More than a month later, Sabaody Archipelago, Island 44.
Inside a tall lookout tower on the island, a chubby young Marine held up a pair of binoculars, carefully observing every movement on the distant sea.
Beside him was a tall Marine sprawled lazily on a sofa, yawning as he enjoyed himself.
The sea in their view was calm and empty, not a single ship in sight.
"This is so boring."
The chubby Marine put down his binoculars, sat on a nearby chair, and complained listlessly.
Hearing that, the tall Marine rolled his eyes at his subordinate and spoke.
"Hah… you really don't know how good you've got it."
The chubby Marine froze, scratching his head in confusion.
"Boss, what do you mean?"
"You really are an idiot."
The tall Marine looked at him with a mix of irritation and disappointment.
"This job couldn't be easier. We get paid and don't have to risk our lives fighting pirates. Plenty of people would kill for a post like this."
The chubby Marine frowned, clearly unhappy.
"But we're Marines. Our mission is to fight pirates."
"You're really naïve."
The tall Marine shot him an impatient glance and tugged at the Marine uniform draped over himself, right where the word "Justice" was emblazoned.
"You actually believe in those two words?"
The chubby Marine nodded firmly.
"Yes. My hometown was destroyed by pirates. Vice Admiral Tsuru led the people who rescued us. So I believe."
That gave the tall Marine pause for a moment, but he quickly recovered, scoffing with the air of someone who had seen it all.
"Tch. You're still too young. You don't understand this world at all."
The chubby Marine fell silent, but after thinking for a moment, his eyes grew resolute again.
"No matter what, I believe Vice Admiral Tsuru and the others are doing the right thing."
The tall Marine seemed genuinely annoyed by his subordinate's stubbornness. After a brief pause, he spoke again, a cruel smile creeping onto his face.
"If that's how you feel, then let me tell you a piece of information."
"???"
"I heard this through some connections. Apparently, the Marines are preparing to withdraw from the New World."
"!!!"
The chubby Marine was stunned and asked in disbelief.
"Withdraw… withdraw from the New World? What does that mean?"
"What do you think it means?"
The tall Marine pointed upward.
"The higher-ups are planning to give up on the New World and hand it over to the pirates."
The chubby Marine's face instantly turned pale. He slammed the table in fury and shouted.
"How can they do that? What about the countries and people in the New World? Without the Marines, who's going to protect them? And after so many people died to secure that place, they're just going to abandon it like this?"
The tall Marine was startled by his subordinate's outburst and immediately regretted opening his mouth. This information wasn't supposed to be made public yet. He hurriedly tried to calm him down.
"Hey, don't get so worked up. There's nothing that can be done. The pirates in the New World are too strong, and now they've joined forces. If we keep defending it, even more people will die. And even if we abandon the New World, we can pull our forces back to properly protect the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line. You gain some, you lose some, right? Besides, how big is the New World, really?"
"But…"
The chubby Marine was still furious, but the tall Marine had no intention of continuing the discussion.
"Alright, that's enough. Keep watching. If pirates slip through and we don't notice, we'll be in serious trouble."
Only then did the chubby Marine reluctantly pick up his binoculars again, continuing his watch with pent-up resentment.
The tall Marine stretched out comfortably on the sofa once more, eyes half-closed as he drifted back toward sleep.
But before even a few minutes had passed, he heard the sound of something collapsing nearby, followed by the panicked, frantic voice of the chubby Marine.
"Oh no, boss… Boss… pirates… it's pirates…"
He opened his eyes to see his subordinate's face drained of color, eyes wide with terror. The man could barely get the words out.
Annoyed, he snapped,
"Calm down. What's so scary about pirates? It's not like we've never seen any before. And you call yourself 'Justice'…"
"No, it's… it's…"
The chubby Marine stuttered so badly he couldn't even finish. In desperation, he shoved the binoculars toward his boss.
The tall Marine took them at last, frowning in confusion. As he walked over, he grumbled,
"What now? Don't tell me Whitebeard's come charging in…"
He raised the binoculars.
In an instant, a gorgeous pirate ship came into view, blazing red and pale blue.
On its sails was a massive white skull. Behind the skull, flames and lightning crossed together. And at the bow stood two angels cast in gold, back to back, each with a pair of wings.
The tall Marine's expression changed immediately. He went pale himself, but forced himself to stay steady as he barked out an order.
"Quick… report to Headquarters. The Sky Pirates are back…"
...
Out on the open sea, the Twin Goddesses sliced through the waves, racing forward.
On deck, with Yemu at the front, everyone stood at the bow, watching the distant Sabaody Archipelago draw closer.
To his left and right stood Enel and Tiger, the Sky Pirates' two pillars.
Behind them were Flare and Erik, one the head chef, the other a swordsman.
Then came the Kuro Brothers, each nearly three meters tall, their bodies shaped like dinosaur-like creatures.
And at the very front stood BABY-5 and Ayala, the two young girls who represented the Sky Pirates' future.
Even from a distance, you could feel it. Everyone had changed. Compared to three months ago, their presence was completely different, full of confidence.
"We're back again."
The sea wind, thick with salt, blew in Yemu's face, and his spirits soared.
After three months in the Calm Belt, he'd almost forgotten what it felt like to have the wind rush at you like this.
"Alright then, Rayleigh-san. We'll leave the ship to you."
"Mm."
Rayleigh had already put on a long robe, concealing his body.
"In three nights, the coating will be finished. Come find me then. But be careful these next few days."
"Don't worry, Rayleigh-san. Three months ago, I might've been lacking confidence. But now it's different."
"Mm."
...
Marineford, Marine Headquarters.
Kong, the Fleet Admiral, listened anxiously as his subordinates reported in.
"Are you sure?"
"Completely sure."
The intelligence officer saluted, then read from the documents in his hand, detailing everything clearly.
"They were spotted at the entrance to Island 44, then vanished using a Devil Fruit ability. When they appeared again, it was on Island 39, where our agents confirmed them. They don't seem to be hiding their movements at all. They're heading openly toward the lawless zone. But their pirate ship is gone, most likely taken for coating. We're currently searching Islands 50 through 59."
"I see… We can't ignore the other areas either. That pirate ship is something even Vegapunk is interested in."
"Yes, sir!"
Only then did Kong's expression ease slightly, letting out a long breath.
"After three months, they finally show themselves again… but this time, it's not like before."
With that, Kong issued a direct order.
"Confirm where they're staying, then inform Zephyr. Have him take a team over there. No matter the cost, they must be wiped out. This is our order, and it's the World Government's order!"
"And tell the people on the CP side: if they don't want anything happening to the Celestial Dragons, then today they'd better keep everything under control!"