Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

[Chapter 746. Flowing Cherry Blossoms]

"You're slandering me. Couldn't it be that Sora and Firefly tricked Luffy into doing something bad?" Vice Admiral Garp retorted firmly.

“My grandchildren are definitely not pirates. You are slandering and defaming me…”

Fleet Admiral Sengoku was so angry that his hair almost stood on end. He shoved his neck directly in front of Garp and shouted.

"Even if it really was Sora and Hikari, my grandson and granddaughter becoming pirates was absolutely not voluntary. They were forced by your bastard grandson."

For a time, the two elderly men, whose combined age was over 150, got into an increasingly heated argument in the office, blaming each other and shirking responsibility. They even started to fight, just like they had in their younger days.

"Ugh……"

Lieutenant General Tsuru, who was sitting to the side sipping his tea, let out a long sigh of relief and then continued to enjoy his tea.

As for the villains who attacked the Celestial Dragons in the Sabaody Archipelago, the Navy must give an explanation to the World Government and take corresponding actions in front of the world.

But... Vice Admiral Tsuru can't really kill off the Fleet Admiral and the descendants of the two naval heroes all at once, can he?

Therefore, Borsalino and Kuzan probably already understand the situation.

Send a powerful force of two admirals to wipe out the "attackers," essentially vaporizing them, and then secretly bring those troublemakers back. That way, they could at least have a reason to block the World Government and the Celestial Dragons from questioning them, right?

'This is... utterly ridiculous...'

Thinking of this, Lieutenant General Tsuru's expression still twitched slightly.

……

Meanwhile, in the Sabaody Archipelago, as news of the Celestial Dragons being beaten spread like wildfire, everyone on the entire island felt a chill run down their spines, and almost everyone realized what was about to happen.

"The Admiral... will be arriving!"

In an instant, while the navy stationed in the Sabaody Archipelago quickly began to blockade the islands, a large number of pirates who realized the danger began to desperately try to leave the Sabaody Archipelago as soon as possible.

"Which bastard is it...?"

"How dare they attack a Celestial Dragon like that? They're practically asking for death!"

"Run quickly, or we'll definitely be caught in the crossfire once the admiral arrives."

……

Amidst the chaos of the Sabaody Archipelago, a group of pirate captains known as the "Supernovas" quietly gathered in one place, including Kid, Hawkins, Killer, Bonney, Urouge, Baby-5...

"Hahaha, yes, that's it! Let's make a scene, let's create complete chaos, let the world's eyes be on us..." Kidd laughed wildly.

Hawkins, on the other hand, was giving a divination with a blank expression. "The outcome of this operation is favorable, but there's an 80% chance of being arrested."

Baby-5, who was secretly leading the group, smoked a cigarette and said impatiently.

"Enough with the nonsense. This is a perfect opportunity to completely destroy the slave chain in the Sabaody Archipelago. Time is running out, and you all know your specific objectives, right?"

After a pause, baby-5 continued.

"Also, the Admiral will be arriving soon. Those who need to be arrested, remember not to be too arrogant and put up too much futile resistance, otherwise... you really will die."

"Tsk, no need for your nonsense..."

Kidd said something with some dissatisfaction, but his voice became much softer in front of Baby-5.

"Hmph, now that you understand, go your separate ways. As for the next step, someone will contact you after you're sent to the underwater prison."

Immediately, baby-5 ignored the group and quickly left the spot.

……

On the other side, the Straw Hat crew's location.

The Straw Hat crew was racking their brains trying to figure out how to remove the explosive collar around Reiju's neck, completely at a loss for what to do.

Seeing that the Navy had begun to surround them, Luffy said anxiously, "Damn it, maybe we should go back to the Going Merry first."

"No, that Celestial Dragon just said that this explosive collar is specially made and extremely powerful. If Reiju returns to the Going Merry and the collar detonates, the Going Merry could be damaged as well." Sanji, who was also sweating profusely, tried his best to remain calm.

"But this collar doesn't seem to have a key at all. I just smashed the controller. How am I supposed to unlock it?" Usopp said with some regret.

Just when everyone was feeling helpless, Nami couldn't help but think of that gentle and reliable guy and said...

"It's a pity that Kong isn't here. Kong is very good at mechanical things. If Kong were here, he might have a solution."

"Oh yeah..."

Immediately realizing what was happening, Usopp quickly took out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and began to explain.

"Before disembarking, Sora secretly slipped me a Den Den Mushi and told me to contact him in advance if anything happened, but the situation was too urgent just now and I forgot about it."

However, as the Den Den Mushi connected, Usopp was unsure how to explain the trouble he had caused to Sora, and subconsciously turned his gaze to Luffy and the others.

Meanwhile, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and other guys who were deeply involved in the incident subconsciously looked away and started whistling, clearly feeling a little guilty for talking to Sora.

Before Usopp could speak, the Den Den Mushi rang with an empty voice. "Usopp? I already know about the situation on your end."

"Kong, how did you know?" Usopp asked somewhat awkwardly.

“The entire Sabaody Archipelago is in complete chaos right now, I don’t think there’s anything we can do even if we don’t know,” Sora asked with a hint of helplessness.

Immediately, Luffy and his group blushed and said in unison.

"I'm...sorry..."

After a moment's hesitation, the person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi uttered something that made the Straw Hat crew unconsciously smile.

"Although hitting a Celestial Dragon was a bit too impulsive, well done! How could we allow a Celestial Dragon to take Reiju away?"

Reiju... was so moved that tears streamed down her face.

They've clearly done something unforgivable, and they're likely to be surrounded and killed by the World Government and the Navy, but these guys... can still smile.

Usopp, who had been chuckling to himself, suddenly realized that this was not the time to be happy, and quickly explained the current situation to Sora.

"I see, a specially made explosive collar without a keyhole?"

Sona's voice remained calm and steady as he called out, "Luffy."

“I’m here, empty,” Luffy quickly replied.

Sora continued, "No key? No problem, use 'Ryuo'! Luffy, just use 'Ryuo' to deflect the explosion the instant the collar explodes..."

[Chapter 747. The General Makes His Appearance]

"Ryuo?!"

Luffy was taken aback at first, then his expression turned to surprise and delight as he reached out to touch the collar around Reiju's neck.

"and many more……"

Sanji suddenly spoke up, his brows furrowing as he said.

"Luffy, if I remember correctly, you haven't been training in 'Ryuo' Haki for very long, right? Before, when you were training, the state was often effective, and often it wasn't..."

"Sanji!"

Before Sanji could finish speaking, Reiju interrupted him, saying, "If even the captain is confident, what reason do we have not to believe him?"

Sanji, his eyes showing a hint of worry, immediately fell silent.

Luffy took a deep breath, realizing the weight of Reiju's trust; Reiju had even staked her life on it.

As Luffy gripped the explosive collar around Reiju's neck, his gaze gradually turned serious, and he began to recall every detail of when Ku had guided him to use "Ryuo" Haki.

"It's that feeling of flow..."

Luffy's gaze sharpened, and the instant he forcefully detonated the collar, his "Ryuo" Haki flowed, redirecting the explosion in another direction.

"Boom!"

The next moment, as Luffy flicked his hand toward the end of the street, a huge explosion erupted, destroying almost half of the street.

At this moment, a sense of relief arose in the hearts of the Straw Hat crew.

If such an exaggerated explosion had occurred on the Going Merry, the entire ship might have disintegrated, and Reiju might have had her neck blown off.

"Success!"

Immediately, the Straw Hat crew cheered, and Sora on the other end of the Den Den Mushi breathed a slight sigh of relief.

In a dark alley on the other side of the street, an old man with glasses whose beard and hair had turned completely white, but who still looked quite sturdy, leaned against the wall, a slight smile playing on his lips as he murmured something.

"He hasn't even entered the 'New World' waters yet, and he's already mastered Haki to this extent? What an amazing kid."

However, the Straw Hat crew's excitement didn't last long. During this brief delay, the Navy of Sabaody Archipelago had already surrounded the Straw Hat crew and launched an attack.

Therefore, the Straw Hat crew had no choice but to force their way out, with Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Reiju, who were the main fighting force, covering Nami, Usopp, and Chopper as they began their retreat.

"Kong, the Navy has started attacking us. Is your coating finished yet? I... should we head straight back and leave the Going Merry in Sabaody Archipelago?" Usopp asked, keeping up with his companions.

"The coating process has been forced to stop; it's too late to coat it in time..."

After a pause, Kong asked calmly, "Which area are you in?"

“Area 37,” Usopp replied.

However, the next moment, bursts of cannon fire rang out from the other side of the sky, making Usopp's heart tighten, and even Luffy and the others who were breaking through the Navy's encirclement froze.

After all, if something happens to the Going Merry, the Straw Hat crew trapped in the Sabaody Archipelago will have nowhere to escape!

However, Kong's voice soon rang out again, steady and clear.

"The Navy has located the USS Merry, and naval vessels have surrounded it. To ensure the safety of the USS Merry, I need to order its relocation..."

After a pause, Sora continued, "I've already sent Ying to meet you. Then Ying will lead you to the next location of the Going Merry."

"and many more……"

At that moment, Nami snatched the Den Den Mushi from Usopp's hand and said...

“Kong, if Ying comes to meet me, you'll be facing the encirclement of naval warships all by yourself, and you'll also have to pilot the Going Merry. It's too much for you. You should let Ying stay on the Going Merry to assist you, and then Luffy can…”

Before Nami could finish speaking, Sora's voice rang out, accompanied by a clear booming sound.

"Nami, don't worry, trust me. Compared to you, I'm more worried about you... and Luffy and the others. You are the Navy's most important targets."

After a pause, Kong calmly said, "Don't worry, no matter what, I will definitely reappear before you with the Going Merry."

At that moment, Luffy's neck suddenly stretched more than ten meters to reach Nami, and he answered, "I understand, Sora. I will definitely come looking for you with my crew."

"Okay, it's up to you, Luffy."