"Yo! Isn't this the number one beauty of our Rocks Pirates?" Shikaku spoke first, his long tongue lolling out, wagging up and down, his tone laced with sarcasm.
"Had enough fun outside? Finally decided to come back to your maiden home for a visit?"
Byrnndi World also tapped his golden breastplate, making a clanging sound, and laughed: "Linlin, if you hadn't come back, the Captain would have thought you ran off with his 'investment'!"
Charlotte Linlin crossed her arms, looking down at Shikaku with disdain: "Hmph~ This old lady goes wherever she wants! Is that any of your business? What, do you want to spar with This old lady?"
"Ahem, heh heh heh, that won't be necessary." Beads of sweat trickled down Shikaku's temple, and his protruding tongue wagged even faster.
He didn't dare to cross hands with this beautiful woman right now.
Although Charlotte Linlin had no record of fighting an Admiral, she had sparred with Newgate on Hachinosu Island. The sheer power unleashed during their battle made Shikaku realize he was no match for either of them.
However, he wouldn't show the fear in his heart, nor would he let his subordinates notice it, so he quickly added:
"I wouldn't dare fight the number one beauty of our Pirate Crew; my subordinates would hate me for it."
He used the excuse that Charlotte Linlin was a woman to decline the spar.
"Tch~ Weakling." Charlotte Linlin sneered.
However, while everyone was joking around, Captain John, standing slightly behind, narrowed his shrewd eyes, his gaze locked firmly on the gorgeously styled nodachi at Charlotte Linlin's waist.
That astronomical bounty in the Underworld made his heart burn with desire, as he loved treasure.
"What a... beautiful blade."
He muttered to himself, a trace of imperceptible greed curling the corners of his mouth.
Rocks waved his large hand, interrupting the pleasantries and hidden agendas, his voice filled with unquestionable decisiveness: "Everyone is here! Then let's set sail!"
He pointed to the massive, ferocious flagship anchored in the deep water, like a sea beast — the "gibeck"!
Of course, the so-called "massive" was only relative to the few of them; it could not compare to Charlotte Linlin's Saint Freya.
This ship could barely accommodate one giant, let alone two like Ripley and Gölz.
Rocks's purpose for this trip was to take the International Charity Alliance Temple at extreme speed, before the Marine and the World Government could react. It was impossible to bring too many or too weak people, so the two giants, including Gölz, were directly excluded.
"Target, International Charity Alliance Temple! Let's go give those people a'surprise'!"
Under Rocks's command, everyone boarded the ship.
As Golden Lion Shiki walked to the bow and spread his arms, he activated the power of the Flutter-Flutter Fruit!
The entire "gibeck" seemed to lose weight instantly, slowly lifting off the sea surface and rising into the air.
"Takeoff! Jiehahahaha!" Shiki laughed wildly, maneuvering the Pirate Crew ship, riding the air currents, and soaring away toward the outside of the New World in a way that defied common sense!
...
Marineford, the Marine headquarters.
The door to the Fleet Admiral's office was slammed open with a "bang." A Marine Lieutenant Commander in charge of intelligence liaison didn't even have time to shout a report before rushing in, panting, his face full of panic.
"Fleet Admiral Kong! It's bad! We just received urgent intelligence from the highest-level mole inside the Rocks Pirates—Rocks D. Xebec is personally leading almost all core cadres, including Golden Lion, Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, Shikaku, and John, and has left Hachinosu Island!"
"What?!"
Kong, who was reviewing documents behind his brand-new desk, suddenly raised his head, his face instantly filled with shock and gravity, the document in his hand subconsciously crumpled.
He stood up with a start, his massive frame bringing a strong sense of oppression.
The core cadres of the Rocks Pirates moving in unison! This was no small matter! Since the founding of the Rocks Pirates, this was the second time such a large-scale gathering of top combat power had occurred.
The last time was when Rocks went to meet the Giant King Harald of Elbaf! Every time they mobilized their entire force like this, it meant that a massive storm that would affect the fates of countless people was about to sweep across the sea!
"These lawless villains! What do they want to do this time?!" Kong's voice was low and filled with rage, like a volcano about to erupt.
He snatched the intelligence briefing from the Lieutenant Commander's hand, his eyes scanning the short, decrypted text with lightning speed.
As he read, the anger on his face grew more intense, eventually turning into a low growl suppressing his rage:
"Damned Rocks! Damn pirates! How dare they make a move on the 'International Charity Alliance Temple'?! Don't they know that it houses thousands of war orphans and homeless children from all over the world?! That is a neutral relief zone explicitly protected by the World Government!"
Extreme anger made him habitually raise his large, fan-like hand, about to slam it down hard on the desk!
But just as his palm was about to touch the desk, his peripheral vision caught sight of the expensive mahogany desk, which had been replaced less than half a day ago and was as clean as new.
The string of reason tightened at the last moment, the action of slamming the desk froze in mid-air, and then he pulled it back in an extremely awkward manner.
(Can't slam it! Absolutely cannot slam it! This month's office budget has bottomed out; if I break this desk again, those stubborn guys in the Finance Department will definitely make their Fleet Admiral work on the floor! If that gets out, what will happen to the Marine's face!)
A massive amount of rage had nowhere to vent, leaving him flushed, his chest heaving violently, and his fists clenching and cracking. That comical appearance of suppressing his anger made the intelligence Lieutenant Commander on the side terrified, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Kong turned his head sharply, almost gritting his teeth, and roared at the female Marine secretary who had been standing by quietly: "Sengoku! Garp! Zephyr! Where are they right now?!"
The female secretary pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on her nose, long accustomed to the Fleet Admiral's loss of composure; after all, when did the Fleet Admiral ever appear without being furious?
Her tone was calm as usual as she reported clearly: "Reporting, Fleet Admiral. Admiral Sengoku is performing a 'Highest Duty' mission in Mary Geoise, responsible for the direct security of the Celestial Dragons, and cannot be easily mobilized."
"Vice Admiral Garp is currently in the New World, fully pursuing the Roger Pirates. According to the latest news, because the residents of a certain kingdom insulted his crew, Roger destroyed the country in a fit of rage, and Vice Admiral Garp is following up."
"Admiral Zephyr is cruising within the Four Seas, carrying out missions to clear out regional pirates, and at the same time... um, he is also working hard to earn extra bounties to fill the debt for equipment damage he caused to the Logistics Department."
Hearing the locations and statuses of these three, Kong's heart sank. Dispersed manpower, surrounded by strong enemies—this was the realistic predicament the Marine faced.
But he did not hesitate, ordering decisively: "Contact them immediately! Use every possible method to recall them as fast as possible! Especially Garp and Sengoku! We must stop Rocks!"
"The International Charity Alliance Temple must not be lost! It is the final refuge for countless orphans and symbolizes the last bottom line of humanity! If it is destroyed, the impact on the entire world Order will be devastating!"
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"