As soon as that shout rang out, everyone who heard it turned their gaze toward the sky.
And just as the man had said—
A ship was flying straight toward them.
"A-a-a ship is flying over here… what… what's going on?!"
"Yeah! Why is there a ship in the sky? Could it be a Devil Fruit user?!"
"Who's coming? Pirates or allies?!"
"No idea. Let's see how the Fleet Admiral reacts… though I think it's probably our side—this is Marine Headquarters, after all!"
"Marine Headquarters? Did you forget what happened not long ago… when that pirate attacked here?"
"That's different! That was a vicious great pirate—Rocks D. Xebec. So what if he attacked? In the end, wasn't he chased down by our Fleet Admiral? I'm telling you, I was on the same ship as him back then—if those guys hadn't run so fast, the Rocks Pirates would've already been wiped off the seas!"
While the Marines were still arguing, the paper ship descended and landed on the open ground.
Is and his group stepped down slowly.
The sheer pressure they exuded made cold sweat bead across the foreheads of the surrounding Marines.
"T-That's… a Celestial Dragon—Saint Aurelius D. Virel ·Is!!!" a Rear Admiral who had seen Is before said with a frown.
"A Celestial Dragon? W-What are they doing in a place like this?!"
"How would I know?!"
"People of that status shouldn't even be at Marine Headquarters!"
As they whispered among themselves, the current Fleet Admiral of the Marines walked over.
Facing Is, he still offered a formal salute before asking, "May I ask what brings Saint Aurelius D. Virel ·Is here?"
"To join the battle."
The moment those two words left Is' mouth—
Both the Fleet Admiral and the surrounding Marines froze.
A Celestial Dragon… going to war alongside the Marines?
It was unprecedented.
"Y-You mean… you intend to participate in the battle?" The Fleet Admiral's face was filled with disbelief.
"Well? Am I not allowed?" Is looked down at him and spoke calmly.
"O-Of course not! It's just… isn't this too sudden, Saint Aurelius D. Virel ·Is? The enemies this time are the Rocks Pirates and the Roger Pirates. It's extremely dangerous—I urge you to reconsider."
"If it weren't for those two crews, I wouldn't have come at all," Is replied evenly.
And it was true.
If it were any other pirates, Is wouldn't bother.
But the Rocks Pirates and the Roger Pirates were different—they would shape the future of this world.
Now that such an opportunity had appeared, he had to seize it.
"????"
The Fleet Admiral looked at him, completely baffled.
At that moment—
From a warship not far away, Monkey D. Garp waved and shouted:
"Over here! Over here!!!"
Everyone turned to look.
The Fleet Admiral, meanwhile, cursed inwardly—he was trying to send Is away, and Garp was dragging him in instead.
"Farewell."
After leaving those words behind, Is walked toward Garp.
The Fleet Admiral wanted to say something more, but the words stuck in his throat.
Once Is had moved farther away, he turned to his subordinate.
"Bring me my Den Den Mushi."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
After receiving it, he quickly placed a call to the Five Elders.
"It's me."
"What is it?"
"Saint Aurelius D. Virel ·Is wants to join the battle with the Marines. Are you serious about this? I'm telling you—I can't handle him. If you want him sent back, you deal with it yourselves."
"Don't forget—we're not going on a trip. This is an extremely dangerous battle. People could die at any moment," the Fleet Admiral said steadily.
"It's fine. Let him come along. You don't need to protect him. Besides… that boy Is might turn out to be quite a useful combat force for you," the Five Elders replied.
The Fleet Admiral was about to respond—
But suddenly, a ship at the harbor lifted into the air.
At the same time, Garp's voice rang out:
"Kong! Sengoku! Fleet Admiral! We're heading out first—see you!!!"
"..."
The Fleet Admiral stood there stiffly, watching the ship grow smaller in the distance, lost in thought.
"If there's nothing else, we'll leave it at that. Best of luck."
With that, the Five Elders hung up.
"Fleet Admiral, what should we do?" one of his trusted aides asked.
"Proceed according to the original plan."
As he walked away, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
"Those Celestial Dragons have gone mad—and that bastard Garp's gone mad with them!"
"Vice Admiral Garp has always been like that. Whenever there's a strong enemy to fight, he gets excited," the aide explained.
"Do you think this is my first day knowing him?!"
"N-No, that's not what I meant!"
"Want some? Doesn't look like much, but it tastes pretty good."
Garp held out a bag of snacks toward Is.
"Hm? Garp, didn't you say before that you don't deal with Celestial Dragons?" Madara Uchiha asked, sitting on the ship's railing, one hand propping up his head as he gestured with the other.
"Yeah, I usually don't deal with other Celestial Dragons. But Saint Aurelius D. Virel ·Is is different. Because I think he's the only one who truly deserves to be called a Celestial Dragon. The rest are just… wearing the name—uh, I mean, ordinary people! Hahaha!" Garp laughed.
Is said nothing. He simply reached out, took the snack from Garp's hand, and glanced at it.
Potato chips.
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