"Bang!"
Sengoku slammed the desk, his face livid.
He knew something would go wrong!
"Puhahaha!"
Garp laughed heartily: "How amusing, just don't provoke that kid and it'll be fine."
"Garp, get out!"
Sengoku roared at Garp.
His head was already pounding with worry, and this bastard was still making sarcastic remarks.
Indeed, not provoking the other party would solve it, but who could restrain the Celestial Dragons? Those idiots—no, the Celestial Dragons simply didn't know fear!
This headache should be left to the Five Elders!
With war approaching, the Marines couldn't handle two Emperor Crews at once.
Sengoku took a deep breath to calm himself: "I've received classified intel. The Earth Calamity's objective this time is to hunt down Blackbeard."
"Blackbeard?"
The assembled officers all turned to look.
With Calamity Gurd's appearance, they had been worried about his intentions. After all, the Earth Calamity had good relations with the Whitebeard Pirates. If he assisted Whitebeard in attacking headquarters, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Now they were being told the Earth Calamity was here for mere Blackbeard.
Though Blackbeard had gained fame by capturing Fire Fist, before that, he was just a nobody. If not for the Beasts Pirates' one-billion bounty, few would have heard his name.
With the power of the Beasts, dealing with someone like Blackbeard—even if there was genuine enmity—shouldn't require choosing this timing for revenge, right?
Tsuru frowned: "Could this be false intel deliberately leaked by the Earth Calamity?"
"Uncertain for now."
Sengoku shook his head.
Spreading false intel to mislead opponents was a common tactic, especially in war. He couldn't guarantee the intel's authenticity.
For now, they could only keep close surveillance on the Earth Calamity.
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 24.
Gurd didn't know where Straw Hat was. After wandering around, he returned to Grove 24. This island had the most shops, a standard commercial district, and several Supernovas were here.
The main reason? He was hungry.
However, his calculations were off.
The entire island was in chaos, swarming with Marines and Pirates. No shops dared to operate; all were closed.
But this didn't stump Gurd.
"Excuse me!"
Gurd kicked open a restaurant door—quite violently.
The staff hid behind the counter, peeking out with half their heads, vigorously shaking their hands to signal they weren't open today.
Quite adorable.
Gurd laughed heartily and headed upstairs.
"Chikara."
"One moment, Lord Gurd."
Without needing the restaurant staff, Chikara quickly arranged the table and chairs, brewed some tea, then headed to the kitchen to prepare food.
Soon, an exquisite lunch was ready.
As Gurd ate his steak, he glanced at the street.
Two figures were fighting—one was the Strange Monk Urouge, the other clad in black and white with bear paw patterns all over.
"Kuma? No, a Pacifista."
Gurd watched with interest.
Only two years had passed since Kuma became a Warlord of the Sea, and the Pacifistas were already combat-ready. Quite impressive efficiency.
He wondered how strong they were.
"BOOM!!!"
An explosion erupted elsewhere. Judging by its scale and the aura of a powerful figure, it seemed to be Admiral Kizaru.
"Coming here was the right choice."
A smile flickered in Gurd's eyes.
Savoring lunch while watching a thrilling show, plus meeting an old acquaintance—quite a comfortable arrangement.
The only downside? Some annoying rookie on the opposite building was eyeing him, seemingly with ill intent.
Gurd glanced at the other man.
"Scratchmen" Apoo, bounty 198 million Berries .
A damn traitor who deserved a beating!
"Gu Jiang!"
Ulti and her brother had also come looking, leaping across rooftops until they reached Gurd, their faces filled with displeasure.
They hadn't been exploring long before chaos erupted on the island. After discussing it, the siblings decided to return to Gurd.
They were here to protect him!
"Wow, so many new faces!"
Ulti looked down at the street below.
"It's the Strange Monk Urouge, and Magician Hawkins! Why is a Warlord of the Sea here too? And that's Admiral Kizaru!"
At the sight of Kizaru, the siblings' eyes immediately turned red.
Memories of being kicked flying on Hachinosu Island came flooding back.
Ulti and Page One exchanged glances.
Revenge!
Without hesitation, the siblings transformed, their bodies shooting toward Kizaru like cannonballs, their claws coated in Haki.
"Ulti's Rocket Assault!"
"Spinosaurus Flying Kick!"
Kizaru looked up at the sky, startled by the sudden appearance of the siblings.
"BOOM!!!"
The ground shattered, sending dust and debris flying into the air!
The Supernovas locked in battle with the Pacifistas were all startled by the explosion.
A moment later.
Kizaru emerged from the smoke unscathed, his expression behind his glasses turning serious as he regarded the hostile siblings.
"How terrifying, the Beasts Pirates."
"Stop playing dumb!"
Ulti and her brother charged furiously.
"Kizaru, we're ten times stronger than before! If you dare underestimate us again, I'll kill you!"
"You'd have to be able to do that first."
Kizaru dodged effortlessly, showing no intention to fight back. If possible, he wanted to avoid conflict with the Beasts.
This wasn't part of his mission.
After playing around for a bit, Kizaru raised his hand.
"Yata Mirror!"
His figure vanished instantly, leaving the siblings to strike empty air.
The next moment, golden light appeared on the rooftop where Gurd stood.
Kizaru stared at Gurd.
He had sensed an unusual presence earlier but hadn't had time to investigate. He hadn't expected it to be Gurd.
Gurd looked up slightly.
"Long time no see, Kizaru."
"Earth Calamity Gurd!"
Kizaru felt troubled.
After all this time, Gurd seemed much stronger than before. His calm demeanor wasn't an act—it was confidence.
If this guy interfered, today's mission might be ruined.
Gurd smiled and asked, "Kizaru, shouldn't you be chasing the Straw Hat crew instead of wasting time with rookies here? If you dawdle any longer, they'll get away."
"I'd love to, but my subordinates haven't contacted me. I have no idea where the Straw Hats are right now."
Kizaru sighed in frustration.
His primary target was capturing the Straw Hat crew, but with no communication from Sentomaru, he could only wander aimlessly.
Since he had nothing better to do, he might as well deal with the rookies he encountered.
Kizaru glanced at the Supernovas.
The Strange Monk had grown several times in size, temporarily overpowering the Pacifista. Hawkins had taken several laser hits but seemed unharmed. And then there was the unexpected appearance of Drake.
"Every one of them is like a monster."
But the most troublesome was still the Earth Calamity.
Kizaru turned back.
"Can we pretend we never met?"
"Of course."
Gurd mischievously pointed east. "Here's a tip—the Straw Hats fled east. You go after them, and I'll handle these rookies. Deal?"
"..."
Kizaru thought for a moment, then nodded.
Unable to capture Straw Hat, he couldn't explain himself to the Celestial Dragons. As for a few Supernovas, losing some achievements meant nothing.
A glimmer of light appeared, and Kizaru vanished.
Gurd looked to the east, where he could faintly make out a streak of golden light.
So fast!
(End of chapter)