Hearing that all three Marine Admirals had been dispatched, Ulti and Page One stared at each other in disbelief.
They knew that impersonating Sora would likely draw an Admiral's attention—
But they never imagined the name "Godslayer Sora" carried such overwhelming weight.
To think that it would actually lead to all three Admirals moving at once.
It was like he had been added to the World Government's execution list.
Even Queen, the one secretly orchestrating this operation, would be utterly shocked if he heard this.
After all, Queen had only expected to lure out a single Admiral, using the chaos to strike at Katakuri and Smoothie on the Sabaody Archipelago.
If it were all three Admirals, even Queen would flee three thousand miles, waiting for the Admirals to leave before returning to Sabaody.
"Gotta admit, that fat bastard Queen is clever,"
Sora muttered, now having pieced together the situation.
If he were just a regular pirate, he probably would've followed Queen's expectations to the letter.
But the problem was—he was no ordinary pirate.
With a snap of his fingers, two Negative Ghosts appeared beside him.
"What are you trying to do now?" Ulti asked warily, jolted by their sudden reappearance.
She'd already suffered twice at their hands and wasn't eager for a third round.
Grinning widely, Sora looked at Ulti and said,
"Just making sure you two behave—so I'll have to trouble you and your dear brother-in-law for a bit."
Before either of them could react, the two Negative Ghosts shot toward the pair trapped inside the wind prison.
"Wait—what do you mean by 'brother-in-law'...?"
The strange phrasing left Ulti and Page One dumbfounded—right before the ghosts pierced through their bodies.
"Pagey… I'm sorry, as your big sister…"
"Big Sis…"
As the ghosts passed through them, the siblings collapsed, completely drained of spirit.
Sora chuckled and guided the wind to lift their limp bodies, carrying them to the Divine Slave which had just docked at the shore. He then ordered Aphelandra to place sea prism stone handcuffs on them.
"Who are they?" Perona floated up beside Sora, curious about the two unconscious captives being carried off by Anna and Shalria.
After spending the past few days with Sora, she was now sure—her Devil Fruit ability hadn't been taken from her.
"They're officers under Emperor Kaido," Sora answered casually.
"Under Kaido…?" Perona froze in shock.
Sora ignored her reaction and stroked his chin in thought.
Originally, his trip to Sabaody had been to make use of his Five Seas Chamber of Commerce identity to cover his tracks while hunting Supernovas like Kid, Law, and Bonney, who might have been on the island.
But now, this unexpected development had completely derailed his plan.
Even with Black Maria and Smoothie right in front of him, Sora knew he couldn't take on a Calamity or a Sweet Commander in his current state.
Let alone Katakuri, a top-tier Observation Haki user who could momentarily glimpse the future.
With all three Marine Admirals headed for Sabaody, even posing as a merchant wouldn't protect him. He'd have to retreat and lay low for a while to minimize risk.
But still…
How could he maximize the gains from this situation? Was there a way to get his hands on the Devil Fruits of Black Maria, Smoothie—or even some of the Supernovas?
Piloting the Divine Slave away from Sabaody, Sora frowned in deep thought.
"What's wrong?" Robin approached him, noticing his expression.
Pulling her gently into his arms, Sora smiled and explained the entire situation along with his targets.
Hearing that he was aiming to take down Smoothie, Black Maria, and several Supernovas, Robin frowned slightly.
But after recalling Sora's capabilities, she relaxed and began to seriously consider how she could help him pull off such an impossible goal.
Soon, Robin smiled and said,
"I might have a way. It's worth a try."
"It could help you catch at least one of them."
Sora's eyes lit up.
"Alright, let's hear it."
...
Area 18.
"Damn it! That bastard Queen tricked us!"
Daifuku of the Big Mom Pirates cursed loudly at the sight of the gaping hole where the restaurant had once stood—now reduced to rubble from the crossfire.
They had just driven off the CP0 agents and those reckless rookie pirates—only to be met with this scene?
Katakuri stared silently at the destruction.
A man like Godslayer Sora, who had killed a Celestial Dragon, would never escape by digging a hole in the ground.
Which meant—they had all been played by Queen.
There was no Sora here at all.
In truth, Katakuri had already been suspicious of the sudden news about Sora's appearance on Sabaody. So this outcome didn't exactly surprise him.
Burururu~ burururu~
Katakuri pulled out a small Den Den Mushi and pressed a button.
Smoothie's voice came through the line.
"Big Brother, the sea slugs we stationed near Marine HQ sent a report. The Admirals are on the move and heading to Sabaody. We need to retreat immediately."
Katakuri had already anticipated this. Calmly, he asked,
"Which ones?"
"...All three Admirals," Smoothie's voice answered.
All three Admirals!?
Katakuri's brow furrowed. Daifuku, Oven, and the others nearby gasped in shock.
Even Kid, Law, and the rest of the Supernovas—who had stayed hidden nearby after being driven back—were equally stunned.
"We're heading back right now."
Ending the call, Katakuri picked up his trident and strode toward the Big Mom Pirates' ship.
"Let's go. Queen clearly wanted to use the World Government and Marines to strike at us—to buy himself more time, or maybe even to call Kaido for backup."
"But he obviously underestimated how determined the World Government is to capture Godslayer Sora."
Hearing this, Oven cursed.
"That bastard Queen—he's the most devious, underhanded scum there is!"
Katakuri said nothing.
If he were in Queen's position, he would've done the same.
Still, the fact that all three Admirals had mobilized to capture Sora left Katakuri deeply unsettled.
That kind of response was something only a Yonko would warrant.
Could it be that, in the eyes of the World Government or the Marines, Sora was already considered the next Emperor of the Sea?
If so… then both he and Queen had severely underestimated him.
And they might end up paying the price for it.
Seeing the Big Mom Pirates preparing to withdraw, Kid, Law, Bonney, and the other Supernovas stopped hesitating and rushed back to their ships to set sail immediately.
From afar, watching everything unfold, Shakky took a slow drag from her cigarette and said to Rayleigh,
"Looks like it was a fake. Someone used Sora's name to stir up chaos."
"Judging by how fast they're retreating, I'd say the Admirals are almost here."
Rayleigh took a sip of his drink, chuckled, and replied,
"If that's true, then this bunch really knows how to cause trouble."
"And we'd best stay cautious too. The Admirals aren't ones to mess with."
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