The few who had just escaped from the depths of Level Six in Impel Down—
Upon hearing Blackbeard say he wanted them to clash head-on with the Navy and Leno—
Their first reaction was refusal.
The hesitation they showed earlier had only been an act for Blackbeard's benefit.
If it were merely against a Marine Admiral, that would be one thing—they were more than capable.
But now there was a Fleet Admiral added to the mix.
And a Leno whose strength they couldn't even fully gauge.
They'd have to be insane.
They would rather fight the Navy than fight Leno.
Not only because Leno's growth rate was terrifying—
Offending him meant no peace in the future.
It was also because they weren't confident in defeating the Leno of today.
As for the Leno of tomorrow?
They didn't even dare imagine it.
Risking their lives to help Blackbeard realize his unrealistic ambition?
No thanks.
"Blackbeard, I'm not taking this risk," Avalo Pizarro said coldly, taking the lead.
Vasco Shot took a swig of liquor and shook his head. "Mm… too dangerous…"
He might be drinking, but he hadn't lost his mind.
"I still want to live a few more years~" Catarina Devon let out a coy laugh.
Her appearance, however, was far from pleasant to look at. Her meaning was obvious.
The others who had just escaped from Level Six didn't even bother hiding their stance.
"Don't want to take the risk?" Blackbeard forced the words out through clenched teeth.
A dangerous gleam flashed in his eyes. "You'll take it whether you want to or not!"
If persuasion didn't work, he would go straight to threats.
"Otherwise, don't blame me for exposing our location right now!"
"Sengoku's here. Kizaru is probably here too. You won't be able to run."
"If you're discovered, do you think they'll let you go?!"
Whether Kizaru was actually there or not—
He had no idea.
But that didn't stop him from using it as leverage.
Before they could respond, Blackbeard glared viciously at them and continued:
"Don't forget! Who was it that got you out of that hellhole?!"
His face was filled with madness. For the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, he would stop at nothing.
The truth was—
Its allure was simply too great.
Great enough that he was willing to pay any price.
And he wasn't wrong.
If they didn't act against Leno and Domino now, they might never get another chance.
How long had it been since Marineford?
Leno's growth rate was monstrous.
His entire crew's strength had skyrocketed alongside him!
Rather than wait for some uncertain "better opportunity"—
Why not seize the one right in front of them?
Hearing Blackbeard's near-open threat—
Devon and the others were stunned for a moment.
Then disbelief spread across their faces.
Yes, Blackbeard had freed them.
So what?
That didn't give him the right to threaten them like this!
Furious, they didn't even bother analyzing the flaws in his logic.
"Marshall D. Teach! You wouldn't dare!!"
"You're playing with fire!"
Their smiles vanished. Their gazes turned icy.
Their expressions darkened.
Threats?
They despised them—
And yet… they were forced to swallow it.
Anger aside, Blackbeard had struck a nerve.
If Sengoku truly knew that Level Six escapees were here—
Would the Navy ignore them?
They had just regained their freedom.
They didn't dare gamble on that "what if."
The group exchanged glances.
Each saw helplessness and frustration in the others' eyes.
"…Hmph!" Pizarro finally snorted, tacitly agreeing.
"Mm… then let's do it…" Vasco Shot muttered.
Catarina Devon and Sanjuan Wolf stopped objecting as well.
They pinched their noses and accepted the threat.
But this move deepened the already fragile trust within the Blackbeard Pirates.
The cracks widened.
For Blackbeard, however, that didn't matter.
He had no real bond with them to begin with.
It was mutual exploitation.
As long as he achieved his ambition—
He didn't care about the process.
Nor their feelings.
Seeing the thorns finally yield, Blackbeard's face split into a grin.
"Zehahaha!!!"
"That's more like it! Follow me, and you won't regret it!"
Aside from Marineford—
This was the closest he had ever felt to obtaining the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
Just as the Blackbeard crew finished their "friendly discussion" and unified their decision to sneak into the chaos—
On the other side—
Sengoku, stepping through the air with Geppo, arrived near the battlefield between Akainu and Leno!
The moment he appeared, he barely had time to assess the situation.
He saw Akainu looking somewhat battered under Leno's assault.
That wasn't the priority.
As long as Sakazuki wasn't dead, he wasn't worried.
More alarming—
Leno's crew was actually suppressing Kujaku and Hibari!
Those two absolutely could not be harmed.
In his urgency, Sengoku didn't hesitate.
He launched a grand entrance attack!
"Great Buddha Shockwave!!"
Transforming into a golden Buddha, he slammed down a massive palm, shockwaves bursting outward toward Leno and his crew!
The goal was primarily intimidation—
To disrupt Leno's crew.
The display was overwhelming.
Yet—
Aside from blowing away debris and dust—
It caused no real damage.
Sengoku didn't dare go all out.
If he struck too seriously, Leno might be fine—
But his own allies would die.
Thus—
Leno and his crew easily evaded the attack.
In fact, Sengoku's sudden interference—
Created chaos and distraction.
Which gave Domino and Robin the perfect opportunity!
One might even wonder what Sengoku had come for.
Maybe he was an undercover agent.
"Now!" Domino seized the moment.
She punched Tashigi aside, who had been fighting shoulder to shoulder with Kujaku—
And reached straight for the slightly flustered Kujaku!
On the other side—
Robin activated her Flower-Flower Fruit.
Countless arms sprouted out of thin air around Hibari, binding her tightly!
"Ah!"
"Let go of me!"
Two cries rang out almost simultaneously.
Under the horrified gazes of Sengoku and Akainu—
Hibari and Kujaku ultimately fell into the hands of the Leno Pirates.
Firmly restrained by Domino and Robin.
The scene they had most feared—
Had finally happened.
Sengoku and Akainu's expressions turned incomparably grim.
Others could be captured.
But not these two.
At this moment, Sengoku had no time to assign blame to Akainu.
He locked his gaze onto Leno, forcibly suppressing his anger.
In as calm a tone as he could manage, he shouted coldly:
"Leno! Release Hibari and Kujaku!"
"As long as you release them now, we will immediately withdraw from the waters of Amazon Lily—and let bygones be bygones!"
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