Bartolomeo's face twitched with hesitation, and both Van Augur and Doc Q exchanged uneasy glances.
Neither of them wanted to clash head-on with the Golden Lion, Shiki — that would be pure suicide. There was no chance of victory against a legend of that caliber.
The two sharpshooters looked over at Bartolomeo again.
Were they really going to stay here and die for him?
Maybe it was time to abandon these two fools and find another chance to join Souta Kiryuu's crew — the Arlong Pirates.
Or perhaps seek out another powerful crew entirely?
As the flying fleet in the sky drew nearer, Van Augur and Doc Q silently prepared to retreat into the cover of the island's forest. Both men sighed inwardly — what a waste.
They had thought Bartolomeo and Edrago would be their ticket to joining Souta Kiryuu's infamous Arlong crew. But in the face of real life-and-death danger, survival always came first.
Yet, as Van Augur peered through his ultra-long-range scope to observe Shiki's fleet, something else caught his eye.
There — a black speck far behind the Flying Pirate Armada.
He quickly adjusted his scope, zooming in further until the image sharpened — and then his eyes went wide.
That flag… the crimson dragon insignia that sent shivers across the seas.
It was the Arlong Crew's Blood-Red Banner.
"Captain Bartolomeo!" Van Augur's voice trembled with disbelief. "Tell me—do you think the Arlong Captain himself came here for you?"
Even he knew how absurd that sounded. Souta Kiryuu personally leading his fleet into battle? Impossible. Yet… the Arlong Pirates were indeed here.
But there was another possibility — Souta Kiryuu wasn't here for them. He was here for Golden Lion Shiki.
"Captain Souta is too busy to care about us!" Bartolomeo barked with his usual fire. "But I've made up my mind! I'll fight Shiki head-on! As a future officer of the Arlong Crew, I'll never run away! If any of you cowards are afraid, leave now!"
He stood tall, eyes blazing with defiance as the flying fleet drew closer. Even though he hadn't officially joined the Arlong Crew, Bartolomeo was ready to die for their honor.
Doc Q and Burgess said nothing, but their grim faces showed they were weighing the odds.
"Captain Bartolomeo," Van Augur said calmly, "if you truly know the Arlong Captain, then there's no need to flee. Because the Arlong Pirates are here… they're right behind Shiki."
For a brief moment, silence filled the air.
If Bartolomeo was lying — pretending to know Souta Kiryuu — then they were all doomed.
They would end up offending both the Golden Lion and Souta Kiryuu's entire fleet, a death sentence no pirate could escape.
"The Arlong Crew is really here?!"
Bartolomeo and Edrago's eyes lit up, and they nearly jumped with joy.
"The Arlong Pirates are right behind them?"
Doc Q and Burgess exchanged surprised looks. Honestly, they had been considering running earlier — but now, if Souta Kiryuu's fleet had appeared, it was worth the gamble.
If they played this right, they might truly join the most terrifying power in the seas.
Meanwhile, Killer kept signaling to Kid, urging him to retreat while there was still a chance.
But the stubborn Kid refused. His gaze burned with hatred, locked on Burgess and the others.
For his fallen crewmates, he would never leave without revenge.
High above the island's coast
The Flying Pirate Armada, led by Golden Lion Shiki, was soaring toward its target when the lookouts suddenly shouted in panic.
"Captain Shiki! Bad news! It's… it's the Arlong Pirates!"
A terrified lookout stumbled forward, practically falling to his knees before Shiki, his body trembling.
Despite the size of the Flying Pirate Fleet — dozens of ships, hundreds of men — it was nothing compared to the elite forces of Souta Kiryuu's Arlong Pirates.
Among Souta's crew, the number of pirates with bounties over a hundred million was staggering.
In contrast, Shiki's officers were few and weak.
If things went south, one of Souta Kiryuu's Ark Judgments could surround Shiki's entire air fleet.
"So that brat Bartolomeo, who killed my officer Lionhand… is really with the Arlong Pirates?"
Shiki growled, biting down hard on his cigar. Though he hated to admit it, the Arlong Pirates had already far surpassed the Flying Pirates.
Even after Shiki had stolen a high-tier Devil Fruit from the God-Demon Island and used the Celestial Dragons' treasure to rebuild his army, his fleet's overall strength was still thin.
They were no match for Souta Kiryuu's terrifyingly well-trained forces.
Even Shiki himself — once a legend who stood shoulder to shoulder with Roger and Whitebeard — knew he could no longer beat Souta Kiryuu, that young monster who now ruled the seas.
"This might be Bartolomeo's bluff," muttered one intelligence officer nervously. "He and Edrago have been spreading rumors that they're under Arlong's protection. But now that the Arlong Pirates are here… maybe it wasn't just talk. Maybe Souta really did choose them."
"Hmph! Doesn't matter."
Shiki exhaled a thick puff of smoke, his golden mane rustling in the wind. "They killed one of mine. Blood must be repaid with blood!"
With a furious snarl, he commanded his fleet forward.
The Flying Pirate Armada accelerated toward the island — faster, deadlier.
He would strike first.
He would kill those upstart Supernovas before Souta Kiryuu even had the chance to intervene.
If Souta wanted to protect them, then he'd have to fight for them.
Shiki grinned darkly. "Let's see if the Arlong Captain is willing to go to war over a couple of rookies."
Bartolomeo hadn't even officially joined yet.
So in Shiki's mind, he had every right to avenge his fallen crewman.
If Souta Kiryuu wanted a fight, then so be it.
Golden Lion Shiki still had his pride — and his fury.
Meanwhile — on the Navy Fleet nearby
"The Arlong Pirates have appeared! Report immediately to Marine Headquarters!"
The four Vice Admirals aboard the Marine fleet turned pale.
It was now confirmed — Bartolomeo and Edrago truly had ties to Souta Kiryuu's Arlong Pirates.
And now, Souta himself was moving his fleet to intervene.
"Golden Lion Shiki and Souta Kiryuu have both been spotted near Lorenz Island!"
Vice Admiral Dalmatian's voice was sharp as he gave the order. "Stop the ships! Do not engage either of them! Request immediate reinforcements from Marine HQ!"
If they engaged now without Admiral-level support, it would be a massacre.
At Marineford, Fleet Admiral Sengoku pressed his fingers to his temple, frowning deeply.
The moment he received the report, he sighed heavily.
"Forget it," he muttered. "Abort the mission. Order the fleet to return."
He had little choice.
Kizaru and the two Admiral candidates were still stationed at Mary Geoise.
Aokiji and Garp were chasing the Red Count in the New World.
Even Akainu, who was hunting the World Destroyer Bundy Walde, wasn't strong enough to take on the Arlong Pirates alone.
Unless Sengoku himself, along with Zefa, Tsuru, and Commander Tenmasa, mobilized together — there was no chance of victory.
But if all of them left, who would guard Marine Headquarters?
No, there was no winning move here.
They had to pull back and wait for a better opportunity.
Perhaps, once Aokiji and Akainu captured their respective targets, they could extract intelligence about the Arlong Pirates' base of operations.
Receiving Sengoku's final orders, Vice Admirals Dalmatian, Onigumo, and the others could only nod grimly and withdraw their fleet.
"Arlong's crew appearing again just to protect two rookies…"
Vice Admiral Tsuru rested her chin on her fingers thoughtfully. "Maybe we should reassign Drake's undercover mission. Instead of infiltrating Kaido's Beast Pirates… he should target the Arlong Pirates instead."
She sighed softly.
Truth be told, infiltrating the Arlong Pirates was a thousand times more dangerous than Kaido's crew.
But Drake, as part of the secret SWORD unit, existed precisely for missions this suicidal.