The newspaper made a full round across the deck of the White Dragon before finally returning to Bardock's hands.
Bardock casually folded it and walked over to where Smoker was pinned. "I've heard rumors that you're one of the 'good' Marines, Smoker. I wonder, do you know the truth about the Buster Call on Ohara? An entire island of scholars, completely wiped out by Marine artillery! Tell me, do you really believe Vice Admiral Sakazuki bombarding a civilian evacuation ship is what 'Justice' looks like?"
Without giving the stunned Marine Captain a chance to respond, Bardock turned away. "Bonez. Throw this Marine back onto his ship, and cut down their masts while you're at it."
"Understood, Boss!"
Daz Bonez effortlessly grabbed Smoker by the collar and hurled him violently across the gap, crashing him directly onto the deck of the ruined Marine warship. In the same fluid motion, Bonez unleashed several flying slashes, cleanly severing every single mast on the Marine vessel.
"You bastard!" Smoker roared.
He had just been processing the horrifying implications of Bardock's words regarding Ohara, and a second later, he was forcefully thrown back onto his own ship, watching his masts collapse.
Unfortunately, with his wrists securely locked in Seastone handcuffs, his entire body was drained of strength. He was completely powerless to stop them. To make matters infinitely more frustrating, the massive, heavy sails from the severed masts collapsed directly on top of him, pinning him to the deck. He couldn't even stand up. He desperately needed to contact Marine Headquarters to report Nico Robin's exact location and the terrifying presence of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, but he couldn't move an inch!
The collapsed sails didn't just cover Smoker; they blanketed the entire deck, completely burying the groaning, electrocuted Marine sailors beneath a sea of white canvas.
"Alright, let's get out of here before the Marines can fully organize a response," Bardock announced, quickly assessing their navigational route.
Following the standard Log Pose path to the next island—Long Ring Long Land—was far too risky now. The Navy would undoubtedly set up an ambush along that exact route. Fortunately, Bardock made it a habit to purchase Eternal Poses whenever they made port. They would completely skip Long Ring Long Land and head straight for the next major hub: Water 7.
"Hah? Let the Marines react!" Enel scoffed arrogantly, crossing his arms. "I haven't even had my fill yet! It would be best if those 'Logia Admirals' you mentioned showed up right now! I want to see firsthand if my lightning truly is the strongest Logia in existence!"
Having effortlessly defeated Smoker, Enel's ego had massively inflated once again. He genuinely believed the Blue Sea's strongest military force was nothing but a joke. A single El Thor had wiped out an entire warship; surely an Admiral wouldn't be much different, right?
"Wake up, you idiot. How much alcohol have you had to be this delusional?" Bardock rolled his eyes. "If those three monsters show up right now, even I would immediately turn tail and run. Beat me in a fight first before you start talking about challenging them."
Bardock tossed an Eternal Pose for Water 7 directly at Enel's chest. "Take the helm. Take us up into the clouds. We're flying."
'Hmph! You only have a head start, mortal! Once I awaken my Armament Haki, we'll see who the real winner is!' Enel grumbled internally, but he obediently walked over to the ship's massive electrical rotors to power their ascent.
"It's all my fault the Marines are targeting everyone," Robin said quietly, her expression heavy with guilt. "You should probably just drop me off on a deserted Sky Island for now. Once the heat dies down in a few years, you can come back for me."
She was furiously trying to calculate a way out of this, but she knew that as long as she was on the ship, the World Government would never stop hunting them. And soon, the underworld bounty hunters would flock to them as well. Even if they weren't a genuine threat, it would be an endless, exhausting annoyance for the crew.
"Relax. We are nowhere near the point where we need to abandon crewmates," Bardock smiled reassuringly. "Did you forget our original game plan? Once we found the Golden City, we just had to meet a certain friend of mine, and then we're immediately leaving the Grand Line to explore the South and East Blues. In terms of absolute mobility, we are leagues ahead of the World Government."
If Bardock wasn't absolutely determined to visit Silvers Rayleigh to experience Supreme King Haki Infusion (Advanced Conqueror's Haki), he would have just ordered Enel to fly them straight into the Calm Belt right now to easily evade the Marine heat.
"Bardock, you still haven't told us! Who exactly is this 'friend' you're looking for?" Perona asked, floating over. She had been incredibly curious about this for months.
"You'll know when you see him," Bardock smirked, maintaining the suspense. "He's an absolute living legend. Even today, his name alone makes the sea tremble."
Telling them now would just ruin the surprise.
Long after the golden galleon had completely vanished into the clouds, Smoker finally managed to inch his way out from under the heavy canvas, wriggling across the deck like a giant, grumpy caterpillar.
Panting heavily, he painfully dragged himself into the captain's quarters, found the spare Seastone key in his desk, and unlocked his cuffs.
The moment the Seastone dropped to the floor, his stamina rapidly returned. Smoker spent the next hour frantically rushing around the ship, pulling his electrocuted subordinates out from under the sails and administering first aid. Only after the wounded were stabilized did he finally pull out a specialized Den Den Mushi to contact Vice Admiral Tsuru.
Marineford. Vice Admiral Tsuru's Office.
Buru buru buru... Gacha.
"This is Marine Headquarters. Tsuru speaking."
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, this is Smoker," the Captain's gravelly voice came through the snail. "Nico Robin has officially surfaced... but I failed to capture her."
Smoker proceeded to give a highly detailed, brutally honest after-action report of the entire encounter.
"So, to summarize: your mission failed, your subordinates are severely injured, your warship is completely immobilized, and Nico Robin is currently traveling with an unknown individual wielding the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit. And you completely lost their trail," Tsuru massaged her temples, feeling a massive migraine coming on.
When she had first seen the morning newspaper detailing the discovery of the Golden City, she instantly knew this situation was going to be a political nightmare. It was incredibly difficult to publicly brand a crew of globally celebrated, wealthy 'adventurers' as vicious pirates without causing massive global outrage. Furthermore, glorifying their success might trigger another wave of the Great Pirate Era, inspiring countless youths to set sail in search of wealth.
"I am deeply sorry, Ma'am," Smoker gritted his teeth. "The enemy managed to steal my Seastone jitte and used it against me. That is the only reason I lost. This failure is entirely my responsibility!"
Smoker was an incredibly honest man, but he was also still completely ignorant of Bardock's true combat power. He genuinely believed that if he hadn't been disarmed by his own anti-fruit weapon, he could have won.
"This was a massive intelligence failure on our end, Smoker. It is not your fault," Tsuru reassured him calmly. "A Captain cannot be expected to single-handedly apprehend a crew harboring an unknown, highly destructive Logia user. You are officially relieved of this assignment. Proceed to the nearest Marine base for repairs and ensure your men receive proper medical treatment. We will leave Nico Robin to Kuzan."
"Yes... Vice Admiral," Smoker accepted the order, violently swallowing his pride and frustration.
If they fought again, he might still lose to the sheer destructive power of lightning. But he absolutely refused to remain this weak. It was time to aggressively pick up his Rokushiki martial arts training again. He would not be humiliated like this twice.
The Waters near Enies Lobby. Aboard Vice Admiral Kuzan's Battleship.
When Kuzan received the encrypted report detailing Smoker's crushing defeat, he was genuinely surprised. Within the first half of the Grand Line (Paradise), Smoker's Plume-Plume Fruit was virtually untouchable; he could effortlessly completely incapacitate 99% of rookie pirate crews.
But when Kuzan read the words Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he let out a long, exhausted sigh.
If this case didn't personally involve Nico Robin, the notoriously lazy Vice Admiral would have immediately dumped this assignment onto Borsalino's desk. Fighting an opponent who moved at the speed of lightning was just as annoying and tedious as fighting someone who moved at the speed of light.
"Ah, Tsuru-san," Kuzan spoke into the receiver. "In that case, I'll disembark and wait for them at Water 7. Based on their current trajectory, they should be passing through there relatively soon."
"Understood," Tsuru replied sharply. "Naval Intelligence will attempt to track their movements. Kuzan, you must resolve this situation quickly and decisively. Do not let this escalate into a massive public incident."
Tsuru didn't need to spell it out. Kuzan instantly understood the political subtext. As a high-ranking Marine officer, he possessed excellent strategic foresight. The World Government couldn't afford a prolonged, highly publicized hunt for the 'Heroes who found the City of Gold'. It had to be silenced immediately.
However, as to what Kuzan would actually do when he caught them? Even he hadn't entirely decided yet.
Kuzan hung up the Den Den Mushi. Instead of sailing the massive, highly conspicuous Marine battleship to the island, he simply lowered his bicycle onto the ocean surface. Freezing a narrow path of ice beneath his tires, he leisurely began pedaling toward Water 7 alone.
However, the Marines were completely unaware of one massive, glaring variable.
They had assumed Bardock would sail across the ocean to Water 7. They didn't know that the White Dragon was currently soaring thousands of meters above the clouds, completely bypassing all naval blockades and surveillance ships.
Meanwhile, high in the sky far behind them, a colossal, terrifying Azure Dragon was currently flying erratically toward the first half of the Grand Line.
Kaido had undoubtedly made this impulsive decision while absolutely blackout drunk. Otherwise, how on earth did he logically expect to find a single, specific pirate ship in the middle of a boundless ocean just by flying around?!
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