As the signal flare was fired—
Gaban swung his axe, forcing Charlotte Linlin back. A grin spread across his face as he said:
"Sorry about this, Linlin. We made quite a mess of your place. I'll apologize properly next time—bye~"
With that, he ignored Charlotte Linlin's furious roar, turned around, and ran. In no time, he reached the shore, dove straight into the sea, and disappeared while holding his breath underwater.
As a Devil Fruit user, Charlotte Linlin had no way to deal with that. She could only stand on the shore, cursing furiously.
It wasn't just Gaban—Roger and Rayleigh did the same. It might be difficult for them to defeat Harald, the Holy Knights, and the two Five Elders together, but if they wanted to escape, no one present could stop them. The two split up and dived into the sea from different directions, quickly fleeing underwater.
Garling wanted to lead Harald in pursuit—after all, neither of them were Devil Fruit users.
But Saint Saturn stood at the shore and spoke calmly:
"That's enough. Clearly, our plan has failed."
Garling's expression twisted in frustration, as if he wanted to say something several times but held himself back.
He really wanted to say—if that bastard Valthior had switched sides during the battle, they would never have ended up in such a miserable state!
But seeing that Saturn didn't seem to care at all—and that Saint Nasujuro also appeared to have accepted the outcome—he ultimately didn't have the courage to voice his complaint against Valthior.
"Valthior's strength… was rather unexpected. What's with those eyes of his?" Nasujuro asked suddenly, his gaze fixed on the distant Oro Jackson as it sailed away.
Though no one had spoken during the battle, the Holy Knights had already used "mental communication" to report everything that had happened.
Because of that, Nasujuro had learned that Valthior had actually heavily injured Harald at a critical moment.
That shocked him greatly.
"He calls it the 'Sharingan.' As for what exactly it is, I do not know. I have already reviewed the bloodline records of the Jaygarcia family, yet nothing like his case has ever appeared…" Saturn replied, a trace of confusion on his face.
He had known for a long time that Valthior's eyes were unusual.
At first, he had only thought it was some peculiar bloodline trait that enhanced Valthior's learning ability. Though curious, he hadn't looked into it deeply.
It wasn't until Linderland Island—when those eyes awakened an even greater power—that he began investigating again, searching through the family's lineage records… only to find nothing.
"A genetic mutation, perhaps? Quite a rare case," Nasujuro said, stroking his chin.
Over the centuries, the various noble families had continuously intermarried, absorbing the bloodlines of powerful outsiders. It wasn't impossible that someone carried such genes, leading to a form of atavism in Valthior.
Besides, the Jaygarcia family's history went far beyond a mere eight hundred years. Who knew if something similar had existed in ancient times? At this point, trying to trace it would likely be impossible.
Pushing that thought aside, Nasujuro soon turned his gaze toward the depths of Whole Cake Island. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Although our plan to capture the Roger Pirates has failed, that possibility was already within our expectations. However, this trip wasn't without gains… wouldn't you agree?"
His line of sight passed over the vast ruins, locking onto Charlotte Linlin, who now stood there looking somewhat at a loss.
Saturn spoke at the right moment:
"That is precisely one of the reasons I chose this place as the battlefield. We wouldn't return empty-handed, after all."
The strength of Roger's crew was well known. Capturing them was never going to be easy—otherwise, they would have been taken down long ago.
So even though the plan failed, the Five Elders were able to accept it.
This operation had merely been a gesture—something to show, so they could give an explanation to Imu-sama in the future.
Before long, battle erupted once again on Whole Cake Island.
Charlotte Linlin unleashed her soul power wildly, but the Five Elders, the Holy Knights, and Harald surrounded her in what could only be called a "righteous group beating."
After about half an hour, Charlotte Linlin was heavily injured, fell unconscious, and completely lost the ability to resist.
Saint Saturn and Saint Nasujuro didn't stay any longer. They quickly dismissed the teleportation power and returned to the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Meanwhile, the Holy Knights searched the island. Unexpectedly, they couldn't find the Poneglyph. In the end, they took most of the Big Mom Pirates' wealth—along with Charlotte Linlin herself.
"According to Saint Saturn, there's no need to send Charlotte Linlin to Impel Down. Instead, she'll be handed over to the Marine's newly established scientific unit for research. If we can replicate her terrifying bloodline talent, it will undoubtedly be a powerful asset for the World Government," Garling said as he looked at Charlotte Linlin, who was being carried by Harald.
Harald had already bandaged his wounds. He nodded.
"Then I'll personally escort her to the Marines."
"Much appreciated," Garling replied.
Harald fell silent for a moment. His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something—but in the end, he let out a soft sigh and said nothing, turning to leave.
In truth, he had wanted to ask about the earlier proposal—about him joining the Holy Knights.
And whether Elbaf could, because of that, come under the World Government's banner.
But it was clear—the Five Elders hadn't mentioned it at all. That alone was an answer, so Harald chose to remain silent.
Once everyone else had left, Garling suddenly slammed his fist into a chunk of rubble, shattering it as he cursed:
"Damn that Valthior! Doesn't this count as betrayal!? If it weren't for him, we would've taken down the Roger Pirates and killed Rayleigh! Why do those two not care at all!?"
Sommers leaned against a rock nearby, shrugging.
"Maybe one of them has some deeper plan?"
"Instead of complaining, shouldn't we think about this—why is it that we, who share the blood of the Twenty Kings, haven't grown nearly as strong as Valthior in just a few short years?" Maffey said, biting down on her cigar.
She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was obvious—the Holy Knights were… kind of weak.
Gunko didn't say anything, but there was a strange look in her eyes, and her cheeks were faintly flushed.
The marriage arrangement Saturn had mentioned before… now, she felt like it wasn't so unacceptable after all. Valthior was strong, handsome, and of high status.
"How about we just don't go back to Mary Geoise? Let's form a God's Pirates crew and give it a try?" Sommers suggested, clearly stirring the pot.
Others might not feel it as strongly, but he and Valthior were truly on the same level—both heirs of the Five Elders' families.
Valthior had gone out to sea as a pirate, growing this powerful and living freely. Sommers couldn't help but feel a bit envious—he wanted to experience the thrill of the seas himself.
Garling was just about to refuse when Gunko suddenly spoke:
"You've been deceived, Garling."
"Hm? What do you mean?" Garling asked, confused.
"There's a kid on the Oro Jackson who looks exactly like Shamrock," Gunko said quietly.
"What!?" Garling's expression changed drastically.
"You're sure you didn't see wrong?"
"I'm certain," Gunko replied without hesitation.
"That bastard Valthior! Didn't he tell me the kid on their ship was Rayleigh and Shakky's child!?" Garling shouted angrily.
"There's another child about the same age. That's probably the one he was talking about," Gunko added.
Clearly, she thought Buggy was Rayleigh and Shakky's kid.
The reason Gunko brought this up was simple—she wanted to stir Garling into chasing the Roger Pirates again. Just like Sommers, she wanted to roam the seas freely.
"That Valthior just keeps getting more annoying. So what do you think, Garling? Want to take my suggestion? Let's form the God's Pirates, chase them down, and take your kid back!" Sommers urged.
Maffey grinned.
"I'm in. I want to snatch Valthior back."
Gunko said nothing—but it was obvious she agreed.
Garling hesitated, his expression complicated. After a moment, he said:
"Forget the pirate crew. But for now, we don't have anything else to do—so we'll continue pursuing Roger's group under the name of the Holy Knights…"
None of them even stopped to consider whether they could actually defeat the Roger Pirates—they had already decided to keep chasing them.
...
Meanwhile, Kaido had no idea that his "big sister" was about to be delivered to him by Harald.
Thinking about it… perhaps this was fate at work. The battle of Whole Cake Island had essentially destroyed the Big Mom Pirates—but it also seemed that a new force was quietly beginning to take shape.
...
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