Maverik's POV, Marine Captain;

My squad and I had just come back from the direct front line, we were overwhelmed by Jacksley the Drinker and his crew. They killed most of the battalion I was assigned to before we managed to get out of there.

Now, we were at the steadily retreating field hospital. I gave my squad the order to get their wounds looked at. They weren't deep, but a quick look or bandages is all the rest I can give them.

Meanwhile, I have to report the loss of the 23rd Battalion.

With fast steps, I walked past the crudely raised surgery rooms. The tents were hardly keeping all the dirt and smoke out. I fear that infections will take its toll as well.

A quick step to the side allowed a group of two soldiers and a nurse to pass by. They were trying to bring a screaming woman to the next free tent. Her right arm was gone upwards her elbow. An explosion had ripped the lower part off. She was also badly burned.

Finally, I reached the command tent. It was one of many, they were all across the battlefield. Two guards stepped to the side and allowed me entrance. It was trained chaos inside, the field analysts and strategists that were with us today had experience. Many of them came from the New World and had been involved in small-scale wars against pirates or countries that allied themselves with the Revolutionary Army.

I stopped behind the officer in command and saluted. He, a Commodore, kept on looking at the map of Marine HQ and its many figurines placed on it. Most of those that were close to the scaffold had the designation of Marine. But many of those near the sea were labelled as hostile.

There were a scare few with their own designation, the Warlords, the Admirals, Whitebeard, the Vice-Admirals, Sengoku, Ace and the highest ranked pirates.

“Any news why Slicer Lara was seen to speak with Whitebeard?” Asked the Commodore someone who stood next to a transponder snail.

“No sir, she left her position inside the bay and was then lost inside the chaos. A few minutes later she just came back and was suddenly right on the Moby Dick. She and Whitebeard were talking, about what is unknown to us,” replied the communication officer.

The Commodore rubbed his chin in thought and picked the figurine of Slicer Lara up. “We shouldn't have asked these pirates for help, they are loose cannons. First Slicer and Doflamingo's fight, and now this,” he placed the figurine back down, but now facing the Marine HQ, “Give order that Slicer Lara is to be seen as a possible hostile. I want to know if something happens concerning her allegiance.”

He then turned around to greet me, but before I could report a soldier came running inside. “Sir, something happens on the Moby Dick. Slicer Lara and Whitebeard are doing something!”

The Commodore ignored my salute and rushed past me, out to get a look himself. I hesitated a moment, but then turned around and walked out as well. If I have to get back to the front, then I need to know if something big is happening. At least I tried to reason that to myself.

Outside it was strangely silent for a raging war. Cannons and the strange Kuma soldiers were still firing and men on both sides were still dying. But there were many that simply stood and were gawking at something in the air.

I squinted and tried to make out what it was that everyone was staring at. When suddenly I spotted a tiny figure in the air. It was roughly over the Moby Dick and stood still, it was flying. I squinted a little and I think I have seen that person before.

Yes, it was one of the Warlords that stood above us before the fighting started. That's Slicer Lara, she can fly. “I don't like this,” commented the Commodore. He stood next to me and had a pair of binoculars in his hands.

Suddenly, without forewarning, a golden light started to radiate out from Slicer. Her whole body shone in a golden light, a halo formed over her head and a pair of white wings sprouted out of her back. The sky was bathed in gold and an invisible pressure fell over me.

It felt nothing like Conqueror Haki, Conqueror feels as if something is pressing down on you. It keeps you from moving or breathing and if the user is strong enough, or the target mentally too weak, then it can even knock you out.

But this feels different. It's as if something was hammering into my head that I am meaningless, that nothing I can do would change that I will ultimately die. I, my own believes, the world, nothing is of importance and it matters not how much I struggle, in the end, everything will be without a true meaning.

I looked around and saw that my fellow soldiers have realized the same, we are not important, we are worth nothing, we are not able to change anything, we are just dirt of the world.

“Captain, get a grip!” Someone shouted suddenly. The person grabbed my shoulder and forced me to look up, I starred in the eyes of the Commodore. He looked angry, why was he angry? There is no reason to be angry, no reason to feel fear, pain or anything. Why should we feel something, when everything is meaningless in the end?

“Why? It's not as if it will change anything,” I asked in return. The Commodore gnashed his teeth and run back inside the tent. I pity him, he can't see that his actions are meaningless. He struggles against the unavoidable.

I had just sat down, content to wait for the end when a second golden light started to shine down at me. I turned and looked at the blinding light and saw that Fleet Admiral Sengoku had activated his own fruit. His golden body radiated a warm light that touched everyone on the battlefield.

Suddenly, it was as if I woke up or as if the haze of being drunk got lifted. I realized that something had happened to me, to everyone. Thinking became easier, I became aware of myself and that not everything you do was futile.

I shook my head, its as if I had cobwebs in my head. They were restricting my thoughts, making it hard to care. I turned to look at Fleet Admiral Sengoku's shining body and felt how the confusion got lifted.

Realization hit me hard, I had fallen under the effect of a Devil Fruit that was afflicting the mind. Many idiots think that Logia Fruits are the strongest, but I disagree. Fruits that affect the mind are a lot more dangerous than intangibility.

“She's doing something else!” Shouted someone while pointing in the air. I looked as well, fearful of what might come next. If it needed Fleet Admiral Sengoku's intervention to counter her first move, then how much worse will be her next one be?

Her still shining body looked ghostly, almost transparent. At first, it was hard to see, but then I noticed a slight warble in her. She was shimmering like a Logia Fruit user that could liquefy himself. Then, suddenly her body split in half and another Slicer Lara formed itself. Both split again, before splitting again.

Is...is she able to multiply herself?

She stopped when there were sixteen of her. All were glowing golden and looked for everyone present like angels, like an Angel of Death. The black creepy armour she was wearing only emphasised the effect.

Her last splitting has just finished, when a multitude of light lances pierced through each and everybody of her clones, including the original. At first, I thought it was the start of her attack but then recognised the attack as one from Admiral Kizaru.

He had used the chance of her preparation to attack. Each lance of light hit true and more than two dozen lances pierced through each double. Marines around me cheered, I did as well. But a nagging feeling was holding me from feeling relieved.

The feeling became stronger when nothing happened to her body doubles, nor to her real body. Her golden form had shimmered lightly, but that was it. There was no harm done to her. Admiral Kizaru's attack had done no damage, she is immune to it.

I feared that she will unleash an attack that would strike a wide area or that she and her body clones will descend and lay waste to our ranks. What could we common soldiers do against someone that was immune to the attacks of an Admiral?

However, whatever I did expect, a retaliation strike at Admiral Kizaru, the large-scale attack on us normal soldiers, or even some attack that would cause damage to the fortifications, what I did not expect was what happened next.

The fifteen doubles started to sing.

Instruments began to play, a choir started to sing and the sound of a song played over the whole battlefield. It was a strong song. The words made me shiver, the bass of the instruments got under the skin and rattled my bones, goose skin grew all over my body. It was awe-inspiring, in a strange way even beautiful, but I was not overcome with fear or panic. I didn't feel any different from hearing the song.

A look around showed me that the rest of us did not affect as well. Whatever she was doing now, did not affect us Marines as much as what her previous attack did. I don't know if I should feel relieved or scared of what has yet to come.

All of us sighed in relief when nothing happened after a few moments. With a start, I realized that I had stood to gawk at her for more than five minutes. Hastily I made my back inside the tent and found it not in organized chaos, but pure chaos.

Reports from other commanding tents were coming in by the second. The unstoppable advance of the Kuma looking soldiers had been stopped. Records speak about pirates that are moving faster and attacking with more force than what should be possible. Their morale, which was only moments ago broken, was now stronger than before.

They were breaking through the lines on multiple fronts and the brief moment of indifference had not affected them at all. The affected soldiers had not resisted, at all. Hundreds of Marines had died in the few seconds of 'not caring'.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku's help had thankfully stopped the effect, but by then the damage was already done. Worse, Whitebeard himself has started to move. He attacked and killed Vice Admiral John Giant and destroyed a great part of the island's town. Only the intervention of the Admirals stopped him from doing too much harm.

That's why they couldn't stop Slicer Lara from doing her splitting move before she had finished. They were busy keeping the strongest man in the world at bay. And from the sound of incoming reports had their hands full with it.

“We are not defeated, the Encircling Wall is just about to rise, once it is we are almost assured to win. Are our soldiers out of the section?” Shouted the Commodore over the general noise from the multitude of reports.

“Not all of them, sir. There are a few isolated troops that are cut off from us,” answered an officer a few seconds later.

The noise inside the tent ceased. We all knew what this meant and were giving those brave soldiers a moment of silence. They will be remembered.

It was the Commodore who broke the silence, his tone was grave and filled with regret. But he knew what he has to do and we knew that it was unavoidable. “Proceed with the activation of the Encircling Wall, let us end this.”

Officers began to relay the order and within second the tent was filled with noise again. The Commodore had finally enough time to acknowledge me. “I see you have regained your mind, Captain.”

I saluted, before answering. “Sir, yes sir. I apologise for my behaviour.”

“Don't, not many were able to withstand her attack. We were caught completely blind by her. We had taken a possible betrayal of every Warlord into account, but we couldn't plan for something like this. I don't know how she is doing what she is doing, but our information about her Devil Fruit is far off. Makes me wonder what Fruit she really has eaten.” I couldn't answer and speculating wouldn't help, so I stayed silent.

After a moment he continued. “Anyway, I need you and your squad in section 1F, they need support and your squad has the most skilled sharpshooters I have available.”

“Sir, yes sir!” He nodded once and I turned around to walk out. I had to gather my men, hopefully, we can come through this storm without losing everything. My men and I are only a tiny part in the cruel artwork that is called war. Maybe because of that, we might come out alive?