If the ordinary pirate hunters were only despairing over the complete failure of their operation, that the five billion Belly was now forever out of their reach,
then Marine Headquarters was in a state of genuine tension.
"Why?!"
"Why are the Happo Navy and the Vinsmoke family together?!"
As the saying goes, two tigers cannot share the same mountain.
Every powerhouse on the seas is arrogant by nature. That goes without saying for massive forces like the Happo Navy and the Vinsmoke family.
The Happo Navy was a terrifying pirate force with nearly a century of history. No one even knew how many pirates they commanded. They were the officially recognized pirates of Kano Country. Their leader, Chinjao, may have once been defeated by the Marine hero Garp, but he was still a legendary figure, with a bounty exceeding 500 million Belly.
As for the Vinsmoke family, although they had not yet grown into the massive war machine that would later dominate the North Blue, their technology and military strength alone were enough to make the Marines wary. After all, the Vinsmoke family's leader, Vinsmoke Judge, had once worked alongside Vegapunk.
Yet now, seeing the two of them standing together on the same ship in apparent harmony, it clearly didn't look like they were about to fight each other.
At that moment, an intelligence officer rushed into the room and reported anxiously.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, we've just received new intelligence. The leader of the Happo Navy, Chinjao, and the leader of the Vinsmoke family, Judge, have formed an alliance!"
"!!"
In an instant, every gaze in the Marine Headquarters conference room turned toward the unfortunate officer.
"Speak. What exactly happened?"
"Yes, sir! According to intelligence just received from World Government agents, the Happo Navy and the Vinsmoke family encountered each other on Fish-Man Island. Vinsmoke Judge requested a private meeting with Chinjao, which Chinjao agreed to. What they discussed is unknown, but afterward, they appear to have reached some form of alliance."
"!!!"
"Damn it… it's all Roger's fault. Now all these people are crawling out one by one."
...
Scrap Island.
As Chinjao, looking like a living demon, delivered his ultimatum-like words, a powerful sense of oppression instantly spread across the entire island.
This wasn't Conqueror's Haki. It was simply the overwhelming strength and reputation of the two men standing there, creating immense psychological pressure on everyone present.
At that moment, a deep rumbling sound came from behind.
The pirate hunters on Scrap Island were startled and turned around, only to see that in the direction of Water 7, atop the towering city walls, rows of cannons had appeared at some unknown point. Their dark muzzles were aimed squarely toward Scrap Island and the open sea.
At the same time, eight men stepped forward.
They were the mayor of Water 7, Barbarov, along with the bosses of the Seven Shipyards.
Barbarov stepped out to the front. Two subordinates moved beside him, carrying a loudspeaker nearly as large as his entire body and placing it before him.
"Happo Navy, Vinsmoke family, this city is under the protection of the Marines and the World Government. Leave the waters of Water 7 immediately. Otherwise, we will retaliate without mercy and notify the Marines and the World Government. This area is very close to Enies Lobby, and reinforcements can arrive at any time."
But before his voice had even faded, a thunderous roar of cannon fire erupted.
Countless black cannonballs slammed down around him, clearly visible to the naked eye.
Boom…
…
"How stupid, trying to threaten me with the Marines and the World Government!"
Aboard the massive warship, Judge, dressed in his gray combat suit, stared into the distance with open contempt.
Behind him, all four warships opened fire at once, bombarding Water 7 without pause.
With the technology Judge possessed, the firepower of those four ships had long since surpassed the ordinary cannons Water 7 relied on.
Chinjao, looking like a demon straight out of hell, didn't even spare those ant-like people a glance. He turned to Judge beside him and spoke.
"Hiyahohoho! We had a deal. I help you take down the Sky Pirates, and you fix my head. If you can't do it, I won't forgive you, Hiyahohoho!"
"Don't worry."
Judge answered with absolute confidence.
"Didn't I already show you on Fish-Man Island? The technology I've developed is more than enough to heal your head."
The moment he heard that, Chinjao looked like he was about to cry from sheer relief.
"Wonderful! Ever since that bastard Garp injured my head, my Jewel Ice Sheet hasn't been able to open again. Once my head is restored, I'll definitely go get revenge on that bastard Garp!"
As he spoke, Chinjao's rage flared. His beard whipped about, and he looked even more like a fiend from the depths of hell.
"Then..."
Chinjao's gaze swept across Tiger and Mad Treasure on the ship ahead, then shifted to Yemu on the Twin Goddesses in the distance.
"I'm heading out."
As his words fell, scorching steam burst from Chinjao's body, spreading out in visible ripples.
Seeing that, Judge's eyes showed a faint hint of surprise.
"You'd better be careful. That pirate has a 940 million Belly bounty. That's four hundred million higher than yours."
Chinjao's expression sharpened, as if Judge had touched a sore spot. His aura surged higher and higher as he sneered.
"How pathetic. The World Government, the Marines… giving some little brat a bounty that high. What do they think we New World pirates are?!"
As he finished speaking, the flat top of his head was instantly coated in black Armament Haki, and he launched himself into the air.
"I'll teach these brats a lesson. I'll show them this world isn't so shallow that some newcomer with a bit of fame can just replace the ones who came before!"
"Hasshoken Ogi: Mukiryu Mukirikugi!"
...
Ripples of vibration spread across the sky, clearly visible to the naked eye. The dazzling sun seemed to be swallowed by something pitch-black. Only when one looked up carefully could they make it out: a dark, flattened head.
This was the ultimate move Chinjao developed after losing the cone-shaped head he once took such pride in.
He coated his entire body in Armament Haki, concentrating it over his rock-hard head. Using his own strength, he sprang high into the air. Then he came crashing down from above, leveraging the momentum of his weight as he fell. At the same time, he layered the shockwave of the Happo Navy's ultimate technique—the Hasshoken—over his Armament Haki-covered head.
It was an attack powerful enough to smash whatever it hit into pieces, grinding it down completely, even to ash.
Yet Yemu didn't even lift his head. He only spoke to Enel beside him.
"This guy's yours. No problem, right?"
"The stage is yours now!"
Enel's gaze turned haughty as lightning crackled all around him.
"Leave it to me. I've been looking forward to this fight for a long time. It's time this world understood what the power of a god really is."