One Piece: Curse of Immortality

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The G-18 Fortress suffered devastating losses and nearly complete annihilation. 

Looking back at the few Marine ships faintly visible behind him, Arashi's heart felt heavy. 

After Roger's death, he had taken up his position here. Saying he had no emotional attachment would be a lie.

The battle with Golden Lion Shiki had reduced the G-18 Fortress to rubble. 

The shockwaves from the falling islands, followed by the engulfing tsunamis, had left most of the soldiers in the fortress unable to escape. 

This was the true terror of the world's top-tier warriors. 

If they unleashed their full power recklessly, they could topple islands in moments and claim the lives of thousands, if not more.

After a while, the remaining dozen or so Marine ships docked individually. 

The soldiers disembarked quickly, standing on the vast island, their faces dazed and lost. 

It was hard to fathom that Shiki had just used an island of this magnitude as a weapon.

"The G-18 Fortress is gone," Arashi stated. "Then we'll rebuild a new base on this island!"

A gentle breeze swept across, rustling the island's grass and trees as Arashi's calm voice spread through the air. 

He strolled through the cluster of islands, noting their potential. One thing was undeniable—Shiki had a keen eye for choosing islands.

This group consisted of five islands: a massive central one surrounded by four smaller ones of varying sizes. 

The spaces between the islands created sheltered bays when they touched the sea, making it an ideal strategic location.

"The Golden Lion's assault has nearly wiped out the forces of G-18," Bullet said as he followed behind, his tone heavy. 

"If Old Sand had been here, maybe we wouldn't have been so passive."

Clenching his fist, he added bitterly.

Arashi paused. "Everyone has their tasks to handle," he said firmly. "Old Sand has his mission as well."

Barrett exhaled a sigh but struggled to accept the loss. "Damn it!" he growled. 

He had painstakingly built the fortress for years and trained its soldiers into elites. 

Yet most of them had died, not even on the battlefield, but due to such a catastrophe. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

"When the new base is built, we'll issue a recruitment order to the West Blue," Arashi continued after a moment. "We're still too weak."

Bullet fell silent. His fists clenched tightly. 

His Clank-Clank Fruit was of little use against Shiki's apocalyptic assault, where islands themselves became weapons. 

The scale of destruction was overwhelming.

"I'll get stronger!" Bullet swore through gritted teeth. 

"One day, I'll stand alongside you top-tier warriors of this world!"

Arashi gazed ahead. The island's vibrant forests, flowing rivers, and lively animals hopping about were almost surreal in their beauty.

It was undoubtedly a better location for a base. He turned to look at Ifia and the others.

Elsewhere, T. Bone was moving among the soldiers, leaning down to check on their injuries with care. 

Meanwhile, Buggy and Smoker's faces were streaked with tears. 

This was likely their first encounter with such tragedy for the two young men. 

Buggy, in particular, had witnessed his subordinate being cleaved in two by Shiki's blade.

"Awaken... I must awaken my Devil Fruit!" Buggy shouted, his voice filled with anger and grief.

"I swear!" Smoker declared, his voice resolute. 

"From now on, I won't let comrades die in front of me again! I'll grow stronger—stronger than anyone! Stronger than Golden Lion Shiki himself!"

Arashi scanned the faces around him. Everyone was tense, their expressions a mixture of rage and sorrow. 

He knew that at this moment, a seed of determination to grow stronger had been planted in each of their hearts. Adversity, after all, forged resilience.

"Life is never a smooth path," Arashi sighed inwardly. 

War was never without sacrifice. The world itself was cruel; peace was merely a fleeting illusion in the long flow of time—a brief reprieve from the endless cycle of conflict.

"Look, Marines!" someone shouted suddenly from the shore. "Reinforcements are here!"

Arashi turned to see a fleet approaching. At the forefront, a man in Marine attire bore the insignia of a Rear Admiral on his shoulders—Chinjao.

"It's the Marine branch from the Kingdom of Kano!" the soldiers murmured. 

"The battle between Vice Admiral Arashi and Shiki must have drawn them here."

Chinjao's ship docked, and he approached Arashi swiftly. "What happened? Where is the G-18 Fortress?" 

His face was etched with shock and worry.

Sailing here, he had seen wreckage scattered across the sea—ships, soldiers' bodies, and fragments of the fortress. It painted a grim picture.

"Golden Lion Shiki attacked and destroyed the fortress," Arashi replied solemnly. 

Seeing the astonishment on Chinjao's face, he sighed. 

"We will rebuild a new base on this island. For now, your men should focus on recovering the bodies of our fallen comrades."

Chinjao inhaled deeply and nodded firmly. "Understood. And Shiki?"

Arashi's eyes glinted as he slowly raised his right hand. 

In the next instant, with a slight curl of his fingers, a massive conical mountain hundreds of meters tall lifted effortlessly into the air, hovering in the void.

"This…!" Chinjao's eyes widened in disbelief, his breath catching. 

His gaze fixed on Arashi as a shocking realization began to form in his mind.

"I defeated him," Arashi said plainly, "and obtained the power of his Devil Fruit." 

With that, he loosened his grip, letting the mountain settle back onto the ground, sending ripples through the earth.

"I thought you were already the user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit?" Chinjao asked hesitantly, his voice trembling.

Arashi smiled faintly, blue lightning crackling around him. "You guessed right. I now wield the power of two Devil Fruits."

Chinjao staggered, utterly shocked. Such a feat was unheard of. Few could master even one Devil Fruit and rise to the rank of the world's elite. 

Yet here stood a man who controlled two. Arashi gave him a sidelong glance, reading his thoughts effortlessly. 

"The reconstruction of this base will also require the support of the Kingdom of Kano's Marine branch."

Chinjao steadied himself, nodding firmly. "It will be done."

Soon after, news of West Blue's monumental event spread, drawing officers from all branches to the island. 

One by one, Marine commanders, their faces grave, arrived to witness the aftermath.

For many, seeing Vice Admiral Arashi unharmed was a tremendous relief. 

West Blue's entire Marine structure revolved around him. 

If anything had happened to him, the pressure they faced in the future would have been unbearable.

The urgent Marine meeting was held deep within the island's dense forest, where hundreds of officers, all of captain rank or higher, stood in disciplined silence. 

Among them was Chinjao, positioned near the front. Surveying the scene, Chinjao couldn't help but marvel. 

"Vice Admiral Arashi's leadership over the years has made the West Blue significantly stronger," he thought. 

"Two thousand officers of this calibre gathered here... that's incredible. We didn't have anywhere near this number before."

Arashi's gaze swept across the assembly, a faint smile forming on his lips. 

"What's this? Why have all of you gathered here? Don't you have responsibilities in your respective regions?"

Salrock, the commander of Toroa Island, stepped forward with a worried expression. 

"We were concerned about headquarters... and about you, Vice Admiral!"

Most of the commanding officers had similar expressions of agreement. 

Many were originally selected as elite recruits from the first batch at the G-18 Fortress and were later assigned to various regions. 

For them, the G-18 Fortress was like their hometown. 

Upon hearing about the attack on the fortress, they were deeply shaken and urgently gathered their subordinates to rush over.

"A mere Golden Lion can't bring me down," Arashi said firmly. Then, he sighed. 

"However, rebuilding the base this time will indeed require assistance from all the regional branches."

"Gather as many skilled craftsmen as possible and have them come here to build the new base," he instructed. 

"Additionally, expand recruitment efforts across all branches."

His voice resonated across the gathering. Once he finished speaking, the officers said, "Understood!"

Reconstruction of the base began swiftly, starting the very same day. By the following afternoon, Capone Bege arrived.

"I've already ordered the shipyard to work overtime to build more warships," Bege reported. 

"Of the 30 ships completed so far, I've had 10 sent over immediately." 

"They're currently docked at the shore. Additionally, I've arranged for 20 flying ships to be mobilized."

Pausing briefly, Bege added, "For now, our fleet of warships and flying ships should suffice." 

"As for ammunition and firearms, I can handle that. However, after this battle, your forces have been significantly depleted."

Hearing this, Arashi furrowed his brow. "Continue building warships and flying ships. The more flying ships, the better," he said.

Bege's expression brightened. "Understood!"

"Also, continue to keep an eye out for Devil Fruits," Arashi added softly.

"Boss, Devil Fruits aren't something you can just stumble upon like cabbage in a market!" 

"Even in all of the West Blue, you might not encounter one at an auction in an entire year," Bege said, sounding frustrated. 

"There might be more in the Grand Line, but most of the powerful ones are likely already in the hands of the Marines or the World Government."

"That's true," Arashi said with a faint smile. "Just keep an eye out. I'm not asking for miracles."

Relieved, Bege pressed on cautiously. 

"Boss, given the danger of some of the missions I carry out, would it be possible to assign me a small fleet of five flying ships?"

Arashi turned to look at him, causing Bege to tense up, regretting his boldness.

"Heh," Arashi chuckled. 

"I'll give you ten ships. However, you'll need to train the escort crew yourself." 

"You can send your men to the base to be trained under Ashura's guidance. If any show exceptional talent, they can even learn the Rokushiki techniques."

Bege was momentarily stunned, then overwhelmed with excitement. He quickly bowed deeply. "Thank you, Boss!!"

His greatest dream in recent days was controlling his fleet of flying ships.

Soon after, Bege departed, visibly pleased. Following this, a massive construction team arrived on the island. 

After discussions and planning led by experts, the blueprint for the new base was finalized:

"The four smaller islands will be developed as auxiliary defence bases," the lead architect explained. 

"The central island will house the main base, along with residential areas, recreational zones, training grounds, and streets." 

"The greenery on the island will remain intact. As for the wild beasts, they can serve as trial targets for the recruits." 

"Additionally, if Vice Admiral Arashi plans to turn this into a floating island, we can designate a site for an aerial port."

After much deliberation, construction began swiftly.

Five days have passed since the battle with the Golden Lion. On this day, Arashi was seated in his newly built office when the Den Den Mushi rang. 

Eveya answered, "Hello, this is the West Blue Headquarters." 

But within seconds, her expression changed drastically. She quickly turned to her superior.

"What is it?" Arashi asked calmly. "Another major incident?"

"It's from Headquarters," Ivya replied.

Arashi's expression froze momentarily before he reached out to take the Den Den Mushi.

"Arashi!" The voice on the other end was familiar but carried a weight of authority that made Arashi pause momentarily.

"Admiral Sengoku!" Arashi quickly responded, smiling.

"I heard that the Golden Lion launched a surprise attack on your G-18 Fortress?" Sengoku asked gravely.

"That's correct," Arashi replied, his eyes flickering as he tried to gauge the purpose behind this call from Headquarters.

"How bad is it?" Sengoku pressed.

"The G-18 Fortress is no more," Arashi sighed. "We're currently establishing a new base."

"Do you need assistance from Headquarters?" Sengoku offered with a hint of concern.

"No, thank you. We're managing for now," Arashi replied with a polite smile.

"Arashi, there's no need for such formality between us," Sengoku said, sighing. 

"Even with the O'Hara incident behind us, you and I are both Marines, aren't we?"

Arashi was silent for a moment before he smiled faintly. "You're right. Even if our definitions of justice differ, we are still Marines."

Sengoku's expression tightened slightly as he detected the underlying meaning in Arashi's words.

"There's something I need to tell you," Sengoku said, tapping his finger on his desk as he spoke. 

His tone grew heavier. "We recently received intel from someone in the Grand Line."

"What about?" Arashi asked.

"It's about someone under your command," Sengoku said, his voice serious. "It seems this individual was seen aboard a pirate ship... as its captain."

Arashi's eyes narrowed slightly. "Who?"

"Crocodile," Sengoku answered.

"Oh?" A grin spread across Arashi's face. "Has that guy turned traitor?"

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