The sea was dotted with hundreds of merchant ships rising and falling with the waves.
Since Garp entered the East Blue and took control of Loguetown, a crucial hub for entering the Grand Line, the situation in the East Blue had greatly improved.
Pirate raids had significantly decreased, leading to a boom in commerce. Loguetown had directly become a major commercial center.
Every day, numerous merchant ships arrived in Loguetown.
When Golden Lion Shiki lifted the island, the resulting waves swallowed some of the merchant ships. However, ships designed for navigation were not so easily destroyed by the waves.
These hundred or so merchant ships managed to survive.
Every ship was packed with people.
Yakovich stood at the bow of one of the ships, staring blankly at the whirlpool created by the rising island, which still hadn't completely disappeared.
"Lieutenant Yakovich!"
A Marine soldier squeezed through the crowded deck and approached Yakovich to report.
Loguetown was a strategic location and the most important transportation hub in the East Blue.
Its population was far from small.
A hundred merchant ships had been pushed to their absolute limits to accommodate so many people.
With every rise and fall of the waves, each ship risked capsizing.
This did little to reassure the residents who had barely escaped with their lives.
"Report to Lieutenant Commander Smoker."
Yakovich snapped out of his daze and, with low spirits, told his subordinate to go to Smoker.
When Golden Lion attacked, he had ultimately chosen to save the majority, abandoning Ark and the other children.
His conscience was tormenting him.
Now that they were temporarily out of danger, he no longer had the courage and instinctively chose to avoid the issue.
"You are a Marine lieutenant, Yakovich!"
Smoker happened to be looking for Yakovich to discuss how to handle the residents. Seeing Yakovich's low morale, he lit a cigar, his expression somewhat lost.
Right now, he could only use this excuse to console himself.
Sacrificing the interests of a few to save the majority—that was reality.
Compared to the children trapped in the area where Garp and Golden Lion were fighting, the lives of the town's residents clearly carried more weight.
Smoker didn't know if his choice was right or wrong, but he could understand Yakovich's feelings.
"Lieutenant Commander Smoker, I understand."
Yakovich forced a smile and pulled himself together, immediately ordering the Marines on deck to calm the residents.
Once Smoker saw that Yakovich had regained his composure, he exhaled a puff of smoke and irritably glanced at the nearest overloaded merchant ship.
"We need to find a way to leave this place."
He had no doubt that the Marine hero Garp could defeat Golden Lion.
But as a Devil Fruit user himself, he knew all too well that once a user lost consciousness or died, their ability would vanish.
When that happened, the island floating high in the sky would plummet into the sea, creating a massive tsunami. None of the hundred or so merchant ships on the water would escape.
"Lieutenant Yakovich, find enough sailors and have them steer the ships toward the nearest land."
Navigation was a skilled profession. Not just anyone could sail a ship, especially when every vessel here was severely overloaded. Only experienced sailors could ensure the ships didn't capsize.
"Understood!"
Yakovich saluted and immediately mobilized personnel to search for skilled sailors among the passengers on every ship.
Seeing that Yakovich had regained his rationality, Smoker activated his ability. His arms transformed into smoke ropes, linking the bows of every ship together.
Then, his lower body turned into smoke as he flew into the air, using his own strength to pull the entire fleet.
Loguetown was known as the Town of Beginnings and Endings. It was never short of experienced sailors.
These sailors quickly raised the sails and worked with Smoker to steer the fleet toward the nearest island.
The fleet's departure calmed the terrified residents slightly.
However, the wind was unfavorable, and Smoker struggled to pull all hundred ships alone.
The fleet's speed was far from fast.
"My god!"
A desperate scream suddenly came from one of the ships.
Passengers on the other ships also saw the shocking sight unfolding in the night sky.
Under the night sky, a massive shadow was slowly descending, picking up speed as it fell.
Rocks of all sizes rained down into the sea like hail, the resulting waves causing the fleet to pitch violently, nearly capsizing several times.
Fortunately, the sailors were veterans, and Smoker was doing everything he could to stabilize the fleet, preventing any disasters.
But the interference slowed the fleet's speed even further.
"We're doomed!"
Panic once again spread across the decks of every ship.
Despite Yakovich and the Marines' best efforts to calm everyone, the harsh reality was undeniable.
"Dammit!"
Smoker exhaled twin streams of smoke from his nostrils, veins bulging on his forehead as he strained every last ounce of his strength, desperately dragging the fleet forward.
The shadow of the falling island grew larger and clearer. More rocks fell.
Yakovich and the other Marines stopped trying to reassure the crowd and focused on deflecting any rocks that might hit the ships.
Thirty seconds at most!
Aside from the Marines, there were also former pirates and bounty hunters among the civilians with plenty of experience. They quickly estimated how much longer they had to live.
Faced with such a terrifying disaster, nearly everyone gave up resisting.
What else could they do?
The only ones who hadn't given up were Yakovich, the Marines… and Smoker.
"If we can get just a little farther, we might survive the tsunami!"
Smoker was exhausted, his vision swimming, his arms numb and devoid of sensation. He was running on sheer willpower, clinging to the last shred of strength to pull the fleet further from the island's impact point.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Marines on every ship's deck fired their guns at the descending island, shooting desperately.
Even though they knew it was pointless, no one stopped.
Yakovich's face now showed resignation as he tightened his grip on his sword, silently waiting for the moment the island hit the water to unleash his final, full-power strike.
Because as the island drew closer to the sea, the thunderous sounds from above proved that Garp was still fighting Reddy.
What right did he have to ask Reddy to save them?
He wasn't the only one who thought this way. Smoker felt the same, which was why he was straining himself to pull the fleet.
...
"Hey, kid, what are you waiting for?"
The island still hadn't stopped falling, and Garp couldn't break through the clone army's encirclement. He was growing increasingly impatient and roared at Reddy outside the circle.
Reddy stood with his hands in his pockets, a gentle smile on his face as he shrugged.
"I'm the Evil Scientist, with a 3 billion berry bounty from the World Government, you know."
Garp: "..."
He had no retort.
That was true.
The World Government had labeled Reddy with a 3 billion berry bounty, branding him as the Evil Scientist in their propaganda war, painting him as the ultimate villain.
What right did he have to demand that Reddy save the people below?
"What an annoying brat."
Garp grumbled irritably, backhanding a clone that happened to be behind him and sending it flying. Seizing the moment before the other clones could fill the gap, he retreated from the encirclement.
Without another word to Reddy or the clones, he sped away from the island at incredible speed.
Time was running out.