One Piece: My Evolving Aircraft

Next Bonus, 100!!

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Marine Headquarters.

Sengoku convened a massive war council, summoning the three Admirals, the Admiral candidates, and the elite Vice Admirals to outline the strategy for the impending conflict.

"If Whitebeard refuses to take the bait..."

"He will come."

"No, to be precise: whether he comes or not, the moment Ace is forced to his knees on that execution platform, Whitebeard has already lost."

"The only question is whether he chooses to lose with dignity on the battlefield, or lose like a coward in hiding."

The World Government's decision to broadcast the date, location, and the execution itself to the entire world was a direct, undeniable declaration of war.

It was a blatant challenge: On that day, in that place, we will be waiting for you.

The Whitebeard Pirates understood the subtext. The rest of the world's major powers understood it, too.

It was an open conspiracy. A brilliant, undeniable trap designed to destroy them physically and ideologically.

If Whitebeard attacked, he was walking straight into a meticulously prepared kill zone orchestrated by the Marines and the World Government. Survival was virtually impossible.

But if Whitebeard didn't attack?

If the man universally praised for his "honor" and hailed as the "Strongest Man in the World" abandoned his own son to die... what right did he have to call himself a Yonko?

His prestige would instantly evaporate. His crew's loyalty would shatter. The World Government would barely have to lift a finger to watch the Whitebeard Pirates tear themselves apart from the inside out.

Whitebeard seemed to have a choice, but in reality, he had none at all.

—————————

Three days later.

The Straw Hat Pirates arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.

Their goal: to get their ship coated so they could dive down to Fish-Man Island. It was supposed to be a brief stopover.

But here, they stumbled upon a kidnapping ring involving Keimi and Pappag, and crossed paths with Silvers Rayleigh, who had willingly put himself on the auction block.

The situation rapidly escalated when Saint Charlos attempted to purchase Keimi. Luffy, consumed by righteous fury, stepped up and punched the Celestial Dragon square in the face.

A Celestial Dragon assaulted on Sabaody?

The entire island descended into absolute panic. Even Keimi and Pappag were horrified by the implications.

That was a Celestial Dragon!

Sengoku, already stretched thin coordinating forces for the upcoming war, had no choice but to deploy Admiral Borsalino—Kizaru—to handle the crisis.

Just as the true weight of Luffy's actions began to set in, Rayleigh intervened, securing their escape. With a warm smile, the Dark King noted how perfectly the straw hat suited the boy.

Later, at Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.

The crew sat in awe as Rayleigh recounted tales of the Pirate King's legendary exploits. Luffy was vibrating with excitement.

But when Usopp eagerly asked Rayleigh for the truth about the "One Piece," Luffy vehemently shut him down.

"I could just tell you exactly what's waiting on Laugh Tale right now, you know!" Rayleigh offered, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Luffy refused without a second thought. "Don't you dare say a word! I'm not going on some boring adventure where I already know the ending!"

Shakky watched the young captain, a fond smile gracing her lips.

The great treasure, "One Piece."

Ever since Roger had screamed its existence to the world from the execution platform, countless souls had fought, bled, and died for it.

Who wouldn't want to claim it?

Even today, the vast majority of the world believed that whoever found the "One Piece" would instantly be crowned the Pirate King, gaining everything the world had to offer.

But Luffy didn't care what the "One Piece" actually was. He just wanted the thrill of finding it himself. That pure, unadulterated spirit was incredibly rare.

Was it just about the adventure?

Perhaps, in Luffy's heart, the journey alongside his crewmates was the greatest "One Piece" of all.

But their respite was short-lived. Upon leaving Shakky's bar, the Straw Hats found themselves cornered by Admiral Borsalino, Sentomaru, and a squad of towering "Mechanical Giants."

These Mechanical Giants were essentially an upgraded, mass-produced iteration of the Pacifistas.

In the original timeline, Vegapunk had modeled the Pacifistas entirely after Bartholomew Kuma. Even the name "Pacifista" was a cruel twist of irony, derived from Kuma's own deeply held pacifist beliefs. The pacifist had been turned into the ultimate weapon of war. The dark irony was palpable.

But in this altered timeline, thanks to Jin's intervention, Kuma had never surrendered himself to Vegapunk. He had never been turned into a World Government lab rat.

Instead, the World Government had partnered with Miss Buckingham Stussy.

Using the cloned genetic template of Edward Weevil—Whitebeard Jr.—as a base, they had refined the design. By splicing in the Lineage Factors of powerhouses like Borsalino, they successfully engineered massive, highly resilient cyborgs capable of firing devastating laser blasts.

Vegapunk had designated them the "Mechanical Giants."

They were the mass-produced precursors to the true "Seraphim" project, early attempts to replicate the sheer destructive power of the ancient Iron Giant, Emeth, found on Egghead Island.

But even as early prototypes, a single Mechanical Giant possessed staggering offensive and defensive capabilities.

Add to that an Admiral like Borsalino—a man whose power rivaled Kuzan's—and the situation was utterly hopeless.

How were they supposed to fight back?

They couldn't.

It was an absolute massacre.

If Borsalino hadn't been toying with them, deliberately dragging the fight out, the entire Straw Hat crew would have been wiped off the map in the first exchange.

"I'm gonna kick you now~!"

"Here comes the kick~!"

"Kicking~!"

"Ing~!"

"~!"

Kizaru's lethargic, light-speed kicks rained down on them. Finally, at the absolute last second, Rayleigh arrived to intercept the Admiral.

Realizing they were completely outmatched, Luffy made the hardest call of his life: he ordered the crew to scatter and flee in different directions, promising to reunite at the Thousand Sunny in three days.

But then, Bartholomew Kuma suddenly appeared on the battlefield.

With devastating precision, he utilized his "attacks" to launch the Straw Hats into the sky, sending them flying to entirely different corners of the globe.

Watching his friends vanish one by one, Luffy was consumed by an agonizing, suffocating despair. He had failed to protect them.

Kuma watched Luffy's agonizing wails and tear-streaked face. Despite his gentle heart, he remembered Jin's words.

To force Nika to awaken... the boy's body had to be broken, his spirit pushed to the absolute brink...

Only by surviving the darkest storm could one truly appreciate the light.

Besides, Dragon had given his tacit approval.

A little hardship was good for a kid. It builds character.

Back in their day, at God Valley, they had all endured unimaginable hell. It was that very suffering that had forged them into the powerhouses they were today.

Sometimes, to teach someone how to weather the rain, you have to smash their umbrella.

Smack!

With a final, heavy swing of his paw, Kuma sent Luffy flying.

But his destination wasn't Amazon Lily.

It was... the deck of the Sun Pirates' ship.

Jinbe was already waiting for him.

In the original timeline, Jinbe, bound by a deep debt of gratitude to Whitebeard, had desperately tried to prevent the Summit War, refusing to let the old man march to his death. He had openly defied the Marines' mandatory summons, fully prepared to sacrifice his Warlord title and his life to stop the conflict.

As a result, he had been dragged to Impel Down and thrown into Level 6, ending up in the very same cell as Ace.

There, Ace had spoken endlessly of his younger brother, Luffy, begging Jinbe to look after him if the worst came to pass.

When Luffy finally infiltrated Level 6 with Hancock's help, Ace had already been transferred. Jinbe had then pleaded with Luffy to take him along for the rescue mission, and Luffy had agreed.

But now... Jin was running the board.

Jinbe had accepted the Marines' "mandatory summons," but solely as a pretext to infiltrate Impel Down.

Whitebeard had saved Jinbe and Fish-Man Island. Jin knew better than to demand Jinbe abandon his honor. But an open, pointless rebellion against the Marines would achieve nothing.

So, he had orchestrated this alternative route.

And naturally, he had arranged for Luffy to tag along.

How could the Summit War possibly take place without Luffy?

He had to be there to witness Ace's death.

How much pain can one man carry? Let him feel it!

Luffy's path had been perfectly, ruthlessly paved.

Besides, if Luffy didn't cause a massive riot in Impel Down, how would Jin justify swooping in to "restore order" and harvest the high-tier prisoners for himself?

Of course, neither Kuma nor Jinbe fully understood the depths of Jin's machinations.

From their perspective, he had arranged for Kuma to save the Straw Hats from an Admiral, and for Jinbe to guide Luffy into the prison to save his brother.

No matter how you looked at it, these were the actions of a benevolent ally.

Wasn't he just a genuinely good guy?

When Luffy finally regained consciousness and heard the grim reality of Ace's impending execution from Jinbe, his heart felt like it was trapped in a vice.

Desperate, he begged Jinbe to take him to Impel Down. They had to save him.

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~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon

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