Chapter Text
It was well known that the Marines were upto something.
One would have to blind to notice the build up at Marineford. One would have to be blind to notice that many Marine branches now stood empty, their crews added to the vast armada preparing for something.
Whispers began to spread.
Were the Marines making a move upon the New World? Are they truly going to war with the Yonko? Have the Marines abandoned the seas to the Pirates?
Whispers spread across the world as it seemed as if the world was holding its breath.
Then came the announcement that shook everything.
Portgas D. Ace, Second Divison Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, had been captured and scheduled to be executed in two weeks.
Suddenly pieces were put into place and the sudden realisation on what was about to happen shook the world to its core.
The Marines were going to war with Edward ‘Whitebeard’ Newgate, the World's Strongest Man and an Emperor of the Sea. It would be a clash of two of the worlds greatest superpowers and, if the World Government had its way, the end of this accurssed Pirate Era.
It was three days before the execution and someone made a choice.
It is on Noticenot Island that the Summit Break began.
Xxx
Lilith knew this was stupid. Her genius brain laid out the facts in perfect order and deemed their current course as suicide.
Logic dicated such a thing.
Then why the hell was she going through with this!?
She knew what was about to happen when Stella had asked her to take their guest to Noticenot Island. Especially when he had asked her while, very briefly, blocking the connection to the other Satellites.
She knew it was going to have serious consequences, and she meant Buster Call level consequences, if the World Government got wind of their involvement.
It was madness and she knew it.
Yet, Lilith found herself going along with it.
She and her.. Aquintence… Friend? Had taken the Bubble-01, a small submarine that was more than capable of avoiding any patrol ships or roving Neputunians, and reached Noiticenot in no time at all.
They surfaced off the coast and Lilith’s first sight of the Cipher Pol Aegis base was not something she was impressed with.
The damn base was slap bang in the middle of a small deserted island. No trees or cover of any kind.
“If this is supposed to be so overt it's covert, then they're not doing a very good job.” She said, with a scowl. “Of all the places you want to do whatever the hell you want to do. Why here?”
The audible clang of steel on steel made her turn and watch as Noah Greenway lifted a large case from the entrance hatch and plonked it down on the deck.
She hated how her eyes went to his straining arms, the muscles bulging slighting through the sleeves of his white shirt. She also hated how his venomous green eyes met her gaze and how his lips pulled into a small smile. The soft breeze rustled his raven black hair and tugged at his black tie.
She hated it.
“Because there will be no collateral damage if things go the way I think they will.” He said, reaching back through the hatch and pulling out his longbow. “Plus it allows Lily to go wild if things go south.”
Lilith glanced to his shoulder and held in a shiver.
The small flower perched there, with a smiley face, waved a leaf at her causing her to quickly avoid that soulless stare.
“So are you going to tell me the reason we’re attacking a CP0 base?”
Noah hummed as he tested the string on his bow.
“ I’m attacking this particular base because it not only has a Moniter Snail but also a Broadcast Snail. That transmission tower in the centre of the base is the only one outside of the Red Line. They use it to monitor certain Visual Broadcasts, mainly on a singer for some odd reason.” He shouldered his bow and picked up the case. “I’ll use that to send out the message.”
“You do know there are probably hundreds of highly trained assassins in there, right?”
“One hundred and twenty nine. No, correct that one hundred and thirty. Who the heck gets freaky in a closet?”
“Your Spooky Weed scares me.”
Noah snorted at that admission as he finished his preparations.
“Well I guess this is goodbye.” He said, losing his smile. Lilith hated how the moment became heavy. There really was a good chance he would die here and the thought burned hotly in her mind.
“For now.” She replied firmly. “You still owe me for the ride and you did promise everyone you would see them again.”
Come back to us. Come back.
“Lilith, I can’t promise…”
“You survive, Mister!” She martched up to him and poked him the chest causing him to blink in surprise and Lily to squeak in protest. “You’ve been mooching off us for two years! Food,a room and even training and haven’t even paid a beri worth of rent! So you're going to go in there, do whatever you have to, kill whoever you need to and then come Home!”
Noah looked down on her, she hated that he was taller than her, emotion swimming in his eyes. His head tilted and his hand gently wrapped hers, raising it to his lips. He laid a gentle kiss to her knuckles, the action causing her to blush hotly and inhale sharply.
“Two years. I will return to Egghead in two years. I promise.” He stated, his eyes hardening with resolve.
There was a blur of motion and he was gone. Leaving her on the Bubble-01 alone.
Tha...That Jerk!!
Xxx
Noah Greenway was really going through with this. He blurred across the water, across the coast and inland with a mixture of Soru and Geppou .
It had been two years since he washed ashore on Egghead Island. It took three months for him to realise he wasn’t dreaming and was really in the world of One Piece. Fiction had become reality and it was truly terrifying.
Atlas was right. I really was a scardy cat back then. He mused, remembering seeing the Violent in action for the first time. I should get her a souvenir or something as a thank you for pulling my head out of my butt.
Lily purred in agreement but gently nudged his awareness back to the present.
The Cipher Pol Base didn’t even have a wall or gate. It seemed the place’s only defence, apart from the agents within, was the fact Noticenot was located far out of the shipping lanes.
It was a cluster of four, tall, buildings surrounding a smaller fifth building, from which the transmission tower emerged. It was simple and generic but suited Noah perfectly.
He landed on the roof of one, put down the case and unshouldered his bow.
“Ready, Lily? Let’s clean up first.”
Lily chirped.
Noah closed his eyes and exhaled, letting his haki reach out. Observation was not his specialty, which turned out to be Armament, but it was enough to allow him to see where the agents were clearly. That picture became perfectly solid when Lily added her haki to his.
He could almost smell the coffee one was nursing and he heard the petty mumblings of one who lost at cards.
Noah knew these were breathing, thinking people. They had hopes, dreams and families.
Unfortunately for them, Noah had hardened his heart because he would soon have the blood of thousands on his hands. All in an effort to help a girl he only met once.
An arrow, made from twisted vines and a thorn head, mansifested in his hand. He drew his bow, arrow set. He took a breath and let it fly.
One.
Thirteen.
Thirty one.
He targeted the ones that were alone first. The arrows striking quickly and silently. Lily’s will allowed them to strike true, even if the shot was impossible beyond logic. He then targeted the smaller groups.
Fourty six.
Fifty nine.
They were aware now and were emerging to find him. Guns searching for a target.
Seventy eight.
Ninety nine.
One ran for the transmission tower but was cut down, nailed to the door.
One hundred.
One hundred and twenty nine.
There was their leader.
She had finally found him, tracing the arrow that struck her lover through the skull. She used Soru with such force she shattered the ground.
Noah noticed she was pretty. Grey eyed and red haired. Tears streamed down her face and her words a mere garbled shreik of rage and grief.
“Bastard Pirate! I’ll kill you!” She screamed. Noah smiled sadly, knowing that wasn’t going to happen.
He launched his arrow straight at her. She was clearly an adept of haki as her arms turned solid black, crossing her arms across her chest to deflect the heart shot. Lily nudged the arrow upwards and it struck the Cipher Pol agent in the throat.
The choked gargle was loud and messy as she fell with a final thud.
Noah jumped down from the rooftop and dusted off his pants. He let out a shaky breath before heading towards the tower. He willfully ignored Lily’s vines emerging from his body and latched onto the corpse pinned to the door and pulled it free.
Noah did his best to block out the wet tearing of flesh and crunch of bones as he opened the door and entered the building.
He walked past the body slouched on the reception desk and headed up the staircase. He stepped over more bodies and headed to the only place where he could sense life.
He found the door labled ‘Projection Room’ and entered. Only to meet the terrified gaze of two, large, transponder snails shaking in their shells.
Noah was glad Lily had turned back into her cute form as this would be harder to do otherwise.
“I won’t hurt you.” He said with a smile. “I have a message to broadcast. Can you help me?”
The snails glanced at each other but slowly nodded.
Noah’s smile widened.
“That’s wonderful. Let’s begin, yeah.”