The news that the Totto Land had been infiltrated by Arima spread quickly across the seas.
At that moment, Kaido was gulping down liquor, his voice booming. "King, where are we now?"
The All-Star known as "King the Wildfire" replied, "Kaido-sama, one more day and we'll reach Dressrosa."
"One day? I can't wait that long!" Kaido slammed his sake jug down.
"Linlin said that Arima's family is still in Dressrosa. That fool! What a fatal weakness! I'll, hic, snatch them up myself! Maybe I can trade them for that Poneglyph!"
With a thunderous roar, Kaido transformed into his massive azure dragon form and soared toward Dressrosa.
King watched his Kaido-sama's figure disappear into the clouds, his expression hidden behind his mask. "Jack," he asked, "do you think Arima will try to ambush us?"
The Drought, Jack, shrugged. "Who knows? Either way, he won't find Kaido-sama's treasure! But if he did…"
He didn't finish his sentence. Though he had confidence in Queen, Arima was too unpredictable for comfort.
Jack added after a pause, "Queen's guarding Onigashima. Even if he's defeated, he'd never betray Kaido-sama."
Yet his tone lacked conviction; worry lingered beneath his words.
"Let's hope so," King muttered. He remained on high alert, when it came to that mysterious man, he dared not relax for a moment.
When the Five Elders received word of the incident in Totto Land, they immediately reinforced the security of Mary Geoise. They had a growing suspicion that Arima's true aim was the Poneglyphs.
To that end, they personally called Sengoku and ordered that Arima be eliminated at all costs.
After receiving their call, Sengoku realized that Arima's existence had once again thrown the already fragile balance of the seas into chaos.
He immediately gathered Tsuru and the others to discuss the next operation.
Though the Navy had suffered a crushing defeat last time, it hadn't been for nothing.
They'd learned that lower-ranked soldiers were useless in this kind of war, sending them in only meant needless casualties. So this time, only Vice Admirals and above would be mobilized.
Through extensive investigation, they'd discovered a pattern: though Arima could seemingly teleport between locations, every place he'd visited bore a strange marking afterward.
Thus, Sengoku's new strategy was to use Kizaru's light-speed to restrict Arima's movements while simultaneously destroying every site marked with his symbol.
Yet one thing still troubled Sengoku. So far, only Arima and Tsunade had been seen in action, but according to Garp, there was still an unidentified powerhouse aboard the Konoha Senju.
To prepare for the worst, Sengoku invited former Kong to return to duty, and even Zephyr, the "Black Arm," now headmaster of the Marine Academy, joined the operation.
Except for the Impel Down guards, virtually every Marine elite was now assembled.
"Isn't this a bit much?" Garp asked, biting into a doughnut.
Sengoku sighed. "Arima has completely shattered the balance of the Grand Line.
Worse, he can freely infiltrate Mary Geoise itself, and his obsession with the Poneglyphs makes him even more dangerous. Compared to him, your son Dragon's crimes look trivial."
Garp fell silent, deep in thought. In truth, he still admired Arima.
He had never imagined the young man would come this far. But finally, Garp made up his mind, this time, he would show no mercy.
Night fell, yet Sengoku and his officers were still poring over maps and reports. Information on Arima remained scarce, forcing them to refine their plan with what little they knew.
Then came a call from CP0.
"Hello, Sengoku speaking."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, our agents report that the entire Dressrosa Kingdom has been completely abandoned. The northern island of Green Bit has vanished as well.
We've yet to locate Arima, but one woman, previously seen aboard the Konoha Senju, remains inside the royal palace."
The CP0 officer delivered the latest intelligence crisply.
They had no idea what had been happening in Dressrosa over the past week, Arima had already wiped out the government's embedded agents there, leaving them blind.
"Understood," Sengoku replied. "Good work." He hung up, his expression darkening.
"What's wrong, Sengoku? That brat Arima ran off again?" Garp mumbled around a mouthful of doughnut.
Sengoku removed his glasses and wiped the lenses slowly.
"Tsuru, what do you think Arima is planning? Dressrosa's empty. Green Bit's become a floating island. Could Shiki the Golden Lion be involved? If so, why? What's Arima's goal?"
Tsuru frowned. "Speculation won't help. If one of his comrades is still in Dressrosa, that means Arima himself will show up there too. With his temperament, he'd never abandon his family."
With limited intel, she couldn't offer much more.
Garp scratched his nose, grinning. "Even if he's our enemy now, I still admire that kid. A man who protects his family no matter what, that's something I respect!"
Sengoku snorted. "Yeah, well, Shanks admired him too, and now your precious grandson's following in his footsteps! You still can't do a damn thing about it!"
Garp scowled. "That Shanks guy… gutsy, I'll give him that. Betting an arm on Luffy… damn it, he's really dead set on turning my grandson into a pirate!"
His frustration was obvious.
"Alright, enough about that. Our top priority is, "
Puru puru puru! The Den Den Mushi suddenly rang, cutting Sengoku off.
"Hello, this is Sen, ahem, this is Sengoku speaking!"
He'd almost slipped his tongue.
"Fleet Admiral, both Yonko, Big Mom and Kaido, have arrived in Dressrosa!
They've already engaged Arima's forces at sea! Kaido is fighting Arima directly, while Big Mom is battling the red-haired woman accompanying him."
"What? They've already clashed? Good! We're heading there immediately, full speed ahead!"
Sengoku ended the call and gave the order. The fleet surged forward toward Dressrosa, determined to reach the battlefield before dawn.
Meanwhile, Arima had already received word of the confrontation. He hadn't expected Kaido and Big Mom to arrive a full day earlier than he'd predicted.
"Tsunade, let's move. The clone might not hold off Kaido for long, we can't let Grandma get caught between them."
Arima and Tsunade swiftly departed the shogunate's mansion. Along the way, they gathered several Devil Fruits, small rewards in the midst of the storm to come.
For now, Arima left Wano's affairs untouched. What awaited him ahead was a battle unlike any before, one that demanded his full focus.
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