Just then, while everyone mulled over their next move, Kuma raised his hand.
"Boss." He paused, his voice low and muffled. "I received orders from the World Government this morning too. All Warlords must report to Marineford soon to assist with the public execution!"
The group froze again. What was wrong with the central authorities? Both Kuma and the branch had defected. How did they have the nerve to order them around?
Before anyone could speak, Kuma continued. "...I don't know why they are ordering me there either, but perhaps I could go take a look. If anything goes wrong, I can get Mock out of there immediately."
Dante flatly rejected the idea before the others could respond. Seeing Kuma about to argue, Dante shook his head, cutting him off sharply.
"If you take Mock away, Marine HQ will immediately confirm our connection to him."
They had to draw a clear line with Mock right now. If their connection was discovered, the Marines would dispatch a massive force to wipe the branch out, even if they failed to capture the pirate himself. Wouldn't everything they had built so far be destroyed?
"At this stage, we absolutely cannot admit our connection to him. Even if Sengoku suspects it, we cannot acknowledge it."
Silence fell over the group as they grasped the logic. What should they do? Stop Mock from going to the rescue entirely?
"Of course, we can't just ignore him either."
Dante studied their frustrated faces and smiled reassuringly. "So, I've decided to go there myself."
Heads snapped up to stare at him. Eyes narrowed in concern. Just as they opened their mouths to object,
"I know what you're going to say, but don't worry." Dante cut them off, his voice earnest. "With me watching, I can handle any accident immediately. Plus, you don't need to worry about the Marines making a move on us. As long as we don't expose our connection, they won't attack us for the sake of the bigger picture. After all, our strength is nothing to scoff at."
The authorities had one primary target right now. Before dealing with him, they needed the execution to proceed flawlessly. They would never push Dante's faction into an alliance with the Whitebeard Pirates before then.
Dante's eyes glinted, a faint smile curling his lips. "This is the perfect opportunity to flex our muscles for the Marines and show them we aren't pushovers!"
He kept another guess to himself. Sengoku likely already suspected their connection. This was a direct test. It wasn't surprising, Sengoku was a famously brilliant strategist. With so many coincidences piling up, it was entirely expected for him to figure it out. As long as they didn't break cover, Marine HQ wouldn't make a move, no matter how suspicious they were. The Demon's Bloodline was far more important right now. They wouldn't risk an internal war during the execution.
Hearing Dante's analysis, silence claimed the room. Even Zephyr frowned, lost in deep thought. The kid made a good point, and judging by Dante's resolute expression, his mind was firmly made up.
Zephyr let out a helpless sigh and nodded. "While what you say makes sense, accidents can still happen." He paused, then looked back at Dante. "Since you've already decided, Kuma should go with you. Take Enel and Kuro along too." His eyes narrowed slightly. "If you want to flex your muscles, then do it right!"
With that formation, even if a disaster occurred, they could surely escape relying on Kuma and Kuro's abilities along with Enel's Mantra. He didn't say this out loud, but he knew Dante understood.
"Otherwise, I would absolutely never let you go." He grinned cheerfully. "As for me, I'm already old. I won't go running around. I'll stay put and guard the base for you!"
Dante agreed with the suggestion. The old man was right, if they were going to flex, they should bring their best.
He looked at the group and announced, "Then it's decided. Kuma, Kuro, and Enel will come with me." His gaze shifted to Viola. "Make the arrangements. We set out tomorrow! As for the base..." He swept his eyes over the others. "I'll leave it in your capable hands."
In Whitebeard's territory, a ship slowly approached the Moby Dick.
"Captain, do you want us to go up with you?"
"That's right! When you get beaten up later, we can cheer you on from the sidelines!"
"I get beaten up, and you guys won't even help?"
Shanks raised a fist, yelling at his awful companions in frustration, then sighed. "No need. I can go up by myself."
He turned down their supposed help. Following the shout of "Furl the sails!" from the deck, Shanks grabbed the large wine jug he had prepared, eyed the towering flagship looming before him, and leaped. He landed squarely on the boarding ladder. Dragging the jug with one hand, he climbed step by step toward the main deck.
However, the moment his foot touched the wood, a booming voice rang out from above.
"Welcome, Shanks!"
"Youngsters, stand back! Your bodies can't handle this!"
"We have a guest! I told you all not to soak your feet right now!"
Hearing the overlapping shouts, Shanks felt the corners of his mouth curl up.
"How enthusiastic," he murmured.
But still... Soaking their feet? In broad daylight?
Though puzzled, Shanks didn't overthink it. He continued climbing. With every step, a wave of Conqueror's Haki surged from him, sweeping across the entire Moby Dick. With every step, another crew member collapsed to the floor. Shanks ignored them.
A moment later, he reached the top. He slowly raised his bowed head, an edge to his tone. "Excuse me. I just got on board, so here's a little dem-"
He stopped short.
He sensed something wrong ahead. His grand entrance had absolutely no audience. Shanks blinked in utter confusion, scanning the deck closely. He stared at the frantic crew members and the massive, tiered basin structure shaped like the character for 'earth'.
What were they doing?
Just as he stood there in bewilderment, the crew ahead seemed oblivious to his dramatic arrival, still frantically fishing unconscious men out of the water.
"What's going on here?"
"Are we too late? Don't worry, they just fainted."
"Just fish them out. Thank goodness Teach isn't here right now! Otherwise..."
"Marco, don't say such disgusting things. Also, we have a guest!"
"Alright, I got it!"
Hearing his brothers, Marco thought of Teach soaking his feet, and his face turned slightly green. He swallowed his nausea, turned around, and saw the Red Hair Captain standing behind him, dragging a large jug and staring in absolute silence.
Marco scratched his head. "Sorry about that, a little accident happened."
Shanks stared silently at the crew members hauling people from the water.
Soaking their feet on the deck in the middle of the day? And in a multi-tiered tub?
But as an Emperor of the Sea, he could not openly judge another crew's weird hobbies. He looked away, his gaze landing on the massive figure sitting in the highest seat of the structure.
He hesitated before saying, "The Whitebeard Pirates... what refined tastes you have."
Though this meeting differed wildly from what he had imagined, Shanks knew he still had to maintain proper etiquette.
Newgate, sitting broadly with his feet submerged, looked down at Shanks. His expression remained flat. "Seeing your face makes the scar that bastard gave me ache."
"I brought medicine for your injuries. I have no intention of fighting."
Hearing Newgate's gruff words, an elegant smile returned to Shankss face. He glanced at Newgate's feet, still soaking in the warm water, raised an eyebrow, and continued smoothly. "I just have some matters I wish to discuss with you."
"Discuss with me? Is that something a man with your presence would say?" Newgate crossed his arms, his calm eyes fixed on the younger captain. He glanced down at his own feet, then looked back up. "Want to soak for a bit? It's quite comfortable."
Shanks fell silent. He stared at the slightly murky water, he stopped himself from gagging. He shook his head politely. "Thank you, but no. I have no interest in soaking my feet."
"Is that so? What a shame. Since our guest doesn't want to partake, take it away!" Newgate laughed loudly and lifted his legs from the basin.
Crew members immediately stepped forward to dry their Pop's feet and swiftly dismantled the Aquabliss Foot Spa. Newgate rested his boots on the deck and looked at Shanks again.
"Speak. What do you want, coming all this way?"
"What do I want? You've probably already guessed." Shanks sat down cross-legged, asked a nearby crew member for a large bowl, and popped the cork on the jug he had brought. He smiled at Newgate. "This is booze from my hometown. Give it a try."
With that, he poured a cup and tossed the massive jug straight toward Newgate.
Newgate caught it casually and downed the contents in one gulp. "Not bad," he grunted, then sighed heavily. "Roger, Garp, Sengoku... there are far fewer familiar faces on the seas these days."
He looked at the man before him. "That little apprentice kid on Roger's ship back then has really made a name for himself. Our crews used to clash all the time, and I remembered your face from all the fighting, Gurarara~"
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