"Looks like the Navy finally couldn't hold back anymore, huh?"
Whoosh—
BOOM!!!
The sudden roar of artillery instantly drew the Straw Hats' attention away from Luffy and the others' battlefield.
In the next moment, they saw it clearly—the Navy fleet had already engaged the Whitebeard Pirates in a naval battle, while the Beasts Pirates were slowly closing in from the distance, forming a tightening encirclement.
"Even in a situation like this, they still won't give up," Usopp said. "I don't know whether to praise them for their dedication… or say they really can't read the room~"
As he spoke, Usopp abruptly rolled up his sleeve, revealing a strange device clinging tightly to his arm. He looked at his crewmates with curiosity as he asked about it.
Franky lifted his sunglasses.
"I heard Red say that among the Navy Vice Admirals, there are quite a few weird and dangerous Devil Fruit users."
"I wonder if Whitebeard's side can really handle this!"
"Whether they can or not, we have to step in!"
At that moment, Nami suddenly swept her arm outward.
The magic Clima-Tact wrapped around her wrist instantly expanded and dropped neatly into her palm.
She spun it skillfully, her gaze fixed anxiously on the ships below that were about to collide.
"Don't forget!" Nami reminded everyone."Whitebeard's side still has Ace!"
"If he fights the Navy, who knows how many battleships will be reduced to ashes by his flames!"
"Those are the Navy's top-tier warships! Not only are they equipped with Vegapunk's unique Seastone technology, they're also armed with the most advanced artillery!"
"Even on the black market, a single one of those ships would be worth at least one billion Beli!"
"So many Navy warships—do you have any idea how much money that is?!"
"That's all my money!!!"
The moment her words fell, Nami rode the wind straight downward.
When she saw Whitebeard's side accurately smash a cannonball into the hull of a Navy battleship, triggering a massive explosion…
Crackling lightning instantly erupted across Nami's entire body.
In a flash, she raised the Clima-Tact high, then swung it fiercely toward the center of both fleets.
"Natural Disaster · Thunder Prison World!!!"
BOOOOOOM!!!!!
Under the power of the Devil Fruit, the once-clear sky was instantly swallowed by thick, rolling storm clouds, as if the heavens themselves had been replaced in a single moment.
Within the pitch-black clouds, countless arcs of lightning slithered like living serpents.
"…Uh."
Watching Nami suddenly go berserk, a bead of cold sweat slid down Usopp's forehead.
So after all this, you really do care about money the most?!
Sure, everyone was touched that even at a time like this, Nami still hadn't forgotten her "original intentions"—but seeing her unleash such a massive finisher for that reason…
They couldn't help but feel utterly speechless.
Such an extreme change in the weather immediately forced both sides to halt their attacks. One after another, they raised their heads, staring around warily.
"W-What's going on!?"
A Navy soldier shouted.
Then someone sharp suddenly realized the truth and yelled:
"Not good—It's the Storm Witch! That woman has made her move!!!"
"According to intel, she can control lightning storms!"
"Damn it! Since when did her power become this terrifying?!"
"This isn't what the reports said at all!"
"..."
"..."
Once they realized it was Nami of the Straw Hat Pirates, the Navy descended into chaos.
Fortunately, they weren't completely unprepared. Under the Vice Admirals' orders, lightning rods connected directly to the sea were quickly erected across the battleships.
Clearly, after suffering repeated losses, the Navy had learned its lesson and made extensive preparations in advance.
However, once all the lightning rods were in place, the thunder they expected… never came.
Instead, Nami raised her Clima-Tact high into the air. Vast electric energy surged upward like floodwaters released from a dam, pouring straight into the storm clouds above.
Thunder + Devil Fruit power + all the lightning stored within the Clima-Tact—
At that instant, three overwhelming forces were unified under Nami's control.
Her lightning-filled gaze locked onto the sea between the Navy and Whitebeard fleets.
RUMBLE—!!!!
Without any warning—
A colossal pillar of lightning, hundreds of meters thick, crashed down from the sky, bathing the world in blinding blue light.
The sea itself was driven downward by the impact, instantly evaporating and disintegrating under the lightning's power.
Right there on the ocean's surface, Nami blasted out an enormous crater.
Water rushed back in violently, scaring both fleets into halting all forward movement.
"W-What… what is she trying to do!?"
Aboard the Moby Dick.
Seeing such a heaven-shaking display, shock flashed through Marco's eyes.
But immediately after, confusion followed.
Buggy, who was far more familiar with the Straw Hats, clung miserably to the deck of the Moby Dick. Though utterly terrified, a realization suddenly struck him.
"I think… Big Sis Nami is trying to tell us not to attack the Navy's ships," he said quickly to Whitebeard's commanders."Maybe… Boss Luffy and the others still need that batch of Navy warships."
To be fair, there was a reason Buggy had been entrusted with important tasks by Red more than once.
His words made Ace—who also knew the Straw Hats well—twitch at the corner of his mouth.
…Yeah. That actually does sound like something that girl would do.
Ace, who had been preparing to fly over and torch the battleships, hesitated for a moment—then extinguished the flames in his hand.
Letting out a helpless sigh, he turned to Marco.
"Looks like Luffy and the others have their own plan."
"Marco, how about we just go for boarding combat against the Navy?"
"…Huh?"
Marco froze.
It took him nearly ten full seconds before he finally nodded blankly.
"If that's the case… then prepare for boarding."
"After that display of lightning, I doubt the Navy can organize any effective offense in the short term."
"And with fewer ships on our side, this actually works in our favor."
With Marco's approval, the Whitebeard fleet advanced once more, plunging straight into the still-chaotic sea where the lightning had yet to fully dissipate, charging toward the Navy armada.
Meanwhile—
On the Navy's side, staring at the massive lightning pillar that could engulf nearly ten warships at once, every soldier found themselves choking back silent fear.
Although Nami's lightning was far smaller in scale than Laboon's earlier Surf from the depths of the sea…
Lightning and towering waves left entirely different impressions on these seasoned warriors of the ocean.
At this moment, it wasn't just the Navy.
Even the Beasts Pirates, who were still approaching from afar, were stunned by Nami's ruthless strike.
The Three Calamities stood at the bow of their flagship, staring dumbfounded at the figure hovering in midair after firing a single attack.
As veterans under a long-established Emperor, they naturally carried great pride—but before coming to the Totto Land sea region, they had investigated the Straw Hats.
Their attention, however, had always been focused on big names like Luffy, Red, and Zoro, maybe digging a bit deeper into countermeasures against "Swarm Master" Usopp at most.
They had never imagined that the Straw Hat Pirates still had other monsters hidden among them.
If they had encountered that attack at sea…
Even they, the All-Stars, might not have escaped unscathed.
This Straw Hat crew was far more terrifying than they had ever imagined.
...
...
Up in the sky, seeing that the Whitebeard Pirates seemed to have understood their intentions, Usopp and the others wore strange expressions.
It somehow felt like—
They'd been lumped together with someone notoriously stingy.
Though, to be fair, under Red's influence, they really weren't all that generous…
"Let's go, everyone."
Robin smiled gently, making an inviting gesture to the crew.
"We can't really let Whitebeard and the Navy slaughter each other here."
"If too many Marines die, it might not be a good thing for the future of the seas."
"Sigh~ Aren't we meddling a bit too much?" Usopp sighed helplessly."We have to repel the Navy, but also try to preserve as much of their strength as possible…"
"What kind of pirates even do that?"
"Yohohoho~"
Without Nami's floating air currents, Brook had to rely on Moonwalk to stay aloft, looking slightly ridiculous as he laughed.
"After all, didn't Red once say…"
"That the Navy of the future might one day stand with us~?"
"Is that really possible?"
Little Chopper, hovering with the jet thrusters of the custom exoskeleton armor Franky made for him, placed a hoof to his chin in thought.
He believed Red completely—but pirates and Marines reaching mutual understanding still sounded way too absurd.
"I'm super excited for that day to come!" Franky grinned, indulging his usual bad taste by firing jets from his backside.
The Straw Hats exchanged glances, then all broke into relaxed smiles.
In the next instant, their figures blurred as each of them descended toward the Navy fleet in their own way, launching precise, targeted strikes.
...
...
"Looks like everyone's gotten moving."
High above, Red observed everything below, a satisfied smile on his face.
So far, everything was unfolding exactly as he had anticipated.
He enjoyed this feeling—having everything under his control.
With nothing around requiring his immediate intervention, Red's gaze shifted as he began to think.
The first thing on his mind was Laboon's evolution.
Despite its overwhelming naval combat ability, Laboon's insufficient talent meant Red never dared leave it on the front lines.
If Akainu or the Five Elders seized an opening and landed a direct hit…
For Laboon in its current state, that would be fatal.
There was no helping it.
Though its build leaned toward high HP, without Armament Haki, its defenses were simply too fragile—it could be seriously injured or killed far too easily.
That was why, after the successful ambush, Red had not let Laboon show itself again.
"Once the Totto Land sea region stabilizes… I'll take Laboon to see Vegapunk."
Red murmured softly.
With the leverage he held, he was confident it wouldn't be difficult to get Vegapunk to lend him this small favor.
With that thought, his gaze returned to the main battlefield.
On the distant horizon, Luffy was locked in fierce combat with the gigantic boar.
Although Luffy held the upper hand, due to the Five Elders' immortality, the battle had been meaningless from the start.
At this stage, Red's goal was simply for Luffy to help Whitebeard and Kaido divert some of the Five Elders' combat power.
Otherwise, even the two of them together might not be able to overcome the Five Elders.
After all, immortality was an ability even more outrageous than Pokémon Centers in the Pokémon world.
At least for now, drawing one of the Five Elders away had indeed stabilized the situation.
"Then…"
"It's time to decide today's death list."
Confirming that the Five Elders were fully occupied, Red shifted his gaze to Zoro and Sanji.
After leveling up and entering their fully Pokémon-ized forms, they were still slightly weaker than top-tier Admirals like Akainu and Aokiji—
But at the very least, they were now in the same class.
In the short term, Akainu and Aokiji wouldn't be able to do much to them, especially with several Super Potions hidden on their bodies.
And after Mega Evolution…
The massive boost in power would absolutely ensure that either Zoro or Sanji could defeat their respective opponent.
The only question now was—
"Who should be the first to use Mega Form in a real battlefield?"
Red chuckled.
In his hand, he still held one remaining Mega Evolution slot.
This was the final card he intended to use to completely shatter the current deadlock.
Of course, the answer had already been decided the moment Zoro and Sanji finished their rock–paper–scissors.
From a rational standpoint, whether it was the high-ranking Akainu or the strategically important Aokiji, both were worthy targets.
But emotionally…
Red's choice was obvious.
Of course it was that red dog Akainu he'd been cursing for years!!!
Though with time, growth, and even transmigrating into the world of pirates, Red no longer harbored much hatred toward Akainu, despite them both being "Red"—
Still…
"Whatever!"
"I'll just take this as venting for all those old group chats where we cursed [Red Dog] together."
"Even if the memories are blurry now, that feeling from back then… it never really goes away."
Red grinned.
Decision made, he took a step forward.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared in a scorching region engulfed in magma.
Zoro, wielding three blades, spun like a raging cyclone, launching relentless flying slashes at Akainu in the distance.
Yet every single one was blocked by the Admiral's molten lava.
"It's useless, evil pirate!"
"Justice will always prevail!!!"
Akainu swung his arms, endless magma condensing once more into a gigantic lava limb.
But just as he was about to strike, a sudden voice interrupted him.
"Justice will prevail?"
"I don't think so."
"Isn't it simply that… only the victors are qualified to be called justice?"
(End of Chapter)