News traveled fast on the Grand Line.
Within three days of the Crimson Tide's retreat, the story had spread across a dozen islands: the Straw Hat Pirates had defeated Captain Vex and his crew. Not through treachery or luck, but through superior tactics and coordination. A crew of seven had overwhelmed a professional pirate force of two hundred.
The reaction among the regional pirate crews was predictable. Fear. Calculation. And finally, alliance.
Captain Vex sent out word to every pirate leader within a hundred kilometers: the Straw Hats were a threat to everyone's operations. They were disrupting established territorial agreements. They were interfering with protection rackets. They were causing instability that made profit impossible. And they needed to be eliminated before they grew stronger.
Five pirate crews answered the call.
The Scarlet Fangs, led by Captain Mors. The Bone Crushers, commanded by Captain Drak. The Typhoon Riders under Captain Zephyr. The Shadow Serpents with Captain Nyx. And the Iron Corsairs led by Captain Brass. Five captains, each with bounties between fifty and seventy million berries. Each commanding crews of fifty to a hundred fighters.
Together, they represented organized, sustained threat that made the Crimson Tide look like preparation.
Luffy's crew was resupplying on the island of Tideholm when the first warning came. A fisherman, terrified and breathless, delivered the message: pirate crews were gathering at the northern harbor. Multiple crews. They were looking for the Straw Hats specifically.
"How many?" Nami asked immediately.
"Hundreds," the fisherman said. "Maybe more. Captains from at least five different crews. They're coordinating. They're hunting."
Luffy and his crew exchanged glances. This was different from Vex. This was a coordinated response from the pirate community itself. Not just one captain, but multiple leaders deciding the Straw Hats had become too much of a problem.
"We could run," Coby suggested. "Find a different route, avoid them entirely."
"We could," Luffy agreed. "But that's not what we're doing."
Zoro was already checking his swords. "How long until they get here?"
"A few hours," the fisherman said. "They're coming by sea. Multiple ships approaching from the north."
"Then we have time to prepare," Sanji said. He was already mentally calculating supply lines and strategic positioning. "And we do it here. On our terms. We choose the battleground."
The harbor of Tideholm became a fortress through Nami's strategic brilliance.
She identified the narrow channel leading into the harbor—wide enough for maybe two ships to pass side by side. On either side of the channel, rocky outcroppings rose from the water. Perfect for positioning archers. Perfect for creating bottlenecks that would prevent the pirate crews from overwhelming them with pure numbers.
Usopp took position on the northern cliff with enough ammunition to hold for hours. Zoro and Sanji prepared defensive positions at the harbor mouth. Chopper set up a medical station at the highest point of the town, able to treat injuries while maintaining visibility. Coby worked with local merchants to position supplies and create escape routes if needed.
And Nami positioned their boat in the center of the harbor, able to maneuver freely while the pirate ships would be constrained by the narrow channel and the rocks.
When the first pirate ship appeared on the horizon, the Straw Hats were ready.
The battle began with Usopp's opening salvo.
His first volley of arrows rained down on the lead pirate ship, not causing fatal damage but causing chaos. Confusion. Disorientation. The crew of the Scarlet Fangs suddenly found themselves under assault from an unseen enemy, arrows coming from the cliffs above their position.
"Return fire!" Captain Mors roared, but his archers couldn't get proper angles at the cliffs. Usopp was too well positioned, moving between spots too quickly.
The second ship tried to navigate around the first, but that's when Nami's strategy revealed itself. By keeping their own boat in the center of the harbor, Nami could sail in any direction instantly. She positioned it directly in the path of the second ship, forcing it to slow and adjust course. That adjustment put it directly in Usopp's line of fire.
Three ships converged at once, and the pirates realized they'd made a critical mistake: they'd allowed themselves to be forced into single-file approach through a killing zone.
"Fall back!" one captain ordered, but it was too late. The first two ships had committed too much momentum. They were locked into the harbor, committed to battle whether they wanted to be or not.
Zoro met the first wave of pirates as they boarded, and his swords sang through the air with deadly precision. He wasn't trying to kill anymore—that lesson had been learned—but he was efficient. Each strike disarmed, disabled, or knocked unconscious. Within minutes, the first ship's boarding party was neutralized.
Sanji took the second ship, his kicks flowing like water. A pirate fighter came at him from the left; a spinning kick sent him flying. Another from the right; a counter that left them breathless on the deck. Sanji moved with the grace of someone who'd spent years perfecting his craft in the only place he knew—the kitchen of a restaurant—and now was applying those principles of timing and precision to combat.
But the pirates kept coming. More ships. More crews. The channel prevented overwhelming numbers, but it also meant continuous waves of attacks. The Straw Hats were talented, but they weren't infinite. As the hours dragged on, exhaustion began to set in.
That's when Luffy moved to the harbor's center point.
Captain Mors himself came to the water's edge, recognizing that individual captain confrontations might break the stalemate. "Straw Hat!" he roared across the water. "Face me!"
Luffy didn't hesitate. He crossed the water—using a small boat, nothing dramatic—and met Mors on neutral ground.
The fight was shorter than with Vex. Mors was skilled, but he'd learned his fighting style in a era where individual power was enough. Luffy had learned his fighting style in an era where adaptation and understanding were everything. The fight lasted maybe five minutes before Mors went down, defeated but alive.
But with one captain fallen, the others didn't retreat. Instead, they pushed harder. Recognizing that Luffy was the lynchpin, all four remaining captains coordinated their assault, sending wave after wave of elite fighters at his position.
Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp moved to support him, breaking their previous positions. The three-way balance shifted. For the first time, the Straw Hats looked like they might be genuinely overwhelmed.
And that's when a new ship appeared on the horizon.
This one wasn't flying a pirate flag. This one flew the symbol of the World Government, sleek and purposeful, cutting through the water with obvious military precision.
A Navy warship. And standing at its bow, silhouetted against the afternoon sun, was a figure in a white coat.
An Admiral.