The pirates sprang into action, notwithstanding that merely thirteen pirate factions and their respective crews had been organized. These included the Straw Hat Pirates, the Heart Pirates, the Kid Pirates, the On Air Pirates, the Hawkins Pirates, the Fire Tank Pirates, the Drake Pirates, the Bonney Pirates, the Blue-Eyed Pirates, the Lasers Pirates, and the Band Pirates.
These remained the sole visible pirates at the culinary venue, whereas the remaining buccaneers had all been vanquished alongside their competitors in the scramble for the treasure chest. Buggy and his crew concealed themselves within the forest, scrutinizing the entire situation while biding their time to seize the treasure chest.
"That treasure belongs to me," Luffy asserted, cracking his knuckles decisively.
"Cease your incessant prattling and exert your utmost effort to claim it. Room!!"
Law activated his Devil Fruit just as Gojo activated his Infinity, his inner thoughts warning him that catastrophe would ensue if he failed to toggle his Infinity into an active state.
Gojo lunged forward to apprehend Law, but Luffy intercepted his trajectory with a devastating punch. Zoro unsheathed his three swords, his eyes catching a glimpse of his childhood nemesis several metres away.
"Isn't that Ryuken?" A smirk danced across Zoro's lips. "What an unexpected turn of events."
"Where do you think you're going, moss head?" Sanji hissed, deflecting the bullets discharged at him by Jake using only his legs.
Foolio's voice reverberated throughout the atmosphere as he observed the pirates systematically slaughtering one another in perfect unison. "Who shall claim the enigmatic treasure?" He appeared exhilarated, utterly indifferent to his own exposure and the enslaved individuals confined underground.
Furthermore, he failed to comprehend that the marines were already traversing toward the Upper Yard, accompanied by Smoker, who had known him back when he served as a commodore at Marineford.
The apprehension of being exposed by Smoker—or alternatively by the vice admirals stationed in Crownfall City—never once crossed his mind, for he relied entirely upon the combat prowess of Vane and his personal guards to protect him should circumstances deteriorate.
Yet he remained equally oblivious to the fact that Vane intended to humiliate him thoroughly after disposing of the troublesome marines who had caused his scheme to collect the pirates' bounties to collapse so disastrously.
Ryuken cast aside the scabbard of his blade to deflect the assault from Zoro, whose countenance was adorned with a smug, competitive grin.
"Oh, I perceive you have developed some fortitude!" Zoro complimented his childhood rival, who had likewise received swordsmanship training under the tutelage of Master Isshin.
Ryuken ground his teeth together, propelling Zoro backward several steps across the ground. Sudden recognition dawned upon him. "Zoro?!! Is that genuinely you?" His eyes overflowed with exhilaration at being reunited with his childhood rival, a bond forged when they were mere youngsters.
"Who might that be? An associate of Moss head?" Sanji murmured to himself, sending one of Law's crewmates careening into Chopper—the cherished pet of the Straw Hat Pirates.
"Thunder Bolt Temple!!" Nami, the navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates, summoned a colossal lightning strike from the cloud she had artificially generated and electrocuted the targets registered upon her radar.
"N-Nami?!!" The sniper, Usopp, was likewise struck by Nami's offensive as he stumbled and collapsed onto the ground, smoke emanating from his mouth, feigning death while reasoning that he would no longer participate in the ongoing battle.
Bang! Bang!!
Foolio's voice thundered across the heavens once more. He pivoted his gaze toward the west and discovered the marine forces surging into the Upper Yard, gripping their diverse artillery as they marched forward imposingly.
His eyes widened in utter incredulity. How had the marines acquired knowledge of the pirate festival?
"Do not tell me… someone indeed betrayed us?" He swallowed laboriously, perspiration cascading down his brow as he contemplated the dire repercussions soon to befall him.
"Damn it, I must conceal myself." Unbeknownst to him, he was broadcasting every word he had been whispering to himself, compelling the participants to deduce that something was unquestionably suspicious about the festival.
"The marines!" He bellowed into the microphone, abruptly snapping the pirates from their absorption and causing them to jolt in astonishment.
"Did he just announce that the marines have arrived?" The captain of the Lasers Pirates immediately halted his offensive and evacuated the scene alongside his men, all of whom were covered in wounds.
Law hissed through gritted teeth, "I suspected something was undeniably off regarding this event." Amid the dire chaos of combat, Buggy seized control of the situation, detaching his fist from his torso and launching it directly at Law.
"Excellent strategy, captain!" Cabaji smirked approvingly.
His fist soared gracefully and snatched the treasure chest from Law's grasp. He then propelled his main body forward, reattaching it to his separated fist. "The treasure belongs to me now!" He cackled malevolently, diverting the undivided attention of every pirate toward himself.
Examining the treasure chest intently, he opened the container slowly and deliberately, disregarding the pirates who lunged at him from every conceivable angle.
A radiant golden glow emanated from the treasure chest for a measurable distance, revealing the countenance of a teddy bear whose face was frozen in a perpetual smile.
Tick tock! Tick tock!
The pirates abruptly froze in their tracks, utterly dumbfounded, as they stared at the treasure chest. A stream of mucus slid from Buggy's nostril as he recognized that the sound emanating from the chest signified only one horrific possibility.
A bomb!!
"Fuck."
Before he could hurl the chest skyward and escape, a colossal explosion erupted from the treasure chest, obliterating everything within its vicinity into smithereens.
The pirates registered on the radar were all ensnared by the blast, while Gojo could do nothing but activate his Infinity defensively. The detonation triggered a catastrophic earthquake that violently shook the entirety of the Upper Yard and Crownfall City.
The subterranean chamber where the enslaved individuals were confined began disintegrating, whereas the artificially constructed wooden structures started groaning incessantly before ultimately collapsing entirely.
The marine soldiers stationed underground to monitor the slaves were caught in the tremors, while certain enslaved individuals recognized this as the perfect opportunity to liberate themselves, sprinting desperately for their freedom.
Vane likewise perceived the sound of the explosion, comprehending that it was the predetermined signal for him and his guards to descend upon the pirates and decapitate them, yet that meticulously laid plan fell apart completely.
Foolio, having realized that his very existence hung in the balance, could do nothing but flee the island and retreat to Marineford, since his true identity remained undiscovered by the approaching marines and rear admirals.
The marine forces, commanded by rear admirals, marched aggressively into the Upper Yard and brandished their weaponry—including seastone implements—to subdue the pirates who wielded Devil Fruit abilities.
"Bepo, gather the crew, and let us escape immediately." Law clenched his teeth, fully aware that they could find themselves in an extremely perilous predicament should a vice admiral appear on the scene.
"Nami, you all proceed ahead and set sail without me," Luffy declared, cracking his knuckles while wearing a broad grin. "I have unresolved business to attend to. I shall rejoin you shortly."
Nami pressed her palm against her face, knowing full well that their captain never backs down from a confrontation. "Zoro, let us depart!" She commanded.
Zoro hissed quietly, maintaining deliberate distance between himself and his childhood adversary.
"Why do you not advance without me? We shall undoubtedly encounter each other again," Ryuken remarked with a smirk, waving dismissively at the retreating Zoro.
"Ryu, Jake, you both set sail immediately. I will rejoin you shortly," Gojo instructed, dismissing his crew members.
"Understood, captain!"
Gojo redirected his attention toward Luffy, who observed him from a distance. "You possess considerable strength, you realize? I genuinely believed your group would have been eliminated by that massive explosion," he acknowledged approvingly.
"I believe I must settle the score with you for striking my face," Luffy declared. He propelled himself forward through the throng of pirates assembled at the scene and charged directly at Gojo.
Gum-Gum Pistol!!
His arms stretched backward, warping his clenched fist together; he launched it hurtling toward Gojo, who remained completely unfazed by the rapidly approaching strike.
The fist collided with his Infinity barrier. Luffy's eyes widened in sheer disbelief as Gojo lunged forward, punching Luffy squarely in the face for the second time and forcing a mouthful of blood from the latter's mouth.
Luffy crashed directly into the first marine soldier who had stomped into the Upper Yard, sending that unfortunate soldier sliding backward across the ground.
"Whoops! The marines have arrived. Why do we not all cease this nonsense and flee immediately?" Gojo warned the remaining pirate captains.
"Stop that ridiculous talk, you scum," Captain Kid snarled. "I shall personally eradicate these worthless vermin while the rest of you escape."
That single statement ignited a fiery rage within the hearts of the pirates who had survived the massive explosion from the treasure chest earlier.
"Huh?" They roared simultaneously, utterly unaware that the marines had already confiscated their vessels anchored along the shore and completely surrounded the entire island.
****
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