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Fleet Admiral of Marine Headquarters—Kong—led the Marine Hero Garp and Admiral Sengoku to the Sabaody Archipelago. They intended to arrest Red the Aloof, Patrick Redfield, who had single-handedly crushed the Army, to wash away the shame of the World Government—or at least salvage some of their honor.
Explosive news like this could never be allowed to spread. Even "Big News" Morgans—who controlled every newspaper in the New World—wouldn't be crazy enough to run this story.
Unless you were Emperor-level like Whitebeard or Arthur, nobody was stupid enough to really piss off the World Government.
Even the irrational Big Mom was wary of this behemoth.
As the warship set off from Marineford, at the same time, Arthur, on Fish-Man Island ten thousand meters under the sea, also boarded his [Thor].
Fish-Man Island was too important to be destroyed in a war. A duel between Devil Fruit users of their caliber could only take place on the sea.
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With heavy hearts, a grim atmosphere filled the giant warship.
Kong, Sengoku, and Garp stood silently at the bow, not saying a word. This was not the first time they had dealt with a man like Redfield. Even someone as magnanimous as Garp knew how troublesome he was.
If they lost this battle, the consequences would be severe. The World Government's threat to abandon the Marines was no joke—they were truly capable of doing it.
As the three of them silently adjusted themselves into a state of combat readiness...
"FLEET ADMIRAL KONG! ADMIRAL SENGOKU! VICE ADMIRAL GARP! BAD NEWS!" The adjutant accompanying Admiral Sengoku ran over in a panic.
"Hm?"
Sengoku frowned. This adjutant had been personally promoted by him and had followed him into battle for many years. What had he not seen? He rarely showed such an expression.
"Calm down. What happened?" he said, his voice a low command.
"It's..." The adjutant stood at attention and saluted, panting, cold sweat beading on his face.
"Whitebeard... Whitebeard has left his territory! His target is Fish-Man Island!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY??" Fleet Admiral Kong's face turned grim. He grabbed Sengoku's adjutant by the collar.
Red the Aloof was his old rival. Correspondingly, Sengoku had faced off against Whitebeard for many years, and Garp's rival was Roger.
However, he knew Whitebeard's character very well. He rarely left his own territory. Why was he suddenly setting off for Fish-Man Island?
"Could it be that a man like him would care about Redfield's life or death?" Sengoku frowned in thought, unable to figure it out.
He had fought Whitebeard for so many years. Even though they were on different sides, he held a certain respect for him. Setting aside everything else, Whitebeard was the kind of man who wouldn't care even if the sky were falling. His eyes could only hold his family and nothing else.
Logically, if the Marines were to arrest another legendary figure, even the reckless Arthur might come to join the fun, but the least likely to make a move was Whitebeard.
When his rival and friend, the Pirate King Roger, was arrested, he hadn't gone on a rampage like the Golden Lion Shiki.
To be born on the sea, to die on the sea—that was the fate of every man.
"Have you found out exactly what Whitebeard plans to do on Fish-Man Island?" Sengoku asked the still-panting adjutant in a low voice.
Redfield was about to land on the Sabaody Archipelago. And at this critical moment, ten thousand meters below Sabaody, the World's Strongest Man was about to appear...
What would happen if Whitebeard suddenly came up at the critical moment of Redfield's arrest?
Would the Marines have to face two of the sea's strongest legendary figures at the same time?
"Fleet Admiral, we haven't figured it out yet. The only news is that King Neptune of Fish-Man Island sent him a message," the adjutant said, clearly unable to withstand Kong's oppressive aura.
"Whitebeard and Neptune are on good terms, but if it wasn't for something important, why would Neptune contact him for no reason?" Sengoku analyzed calmly. "Something must have happened that we don't know about. Go and find out!"
"SIR!" The adjutant saluted respectfully and slowly retreated.
Just then.
"Bwahahahaha! No need to check, Sengoku!" Garp, who had been silent until now, suddenly burst out laughing.
His sudden outburst immediately drew the attention of everyone on the warship.
"What are you talking about, Garp?? This is no time for jokes!" Sengoku roared at him. He knew Garp's personality—he had always been carefree.
"Whitebeard is abandoning his territory to head for Fish-Man Island because that little shit Arthur pissed him off. What a pain."
Ever since the Pirate King Roger was executed in Loguetown, Garp had been secretly searching for Portgas D. Rouge, but his official focus had always been on Arthur's every move. He was crystal clear on Arthur's movements.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY??" The veins on Sengoku's forehead bulged with anger. A golden light emanated from his body, and he almost went berserk. "YOU BASTARD! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT SOONER??"
"At this critical juncture, Vice Admiral Garp didn't want to distract the Fleet Admiral and Admiral Sengoku, so he didn't say anything," Garp's subordinate, the stoic swordsman Bogard, said.
"EVERYONE, BE QUIET!" Kong interrupted Garp and Sengoku's squabbling. He crossed his arms, his face extremely grim.
"Thunder Emperor Arthur has challenged Whitebeard again? A duel between the two strongest ability users in the world. Fish-Man Island obviously cannot be the battlefield. Then the Sabaody Archipelago, ten thousand meters above Fish-Man Island, will definitely be their battlefield..."
"Go and prepare for the Marines to face three top-tier pirates at the same time. This time..." Kong's eyes widened in anger, a powerful aura emanating from his robust physique. "THIS TIME, WE WILL EXTINGUISH THE ARROGANT FLAMES OF THIS GREAT AGE OF PIRATES!"
"Bwahahahaha! Just leave that bastard Arthur to me!" Garp said, picking his nose and grinning broadly.
The Sabaody Archipelago was now on the horizon, its bubbles shimmering with a colorful, brilliant light in the sun.
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Groves 1 to 29, in a bar in the lawless area.
Arthur pulled down his wide-brimmed hat and drank quietly. This time, he would defeat Whitebeard head-on and see what the view was like from the very pinnacle of the world.
He wasn't saying he was completely confident of victory, because both he and Whitebeard had almost touched the shackles that the world places on any living being. Throughout history, no one had ever been stronger than them. At most, they could be equals.
However, only by fighting a man like Whitebeard could he ignite the long-lost passion and excitement in his heart.
"In two months, it'll be time for you to fall from grace, Whitebeard," Arthur sneered, downing his drink in one shot.
"Purupurupuru... Purupurupuru..."
"Purupurupuru..."
The Den Den Mushi in his pocket kept sticking out its tongue. Arthur was a little surprised. This Den Den Mushi had been given to him by Vegapunk. In the Thunder God Pirates, a crew of several thousand, only a few commanders had the privilege of speaking with him directly.
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