No matter what, ever since the battle of God Valley 38 years ago, Garp became the hero of the Marines.
Throughout his Marine career, he indeed struck down a large number of pirates and served as an exemplary role model within the Marines.
He cannot lose. If Garp were to lose, it would deal an unprecedented blow to Marine morale.
Members of the Arceus Cult, the pirates of the Beasts Pirates themselves, and the local forces of Wano Country—when all these numbers are added together, the total strength of the Beasts Pirates has already exceeded 100,000.
Among them, some are merely strong ordinary people, but even if those are excluded, and even after removing doctors, cooks, and other logistics personnel, their combat forces are still the greatest among all pirate crews.
Just as Akainu said before, within a single day the Beasts Pirates can assemble a force of over ten thousand and send them to that island, all elites who have fought and slaughtered in the New World.
If given more time, that number would continue to rise. Garp's sudden action left the Marines with no time to respond. Compared to the Marines, the Beasts Pirates' territory is relatively concentrated, and their main forces are in the same sea region.
The Marines' forces, on the other hand, are spread across the entire world. At present, they simply cannot be mobilized in time. The only one who can reach there in a short period is Kizaru.
"Borsalino, forget about what you're handling."
"Sakazuki, are you serious? The uprising in the Kukutal Kingdom is extremely severe. If we don't provide support, the Revolutionary Army will probably overthrow another country."
"We can't worry about them now. The Marines have bigger trouble. If the World Government has objections, I'll take responsibility. Right now, head to the Beasts Pirates' territory and support Garp.
Go to a nearby branch immediately. They'll provide you with the Eternal Pose to the G-14 Base."
Garp was guiding himself with Koby's Vivre Card, so he doesn't need an Eternal Pose. But other Marines are different. Even if a branch can prepare a compass, Kizaru would still have to go through some trouble to get there.
"Beasts Pirates? Vice Admiral Garp? What happened there?"
"Garp acted on his own. He took the SWORD squad and ran over there. You have only one objective: bring Garp back to me. As for the others, do what you can. If you can't manage it, you may abandon them."
"Including Hibari and Kujaku?"
"Including them."
After a moment of silence, Akainu still gave a firm answer.
"Abandone the mission if things don't go right. No matter what, nothing must happen to you."
Garp was already a massive unexpected variable. But Garp has always had a high degree of autonomy in his actions and can be considered outside the fixed combat forces. Although Kizaru looks like he slacks off, counting from when he joined the Marines, he had served under three Fleet Admirals and is a pillar of today's Marines.
If they can be saved, they should be saved, but not at the cost of him sacrificing himself.
"I understand. I'm heading out now."
Understanding the seriousness of the situation, Kizaru said no more. He immediately transformed into a streak of light and sped toward the New World.
"Doll, this is Sakazuki. Do you know where Garp went exactly?"
"Reporting to Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, I'm not sure. But I have the Vivre Cards of other SWORD members. We should be able to locate Vice Admiral Garp's position."
"Good. Borsalino will meet with you. Prepare the Vivre Cards and cooperate with him."
"Yes, sir."
One call after another was made from Akainu's Den Den Mushi, and preparations for this sudden operation were rearranged.
"The trouble Garp has stirred up… Let's pray he returns safely. Otherwise, the trouble we'll have to face will be even greater."
Akainu left his office; he needed to calm down. Sengoku and Tsuru said nothing. Even though Kujaku was her own granddaughter, Tsuru understood that Akainu's decision was the most beneficial for the Marines as they are now.
No one would care about the descendants of these old generation. They were not particularly famous figures, but Garp was different.
Moreover, Akainu was just as ruthless toward himself.
Not only did Marine Headquarters not know about Garp's sudden action, but the squad carrying out the mission, the World Government, and the pirates—none of them knew Garp would make such an irrational move.
On Baphomet Island, Kaido and the others were still carrying out their utterly unplanned alliance as usual.
As if competing to see whose lung capacity was stronger, Kaido and Big Mom maintained their distinctive laughter without pause. Shanks seemed to take interest in this contest and eventually joined in as well.
As a result, this alliance meeting turned into a laughter competition.
"President, how long are we supposed to wait?"
"Until they finish laughing."
"I don't think they have any intention of stopping."
"Then we'll just keep waiting. Don't waste film for now, one snapshot of this frozen moment is enough."
Morgans remained calm. He knew that every one of these Emperors of the Sea had some issues with their mental state; almost no normal person could reach such a position.
But under this aura, Perospero felt tremendous pressure.
What determines status in an alliance isn't relationships, but strength. Their captains laughing was their own affair; as accompanying vice-captains, they needed to hold the field at this moment.
Perospero had always believed he should be the true number two of the Big Mom Pirates. Now, for the first time, he felt disgust toward that position.
"Maybe Katakuri should've come instead…"
He was facing Beckman and Yamato, both capable of going head-to-head with their own captains. Perospero, on the other hand, would never dare defy Big Mom. At a fundamental level, there was a gulf between him and the people before him.
"What kind of situation is this…"
In the invisible clash of gazes between Yamato and Beckman, Perospero was the first to step back, and that single step just happened to break Kaido and the others' lung-capacity showdown.
"Worororo! Linlin, your son looks a bit weak. My daughter is stronger."
"I have eighty-five children."
"Put them all together, can they match up to this one of mine?"
They were no longer young. Whenever they met, they always wanted to compare something, and before they knew it, their children had become the objects of comparison.
Big Mom was still in a relatively normal state of mind, and she had to face a reality: even if all her children were tied together, they might not be able to beat Yamato alone.
Excluding the minors, among the remaining children, only a few could even withstand one of Yamato's moves. As for defeating her—
When the news that Redfield had failed to defeat Yamato reached her ears, Charlotte Linlin understood everything.
"Red Hair, do you brat find this funny? You're all alone, aren't you?"
"As for that, I actually have a daughter too. If she makes the first move, she could probably take down quite a few."
Uta herself isn't the combat type, but as long as she can use the power of the Sing-Sing Fruit, she is invincible within the Uta World. It all comes down to who makes the move first.
Red Hair and Kaido seemed to have reached a certain tacit understanding: to defeat Big Mom in the area she was most proud of. And in a sense, they succeeded.
"Kaido, you called me here just to do this?"
"Called you here? Linlin, you've got one thing wrong. It wasn't me who called you, you came on your own. Even without you, I could accomplish my goal.
A war that overturns the seas will begin at my hands, and the one who becomes Pirate King will be me!
You're just a part of speeding up the process. Don't overestimate your own value."
His pupils contracted as Kaido's Conqueror's Haki burst forth from his body, pressing down unreasonably toward Charlotte Linlin. Charlotte Linlin responded in kind. After the lung-capacity contest, the clash of Conqueror's Haki between true powerhouses had only just begun.
"The brat from back then has become less and less likable, Kaido. Don't forget who took care of you on the Rocks' ship!"
"You're not who you used to be either, Linlin. If it weren't for our past ties, I wouldn't even consider you!"
Red Hair still had Uta as an indirect connection, but the current relationship between Charlotte Linlin and Kaido was purely business. There was basically no personal interaction left.
Red Hair did not step into the fray this time and merely watched from the side. The squad led by Ingres also began moving toward their predetermined position. The pirates paid them little attention, treating them as members of other pirate crews.
"Sir, do we still need to take action? Even if we do nothing, they might not be able to form an alliance. Pirates are pirates; just a bit of profit can shatter their relationships."
"Shut up. If it were really that simple, we wouldn't be here."
Bang!
The clash between Kaido and Charlotte Linlin had escalated from a collision of Haki to the collision of weapons. The forces they brought with them were already prepared for battle. Faint traces of yellow sand even began to swirl around Tyranitar.
However, its Sandstorm makes no distinction between friend and foe, so it was only ordinary sand. Just when everyone thought Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were about to start fighting, they suddenly pulled back.
"Kaido, what exactly are you thinking?"
"An offensive and defensive alliance. You've probably heard of that weapon the Marines possess. Frankly speaking, you have no way to deal with it, but I do.
I'll help you guard against unexpected threats. When I launch a war, you'll move together with me.
As for the One Piece, the territories of the three of us cover most of the New World. Once we form a single entity, the New World will be completely under our rule. It will eliminate the possibility of others secretly reaping the benefits.
First, we take that thing into our hands. After that, we can figure out how to divide it."
Kaido laid out his thoughts. Considering the reality of the situation, it was even a rather generous set of terms. After all, Kaido himself didn't care about many things. If it could make the scale of war even greater, he could accept this much.
As for the One Piece, how it would be divided after obtaining it would depend on strength. Even if they tore each other apart, he didn't think he would lose.
"Additionally, you know what I'm looking for. I need clues about that. Aside from this, I have no extra conditions."
"Mamamama~ With terms like that, I don't seem to have any reason to refuse."
"I have one question, how far do you intend to take this war?"
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