"Ohhh…"
A soft sigh echoed through the VIP stands.
"Kill them! Kill those filthy pirate crews!"
"Hmph, why are you hiding? As our trained dogs, are you afraid of death? Idiots, hack them to pieces!"
"What are you Admirals doing? Hurry up already…"
Suddenly.
"Wuwu…"
"I… I feel so terrible…"
For reasons unknown, two Celestial Dragons who had only recently reached adulthood stopped their frantic cheering. They slumped back into their seats, their expressions shifting into exaggerated sadness and grievance.
…
Around them, the black-clad guards watched in silence. Though surprised internally, their rigid training compelled them to ignore the Celestial Dragons' erratic behavior entirely.
Swish.
A fruit, nearly half ripe and stained with a blood-like crimson hue, was tossed into the air. It hovered briefly before falling back down.
Thwack.
A slender, pale hand caught the half-red, half-green fruit with flawless precision.
Swish.
It was tossed again.
Thwack.
Caught again.
Over and over, the same dull, repetitive motion continued.
"The death rate is still too slow."
Shirogai leaned lazily against his chair, legs crossed, casually tossing the fruit into the air. His gaze drifted toward the distant battlefield, where the ice had been nearly dyed red by slaughter.
He smiled faintly, muttering to himself in a relaxed tone.
"As expected of the Whitebeard Pirates. Even their ordinary crew members far surpass those of common pirate crews. Some of them even rival average pirate captains in strength."
His eyes shifted to Whitebeard, standing tall upon the Moby Dick. A playful, mischievous smile curled at the corner of Shirogai's lips.
"But if their own captain were to be wounded through underhanded means…"
"Wouldn't these already hot-blooded pirates descend into complete madness?"
…
Meanwhile, a figure trudged against the flow of battle across the ice, his gaze locked onto Whitebeard.
Old Man… what exactly did you do?
You actually intend to betray us, just to exchange for the life of Roger's son?
…
"Get out of the way! Don't block my path to saving Ace! Gum Gum Pistol!"
At the same time, Luffy, Ivankov, and Jinbe burst forward.
Luffy's arm stretched out, smashing into a Marine who had been swinging a blade at him. The force sent the man flying backward, crashing into another Marine behind him.
"Ace! I'm coming!"
Luffy roared as he stomped across the ice, charging straight toward the plaza.
"Death Wink! Hey, big guy!"
Okama King Ivankov glanced at World, who was following close behind while casually sending Marines flying, and shouted loudly.
"Can you still make Straw Hat Boy bigger? If you enlarge him, he could reach the execution platform much faster!"
…
World paused, visibly stunned.
Null…
A calm, smiling voice echoed in his mind.
"Just find any excuse to refuse. Your role is only to protect Luffy. Do not alter the overall flow of the battlefield."
Understood.
…
World fell silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Oh, my ability is temporarily unusable! Multiplier, one hundred times, Gun!"
The moment his words ended, he casually fired a shot.
Boom!
The bullet flew forward and suddenly expanded midair, swelling into a massive sphere that smashed into a group of charging Marines, blasting them away violently.
Boom!
"Hey! You can't lie like that!"
Ivankov's eyes widened, already large pupils growing even rounder.
"You said you couldn't use it, then you used it right away!"
"Oh, using it repeatedly on people causes side effects," World replied with a laugh, brushing Ivankov off with the same excuse Shirogai had once given him.
At that moment, a broadcast rang out across the battlefield.
"Straw Hat Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, and a member of the crew where Shirogai Yamikuro is located. He is also the sworn brother of Fire Fist Ace."
It was the voice of Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
"Not only that, he carries dangerous blood. He is the son of Revolutionary Army Commander Dragon, and one of the unstable factors destined to disrupt the future of this world!"
"What?! Straw Hat is Dragon's son?!"
"That's another bombshell! This will be tomorrow's headline!"
"How many secrets is this war going to expose before it ends?!"
Sengoku's revelation sent shockwaves through the battlefield, and the news reporters listening through Den Den Mushi nearly went mad with excitement.
Dragon's son.
In an instant, even more Marines locked their sights onto Luffy, who had already been conspicuous, and now stood out like a blazing torch.
To them, this was no longer just a reckless pirate charging to save his brother.
This was a walking merit medal, the kind that guaranteed promotions and glory.
"Huh? Why is everyone suddenly rushing toward me?"
Luffy blinked in confusion as Marines swarmed toward him with fanatical intensity.
"Damn it! We latecomers just became everyone's target!"
Ivankov shattered incoming cannonballs with a wink, then his expression turned grave as he stared at the seemingly ordinary Marines closing in from all directions.
"No… something unspeakable has locked onto us."
…
Hidden among the Marine ranks, CP agents remained silent, firing their weapons just like any other soldier.
"Gum Gum Balloon!"
Luffy shouted, inflating his belly to deflect the incoming bullets.
"Now!"
The instant Luffy's rubber body expanded, a CP assassin discarded his gun and vanished using Soru, reappearing directly above Luffy.
Die.
Without a sound, a slender dagger glowing with venom plunged downward toward Luffy's abdomen.
Luffy's view was completely blocked by his inflated body.
He never saw the assassin.
This was the difference between a frontline fighter and a trained killer.
A warrior accustomed to open combat could easily fall to an assassin in a single moment of carelessness.
"Not good!"
Ivankov's face tightened as he launched an Eyelash Blade, but it was already too late.
Whoosh!
In the next instant, a figure appeared out of thin air behind the CP assassin. A slender sword flashed silently.
…
The eerie green dagger, along with the assassin's entire arm, spun into the air before clattering onto the ice.
"Wuwu…"
The CP agent let out a muffled groan before vanishing from sight.
At the same time, the black-clad figure who had struck him disappeared as well.
So fast.
Some on the battlefield had not even registered what had happened.
"…That was close," Jinbe muttered, eyes widening slightly.
"You almost died there, Straw Hat Boy!"
Ivankov picked up the severed arm still clutching the dagger, his expression grim and serious.
____
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