Besides Miles, Raleigh also contacted Sakazuki.
Sakazuki had been out of the public eye for a long time, and no one knew where he had gone.
Most ordinary people assumed he was carrying out a secret mission somewhere in the Four Blues.
In truth, Sakazuki had returned to the New World shortly after the Marines formally declared the Four Blues part of their sphere of control.
His destination was Wano—the former territory of Kaido, one of the Three Emperors.
After Kaido was eliminated by the Marines, a large number of troops had been stationed there.
No one knew what was happening inside Wano because the Marines had used forceful measures to relocate all of its native residents.
By now, the entire country had been reduced to ruins.
Streams of magma flowed everywhere across the surface, and one vast crater after another continued spewing molten rock into the air.
All of it was Sakazuki's work.
Gurgle… gurgle…
The magma churned as bubbles rose from the depths and burst across the surface.
Sakazuki's figure slowly emerged from the molten rock.
Exhaustion covered his face, yet an intense excitement burned in the depths of his eyes.
He had found what Raleigh had told him about.
The ancient weapon known to the world as Pluton had truly been hidden in the deepest magma beneath Wano.
Over this period, Sakazuki had searched almost every part of the country's underground in pursuit of the vessel.
"Admiral Sakazuki, how did it go?"
A sweet-looking young woman approached and asked him.
She was Sakazuki's daughter, Hibari.
Her admiration for Raleigh had inspired her to join the Marines, but Sakazuki had never been entirely comfortable leaving her elsewhere, so he had specifically transferred her to his side where he could keep an eye on her.
"All those days of work weren't wasted."
A smile appeared on Sakazuki's face.
Finding Pluton had only been the first step. He had also spent enormous amounts of strength and stamina extracting the ancient vessel from the magma without damaging it.
Now, an unbelievably massive ship was slowly rising into view.
"Oh my God… how can a ship this huge even exist?"
Hibari stared in disbelief as more and more of the vessel emerged.
She was not the only one. The other Marine soldiers had also fallen silent in shock.
Seeing their expressions reminded Sakazuki of his own reaction when he first laid eyes on Pluton.
The Marines' newest warships were already enormous.
Raleigh's flagship, the Victory, was large enough to carry two thousand Marine soldiers.
But in a sense, this vessel could no longer be called a ship.
It resembled a small island, capable of housing five thousand people who could live and fight aboard it.
What drew Sakazuki's attention most, however, was the enormous main cannon mounted on the ship.
He had once doubted the importance of the ancient weapons.
They had been built by people from the distant past, and with the progress of modern technology, he had assumed newer warships should have surpassed Pluton.
But the moment he saw the vessel—especially its main cannon—he understood everything.
The barrel alone had a diameter of more than eighteen hundred millimeters.
Pluton carried only this one main cannon, with no other weapons installed.
That made sense. To achieve enough power to destroy an island in a single shot, every other feature had to be sacrificed.
Its firing rate and the space that could have held secondary cannons had all been traded for overwhelming range and destructive force.
According to the intelligence Raleigh had provided, Pluton's cannon had an effective range of one hundred nautical miles—roughly one hundred and eighty-five kilometers.
That was merely its effective range, not the absolute limit.
"What a magnificent ship."
Sakazuki could not help admiring it.
Whenever Raleigh had once told him that caliber was justice, Sakazuki had always scoffed.
He believed justice was enforced with one's fists, not Marine artillery.
Of course, that had been before the Marines replaced their old shells with Vegapunk's newly developed ammunition.
He also had not known what Pluton was truly capable of back then.
"Admiral Sakazuki, what do we do next?"
Now that Pluton had appeared, it would naturally have to reveal its fangs to the world sooner or later.
Raleigh had never intended to hide its existence forever.
"Pluton has spent too long buried in magma. It needs repairs. We'll restore it as quickly as possible so it can take part in Raleigh's next operation."
More than half the Marines stationed in Wano were mechanics and shipbuilding specialists.
Raleigh had secretly brought craftsmen from Water 7 to Wano long ago.
Now it was time for them to serve their purpose.
"Leave it to me! I'm a man who always does his work with a boom!"
Tom, whom the world believed to be dead, appeared before Sakazuki looking more energetic than ever.
Years ago, Raleigh had saved him from the World Government through a small deception, replacing him at the execution with a condemned pirate.
Tom had been secretly imprisoned by Raleigh ever since.
If he had not been worried about Iceburg and Franky's safety, Tom would never have obediently followed Raleigh's instructions.
The reason Raleigh had finally released him was simple: Tom had once possessed Pluton's blueprints.
Raleigh had also offered him his freedom in exchange for repairing the ancient weapon.
In truth, Tom would have accepted even without that promise.
As the man hailed as the world's greatest shipwright—and someone who had personally studied Pluton's blueprints—he knew that if he missed this opportunity, he might never see the real vessel in his lifetime.
His face was flushed with excitement.
"Quickly, prepare the repair materials!"
"I'm going to fix her up properly and make her the world's greatest ship again—with a boom!"
Tom thumped his chest confidently.
Under his direction, huge quantities of repair materials were carried aboard the vessel.
Following the craftsmen's instructions, Marine soldiers began cleaning every part of the ship.
Once the preliminary cleaning was complete, Tom led the workers through the vessel and began repairing it section by section.
Damaged and worn components were removed and replaced with new ones.
The propulsion system was restored.
The drainage system was restored.
Tom even replaced the structural keels supporting the main cannon with newly developed alloy materials.
Three days later, after working without rest and with an abundance of manpower and supplies, Tom had made extraordinary progress.
Pluton's most important weapon—its main cannon—had been completely restored.
The moment the weapon system was operational, Sakazuki sent Raleigh a message.
Raleigh was equally excited when he heard the news.
"Good. Very good. Sakazuki, point Pluton's cannon toward the Red Hair Pirates' main base."
"Enel and the others are already moving. In a few more days, every remaining pirate will have been driven onto a single island."
...
New World, Totto Land front.
After Onigumo and several other Vice Admirals fell in this region, the hunting team formed by Enel and Bullett immediately came to reinforce it.
There was little worth saying about what followed.
Under the hunting team's overwhelming assault, the pirates were crushed as easily as loose sand.
Rumble!
Thick clouds of dust covered the battlefield while several figures slaughtered their way through the haze.
The strongest pirate present, an independent fighter who had once reached the level of an elite Vice Admiral, now had his severed head dangling from Doberman's hand.
The rest of the pirates had already collapsed under the hunting team's terrifying power.
Crack!
Boom!
Lightning repeatedly fell from the sky, striking each pirate directly on the head with the precision of divine punishment.
Five thunderbolts from heaven could hardly have been more devastating.
"That's enough, Enel. Stop playing around."
"These low-level pirates aren't our targets. It's time to move to the next location."
Bullett was deeply irritated at having been sent to bully weaklings.
What he truly wanted was a proper battle with Red-Haired Shanks, a fight that would decide whose chosen path had been correct.
Unfortunately, he had not been that lucky.
After the Red Hair Pirates failed to surround and kill him, Shanks secretly led his entire crew away from their base.
If Raleigh had not informed him, Bullett might still have known nothing about it.
Still, it did not matter much.
Sooner or later, they would have to visit Mary Geoise.
Hiding there would not save Red-Hair. Those destined to die would still die.
Doberman's fleet and the remnants of Onigumo's fleet were responsible for taking over this battlefield.
Although Raleigh had given them permission to replenish their troops before returning to combat, the surviving soldiers were desperate for revenge and refused to wait.
As a result, the remnants of Onigumo's fleet were always charging ahead of Doberman's men.
"These bastards can't even beat them to a few low-level pirates. When we get back, my men are training twice as hard."
Doberman glared darkly at the soldiers under his command.
"Enough complaining. Let's move to the next island immediately."
The group casually finished off the nearby pirates.
Enel summoned the Ark Maxim and carried everyone toward the next island.
Less than an hour later, they arrived.
What they found, however, left them confused.
The intelligence had clearly stated that pirates were stationed here, yet not a single one could be seen.
Even Enel's Mantra detected nothing.
"That's strange… there don't seem to be any pirates left on this island."
Bullett also spread out his Observation Haki and quickly examined every presence on the island.
"These auras are far too weak. They're all civilians."
Even Bullett looked uncertain.
"They may have already fled," Jonathan suggested with a faint smile.
He carefully observed the island and analyzed the information available to him.
"That's possible. Let's check the next island before drawing any conclusions."
Enel guided the Ark Maxim onward.
At the next island, the hunting team encountered exactly the same situation.
There was no trace of any pirate presence. Only the island's original residents remained.
"I understand now," Jonathan said. "They must have learned that we're hunting their strongest fighters. They think there's safety in numbers, so they're voluntarily gathering at the Red Hair Pirates' base."
The others agreed that Jonathan's analysis made sense.
Still, they wished the pirates were not quite so afraid of dying.
They had barely started enjoying themselves.
Reality was exactly as Jonathan had predicted.
The pirates were gathering in enormous numbers deeper in the New World, at the Red Hair Pirates' former headquarters.
...
The news was soon delivered to Raleigh's desk.
Momonga stared blankly at Raleigh.
"They… what are they doing?"
"Why would anyone abandon the islands they prepared and squeeze together on a single island to gamble with their lives?"
Momonga could not understand it at all.
Raleigh tapped the desk.
"It's simple. You're a Marine, and they're pirates."
"Marines possess faith and discipline. Pirates possess neither."
"They are criminals who reject every rule by nature, and the fighting within their own ranks is no less vicious than anything inside the Marines."
"Why would they willingly risk their lives against the Marines on the most dangerous front line while others sit safely behind them and enjoy themselves?"
"Besides, the hunting team's recent results have been too overwhelming. Their fear keeps growing, and once terror takes hold, everything they once insisted upon loses its meaning."
Raleigh wanted Momonga to understand.
Only by grasping what Raleigh meant could Momonga help him achieve victory more effectively.
"Then what about Admiral Sakazuki?"
"Admiral Sakazuki has already restored Pluton and aimed it at Red-Hair's base."
Raleigh sat in his chair, his brow slightly furrowed.
"If it's already aimed, then fire a test shot. There's no harm in firing once."
Raleigh's order was immediately transmitted to Wano and delivered to Sakazuki.
"Is everything prepared? We're about to test the cannon."
After hearing Sakazuki's order, everyone except the weapon operators withdrew from the area.
There was no other choice. The giant cannon's power was simply too great.
Even people standing aboard the ship far from the weapon could feel its intense vibrations and deafening noise.
Instead, they gathered on a relatively low mountain and used several protective measures so they could safely witness the power of Pluton.
"Report, Admiral Sakazuki! The cannon has been fully inspected. All preparations are complete. Awaiting your next order."
Sakazuki's expression returned to its usual coldness.
"Make sure everyone stays clear of the cannon's muzzle. I don't want anyone injured by the blast."
"Once everything is ready, fire. Let the pirates of the New World live every day knowing they can be annihilated at any moment."
The barrel slowly turned toward a prominent island within the Red Hair Pirates' territory.
Boom!
The deafening blast made many people feel as though they had instantly lost their hearing.
Perhaps this was the true power of Pluton.
Even from far away, the force unleashed by the cannon made Sakazuki's eyes brighten.
The pirates of the New World never imagined they would become the first targets struck after Pluton returned to the world.
The shell traveled through the air for three full minutes before reaching the island.
The instant it made contact, the entire island was—