Perhaps to corroborate what Doflamingo said about the coming of the world's greatest struggle for hegemony, dark clouds filled the sky as storms and heavy rain intertwined. The waves rolled endlessly; amid flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, some Marines discovered a pirate ship approaching from afar.
"That… that is…"
The downpour washed away the cold sweat, yet the lookout's face was still tense.
At this moment, an elderly man in shorts with a white, frizzy afro walked over. He took the binoculars from the soldier's hands.
"What? Is that the Beast Pirates?"
Tsuru led the female soldiers over as well, looking toward the Beast Pirates' flag in the distance.
"Honestly, things really aren't peaceful…"
...
On the other side, aboard the Beast Pirates' ship,
"There are actually four warships—such a powerful lineup. Are they going to wipe out a country?!"
"They're making such a big show just to escort one person. As expected of the most powerful Shichibukai under Black Gun, huh?"
Seeing that lineup, a small soldier swallowed nervously.
"Captain Jack, should we retreat?"
The enormous brown figure heard the underling's words, and bloodshot veins instantly flared in his eyes, as if insulted.
"Why should we retreat?"
"Dammit, of course we're going to take Doflamingo back!!!"
"Who do you think I am?!"
"Bring the ship over to them!!!!"
As he spoke, Jack's peripheral vision was also on Orin. It wasn't that he had any schemes—Jack's brain wouldn't even allow that many twists and turns. He simply didn't want to look afraid of the Marines in front of Orin, another pirate.
As for Orin, he reached out to take the photo handed over by Seagull King, admired it for a moment, then contentedly put it into his collection. He called it the "Jack Ship-Boarding Picture." Orin had many such collections; they were all his treasures, like the "Red-Hair Lulling-to-Sleep Picture," the "Whitebeard Flaw Picture," the "Lucci Having His Fill Picture"…
Orin just sat on the deck, rainstorms unable to come near him. And just as Jack gave the order for the pirate ship to move toward the warships, Sengoku and the others on the warship deck finally saw the full scene on the opposing deck.
"That is!!!"
The originally relaxed expression on Sengoku's face instantly turned solemn.
"Why is he here!!!"
"On the Beast Pirates' ship—did they join forces?!"
"Or is it for Doflamingo???"
As a tactician, a kind of staff Admiral, countless thoughts and possibilities arose in Sengoku's mind.
Green Bull reacted even more directly, his mouth slightly agape.
"Hey, hey, hey!!!"
"This can't be real, right? Are we supposed to go to war in this sea area with both Orin and the Beast Pirates at the same time?!"
He didn't want to be flicked away by a snap again—after all, this was the open sea…
As for Tsuru, she stood at the very front of the female soldiers, her somewhat aged face calm, eyes fixed on that man in the distance. She thought of Doflamingo's words, and combined with her personal understanding of Orin, she knew Doflamingo was definitely not bluffing. This man, whom even the World Government was powerless to deal with, would surely stir up a massive storm in the near future!!!
Thus, the decision made by the three Marine commanders was unanimous.
"All hands, change course!!!"
The Marines also saw that man who had displayed terrifying power in the Paramount War, and their sweaty palms were tense.
"You bastard, what are you doing? The navigation error is all because of you!!!"
"Turn quickly!!!"
And so, a miraculous scene appeared. Facing the approaching Beast Pirates' ship, the four warships all turned in unison. As new-style Marine warships backed by technology, they were naturally far faster than the Beast Pirates' more primitive pirate ship.
Faced with the Jack's ship-boarding behavior, the Marine fleet carrying two legendary Marine soldiers and one Marine Admiral, along with several Vice Admirals… ran.
Yes, ran. Compared to a Buster Call, an even more terrifying personnel lineup, when facing Jack approaching, they went full throttle and sailed off into the distance.
"Dammit!!!"
Jack clenched his fists and roared to the sky, but as an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit user with no effective anti-air or ultra-long-range attack methods, he could only rage helplessly. His only long-range attacks were those few old cannons; more than half hit the sea, and the few that were accurate were intercepted midair by Marine powerhouses. Including Jack, the Beast Pirates' Zoan users—kangaroos, tigers, and the like—each raged helplessly.
It made Orin laugh despite himself. What kind of pirate crew was this?
The few bird-type users, due to the flaws of artificial Devil Fruits, could only manage half-finished modifications; once airborne they became targets for the Marines.
So in the end, it turned into this: Jack ordered his subordinates to bring Orin's ship closer to the Marines, while the Marines were full of refusal, wholeheartedly accelerating out of the Dressrosa sea area.
One chased, one fled. The glorious moment belonging to Jack had arrived, but Jack was so furious his lungs were about to explode.
He grabbed the helmsman in one motion, eyes full of bloodshot veins.
"Why can't we catch up, damn it!!!"
Orin drank his beverage, curiosity flickering in his eyes. His pupils faintly reddened as Observation Haki instantly extended across an extreme distance, enveloping the four warships within it.
"This is…"
Orin raised his brows. They were new-style warships—not only able to traverse the Calm Belt, but with power far surpassing that of the Beast Pirates. Like creations of Vegapunk.
But the question was: could the Elder really tolerate Vegapunk's existence? Even though Orin was the mastermind, Vegapunk had, after all, been a main research force behind the Dark Sun God. Presumably he had tinkered out something good, which was why the World Government was so magnanimous—perhaps even the Mother Flame…
Inside the cabin, Doflamingo naturally also sensed the suddenly tense atmosphere and the drastic change in course within his Observation Haki. The Marines guarding him were gripping their guns tightly now, sweat beading on their faces. Faintly hearing words like Black Gun, Doflamingo thought Orin had come to fish him out, his expression stunned as hope instantly rose in his heart.
But Orin?
At this moment, he happened to receive a phone call. Usually composed and calm, his face now showed rare traces of confusion and complexity, but he still answered the call.
"Mamamamama~"
"Even with good news arriving, you're still so steady—truly worthy of you, Orin~"
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