In a place the human eye could not see, two masses of energy returned to Regigigas's body.
[Temporarily created bodies are too weak… I need to use suitable materials to make some stronger ones.]
Regigigas was dissatisfied with these casually created underlings and planned to melt them down and remake them, but the Marines were unaware of this. The soldiers thought their attacks had worked and began cheering with their guns raised.
Although no casualty reports had come in yet, looking at the ruins of the island before him, Akainu's face turned ashen. He had not expected that even personally leading the operation would result in this outcome.
"What exactly is that thing…"
Regigigas's existence gave Akainu a very bad premonition. The creatures summoned by that white giant were already so difficult to deal with, and combined with a body even larger than Sanjuan Wolf's, the future of the Marines looked quite bleak.
"They five must give me an explanation."
Thinking of the five meeting-obsessed geezers in the office, Akainu suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. He resolved that after returning this time, he would definitely make the Five Elders give him an answer.
"How are the other squads doing with their missions?"
After regrouping his forces, Akainu asked the adjutant beside him.
Den Den Mushi didn't show missed calls, so Akainu had no idea what had happened earlier.
"There's no news yet. Headquarters hasn't sent any messages."
Buruburuburubu—
As soon as the words fell, the Den Den Mushi on the warship rang.
"Sakazuki, this is Sengoku. I have some bad news to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Yamakaji and Garp's operation failed. Kaido appeared there for some reason, and according to Garp's report, they carried away Amazon Lily."
"What did you say?!"
What shocked Akainu wasn't just that Amazon Lily had been moved, but that Kaido had personally moved the island. Regigigas had just dragged away New Fishman Island, and Fishman Island had always flown the Beasts Pirates' flag.
With both involving moving entire islands, Akainu refused to believe Kaido had nothing to do with this.
This also meant that among the original Shichibukai, Jinbe and Hancock had unclear ties with the Beasts Pirates, and before his downfall, Doflamingo had also been their broker.
Out of the seven Shichibukai, two and a half were effectively on the enemy's side.
"Why such a big reaction? Young people being this impatient isn't a good thing."
"Sengoku, I'm the Fleet Admiral now. I don't have time for your nonsense. What other information is there?"
"That attitude won't do. After all, there's more than one piece of bad news. The operation on Kuraigana Island also failed. Hawk Eyes charged out from the island with a group of baboons. Supposedly, those baboons were using long leeks as weapons."
As he was speaking, Sengoku suddenly fell silent.
At Marine Headquarters, looking at the intelligence in his hand, Sengoku hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Brannew in front of him.
"Are you sure this report isn't wrong?"
Putting down the receiver, Sengoku's tone was filled with doubt.
"Reporting to Inspector General, this is intelligence compiled by Vice Admiral Tsuru. The detailed contents are here. Please take a look."
Not long before, at Kuraigana Island, Hawk Eyes had likewise been surrounded by the Marines.
"It's truly unexpected, and I can't help but feel excited; it's been a long time since I've tasted this feeling. Who would've thought I'd once again return to the position of being hunted? Heh, looks like I'll have to move.
I might as well move to the New World. It'll be easier to receive deliveries there."
Inside the castle, Hawk Eyes was carefully packing his luggage. Red wine, coffee powder, tissues, leeks—item after item was sorted and packed, ready to be taken along.
Although it was very noisy outside, to him the Marine encirclement felt no different from a leisurely outing.
"Hawk Eyes Mihawk, immediately lay down your weapons and surrender."
"So many years have passed, yet how annoying these Marines are hasn't changed at all."
One of the reasons Hawk Eyes had accepted the Shichibukai recruitment back then was to avoid trouble. Now, this noise was unbearably irritating to him.
He then drew Yoru. Looking at the castle he had lived in for so many years, Hawk Eyes really did feel a bit reluctant to part with it.
But with a move imminent, he still swung the sword toward the Marines' direction without a moment's hesitation.
What followed was Hawk Eyes breaking out of the encirclement. However, the baboons on the island seemed to have been beaten into submission by Hawk Eyes and also attracted to the food he had ordered online. After some thought, they actually picked up their weapons and followed him.
Seeing that these baboons could help row boats and carry luggage, Hawk Eyes decided to bring them along.
The weapons on the island had been left behind by humans many years ago. After enduring wind and weather, they had long lost their former toughness, and were not even as sturdy as the leeks bred by Farfetch'd. As a result, some strange baboons ended up using the leeks as clubs.
In the end, Hawk Eyes led a group of baboons to seize a warship, then brazenly broke out of the encirclement.
"So you're saying only one squad succeeded in our operation?"
"No. Actually, all of them failed. This operation to encircle the Shichibukai failed completely, every single Shichibukai escaped."
"How could that be? How did that Buggy get away? Wasn't Aramaki in charge over there? Could he not even handle Buggy?"
No matter what, he was a Marine Admiral recruited through the World Military Draft. Marine Headquarters knew exactly what level Buggy was at. If Ryokugyu really failed against Buggy, Akainu would completely lose his mind.
"That didn't happen. He took Buggy down very easily."
"Then how did Buggy escape?"
"After Red Hair showed up, he directly abandoned the fight and withdrew with his men."
"What did you say?!"
Around the same time, on Karai Bari Island.
"To sum it up, all of you Shichibukai have had your privileges automatically revoked. All ties with the World Government have been completely severed. Buggy, you are now just an ordinary pirate!"
"Despicable! You b*stards are too despicable! When you needed our power, you called us Shichibukai. Now that you don't need us, you toss us aside without hesitation. Do you have no sense of honor at all?! You being played by Crocodile and Doflamingo has nothing to do with me! If you've got the guts, go find them!"
[Damn it… damn it… my entire life plan has been completely thrown into chaos]
While cursing the Marines before him out loud, he was inwardly worried about the future. Faced with the Marines' ironclad encirclement, Buggy had no idea what to do next.
"Captain Buggy, what should we do? Run?"
"Run? Of course we fight these guys! Men! Let the Marines see how strong we are!"
[Once you rush in to fight, I can take the opportunity to escape.]
Buggy's plan was sound, still using a sea of people to buy himself time. But this time, things didn't unfold the way he had imagined.
From the sky came the sound of spinning propellers. A man flew over with a flower-like bamboo-copter stuck in his back.
"Shut up, all of you! You pirate scum! Groves of Wrath!"
Flowers bloomed and vegetation grew wildly. In the blink of an eye, Karai Bari Island turned into a sea of greenery. Countless vines stretched out, stringing Buggy's subordinates together like candied hawthorns.
"No matter how many pirates like you I kill, it won't be a crime. Come, I'll step over your corpses to complete this mission. That way, Sakazuki-san will surely praise me, right?"
Streams of something flowed continuously from the vines into Ryokugyu's body. The pirates pierced by his vines gradually shriveled up, each one drained of all the strength in their bodies.
"Now then, surrender peacefully, Buggy. Or bringing back your head works just as well."
"Don't be afraid of him! This guy's just wood. Use fire against him, he must be scared of fire!!"
Burning barrels of liquor were thrown one after another by the pirates. Fueled by the alcohol, the newly formed forest turned into a sea of fire, and the flames engulfing Ryokugyu immediately drew a scream from him.
"Did it work?!"
"Of course I was lying to you! If the weakness were that obvious, how could I become an Admiral? Firebreak Forest!"
Though his power was plant-based, Ryokugyu was not afraid of fire. In an instant, he wiped out a large swath of pirates on Buggy's island, leaving only Buggy frozen in place, still pointing forward with one hand.
"Hey, hey, no way. Did he already lose consciousness?"
Ryokugyu waved a hand in front of Buggy's face, only to find that Buggy had long since fainted from fear. Just as he was feeling bored, a terrifying pressure surged in from afar.
"Conqueror's Haki?!"
Ryokugyu, who moments ago had been brimming with killing intent, instantly changed his attitude and likewise stared motionlessly toward the sea.
"That guy is my friend. Give me face and let him leave, alright?"
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