Wild crows dove into the shadow-like tree canopy with chilly cries. In the quiet night sky, a few fluffy clouds drifted from afar, obscuring the bright moon.
It was a dark and windy night—perfect for causing trouble.
Even though they had successfully prevented the prisoners' riot, the entire Navarone Fortress was still shrouded in a tense atmosphere.
In the fortress's inner sea, not far behind the cargo ship carrying the Baroque Works assassins, a vessel styled exactly like a Marine warship was slowly sailing.
The reason it was only "styled like" one was that it was actually the Going Merry disguised as a warship. Under the cover of the dim night, one couldn't tell its authenticity at a glance.
On the Merry, the Straw Hat Pirates had reunited. However, instead of the joy that should come with an imminent escape, their faces were clouded with anxiety.
"That curly-brow went to look for Luffy?"
The green-haired swordsman, who was currently being bandaged by the reindeer doctor, curled his lip upon hearing this. "Tch. That guy always acts on his own. Something like this should obviously have been left to me."
Though he was complaining, Zoro's eyes were filled with worry—a textbook example of a man whose grumpy words contradicted his true feelings.
"Idiot!"
Bam! Demon Queen Nami ruthlessly delivered a heavy fist to a certain moss-head, showing absolutely no consideration for his status as an injured patient. This startled the little reindeer so much that he almost dropped the bandages in his hands.
"You go look for Luffy? Wouldn't that just mean losing another person?! You ultimate directionally challenged idiot!"
The orange-haired navigator pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "Besides, look at the state you're in! Do you even have the strength left to fight?"
(Nami is so scary...) Chopper silently complained in his head.
"Would you care for some coffee, Miss Navigator?" asked a mature, sultry voice.
"Robin..."
Looking at the Devil Child, who was sitting gracefully at the dining table, holding a fragrant cup of coffee and gently blowing on the steam, lines of exasperation appeared on Nami's face. "This is no time to be drinking coffee! And hey, aren't you acting a bit too calm?!"
"My, I just feel there is no need to worry too much about Luffy and the others."
Robin took a small sip of her coffee. The rich, slightly bitter flavor brought a satisfied nod from the enchanting woman. "According to Sherlock's plan, the Marines' attention has been constantly divided. First, it was the mass prison riot, and then it was Rear Admiral Black Crow and Sir Crocodile."
"Even though the Marines might not necessarily believe that Rear Admiral Black Crow would pull such a stunt, the Cleaner Squad has already been controlled by Miss Goldenweek. As long as a conflict breaks out between them, those Marines won't have the time to worry about anything else."
After hearing Robin's analysis, Nami's anxious heart gradually settled down.
(That's right. Although that idiot Luffy managed to run into another unexpected mishap—unsurprisingly—the overall situation is still playing out just as Sherlock planned.)
(But speaking of Sherlock...) The navigator's expression shifted.
"Robin, Sherlock... why hasn't he met up with us yet?"
Robin's hand holding the coffee cup trembled slightly, a peculiar gleam flashing across her deep blue eyes.
Zoro and Chopper exchanged a look, both of their expressions becoming quite telling.
"I do not know. He must have encountered some unexpected emergency and got delayed." Setting her cup back onto the table with a somewhat heavy expression, Robin was about to say more when a terrified voice belonging to a certain long-nosed companion echoed from outside the cabin.
"Hey! Everyone, a fight broke out on the shore! Quick, look over there!"
The group rushed out of the cabin and looked out into the distance.
On the shore not far from the dock, several squads of Marine soldiers were engaged in a fierce firefight. The sounds of gunfire, artillery, and clashing blades echoed continuously. Although the darkness of the night obscured the finer details, Nami and the others could guess the gist of it:
The Marines had already clashed with the Cleaner Squad.
"We don't have much time left..." Robin murmured, her dark hair fluttering in the sea breeze.
While the Marines' infighting was a good thing for the Straw Hats, once the internal conflict was resolved, those Marines would inevitably turn their blades back toward them.
Usopp gently adjusted the focus of his goggles. The sniper's exceptional vision allowed him to see the distant scene clearly even under the pitch-black night sky.
"Strange, what is that black, gooey blob? It looks so disgusting~"
Focusing his gaze, the long-nosed sniper discovered that right in the center of the battlefield on the distant shore, a mass of mysterious pitch-black liquid was writhing rapidly, flaunting its hideous shape in a terrifying manner.
"It looks like it's chasing some—" Usopp's voice abruptly cut off, his eyes widening in sheer shock.
Because just now, he had clearly seen two familiar figures fleeing desperately right in front of that mysterious blob of liquid. One wore a straw hat, and the other had blonde hair...
"Luffy! Sanji!" the long-nosed sniper shrieked.
Everyone has moments in life when they do something incredibly stupid. The only difference is that some people only do it a few times in their lives, while others spend their entire lives doing it.
Right now, Fred felt that he had probably used up all the stupidity reserved for his next life as well!
Although this guy was habitually prone to making assumptions, he wasn't stupid. After being surrounded by layers of Navarone Marines, Fred quickly realized just how catastrophic a mistake he had made!
(I got the wrong fucking guys!!!)
Rear Admiral Black Crow almost coughed up a mouthful of blood. If he could, he wished he could find a cigarette butt and set himself on fire to end it all.
At first, Fred wanted to try explaining himself, but the Cleaner Squad had gone ahead and completely ignored his orders, launching an attack on the G-8 Marines. Because of this, he didn't have the slightest chance to salvage the situation.
Marine Admiral? Hehehe...
Rear Admiral Black Crow's heart was bleeding, because he knew all too well that even though the Falcone family's influence would likely keep him alive after this exposure, all the effort he had poured in over the years would probably go down the drain because of this failure.
And every single bit of this was all thanks to those damn Straw Hats!
These two guys must die!
"—Black Bomb!"
A massive surge of pitch-black petroleum erupted from Fred's body. The pungent-smelling liquid coalesced in midair, forming a gigantic black sphere. Guided by Rear Admiral Black Crow's will, it slammed violently forward!
"What on earth is this stuff?!"
Luffy side-stepped to dodge the direct impact of the black sphere. The massive black projectile crashed onto the ground and exploded with a bang, spraying countless droplets of dark liquid everywhere. The boneheaded captain reflexively dodged left and right, but his body was still showered in quite a bit of it. The pungent stench forced him to cover his nose.
"It's petroleum! That guy whose eyes are covered is a Logia Devil Fruit user!"
Sanji's expression was grim. He really hadn't expected this trouble-magnet of a captain to pick a fight with the absolute last person they should be clashing with right now!
"A Logia?!" Luffy looked completely dazed. Why had another Logia enemy popped up out of nowhere?
"Hehehe! I ate the Petroleum-Petroleum Fruit. It gives me the ability to generate and control oil."
Fred let out a rather cruel smile. His blonde hair, which covered his eyes, hung messily, giving him the appearance of someone completely unhinged.
"Though petroleum can't match other Logias in terms of raw destructive power, as a liquid, its greatest advantage is its incredible malleability!"
Splash! Rear Admiral Black Crow extended his hand, and the petroleum splattered across the ground suddenly writhed like a living thing, drawing together and amassing into a larger pool.
"Wait, Luffy!"
Sanji hurriedly stopped the reckless captain from charging blindly into the fray. He then glanced at the Marines fighting amongst themselves not far away, before looking out at the Going Merry disguised as a warship on the distant sea, silently weighing his options.
(Looking at the current situation, we won't be able to escape this place without taking this guy down.)
"Let me think... petroleum's weakness..."
The curly-browed cook's eyes instantly lit up.
Fire!
Fire is the absolute nemesis of a highly flammable substance like oil!
Excitedly, Sanji thrust his hand into his pocket, but his expression instantly froze. The love-struck cook suddenly realized that, despite being a heavy smoker, he had already used up all his matches!
"—Black Tide!"
The gathered petroleum turned into a pitch-black tidal wave, surging toward Luffy and Sanji with overwhelming, thunderous momentum!
(Damn it! The next chance I get, I am absolutely buying a lighter!)
Staring at the black liquid that completely dominated his field of vision, lines of frustration covered Sanji's face as he swore bitterly in his heart.
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