In the New World, three Marine warships sailed in an arrowhead formation across the sea. Just ahead of the flagship, a pirate ship flying the Whitebeard Pirates' flag was desperately fleeing. On the deck of the leading ship, Diarmuid and Borsalino stood together, chatting.
"Are Whitebeard Pirate ships everywhere now?" Diarmuid asked.
Punk Hazard was located in the New World, so Borsalino was very familiar with the recent changes in the region. He nodded at Diarmuid's question. "There have been a lot more in the past few months. Now that the Roger Pirates have disbanded, Roger is dead, and Shiki the Golden Lion is locked up in Impel Down with his great fleet scattered, the New World has become a one-man show with Whitebeard on top. A lot of pirates think he'll be the next Pirate King and have joined his crew. I've even heard some people call this 'the Era of Whitebeard.'"
"The Era of Whitebeard? Heh. I wonder if they've bothered to ask us Marines. Pirates have risen and fallen on this sea, with countless heroes coming and going, but for eight hundred years, only the Marines have remained. There's only one true ruler on this sea, and that's us!" Diarmuid said without hesitation. Just as he said, countless pirate heroes have appeared, from Rocks to Roger, and then Whitebeard and Shiki, but the eternal ruler of the sea was always the Marines!
With a final word, Diarmuid raised a single finger and pointed at the fleeing Whitebeard Pirate ship in the distance.
Borsalino watched, a little curious. 'Did he learn that move from me?'
It had been a while since he'd seen Diarmuid in action. He'd heard from Sengoku that Diarmuid's strength was now great enough to hold his own against Shiki for a time, with only a small gap between them. He was likely just a step away from the world's most powerful fighters.
On the surface, Borsalino seemed to be at the same level, but he was holding back. No one in the Marines knew his true strength. Borsalino himself was confident that he could take on people like Admiral Sengoku or Whitebeard in a fight. He believed he had already entered the top tier.
Just as Borsalino was thinking this, he saw Diarmuid hook his finger. The speeding pirate ship came to a sudden halt, then slowly rose into the air. The next second, Diarmuid's finger pressed down, and the ship was slammed into the surface of the sea, instantly shattering. The impact left a massive crater in the water.
At the same time, a pirate with a long sword on his waist flew out from the wreckage, heading at high speed toward Diarmuid and the Marine flagship.
The seas were extremely dangerous, and without a ship, there was no way to survive. Since his ship had been effortlessly destroyed by Diarmuid, the pirate had to seize the Marine warship to have a chance.
The pirate was very decisive, which was to be expected from a subordinate of Whitebeard, even an unknown one. He had some skill.
Borsalino remained unfazed, his arms still crossed over his chest. He didn't seem to care about the pirate at all.
Diarmuid smiled and, before the pirate could reach them, asked, "Do you want to dance, too?"
The pirate was confused. 'What's he talking about?'
As soon as he finished speaking, a cold glint flashed as a slash flew past.
A chill ran down the pirate's spine, and he instinctively raised his sword to block. But at that moment, a powerful force of gravity crushed him, leaving him completely unable to move. Like a target, he hung frozen in the air.
His body was then sliced in half, blood spraying into the air as the two halves fell into the sea.
At the same time, Diarmuid slowly sheathed his Nagasone Kotetsu, saying, "At least he had courage."
"Was it necessary to draw your sword?" Borsalino asked, glancing at Diarmuid. Diarmuid could have taken out that pirate with a simple stomp.
"He dared to attack us, so I should show him a little respect," Diarmuid said with a smile.
The warship sailed for two more days until they reached Hogley Island. When the Marine warships docked, a commotion broke out on the island.
This was a base for civilian scientists, a place where researchers from all over the world gathered. They were shocked to see the Marines suddenly appear. Some who were researching forbidden technology immediately chose to run, only to find that the Marines didn't care about them at all.
"Vice Admiral Borsalino, according to the last message from our surveillance ship, the Big Mom Pirates' flagship, the Queen Mama Chanter, is only thirty minutes away from our current location!" a Rear Admiral said nervously.
Borsalino frowned and said, "Diarmuid, you stall Big Mom for me. I'll go get Dr. Vegapunk."
Diarmuid nodded. "I'll handle it."
The Queen Mama Chanter was Charlotte Linlin's flagship. If it was here, that meant Charlotte Linlin was here too!
Diarmuid turned and boarded another warship, ordering, "Set sail! We'll wait for Charlotte Linlin near the coast."
"Yes, Vice Admiral Diarmuid!" another Rear Admiral quickly responded.
They couldn't fight in the port, or Borsalino wouldn't be able to get Vegapunk out easily. Diarmuid would stall Charlotte Linlin first, and after Borsalino had the doctor, he would naturally return to support him. Or, if the situation allowed, Diarmuid was confident he could withdraw on his own.
It wasn't long before a massive ship appeared on the horizon. The ship looked like something out of a nursery rhyme, with vibrant, flashy colors. It even seemed to have a life of its own, constantly singing. The flag flying from its mast bore the Big Mom Pirates' emblem.
"Time to say hello…" Diarmuid said, his lips curling into a grin. He instantly drew his Nagasone Kotetsu, created a flurry of motion in front of him, and smoothly re-sheathed the sword.
The Rear Admiral next to him was bewildered. What is Vice Admiral Diarmuid doing? He thought he had seen a flash of energy shoot toward the sky.
At the same time, on the Queen Mama Chanter, Charlotte Linlin was gorging herself on a cake while her eldest son, Perospero, stood beside her. "Mama, there's a Marine warship ahead."
"Hmph! I knew the Marines would try to get in my way!" Charlotte Linlin snorted. She had just sunk a Marine surveillance ship, which meant they were being watched. She wasn't surprised to see a Marine roadblock. "Sink it!" she ordered, finishing her cake in one bite.
Suddenly, Katakuri, who was sitting nearby, froze. He looked up at the sky. "Mama, turn the ship around!"
"Katakuri? Did you see something in the future?" Charlotte Linlin asked, surprised. Recently, Katakuri had been able to see into the future from time to time. She followed his gaze to the sky.
She no longer needed an explanation, her face turning blank and dazed. 'What in the world?'
If she wasn't mistaken, a meteor was hurtling toward their ship!
"I knew the New World weather wasn't simple!" Charlotte Linlin cursed. She thought she was just having bad luck. The weather in the New World was strangely chaotic, and while a meteor falling from the sky seemed absurd, it wasn't impossible.
"Mama, it's not the weather. It's a Marine. It's probably Rodriguez Diarmuid!" Katakuri said grimly. He stood up and looked toward the distant warship, hoping to catch a glimpse of Diarmuid.
Although Katakuri had told her to turn the ship, Charlotte Linlin had no intention of doing so. With a vicious grin, she said, "A Marine trick, huh? He must be quite powerful. Is he the brat who beat you, Diarmuid?"
As her voice dropped, Napoleon, her captain's hat, jumped from her head and landed in her hand, instantly transforming into her longsword, the Emperor Sword.
"Ikoku!!!" Charlotte Linlin roared, slashing her sword toward the burning meteor. The powerful slash ripped through the sky. When it hit the giant meteor, it didn't shatter it but instead completely vaporized it, as if the meteor had been erased from existence. Not even a speck of dust remained.
"Not bad…" Charlotte Linlin sneered. The meteor had looked imposing, but it turned out to be nothing but a cheap trick.
On the Marine warship, Diarmuid raised an eyebrow. He knew the meteor wouldn't be enough to defeat Charlotte Linlin, but he hadn't expected her to completely annihilate it.
"Is this what you get from a monster who's been on this sea for decades? Even without the Yonko title, she already has the strength of one?" Diarmuid whispered to himself.
In fact, this might even be Charlotte Linlin's peak. Twenty years from now, she would be nearly seventy. At forty, she was in her prime.
As Charlotte Linlin moved, Diarmuid saw her true, massive form, which was nothing like the bloated "old hag" he knew. She was strong and formidable, with a gloomy look to her face. He could see that she might have once been a great beauty. Her body was a bit out of shape, but it looked strong, not fat.
Not thinking about it any further, Diarmuid propped his foot on the railing, and the Nagasone Kotetsu at his waist flashed as it left its sheath.
"Gravity Blade: Ocean's Roar!" Diarmuid shouted. A powerful force of gravity surged from his hand, instantly lifting the entire sea in front of the warship and creating a tsunami that crashed toward the Big Mom Pirates.
"Mama!!!" Perospero screamed.
"Quiet!" Charlotte Linlin snapped, a ferocious grin on her face. She reached out and grabbed at the empty air.
The next moment, the Queen Mama Chanter began to rise into the sky. It wasn't a levitation, but the sea beneath the ship was surging up. In a moment, a giant tsunami, complete with a human face that was singing, appeared beneath her ship.
This was Charlotte Linlin's power, Soul-Soul Fruit: Wave of the Sea.
The two enormous waves crashed into each other, creating a colossal explosion of water!
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