~Stowing Away...Again~1058Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeUAjuPl02
1058Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYVo29Ldqx
An explosion boomed,throwing Summer against the wall of the ship and knocking her awake. She lay dazed for a moment, unsure of where she was. Once she remembered she got to her feet quickly. No one was in the storage room, so she hadn't been found. A quick once-over ensured her that she wasn't injured besides a few minor bruises. The ship lurched violently again, and she grabbed onto the nearest shelf to steady herself.
A mirror was attached to the wall next to her. For what reason, Summer didn't know. She took a moment to look herself over. Her violet eyes scrutinized her face, frowning at her appearance. Her long blond hair was pretty tangled, face dirty and thin from lack of food in Impel Down. She was extremely pale, almost ghostly. She hastily looked away from herself.
Listening closely, the sound of swords and gunfire made Summer realize that they must be at Ace's execution. Cannons from nearby ships boomed and the earth shook.
'Whitebeard is angry it seems.'
Opening the door a crack revealed that no one was in the hallway outside. There were no voices anywhere, no pounding feet, nothing. The ship was empty, as far as she knew. Warily walking through the lower deck, Summer emerged from the ship and halted in shock of her discovery.
They were at Marineford, alright. A severely destroyed Marineford. The main building was in ruins, a shadow of its former glory. Thousands of marines and pirates waged war down below. The sea was frozen over, she assumed by Admiral Aokiji. Prominent among those below, she spotted Sengoku standing on the scaffold. Whitebeard stood on the top of his ship. Fire Fist Ace could be seen kneeling on the gallows, two executioners standing beside him. Several Shichibukai were fighting their own battles.
She stared down at the bloody conflict for a moment before she examined the situation. Sneaking a ship away would be impossible at this point; the sea was still frozen over and only a few marine ships farther away were in the clear. They would be filled with soldiers, as well.
Staying until everything was over wasn't a very good plan either. At some point she would be dragged into the fight. Screams of pain and the smell of blood surrounded her, but she wasn't affected by it.
"Hmm…" She stood pondering her options, a hand on her chin in thought, when something in the sky caught her attention. She frowned, squinting up at the object. It looked like…
"A ship?" She asked aloud in confusion.
'What the hell?'
A marine ship was falling from the sky. The dark green bottom hull grew larger and larger as it descended. She watched in awe as it sailed downwards, miraculously landing in an unfrozen patch of sea. Seawater sprayed everywhere, drenching pirates and marines alike. Much of the conflict stopped when the ship landed, everyone too shocked by what they had witnessed. Somehow, the ship didn't capsize; however, it did split in half upon impact with the water.
Once it had settled, she made out dozens of people onboard. She spotted Jinbe, another Shichibukai, standing on the deck. A large-headed person in a very exotic outfit stood next to him. Crocodile was there as well.
'Crocodile was a prisoner at Impel Down. How did he escape?'She quickly came to one conclusion. 'Luffy was the intruder.' She shook her head in amazement.
A lone figure stretched his arm and landed on the deck next to Whitebeard, blocking Crocodile's attempted attack of Whitebeard. The old pirate didn't seem fazed in the slightest, a deep frown on his face as he looked at the young boy. He wore a straw hat and sleeveless yellow shirt with shorts and sandals. He talked animatedly, but Summer was too far away to hear his words.
Whitebeard said a few words to the boy who then jumped into the middle of the fight, running towards the executioner's block.
Summer leaned on the ship's railing waving smoke away from her face as she watched the violence ensue. So much was going on; it was difficult to process everything at once. The boy, whom she had eventually identified as Luffy, truly was determined. Each opponent that came his way didn't last very long and he continued to push his way through. He defeated thousands in an attempt to save his brother.
Summer suddenly ducked behind the ship's railing to avoid a stray light beam from Kizaru's attack. "Damn marines…" She mutters as she straightens up.
Pirates allied with Whitebeard lend him their aid as much as they could along the way. It was quite a sight to see. The battle lasted for a long time. Luffy managed to free his brother, and both were taking a stand in the center of the island. Sengoku revealed that Luffy was actually the son of the revolutionary, Dragon. With the accomplishments Luffy had achieved thus far, Summer really wasn't surprised that he was related to such a famous criminal.
She watched as Boa Hancock saved Luffy from Smoker's attack, giving him something in the process.
'So, Hancock is helping Luffy? How odd.'
In the distance, Summer spots another ships approaching and standing on the ship's helm is Sentomaru. Dozens of Kuma's are onboard. Summer is greatly confused, but there is no way to figure it all out at the moment, so she accepts the fact and continues to watch.
The war seemed endless, going on for well over an hour and a half. She glances over at Whitebeard from time to time, curious as to how he would react to the unfolding events. One such time she just barely caught the sight of one of Whitebeard's commanders impaling his own captain through the chest. The entire battlefield watched in shock. To her further astonishment, Whitebeard kneeled down and hugged the man who had attacked him. Summer decided to watch somewhere else to avoid any more confusion.
From this distance, the fighting looks to be unreal. The toys of a child as he recklessly knocks the plastic pieces together.
Sengoku then ordered his marines to raise the city walls, effectively stopping the pirate advance. However, one wall remained down as the gigantic body of one of Whitebeard's crew stopped it from activating. Akainu then rained down hell on the pirates, destroying Whitebeard's ship in the process. Thankfully, Summer was on a ship farther away and was not affected by the attack.
A large pillar of water soars through the air towards the platform, landing directly in front of it. The water cleared, revealing Luffy holding a long piece of wood. Summer internally commended him for his bravery, as he is now standing directly in front of the three Admirals.
'The kid's got guts.'
He struggles to advance closer to Ace, the effort taking a heavy toll against his body and mental state. The unpredictability of the situation prompts Summer to rethink staying to watch the conflict. She shrugs, concluding that there was no other possible means of escape at that point and waiting was her best option.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luffy again advance forward despite the numerous wounds he had sustained. This whole time, Summer believed it not possible that Ace could be saved. Somehow Luffy's resolve began making her doubt her own conviction.
Whitebeard is attacked on all sides by the marines, ensuring his death at Marineford. "My God…" Summer states quietly. She watches as Sengoku gives the order for Ace's execution.
"STOP!" An unknown force pushes Summer and she struggles to maintain her balance. Her grip on the railing tightened. Silence follows afterward. The fog and dust clear to reveal Luffy surrounded by thousands of unconscious marines. She noticed that the most powerful figures were still standing but were still a little shaken up.
"Conqueror's Haki...Impossible." The battle quickly resumed after the fallen marines recover from Luffy's attack. A strangely dressed man appeared on the battlefield. His hands are like scissors and he cuts the ground as if it were fabric. With so many Devil Fruit users emerging, she gives up being surprised by anything anymore. The cutting man creates a makeshift staircase leading up to the execution platform, making a clear path to Ace.
'All this for the sake of another...'
Summer was distracted by Sengoku and looked back to see that Ace was free from the platform, which was now collapsing. The two brothers fight back against the surrounding marines.
Whitebeard can be heard yelling over the sounds of the war. He addresses his crew, stating that his final captain's order is to return to the New World alive at all costs and to ensure Luffy's safety.
'So, you've got a soft spot for him, huh old man? Well, so do I, it seems.' Summer hesitantly admitted to herself. The boy was growing on her.
It seemed as if Whitebeard intended to finish the battle with his life. A proper ending to the old Age of Pirates. He continued to slice through marines around him. Just as Ace and Luffy were set on escaping, Akainu attacked them both. From this distance it was hard to tell, but it looked to Summer as if Ace was struggling. Ace is knocked aside by the Admiral, and Akainu brought up his molten arm, preparing to strike Luffy down.
Horror struck Summer as Ace jumped in the way of the attack and took the blow himself. The wound was gruesome, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of his body. Luffy didn't move, kneeling over his fallen brother.
Jinbe picked up the distraught Luffy and fled from the Admiral. She could clearly see Luffy's face in Jinbe's arms. It is blank with his mouth wide open. As if his mind couldn't take the reality. Summer looked away from the painful scene. What she found instead piqued her interest.
Sitting in the water nearby is a yellow submarine, not too far from her. Several people stand on its deck. Out of all of the figures, she recognizes only one.
'Trafalgar Law…Interesting.'
He shouted at Buggy, who is now flying through the air carrying Luffy, to let him take Strawhat. Everyone onboard the submarine was focused on Luffy. The large submarine doors were left wide open behind them. An idea struck Summer. An insane, stupid, and life-threatening idea.
'Take the chance. Go.'
Summer jumped in the water. The cold came as a slight shock to her, though nowhere near as bad as the cold of the prison, and she swam over to the submarine as quickly and silently as she could. Luckily, they hadn't closed the doors to submerge. She silently slunk aboard, keeping her eye on the backs of the men on the deck, and slipped inside without anyone noticing. Knowing that there are probably more men inside, she began looking for a place to hide. Running feet pounded throughout the metal contraption, obviously coming closer, causing Summer to panic. Opening the first door she saw, she slipped inside. She found a kitchen and cafeteria-style mess hall. Spotting a door farther in, she crept into the food storage and locked it behind her.
Her back slid down the door and she sat with her head in her hands, catching her breath. The feet slowly died away, this time the sound of squeaky wheels accompanied them. For now, she was safe. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
'Now what, genius?' She thought. To be perfectly honest, she didn't think this far ahead into the plan, relying on her quick reflexes and instincts to tell her where to go. Now that the initial idea was spent, she drew a blank as to what to do next.
'Perhaps he wont find me and I could hop off at the next island?' She thought sarcastically. She shook her head.
Summer was no idiot. Trafalgar Law would find her onboard his submarine eventually, but that bridge would be crossed when she came to it.
'He's known as the Surgeon of Death for a reason.'
Well, no shit. The World Government didn't give out a bounty over 200,000,000 just for kicks. She had to be cautious around him. His brutality was well known.
Right now, she needed to focus on a more immediate problem.
Her stomach grumbled loudly, reminding her that the last time she had eaten was in Impel Down. Looking down at her stomach sadly, she just then remembered she was still wearing the marine uniform. She brushed the thought off. Nothing she could do now.
Much as she didn't want to get back up, her raging hunger forced her to her feet. Looking around, she found boxes and barrels all neatly stored on rows of shelves full of food. She grabbed an apple and a loaf of bread.
'Better start off small. Don't want my body to reject it.'
The food was gone within seconds, her hunger getting the better of her.
"Now we wait." She said to herself. The submarine's engine suddenly roared to life and she felt the vessel surge forward. Running feet and loud booms echoed through the vessel. The air perpetually smelled of sweat, metal, and oil, it seemed. Her ears popped from the change in water pressure.
'I just need some sleep.' She thought to herself as she involuntarily yawned.
If she expected a smooth ride down to the depths of the ocean, she was greatly disappointed.
The submarine was hit by something and she was thrown forward into the wall. She didn't react quickly enough and couldn't bring up her hands. Her head hit the metal wall and everything went black.
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