The Grand Line — Marineford.
Thick, dark clouds hung heavily in the sky, casting an oppressive atmosphere over the entire island. The once imposing and orderly naval headquarters had been reduced to ruin, with most of its buildings collapsed into rubble.
The acrid scent of blood and gunpowder filled the air. Corpses littered the battlefield.
At the heart of the island, a massive fissure, like a heavenly divide, split Marineford into two. On one side stood the navy. On the other, the pirates.
Both sides glared at each other across the divide. Beneath the hatred in their eyes was undeniable sorrow.
Silence.
The entire island was gripped in eerie stillness.
Every gaze was fixed on a mighty figure standing at the edge of the abyss — the man once hailed as the strongest in the world had fallen.
Fallen in this turbulent new era.
An indescribable mixture of grief, disbelief, and unease gripped the hearts of countless onlookers.
"Hey… look! What's that!?"
"A light… wait, is that… a person?"
"There's someone in that light, but falling from that height… Won't be due from that height?"
Suddenly, a few startled cries shattered the stillness. Everyone instinctively looked up.
A silver light cut through the sky, plummeting toward Marineford.
"I swear, no more surprises…" muttered Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral, his voice low and grave as he peered into the sky.
The furious Whitebeard Pirates, the newly arrived Red-Haired Pirates, and the opportunistic Blackbeard Pirates — the battlefield was already overwhelmed. The Navy couldn't withstand another unforeseen event.
Beside Sengoku, the legendary Vice Admiral Garp remained silent. His expression was somber, weighed down by sorrow.
Not long ago, he had lost one grandson. Another now hovered between life and death. Though Luffy had been rescued, no one knew if he would survive.
Sengoku sighed, wanting to offer words of comfort, but nothing came out.
Within moments, the mysterious light reached the ground — right above the Blackbeard Pirates.
"Captain, move!" cried Van Augur, Burgess, and the others as they scrambled to dodge.
But Blackbeard, caught up in his own triumph, reacted a bit too late.
Boom!!
A tremendous shockwave shook the already devastated island. A massive crater several meters wide appeared at the point of impact. The force hurled Blackbeard dozens of meters away, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Damn it… what the hell!?"
Countless eyes watched as a hand reached up from within the crater and grabbed onto… a leg.
---
"Huh?"
Kaelen Tsukishiro blinked in surprise.
Before him stood a towering figure — half of a crescent-shaped mustache stained with blood, two gaping wounds in his chest and abdomen, and countless old scars crisscrossing his flesh.
Even in death, his back remained ramrod straight, his very presence radiating an indomitable will.
In his hand was a bisento, a massive naginata-like weapon.
His identity was unmistakable.
Whitebeard.
"I… I actually transmigrated into the world of One Piece?"
Kaelen was briefly stunned, but quickly steadied himself.
As bizarre as this was, it wasn't entirely unacceptable for someone like him — a mercenary who lived on the edge of death and passed his downtime reading manga and novels.
Before his arrival here, Kaelen had been on a hostage extraction mission. An enemy ambush, a rocket-propelled grenade — and everything went black.
The next thing he knew, he was here.
"The One Piece world is beyond dangerous. There are monsters here who can shatter islands with a punch."
His expression hardened as he glanced around the ruined battlefield.
And this is Marineford — the very heart of the Navy. Right now, the strongest combatants in the world are gathered here. If I'm not careful, I'll be reduced to ashes in an instant.
Gritting his teeth, Kaelen contemplated pretending to be dead at the bottom of the crater.
Then suddenly—
[System initializing. Strongest Corpse-Touching System activated.]
[Congratulations, host. You have touched the corpse of Edward Newgate (Whitebeard). Obtained: Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit) ability, Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki, Observation Haki, advanced combat experience…]
A cold, synthetic voice echoed in his mind.
Kaelen's vision blurred as unfamiliar memories flooded into him, along with a surge of immense power that spread through every fiber of his being.
It felt like ten thousand years passed in an instant.
When he came to, Kaelen felt something he never had before — invincibility.
"Incredible… with Whitebeard's full power and battle experience, I might not be the strongest man alive yet, but no one on this sea can defeat me right now."
He clenched his fists.
The strength coursing through him was intoxicating.
Even in his old age, Whitebeard had remained one of the world's top fighters. Now, Kaelen had inherited that strength.
And with the system's ability to copy the power of the dead, he had no limitations. Blackbeard might have stolen the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's ability, but Kaelen's system didn't care — it granted him the same power from Whitebeard's corpse.
"This system is insane…"
His heart pounded with excitement. The sensation of leaping from ordinary man to peerless powerhouse in an instant was surreal.
"The smart move is to find a place to lay low for now, get used to this power, and master it fully."
"The Red-Haired Pirates are arriving. This war's about to end. With my strength, slipping away won't be difficult. But before that… I can't leave the corpses of Ace and Little Oars Jr. behind."
Ace possessed the Flame-Flame Fruit. Little Oars Jr. carried the bloodline of the ancient giant, Oars. Both were invaluable.
Others might be limited to one Devil Fruit power, but Kaelen wasn't bound by that rule.
The thought of it made his blood race.
Determination flashing in his eyes, Kaelen took a step forward, crouched slightly, and leapt from the crater.
---
Decided to upload this fanfiction...
It's been in my draft since like early this month.