Bab 149: Chapter 148: Fate of the World (2)
"Currently, a total number of a hundred and thirty-two warships are positioned around the island that the enemies to the evacuation at."
Tensei spoke into the dial of one Den Den Mushi as he stared at the coast of the island some distance away from the ship he stood atop.
"We are ready to launch an attack if you were to give us one word."
<<Stand by, and ensure that they don't escape the island under your watch.>>
"Roger that."
Away from the Marine fleets, the residents of Momoiro islands, the Okamas, worriedly glanced at them from the island.
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh~!"
"They're going to jump on us at any time!"
At the center of the island, Dragon and Sengoku, who weren't in great form, looked at the fallen man who was lying atop a patch of grass.
"...The bleeding stopped, but he isn't in a state to fight. He needs to rest."
Garp. He, at the final moment before the laser beams brought them to destruction, bravely jumped to combat them with his bare fists.
"GALAXY DIVIDE!!!"
At the cost of his right arm, he saved everyone's lives.
"Truly the Marine Hero as the public speaks,"
Said Sengoku, softly, as he watched Garp in pride.
"Their number is getting far too large outside."
Dragon, in a hoarse voice, reported.
"The more we stay here and wait, the harder the situation gets for us. Time's running out, and we must do something."
"...Although it was Garp who ultimately stopped those laser beams beforehand, you and Sengoku too took a part in stopping their reach."
Tsuru shook her head negatively.
"You clearly aren't in a normal state. The Five Elders somehow withstood the full-brunt impact of those laser beams unlike us, and therefore, defeating them by conventional means is impossible unless we become fully aware of their abilities. Furthermore, the being named 'Imu' which they mentioned stands as another anomaly. With this newfound knowledge at hand, we know that launching a full-out battle will simply be digging our own graveyard."
Tsuru sighed as she massaged her temple.
"Thankfully, one thing is for sure. Even after we've spent some time here on Momoiro island, those laser beams weren't launched at us for the second time, meaning that it requires some degree of time to be used again, or was a one-time-use weapon."
"That doesn't change much!!"
Timidly, Shu shouted nervously. Pointing at the sea where marine warships were laid, he voiced his horror,
"Do you know what I just saw?! On top of the marines, the World Government soldiers—more of them—arrived!! And at their front... I saw Kong!! That past Fleet Admiral Kong!!"
"Huh? Kong?"
Suddenly, Garp, who was in a critical condition, opened his eyes, revealing his exhaustion.
"That gorilla, cough, is a piece of cake, bwahaha... isn't that right, huff, Sengoku?"
Though in a bloody state, Garp grinned. Sengoku couldn't help but sigh,
"Focus on resting and leave this matter to us, Garp. You aren't in a condition to fight."
"Bwahahaha!"
"My my, Garp-san,"
Kuzan grinned while adjusting his sunglasses,
"You're so cool."
"...And therefore, we are left with one option."
Ignoring Kuzan, Tsuru stated sternly.
"We must defend ourselves on this island at all costs. Prevent a single enemy from setting foot here and have them resort to siege tactics—one that will lengthen the war."
"And then?"
Dragon asked, and Tsuru replied,
"We wait."
Wait for who?
Dragon wanted to ask, but didn't, for he already knew the answer. Everyone knew who Tsuru was speaking of.
Smoker.
Currently, Smoker was their only hope, and everyone was aware.
__________
[New World]
The Whole Cake island was in a state of utter ruin. Correspondingly, the Whole Cake Chateau, the castle at which 'Big Mom' Charlotte Linlin dwelled within, was reduced to a pile of cake crumbs.
However, her huge throne remained intact somehow, standing in the middle of the remnants of destruction.
Sitting on top of the said throne was 'Blackbeard' Marshall D. Teach, grinning as he stared at the tied-up personnel who cowered at the sight of him.
"Though she may not have realized, I am an old acquaintance of Linlin. And I am well aware,"
Blackbeard's eyes scanned from left and right, looking and each and every one of them who averted their eyes.
"that her goal involves the creation of a nation where all races can live unified. And you are the fruits of her dream."
Shrewdly, Blackbeard then leaned forward. His eyes, expressing a craziness that cannot be found in a normal human being, seemed to be craving for something—information, perhaps.
"Merfolks, minks, kujas, three-eyes, longarms, longlegs, longlims, fish-men—with there being so many of different races in front of me, there's bound to the information, which I seek for, in at least one of you, right?"
Ochoku, who stood by Teach's side, revealed a piece of paper that illustrated the appearance of a Road Poneglyph.
"Which one of you have seen this before? Except the one that's present on this island, that is."
No one spoke back. With their mouths shut, they simply stared back and forth between Blackbeard and the paper.
Teach, in this state, operated his Observation Haki. And his sense led to two individuals—a fish-man and a mink.
The Road Poneglyph present in Fish-Man island has already been copied by the Pirate Alliance. This meant...
"You."
Blackbeard's grin widened as he called forth upon a mink. The pirates, upon Blackbeard's call, kicked the mink forth, causing him to stumble forward before falling on his knees.
The mink gulped as he looked at Blackbeard with wavering eyes.
Blackbeard asked one simple question,
"Where have you come from?"
It was the moment where the Pirate Alliance's next destination was set.
____________
"...They aren't responding."
Putting down the dial of Den Den Mushi, Robin shook her head.
"Ha..."
Rosinante placed his hand on his forehead. His lips, pale in colour, indicated just how worried he was.
"..."
All the members, present in a room within the ship they boarded, grimaced.
"...They are yet alive, that's for sure."
Rosinante said in a certainty.
"They probably are elsewhere, meaning that the Sky island which we used as the base remains unknown."
"..."
Smoker leaned his cheek into his hand, which was supported by laying his elbow on an armrest.
'It is impossible to ascertain the whereabouts of Garp-sensei and others or the safety of kids and non-combatants. Return to zero and think—of what can be done to draw the best results.'
The following was the information that they gained from the newspaper.
First, the Revolutionary Army lost. It wasn't that their combat prowess lacked whatsoever, but that there was an anomaly—the laser beams from the sky that struck the entire island.
Second, from the gist of it, those laser beams not only struck the Revolutionary Army but also those of the World Government. They probably suffered quite a huge loss as well, although Smoker wondered if that would be sufficient enough to half their advance for the moment.
"...Baltigo is located far away in here, the New World. Logically speaking, there aren't many places that they can evacuate to."
Robin then voiced up, relaying her thoughts.
"Tajine Kingdom is located close to Mariejois or the Red Line. Based on the information we shared with the Revolutionary Army in the past, I can draw only one place that they would go to: Momoiro island."
"However,"
Hina pointed out the important aspect,
"it is essentially impossible for us to reach the island without a proper navigation tool at hand, especially when considering for a fact that Momoiro island is an island that was able to stay hidden for many years from the eyes of the World Government."
Hina, steeling her heart, then proceeded to speak,
"Hina suggests that we first make it back to the Sky island and check upon the state of the residents there."
"And leave Zephyr-sensei and others, ones who may be in danger?"
To Hina's words, Robin refuted with an equally cold expression.
"Though we don't know the clear situation, it isn't hard to know that they are placed in a dire state. Since they are unlikely to head to the Sky island, the safety of those who didn't participate in the battle is pretty much guaranteed, isn't it?"
"If you don't like Hina's idea, Hina suggests that you speak of a way to locate them and reach their location."
"That's...!"
The atmosphere was becoming heated as the argument arose between Hina and Robin.
"Whoa whoa, calm down, the two of you-dara!"
And to them, Bastille, forcing a grin, said while raising his hands and motioning them to calm down.
"Let's not get too emotional here, shall we-dara?"
"I don't know,"
Maynard, then said,
"I agree with what Hina said."
Facing Robin, he voiced his opinion without a filter,
"Aren't you being a little delusional here? In a war, people die."
"That doesn't mean we can give up on them without trying anything!!"
Rosinante then shouted, unable to keep himself quiet after hearing what Maynard said. Gritting his teeth and clenching his hands into fists, he seemed to be trying to keep his anger contained in him.
"Um,"
Watching this scene in nervousness, X Drake turned and peaked at Senor Pink, Aramaki, and Smoker, who remained silent up until now.
Senor Pink and Aramaki, with their mouths sealed tight, were simply waiting for Smoker to make a decision.
"What's the point? Think rationally?! How can you speak of justice and righteousness if you were to—"
"Sometimes, the quickest way is to take the roundabout path. The knowledge in our hands is limited, and there is a delay in the delivery of news. You need to see the whole forest, not just one tree at the front. By the time we learned of this, what do you think would be happening—"
"Calm down, all of you."
And at last, Smoker spoke up with a weight in his tone, immediately setting everyone in silence.
"I haven't been able to contact Marineford for more than a month. They were because of the doings of pirates, but the fact that mere pirates can cut our signals speaks of how much the Marine has fallen."
Before their departure, that's what Doll, who decided to escort Dr.Vegapunk, Kyros, and King Riku to their respective locations and resume her patrolling duty in the New World to keep track of the situation, told Smoker.
"However, after thinking a while about it, I came up with a different conclusion. Someone within the ranks of Marine intentionally disrupted the communication line. I believe that rather than that betrayal, it is the act of sending a message... to get out of Marine while you can, that the organization has already fallen."
If Doll's interpretation was true, it meant that the Marine let go of its last bit of morals and became the mindless dogs of the World Government.
In other words, Marineford was yet another headquarter of the World Government's operation—the threshold that housed the information required by Smoker and his group.
Smoker stood up, and under the watch of everyone, stated,
"We head to Marineford."
Everyone's eyes widened.
"Though we lack a tool of navigation, it is the base that we visited countless times in the past. We don't need anything to reach the island."
Walking up to the map of the world, which was far from complete, Smoker placed his hand down on the location of Marineford.
"It's simple really."
Narrowing his eyes at the mark of Marineford atop the map, Smoker stated,
"Fight whoever the hell's there. Dig the information. Then, we think of what we can do."
For a moment, Smoker's eyes shifted to that of crimson.
"Then..."
Hina commented,
"The key to this operation would be time."
"I'm fully aware."
Feeling the surge of excitement in them, Senor Pink and Aramaki grinned.
"That's got to be the quickest way."
Senor Pink agreed to Smoker's decision wholeheartedly.
"Rahahaha, it's been what, four years?"
Aramaki laughed as he leaned back in his seat.
Not wasting any more time, Smoker swiftly walked out to the deck of the ship and stared at the huge Red Line that was unfolded in front of his eyes.
The Red Line—the view was magnificent. It seemed to be speaking that no one would be allowed to travel past it.
'Last time around, I lost Cancer because I wasn't fast enough. Now, I'm going to lose more?'
However, Smoker had a firm belief in his strength.
'As if I'll watch that happen again.'
The huge volume of white smoke swirled around the ship, before lifting the entirety of it. Flying rapidly upward, it was now in the process of traveling past the enormous Red Line that most couldn't even fathom going past.
And unlike four years ago when Smoker revealed heavy exhaustion after a lengthened operation, this time around, Smoker didn't even let out the smallest drop of a sweat—even though the scale at which he utilized his fruit ability was several folds greater than back then.
And onward, the ship goes, ascending at a phenomenal speed that resembles something akin to a jet.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone