On the deck of the Red Force, the sea wind carried a faint, salty bite.
Benn Beckman, a cigarette clenched between his lips, strode into the captain's cabin and slapped a dossier onto the table.
"Captain. The latest intel."
"Beckman…"
Shanks turned his head. "How bad is it?"
"Katakuri has already led the main forces of the Big Mom Pirates out of Totto Land."
"That greedy woman couldn't wait any longer. She's moving on Whitebeard's territory."
"Over at Onigashima, the Beast Pirates are also gathering. From the looks of it, Kaido plans to head straight for Marineford to join the chaos."
"Their mobilization should be finished soon."
Glug.
Shanks grabbed the bottle on the table and tipped it back, taking a long swig.
The burning liquor slid down his throat, yet it did nothing to ease the weight pressing on his chest.
The balance of this sea had been completely shattered.
This time, the Navy had moved far too fast, far too decisively.
It was nothing like the institution he remembered, one constantly shackled by internal restraints.
Something had happened behind the scenes. Something big enough to shake the very foundations of the world.
This could not continue.
If they set sail for Headquarters now, they might still make it in time.
The war had to be stopped from spreading further. This sea could not be allowed to spiral completely out of control.
"Beckman. Pass the order."
Shanks set the bottle down with a dull thud.
"All hands, prepare to sail."
His gaze hardened, unwavering.
"Our destination: Marineford."
Soon after, a deep hum rolled across the deck.
The sails of the Red Force snapped open.
The ship turned its bow and surged toward Paradise at full speed.
...
Somewhere in the New World.
This stretch of sea was a mandatory route back to Paradise.
With the main forces of the Whitebeard Pirates fully deployed, vast regions of the New World had descended into utter chaos.
Countless pirates who had once lain low now poured out in droves.
They fought over the territories Whitebeard had left behind, slaughtering one another without restraint.
Burning wrecks drifted across the waves. Corpses floated among the debris. Cannon fire thundered without end.
It was a vision straight out of hell.
A fleet of ten massive Navy warships cut through the sea.
At the head of the formation was the iconic dog-headed battleship.
"..."
Luffy stared blankly at the scene before him, his small head filled with enormous confusion.
This was the New World?
How was this anything like the adventurous paradise Shanks had described?
Along the way, he had seen no banquets shared among friends, no adventurers chasing their dreams.
Only endless killing, and faces twisted with madness.
Garp stood at the bow, his Justice coat snapping violently in the wind.
"See this, Luffy?"
"This is the sea you yearn for. This is the 'freedom' you talk about."
Boom!
Before his words had fully settled, a cannonball screamed through the air and slammed into the water ahead of the ship, sending a towering column of spray skyward.
Not far away, a pirate ship flying a blood-stained skull flag arrogantly swung its cannons into position.
The pirates aboard roared with laughter. They clearly had no idea whose ship they were targeting.
"Hahaha! A Navy ship! Boys, close in!"
"Yohoho! Our luck's good today! That ship looks expensive! Grab the women and the treasure!"
Luffy clenched his fists instinctively.
So this was what New World pirates were like.
Faced with the symbol of justice itself, they felt no fear at all. Instead, they looked on like predators eyeing prey, brimming with greed and brutality.
BOOM!!!
Before the pirate ship could fire again, the massive battleships following the dog-headed vessel unleashed their wrath.
Dozens of heavy cannons roared in unison.
Orange-red fire tore through the air in a continuous wave.
The pirate ship, along with the hundreds aboard her, was instantly engulfed by overwhelming firepower.
Splintered wood, shredded sails, and mangled limbs shot into the sky amid the explosions, only to be torn apart further by the shockwaves.
Luffy's mouth hung open as he stared at the sea, now littered with nothing but scattered fragments of wreckage.
Hundreds of pirates, laughing arrogantly just moments ago, were gone in an instant.
"See that, Luffy?"
Garp turned around, looking down at his grandson from above.
"In the age of the Navy, this is what happens to pirates."
"The 'freedom' those dead pirates talked about was built on plundering and slaughtering the weak."
"The Navy exists to make sure civilians are not harmed by people like them."
"..."
Luffy wanted to argue.
He wanted to talk about his promise with Shanks, to say that the Pirate King was the freest man on the sea.
But everything he had seen along the way…
Ace's despairing eyes behind bars…
That pirate ship that had just opened fire on the Navy…
Each memory weighed on his chest until he could barely breathe.
For the first time, his dream began to waver.
Just then, a low hum echoed.
A warship accelerated from the rear of the fleet, and a figure leapt lightly across.
She wore a Navy vice admiral's uniform, her hair tied up neatly, her expression calm and composed.
The Navy's chief strategist, Tsuru.
Her voice was as serene as ever. "Headquarters just sent word."
Garp nodded. "What did they say?"
"All preparations are complete. The execution is about to begin."
Tsuru's gaze briefly swept over Luffy, who stood pale and dazed to the side, before she continued.
"According to the final decision, we must keep the scale of this war within controllable limits."
"The Navy's objective is to annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates and weaken the other Emperors as much as possible."
"But under no circumstances can we allow them to arrive at Marineford at the same time and introduce uncontrollable variables to the battlefield."
"So Headquarters' directive is this."
"Let one pass… and stop the other two."
Her tone was calm, but the meaning behind her words was suffocating.
The Navy was preparing to confront two Emperors of the Sea at once.
The madness of it.
And the confidence behind it.
At that moment, the lookout shouted, "Report!"
"High-speed vessel sighted ahead!"
"It's the Red Force!"
"The flagship of the Red-Haired Pirates!"
As the report fell, both Garp and Tsuru turned their eyes toward the horizon.
A sleek, crimson ship with a dragon-headed prow cut through the waves, charging straight toward them at full speed.
"Hmph!"
Garp clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking loudly.
"So it's you, Red-Haired brat. You're the one who used that vague talk of 'freedom' and 'adventure' to poison my grandson's mind?"
He bared his teeth in a fierce grin, battle intent blazing in his eyes.
"Think you can get past me?"
"Then you'd better pay the toll in full."