One Piece: I am the Fleet Admiral?

Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari

----------

On the high platform, Akira suppressed his excitement and slowly hid the smile on his face.

Gasp!

He clutched his chest, took a few deep breaths, and then returned to his usual posture.

"It seems the end of the Great Pirate Era brings you a lot of joy, Fleet Admiral," Rayleigh said, gazing up at the sky. His heart was calm, his face so expressionless it seemed devoid of worldly desires.

A sense of loneliness could clearly be felt from him.

"Naturally, I am a Marine after all."

"However, I still need to work on my self-control."

Akira covered the microphone of the Den Den Mushi, not denying the fact. When the system's notification sounded, his heart had indeed filled with joy, making his reaction a bit over the top.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with it. After all, he had worked tirelessly for this reward, pouring all his effort into it.

A little slip-up was normal when basking in such a hard-earned achievement.

"Is my mission complete?"

"Yes, you can return to Impel Down and stay there."

Akira waved his hand.

Two soldiers behind him immediately stepped forward, unfastened Rayleigh's shackles, and escorted him away.

Rayleigh didn't resist and even cooperated willingly. He was eager to return to the quiet of Impel Down and reflect on his life.

Suddenly, his footsteps halted, and he turned his head sharply.

His pupils trembled, and his face filled with disbelief.

Sengoku, Zephyr, the Three Admirals, and others in the audience also turned their heads, looking towards the sea.

"I have to admit, your Roger Pirates have some nerve, showing up like this," Akira said, stepping forward with his hands in his pockets.

In the distance, more than a dozen pirate ships were rapidly approaching. A large number of powerful figures stepped out onto the deck, openly releasing their aura.

Thousands of pirates appeared behind them.

"Scopper Gaban, Seagull Guns, Taro, Sunbell..."

"CB Gallant, Doringo, Ganryu..."

Rayleigh's lips trembled as he whispered name after name. These were the brothers he had shared many years with.

He thought he would never see them again after the crew disbanded.

But today, against all odds, they had gathered once more to rescue him from the Marines.

This deeply moved Rayleigh at first.

'Wait, they really came to Marineford to save me?'

Rayleigh snapped back to reality, his initial emotion turning to horror.

Even if Captain Roger were alive, he would never have dared to attempt something this reckless. But here was Scopper Gaban, leading so many brothers into this.

This was clearly a suicide mission.

"No, Gaban! Turn back, now!"

Rayleigh couldn't take it anymore. He struggled forward, shouting in anguish, "This is Marine Headquarters, retreat while you still can!"

Ahead, many of the pirates clearly heard Rayleigh's words.

But none of them wavered, each one gripping their weapons with determination.

If they feared death or failure, they wouldn't have answered the call to rescue their vice-captain.

Leading the charge, Scopper Gaban stepped forward, calling out boldly, "Rayleigh, don't worry. We will save you, no matter the cost."

"Vice-captain, risking our lives is nothing if it means saving you from this hell!"

"Mr. Rayleigh, just hold on! We'll fight to the end for you!"

"I couldn't join the fight last time, but this time, I won't sit by and do nothing. My honor won't allow it!"

"Rescue the vice-captain!"

"Rescue the vice-captain!"

…

The pirates raised their weapons high, shouting their war cries with fervor.

Clang!

The Marine soldiers snapped back to their senses, quickly drawing their swords and preparing to charge forward.

But before they could move far, they were stopped by a high-ranking officer.

Confused, the soldiers glanced at the general and then up at the Fleet Admiral and Admirals standing on the high platform.

They were all silently watching the approaching ships, making no move to order a blockade.

It was as if they were waiting for the pirates to walk right into a trap.

"Soldier, make sure the Den Den Mushi is turned off," Akira ordered, raising his hand.

"Yes, Fleet Admiral-sama!"

The soldier saluted quickly and left to follow the command.

At this point, Rayleigh was being guarded by a single ordinary Marine soldier on the high platform.

Yet, even with only one guard, Rayleigh, drained of his strength, couldn't escape.

He could only lift his head, watching in despair as his brothers drew nearer to the port.

"Why… Why?"

"Why do you still come, knowing you'll fail?"

He muttered under his breath, no longer as composed as before.

The arrival of Scopper Gaban and the others weighed heavily on his conscience, filling him with an unbearable sense of guilt.

The feeling suffocated him.

Akira walked over.

"Before today, there were whispers on the seas that the remnants of the Pirate King's crew had resurfaced, quietly trying to reconnect with old comrades."

"They didn't act recklessly and were quite cautious, but their goal was easy to figure out."

"It's nothing more than saving you."

Akira reached into his pocket, pulling out a cigar, savoring its aroma before biting down on it.

With a click, the lighter flickered to life, igniting the cigar.

"I expected an ambush while Sakazuki transported you to Impel Down, but unfortunately~~"

Akira shook his head with a sigh. "Jabba's unpredictable way of thinking ruined my carefully laid-out plans."

"But never mind. At least it's not too late to execute the capture plan now."

Boom!

In the port, the pirate ships crashed into the stone docks one after another. All the pirates charged down, following closely behind Scopper Gaban and the other captains at the front.

"Attack!"

Their murderous cries echoed through the air.

Sengoku stepped forward, unleashing his Conqueror's Haki without holding back, sending a wave of pressure toward the charging pirates.

Gaban's eyes narrowed as he responded in kind, unleashing his own imposing aura.

Boom!

The wind howled, and black and red lightning crackled in the air as their Haki clashed.

"Oh, so Gaban also has Conqueror's Haki," Akira noted, blowing out a puff of smoke, his tone flat. "They're cancelling each other out. Looks like this'll take more time than expected."

The fact that Gaban possessed Conqueror's Haki didn't surprise Akira. Rayleigh had it, so it made sense that the Pirate King's left-hand man would, too.

Conqueror's Haki typically bursts outward in a circular or semicircular shockwave, knocking out weaker opponents. But when two individuals with Conqueror's clash, the Haki targets each other directly, focusing on the opponent instead of indiscriminately affecting others.

It was as if on a battlefield, Gaban and Sengoku were both wielding powerful Gatling guns, aiming directly at each other. The bullets might scatter and hit those on the sides, but the primary target was clear.

Suddenly, a dazzling light flashed below the high platform.

In the blink of an eye, Borsalino appeared in front of Seagull, who was charging alongside Gaban with fierce determination.

"Honestly, today should've been a nice day to celebrate my promotion to Admiral. Can't you give me a break?" Borsalino sighed dramatically.

In an instant, his golden foot whipped forward.

Whoosh!

Seagull was sent flying through the air by the force of the kick.

"Let's not cause too much trouble, alright?" Borsalino withdrew his ability, his hands returning to his pockets, as he stood there, looking exasperated.

Crack, crack, crack.

At some point, a thick layer of ice encased all the pirates on the battlefield. Kuzan sat atop an ice mountain, resting his chin in his hand, looking bored.

"Leave Gaban to me, Sengoku. No need for you to get involved."

Sakazuki stepped forward slowly, preventing Sengoku from engaging further.

"Very well," Sengoku considered for a moment and agreed.

With the other two Admirals already having made their moves, it was only fair that Sakazuki got his turn to shine in front of everyone. And as someone who had moved to a more supportive role, Sengoku no longer needed to lead the charge.

Sakazuki nodded and vanished in a blur, reappearing directly in front of Gaban.

His massive magma-covered arm swung forward with terrifying force.

Seeing this, the other officers no longer hesitated, immediately leading the soldiers into the fray.

Smoke puffed around with a 'bang', and powerful clones materialized one after another.

"Gaban and the others came prepared, with no intention of retreating," Akira said, tapping the ash from his cigar. "The Great Pirate Era started with Roger, and it's only fitting that it ends without the Roger Pirates."

Rayleigh, leaning against the high platform, clenched his teeth in silence.

Time crept by slowly.

Akira remained standing on the platform, watching the battlefield unfold below with cold, calculating eyes.

In reality, the outcome had been decided from the start.

During the Summit War in the original story, Whitebeard, the world's strongest pirate, attacked with tens of thousands of men, and the battle was over in less than three hours.

With such a small force and no emperor-level figure leading them, Gaban's crew had no chance of winning.

In short, less than half an hour passed from the time they landed to the moment it was over.

The remnants of the Roger Pirates were completely wiped out.

Gaban, the leader of the assault, was dragged before Akira by Sakazuki.

"I'm curious," Akira said, exhaling smoke, "you don't seem like a fool. Why bring your men to their deaths when you knew you couldn't win?"

"Hahahaha!" Gaban threw his head back in laughter. "Of course I knew! And I also knew you'd be ready for us."

"Oh? Then why did you still come?"

"For One Piece, you bastard! You deliberately twisted the meaning of Roger's final message. Did you think I'd just stand by and let you succeed?"

Gaban's bloodshot eyes locked onto Akira's, burning with fury. He growled:

"We wanted to show the world through our actions that One Piece never represented wealth or treasure."

"It's about the most precious things—friendship, family, partners, trust, and freedom." (T/N: No God, Please NOOOOO)

"I believe the sacrifices we made today won't be in vain."

"Someone out there will understand the true meaning of One Piece and go out to sea to find it."

Sakazuki's eyes glinted coldly.

If Akira hadn't spoken, Sakazuki might have killed Gaban with a single punch right then and there.

When the Great Pirate Era first began, Sakazuki had followed Sengoku's orders to hunt down pirates. Along the way, he witnessed countless tragedies caused by their lawlessness.

If the world had to suffer in the name of "friendship" or "trust," Sakazuki wouldn't hesitate to make them feel the same pain.

"I see," Akira said, frowning slightly as he pieced together Gaban's plan.

People aren't foolish—they can see things for what they are.

Gaban's plan was to stage a touching display of camaraderie in front of the world, inspiring lost pirates to find hope again.

To remind them of what One Piece really meant: not money, but something far deeper.

It was a nice sentiment.

A dramatic gesture, but unfortunately for Gaban, Akira had anticipated it.

Tread, tread.

At that moment, a Marine soldier sprinted over, saluting quickly.

"Fleet Admiral, we've spoken with the team controlling the Den Den Mushi. The live broadcast was shut down immediately."

"Other than this department, no one in the world knows that the pirates attempted to rescue Rayleigh today."

Gaban's eyes widened.

Rayleigh remained silent, his face hardening.

Akira smirked.

"Excellent. Inform Rosinante that there's no need for this to appear in the papers."

"Make it as this never happened."