"I have a question..."
Red-haired Shanks looked puzzled, turning back to Ben Beckman: "Why did the Konoha Pirates abandon Vegapunk?"
"You'd have to ask Vegapunk, I suppose?"
Ben Beckman glanced at Red-haired Shanks, recalling Shanks' personality, and jokingly said slowly: "Or... ask those monsters from Konoha?"
"..."
Red-haired Shanks' eyelids twitched.
"What?"
"Vegapunk was taken by Donflamingo?"
Saint Figarland Garling received the news instantly, not paying attention to Red-haired Shanks for the moment, his face immediately turned grim: "That fool Sakazuki... what exactly is he doing!"
Damn it!
What kind of joke is this!
The toughest task of preventing the Four Emperors from seizing Vegapunk was successfully overachieved, yet the simplest task of capturing Vegapunk failed instead!
This news quickly spread within the Navy, and the sailors were incredulous that Admiral Akainu, responsible for capturing Vegapunk, would fail!
This behavior was akin to the Navy fighting an annihilation battle against Pirate Super Rookies, with the frontlines successfully blocking two of the Four Emperors' reinforcements and even capturing them, while on the main battlefield the Navy responsible for eradicating the Pirate Super Rookies were defeated...
Is this...
A joke of the century being told here?
The Navy responsible for capturing Vegapunk were embarrassingly incompetent!
Honestly...
The responsibility being dragged to a naval court-martial would not be excessive!
However, Akihara Kagura and Kizaru's attitude towards Akainu was very mild, not immediately blaming him, and even proactively inquired about the battle situation.
"I heard that the Blackbeard Pirates stopped Admiral Sakazuki?"
After learning the reason, Akihara Kagura frowned in thought, bringing up some past events: "If that's the case, it explains a lot. The Blackbeard Pirates are very powerful, yet a crew that's easily overlooked..."
"It's said perhaps the Blackbeard Pirates even have support from the Revolutionary Army. Back when the Revolutionary Army suddenly assaulted Impel Down during the Enies Lobby incident, the Blackbeard Pirates were the first to break into Impel Down..."
"Is that so?"
Akainu's eyes narrowed, whispering to himself: "That pirate named Teach, is he an agent of Dragon outside? Why would Dragon use someone like that?"
Clearly.
Akainu knew the Revolutionary Army leader Monkey D. Dragon, and held a cautious attitude towards him, seemingly thinking quite highly of Monkey D. Dragon.
"Perhaps it's only utilitarian!"
Akihara Kagura shook his head, speaking softly: "I've fought against the Blackbeard Pirates on Sky Island; that man named Teach has a very bizarre ability, even being able to absorb and render my Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability unusable..."
"I've also encountered that..."
Akainu slowly nodded; he had faced the same problem.
If not for his reckless fighting style, he might have been torn to pieces by those wolf-like pirates from the Blackbeard Pirates...
"Alright..."
Kizaru, holding a glass of beer, smiled and said from the side: "Even though we couldn't capture Vegapunk for now, we did arrest both Charlotte Lingling and Hundred Beasts Kaido, two of the Four Emperors, which should at least appease those above..."
"..."
An unwilling gleam flickered through Akainu's eyes.
The man slightly turned his head, seeing the two Four Emperors being tightly chained with Seastone locks and escorted onto a ship by the Navy, feeling a bit embarrassed.
In truth...
Even though Akainu's task wasn't completed.
However, after receiving the battle report from the Navy, the World Government and Admiral Sengoku were quite pleased with the outcome at Shampodi Archipelago.
At least the Navy apprehended two of the Four Emperors and regained control of Shampodi Archipelago, the closest territory to Mary Geoise and Marineford, solving the Konoha Pirates' threat nearby.
Both the Five Elders and Marshal Sengoku had foreseen that once the outcome of this battle is publicized, the Navy's formidable prestige would undoubtedly resurge...
Furthermore...
The one who took Vegapunk was Donflamingo.
Whether the World Government wants to force Donflamingo to return Vegapunk by negotiation, demand, or military threat, it doesn't matter.
After all, Donflamingo's backing in the New World was the Four Emperors Hundred Beasts Kaido, but now that Kaido is in the hands of the World Government, Donflamingo has no choice but to comply...
Everything...
Is unfolding in the World Government's favor.
Even many good things happened consecutively, leaving no time to feel happy.
The Navy Headquarters tidied up and dispatched a batch of navy to re-station at the Shampodi Archipelago, gathering heavy troops to escort Charlotte Linlin, Hundred Beasts Kaido, and Flame Disaster King, these New World monsters, all to the newly built Impel Down, preparing to judge them at a chosen time.
However...
Katakuri escaped.
This, however, didn't matter much.
Compared to the two Four Emperors' major criminals, other minor pirates were not important.
The World Government had foreseen that when the two Four Emperors are judged, allied countries everywhere will surely fear the Navy's might, and the blazing revolutionary flames will be swiftly extinguished!
Of course.
This kind of thing definitely can't be handed over to someone else.
Just as Akainu, Kizaru, and Akihara Kagura, these top forces of the Navy were also heading to Marineford to await the World Government's rewards, they simply took charge of escorting these major criminals.
The result...
On the way back, they encountered a ship attempting to hijack prisoners.
The Hundred Beasts Pirates' Jack the Drought, perhaps out of some psychological reason, recklessly brought his pirate ship alongside the fleet, maybe to save Hundred Beasts Kaido at all costs...
"Lord Jack..."
A group of pirates shivered on the ship, reminding their superior: "The opponents are two Admirals of the Navy Headquarters, and also Akihara Kagura who defeated Lord Kaido..."
"Bring the ship closer..."
Jack the Drought's face bore long ivory tusks, his eyes fixed upon the two warships, on the decks of which Hundred Beasts Kaido and Flame Disaster King were bound.
"Is that Jack the Drought crazy?"
"Why dare to bring the ship over? Does he not know we have two Admirals?"
A group of navy personnel watched as a pirate ship with an elephant figurehead approached their fleet, seemingly intending to single-handedly hijack Hundred Beasts Kaido and Flame Disaster King!
"That Jack idiot..."
Flame Disaster King was tightly bound on the deck of a warship, gazing helplessly as Jack the Drought's ship approached, knowing that idiot couldn't be relied upon!
At this moment...
It was definitely not the time to come to a meaningless death!
Even if Jack the Drought had stayed honestly in the New World, even if he parted ways with Plague Disaster Queen and disbanded the Hundred Beast Pirates, Flame Disaster King wouldn't feel so upset...
"Brother Kaido, Brother King, I'm here to rescue you!"
Jack the Drought's voice was somewhat loud, instantly cutting through the layers of sea winds and waves, reaching the naval fleet.
"This guy..."
"Was he always this brave?"
Akihara Kagura, in the past life, had only heard rumors about Jack relying on the Ship King, but this time witnessed it firsthand on the ocean, watching as Jack the Drought's ivory ship sliced through waves toward the heavily armed naval fleet!
However...
The escort personnel in this fleet were overwhelmingly powerful.
Neither Akainu nor Kizaru, nor Akihara Kagura, lacked the combat strength to deal with Jack the Drought, let alone the navy's warship firepower being complete, certainly at a major advantage in battle at sea...
"All warships, fire a salvo."
Akainu watched the oncoming ivory ship and directly gave the order, then instructed: "If any pirates on the ship survive, capture them and escort them to Impel Down..."
The Four Emperors were captured...
Even their subordinate pirates came to die.
The minds of the navy personnel were filled with ambition, never before daring to treat the Four Emperors' pirate crews like this, even avoiding conflict with the Four Emperors in the past!
Now...
They captured whoever they wanted!
As the navy's collective adrenaline surged, a massive storm was brewing at the Holy Land Mary Geoise. Under the enthusiastic welcome of a cluster of Heavenly Celestial Dragons, the Divine Knight Order Commander Figarland Garling returned to Mary Geoise.
Even...
The two remaining Five Elders personally came out to greet him.
For at this time, any top-tier strength was extremely precious.
However, when Saint Saturn saw one of Figarland Garling's shoulders empty, a look of surprise appeared on his face: "Garling, your arm..."
Wasn't it...
The Figarland lineage people...
just can't keep their arms safe?