Boom! Boom! Boom!
At last, one of the pirate crews could no longer hold back and opened fire first.
Shell after shell arced through the sky and crashed into the massive sea whirlpools with thunderous explosions.
Yet the power of the cannon fire had absolutely no effect on the vortexes.
Seeing this only triggered another wave of furious cursing and enraged howls from the surrounding pirates.
At this very moment—
on a small island dozens of kilometers away from Gran Tesoro's waters, ten enormous Marine warships lay anchored.
These vessels were completely different from ordinary battleships.
Built in Water 7, they far surpassed normal warships in performance, durability, and firepower.
Anyone familiar with such ships would immediately pale in alarm upon seeing them.
These ten warships were the unmistakable sign of a Buster Call.
A temporary Marine base had been erected on the island.
Inside one of the tents, soldiers continuously reported the situation unfolding around Gran Tesoro.
Aokiji stood with his arms folded across his chest, leaning against one of the tent's support poles.
His head was lowered, eyes shut, and his breathing steady.
He was very clearly dozing.
It was as if the atmosphere inside the tent had no effect on him whatsoever.
"Hmph."
Vice Admiral Doberman, his stern face marked by four X-shaped scars and framed by a brown beard, let out a cold snort.
"These pirates really are as detestable as ever."
"Drawn here by greed and nothing else."
"A bunch of worthless trash."
He spoke coldly.
"To be held back by something this trivial."
Beside him, Vice Admiral Momonga, with his mohawk hairstyle, dark-purple mustache, and sword at his waist, replied calmly:
"Although we already knew that the Magic Eye Pirates' vice-captain Conrad possessed the ability to manipulate seawater…"
"I did not expect his range of control to be this vast."
"It is indeed troublesome."
As he said this, Momonga turned slightly and glanced at Aokiji.
To everyone else, the massive sea vortexes were a major obstacle.
But for someone capable of freezing the ocean itself—
this was hardly a problem.
"Are we really going to continue waiting?"
Doberman's voice grew increasingly impatient.
"Why not strike now and wipe out all these vermin of the sea in one sweep?"
Originally, the plan had been to wait until the New World pirates and the Magic Eye Pirates clashed.
Then, in the midst of that conflict, the Marines would swiftly intervene and launch the Buster Call, annihilating both the New World pirates and the Magic Eye Pirates in one move.
But now—
because of the sea vortexes Conrad had created, the New World pirates were unable to even approach Gran Tesoro.
The situation had reached a deadlock.
"This is not the right time to intervene."
Momonga's tone remained stern.
"If we move carelessly now, we may end up being targeted by both pirate factions."
"Besides, once the sea is frozen, our own movements will also be partially restricted."
Then he looked toward Doberman and spoke seriously:
"Don't forget."
"Our most important mission is the destruction of Gran Tesoro."
"As for the Magic Eye Pirates themselves, they are actually of secondary importance."
"Of course, if we can wipe out all the pirates in one stroke, that would naturally be ideal."
Aokiji frowned slightly.
Though he appeared half-asleep, nothing happening inside the tent escaped his awareness.
Thinking back to Sengoku's instructions before leaving Marine Headquarters, he let out a silent sigh.
As far as the World Government was concerned—
their level of concern toward the Magic Eye Pirates was not actually that high.
Or rather—
because of the Magic Eye Cross, what they wanted more was to capture them alive.
For some reason—
Aokiji had a strange feeling.
If they did not destroy the Magic Eye Pirates completely this time…
there might never be another chance.
Unfortunately, Kizaru had yet to fully recover from his injuries.
Moreover, he seemed to have been assigned some secret mission and had temporarily left Marine Headquarters.
As for Akainu, his abilities were not well-suited for naval combat.
On top of that, he had been summoned by the World Government and was unable to participate in this Buster Call.
Therefore—
the objective of this operation was to destroy Gran Tesoro.
To prevent such an enormous fortune from falling into pirate hands.
And to stop the Magic Eye Pirates from using that wealth to reshape the balance of power in the New World.
And most importantly—
to restore the dignity of those nobles.
Ordinary people might not know.
But the upper echelons of every major force certainly did.
Gran Tesoro had deep financial ties with the World Nobles and the aristocrats of countless kingdoms.
The exchange between Doberman and Momonga had already begun to take on an edge.
The atmosphere inside the tent grew tense.
"Alright, gentlemen."
At that moment, a warm voice interrupted.
Vice Admiral Onigumo? Wait correction from text: Hina no— no, it is Hina?
No— the speaker was Strawberry?
Actually from the Chinese: 火烧山 → Vice Admiral Yamakaji (Burning Mountain / Stainless-like)
Vice Admiral Yamakaji, who had been standing near Aokiji the entire time with his eyes half-closed and a cigarette dangling from his lips, stepped forward with a faint smile.
"The commander of this Buster Call is Admiral Aokiji."
"Since Admiral Aokiji has not yet spoken, then clearly now is not the right time to launch an offensive."
He smiled as he spoke, gesturing toward Aokiji.
Both Doberman and Momonga swallowed the words they had been about to say.
Aokiji was still leaning against the pole, looking half-asleep.
Pat. Pat.
Yamakaji chuckled and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.
"There's no need to rush."
"There are no weaklings among the New World pirates."
"Besides…"
"There are quite a few troublesome figures among those who have arrived."
"Those people haven't made their move yet."
As he spoke, Yamakaji walked forward, took a report from one of the observing soldiers, and waved it lightly.
His smile grew more serious.
"Among them are pirate crews under Whitebeard's banner, such as the Spider Pirates and the Thunder Lord Pirates."
"There are also three pirate crews formed by non-bloodline members under Big Mom's banner."
"And two crews affiliated with the Beast Pirates."
"Other than Red-Haired Shanks, the other three Emperors have definitely made moves."
"And beyond them…"
"There are pirates like Brownbeard—those who refuse to submit to an Emperor but lack the strength to challenge one."
"They can only drift through the sea on their own."
"Not a single one of these people is weak."
As his measured voice echoed through the tent, every Marine soldier present grew visibly more serious.
Their breathing quickened.
Doberman and Momonga's expressions, however, remained unchanged.
Clearly, they had already anticipated this.
Both of them naturally understood the implication hidden in Yamakaji's words.
Let the pirates fight among themselves.
"With the manpower the Magic Eye Pirates currently possess…"
"If they truly manage to hold out against this many opponents…"
"Then they will have truly established themselves in the New World."
Momonga let out a cold laugh.
Out at sea—
as time passed, the truly powerful pirate crews finally began to move.
"Shihihihi!!"
"With this level of strength, you dare get involved in this matter?"
"You're an eyesore."
"So, hurry up and get out of my way!"
A sinister burst of laughter rang across the sea.
Immediately after, one pirate ship suddenly accelerated.
It rammed directly into the vessel blocking its path, smashing it to pieces.
"Oi! Oi!"
"All of you just standing around watching—"
"Isn't it about time you got serious?"
"This is the New World!"
"You think a mere whirlpool can stop us?!"
As the taunts rang out, a black figure suddenly leaped from the deck of the advancing pirate ship and shot into the air.
Only then did many people clearly realize—
it was a Fish-Man.
"A Fish-Man?"
"From the Sun Pirates?"
"You idiot, look at the flag!"
"It's the Fish-Man Pirates under Big Mom's banner!"
"Fish-Man Hoss!"
"I didn't expect that guy to come."
"He rarely ever leaves Totto Land's waters."
"I heard he was once part of the Sun Pirates back in the day."
"But after Fisher Tiger died, he left the crew."
"..."
After briefly hovering in midair, Fish-Man Hoss plummeted toward the sea at incredible speed.
"Fish-Man Karate — Great Ocean Strike!"
With both hands clasped into a fist, Hoss smashed down toward the sea.
BOOM!!
The entire ocean surface shook violently.
A towering spray of seawater erupted skyward.
Centered around Hoss, an enormous tidal wave formed and surged toward the great whirlpool ahead.
In only moments—
RUMBLE!!!
The monstrous wave slammed into the massive vortex.
Two opposing sea currents collided.
A deafening roar exploded across the ocean.
(End of Chapter)
Next Bonus Chapter at 5800 powerstones.