“Why are you here?”
Sengoku’s voice rang out from the warship.
He had considered many possibilities—perhaps Garp couldn’t find Whitebeard and the others and would return empty-handed, or maybe Garp would find them and engage in a fierce battle.
But he never expected that Whitebeard and his crew, who should have been fleeing like prey, would actually turn back.
Wait…
not “they”—only Whitebeard alone?
Sengoku’s gaze swept quickly over the coastline behind Whitebeard.
There was no second figure in sight.
Why would Whitebeard return alone?
To shed deadweight and unleash his full strength?
The thought had barely surfaced before Sengoku instinctively dismissed it.
He knew Whitebeard well—he wasn’t the type to seek out battles.
Under normal circumstances, he would never have turned back.
That left only one truth.
A faint smile slowly spread across Sengoku’s face as he looked at Whitebeard and spoke calmly, “Where are the others?
Hiding?
Planning to sneak in and seize the Heavenly Tribute while I’m fighting you?”
Whitebeard’s expression remained unchanged even as his plan was seen through.
Honestly, anyone with half a brain could guess that a sudden return meant something was up.
He never expected to fool Sengoku.
“Correct,” Whitebeard admitted solemnly.
Sengoku stood on the ship’s railing, pacing slowly along the deck as he spoke with measured confidence.
“Your plan is feasible, but only barely.
And time is running out for you.”
Without giving Whitebeard a chance to respond, he abruptly turned and shouted orders to the Marines behind him.
“On my command, move the warship back three nautical miles!
Aim all cannons upward and fire!”
The moment the command was given, the roar of machinery erupted.
The World Government warship’s engines roared to life, churning white foam at the stern as the massive vessel began to retreat.
At the same time, cannons raised their muzzles toward the sky.
“Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!!”
Dark cannonballs trailed flames as they shot into the air, arcing before plummeting back down.
Explosions echoed one after another.
Whitebeard’s gaze darkened slightly.
Just as Sengoku had said, time was running out.
Garp, still on the island, would undoubtedly return at the first sign of commotion.
Moreover, the World Government warship had already retreated a considerable distance out to sea.
If Whitebeard forcibly unleashed the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, the resulting tidal waves and shockwaves could easily endanger Ron and the others.
“Clever,” Whitebeard muttered under his breath.
Ron and the others no longer hid, quickly moving to Whitebeard’s side.
True to his later reputation as the “Resourceful General,” Sengoku had turned the unfavorable situation around in mere moments, shifting the dilemma squarely onto Ron’s side.
“Our time is limited,” Whitebeard instructed from the side.
“We must make our attempt before Garp returns.
If we can’t succeed in the end, we must retreat.
Understood?”
But as soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a tight grip around his waist.
Whitebeard looked down to see Ron, in his Tailed Beast Transformation, firmly clutching his belt with his beast-like claws.
“Hey, Ron, you bastard, what are you doing?” Whitebeard asked in surprise.
“Aren’t we in a hurry?” Ron’s voice rang out.
“Then we should just go straight in.
I don’t want this trip to be a waste.”
With that, Ron hurled Whitebeard directly toward the World Government warship.
“That damn brat!”
Whitebeard cursed but quickly adjusted his posture.
He flipped through the air, gripping his naginata tightly with both hands.
Haki spread across the blade, while a white energy ball gathered at the tip—the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Meanwhile, Ron didn’t stop.
He grabbed Kaido and Stussy next.
“Hey, hey, hey!
Can’t I just wait here?” Stussy flailed her arms in the air.
“Or…
at least aim properly, Ron!”
Kaido, however, showed no fear.
Instead, he seemed pumped up, raising his spiked club high and shouting excitedly, “Charge!
Ron, let’s charge!”
“I never should have come with you all…” Stussy closed her eyes in despair.
Ron didn’t throw them all over.
Instead, he held onto the two of them, pushed off with all four limbs, and sprinted across the sea in his Tailed Beast Transformation, charging at full speed toward the warship.
In mid-air, Whitebeard was already closing in on the warship.
Sengoku looked up, his pupils reflecting the figure descending from the sky.
“These lunatics!” Sengoku cursed, immediately activating his Devil Fruit ability without hesitation.
A brilliant golden light erupted.
A massive golden Buddha statue rose from the deck of the warship.
Its palm opened, and Haki covered the enormous golden fist like black armor.
Sengoku locked onto Whitebeard’s trajectory and threw a powerful punch.
“Boom!”
Fist and blade collided in mid-air.
A deafening thud reverberated across the sea, and terrifying shockwaves spread outward like a tsunami.
The air around the warship was compressed into visible ripples, while the sea surface was pressed into a massive depression, waves surging to either side.
Under the immense impact, the deck beneath Sengoku’s feet instantly shattered.
The entire warship visibly sank lower, its hull groaning sharply.
“Ha!”
“Ah!”
Both sides increased their power output simultaneously.
Whitebeard’s naginata pressed down an inch, while Sengoku’s fist pushed upward by two inches.
The energy shockwaves released even more violently, tearing up sections of the deck and shredding them into pieces in mid-air.
After several seconds of stalemate—
The floor beneath Sengoku finally gave way.
“Crack…
Boom!”
The floor collapsed with a roar, and Sengoku’s figure plummeted downward along with the shattered deck.
Whitebeard seized the moment to withdraw his force, landing steadily on the warship’s deck.
He held his naginata horizontally in front of him, his gaze fixed on the massive, smoking crater before him.
Before the dust could settle, a blinding golden light shot out from the hole.
“Whoosh!!”
Sengoku leaped out of the crater, adjusting his posture mid-air as his eyes scanned the surroundings like lightning.
Ron, in his Tailed Beast Transformation, was nowhere to be seen.
Kaido was gone.
Stussy was missing too.
Sengoku’s expression instantly darkened.
There was no need to guess—those three had already taken advantage of his clash with Whitebeard to infiltrate the warship’s interior.
“Damn it,” Sengoku landed and returned to human form, gritting his teeth with a low growl.
“I absolutely cannot let it slip through my fingers!”
He turned and was about to charge into the ship’s cabin.
But at that moment, a tall figure appeared behind him.
“Sengoku,” Whitebeard slowly spoke, “I haven’t fallen yet.”
Inside the warship.
Ron, Kaido, and Stussy were frantically rushing about.
The corridors were narrow and winding, with iron doors at regular intervals.
Deck, stairs, corridors, cabins—Ron and the others moved like a red-hot blade cutting through butter, leaving chaos in their wake.
Alarm sirens echoed throughout the warship’s interior, and red warning lights flashed wildly.
In just a short while, the interior had descended into utter chaos.
“Left, left!
No, right!” Kaido shouted directions from behind.
“Shut up!
Just follow Ron!” Stussy retorted breathlessly.
“Boom!”
With a deafening crash, the largest and sturdiest iron door inside was smashed down by Ron’s fist.
Behind it lay a massive cargo hold.
Treasure chests piled high were neatly arranged on both sides of the hold.
“Hahahaha!
We’ve hit the jackpot!” Stussy was overjoyed, grinning from ear to ear, her eyes gleaming.
She rushed into the hold in a few quick strides, pulled a sack from her waist, opened a treasure chest, and crouched on the ground, frantically stuffing it full.
But Ron and Kaido were not drawn to these glittering treasures.
The two of them moved in uncanny sync, rushing toward the treasure chests.
They quickly lifted one lid—no Devil Fruit, just gold coins.
They closed it, opened a second—still none, just jewels.
They closed it, opened a third…
“Ron,” Kaido asked as he searched, a hint of uncertainty in his voice, “does our earlier agreement…
still stand?”
“Don’t question my integrity,” Ron replied without looking up, his hands never stopping.
“Just keep searching.
Don’t get distracted.”
“What are you looking for?” an unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed in the cargo hold.
“Perhaps I can help you.”
Ron froze, his hands pausing mid-action.
Instinctively, he followed the sound.
About three meters away, behind a set of iron bars, a pink-haired woman was gripping the bars, a bomb collar around her neck, staring at him unblinkingly.
A slave?
The thought flashed through Ron’s mind, and he turned his gaze away, reopening another treasure chest nearby.
Still, he casually asked, “Do you know which chest contains fruit?”
The pink-haired woman didn’t answer immediately.
She remained silent for a few seconds, as if pondering Ron’s words.
Then, she slowly spoke, “Do you mean…
that strange, patterned fruit?”
Ron’s hand stopped in mid-air.
He slowly raised his head and looked back at the pink-haired woman.