One Piece: Burning the Sun God to Ash

Sakazuki's cold voice echoed through the Fleet Admiral's office.

Though his words sounded calm, as if merely stating a fact, they made the listener's mind go blank — blood boiling with emotion...

Issho took a deep breath and stood up, bowing deeply toward Sakazuki.

"Looking back on my life,"

"It has been nothing but running away..."

"I possessed great power, yet wandered aimlessly, accomplishing nothing."

"I could not bear to face the sins of the world, yet sought no solution — instead, I destroyed my own eyes. How foolish that was..."

"Today, after hearing Fleet Admiral Sakazuki's words, I have finally awakened."

"But it is already too late. My eyes have long been blind."

"If only I could see with my own eyes... the greatness of Fleet Admiral Sakazuki."

"Justice that bears the hope of the world upon its shoulders..."

"How dazzling it must be..."

...

The New World — within the grand palaces of the Four Emperors.

Four projection screens connected the four rulers, bringing their faces together despite the distance.

On one of the screens, Charlotte Linlin sat upon her throne.

"Ma~mamamama!"

"Red-Hair, what's the situation with those two islands?"

"How much longer until they're cracked open?"

"I'm about to lose my patience..."

A ferocious gleam flickered across her monstrous face as she leaned forward — the killing intent radiating from her was terrifying.

Though Totto Land had managed to hold the third defensive line for now, they were purely on the defensive. Sakazuki, that lunatic, seemed to have gone mad.

Despite Knock and Red-Hair Shanks being the weakest of the four, Sakazuki kept sending more troops against her and Kaido's territories.

And that old man Garp was another troublesome one — after several fights, she ended up losing two islands. What a damned nuisance...

She wanted to go all out and slaughter those Marines without restraint, but the bombs inside those two islands hadn't been dealt with yet.

If she lost her temper and went berserk, Sakazuki could just detonate them — dragging the entire New World down with the Marines in a mass funeral. That would be game over.

...

On another screen, Kaido's expression was equally dark. His gaze swept across Shanks and Knock.

"Yeah, how much longer?"

"That bastard Sakazuki has poured almost all his troops on us..."

Though Kaido loved war, he didn't enjoy being on the receiving end.

It was fine if he couldn't massacre the Marine soldiers, but the problem was — Kizaru's speed made him impossible to catch. Kaido's fury had nowhere to go.

He had his top forces — the All-Stars, the Tobiroppo, the Numbers — over twenty thousand subordinates. It sounded like a lot...

But the Marines kept pouring in troops nonstop. A flood of Devil Fruit users, led by Vice Admirals one after another.

Many of them weren't that strong individually, but their sheer numbers were overwhelming...

As Kaido's gaze swept toward him, Shanks sighed helplessly.

"Within half a year — it'll be done."

After all, Brûlée was still a young girl. She had talent, yes, but her progress was slow...

As for Sakazuki...

The Red-Hair Pirates had held several meetings aboard their ship, but not once had they figured out what Sakazuki was actually planning.

Instead of attacking the weaker sides — Knock's and Shanks' — the Marines kept pressing the middle territories, the toughest ones to take.

Aside from some forces deployed toward Shanks and Knock in the early stages, every Marine reinforcement since then had gone straight to Kaido and Linlin's fronts.

It was a relentless siege. There was no logic to it...

Could it be because they were the ones Sakazuki thought required the most restraint?

Shanks continued,

"As long as we can resolve one of those islands, we can finally fight freely."

"For now, conserving our strength is the most important thing — minimize consumption."

Kaido snorted coldly.

"Easy for you to say..."

The Marines kept sending troops nonstop — no matter how powerful their territories were, they couldn't withstand such attrition forever.

"Three more months. After that, I won't hold back anymore."

If this dragged on, they'd lose even more. Removing that choking point was the key to breaking the stalemate. Otherwise, even Kizaru wouldn't be able to stop him.

He alone could slaughter all those Marines.

But if he kept bleeding men like this, he'd end up a lone ruler — what good would the New World be then? Might as well destroy everything together.

Shanks' face grew serious as he nodded.

He knew Kaido was truly at his limit.

Which also showed just how massive the Marine forces were...

Seeing Shanks nod, Charlotte Linlin finally relaxed. A small smile tugged at her lips as she looked at the others.

"I just received word recently."

"The Marines are digging deep into our pasts. None of you left any weaknesses lying around, I hope?"

"Wouldn't want Sakazuki getting his hands on something dangerous..."

Her sharp gaze swept over the others, searching for the slightest sign of guilt.

But they were all veterans of deceit — not a flicker of emotion crossed their faces.

Charlotte Linlin's eyes gleamed.

"Then that's that."

Clack—

Her screen went dark. One by one, the others followed suit.

...

The New World — Red-Hair Pirates' base.

After Shanks turned off the video transponder screen, an uneasy feeling lingered in his chest. His brow furrowed deeply.

He rose and walked to the window, staring silently into the distance.

"Uta..."

Uta's identity was a well-kept secret — otherwise, she would've been discovered long ago.

But now that the Marines were digging into the past... this could get dangerous.

"Beckman!!!"

...

The New World — Totto Land.

After Charlotte Linlin shut off her Den Den Mushi, she replayed the meeting in her mind over and over, recalling each person's reaction.

Because she had brought up that topic so suddenly, their responses had been the most genuine.

Kaido and Knock were fine — but that Red-Haired brat's breathing had paused for a second...

"The past, huh..."

She pulled out a Den Den Mushi and dialed.

"Stussy, investigate it for me..."

...

The New World — New Marineford.

Fleet Admiral Sakazuki stood alone in his office, studying the strategic deployment map.

Issho and Aramaki had only stayed half a day before Sakazuki sent them off — one toward Kaido's territory, the other toward Charlotte Linlin's. After all, those were the main assault points in his plan.

Whoosh—

Karol suddenly appeared in the office.

"I found it."

"In the Red-Hair Pirates' past, Shanks once had a daughter."

"But after the Elegia Kingdom's destruction, she disappeared."

"Coincidentally... the girl recently discovered by the science division — the one who uploads songs and video through a lost Den Den Mushi..."

"After comparing facial features, it's confirmed."

"She is Shanks' daughter."

"Her name is Uta."

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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg. 414 chapters in total