As one of the strongest mobile forces in the entire Marines and even the world, Kizaru spent most of his time guarding Headquarters.
However, when this incident occurred, he happened to be nearby.
After Sakazuki sent a message to Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral—who was also one of Raizen’s teachers—could no longer sit still.
He immediately dispatched Kizaru and cursed Kaido in his heart.
*Damn Kaido, why attack a Marine warship for no reason?* Just this one action had escalated the situation to the point where it was almost out of control.
Sengoku didn’t care if Kaido ended up getting beaten to death by Garp and Sakazuki, but his precious disciple was still out there.
And that old geezer Garp, too!
Why did he have to bring Raizen along on a mission?
If anything actually happened to the boy, Sengoku swore he would hit Garp with a Buddha Impact!
But at this point, cursing those bastards was useless.
It was better to just mobilize the nearby Marine fleets for support.
Anyway, he found Charlotte Linlin just as displeasing as Kaido.
If the Five Elders above him weren’t always preaching about balance, he might have taken action himself.
He, Sengoku, upheld Reigning Justice!
Just then, the Den Den Mushi on Sengoku’s desk suddenly began to ring.
“Hello?
This is Sengoku.”
“Sengoku, immediately order Garp and Sakazuki to withdraw from Totto Land!
The balance and stability of the New World must not be broken!”
A ruthless reprimand echoed from the receiver.
At the same time, the Den Den Mushi morphed to resemble a bald man wearing glasses.
“Saint Nasu Jurou?
But we currently hold the advantage.
As long as we wait for the fleet to arrive, we can at least wipe out the Big Mom Pirates!”
Sengoku was startled.
Why were the damn Five Elders calling him at a time like this?
Saint Ethanbaron V.
Nasu Jurou, the Warrior God of Finance among the World Government’s Five Elders, was the one who contacted Sengoku the most.
“I said, immediately order Garp and Sakazuki to withdraw from Totto Land.
Do you not understand?”
The tone on the other end grew increasingly severe.
Hearing this, Sengoku clenched his right hand.
The bald, bespectacled Den Den Mushi was squeezed so hard its eyes rolled back, looking as if it were about to be crushed to death.
After a moment, Sengoku slowly spoke.
“I understand, Saint Nasu Jurou.”
“Hmph!”
A cold snort came from the receiver before the call was disconnected, and the Den Den Mushi returned to its original appearance.
Seeing this, veins bulged on Sengoku’s forehead.
*Damn Five Elders, all you ever care about is your precious balance.*
Those in control of the World Government didn’t care whether an Emperor’s crew could be annihilated.
They only wanted to maintain the balance of power between the Marines and the pirates.
Only when the seas were sufficiently chaotic would the affiliated nations willingly continue to pay the Heavenly Tribute.
And it wasn’t just the Five Elders.
Even that Red-Haired Shanks had expressed similar sentiments previously in Mary Geoise.
*Damn Red-Haired Shanks, damn Five Elders!*
Meanwhile, over at Whole Cake Island, Kizaru’s arrival instantly tipped the scales of the battlefield in favor of the Marines.
Kizaru circled his hands, gathering an intense golden light between his palms.
“Yohhoho, I really hate trouble, so could you two please not lay a hand on Raizen?”
Kizaru’s words sounded polite, but Charlotte Linlin and Kaido both wore ugly expressions.
The addition of an Admiral-level combatant to the battlefield—especially one with top-tier mobility like Kizaru—was an absolute disaster for them if a full-blown fight broke out!
Seeing that the situation had turned against him, Kaido immediately transformed into his Azure Dragon form and flew straight back toward his pirate ship.
“Wororororo!
Linlin, I won’t be participating in this Tea Party.
Boys, we’re heading back!”
Hah, who said Kaido was stupid?
The man was as shrewd as they came.
“Bastard Kaido!”
Charlotte Linlin was truly out of options now.
With Garp, Sakazuki, and Kizaru standing opposite her, and Kaido running away, was she supposed to fight three top-tiers all by herself?
If they wanted Totto Land destroyed, they should have just said so!
“Mamamamama!
Garp, I don’t think it’s impossible for us to sit down and talk.
After all, this is nothing more than a misunderstanding caused by Kaido.”
Charlotte Linlin smiled, showing absolutely no trace of the irritable, explosive old woman she had been just moments ago.
Garp cracked his neck, stepped back onto the deck, and let out a scoff.
“At this point, you must be joking, right?”
Sakazuki also snorted coldly.
Things had already escalated this far; how could they possibly let the Big Mom Pirates off the hook?
Kizaru landed on the deck alongside them.
He looked Raizen up and down, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his lips pursed in a way that made him look incredibly sleazy.
“So this is little Raizen.
You really are as strong as a monster.”
“You flatter me, Admiral Kizaru.”
Raizen smiled.
He knew his own limits.
Kizaru handed out the title of ‘monster’ like wholesale goods; he’d call any pirate with a bounty over a hundred million a monster.
He certainly had potential, but he needed time to realize it.
His Devil Fruit needed further development, his physique required more training, his techniques needed to be integrated and refined, and he still had to combine his Devil Fruit abilities with his swordsmanship.
He was still far from his peak.
Teacher Garp’s Fist Bone techniques were undeniably effective, but they didn’t feel entirely suited to him.
He needed time to create his own unique moves.
Just then, Karenko ran over quickly, holding a Den Den Mushi.
“Vice Admiral Garp, Admiral Sakazuki, Admiral Kizaru!
Fleet Admiral Sengoku has ordered us to retreat immediately!”
“What?”
Sakazuki snapped his head around, his anger spiking instantly.
“We have such a perfect opportunity to wipe out the Big Mom Pirates, and he’s telling us to retreat?”
Karenko wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
“Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku said this is an order from the Five Elders.”
“Damn it!”
Sakazuki clenched his fists, his face contorted in rage.
*Damn Five Elders, retreating from a guaranteed victory?
And Sengoku, why doesn’t he have the guts to clash with the Five Elders?*
Garp, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care much.
He simply pulled Raizen aside.
“Raizen, my boy, tell me what you need right now.
I’ll go ask Charlotte Linlin for it in a bit.”
Raizen’s eyes lit up.
“Teacher Garp, are you saying we’re going to rob the Big Mom Pirates?
Oh, wait, I mean…
make the Big Mom Pirates pay our Marines compensation and emotional damage fees?”
Hearing this, Garp paused, stunned.
*You can spin it like that?* He had honestly just wanted to shake Charlotte Linlin down for some compensation.
After all, since they were already here, they couldn’t just fight a battle and leave empty-handed, right?
The way Garp looked at Raizen changed slightly.
This kid had the makings of a resourceful general; he was just as cunning as Sengoku.
Raizen thought about it carefully.
“Teacher Garp, besides ordinary money, could you help me get a good sword?
Ordinary swords simply can’t withstand my Devil Fruit abilities; they shatter the moment I withdraw my Haki.”
Garp flashed a wide, toothy grin.
“Piece of cake!
Watch me!”
With that said, Garp turned around and used Moonwalk to bound straight up to Whole Cake Island.
Beside them, Sakazuki let out a sigh.
There was nothing they could do; an order from the Five Elders had to be obeyed.
However, fleecing Totto Land before they left wasn’t a bad idea either.