Next Bonus, 100!!
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Jin could feel Uta's heart.
With the imprint of the badge, he didn't need to read minds to sense the shifts in his crew's consciousness and thoughts.
The memories of the past were a heavy burden for Uta. She wanted to fight alongside Shanks and the others one more time.
To say goodbye to the past.
And because the opponent was Kaido, that memory would become a precious part of the beautiful recollections of the future.
Shanks and his crew worried out of love, and Uta wanted to help them in return.
Jin chose to support Uta.
She needed that support.
To integrate into her new family.
Uta cast a grateful glance at Jin.
Shanks pondered for a moment. "Alright then!"
He turned to face the sea.
"Red Hair Pirates! Listen up!"
"Yeah! Captain!"
First Mate Beckman, Doctor Hongo, Sniper Yasopp... and Uta!
They stood behind Shanks, answering their captain's call.
"Let's go take care of our uninvited guests!"
Shanks led the charge.
"Let's get 'em!"
The crew was fired up.
The strength of the Red Hair Pirates lay in the deep bonds of friendship and camaraderie forged through their adventures.
In a world where willpower could manifest as physical strength, this bond was a power in itself!
"Are you guys coming?"
Jin glanced at Brook, Carina, Porche, and the others.
Carina nodded excitedly.
Kaido, the Strongest Creature in the World. In age, Devil Fruit mastery, and Haki, he was at his absolute peak.
Universally recognized as invincible in a one-on-one fight among the Four Emperors!
Shanks, known for his unique Conqueror's Haki, united his crew into an impenetrable iron wall.
A clash between two Emperor crews... who would want to miss that?
"Miss Uta is one of us!" Brook declared. "How could we let her fight alone? Even if the opponent is a Yonko!"
"Sometimes, a man has to do what a man has to do!"
"It's been years... no, decades since I've felt like this, laughing so freely with everyone."
"When I was drifting alone on the sea..."
"In my dreams, I would see the friends I missed so much, and Laboon... and I would be so happy, I'd jump for joy."
"But what awaited me upon waking was the cruel reality of despair and loneliness."
"So, I am willing to fight for my friends!"
Porche and the others were deeply moved.
"Mr. Brook said it so well! We're coming too!"
Uta was overwhelmed with emotion and burst into tears.
"Thank you, everyone! For putting up with my selfishness!"
Carina stepped forward and gave her a warm hug. "We're the Hannabal Music Troupe! We're best friends!"
Shanks and his crew smiled, relieved.
"Uta has her own friends now..."
Shanks remembered.
Finding Uta in a treasure chest.
Unable to find her family, and remembering how he himself had been found by the Roger Pirates in a similar way...
He had seen it as fate.
And decided to raise her as his own daughter.
Back then.
Uta was just a baby, always crying.
Keeping the crew awake all night.
While everyone was trying to figure out what to do, he had noticed a mother singing a lullaby to her child.
After that, whenever Uta was upset, they would all come together and sing for her...
In the blink of an eye.
She had grown up!
"Hoist the sails! Set course!"
The Red Force sailed out to sea, intending to intercept Kaido's forces on the open water and prevent the battle from reaching the island.
The Empress followed close behind.
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"Admiral Kuzan! Starboard side, ten nautical miles out! The Whitebeard Pirates' Moby Dick has appeared!"
Kuzan was surprised. "Whitebeard came too?"
"Whitebeard??"
Garp grinned.
"It's been a long time since I fought that guy. I wonder if he's too old to walk?"
"I'm going to go say hello!"
Kuzan knew Garp's temper and didn't try to stop him.
Besides.
There had been rumors that Whitebeard had been seriously injured in that battle. This was the perfect opportunity to test him.
Garp took two warships and headed toward the Whitebeard Pirates.
The massive, whale-shaped ship, sails billowing, cut through the waves.
The sea breeze blew.
Blue flames erupted from Marco's back, forming wings as he took to the air, gazing at the distant Marine ships.
"Pops! It's the Marines!"
"I see the Marine Hero, Garp!"
'Gramps??'
Ace froze.
Vista was shocked. "What are they doing here?"
In the past, Garp, like Sengoku, had been active in the New World, chasing Roger and the others across the seas.
But ever since Garp became the "Hero of the Marines," he had been transferred away from the New World, ostensibly to "protect" his reputation.
It was simple.
Once he became a "Hero."
He couldn't lose.
Especially not to pirates.
Even the slightest possibility was unacceptable.
He was a shining beacon in Marine propaganda, attracting countless young people to join the ranks.
So, they put him on a pedestal.
This was a major reason why Garp hated being called a "Hero" and refused promotion to Admiral.
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard Newgate looked at the Marine flag and laughed.
"Garp?"
"I've missed that old dog!"
"Let me give him a greeting..."
Whitebeard grasped his bisento, Murakumogiri, one of the 12 Supreme Grade Swords.
He walked to the whale figurehead, gripped the weapon with both hands, and swung it violently toward the Marine fleet, still several miles away.
SHRRRRRR!
An invisible shockwave of air slashed out from the blade, traversing the ocean and splitting the surface of the sea.
"Whitebeard! You're not dead yet!"
Garp watched the approaching shockwave and laughed heartily. He walked to the bow of his ship, his aura exploding outward.
He threw a punch.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The force of the punch compressed the air, forming a shockwave that surged forward to meet the slash.
In an instant!
The two forces collided halfway.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Violent power crashed together.
The sea exploded, sending a wall of water shooting into the sky.
"Garp! You've gotten old!"
Whitebeard's voice shook the heavens.
"Did the Marines and the World Government send you to the New World to squeeze the last bit of use out of you?"
"I came because I wanted to," Garp replied.
"The New World isn't what it used to be, Garp! And it's not a place where the Marines can just wander around as they please."
"If you want a war, you'll have more than just me to deal with!"
Whitebeard slammed the butt of his weapon onto the deck.
Then.
One by one, pirate ships flying different flags appeared on the surrounding sea.
Behind them.
The Marine lookout's face paled.
"Those are... the great pirates of the New World!"
"They all came here at the same time?"
One, two... a dozen ships.
They weren't Whitebeard's subordinate crews, but independent captains from all over the New World, each with a bounty of over 100 million.
Although the New World was divided among the Four Emperors, there were disputed territories and islands between their domains.
Everyone wanted them, but no one could take them, so by tacit agreement, these areas became lawless zones.
Like Doflamingo's Dressrosa.
These pirates roamed the cracks between the Emperors' territories. They had come here because they were interested in Jin's movements.
To survive in the New World without being absorbed or destroyed by the Emperors, they had to be a force to be reckoned with.
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