"Pwah!"
Shanks shot out of the water and spat out a mouthful of seawater. While he had let his guard down, he hadn't expected Yassop, a gun user, to be able to kick him that far.
"Yassop!"
Shanks shouted, ignoring the pain. Yassop didn't reply; he just kept showering Kaido with bullets.
"Compared to Alucard's bullets, that's barely an itch."
Kaido's whiskers fluttered as he withstood the rain of bullets. He grabbed Yassop's rifle, gave it a fierce swing, and flung Yassop and his gun in an arc through the air before they smashed heavily onto the ground.
"Urgh!"
Yassop's back slammed hard. Kaido stepped forward, aiming to crush him like an insect, but Yassop threw away his gun and jumped to the side at the last second, avoiding Kaido's attack.
But what can a sniper do without a gun?
Glancing toward the sea behind him, Yassop yelled, "What are you messing around for! Hurry up and go! We already lost a lot of crewmates! It won't matter if you count me in too!"
Hearing Yassop's words, Shanks's heart felt as if an invisible hand had instantly squeezed it.
That's right. They had lost a quarter of their crew in the last conflict, and on Arderay Island, nearly half the crew was either dead or wounded. They had given their lives so he could escape, and Yassop was doing the same.
But because Yassop was one of his oldest crew members, the bond was deepest, which was why Shanks felt such painful reluctance.
Thud. Thud!
Every step Kaido took sounded like an earthquake. In four or five strides, he was in front of Yassop. "I told you, none of you are leaving."
Poot! Poot! Poot!
In sharp contrast to Kaido's intimidating footsteps, an irritating sound, like flatulence, came from the direction of the island's interior. It was Dr. Indigo.
"That... 'Excuse me~~'"
Facing Kaido, Dr. Indigo had no mood for silent acting. Rubbing his hands, he cautiously addressed Kaido. "If you don't mind, why don't you leave this small fry to us and go after Shanks? It wouldn't be good if he got away, would it?"
"Hmm?"
Kaido raised an eyebrow, his focus shifting to Dr. Indigo. "Who are you? Daring to interfere with my business."
"Just a researcher under Alucard-sama. If you don't hurry, Red-Hair Shanks is going to escape."
Facing Kaido, Dr. Indigo couldn't help but look somewhat nervous. The other Immortal Pirates crew members behind him held their breath for him.
Kaido deliberated for a moment, then ignored Yassop, jumped into the sea, and began chasing Shanks.
"You bastards!" Yassop roared.
Dr. Indigo, as if he hadn't heard him, wiped his face, which didn't have much sweat, and returned to his habit of performing a mime act.
The Immortal Pirates crew members ignored Dr. Indigo's bizarre habit and easily subdued the disarmed Yassop.
"The order requested from Alucard-sama was not to kill the Red-Hair Pirates prisoners for now; they will be useful later," Dr. Indigo said, speaking after he finished his mime routine.
"If you can talk, stop doing those weird movements..." everyone complained weakly.
In the seas off Arderay's border, the Vice Admiral Issho was sitting cross-legged on the deck, slurping down noodles, while Kuzan was covering his face with a book, sound asleep on another ship. The other two Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals, Dalmatian and Momonga, were dutifully standing at the bow, guarding and observing the situation.
"Issho-san, is this really the time for noodles?" Even though the soldier had seen this many times, he couldn't help but offer a reminder.
The moment the soldier spoke, Issho stopped eating, his expression turning serious. Over half the noodles remained in his bowl.
Seeing Issho's grave demeanor, the soldier who had just spoken was terrified and quickly bowed in apology. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have interrupted your meal!"
Issho placed his bowl aside, stood up, and told the bowing Marine, "No need for that. Prepare to engage."
No enemy was yet visible on the sea, but no one doubted Issho's command. They quickly turned the ships, loaded the cannons, and prepared for battle. Issho's Observation Haki was the strongest in the Marines, capable of sensing the flow of clouds several nautical miles away, and he could use it to identify unseen individuals.
Kuzan, who had been taking a nap, took the book off his face. His usually relaxed expression became solemn. They're facing two Yonko, after all. Well, the main target is the Red-Hair Pirates, though.
Suddenly, Issho's brow furrowed tightly, mixed with a hint of disbelief. He muttered to himself, "This presence... No, it can't be, but..."
About half an hour later, a large group of pirate ships indeed appeared ahead. A sight of over ten ships chasing one was quite exaggerated.
"The Immortal Pirates... as expected, they're chasing the Red-Hair Pirates. I wonder how the situation with Kaido is going," Kuzan said, observing the battle unfolding ahead. Suddenly, Kuzan spotted a shocking sight: standing on the bow of the ship right in the middle of the Immortal Fleet was a person incredibly familiar to him and all the Marines present.
"Zephyr... sensei," Kuzan enunciated the four syllables slowly. "Sensei."
"Zephyr-sensei."
"Zephyr-sensei, if my senses are correct, he's standing on a pirate ship, isn't he?"
All four Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals present called out Zephyr's name, their eyes filled with disbelief. That ship's flag is the Immortal Pirates', right?
"Chief Instructor Zephyr?"
"I heard he was suspended. What is he doing here?" "Suspended? I heard he retired."
"Never mind whether he's suspended or retired, the strange thing is why he's on a pirate ship!"
Zephyr caught sight of Kuzan and the others. His gaze softened, a flicker of reluctance showing, but he immediately shouted, his voice ringing like a loud bell, "Lads! I don't want to fight you! Retreat now!"