"Hold on a minute..."
Far away in the middle half of the New World, in the sea area, a thumb-sized, undetectable Air Door opened. Several figures suddenly appeared in the strange green space. This time, chaos and noise erupted within the peculiar dimension.
The sudden disappearance of thirty massive warships, along with all their food and supplies, sent tens of thousands of Marine elites into inevitable panic. If it weren't for Sengoku the Buddha, the highly esteemed Fleet Admiral, maintaining order, the situation would have surely devolved into utter disarray.
Wilhelm's arrival immediately drew the attention of Sengoku the Buddha.
"Charlotte Wilhelm!" Sengoku the Buddha roared, his figure moving like lightning as he violently lunged forward.
"Clang—" The incredibly sharp Cong Yunya instantly shot from its sheath. Empowered by the Hard-Hard Fruit and imbued with Armament Haki, it managed to block the Haki-coated fist of Sengoku the Buddha.
"Whoosh..." An incredibly violent wave of air swept out, directly throwing back many Marines who were too close to react.
"Crackling... cracking..." The immensely powerful Conqueror's Haki, like intertwined dragons and snakes, shimmered and spread continuously.
"Thud, thud..." Several Marine soldiers' eyes rolled back, and they immediately lost consciousness. The unimaginable clash of Conqueror's Haki directly stunned the weaker Marines. Only a rare few remained standing.
"As expected of the 'Fairy Stone' Admiral, who has traversed the seas for decades; this monstrous power is truly not comparable to the immature Akainu and Kizaru..." Feeling the unstoppable force transmitting through the sword's edge, Wilhelm's eyes were filled with awe. He didn't engage the opponent, instead retreating sharply. He looked directly at Sengoku the Buddha and calmly stated, "Buddha Sengoku, you've already lost..."
"Sir, you're spouting nonsense, you yellow-mouthed brat..." Sengoku retorted with a resolute face, shouting angrily. But seeing Charlotte Wilhelm, Katakuri, Shiryu of the Rain, and others suddenly appear, a sudden uneasiness surged within his heart.
"Our appearance here, doesn't it explain everything, Sengoku Admiral...?" Shiryu sneered, a cigar clenched between his teeth.
Katakuri calmly added, "Do you need us to place the corpses of Kizaru and Aokiji before you for verification?"
"What!?"
"Vice Admiral Borsalino and Vice Admiral Kuzan they..."
"No, it's impossible..."
"They're Naval Headquarters' Admiral candidates!"
"How long has it been? How could such monsters be so easily killed?"
At this moment, when the surrounding Marines heard these words, their expressions drastically changed. Their eyes widened in disbelief, a hint of panic settling in.
"Shiryu, you traitor!" Sengoku's expression darkened. He glared at Shiryu of the Rain like a murderer. Looking back at Wilhelm, Katakuri, and the others, he gritted his teeth and said, "Do you think I'll believe your nonsense?"
"Whoosh—"
In a split second, a body appeared before Sengoku.
"Borsalino..." Sengoku the Buddha's complexion dramatically changed. He immediately recognized it; it was the corpse of Kizaru. He was enraged, staring at Wilhelm and the others: "You bastards..."
Golden light blazed, and Sanskrit sounds erupted. A gigantic Buddha figure suddenly materialized, charging forward violently, its immense Buddha palm aimed directly at Wilhelm and his crew.
"Transfer!" Wilhelm remained calm. With a slight hook of his finger, "Whoosh..." an enormous figure instantly appeared, firmly blocking Wilhelm and the others. It was Vice Admiral Giant John of the Marine Headquarters Titan family.
"What!?" Sengoku the Buddha's complexion changed drastically. He retracted his strength, staggered, and nearly fell, a mix of shock and anger on his face.
"Damn guy..." Vice Admiral John, from the Titan family, who had just reacted, hadn't even had time to attack Wilhelm and the others when he disappeared again, thrown back to his original position.
"Can you calm down a little bit?" Wilhelm looked at Sengoku the Buddha and calmly said, "I think you, the Fleet Admiral, should understand the situation!"
"Bastard, what did you do to Aokiji and Akainu?" Sengoku, the shining golden Buddha, resembled a Vajra with glaring eyes. Clenching his massive fist tightly, suppressing the urge to strike again, he glared down at Wilhelm, Shiryu of the Rain, Musashi Miyamoto, and the others with a murderous look.
"Aokiji left alone to let Akainu and the others escape. It's truly admirable..." Katakuri looked slightly embarrassed. He didn't hide anything and stated bluntly, "His sacrifice also preserved some strength for the Marines!"
"Kuzan....."
"Huh!?"
"Vice Admiral Kuzan he..."
It wasn't just Sengoku the Buddha who froze. The Marine elites present couldn't help but gasp in shock, inexplicably stunned. No one expected that Aokiji, the powerful Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, would be willing to stay behind just to allow Akainu and others to survive.
"Kuzan..." Sengoku clenched his fists, his eyes red and veins bulging. He was so furious he could hardly bear to rush directly at Wilhelm and the others.
"Stop talking nonsense, Sengoku the Buddha..." Wilhelm stared at Sengoku and said coldly, "Surrender without a fight, or I will kill them in front of you, the Fleet Admiral. You choose!"
"You should be aware of my abilities. I just need to transfer them out. You can't do anything to me. The only thing you can do is watch them turn into corpses."
"Sengoku Admiral, don't listen to him..." A Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral rushed out, gritting his teeth and saying, "I don't think you can let us go, right?"
"Yes, kill us if you want, don't make us submit!"
"These bastard pirates..."
"Fight them!"
A Marine soldier, outraged, waved his weapon and roared as if facing his demise.
"You brat of the Charlotte family, don't waste your time..." Sengoku the Buddha looked stern, approaching Wilhelm, Katakuri, and the others, and declared menacingly, "If you want the old man's life, come up and get it!"
"No, unlike you, Fleet Admiral, they may still be worth living..." The corners of Wilhelm's mouth curled up as he looked at Sengoku the Buddha and said with a light smile, "If tens of thousands of Marine elite lives are exchanged for a huge ransom, I think even those high-ranking World Government executives wouldn't be willing, but your Marine Headquarters marshals should be very happy."
"That's right!"
Demanding exorbitant prices and then negotiating them down. Given the resources of the World Government and Marine Headquarters, acquiring ten or eight Devil Fruits is certainly feasible, along with a significant amount of resources and an astronomical ransom. After all, tens of thousands of Marine elites are still indispensable for the Marines, who are currently short on troops and struggling to maintain stability in the first half of the Grand Line. If they can be redeemed, it's worth it.
Especially when the news of Marine's defeat spreads, it will create immense waves across the sea, leading to unprecedented chaos. Wilhelm wasn't counting on a mere victory to defeat the deeply entrenched Marines and World Government. On the contrary, this transaction could be used to establish the unshakable status and prestige of the Big Mom Pirates in this sea. With the enormous ransom and massive resources, the Big Mom Pirates could grow rapidly in the shortest possible time.
"Don't even think about it..." Sengoku the Buddha's complexion changed. He glared fiercely at Charlotte Wilhelm, a mix of fear and anger. They never expected the other party to be so devious, attempting to use the lives of these Marines to threaten the World Government and Marine Headquarters.
"How about this? Use your life as the Fleet Admiral in exchange for their cooperation?" Too lazy to argue with Sengoku the Buddha, Wilhelm issued an ultimatum: "While they won't be released directly, trading them with the World Government at least gives them a chance..."
"Of course, you can continue to resist. Anyway, you're doomed to be unable to leave if you're trapped here. Without food and water, you'll starve for ten and a half months. How many of you will survive in the end, and what will happen? I won't say I'm ready!"