With the landing of the Marine warship, chaos erupted across Sabaody Archipelago.
"The Marines are here! Everyone, run!!"
"It's the Warlord Tyrant Kuma and Marine Staff Officer Tsuru leading them! Are they here for us?!"
"Run, quickly! If we're late, we'll all be thrown in prison!!"
"Dammit, they brought so many people! Are they planning to wipe out all the pirates in one go?!"
"Screw this! We'll let Leo off the hook for now, I'm coming for him another day!!"
The news of the Marines' arrival spread like wildfire through every grove. Countless pirates, while warning each other, fled for their lives.
"Ignore the rabble. Proceed immediately to the locations of the Supernovas. Capture all of them!" Vice Admiral Tsuru ordered, her arms crossed, her eyes dismissing the scrambling pirates as insignificant gnats.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
"Understood!"
The five elite Vice Admirals and Sentomaru pulled out Den Den Mushis, confirmed their targets' locations with their informants, and set off swiftly.
The battles began almost immediately.
Grove 11 - Capone Bege
"You are 'Capone' Bege, with a bounty of 138 million Berries, correct?!" Vice Admiral Doberman, a known hardliner, looked down at the man in the black overcoat smoking a cigar.
"Capone Bege, surrender now! Any resistance is pointless!"
"You vicious pirates belong in cages!"
A dozen well-trained elite soldiers leveled their flintlock rifles at Bege. His face was dark. He took a heavy drag from his cigar, his muscles tensing. Facing Doberman alone, he wouldn't be afraid. But standing beside Doberman was the Warlord, Tyrant Kuma. (He didn't know it was merely a Pacifista modeled after Kuma).
"Capone Bege, user of the Castle-Castle Fruit. Aren't you going to let your men out?" Doberman's lips curled into a cold smile, laying bare all of Bege's cards.
"I'll fight you to the death!!" Bege roared. As he did, a row of doors opened unnaturally on his upper body. Black pellets flew out, rapidly expanding into cannonballs the size of human heads!
"I was waiting for that!" Doberman snorted, drawing his sword and closing the distance.
Grove 23 - Basil Hawkins
By a fountain, a dozen crewmates surrounded the unhurried Hawkins. "Captain Hawkins! The Marines are here! Let's run!"
"Yeah, I heard Vice Admiral Tsuru is here herself!"
"Her Wash-Wash Fruit is terrifying!"
Hawkins glanced at them. "Do not panic. We will not die today." He continued calmly arranging the tarot cards in front of him for a divination.
"Hehehe... Are all the Supernovas this brave nowadays?" a mocking voice came. Vice Admiral Yamakawa walked over leisurely, accompanied by a Pacifista and a squad of Marines.
"Knowing we're here to arrest you, and you still don't run?"
"Captain! They're here! Stop the fortune-telling!"
"Captain, get away! We'll hold him off!" Crewmates he had saved before volunteered to be the rearguard.
But Hawkins remained unmoved, stating the result flatly: "Probability of victory in battle: 0%. Probability of successful escape: 1%."
Yamakawa looked at him with amusement. "Hawkins, it seems you are destined to return to Marine Headquarters with me today."
Elsewhere on Sabaody...
The same scenes played out in three other groves. The other Supernovas—Urouge, Scratchmen Apoo, and X. Drake—found themselves facing off against elite Marine Vice Admirals and their Pacifista escorts. A great battle was imminent.
Grove 4 - Eustass Kid & Trafalgar Law
This area hosted both the Kid Pirates and the Heart Pirates, gathering three Supernovas in one place. Though Kid and Law didn't get along, faced with a powerful enemy, they had no choice but a temporary alliance. The two crews were already locked in a fierce battle with a contingent of Marines and two Pacifistas.
"Hehehe... You little brats, just surrender already!" Sentomaru laughed coldly, hefting his giant axe and charging into the fray.
Law frowned, dodging an attack while his left hand emitted a blue sphere.
"ROOM! Shambles!"
The next moment, his crewmate Jean Bart swapped places with him!
The giant axe came down hard. Jean Bart's face changed dramatically as he desperately grabbed the axe's handle. "Captain! A little warning next time?!" he managed to grunt. Anyone else would have been cleaved in two.
"HAHAHAHA! Jean Bart, you hold him off! I'll deal with these two robots and then help you!" Law laughed, unconcerned. If Jean Bart didn't have that level of strength, he wouldn't have recruited him.
"Law, stop messing around and get over here! I can't hold on much longer!!" Kid's furious roar came from nearby. Facing two Pacifistas simultaneously, he and Killer were already being pushed back.
"Get the hell away from me!!" Kid activated his Jiki Jiki no Mi (Magnet-Magnet Fruit) powers, his arms absorbing vast amounts of scrap metal to form a colossal arm that sent one of the Pacifistas flying.
"Kid, these things are too tough! This is going to take time!" Killer moved like lightning, seizing the opening to slash with his scythes. Unfortunately, his attacks only sparked against the Pacifista's durable body.
As the battle raged, Vice Admiral Tsuru strolled over leisurely, looking with some distress at the Pacifista Kid had just sent flying. The cost of a single Pacifista was astronomical, comparable to a Marine warship. The financial loss from any damage would be significant.
"Hmm?!" Both Law and Kid, locked in combat, shot cold glances her way. When they recognized who it was, their pupils constricted instantly, and a chill of fear spread through them.
Grove 1 - The Straw Hat Pirates
The final Supernova location was also the Straw Hat Pirates' battlefield. According to the original Marine deployment, their opponents should have been the Warlord Tyrant Kuma and a Pacifista. For some unknown reason, only the Pacifista appeared here.
After a bitter struggle, with a final BANG!, the Pacifista crashed to the ground. Its red eyes flickered twice before shutting down completely.
The entire Straw Hat crew collapsed, breathing heavily, utterly exhausted.
"What the hell was that thing?! It didn't feel like Bartholomew Kuma!" Zoro lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for air. The enemy had been tough, but its strength was clearly far below the real Kuma's.
"HAHAHAHA... Who cares! We won anyway!" Franky laughed hoarsely, leaning against a large rock, equally winded.
Sanji lit another cigarette, his expression grave. "We can't stay here. We need to leave. Now!"
Hearing this, the cowardly Usopp looked around nervously and nodded in agreement. "Sanji's right! Let's find a place to hide until the Marines leave, and then we can— AAAAAHHHH!!!"
Suddenly, Usopp clutched his cheeks, his voice rising to a piercing shriek.
"What is it?!" The others jolted in alarm, turning to look.
A tall man was walking towards them.
Seeing the newcomer, Zoro immediately scrambled to his feet, gritting his teeth. "Leo!!" It was the bastard who had stolen his Wado Ichimonji!
"It's that guy!!" Luffy stared at Leo, rage bubbling up. The cross-shaped scar on his chest still ached.
Usopp's face turned deathly pale, his whole body trembling. He remembered clearly how Leo had nearly killed Luffy and Zoro. A few days ago, they had seen Leo's new bounty poster—4 Billion Berries! Enough to cover an entire island if measured in Chopper-units.
The Straw Hats, who had just begun to relax, were instantly on high alert again.
Leo approached with a mocking grin. He had actually arrived a while ago, wanting to gauge Luffy's current strength. The result was just as pitiful as in the original story. They had only managed to destroy one Pacifista when they were already completely exhausted. But he hadn't seen any sign of Luffy 'powering up'. Was the pressure still not enough?
Just as Leo appeared, another figure arrived on the field nearby: the real Bartholomew Kuma, a bible in his hand.
So obvious, Leo thought sarcastically. Kuma was nowhere to be seen during the Straw Hats' fight with the Pacifista, but the moment Leo shows up, here he comes.
Looking at Kuma, Leo felt a headache coming on. If Kuma were just a Warlord, there'd be no dilemma—he'd just kill him. The problem was, Kuma was also Bonney's father. Just like Gecko Moria with Perona, Kuma's love for his daughter was immense, perhaps even greater. To cure Bonney's Sapphire Scale disease, Kuma had willingly made a deal with Vegapunk, becoming his experimental subject. Now, only a sliver of his consciousness remained.
Kuma's arrival cast another layer of despair over the already hopeless Straw Hat crew. Facing both Tyrant Kuma and Leo simultaneously was a dead end.
"If you were to go on a journey, where would you like to go?" Kuma suddenly stopped, removing his black gloves, his voice hollow as he addressed the Straw Hats.
The crew braced themselves, their nerves stretched to the breaking point.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Silver-white lightning suddenly tore through the sky, striking down and creating a barrier of electricity between the Straw Hats and Kuma.
Leo, his body crackling with arcs of lightning, stepped in front of Kuma, a cold smirk on his face. "Bartholomew Kuma. You won't be saving them today."
Did he think he could just use his Paw-Paw Fruit to send the entire crew flying off to their respective training arcs with Leo standing right here? He might spare the others, but Luffy?! Today, he dies!
Kuma looked at Leo, his expression blank. "One must try. I will not let you harm them." His voice held no emotion. After today, he was scheduled for his final modification by Vegapunk. After that, his consciousness would be completely erased, turning him into an emotionless robot. But before that, he had to protect his leader's son.
Leo understood Kuma's stubbornness, but it was frustrating. If he said he could cure Bonney's disease right now, would Kuma even believe him? Since that was the case...
"Then I'll just have to knock you out first!!!"
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
In an instant, silver-white lightning ran rampant. The area within a several-hundred-meter radius transformed into a domain of thunder, a veritable forbidden zone of death! He had healing powers anyway. Even if he wrecked Kuma, he could just fix him later!
Watching the two suddenly poised for battle, the Straw Hats were both confused and frantic. Both Kuma and Leo were entities far beyond their ability to challenge. Getting involved in their fight, or even being caught in the aftermath, would mean certain death.
"RUN!!" Luffy made the snap decision, yelling at his crew. Even his recklessness had its limits; he knew this was no time for bravado.
However, before anyone could move, Kuma flashed directly in front of Luffy, his palm gently reaching out—
A black leg, hardened with Armament Haki, kicked him away violently.
"Bartholomew Kuma, stop getting in the way!"
"Wide-Area Judgment!!"
Leo coldly watched Kuma fly away like a broken kite, then clenched his fist!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Guided by his Observation Haki, the lightning bolts struck with precision, hitting every single fleeing Straw Hat member except for Luffy.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
One by one, the sounds of bodies hitting the ground echoed through the area. All of them rolled their eyes back and fell unconscious.
"You bastard! What are you trying to do?!" Luffy's eyes were bloodshot, glaring at Leo with pure hatred. He had wanted revenge, but Leo's power had skyrocketed at an unbelievable pace. The gap between them filled Luffy with a profound sense of powerlessness.
"Luffy. Garp wants me dead. What do you think I should do with you?" Leo's lips curled into a cold smile as he walked forward slowly, the Shichiseiken appearing in his hand.
"Garp?! Gramps?!" Luffy was stunned, then understanding dawned. He hadn't known his grandfather had a grudge against Leo.
"Bastard! If my gramps wants to catch you, why come after me?!" Luffy screamed hysterically. Why was he suffering this unjust disaster?!
"Hehehe... And because you're the so-called 'Sun God' everyone praises!" Leo's smirk widened. "Let's see how many power-ups you can pull off today!"
"Fox-Fire Slash!!"
Leo swung the Shichiseiken violently! A green, spiraling storm, carrying endless sword energy, shot towards Luffy.
"I'll knock you away, you bastard! Gear Second!!" Luffy's body turned red and steam billowed from him as he instantly activated his signature mode.
"Leo, stop!!" At the critical moment, Kuma charged back, flashing in front of Luffy once more, his large hand raised.
"Bartholomew Kuma, know your limits!!!" Leo's eyes flashed with cold light as he delivered an even more powerful kick to Kuma's chest.
Kuma shot backward like a cannonball, crashing with a tremendous BOOM into a distant rock face, sending a cloud of dust into the air.
Before Kuma could get up, Leo teleported to him. He wasn't about to let Kuma interrupt him again and again. Without mercy, Leo drove his sword through Kuma's chest!
Savage lightning and advanced Ryou (Flow of Haki) ran rampant inside Kuma's body, wreaking havoc on the intricate machinery within.
ZZZT!
ZZAP!
Under the dual destruction of Ryou and lightning, Kuma was critically damaged, completely robbed of his ability to move. His massive frame lay motionless on the ground, the sound of arcing electricity constantly emanating from within. Leo wouldn't kill Kuma, but since he insisted on ruining his plans, he had to be taught a lesson.
Luffy seized this opening, using his rubber powers to stretch his arms, grab all his unconscious crewmates, and make a break for it.
However—
The next second, Leo's demonic grin materialized in front of him again.
Luffy gritted his teeth, laying his crewmates down. "I'm gonna knock you flying!!" he roared, his threat utterly lacking in force.
A cold, mocking smile played on Leo's lips. "Luffy. I have all the time in the world to play with you now."
Kuma was out of commission. Luffy was isolated, with no means of escape. He was going to see just what was so special about this guy chosen by Shanks and the Nika fruit.
"Spirit Fox Fire Slash!"
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T/N :
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