Hearing the news, Shakky said calmly, "Let me check which Admiral is leading the operation."
The three Admirals each had very different personalities, so Shakky's methods of handling them varied accordingly.
She stepped aside, pulled out a Den Den Mushi, and made a call.
As someone who had lived on the Sabaody Archipelago for years, Shakky naturally had her own sources of information.
Soon after, she returned and looked at Rayleigh.
"Word is, all three Admirals are mobilized. They're about to land."
"We need to disappear."
"All three Admirals at once?" Rayleigh was stunned.
If that were true, even he and Shakky would need to be extremely cautious.
Still, for the Navy to deploy all three Admirals at once… this Godslayer Sora must be something else.
Rayleigh knew full well that no ordinary battle here would ever draw an Admiral's attention.
The only reason they'd show up now was to capture and kill the man who slew a Celestial Dragon—Godslayer Sora.
Shakky crushed her cigarette underfoot and turned to leave. As she walked, she added, "Let's move. Aokiji and Kizaru are manageable…"
"But Akainu… he's a real pain. I don't want to deal with him."
Rayleigh quickly followed.
Akainu Sakazuki—mad dog of the Navy. Rayleigh had no desire to cross paths with him either.
…
In a Revolutionary Army hideout.
Koala, bandaging her injured hand, looked frustrated. "I didn't think so many people would be after Godslayer Sora. Looks like we'll need Dragon himself to step in."
"Otherwise, there's no way we can beat Big Mom or Kaido to it."
Although Koala hadn't participated directly in the massive brawl, she had still been caught up in the chaos.
Fisherman Haku looked at her and said, "Let's head to Fish-Man Island for now. I've gotten intel—the three Admirals are about to land on the Sabaody Archipelago."
"If they trace us, we're in serious danger."
Koala tightened the bandage, put on her hat, and nodded. "Got it, Haku."
"Let's head to Fish-Man Island. With the Admirals around, Sora won't be coming here any time soon."
…
Onboard the Red Heart Pirates' submarine.
"Captain, we've got to go now!"
"The Admirals have landed. If we don't move, we'll be trapped!"
Bepo, looking up at the sky from the deck, was clearly panicking.
Just hearing the word "Admiral" was enough to make him panic.
Law lay there calmly, staring at the floating soap bubbles, listening to the distant explosions and chaos from the island.
"Bepo, Fire Fist Ace is about to be executed."
"If we leave now, we'll miss the real show."
"But for all three Admirals to be mobilized… this Sora guy must be incredibly dangerous. We'll have to be very careful."
Law stood up and walked into the cabin.
"Alright, let's dive for now. Once the Admirals are gone, we'll resurface."
"All hail the captain!" Bepo shouted, running after him into the cabin.
As Law submerged the submarine, others like Kid, Bonney, and Hawkins were making their escape from Sabaody as well—choosing to lay low until the storm passed.
Admirals were terrifying, but if they couldn't catch you, there wasn't much they could do.
…
In the shallow waters around Sabaody Archipelago.
Onboard the Divine Slave, disguised as a merchant vessel.
Nico Robin was calmly explaining her plan to Sora.
"Now that the three Admirals are on their way, all the pirates on Sabaody will try to escape."
"Katakuri, Queen, the whole lot."
"They'll either dive for Fish-Man Island or run in the opposite direction from the Navy."
"We can't do anything about the divers, but those fleeing the other way—we can intercept."
"With the Divine Slave's speed and firepower, we can eliminate them and collect Devil Fruits."
"With some luck, we'll catch the Supernovas you mentioned. We might even run into Katakuri or Queen."
"But as long as we don't engage in close-quarters fighting, we have nothing to fear. Your wind control combined with the Divine Slave's cannons will be enough."
Sora gave Robin an approving look. He liked her thinking.
He cupped her face and kissed her cheek with a grin.
"Let's do it your way!"
Robin touched her lips lightly and said, "Then you better hurry."
Sora patted her cheek. "I'm going after that fat guy, Queen."
"I already got the drifting location of his ship from Ulti. Let's make him our first target."
Although Sora would've preferred to go after Smoothie, he wasn't ready to face both Sweet Commanders at once.
So he decided to start with Queen, and also capture Black Maria.
According to Ulti, Queen's low-level crew had all been wiped out by his poison gas bombs, which had left his ship seriously undermanned and slowed down.
It was the perfect time for a surprise cannon barrage with the Divine Slave.
And as luck would have it, Queen's ship was exactly within the ambush route Robin had planned.
"Sora! Pirate ship spotted dead ahead, coming out of Sabaody's inner channel!"
"Looks like one of those Supernova ships you were talking about!"
Miss Valentine floated down from the lookout, calling out to him.
Sora raised an eyebrow. "Supernova? Whose ship?"
Miss Valentine quickly flipped through the bounty posters he'd given her.
"Here—this one's named Hawkins. Bounty: 249 million Berries!"
That scarecrow guy?
Sora's eyes lit up when he saw the poster.
The Strawman might look creepy, but his substitute doll ability was incredibly useful.
Perfect for scavenging during the upcoming war at Marineford.
Without hesitation, Sora changed course and headed straight for Hawkins' ship.
Onboard Hawkins' ship.
A crewmember wearing a bishop's robe shouted toward the figure on the deck, who was casually shuffling tarot cards.
"Captain! A merchant ship is charging straight toward us!"
"It's the Five Seas Merchant Guild—the ones famous in the North Blue for hunting pirates!"
Basil Hawkins, the magician from the North Blue, was well aware of the guild's reputation. So were his crew.
But Hawkins didn't flinch. He continued drawing his tarot cards, completely unbothered.
He needed to complete his reading—then he would decide how to deal with the oncoming threat.
______________
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