A sound of rewinding came from the phonograph, and Olga’s voice rang out once more. She had set the phonograph to replay, clearly intending to show off her glorious achievements again.
Crack.
Lucky Roux crushed the phonograph with a stomp, then pulled out a new piece of roasted meat from behind his back.
“Boss, what now? Looks like we’ve been played.”
“Head to Marineford. Stop them before those guys stir up an even more terrifying situation.”
“And this place? We’re just leaving it?”
“Leave it. Tracking her isn’t that easy—it’d be a waste of time. And if we come up empty again, the trouble will really be big.”
At least Whitebeard would take his subordinates and Ace into consideration and wouldn’t destroy everything at all costs. But Kaido was different.
If Kaido were allowed to go on a rampage in Marineford unchecked, the resulting cost would be catastrophic.
The 100,000 Marines stationed at Marine Headquarters had been mobilized from all over the world. If the casualties among those 100,000 were too extreme, it would severely undermine the Marines’ ability to maintain order in other regions.
Though it wouldn’t shake their foundation, it would cause them to lose control for a period of time.
Right now, the rules of the world were dictated by the World Government, and the Marines were the largest force of order. Without their protection, the seas would plunge into greater chaos—a scenario Red Hair did not want to see.
He had come here deceived by an illusion, mistakenly believing Kaido was leading the charge himself.
And the reason he believed Olga’s words wasn’t because he trusted her, but because he understood Kaido’s character.
If Kaido really were leading the attack, there’s no way he’d use some trick to lure him away. He would’ve walked right up, kanabo in hand, and fought him head-on.
The Red Force turned its course and sailed toward Marineford.
“By the way, Boss, did you really lose to that woman twice?”
Life aboard Shanks’ ship was harmonious. On normal days, the crew didn’t give Shanks much face either. When it came to digging up Red Hair’s dark history, they were all very interested.
“I did lose. Those were some memorable days.”
“So she actually beat you in a head-on fight?”
“That was a long time ago—a long time ago! No way I’d lose to her now!”
Shanks’ voice carried a slightly goofy tone—that was always his style. Before a major battle, this kind of demeanor could help the crew relax a bit. Even so, he couldn’t guarantee whether his reputation would actually work in a situation like this, or if it might trigger a new fight instead.
Marineford, even before the arrival of the new forces, had already become even more chaotic. The appearance of the escapee forces made an already chaotic battlefield even chaotic.
“Revolutionary Army officers, escaped convicts, former Shichibukai okama? What kind of combination is this?!”
Watching the bizarre group emerge from the warship that fell from the sky, the soldiers at the cannons didn’t even know how to react. Garp, standing on the execution platform, looked absolutely embarrassed.
Both of his grandsons had now appeared on this battlefield—and both bore identities that Garp least wanted to face: pirates.
Sengoku’s expression, under the glow of the Great Buddha, remained largely unchanged. He barely even reacted. Compared to Kaido from earlier, these people didn’t count for much. Even combined, they couldn’t cause as much destruction as those few under Kaido.
The Marines felt conflicted, and so did the escapees. On their way from Impel Down to Marine Headquarters, they hadn’t had any access to intelligence from Marineford.
They had originally thought this was simply a battle between Whitebeard and Marine HQ, but the situation on-site turned out to be far more complicated than they imagined.
“Kaido of the Beasts… That lunatic’s here too? Straw Hat boy, this battlefield just got a whole lot more complicated.”
Ivankov, who had been hiding in Level 5.5 of Impel Down, had chosen to escape after learning of Luffy’s identity. As for how he discovered Luffy’s identity—it was entirely thanks to the Heracross beside him.
Hercules had drawn a simple stick-figure sketch right on the spot to help Ivankov understand. Though abstract, it conveyed the message with remarkable accuracy.
“Kaido? Why would he be here? But who’s Whitebeard? Wasn’t he supposed to be some old guy? I don’t see him anywhere.”
Luffy didn’t care about the chaos. He just wanted to save Ace. No matter how powerful the enemies present might be, his goal wouldn’t change. It’s just that he’d heard Kaido’s name too many times, which stirred up a bit of confusion.
“Heh, where there’s war, there’s Kaido. It’s perfectly normal for him to show up here. As for Whitebeard… isn’t he right over there?”
A golden hook pointed forward. Crocodile, having gotten enlightened, had left his training ground. Among the escapees, he was the first to notice something unusual about Whitebeard.
He remembered clearly what Whitebeard was like in his youth.
To him, the fact that the old man had grown young again was not good news—especially after seeing Whitebeard fighting both Kizaru and Akainu at the same time without being at a disadvantage. The shadow in Crocodile’s heart only grew heavier.
Whoosh!
A piercing sound of something cutting through the air rang out. Half of Crocodile’s head suddenly vanished—Doflamingo had arrived without making a sound.
“Long time no see, you damn crocodile. Heard you got thrown in prison—I was heartbroken for quite a while, you know. After all, I’m the one who passed your intel to her.”
“Desert Spada!”
Crocodile’s arm turned into yellow sand and shot toward Doflamingo. That sentence had hit him harder than anyone could imagine.
“You b*stard! Over ten years of planning—all ruined by you!”
“Fuffuffuffu, now, now—don’t put it like that. Even without me, it’s not like you were guaranteed to succeed.”
“But I’m offering you a chance now. How about we join forces? This sea is about to undergo an unprecedented upheaval. If you want to succeed, you’ve got to seize the moment!”
White threads formed a shield in Doflamingo’s hand, blocking Crocodile’s attack, which was full of resentment. He then continued with his alliance proposal.
“You saw it too—the difference in strength. You don’t have the power to defeat those monsters, so relying on their strength is your best option.”
“But right now… all I want is your head!”
Crocodile, transformed into sand, appeared behind Doflamingo, his golden hook slamming down toward Doflamingo’s skull.
He actually wanted to settle an old score with Whitebeard more—but that part of the battlefield was completely inaccessible now. Magma, lasers, and tremors were all affecting the surroundings. As the battle intensified, they couldn’t control the aftermath anymore. From time to time, Marines and pirates alike were getting hit by the shockwaves.
In the best case, they were injured. In the worst, they died. Both pirates and Marines were doing their best to stay far from that zone.
Since he couldn’t intervene over there, Doflamingo, who conveniently appeared in front of him, became the perfect outlet for Crocodile’s resentment.
“Straw Hat boy, this battlefield is extremely dangerous. With your current strength, you might—Straw Hat boy?!”
After Crocodile ran off to fight Doflamingo, Ivankov had originally intended to explain the situation of the battlefield to Luffy, to make him understand just how dangerous it really was.
He was Dragon’s son—that’s why Ivankov was willing to help him.
But before he could even finish speaking, Luffy had already disappeared from sight.
“Ace! I’m coming to save you!!”
“That reckless behavior… doesn’t resemble Dragon at all. Beetle boy, you’ve really got your hands full.”
“Heraaacross.”
“No choice, everyone! Let’s charge in too! Hee-haw!”
With a strange laugh, Ivankov led his people as they leapt off the warship, charging toward the execution platform as well.
You can read ahead upto 75 chapters on my patreon and I’ve also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon.
Become a Patron!