One Piece: A Warlord's Path-Chapter 698: The Great Gathering at Unzan Port
That afternoon, the entire Kingdom of Clifford was in motion.
A massive number of pirates from the Chris Pirates swarmed Unzan Port. One ship after another docked at the berths, creating a forest of masts and steel.
The largest among them was a gargantuan vessel stretching 150 meters long. Its forward turret housed only a single barrel, but it was designed with a sleek, sci-fi aesthetic—a ship-mounted railgun. This was the original Chris, now fully overhauled and retrofitted by the fishman shipwright Nando and the brilliant Dr. Vade. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
Surrounding it were the smaller sub-ships of the Chris. These ships featured triple-mounted turrets and had also undergone extensive modifications. Every vessel in the fleet was now a steam-powered ironclad, abandoning traditional sails for engine-driven speed. With their heavy external plating and devastating firepower, these ships were far more formidable than standard Marine warships.
"Form up! Form up!"
"No cutting in line!"
"Get on the ships! Now!"
"Check your weapons!"
The docks were a cacophony of shouting. Petty officers of the Chris Pirates managed the chaos, directing thousands of pirates as they filed onto the various vessels.
"Make way! Move it! Let the Dragonians through first!"
Backan, clad in his dark-gold armor with his crimson cape billowing behind him, appeared on the pier. He barked orders at the crowds to clear a path. Behind him followed a series of tall, grotesque figures—the terrifying Dragonians. They appeared openly before the masses, marching in a perfect, silent line under Backan’s guidance as they boarded one of the central ships.
ROAR!
SCREECH—!
Simultaneously, a chorus of bizarre cries erupted. Strange creatures filled the docks, and a "black cloud" of flying beasts blotted out the sun, casting a massive shadow over the port.
There were knights brandishing swords, spears, and axes; ferocious, giant beasts; giants standing over ten meters tall; swarms of avian creatures circling above; and even gargoyles and demons out of legend. Without exception, every single one of them appeared to be carved from stone or forged from metal.
Yet, like living things, they moved and flew with autonomous purpose, boarding the ships in an orderly fashion.
HROOOAR—!
A thunderous roar shook the air as a shadow dozens of meters long swept across the ground. Countless people looked up to see a massive black dragon with a metallic sheen soaring through the sky. Seated upon the dragon’s back was a young man wearing gold earrings, with a ball of living flame dancing around him.
"Moving stone statues... metal sculptures... Hiss... what in the world are those things?"
"Is this some Lord’s Devil Fruit ability?"
"What’s happening? King Aeridar has come in person!"
"Oliver-sama! Enel-sama! And my goddess, Betilla-sama... so many big names are here. Are they going to war with a Yonko? Or are they planning to wipe a country off the map?"
"Are those the legendary Dragonians? They look even more terrifying than the rumors!"
Throughout Unzan Port, the air was thick with speculation. Civilians, merchants, nobles, royalty, pirates, and even high-ranking officials from the Marines and the World Government watched the gathering of military might in stunned silence.
Ever since Aeridar took control of the Clifford Kingdom, various stone and metal sculptures had been placed in every city. Because of their sheer variety and number, Clifford had once been nicknamed the "Kingdom of Artistic Statues."
Aeridar’s Animate-Animate Fruit ability had only been used on a large scale during the conquest of the Clifford Kingdom years ago. Since then, it had been a rare sight, so rare that many had forgotten it or dismissed the tales of a "living army" as exaggerated legends.
Now, observers frantically pulled out their Den Den Mushi to report to their superiors. They needed to know what could possibly have provoked the Chris Pirates to go to such lengths, even revealing a power that had been hidden for years.
"With a commotion this big... what is that guy planning?"
Smoker, wearing a loose-fitting shirt and chomping on two cigars, stood in the crowd, his gaze fixed on the fleet of over a dozen pirate ships.
"Smoker-san, should I try to contact someone from the Chris Pirates?" Tashigi asked, adjusting her glasses and turning toward him.
"Don’t. This has moved beyond anything we can interfere with. Can’t you see the others aren’t moving either?" Smoker shook his head, gesturing toward the crowd.
The two of them happened to be here on vacation, only to stumble upon this mobilization. Tashigi looked around and spotted several other Marine officers also on leave, as well as World Government officials. None of them made a move to approach the pirates, and Smoker noted that some of those officers were at the Vice Admiral level.
"An operation of this scale will definitely alert Headquarters and the World Government. We just have to wait for orders," Smoker said, exhaling a thick ring of smoke.
...
Marine Headquarters — Marineford.
BANG!
Inside the Fleet Admiral’s office, Sakazuki slammed his palm onto his desk, shouting at the intelligence officer before him. "What the hell is going on? Find out what that man is raving about! And those moving statues... what kind of ability is that? Who does it belong to?!"
Great Staff Officer Tsuru sat on the sofa, her face grim. "Intelligence must find out. If necessary, contact Cipher Pol. We need to know the Chris Pirates’ exact heading immediately."
"Tell Borsalino to stand by. Place G-1 on Level 2 Battle Readiness!" Sakazuki commanded.
...
Holy Land — Mariejois.
Inside a lavish palace, the Gorosei sat on their sofas.
"You’re saying you still don’t know the Chris Pirates’ objective?" the curly-haired Elder asked sternly.
"My apologies, Elders. The move was incredibly sudden. We don’t know what triggered that man," a man in a black suit replied, kneeling on the floor and breaking into a cold sweat.
"After all these years, the moving sculptures from the conquest of Clifford have reappeared. He’s pulled out another hidden trump card," the Elder with the long, straight beard remarked calmly.
"We can use this opportunity to identify the user of that ability," the robed, katana-wielding Elder added.
"An army made of stone and metal... truly a terrifying force," the Elder with the walrus mustache mused.
Even though Aeridar was not one of the Yonko, and the Chris Pirates were not officially a Yonko-level crew, in the eyes of the Gorosei, that man was no less dangerous. He was a variable capable of shaking the balance of the world.
"Investigate! I want to know the reason behind this immediately!" the blond Elder barked.
"Understood, Elders!" The man in the black suit bowed his head, stood up, and hurried out of the palace.
