"Everyone, under no circumstances can we let the pirates inside escape!" the Marine brigadier shouted excitedly. "We have to block them here!"
It wasn't just because they were pirates.
It was because they had killed Celestial Dragons!
Pirates that evil had to die!
"Understood!"
The Marines stared tensely ahead, many of them already dripping with sweat.
Pirates who dared kill Celestial Dragons… what kind of lunatics were they?
"When is Rear Admiral Billman arriving?"
"He's already on the way," the communications officer replied. "Admiral Kizaru and Admiral Akainu will also be arriving soon."
The brigadier froze for a second. He had never expected two Admirals to be dispatched at the same time.
But if that was the case, then there was no way the Straw Hat Pirates could escape!
Thinking of that, a smile immediately appeared on the brigadier's face.
Creak.
At that moment, the auction house doors were pushed open, and two people walked out, looking completely calm, as if they didn't care about the Marines surrounding them at all.
"It's… it's the Straw Hat Pirates' captain, Straw Hat Luffy!"
"And the captain of the Heart Pirates, Trafalgar Law!"
"Both of them have bounties over a hundred million… everyone, be careful!" a Marine shouted.
The moment those words fell, all the Marines immediately raised their weapons toward the two men, their muscles tightening.
"There sure are a lot of them," Law said, sweeping his gaze across the area.
"Move aside. I'll deal with these guys myself," Luffy said.
Law: ???
Law shot him a glare and snapped, "Don't order me around!"
Did this idiot seriously think that just because they'd killed Celestial Dragons, he'd be intimidated?
He simply didn't want extra trouble. That didn't mean he was afraid.
Luffy ignored him and charged straight ahead, planning to punch through the Marines blocking the way.
"Quick, fire!"
Boom!!
Boom!!
Boom!!
A barrage of cannonballs blasted toward Luffy, aiming to blow him apart.
Facing that, Luffy grinned.
"Gum-Gum Net!"
Whoosh~
He crossed both arms and swung them forward hard, instantly forming a massive rubber net that caught all the incoming cannonballs.
Then Luffy hurled them straight back.
"Take them back!"
"T-the cannonballs!!"
"Everybody run!"
Seeing the shells flying back at them, the Marines panicked and scrambled away from the cannons.
The next instant—
Boom!!
Boom!!
Boom!!
The returning barrage exploded, destroying the cannons and taking a number of Marines with them.
"Ahhh!!"
"Damn it…" the brigadier gritted out. "Don't panic! Keep pressing forward! As long as we can stall until reinforcements arrive, that's enough!"
"That won't do~"
Hearing that, Law curled his lips into a smile.
"We don't have the time to waste here playing with you."
The Straw Hat Pirates had killed three Celestial Dragons. Who knew how many terrifying enemies would show up next?
So… the best option was to leave first.
Thinking that, Law attacked without hesitation.
"ROOM."
"Shambles!"
Pfft!
"Ahhh!!"
His sharp slash cut cleanly through several Marines, splitting their bodies into pieces and leaving them floating in midair.
But what shocked them was that…
even after being sliced apart, they weren't dead?
"What kind of creepy ability is this?!" the Marines shouted in horror, unable to understand how someone could be cut apart and still live.
"Hehe, interesting, isn't it~" Law said with a smile.
"What a vicious pirate…" the brigadier gritted out, glaring at Law.
Was this bastard treating the Marines like toys?
"Try this!"
At the same time, Luffy jammed his thumb into his mouth and blew hard.
The next moment, his arm began swelling visibly, becoming as massive as a giant's.
"Third Gear!"
"Gum-Gum Giant Pistol!!"
Boom!!
That terrifying blow sent a whole group of Marines flying, instantly clearing out a large empty space.
"What kind of monstrous strength is that?!"
A Marine stared at Luffy's giant fist in terror.
"Is he a giant?!"
The power of that punch… was far too terrifying!
"Hahahaha! Now you know how strong I am!" Luffy laughed loudly.
As he spoke, he also deactivated the technique.
Of course, that caused his body to shrink for a few seconds.
"What kind of ability user are you, exactly?" Law asked, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Stretching his body was one thing, but now he could grow huge and then shrink tiny…
He really was like a rubber man.
"Ah, I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, so I'm a rubber man," Luffy said with a grin.
Law: ...
So he hadn't been mistaken after all.
This guy really was a rubber man.
Just then, Jin and the others stepped out of the auction house.
"It's pretty lively out here," Zoro remarked.
"These guys sure moved fast…"
"They really did."
Sanji looked around in confusion. It hadn't actually been that long since they killed the Celestial Dragons and came out, had it?
And yet… there were already this many Marines here?
"Maybe they were already nearby," Robin said.
"Tch…"
Hearing that, Jin spat to the side.
"Then they're rotten to the core."
The Marines had clearly been nearby all along, yet they had turned a blind eye to this so-called human trafficking business…
Were they deliberately protecting this place?
Disgusting.
With that thought, Jin stepped forward with the others into the open area.
"Hey, Luffy, get over here. We're leaving."
"Hm?"
Hearing Jin, a question mark practically appeared over Luffy's head.
Wasn't he already trying to leave by fighting his way out?
If they didn't beat these Marines, how were they supposed to leave?
Still, because he trusted Jin, Luffy obediently walked back.
"What's he trying to do?"
Law glanced at Jin in confusion.
Was he about to use ninja methods?
At that thought, interest flashed in Law's eyes.
He really was curious about this so-called ninja's techniques.
The Marines were also staring uneasily at Jin's group, unsure what they were planning.
"Jin, what are you doing?"
"Leaving, obviously," Jin said. "I have no interest in staying here and slowly fighting them."
Robin had said before that this place was extremely close to Mary Geoise, where the Celestial Dragons lived…
and a place like that had to have plenty of strong people around.
Now that Celestial Dragons had died here, it was very possible that powerful enemies would come to stop them.
To avoid that, they needed to leave immediately.
"Alright…"
Luffy was still confused, but didn't say anything more. He just stood honestly at Jin's side.
"Though I don't know what you're planning, don't think you're leaving here!" the brigadier shouted. "We absolutely will—"
"You talk too much."
Pop~
The next instant, Jin threw out a smoke bomb, instantly covering their side in smoke.
Law: ???
Wait, that was it?
That was the ninja method?
A smoke bomb to block line of sight?
What was that supposed to do?
But the next moment, his expression changed.
Boom!!
A huge water dragon suddenly burst out of the smoke, carrying several figures on its back as it shot off into the distance at incredible speed.
The brigadier: !!!
"Huh?!"
Seeing the water dragon flying away, the brigadier's mind went blank.
What kind of method was that?!
They had completely surrounded the area with so many Marines…
and the enemy just flew away?!
What kind of nonsense was that?!
"That's a ninja's Water Release!" Bepo said excitedly. "Captain, did you see that? That was Water Release!"
This was the first time in his life he had ever seen a ninja use ninjutsu. It was exactly like the legends he had heard before!
It thrilled him to no end!
"Yeah… I saw it…" Law said, equally stunned.
"It really does go beyond imagination…"
The man had actually created a water dragon out of thin air…
Didn't that mean he could manipulate seawater too?
If so, then this man's capability in naval battles was absolutely terrifying, especially against Devil Fruit users like them.
'Looks like if we run into these guys in the New World, we absolutely cannot fight them at sea…' Law thought.
Otherwise, they would definitely be the ones at a disadvantage.
"Wait…" Bepo suddenly reacted. "Captain, they ran off. What do we do?"
If they'd all worked together, they could have dealt with these Marines quickly enough.
But now… the Straw Hat Pirates had just run away?
"What do we do…" Law said. "Fight our way out, obviously."
It wasn't as if they needed the Straw Hat Pirates to escape.
With his ability alone, they could still break out!
As he thought this, Law glanced at the chained slave captain sitting near the auction house entrance—Jean Bart.
"Want to come with me?"
As he spoke, Law used his ability to remove the collar from Jean Bart's neck.
"The collar is…"
"Fine, pirate! You dared lay hands on a Celestial Dragon's slave? Don't let them escape!"
Boom!!
Before the Marines could react, Jean Bart moved.
He swung one giant arm and sent the approaching Marines flying with a single blow!!
"It would be an honor to become your subordinate!"
"Haha, then let's go," Law laughed.
"Bepo, we're moving!"
"Yeah!"
After kicking one Marine away, Bepo immediately followed his captain as they broke out in another direction.
For the Marines, there was simply no stopping them.
"Brigadier, we can't hold them back."
"I know. I saw it." the brigadier said darkly. "These Supernovas really aren't easy opponents."
Even with several hundred Marines here this time, they still couldn't catch them.
Thinking of that, the brigadier's face turned grim.
"Brigadier, what do we do now?"
"What else? We keep chasing them!" he roared. "We absolutely cannot let them get away!"
"One unit will pursue the Heart Pirates. The rest, with me, will pursue the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"And contact the other units! Tell them to watch the sky!"
The Straw Hats had escaped riding a water dragon. The speed was incredible, but as long as they stayed airborne, they could still be spotted.
All the Marines had to do was follow the trail.
"Sir!"
Very quickly, under the brigadier's command, the Marines rushed off in pursuit of the Straw Hat Pirates.
But the moment they left Grove One's range, they saw Billman sprinting toward them through the air with Geppo.
"Rear Admiral Billman!"
"Where are they?" Billman demanded the moment he landed. "Where's the Straw Hat crew?"
"They just escaped on a water dragon, that way! Didn't you see it?"
Billman: ...
He had, in fact, seen something strange flying in the distance earlier, but it had been too far away for him to tell what it was.
So that had been the escaping Straw Hat Pirates?
Thinking of that, Billman shouted, "Move! We're chasing them!"
"Yeah!"
…
Meanwhile, in the area where Galette had been—
"You're saying Jin and the others may draw the attention of a Marine Admiral?" Galette frowned.
"Yes."
"Ninja-bro told me to tell you to leave this place quickly," Lyle said.
"Where are they?"
"They were still in Grove One before I left, but now… I don't know."
Galette fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright. I understand. You can go."
"Okay…"
Lyle finally let out a breath of relief. His mission was complete.
Now all that remained was whether Ninja-bro's group had managed to rescue the people they were after.
After Lyle left, Galette frowned and murmured, "A Marine Admiral may show up…"
They were only trying to rescue someone. Surely they wouldn't really attack a Celestial Dragon, right?
But then again… the Straw Hat Pirates were the same people who had dared storm Enies Lobby.
So maybe they really would do something like that.
At that thought, worry appeared in Galette's eyes.
"No, I need to go check."
Without the slightest hesitation, she stood up and ran off into the distance.
Meanwhile, on the main battlefield, Katakuri had already beaten Kidd and his entire crew into the ground.
"So strong…"
Lying on the ground, the fire-spitting man looked at Katakuri with utter despair.
This man was too strong. Even all of them attacking together hadn't been able to land any meaningful damage on him.
It was like he was invincible—he could perfectly evade every single one of their attacks.
'If Captain and Killer hadn't deliberately taken the blows for us, then I probably…'
"They haven't lost consciousness yet?"
Katakuri glanced at him, but clearly couldn't be bothered. He didn't even have the urge to finish them off.
In the end, they were just a bunch of small fry.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi in Katakuri's coat started ringing.
"Bero bero bero~"
"Bero bero bero~"
"Bero bero bero~"
"Click."
"Hello?"
"Lord Katakuri?!"
"It's me," Katakuri replied. "What's the matter? Why are you panicking?"
Looking at the Den Den Mushi's face, Katakuri frowned instinctively. What kind of news had this man so shaken?
At the same moment, Katakuri noticed a flying fish bike in the distance.
'That's… the one that took Jin away earlier, isn't it?'
Why was it back here?
"Lord Katakuri, something terrible has happened," his subordinate said. "The Straw Hat Pirates killed Celestial Dragons. Marine Admirals will soon come to surround them. Should we retreat now as well?"
"The Straw Hat Pirates killed Celestial Dragons?"
Katakuri froze.
So they really had butchered Celestial Dragons after all?
At that moment, Katakuri recalled the expression on that three-sword-style swordsman's face.
That man… truly did look like someone who would cut down a Celestial Dragon.
If not for that woman stopping him earlier, a Celestial Dragon might have died then and there.
"Lord Katakuri?"
"Where did this information come from? Is it reliable?"
"A lot of people escaped from Auction House Number One. That's where the news came from."
"Really now…"
Katakuri rubbed his brow, suddenly developing a headache.
Killing a Celestial Dragon itself wasn't especially difficult.
But dealing with the Marine Admirals afterward—that was the real problem.
"Prepare the ship to depart. Once we return, we're leaving immediately," Katakuri ordered.
Though he wasn't afraid of Marine Admirals, it was still best to avoid such sensitive trouble if possible.
As for Jin…
'Forget it. I'll just forcefully bring that brat along.' Katakuri thought.
No matter what, that was the man Galette had set her sights on. His future brother-in-law.
There was no way he could just stand by and ignore it.
"Yes, sir!"
After hanging up, Katakuri slipped the Den Den Mushi back into his coat and turned toward where his sister had been.
But when he got back to that spot—
he fell silent.
Because…
his sister was gone.
"Galette?!"
"GALETTE!!"
Katakuri's voice echoed through the area, but there was no answer at all, as if she had simply vanished.
"Don't tell me…"
Katakuri's face changed instantly.
Had his sister heard the news about the Straw Hat Pirates and gone to find Jin on her own?
That foolish little sister…
If she was going, she should have waited for him!
If she really ran into a Marine Admiral, there was no guarantee they'd even recognize she was Galette!
With that thought, Katakuri rushed toward the bridge at the side.
And by sheer bad luck…
he and Galette chose different directions.
A little later, the fire-spitting man finally regained enough strength to move. He struggled to his feet and asked, "Anyone else able to move?"
"Y-yes…"
A few others shakily pushed themselves up. They were the ones their captain had protected.
Though they were badly injured too, this was not the time to worry about that.
"You all heard what that guy said, right?" the fire-spitting man said. "We need to leave this place immediately."
"Come on, let's get back to the ship first!"
"Yeah!"
They began moving, hauling their crewmates over their shoulders as they staggered toward the shore.
Fortunately… their ship wasn't far from here.
But the moment they reached the coast, they were met with utter despair.
Because…
their ship was burning.
"Our ship!!"
"Damn it, who did this?!"
"Hm?"
Standing by the shore, Akainu turned and looked at them with cold eyes.
"That was your ship?"
So these guys were pirates.
"Admiral Akainu, they're the Kidd Pirates from the South Blue," the aide reported stiffly. "Captain Eustass Kidd, bounty 315 million berries."
"Vice-captain Killer, bounty 162 million berries. They're one of this year's pirate Supernovas."
"Supernovas, huh…"
Akainu nodded expressionlessly, then vanished from where he stood.
When he reappeared, he was already high above Kidd and the others.
Clearly, Akainu had no intention of taking them alive!
"Great Eruption!!"
His Devil Fruit activated. A massive arm of magma materialized overhead and came crashing down toward Kidd and his crew!!
From the very first strike, it was a killing blow—utterly merciless!
"Damn iiiit!!!"
The fire-spitting man's eyes were full of unwillingness.
They had been so close. If they had just reached the ship, they could have escaped this place.
And yet… instead, they had run into Fleet Admiral-level Marine monster Akainu!
There was no justice in the heavens!!
Boom!!
The magma fist came down and swallowed the Kidd Pirates whole, burning them into ash.
Thus, the Kidd Pirates were annihilated.
Just then, a Marine ran up and said, "My apologies, Admiral Akainu."
"We've lost track of Moria."
"Hm. I understand," Akainu said. "Forget Moria for now. The priority is capturing the Straw Hat Pirates."
"We're not going after Moria anymore?"
"That is an order from the World Government!!"
Watching the dark-faced Akainu stride forward, the Marine couldn't help freezing in place.
Why did it feel like…
his superior was in an absolutely terrible mood?
"Alright, don't just stand there in a daze. Move it," the aide said, patting him on the shoulder. "We'll catch Moria sooner or later."
"Understood!"
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