Blizzard conditions continued to cascade from the sky. Though Garp was gradually gaining the upper hand, taking Shiraishi down entirely was still fraught with countless uncertainties.
At that moment, a massive column of fire descended from above, crashing into the center of the ice sheet. Ace had finally lost his patience and stepped into the fray. Though he still wore his ridiculous masked disguise, the sheer explosive force behind his punch sent chills down everyone's spine.
As raging heat swept across the frozen sea, shattering and melting the massive ice sheets, Unohana Retsu drew her Zanpakuto. A magnificent flying slash descended with a thunderous roar, cleanly cleaving an approaching Marine warship in two!
"Heh... A Grand Swordsman indeed."
As Redfield shifted his attention toward Unohana, Uchiha Madara leaped high into the air, appearing directly above him: "You're distracted!"
Dark flames coalesced into a giant black fire dragon that plummeted straight down. Madara's offensive was relentlessly fierce, instantly forcing Redfield back as a crimson sword-beam flashed in counterattack.
Madara once again caught Redfield's rapier. Observation Haki flared in his eyes as a black flame blade formed along his palm, slicing downward.
BOOM!
Redfield stepped back several paces, flicking his rapier to unleash a wave of pressure-backed Haki that quickly neutralized the searing flames.
The overall strength of this pirate crew...
The captain and vice-captain alone were holding off Garp and Patrick Redfield, while the remaining crew featured a Grand Swordsman, a mysterious archer, and a Logia capability user.
The Sunagakure Pirates unquestionably possessed the foundational depth to become a legendary pirate faction.
As the surrounding ice sheets rapidly dissolved, Garp and Shiraishi continued trading fierce, heavy blows. Though Shiraishi took several solid hits, his frigid air currents simultaneously inflicted compounding delays and frostbite on Garp's body.
It had to be said that Garp's Haki was ridiculously strong—so strong that Shiraishi found it exceptionally grueling to deal with. However, the legendary Marine Hero had far too many concerns on the battlefield, namely the safety of his subordinates.
The fleets under Vice Admirals Doberman and Stainless had already collapsed. Facing Unohana Retsu and Kikyo, the surrounding Marines found themselves completely outmatched—especially against the shrine maiden archer.
Although her arrows carried no lethal intent, anyone struck by them suffered temporary sensory paralysis and body restriction due to Kikyo's subtle sealing techniques.
Naturally, these specialized toxins applied to her arrowheads were Shiraishi's creations...
As the giant ice field finally reached its limit and began a full-scale collapse, Garp chose to protect his falling Marines, relinquishing his pursuit of Shiraishi.
Seeing Garp disengage, Shiraishi had zero desire to prolong the fight. He rapidly returned to the Shukaku, driving the warship at maximum speed directly past Loguetown's waters and straight toward Reverse Mountain!
With the ice fully melted, the Sunagakure Pirates' heavy warship pierced through Loguetown's coastal blockade, bringing the battle of Loguetown to a definitive close.
The Marines had failed to capture the Sunagakure Pirates!
Moyard and the entire crew burst into triumphant cheers. While they hadn't outright destroyed the Marine fleet, breaking through a blockade led by Hero Garp and reaching Reverse Mountain was a monumental victory in its own right.
"Still... will this trigger an even larger Marine crusade against us?"
"The Grand Line is currently dominated by monsters like Shiki, Whitebeard, and Roger. Marine Headquarters simply doesn't have the spare forces..."
Over the course of the following year, Gol D. Roger would complete his grand conquest of the Grand Line, achieving his dream and becoming the celebrated Pirate King.
When that time came, the entire world would boil over, plunging the World Government into deep panic—fearful that Roger had discovered the true secrets hidden within the Void Century at Laugh Tale.
Under immense pressure from the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, Marine Headquarters would be forced to redirect all available combat power toward containing the Roger Pirates, leaving other pirate factions sidelined.
Even now, Roger's movements in the New World commanded the hyper-focus of Marine Headquarters. This operation at Loguetown was already the maximum force the Marines could afford to deploy against the Sunagakure Pirates.
"Reverse Mountain is right ahead!"
Moyard gripped the ship's wheel with white knuckles, staring nervously at the colossal mountain towering before them!
Reverse Mountain—also known as Mountain Reverse—was an extraordinary and perilously treacherous landmark that served as the mandatory gateway into the Grand Line. The mountain featured five distinct $X$-shaped canals, with four currents flowing inward and one flowing out.
Four of these canals carried ocean currents up toward the summit, each originating from one of the four seas: East Blue, West Blue, South Blue, and North Blue. The final canal channeled the merged waters downward into the Grand Line.
Reverse Mountain served as both the starting point of the Grand Line and its functional end, as the far side led directly toward the edge of the New World.
The sea currents from all four ocean basins were so overwhelming that they literally defied gravity, forcing water to flow uphill. Feeling the ship rapidly ascending along the inclining waters, Shiraishi's eyes glinted with anticipation.
The Grand Line...
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters...
The outcome of the battle at Loguetown sent shockwaves throughout the upper ranks of the Marines.
"To handle a crew of this caliber, we would need to deploy at least two Admirals! But Marine Headquarters simply doesn't have the surplus forces to spare!"
Fleet Admiral Kong rubbed his temples in frustration. He couldn't comprehend where this Sunagakure Pirates crew had suddenly spawned from, nor did he understand Shiraishi's true objective.
Allowing them to enter the Grand Line was bound to introduce even more chaotic variables and storms to an already turbulent sea.
Following an emergency strategic meeting regarding the core combatants of the Sunagakure Pirates and their entry into the Grand Line, Marine Headquarters issued an updated set of bounty posters that stunned the world...
In this era, a bounty exceeding 200 million Berries represented a major top-tier threat on the high seas—a far cry from the rampant inflation decade later when bounties regularly eclipsed a billion Berries.
Unfolding the newly printed newspaper on deck, Shiraishi squinted at the bounty posters: "Our bounties multiplied several times over this time."
"Hmph..."
Madara snorted in mild annoyance at seeing his bounty placed lower than Shiraishi's once again. However, given Shiraishi's official role as Captain and his own as Vice-Captain, the Marines were unlikely to give him a chance to surpass the captain's bounty anytime soon.
As the journey into the Grand Line officially began, Shiraishi gazed out toward the distant horizon, lost in thought.