In the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku wore a gloomy expression.
"How's it going?" he asked.
A nearby Marine Lieutenant responded, but the answer was the same one he'd been hearing for days.
The Marines had been scouring the seas for the fleets of the two Emperors, but Kaido and Big Mom were nowhere to be found.
They, along with the countless pirates under their command, had vanished completely.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, it's no use," the lieutenant reported grimly.
"Whatever methods they're using to hide, our current intelligence network is useless against them."
"Indeed," another officer added. "Once they hide on a remote, uncharted island, we can't find them."
Hearing the reports, Sengoku's face darkened further.
"Is there no other way?" he gritted out, slamming his fist on the table.
"Sigh... Leon's invention of the anywhere door is a double-edged sword," Aokiji said with a deep sigh.
"It's an incredible tool for us, but once the enemy obtains it, the damage they can inflict is immense. But we can't stop developing our own technology just because of that risk, can we?"
"Why don't we go ask Leon?" Kizaru suggested suddenly. "Ooh, maybe he has an idea?"
Sengoku, Garp, and the others shook their heads.
"I doubt he'll know anything," Sengoku said in a low voice. "He only cares about his research and development. How could he have possibly anticipated these kinds of strategic drawbacks from inside his lab?"
"Well, we might as well give it a shot," Kizaru said with a helpless shrug. "We have no other options."
"Alright, let's go!" Sengoku stood up, opened a portal, and led Garp and the three Admirals directly to Leon's laboratory.
****
"Oh? I see," Leon said, his face showing genuine surprise after Sengoku and the others explained the situation.
"I didn't expect the door technology to be copied so quickly. It's truly impressive. It seems I've underestimated the scientists working for them."
"Leon, tell us, is there any way to find the whereabouts of Kaido and Big Mom?" Sengoku asked desperately.
"I don't know where they are," Leon replied with a mysterious smile.
"But just because I don't know, doesn't mean no one in the Marines does."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Sengoku asked, confused. "Who in the Marine would know their location and not report it?"
"Hehe, this guy, of course!" Leon laughed and clapped his hands.
"Come out, Imperial Angel!"
At his command, the Marine's only Yonko-class Seraphim walked out from the shadows.
"Huh?" Sengoku and the others stared in stunned silence.
"Leon, does this mean the Imperial Angel has a tracking functions?" asked Tsuru, the Chief of Staff.
"No, not exactly," Leon explained calmly. "But the Imperial Angel was created using the lineage factor of a powerful individual. In this case, Kaido. Its connection to his genetic material means it functions like a living Vivre Card. It can sense his location. We just have to follow it. It's simple."
Hearing this, joy erupted on the faces of Sengoku and the others.
They never expected the Seraphim to have such a function.
"Hahahahaha! As expected of you! you solved the problem that's been plaguing us for days so easily! This is great!" Sengoku couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The frustration they had felt was finally gone.
Revenge was at hand.
"Hehe, let them see the consequences of provoking the Marines," Akainu added, a ferocious smile spreading across his face.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! I volunteer to join the battle!"
Sengoku shook his head. "Not this time, Sakazuki. Let's test the power of the Imperial Angel." He turned and issued the order.
"This battle will be led by the Imperial Angel, commanding all Admiral-class Seraphim! Depart at full speed!"
Soon after, the Imperial Angel, leading four Admiral-class Seraphim, used an anywhere to jump to the nearest known island to their target's location.
Since they had never been to the island where Kaido's alliance was hiding, they couldn't travel there directly and had to approach by sea from the transit point.
*****
Meanwhile, on a remote, uncharted island, a massive party was underway.
The crowd was divided into three main factions: Kaido's Beast Pirates, Big Mom's Pirates with the Vinsmoke family under their banner, and the Donquixote Family led by Doflamingo.
Laughter and cheers filled the air.
Thanks to their new doors, they had been launching hit-and-run attacks across the world, causing major losses for the Marines.
They had evacuated from their old headquarters in advance, so the Marines couldn't even find them, let alone take revenge.
Seeing the Marines so humiliated brought them immense joy.
Even better, they were on the verge of a breakthrough.
With the joint efforts of their three groups, their own Admiral-class Seraphim was about to be completed—a "Royal Seraphim" they predicted would be far stronger than the Marines's models.
Their earlier concerns about the Marine's rapid increase in strength had been swept away.
They were already dreaming of how they would expand their territories and rule the world once they had surpassed the Marines.
The three ambitious leaders were all thinking the same thing.
Suddenly, Yonji of the Vinsmoke family came flying in from the direction of their temporary laboratory.
He landed before the leaders and announced excitedly, "Big Mom! Kaido! Dofflamingo! It's done! Our new product—the Royal Seraphim—has been successfully developed!"
At these words, Kaido, Big Mom, and Doflamingo erupted in joy.
"The Royal Seraphim is finished?!"
"Where is it? Take us there now!"
Both Emperors were inexplicably excited, the anticipation on their faces impossible to hide.
Following Yonji, they arrived to see Reiju and Ichiji slowly pushing out a massive, humanoid weapon.
"Is this the Royal Seraphim?" Kaido, Big Mom, and Doflamingo all stood up involuntarily, eager for a closer look.
The new Seraphim retained the key features of the Lunarian race—white hair, brown skin, and black wings—but its form was a monstrous chimera, combining powerful traits from all the great fighters they knew.
Its appearance was secondary, however. Its strength was all that mattered.
"This is the latest model," Judge explained. "Just insert a Dyna Stone to activate it."
"Alright!" Kaido stepped forward, picked up a Dyna Stone, and placed it into the concave slot on the Seraphim's chest.
The next moment, a vast and terrifying aura swept out from the machine.
"Huh?!"
In an instant, Kaido, Big Mom, Doflamingo, and the other top commanders were shocked, their faces twisting in horror.
The aura was simply that powerful.
But their fear quickly turned to wild excitement.
The stronger their weapon, the better.
Just from this aura alone, it was clear that this Royal Seraphim was far more powerful than the Marine's Admiral-class models.
"Hahahahaha! Not bad, not bad at all!" Kaido's eyes lit up with joy.
"Let's name him Kaido No. 1!"
"Um... Kaido, I don't think so," Big Mom frowned, displeased.
"I provided most of the technology first. It should be named 'Charlotte'!"
"Hm?" Kaido shot back, equally dissatisfied.
Before they could argue, Doflamingo interjected smoothly.
"Fufufu, how about we see a demonstration first?"
"Hmph!" Kaido looked at Ichiji. "Show us what it can do! Let's see its strength!"
"Yes," Ichiji said, stepping forward.
"Have them fight directly," Kaido added. "That's the most intuitive way to see its combat power."
"Alright. Prepare three of our Warlord-class Seraphim! Begin battle!"
As soon as the words fell, the three older Seraphim models charged like leopards.
They attacked from three directions, unleashing a coordinated barrage of lasers.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a whoosh, the Royal Seraphim moved with impossible speed, a blur of motion that perfectly dodged all three attacks.
In an instant, it appeared before one of the Warlord-class units.
A pair of fists wrapped in Armament Haki smashed down.
CRASH!
The Warlord-class Seraphim was sent flying backward like a cannonball, crashing heavily into a nearby mountain and covering it with spider-web cracks.
Before it could recover, the Royal Seraphim moved nimbly between the other two, striking out repeatedly and defeating them in short order.
The beaten Seraphim rejoined the battle, but their participation didn't turn the tide.
The Royal Seraphim, with its overwhelmingly majestic aura, completely suppressed all three of them at once.
"Mmmamamama, not bad!" Big Mom's eyes lit up as she laughed.
Kaido was equally happy.
This was a weapon truly worthy of their alliance.
Doflamingo's face was filled with shock.
"This Royal Seraphim is truly powerful," he said with awe. "Three Warlord-class units working together were completely overwhelmed. It's conceivable how terrifying its strength is. It really is much stronger than the Marine's models!"
At that moment, Doflamingo was ecstatic.
This was the first time their side had truly surpassed the Marine's technology.
He wasn't the only one; the Vinsmokes, the All-Stars, and all the other pirates erupted in cheers.
With a weapon like this, what did they have to fear from the Marines in the future?
"Very good!" Both Kaido and Big Mom wore smiles that were hard to hide.
They felt that ruling the world was now just around the corner.
"Why don't we call it 'Emperor One'?" Doflamingo suggested with a smile.
"Emperor No. 1? Not bad," Kaido nodded. Big Mom didn't object, giving her tacit agreement.
"Fufufu! Then let's call it Emperor No. 1!" Doflamingo laughed, his face twisted with malice.
"And where there is a No. 1, there will be a No. 2, and a No. 3... As long as we continue to work together, one day the Marines will be razed to the ground! The world will ultimately be ours!"
Kaido and Big Mom laughed along, but their smiles didn't reach their eyes.
In this alliance of convenience, everyone had their own agenda.
Just then, an alarm blared across the island—urgent and shrill!
"Enemy invasion!"
At this, everyone's expression changed.
"How is this possible?!" Kaido roared in shock and anger.
"How could the Marines have found this place?!"
Big Mom snorted coldly, her face ugly as she vigilantly scanned her surroundings.
The next moment, the sky erupted in bursts of light.
Everyone looked up to see a terrifying volley of massive magma fists sweeping toward them, blocking out the sun.
Someone screamed in recognition.
"That's Admiral Akainu's 'Ryusei Kazan'!"
-----------------------------
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