Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out as a massive ship slammed directly into the ground.
Dust and shattered debris erupted everywhere, instantly swallowing the surrounding area in smoke.
The impact carried terrifying force, stirring the scorching air into a violent hurricane that swept across more than half of Brown Square.
Countless people were forced to shield their faces as the powerful gusts roared through the battlefield.
Only Marines above the rank of Rear Admiral managed to keep their eyes open as they stared toward the center of the explosion.
"Who the hell is that?!"
"More people arrived?!"
After the sudden disturbance, Aramaki had already returned to his human form.
He frowned while staring at the smoke-covered crash site.
Through his Observation Haki, he could clearly sense several powerful auras hidden within the dust, each one no weaker than his own.
"The Ion Pirates?"
He muttered subconsciously before quickly shaking his head.
"No... impossible."
"That bastard's aura isn't here."
Back when he became an Admiral through the World Military Draft, he had personally gone to Peach Garden to challenge Rolan.
That encounter became one of the worst memories of his life.
Before he even reached the island properly, Rolan's overwhelming Conqueror's Haki forced him back from an absurd distance.
Even now, that suffocating pressure still lingered in his mind like a nightmare.
But this time, he could not sense Rolan's presence within the smoke.
"Then who is it?"
Kuzan also looked toward the crash site while rubbing his temples helplessly.
"Seriously... Brown Square is turning into a damn marketplace."
"Everybody wants to join the fun."
Caw!
Even the seagulls circling above cried out loudly, almost as if they agreed with him.
Shanks quietly stared toward the dust cloud, the corners of his mouth rising slightly.
"So they came too."
At that moment, a powerful gust suddenly erupted near the coastline.
Dragon vanished from the bow of the ship instantly.
When he reappeared, he was already standing beside the Moby Dick and the Red Hair Pirates.
He stared toward the crash site with slightly furrowed brows.
"There's an extremely irritating aura over there."
Shanks smiled faintly.
"Yeah, I wonder what that idiot came here for this time."
Clearly, both of them already knew who had arrived.
Luffy, meanwhile, paid almost no attention to the giant ship that had just fallen from the sky.
Instead, his eyes remained fixed on Dragon.
"Hey, are you Dragon?"
"I heard you're my dad."
The moment those words came out, the entire battlefield went silent for a second.
Ace immediately covered his face.
"Luffy, you idiot..."
Even he no longer knew what to say.
Orlumbus quietly leaned toward Marco.
"Is your little brother always like this?"
Marco shook his head with a complicated expression.
"I honestly don't know anymore."
Pfft!
Shanks burst into laughter first.
"Dragon, didn't expect you'd have a day like this."
Dragon frowned slightly before looking toward Luffy.
His face remained mostly expressionless, but there was still a faint ripple in his eyes.
"Strictly speaking, I'm not your biological father."
"I'll explain everything after this war ends."
"Oh."
Luffy nodded seriously.
"I knew it."
"My real father is definitely a giant hundred meter robot."
Ace immediately punched Luffy on the head.
"How the hell does a robot make children?!"
Even Dragon looked momentarily speechless.
Meanwhile, Shanks narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"'You'... huh."
"If they aren't father and son, there shouldn't be a reason to use that kind of wording."
He exchanged a glance with Benn Beckman.
Both of them saw surprise in each other's eyes.
Just then, another miserable scream echoed from within the smoke.
"Ahhh! Is this Brown Square?!"
"I don't wanna be here!"
As the dust gradually cleared, everyone finally saw the full scene.
A massive battleship had crashed headfirst into the ground.
Its appearance looked almost identical to a Marine warship, except there were no Marine symbols painted on it.
Instead, every sail and flag carried the same symbol.
A clown emblem.
The crowd instantly exploded into chaos.
"T... that's the flag of Yonko Buggy!"
"Another Yonko arrived?!"
"That's Buggy the Genius Jester!"
"He only became a Yonko recently!"
As the smoke fully dispersed, several figures finally became visible atop the wrecked ship.
Three people stood there.
Or rather, two stood while one looked half dead.
The person in the middle had blue hair, a giant red nose, and clown makeup across his face.
It was Buggy.
Except his current appearance looked nothing like a Yonko.
His face was swollen beyond recognition, blood covered his body, and several teeth were missing.
To his left stood a man wearing a black top hat while carrying a massive black blade over his shoulder.
The edge of the blade rested directly against Buggy's neck.
On Buggy's right stood a massive blond man wearing earmuffs.
A horrifying scar stretched from his chest all the way to his neck, exposed through his torn black clothes.
The giant man casually held Buggy by the hair with one hand.
"Y... you bastards..."
Buggy trembled while speaking.
"I'm still a Yonko..."
Mihawk slowly removed Yoru from Buggy's neck before calmly placing the massive black blade behind his back.
Without another word, he walked off to the side and sat down casually.
Bullet looked around the battlefield with visible disappointment.
"Rolan isn't here yet?"
He released his Observation Haki for a brief moment before shaking his head.
Then he walked toward the tilted ship and sat directly on the railing.
"Fine."
"I'll wait."
After speaking, he closed his eyes completely.
Bang!
Without anyone holding him up anymore, Buggy slammed face first into the ground.
The battlefield instantly erupted again.
"Those are Buggy's two monsters!"
"Hawkeye Dracule Mihawk!"
"And the Demon Heir, Douglas Bullet!"
"Those two are terrifying!"
"Just standing near them makes it hard to breathe!"
"If Buggy commands monsters like them, how terrifying is Buggy himself?!"
Someone immediately shouted back,
"Are you blind?!"
"Buggy got beaten half to death by those two!"
"No way!"
"That has to be fake!"
"Buggy's a Yonko!"
"How could he possibly be weak?!"
"Exactly!"
"It must be because Buggy has a good temper!"
"Otherwise why would Mihawk and Bullet follow him?!"
"That's true!"
The endless discussions entered Buggy's ears one after another.
Feeling the terrifying pressure from Mihawk and Bullet behind him, Buggy nearly cried internally.
'Please shut up already!'
'You're trying to get me killed!'
Shanks narrowed his eyes while staring at Bullet.
He already understood why the man came here.
Just from Bullet's muttering earlier, the answer was obvious.
He came for Rolan.
That was completely in line with Bullet's personality.
Shanks tightened his grip on Gryphon slightly.
"I just hope he doesn't interfere recklessly."
Then his gaze shifted toward Buggy.
Buggy was one of the few genuine friends he had in this world.
Seeing him beaten into this miserable state naturally annoyed him.
Still, Buggy had chosen his own path.
As long as his life was not truly in danger, Shanks had no intention of interfering.
Luffy suddenly widened his eyes after staring at Buggy for several seconds.
"Wait!"
"You're Red Nose Buggy!"
"I can't believe you're still alive!"
Then he noticed Buggy's miserable appearance.
"Why do you look so terrible?"
Buggy struggled to open his swollen eyes.
Through blurry vision, he finally saw Luffy standing aboard the Moby Dick.
Instantly, rage exploded inside him.
"Straw Hat!!!"
The memories of East Blue resurfaced immediately.
Everything started because of this bastard.
"It's all your fault!"
"If it wasn't for you, I would've never lost that treasure map!"
Luffy completely ignored Buggy's anger.
Instead, he looked genuinely touched.
"Buggy... you're actually a really good guy."
"You even came here to save Sabo."
After saying that, Luffy bowed seriously toward him.
Buggy almost coughed blood from anger.
"Save Sabo?!"
"Save your ass!"
"I came here to kill Rolan!"