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"Hey, Nami, do we really have to wait here for three days?" Luffy turned back with a face of resistance. "Aren't you the navigator? Can't you think of a way, like immediately filling up the Log Pose or something..."
Bang!
With a dull thud, Luffy's head was slammed against the railing.
Nami raised her fist and shouted angrily.
"Clarify this: what kind of monster do you think a navigator is?!"
Then, Nami glanced at the three-sided Log Pose on her wrist and sighed.
"There's no other way. Let's go ashore..."
"The alternating hot and cold air currents make the sea nearby very unsafe; an unimaginable storm could appear at any moment... Chopper, Franky, prepare to dock!"
"Be careful not to hit the icebergs."
"Oh! Leave it to me!"
Franky raised both hands and struck a pose: "The [The Sunny] I built is super reliable; it's just a small Ice Mass."
"[The Merry] would have been fine too!"
Suddenly, Luffy argued seriously.
"That's right, that's right! If it's [The Merry], it will definitely be fine!"
Usopp chimed in from the side.
[The Merry] still met its end at the conclusion of the First Half, just like in the original story, but this time it wasn't filled with contradictions like in the original; it was a collective choice of the crew.
To save Franky, who had been captured by Law and Fujitora and taken back to the Devil's Fog Sea, [The Merry] unfortunately ran aground when they encountered. They had to either continue forward to save Franky or retreat to regroup.
Luffy resolutely chose to move forward.
Stepping on the remains of [The Merry], he exchanged the sacrifice of one companion for the survival of another.
Franky felt deep guilt about this and built [The Sunny], joining the Straw Hats family.
Zoro also underwent a transformation in this battle because he finally understood the words that Law had told him earlier.
"We are aware that anyone could die, companions, family, friends, including ourselves! It is this bloody awareness that leads us to the battlefield time and again!"
Sacrifice is inevitable, but companions must not die in vain!
This is the realization that Zoro learned.
In the past, they were too naive!
However, looking at the current situation, it was clear that there were still people on the ship who had lingering feelings for [The Merry].
"Those two idiots have no sense of urgency at all!"
Zoro sighed helplessly, holding his forehead.
"But speaking of which, this is a bit exaggerated..."
As [The Sunny] slowly approached the coastline, the hot and cold air currents clashed, and Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth, looked serious.
"To be honest, even after all this time and growing stronger, I absolutely do not want to face a Monster like that!"
"Is this really something humans can do?!"
The closer they got, the more Sanji could feel the incredible intensity of the two extreme climates on the island.
He clearly remembered the moment his heart stopped when he learned that these were the remnants of a battle between two humans.
"The Marine Admiral, known as the strongest combat power of the World Government... is a foe that even the pirate Yonko of the past would not underestimate."
At this moment, Nico Robin, dressed casually with her hands resting on the railing, slowly spoke up: "I'm sorry to inform everyone, but now that we've entered the New World, we are in the Marine's territory. We might really encounter them."
"Isn't that going to end badly?!"
Usopp and Chopper hugged each other in fear.
"That's right, being frozen into an ice sculpture and burned to ash or something..."
Robin calmly discussed the terrifying topic.
"Especially since that Monster has also become an Admiral... Outside, pirates refer to the day he took office as the 'Sun that overlooks God.'"
"The Marine Admiral, known by countless people as 'Thunder God,' Rowen!"
Bang!!!
Suddenly, a thunderous pillar as thick as a barrel struck down from the sky. Even on this hellish island dominated by ice and fire, the oppressive feeling brought by the thunderlight was still suffocating.
Looking at the silence on the ship, Luffy adjusted his hat.
"Thunder God, huh?"
"I will definitely defeat him, along with Ace's share, defeat him and take it back!"
"Because..."
Luffy raised his head and grinned widely.
"I am going to become... the King of the Sea!!!"
Everyone: "…If you can't say it, then don't say it!!! That awkward phrase!"
"Defeat the Soryu... a very creative idea, Captain."
Franky carefully controlled [The Sunny] with the helm, silently thinking: "But if it's the Gum-Gum Fruit, there might indeed be a possibility."
"Well, why am I thinking about this? The other side doesn't see us as a threat, do they?"
Franky shook his head with a wry smile. The terrifying power they possessed was no longer meant for playing around with these pirate antics.
But!
"Let me send you off, Captain!"
Thinking of this, Franky raised his head firmly, just as he was about to say something, he suddenly caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye and exclaimed in surprise.
"Hey everyone, do you see over there? Is that a ship?"
"In a place like this? No way!"
Nami looked in the direction Franky pointed, and the next moment her eyes widened: "It really is! It's a Marine Battleship!"
"But it looks like something happened; in that condition... it should have been not long ago, at most 3 to 5 days."
In the shallow waters close to the fiery area of Thunder God Island, a Marine Battleship was tilted and half-submerged. The cannonball marks and scorch marks on it proved what it had gone through, and there were no signs of life nearby.
"Yosh, let's go take a look!" Everyone turned in surprise to see Luffy standing at the bow of the ship.
"Hehe, I smell adventure!"
Meanwhile, inside the battleship, a certain individual, looking disheveled and resembling a cheap cowherd, despaired as he pulled out a handgun and aimed it at himself.
"I can't take it anymore; I'm really about to starve to death!"
"Let it be, Vegapunk. After 18 years, I still remain a good man!"
"But, I clearly escaped, and my ambitions have just begun, yet I'm going to die here!"
"They're definitely going to laugh at me, Vegapunk... and to you, Admiral Soryu, I'm sorry."
"Woohoo, I'm so hungry, I'm going to starve to death..."
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"Attention, salute!" With a shout, the summoned Marine generals stood at attention, welcoming Akainu as he entered the door.
After a simple ceremony, Akainu sat in the main seat, took the cigar from his mouth, and extinguished it in the ashtray.
"Before we start the meeting, I require everyone to swear that they will not leak any content from today's meeting, whether it be to family facing death threats or anything else; not a single word must be leaked!"
Under the serious gaze of the crowd, Akainu's authoritative eyes swept across the conference hall as he solemnly stated, "If you cannot do this, please leave voluntarily!"
"If you break your oath, regardless of your rank, you will be treated as a traitor if you leak this information, without exception!"
Everyone stood solemnly in anticipation.
Akainu's style has always been decisive; every meeting, even significant matters, would not be unnecessarily prolonged. If he were to teach, he would definitely receive high praise.
But for Akainu to say such serious words in advance indicates that this matter is absolutely not trivial!
He says this, and he will certainly act on it!
"Is it something more important than Orrick, Akainu…" Admiral Tsuru crossed her arms, resting her chin on her hand, her expression grave.
The last time the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) issued a command not to act against Orrick within a year, Akainu did not behave this way.
"In comparison to the information I have, Orrick is simply not worth mentioning! Even if Roger became the Pirate King, it would be the same!" Nodding, Akainu said amidst the astonished gazes, "Everyone, do not harbor any delusions; this matter... is that serious!"
"If it weren't for the need for your full cooperation, I wouldn't have planned to discuss this matter."
Upon hearing this, the group fell silent.
The silence was tinged with tension and fear of the unknown.
Suddenly, Kizaru, who had the widest channels of information, squinted his eyes, and his whole body trembled involuntarily.
"Could it be!!!"
Five minutes later, several officers gradually left the conference room... Not everyone can bear such heavy responsibilities; family is a softness that even the toughest men cannot escape.
Akainu was not angry about this; everyone has their own persistence, and seeking common ground while reserving differences is the way to go, just like Rowen's plans for him and Aokiji.
Once it was confirmed that no one was preparing to leave, Akainu finally took a deep breath and addressed the generals in the conference room solemnly.
"Please prepare yourselves mentally; what I am about to say is..."
"All Celestial Dragons are dead!"
Bang!!!
Like lightning splitting the night sky, the moment he spoke, the hall erupted in chaos!
(End of chapter)