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3rd Chapter Today, Enjoy :)
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Akainu's nerves were stretched to their absolute limit.
Individually, Katakuri, Jack, and Fire Fist Ace were of no concern to him. Before the power of his Magma-Magma Fruit, the three of them together wouldn't last long.
What truly horrified him were the three Emperors they represented.
Kaido and Big Mom's pirate alliance, and Sky Sovereign.
How could the three Yonko Commander-level figures under their command be meeting in the New World??
Are they... negotiating a truce?
Akainu's brow furrowed as his mind raced.
If they made peace, it would be a terrible shame. A war between three Emperors was an unprecedented chance!
Once the three Emperors were exhausted, the Navy could intervene with overwhelming force, potentially destroying all three pirate crews. Even if they couldn't destroy them, they could achieve astonishing results!
But—Sky Sovereign Rowen, as an Ultimate Human, would surely have anticipated this danger. Akainu had experienced the man's terrifying intellect firsthand. The wisdom granted by the Human-Human Fruit made him virtually infallible in battle, allowing him to instantly capitalize on any enemy weakness.
The same applied to war.
Expecting the user of an awakened Human-Human Fruit to make a major strategic blunder was impossible.
Is he seeking a truce with the other two Emperor crews after realizing the danger of our intervention??
Just as Akainu felt a pang of regret, the dialogue from the broadcast footage sent a chill of absolute horror down his spine.
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"Now that we're all here, let's discuss the operation to annihilate the Navy," Fire Fist Ace's casual laugh came from the footage.
"HMM???" Cold sweat beaded on Akainu's forehead.
Not a truce? An alliance??
To annihilate... THE NAVY??
THREE WARRING EMPERORS WERE TEAMING UP TO ANNIHILATE THE NAVY?!
"Hmph, Sky Sovereign wants to become the man who stands above all. He sees the Navy and the World Government as great enemies that must be eliminated. But we're pirates. What's in it for us?" Jack's gruff voice boomed.
"Indeed," Katakuri's grave voice agreed.
"Since we contacted you and orchestrated this grand theater of war—Sky Sovereign will naturally ensure your efforts are not in vain," Ace smiled.
"For the Big Mom Pirates... it has always been Big Mom's wish for the Giants to join Totto Land, has it not? On this point, our Sky Sovereign Grand Fleet can assist."
Ace looked towards Katakuri.
"Oh? And how would you assist?" Katakuri's gaze sharpened.
"Give this letter to Big Mom. She'll understand." Ace produced a letter.
"Wait. I need to contact Mama," Katakuri said, stepping into a mirror and vanishing into the Mirror World.
Akainu frowned. 'Dammit! Now we can't hear the conversation between Katakuri and Big Mom! What's written in that letter? Does Sky Sovereign really have a way to convince the giants to join them??'
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A moment later, Katakuri reappeared. "Just some bargaining chips. Not enough to make our Big Mom Pirates cooperate with you."
So, Katakuri admitted the letter contained something Big Mom needed, but not enough to guarantee the Giants' cooperation?
Akainu's frown relaxed slightly.
The Giants were a race the World Government had been trying to recruit for centuries. Adult Giant warriors possessed terrifying physical strength. And the World Government likely had special reasons for needing the Giants' power.
Hence, any adult Giant who joined the Navy was granted the rank of Vice Admiral—a clear sign of their efforts to recruit them—and Big Mom's dream of Totto Land was to create a nation with all races, the race she desired most was the Giants, thus she had never given up on the idea of an alliance, even a marriage alliance, with them, though she had never succeeded.
If Sky Sovereign could guarantee the Giants would join Big Mom's Totto Land, that would be truly strange... But from the information in the footage, it was clear that Sky Sovereign held something that could influence the Elbaf Giants' decision.
"As for the Beasts Pirates... Kaido's dream is to start a war that will overturn the world and drag the ruling class onto the battlefield. Cooperate with us, and that dream is right in front of you, isn't it?" Ace smiled, looking at Jack.
"Hmph! You think that's enough to get us to tie ourselves to your war chariot?! I haven't forgotten the pain Straw Hat inflicted on me!" Jack snorted.
"If not for that, how could the Navy believe we were really at war? In the end, didn't the Surgeon of Death heal all your injuries?" Ace placated Jack.
"Then... how about we add ONE PIECE to the deal? Is that enough?"
Ace's words made both Jack and Katakuri stir.
"Sky Sovereign wants to become the man who stands above all. He has no interest in the title of Pirate King. His target is the Navy, the World Government. If you want One Piece, go and take it... Sky Sovereign will not intervene. In fact, he will tell you some things about it. Don't forget, we have the Dark King Rayleigh, a man who has been to the final island." Ace smiled.
"For you, the son of the Pirate King, to say such a thing... how ironic," Katakuri commented coldly.
"I never acknowledged that bloodline. Right now, I only want Sky Sovereign to become King," Ace replied, flames burning in his eyes, looking dangerously at Katakuri.
"Fine. When Mama has an answer, I will inform you," Katakuri, not dwelling on the issue, stood up.
"Hmph. Same here," Jack said, transforming into his mammoth form.
"Very well. I'll await good news," Ace smiled.
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"This is the first segment of the footage," the staff officers looked nervously at Akainu.
"Meaning there's a second?" A deep sense of unease washed over Akainu.
"Yes. Because the first segment didn't confirm if both sides reached a cooperation agreement, Drake didn't immediately transmit it. After all, the more he acted, the greater the risk of exposure," a Staff Officer explained.
"And the second segment..." The staff officer's finger trembled as he played the footage.
"MAMA HAS AGREED," Katakuri's voice stated.
"THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL HAS AGREED," Jack grumbled.
"Excellent! Then, according to the plan, we will annihilate the Navy," Ace smiled.
"Does Sky Sovereign have a good strategy?" Katakuri asked.
"We just need to start the war. Of course, we won't harm your members. In the process, we will continuously concentrate our forces at a single point," Ace smiled.
"What's the use of that?" Jack grumbled.
"Don't be so hasty. As long as our conflict continues to escalate, and our combat losses increase, the Navy will definitely act. We will lure them onto the battlefield," Ace smiled.
"What if the Navy doesn't act? Won't we have wasted our efforts?" Katakuri asked.
"If there's no action, then after concentrating our forces, we will launch a surprise attack directly on Marine HQ. A surprise attack by three Emperor crews... the Navy will surely be caught off guard," Ace explained the backup plan.
"Using war as a cover to mobilize troops and weapons?" Katakuri nodded.
"Exactly. At that time, Sky Sovereign will use his Rumble-Rumble Fruit's reconnaissance ability and his Door-Door Fruit's ability to transport Kaido and Big Mom together. The three of them will strike at once, taking out several Admirals in a short time, and the great deed will be done," Ace announced.
"Of course, the final gathering point must be as close as possible to Marine HQ—otherwise, Sky Sovereign's ability cannot be used for transport," Ace smiled.
"Understood," Katakuri and Jack, representing their respective Emperors, agreed to this action plan.
The footage ended completely.
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"Fleet Admiral... what... what do you think?" The staff officers were cold to the bone, looking at the grim-faced Akainu.
"What does Drake say?" Akainu asked.
"We have confirmed it with Drake repeatedly. The news is from him. The alliance between Big Mom and Kaido was also reported immediately by Drake," a staff officer quickly replied.
"Ooh, How scary~ So the pirates' goal is to completely annihilate our Navy," Kizaru commented, no longer trimming his nails, his expression incredibly grave.
"THAT BASTARD! ROWEN!" Akainu grit his teeth, crushing his cigar.
"WE CANNOT LET THEIR THREE CREWS GATHER!" Akainu stated with iron certainty.
The Navy had six Admiral-level fighters. The pirates had four—Rowen, Kaido, Big Mom, and G4 Luffy—plus Rayleigh as a wildcard. But Rowen's power alone was off the charts.
During the Summit War, he had single-handedly suppressed both Akainu and Sengoku—it had taken Garp's intervention just to stop him.
Kaido was hailed as the World's Strongest Creature.
Big Mom was a master of Haoshoku Coating with the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit.
If the four of them, with their combined Haoshoku Coating, attacked together... they could instantly kill one or two Admirals.
IT WOULD BE A CATASTROPHE.
And the combined might of their three massive pirate crews would inflict unimaginable losses on the Navy.
Retreat from the New World? Out of the question. It would be a fatal blow to morale and his own authority. They had no choice but to strike first.
The original plan to reap the rewards as a fisherman was now dead.
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"Sakazuki... where do we strike first?" Kizaru asked Akainu. With the Navy's survival at stake, Kizaru no longer showed any laziness.
"BIG MOM!" Akainu's eyes showed a ruthless glint.
The Big Mom Pirates, and Big Mom herself, were the weakest of these three Emperors!
Pick the softest persimmon to squeeze.
In a war of this scale, Akainu couldn't care less about such tactics.
War—Is Using Any Means Necessary!
"Besiege the Big Mom pirates! Use the blood of these commanders to force Big Mom herself to appear! Once Big Mom's movements are confirmed—you, Fujitora, and Ryokugyu will strike immediately! YOU WILL KILL BIG MOM!" Akainu roared, his eyes bloodshot. Deploying three Admirals at once—Akainu was going all out.
"Understood," Kizaru replied, swishing his 'Justice' coat.
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New World, on an island.
Katakuri, Jack, and Ace were here.
VMM!
The figures of Katakuri and Jack shimmered and dissolved.
They turned into... strings.
"The Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Nine-Tailed Fox's imitation ability, plus the String-String Fruit's string puppets... You can really stage any play you want," Ace commented, watching the scene with admiration.
"And the most crucial part—the Paw-Paw Fruit's ability. Without the information from Drake's mind, the Navy wouldn't have believed it," Rowen said, looking at the fallen Drake.
And the Drake beside Rowen—
VMM!
Also transformed into a string puppet.
Beside Drake, a memory orb appeared.
The Paw-Paw Fruit's ability to expel memories.
Through this method, how Drake contacted the Navy, how he proved his identity—Rowen knew everything.
Only through this Marine spy could the Navy completely believe the authenticity of this footage.
"To make them believe, you even used the Mirror-Mirror Fruit and the Mammoth form... If I were the Navy, I would have believed it too," Ace murmured in awe.
When attacking the Big Mom Pirates' supply depot, Rowen captured Brûlée, immediately stealing her Mirror-Mirror Fruit ability.
Then, using the String-String Fruit and Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit, he created a new 'Brûlée' to stay by Katakuri's side. With that access, getting a perfect copy of Katakuri's appearance was trivially easy, And because of the Human-Human Fruit's intelligence enhancement, that string puppet's micro-expressions, tone, were identical to Brûlée's.
Not even her closest siblings could tell the difference.
"Deal with these guys. I can't be too far from those string puppets, or my control will weaken. I'll inform you of the rest of the battle plan via Transponder Snail ability. Don't use any others—they'll be monitored by the Navy. Of course, any information we deliberately want to leak, let them listen all they want," Rowen instructed Ace.
"Understood," Ace nodded.
FWOOSH!
Rowen swished his cloak and stepped through an Air Door.
Soon, a piece of news shocked the world.
THE NAVY... HAD ATTACKED THE BIG MOM PIRATES!
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