steal the power?" Haruko guessed. "But isn't that impossible? It's supposed to be a random respawn."
"Normally, yes. But the process can be manipulated if you have the right carrier," Yamato said, wiggling a finger. "Apples."
"Apples?" Haruko laughed. "Young Master, that's too common to be true. Apples grow everywhere."
"That's exactly why it works," Yamato said seriously. "The Tremor-Tremor Fruit needs a specific vessel to inhabit when its user dies. If you have an apple nearby, the energy will be drawn to it. Other fruits just don't have the right... resonance."
Haruko looked at Yamato's certain expression and felt her skepticism wavering. "Where did you even learn something like that?"
"I deduced it!" Yamato chuckled. "Think about it—why would Blackbeard be so confident about 'hunting' abilities if it were purely random? There has to be a pattern. And that pattern is apples."
"So you want to find it?"
"Exactly! It's a treasure hunt! If the ability respawned on Sabaody, we could strike it rich. It's better than going to the amusement park," Yamato said, pulling Haruko along.
Meanwhile, on a small, deserted islet a few kilometers away from Marineford, a bedraggled group of pirates dragged themselves onto the shore.
"Damn that Kizaru... and that brat Onihime!" Blackbeard growled, wringing out his soaked coat.
He was in a foul mood. His grand entrance had been ruined, and Sanjuan Wolf—his prize recruit from Level Six—had been vaporized by Yamato's Heat Breath. His luck seemed to have vanished the moment he stepped out of Impel Down.
"Doc Q, check the bag," Blackbeard barked.
The sickly doctor opened a black sack slung over his shoulder. Inside were several fresh apples. He looked inside and shook his head. "No change, Captain. They're just apples."
Blackbeard's face darkened. "We were too far away. The range must be limited."
The prisoners he had broken out of Level Six were looking at him with varying degrees of contempt. Their deal was simple: if Blackbeard's plan worked, they followed him. If not, they went their own way.
"Zehahahaha! It seems my luck has hit a snag," Blackbeard laughed, though there was no humor in it. "If you want to leave, I won't stop you."
"Wait a minute," Shiliew said, puffing on a cigar. "We haven't failed yet. We just got delayed. The ability has to be somewhere near the headquarters. Most likely, it hit a fruit on Sabaody."
The others considered this and nodded. "Fine, Teach. We'll stick around a little longer."
"Zehahahaha! Then we need to move fast," Blackbeard said, his eyes gleaming with greed. "If someone else finds the Tremor-Tremor Fruit on that island, I'll kill them myself."
"That's all well and good," Shiliew pointed out, "but we don't have a ship. Only Lafitte can fly, and the rest of us are anchors in the water."
Blackbeard looked at his navigator. "Lafitte, go find us some transport. Anything with a sail will do."
"As you wish, Captain," Lafitte replied, his arms turning into wings as he took to the sky.
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