"What a headache."
Borsalino looked at Baby 5 and Buffalo standing before him and scratched his head in annoyance.
Baby 5 and Buffalo were extremely nervous.
They recognized Borsalino and couldn't believe that Rob Lucci had called in such a monster.
"Don't be nervous. I have no interest in dealing with Doflamingo."
Borsalino shoved his hands into his pockets and walked past Baby 5 and Buffalo, heading into the city.
"What should we do?"
Buffalo stared at Borsalino's retreating figure and wiped cold sweat from his forehead in fear.
Though they were technically on the same side, being near this monster who could become an admiral at any moment was incredibly stressful.
"Let's go."
Baby 5 stubbornly said, "The Young Master only told us to cooperate with CP9, not the Marines."
Buffalo nodded vigorously.
"Hey!"
Borsalino suddenly stopped and turned to look at them.
The two froze in place.
Borsalino pointed at a young boy on the ground and asked in a troubled tone, "Do you know who this kid is?"
Baby 5 and Buffalo quickly looked over. They didn't recognize him.
Borsalino scratched his head, stepped over the unconscious Page One, and continued walking into the city.
"Where did he come from?"
Baby 5 broke out in a cold sweat, feeling an inexplicable sense of horror.
She swore this punk-looking boy hadn't been there earlier.
Buffalo shook his head desperately.
The situation in Water 7 was becoming increasingly bizarre, and the two felt more and more powerless.
"That monster has entered the city."
Buffalo cautiously reminded Baby 5, hoping his partner would come up with a reasonable suggestion.
Should they leave?
Or stay?
Baby 5 gritted her teeth. "Let's go."
As soon as she spoke, a dark figure suddenly descended from the sky, landing beside Page One and transforming into a human figure.
"King!"
Baby 5 and Buffalo both exclaimed in shock.
Hearing the shouts behind him, King turned to look at them and coldly asked, "Who injured him?"
The two quickly shook their heads.
The infamous "Wildfire" King, one of the two All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates, had a terrifying reputation. His bounty of 1.39 billion Berries was enough to make them abandon their usual arrogance.
King's mask concealed his expression, and the brief silence made Baby 5 and Buffalo feel suffocated.
"Tell JOKER not to forget our deal."
After saying this, King crouched down, lifted Page One onto his shoulder, and walked away from the docks.
"That scared me to death."
Baby 5 watched King leave and patted her chest in relief.
The aura of a pirate with a 1.39 billion Berry bounty was truly overwhelming.
Buffalo hurriedly took out a Den Den Mushi.
The call connected.
"Young Master, the Beasts Pirates' All-Star King and Marine Vice Admiral Borsalino have arrived in Water 7," Buffalo quickly reported.
"Fufufufufu... Wait for me in Water 7."
Doflamingo gave the order and ended the call.
Baby 5 and Buffalo sighed in relief and quickly left the docks, waiting for Doflamingo to arrive in Water 7 himself.
"Brother Katakuri, Water 7 isn't as prosperous as I imagined."
Brulee looked at Katakuri stepping out of the full-length mirror, her tone tinged with disappointment.
"Hmm."
Katakuri walked forward and kicked open the clothing store's door, stepping outside.
The streets were deserted, and not a single shop was open.
News of the Beasts Pirates' attack had turned Water 7 into a ghost town.
Tourists had all fled on the sea train, while locals and pirate crews who had come for ship repairs hid in their homes or other safe places, unwilling to face the Beasts Pirates.
Only the shipbuilders like Iceburg and the mafia, who had some connection to the Beasts Pirates, were still active in the city.
"Hey, stop right there."
A few thugs called out to Katakuri from behind.
Iceburg had used the Beasts Pirates' infamy to pressure the mafia into helping search for Blueno's whereabouts.
They had no choice but to work desperately, scouring the entire city for clues.
"Brother Katakuri, wait for me."
Brulee hurried out of the clothing store after him.
"What an ugly woman."
One of the thugs burst into laughter.
Katakuri's eyes turned cold, and he instantly disappeared from his spot.
"Ah!"
A series of screams followed as Katakuri crushed the thugs' throats.
"Let's go."
Katakuri casually tossed aside the corpses and walked ahead.
"Doflamingo is planning the same thing as me."
Reddy stood in the alternate dimension created by the Door-Door Fruit's power, watching Brulee follow Katakuri with a smile on his face.
After discovering that Baby 5 and Buffalo were working with Rob Lucci and the others, he knew his plan to shift blame had failed.
But then the Beasts Pirates arrived in Water 7.
So Reddy kidnapped Page One, hoping that Ulti, the hotheaded older sister with a brother complex, would stir up trouble and create an opportunity for him.
Only chaos would allow him to profit from the confusion.
Ulti didn't disappoint him. As expected, she clashed with CP9.
Reddy took the chance to kidnap Ulti as well.
Just as he predicted, Ulti alone couldn't stand against the combined forces of CP9 and Doflamingo, so Kaido sent King, whose mobility was unmatched.
However, Reddy hadn't expected that not only would King, the Beasts Pirates' All-Star, be drawn in, but also the future admiral Borsalino.
At this point, Reddy was ready to leave.
He wasn't confident he could defeat the future admiral Borsalino yet.
If there was no advantage to be gained, there was no point in sticking around.
The Lunarian genetic sample was powerful, but it wasn't essential. There would be other chances in the future.
But then he saw Brulee, the Mirror-Mirror Fruit user, the most crucial part of his plan. He knew he had to stay and take risks.
"We'll meet again soon."
Reddy smiled and headed to the beach.
Returning to the real world from the alternate dimension, Reddy summoned his clone.
Soon, Reddy was carried into the sky.
Over an hour later, the clone landed with Reddy on a deserted island.
Reddy snapped his fingers.
The clone crouched and pressed its hands against the beach.
The entire island rumbled and slowly rose into the air, flying toward Water 7.
While the island was en route, Reddy and the clone explored it.
The island wasn't large, with a small mountain at its center and dense forests surrounding it.
"The perfect hunting ground."
Reddy smirked. This was the arena he had prepared for Borsalino and the other big shots—his hunting ground.
Night fell.
The deserted island silently descended near the waters of Water 7.
Reddy then had the clone carry him back to Water 7 before summoning another clone, Blueno, and using the Door-Door Fruit's power to leave the beach.
"An... an island?"
Iceburg and the other top shipbuilders stared at the deserted island that had appeared near the shore, completely stunned.
When the shipbuilders had reported it earlier, they hadn't believed it.
But now they did.
"What a troublesome guy."
Borsalino's lazy voice startled Iceburg and the others.
"Vice Admiral Borsalino..."
Iceburg's eyes flashed with hatred, but he quickly masked it and stepped forward to ask, "Vice Admiral Borsalino, do you know where this island came from?"
Borsalino rubbed his chin. "You'd best not get involved."
Iceburg and the others had nothing to say.
They now realized their own powerlessness.
Borsalino ignored them and disappeared in a flash of light.
After a long silence, Iceburg looked at Dokuson and the others. "Let's cooperate. We're not as strong as we thought. Only by working together can we have a say."
Dokuson and the others exchanged glances and had to admit Iceburg was right.
If they lacked strength, unity was necessary.
Once the seven major shipyards merged, even the World Government wouldn't be able to ignore Water 7.
With the three top shipbuilders' approval, Iceburg silently swore, "Master, I will protect the blueprints. No matter what."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━