One Step Behind

Under the Surface

The Moby Dick was massive. Far bigger than any ship she'd seen in her life. Hell, it was bigger than most buildings. It... simply dwarfed anything she'd ever seen before. Seeing it breach from the waves like the whale it was named after quickly followed by two slightly smaller vessels just made her stomach...

Strauss swallowed the lump in her throat.

It was getting hard for her to keep her composure. The sheer anticipation of this battle was sending her blood pumping. Adrenaline spiking. She kept wanting to twitch. To twiddle her fingers or tap her foot. Or punch someone. She wasn't picky. But... patience. She needed patience. Things were bound to erupt into chaos at some point. That was when she'd strike.

Otherwise it would be messy. Both figuratively... and probably literally.

The coatings on the three ships popped, breaking the astounded silence. There were murmurings going on in the crowds below her but Strauss couldn't make out what they were saying. Not that she particularly wanted to. There was something else. A solid thunk... thunk... thunk... Like the beat of an old and mighty drum. Marching forwards for war.

She didn't need to be told who that was. She didn't even need to see. It was obvious from the way the air grew denser. Making it hard to breathe. Easier to choke.

"Gurararara... It's been a while, Sengoku."

How could... she'd thought the Fleet Admiral was bad. No. Somehow this was worse. Because even though he was so far away, still visible on the deck only from sheer size alone, his voice pierced through the tenseness as if it was nothing. It was as if he was speaking right next to her.

The Fleet Admiral himself grimaced, "Whitebeard..."

"Heh." The great figure below scoffed, cocking a head that Strauss knew even from this distance was larger than her torso (it had to be... otherwise she wouldn't be able to see him) to one side, "You better tell me that my beloved son is alright."

And he laughed. He laughed with that great booming bass voice of his with such force that Strauss felt it; she physically felt the sound echo through her bones. All the way to her feet. She resisted the urge to smile. Now she knew why Ace always talked about him so much.

"I can't believe we let them get this close," hissed Sengoku through gritted teeth.

"Just wait a moment Ace," Whitebeard called up to the execution platform, "This'll be over soon."

"P-POPS!"

Oh that scream... It punched her right in the gut. The sheer desperation of it... The pain. And hopelessness. As if Ace himself knew... that this would be an impossible fight.

It made her want to scream back and demand why he'd given up so fast.

SHNK!

That great halberd, a naginata she believed Law called it, slammed into the figurehead of the Moby Dick. The blade sinking into the wood as if it were paper. Whitebeard's hands clenched. Crossing over his immense body with tight fists. And then... WHAM!

Strauss couldn't... Her eyes were working correctly weren't they? S-She hadn't gone insane... right!?

C... Crrrrr!

The air was cracking. Physically cracking. She could see the fault lines split the air. Sheer nothingness was splitting, refracting into hundreds of shards like a shattered mirror. It wasn't just the air she realised. It was everything. Including the roiling waves surrounding the island, as each wave stretched up and up and up.