7:00 AM, West Coast
The people camped out on the beach slowly started to open their eyes.
Ray was leaning against a large tree at the foot of the cliff.
The second his vertical pupils snapped open, an insane, overwhelming fighting spirit just shot up into the sky.
The wind from it was so fierce that it blew all the leaves on the tree above him into something that looked like a hedgehog's hairstyle.
He glanced up at the massive Roger statue—and at Luffy, who was already sitting on top of it—and cracked a small smile.
"The Marines are almost here."
…
The North Shore
The north shore of Loguetown was just an undeveloped forest, so it was the perfect place to hide the town's secret.
A massive underground city, built for emergencies, was now packed with almost every resident of Loguetown.
Hundreds of Marines were patrolling the area, and you could tell they were all super tense.
At one of the side gates, a couple of rookie Marines were whispering.
"Who do you think HQ is sending for backup today?"
"Who knows? Man, we have the worst luck. We've been regular Marines for one month, and now we have to fight the two strongest pirate crews in the East Blue."
"I know, right? And what's with that Buggy guy, building a giant Roger statue on the west coast? Someone snuck a photo, and it's been spreading like crazy."
"Speaking of which... today's the anniversary of the Pirate King's death, isn't it?"
Just then, Smoker and Tashigi walked up.
They had been pulling an all-nighter, watching the pirates.
After making sure they were all asleep, they'd come back to help with the evacuation.
Hearing the rookies gossip, Tashigi looked annoyed.
"You two, focus on your work. No discussing Roger-related topics."
The rookies fearfully snapped to attention.
Tashigi then turned to Smoker.
"Captain Smoker, according to the schedule, they should be arriving soon."
Smoker blew out a cloud of smoke.
"Yeah. Let's go."
…
8:00 AM, the Hidden North Dock
A massive warship was docked.
Vice Admiral Gion stood at the bow.
Behind her, besides Hina, was another guy: Captain "Prince" Gruss, a Clay-Clay fruit user.
(If Fleet Admiral Sengoku were here, he'd probably notice that this entire group seemed way too close to Garp.)
Gion saw Smoker and Tashigi arrive and smiled.
"Smoker-chan," she purred, "your figure just keeps getting better. Those abs are quite tempting. Ah, and Tashigi-chan! You've developed quite well, too. The future looks promising."
This playful teasing immediately made Smoker blush and Tashigi hide her face in embarrassment.
Smoker coughed, trying to get his composure back.
"Instructor Gion, shall we depart now?"
Gion's flirty vibe vanished in an instant, replaced by a dead-serious commander demeanor.
"Bring your elite subordinates aboard. The others shouldn't go just to die. We depart in half an hour."
…
The West Coast
The Straw Hat Pirates and Buggy's crew were all enjoying a nutritious breakfast courtesy of Sanji.
Everyone was chatting and laughing, and the atmosphere seemed super relaxed. But everyone knew it was just an unspoken agreement.
Getting too tense before a big fight just wears you out and keeps you from being at your best.
Suddenly, a voice cut in.
"Sanji, any chance I could get some of that breakfast?"
It was Gin.
He'd shown up again.
Yesterday, after Ray left the bar, Gin had walked off alone.
He'd been conflicted, remembering Buggy's weirdly inspiring words.
He'd spent the whole night hiding and watching, betting that Buggy would chicken out and run before dawn.
But he was wrong.
Nobody left.
Not Buggy, not the Straw Hats.
Comparing that to his old boss, Krieg... well, there was no comparison.
So, whether it was to repay Sanji for the food or because he was starting to respect Buggy, he came back.
At this moment, even Ray, up on the cliff, glanced down at Gin.
'So he's finally showing himself. I knew he was hiding out there all night.'
To Ray, it didn't really matter if Gin helped or not.
But since he was here, he was now, in Luffy's eyes, a companion.
And Ray knew Luffy absolutely thought so.
Watching the Straw Hats and Buggy's crew actually joining forces, Ray felt... something.
'If these two groups actually teamed up three years from now, they'd probably shake the whole world.'
Ray was lost in thought.
The world wasn't simple; he knew there were monsters out there waiting for them.
They'd already met Hawkeye.
Now, they were about to go head-to-head with the Marines' mid-to-high-tier fighters—enemies they'd have to deal with for a long time.
And this time, the Marines wouldn't be holding back like Hawkeye did.
Ray suddenly realized this fight was a massive deal for the Straw Hats.
The risks were huge, but the significance was profound.
'Well, we have to fight them sooner or later. Let's fight to our heart's content today.'
He smiled faintly, and another kind of energy, something fierce, bloodthirsty, and overwhelmingly sinister, began to surge inside his body.
It was 'Demonic Power.'
…
Across the entire western coast, if you were looking for the one being who was completely relaxed, it wasn't Luffy (he was too excited).
It was a small white dog, Chouchou.
At this moment, a pack of huge scary dogs was obediently following Chouchou around like he was their king.
A couple of slender female mastiffs were even licking his face as they walked.
The other male dogs didn't dare object; they were totally submissive.
In their eyes, Chouchou was a 'Dog God.'
They would willingly die for him.
That said, in their hearts, there was still a 'God among Gods.'
That was Ray, the white-haired man sitting on the cliff.
It felt like even glancing at him too much would be blasphemy.
So, they just gathered around Chouchou instead.
Just then, Chouchou stopped.
He signaled the other dogs to stay back while he stared vigilantly at the sea ahead.
"Roar!"
Chouchou's body instantly swelled.
His body length, not including his tail, was now 8 meters long, with a shoulder height of over 4 meters.
The terrifying pressure coming off the dog demon caused many of the fierce dogs to lose control of their bladder and bowels.
Buggy was also drawn by this aura.
He glanced at Chouchou and muttered to himself with a laugh, "Heh. Ray's pet has gotten even stronger than when I last saw it."
After saying this, Buggy flew up to the cliff where Ray was standing.
The two of them looked out at the sea together.
Buggy grinned widely, but underneath his arrogant expression, his heart was pounding fiercely.
'Captain Roger, as the Pirate King, how could you be forgotten! After today, you will once again appear in the eyes of the world!' he thought.
'Hehe, and then I, Buggy, will prove to the world that none of the Pirate King's crew members are weak!'
After his fantasy ended, Buggy took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.
He looked at Ray.
"Do you see it? That Marine warship."
Ray nodded calmly, then glanced at Buggy with a hint of amusement.
"It seems to be a Marine Vice Admiral coming. You have the highest bounty, so you handle it alone."
Upon hearing this, Buggy looked incredulous, waving his arms and shouting.
"WHAT?! What about our agreement to join forces?! Ray, you're breaking your word, you brat!"
-----------------------------
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