A blaze of azure fire tore through the sky.
The flame traced a streak of blue across the heavens, like a meteor in reverse, hurtling down from the clouds at breakneck speed—aimed precisely at the center of the Whitebeard Pirates' grand fleet, the Moby Dick.
On deck—
Countless crew members of the Whitebeard Pirates and their allied captains were solemnly making their final preparations before the battle.
The air was heavy, charged with a storm-like tension.
Then, a sharp-eyed lookout suddenly spotted that familiar streak of blue flame on the horizon.
He blinked—then erupted in pure, uncontainable joy.
"Look! It's Captain Marco!"
Dozens of heads turned to the sky in unison. When they recognized the familiar form of the blue phoenix, the long-held tension shattered into roaring cheers.
"It's Captain Marco and Lucian!"
"They're back!!"
"Thank goodness!!"
The deck erupted with a thunderous wave of celebration.
At the moment, the Moby Dick was anchored in the harbor of a massive island.
Marco and Lucian's return was, without a doubt, the strongest morale boost the fleet could have received before setting sail!
Whoooosh!
The azure flame vanished in midair, revealing Marco and Lucian's figures as they landed steadily on the deck.
"Captain Marco!"
"Lucian!"
Before the two could even steady themselves, the captains and crew—led by Diamond Jozu and Flower Sword Vista—rushed forward like a tidal wave, surrounding them completely.
"Marco! Lucian!"
"You're finally back! Pops has been talking about you constantly!"
"Well? How did it go? Was it successful?"
"Did you manage to bring someone?"
"Yeah, yeah! What kind of powerhouse are they?"
"Come on, tell us! Who is it? Someone legendary like Pops?"
"For you to be this confident, they must be someone insane!"
The questions rained down like cannon fire, one after another.
Everyone craned their necks and widened their eyes, locked onto Marco and Lucian, eager for an answer.
Facing all those fiery, expectant faces, Lucian simply crossed his arms, a subtle smirk playing at his lips. He said nothing.
The man beside him, however—Marco—was a completely different story.
As the 1st Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Pops' right-hand man, Marco's word was as good as gold.
But the usually laid-back and dependable Marco—calm even in the tensest situations—looked… anything but calm.
His eye twitched.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Even his iconic pineapple hair seemed to wilt slightly from internal distress.
Frozen under the weight of his crewmates' eager gazes, Marco opened his mouth.
"Uh… so…"
One word got stuck in his throat and wouldn't come out.
What was he supposed to say?
What could he even say?!
Did they manage to recruit help?
Yes. More than that.
What they brought back… was practically a group of gods!
But…
How the hell was he supposed to say that out loud?!
Marco's brain entered a full shutdown.
How was he supposed to explain what he'd just experienced to his brothers?
Was he supposed to declare:
"Guys! Relax! I just went on a thrilling, time-bending journey with Lucian!"
"We first traveled over 20 years into the past and had drinks with 'Dark King' Rayleigh at his peak—yeah, and we recruited him as backup!"
"Then we skipped forward two years to meet none other than Straw Hat Luffy, who had just defeated Kaido, and was now the new Sun God Emperor!"
"Oh, and beside him was someone oozing killing intent, already rivaling Hawk-Eye, with the makings of the future world's greatest swordsman!"
"They both bawled when they heard it was for Ace—and insisted on coming back with us to make things right!"
"So, in short… our reinforcements are: Peak Rayleigh, Future Pirate King, and Future Greatest Swordsman!"
"Surprise! Bet you didn't expect that!"
The mere thought of saying all that aloud made Marco shiver.
He had no doubt—
If he dared to utter those words, Jozu and the others would think he'd been slammed in the head by a door—three times in a row.
Who would believe that?!
That'd be more ridiculous than saying Pops was secretly a woman!
Time travel?
Summoning past and future powerhouses?!
That sort of thing was so far beyond the realm of what this sea could comprehend.
As Marco stood there with a face like someone suffering ten days of constipation, the crowd began to quiet down.
The cheering faded. Confusion started creeping into the crewmates' eyes.
Vista, the Flower Sword, furrowed his brow and stepped forward.
"What's wrong? Why's your face so pale?"
"Captain Marco… are you okay?"
"Did something go wrong?"
"Wait… did the recruitment fail?" a crew member asked cautiously, unease creeping into their voice.
That guess brought a sharp chill to the air.
Everyone's hearts clenched.
"N-No… it's not that…"
Marco snapped to attention and quickly waved his hands.
He scratched his pineapple hair so hard it felt like he'd rip it out. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
"P-please… we did bring help…"
"Then say it already!"
"Who is it? Someone we know?"
"Yeah! What's going on with you today, Captain Marco? Why so tongue-tied?"
They pushed harder.
None of them had ever seen Marco this flustered.
To them, the 1st Division Commander might've been lazy at times, but he was always cool-headed when it mattered most—someone who could hold up the sky if it fell.
But this… this anxious wreck in front of them?
It didn't make sense!
"I…"
Marco felt like he couldn't breathe.
He turned toward Lucian with a desperate look in his eyes—Help me, bro!
He swore, he'd rather fight a Marine Admiral solo than suffer through this public meltdown.
Seeing Marco's almost tearful expression, Lucian finally let out a soft laugh.
He stepped forward and gently patted Marco's shoulder, drawing everyone's attention to himself.
In that moment—
The deck fell unnaturally silent.
Lucian looked around, taking in the urgency, worry, and confusion on everyone's faces.
He didn't stall. He didn't waste words.
He simply spoke with a calmness that radiated absolute confidence.
"The reinforcements have arrived."
His voice wasn't loud, but everyone on deck heard it clearly.
"I can't tell you who they are."
"Because they are the trump cards I've prepared… for this war."
He paused—then a small, confident smile curled at his lips.
"You only need to know one thing."
"When they appear on the battlefield…"
"The entire war at Marineford will be turned upside down."
When the words fell…
Silence.
Everyone froze, stunned by the commanding aura behind Lucian's calm declaration.
Turning the tide of the entire Marineford War?
That was… ridiculously bold!
But somehow, coming from this young man, it carried a gravity that made it hard not to believe.
They exchanged glances, shock and awe written on every face.
They looked at Marco—still flustered and nodding wildly—and then at Lucian, radiating unshakable confidence.
And their curiosity only grew stronger.
Just who the hell had they brought back?!