Bang! Bang! Bang!
One pirate after another charging toward the Old Heavenly Master was sent flying away.
Although the Old Heavenly Master's unlock progress was currently only at 25%, dealing with ordinary pirates from the first half of the Grand Line was still effortlessly easy for him.
"Palm Thunder."
The Old Heavenly Master spoke softly.
White arcs of lightning continuously burst from his palm, and the pirates rushing toward him instantly collapsed to the ground.
Some of their bodies even appeared partially dried out.
That was because Palm Thunder drained a tremendous amount of moisture from the opponent's body the moment it passed through them.
"Damn it! This old man is actually this strong?!"
"What do we do now? Are we still attacking?"
"Are you insane?! Whoever charges in now is just looking to die! Run!"
At this moment, the plan to gang up on the Old Heavenly Master completely collapsed.
The pirates fled in panic.
"Trying to run… won't be that easy."
The Old Heavenly Master narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled faintly before instantly giving chase.
His speed was astonishingly agile, completely mismatched with his seemingly aged and frail appearance.
Ever since Madara and the other two arrived, the entire battle had reversed instantly.
The pirates had gone from attackers to fugitives.
And as the pirates scattered in every direction, the battlefield itself expanded further and further outward.
In less than half an hour, nearly eighty percent of the pirates had already been recaptured.
The only ones who successfully escaped pursuit were mostly officers of the Rocks Pirates.
"Damn it! The ones who escaped are practically all Rocks Pirate officers!"
Sengoku's expression changed drastically as he slammed his fist against the wall with restrained frustration.
After all, every officer of the Rocks Pirates possessed extraordinary abilities.
Now that they had escaped, it would only be a matter of time before they rebuilt their own forces and returned once again.
When that happened, the Marines would have to expend enormous effort dealing with them.
"This result is already pretty good," Garp replied. "At least we managed to capture most of them again."
After speaking, Garp shifted his attention toward Madara and the others.
"Thanks for the help."
"Too boring, Garp. Don't call me for something like this next time."
Madara waved his hand dismissively and turned to leave.
Now that the battle had ended, he had no interest in lingering around.
"You're leaving already?" Garp looked directly at Madara and tempted him with a grin. "Not coming by my place for a few drinks?"
Madara shook his head.
"There's no time. We'll probably be departing for God Valley soon."
"God Valley?"
Garp looked visibly surprised.
He had clearly not heard about Is and the others relocating there.
"Yeah."
"You're going there for business?" Garp asked again.
"According to Is, we're moving there long-term."
Garp fell silent for several seconds.
He understood clearly that after this parting, opportunities to meet again would likely become extremely rare.
And honestly—
He got along with Madara surprisingly well.
"That's really a shame. Come find me sometime. We'll spar again then! Hahahahaha!"
"We'll see. I'm leaving."
After Madara, Hashirama, and the Old Heavenly Master departed, Sengoku—who had remained silent this entire time—finally spoke up.
"Did you see the abilities of those other two just now, Garp?"
"Yeah. Very strong."
Sengoku stared at the gradually disappearing backs of Madara and the others, unable to fully comprehend them.
"Tell me… what exactly is Aurelius D. Virel Is's identity? The World Government is actually willing to provide him with such terrifying forces as protection."
"The World Government?" Garp looked at Sengoku strangely before immediately refuting him. "Who told you they belong to the World Government?"
"Huh? Aren't they?"
"Of course not. Madara and the others aren't under the World Government's command. The only person who can order them around is Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is."
Garp explained casually.
"How do you know that?"
Sengoku looked at Garp suspiciously.
Normally, anything Garp knew, Sengoku should have known first.
"Madara told me while we were drinking."
Hearing that answer, Sengoku nodded slowly.
No wonder he hadn't known.
It turned out the information came directly from Madara himself.
Just as Sengoku was about to continue speaking, a Marine soldier suddenly approached while dragging along a young man.
"Admiral Sengoku! I found this guy sneaking around up high with a camera, so I brought him over."
"A camera?"
Sengoku paused before looking directly at the man.
"You're from a news agency?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Let him go, Sengoku," Garp reminded him from the side. "Things like this are usually handled by the World Government. No need for us to meddle."
Sengoku hesitated for a few seconds before finally nodding.
Just as Garp had said—
The Marines were only responsible for capturing pirates and upholding justice across the seas.
As for the news agencies, they had the right to report whatever they wanted.
"Withdraw! Return the captured pirates to prison and strengthen security immediately. Something like today must never happen again!"
"Yes, Admiral Sengoku!"
Early the next morning, the World Government had already finished preparing everything for the journey.
Is and the others didn't linger any longer either.
They moved all their belongings onto the ships, preparing to transport everything to God Valley.
As for the newly acquired maids—
Originally, Is only planned to keep a select few among the very best.
But in the end, none of them wanted to leave anymore.
Every single one chose to remain and continue serving Is willingly.
A Celestial Dragon with this kind of charisma—
Is was probably the first of his kind.
Since they were unwilling to leave, Is didn't object.
After all, there was more than enough room for everyone.
And every single one of those women possessed beauty rarely seen even within the One Piece world.
Meanwhile, after reading the latest newspaper, Rocks instantly became excited.
"Edward! Edward, did you see it?! Linlin and the others successfully escaped from the Marine prison! Hahahahaha!"
Whitebeard looked at the newspaper in his hands and nodded slowly.
Even he hadn't expected Charlotte Linlin and the others to successfully escape purely through their own efforts.
"So what's next, Captain Rocks?"
"Obviously," Rocks declared loudly, "we'll let every wandering member and officer of the Rocks Pirates know this—"
"Their captain, Rocks, is still alive!"
"And the Rocks Pirates still exist!"
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